#he just has to locate annabeth to get it back

[demigods-posts]

headcanon that percy and annabeth routinely swap weapons in battle. it's not a concious feat. it's just that they consider themselves a single unit when fighting for their lives. so their partner's weapon is also their weapon.

[waltzingwithspirit]

PICK A CARD: HOW WILL YOU MEET YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE?

Top Left: 111 ; Top Right: 222; Bottom: 333

Disclaimer:

Take what resonates and leave the rest.

The disclaimer in pinned post applies here too.

No one is allowed to copy my work under any circumstances.

DM for personal readings.

🥀111🥀

You could meet your partner through a woman, (be it a mother, friend) an expressive and creative woman. She could be a  neighbour, married women or someone who has light within them and the ability to spread light, a woman in love with life, could paint or do arts and crafts, could like sewing too. You guys could meet in some class/workshop you both are taking. One of you may not want to be here. You could meet at an art exhibition, museums, while shopping etc. Another possible location is at the park, where you run or jog. Either or both of you are into fitness, if not you will be at the time you meet them and will be taking care of yourself. Definitely at a public place, could be party where they are your friend’s friends, there is dancing, food and things fun, people will be taking among themselves. Happy positive energy, one of you likes to talk. Yes, I am seeing you’ll meet them when you are satisfied and fulfilled with how your life is going, could be 9 months from now. You could also meet them in march or May next year. You are confident, vibing, and they will show up suddenly when you least expect it. First meeting, they’ll notice you for a while before approaching you, they come across flirty, graceful, and put their best foot forward. Definitely a pleasant meeting. The meeting could end up being open-ended, like you may not have set a time to meet again, no one’s asked anyone out on a date, simply exchanged numbers/social media’s. You two might also end up going at the same bakery and meet again. They do have an offer for you but it will take some time before things become official. Don’t be disheartened, this is your future spouse so you guys definitely do end up together. 

Comment ‘111’ to claim.

🌸222🌸

In class, a learning institution, could have meet in school, colleges, coaching centres, any hobby classes you take etc, but you are definitely here to learn and practice. These could be online workshops/certificate classes as well. It took you blood sweat and tears to pay for this course, it is something you have wanted to do for a long time, you know you are good, naturally talented. I am getting Annabeth from Percy Jackson, those vibes. You could meet at a martial arts academy, or even the gym. He is the new guy. Again, someone struggled to get where they are today(at the point you meet them). I am getting the same messages again, learning centre, through teachers too. You might be in the same group/team for projects, paired up together every time. You both will learn together, grow together. You will learn giving people benefit of the doubt, and becoming soft, not always having your guard up. You will be passionate about what you are doing, love is not even on your mind and you’d rather just focus on something else but it will creep up on you slowly, like the sea touches the shore take a step back before merging again, during the course of time the lines will get blurry, from I had dinner with them because practice ran late to ‘Hey, you want to get dinner together?’ With no compulsion of any situation. Slowly you will reach out to them, it will morph into a friendship with a small crush to your partner for life, it’s a slow burn but it’s worth it. 

Comment ‘222’ to claim.

🌻333🌻

It will take a way for your union. Right now you need to develop into your authentic self, become more of yourself and express that. You feel unfulfilled and incomplete, you think finding a partner will solve all things, some of you are up and down the curve, on one day you literally can’t live without your soulmate and are dying for them to magically appear in your life to who cares? I just want to focus on me, my career, and money. There is  loneliness in your heart. I hear that your future spouse is not currently decided which is a good thing, the more you evolve, the more evolved person you will attract as your future spouse. You could meet them during grocery shopping, buy plants, getting your salary, when you are living the life you want to life like in an apartment with many plants, some art, mainly white with pops of color all around. I am seeing Europe for some of you. You could meet them after a life changing decision you took, it could be pack up your bags and move across the world. You will not be staying where you are right now that’s for sure. You are taking a chance on life and loving it. After this everything will start to get better, feel better. You are buying flowers for no reason and getting your chai/coffee, dressing up everyday. Everything is so colourful suddenly, that’s when you meet them. This is a new person, no toxic exes here. You literally are living your best life, laughing, hanging out with friends, genuine happiness, good bed time, someone who can’t wait to wake up to their new life, that is when you’ll know your future spouse is ready to come into your life and they ARE MATCHING YOUR ENERGY.  

Comment ‘333’ to claim.

-

EL TAROT

[ordon-pumpkin]

Percy Jackson spoilers and criticism below.

I see people complain about how the show just has the characters figuring out things way too quickly (I completely agree with this.) Then I see people complaining about that criticism saying things like “Oh it makes sense! They would know that because Annabeth’s been at camp, Grover is a satyr, and Percy’s mom taught him about the myths!” However, there is a difference between them knowing about the stories and them IMMEDIATELY figuring each potential trap/situation out and zapping the energy from the scenes.

These same instances in the book usually involve a feeling of unease, something feels off, things seem kind of familiar, and it slowly dawns on them what they are dealing with OR they are escaping one situation to be thrust into another and don’t have time to think about it at all. There’s tension, there’s drama. I’m here for it. The show on the other hand? Oof.

Also the circumstances in which they encounter these situations in the book greatly influence how things go. They are human(ish) after all and them getting into these messes makes them easier to connect to as characters. Let’s break it down a little more there.

- With Medusa they were lost in the woods and hungry. The smell of food lured them in. They were hungry children dang it! From the circus lol (Honestly, this instance didn’t bother me too much in the show when I first watched it because it was early on before the knowing things too soon became an ongoing theme.)

- With the Lotus Hotel and Casino they were tired and feeling grimy, having just traveled in the back of a truck with a bunch of animals in horrible conditions. It was scorching hot outside. They were absolutely exhausted and wound up there where a doorman invited them in and it was a relief to have somewhere to take a break, recoup and figure out their next move. Once inside they had access to a shower! There were snacks. Plus the place was incredible. It also showed their interests with Annabeth being drawn in to trivia and city building games, Percy liked the bungee jumping! Grover played a reverse hunting game! Percy figured out the trap by asking a guy using 70s slang and dressed to match, what year it was. He kept asking and getting different answers. Then he was able to snap Annabeth out of it by describing spiders, which he knew she had a fear of from the Tunnel of Love ride. (This whole scene in the show was such a let down, so was the Tunnel of Love scene but I’ll leave that alone for now.)

- With Crusty they were on the run and dashed into the store. This encounter is one of my favorite moments of Percy’s quick thinking in the books btw. Also his absolute lack of hesitation to slice someone’s head if they mess with his friends. Percy is smart. He’s very street smart actually. In the book this scene shows that really well. (The way I paused the show in frustration and almost turned it off when the episode started already at Crusty’s with the line “I know who you are.” Like of course. That’s just how we’re telling this story now. Check. They met Crusty. And he doesn’t feel like a threat at all. But they met him I guess.)

The exhaustion and the circumstances in these instances in the book and getting into these traps aren’t the trio being “stupid.” They were moments that set up the situation to feel more relatable, alive, tense, and interesting. The show’s changes have taken away most of the tension from these scenes. Them knowing and catching on to things so quickly is lazy and it is incredibly boring. It just feels like they are checking off a list of places from the books they wanted in the show, while losing the entire energy and impact of those locations and scenes.

To me everything in this show feels like it’s at 20%. The humor, the stakes, the tension, the personality, the freaking lighting (why is so much of this show so hard to even see?), the whimsy, the magic, the charm. It’s all so dialed back and watered down. The book is a roller coaster of making you laugh and putting you on the edge of your seat with the tension and situations these kids get into. It’s campy, it’s intense, it’s crazy, and so energetic. The show feels bland in comparison. Idk how you manage to make Percy Jackson feel boring but they did it.

I’m not asking for it to be an exact copy of the book. I’m just disappointed with how dull it is. When it’s boring and it’s a scene that was the furthest thing from that in the original version then YES I’m going to compare it and wonder why there were changes to make it less interesting. In fact, my favorite scene in the show so far is actually the taxi in the parking garage scene. It captured the energy and vibe of Percy Jackson really well and it’s a scene not in the books at all. The energy is important and this show is lacking severely most of the time. It has some really good moments (back to that 20% thing) but overall it’s such a let down.

We have one episode left of the season and I don’t exactly have high hopes of it making things better. It just makes me sad because I wanted to love this series. The incredibly talented cast, a major studio behind it, passionate people being involved including the author, amazing source material… I look at all of the ingredients and it should be amazing. But I’m pretty disappointed right now.

[booksanddarkchocolate]

Anyway here are my live reactions on episode 6:

- Did they- did they cast Kronos already?

- Iris messages!!

- Luke what are you doing in Chirons office 🤨

- They really do act like an old married couple 😭

- “Everyone is picking sides” SO YOU BETTER PICK A SIDE (live, love, laugh tlt musical)

- Nooo they didn’t have the “because I’m your friend, Seaweed Brain, any more stupid questions?” interaction 😭

- And they’re not showing that Percy can talk to horses yet? I wonder why they put that off and when we’re gonna see it

- Okay I love book!Grover, but show!Grover is toptier, Aryan is so amazing and Grover is such a mood

- Especially the ‘oh yeah people.. but the animals are safe!’ part

- Percabeth 🥹 I love their friend era so much too

- Levitating is not what I was expecting to hear, I don’t know what I did expect, but it’s not that lol

- No but why do they suddenly have to know everything before they experience it? I understood it with the other monsters, but why here? Like surely they would know about the loti (lotuses?) in the Odyssey but the connection is not that obvious here

- WISE GIRL

- Wait so is Sally a Seer too? Or will they specify the difference between seeing through the Mist and seeing the future?

- Grover seeing another Satyr getting sidetracked on the Pan quest 😭

- Oh I’m not sure if I trust Augustus

- Percy being so perplexed when Annabeth admitted she didn’t know lol

- LIN LIN LIN

- Smooth location transition

- What was that 😳

- Sad baby Percy in a police car 🥺

- Annabeth pickpocketing Hermes is such a slay

- “I’m multi-talented” love that

- Is it my delusion or was Percy lowkey in awe with Annabeth for stealing Hermes car keys

- “Is it dangerous? Not a dealbreaker, just curious” 😂

- “Are we late because of me?” 🥺🥺 Grover better get his memories back soon >:(

- Also Augustus did nothing wrong lol he was just playing a video game 😂

- What’s smarter, giving a random cabdriver a creditcard with infinite money and letting him keep it or driving a cab themselves? I’m not sure honestly lol

- Did they just get hit by a truck?

- Right it’s a magic car

- They are so cute ugh

- Wait why did they pick this chapter title as the title and not show a zebra 😭

- I’m intrigued by the Nereid’s design, not sure if it’s in a good or bad way

- Wait they changed it so that the deadline is already over? Okay 🤨

- “What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea” it’s a seAshell

- Ngl I’m not sure if that was a book quote (it probably is), but the musical will always be the first thing that comes to mind

- Huhhhh four pearls? Sally is allowed to come with them?

- What are they gonna do with the “and you’ll fail to save what matters most” line in the prophecy? This is a change that does actually keep me on my toes lol

Preview:

- THEY DIDNT CUT CRUSTYS THEY DIDNT CUT CRUSTYS THEY DIDNT CUT CRUSTYS

- I WAS SO CONVINCED THEY WERE GONNA CUT IT AND IM SO HAPPY THEY DIDNT

- Next episode is gonna be wiiiild

- Someone has a theory that the sandy place in Percy’s dreams is a time turner and I’m so convinced that’s true

[superhero--imagines]

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! /Part 3 Here! / Part 4 Here! / Part 5 Here! / Part 6 Here! / Part 7 Here! / Part 8 Here! / Part 9 Here! / Part 10 Here! / Part 11 Here! / Part 12 Here! /Part 13 Here! / Part 14 Here! / Part 15 Here! / Part 16 Here ! / Part 17 Here! / Part 18 Here! / Part 19 Here! / Part 20 here! <This is Part 21!>

A/N: Next part is up, as a small reminder if you are interested in a physical edition of the waking up in pjo series (like an actual book written in short story format just like the waking up in twilight book) our soft interest check is located here, and I'll be launching the hard interest check officially in the new year.

* Your finger taps against the cheap linoleum table.

* ‘I’m in a lot of shit.’

* The problems just keep stacking up, one after the other.

* The lost dog got you out to Colorado, but there are no more open tickets on trains or busses from here—it’s peak season and everyone seems to be moving in or out of the city.

* You’re not sixteen yet so you can’t rent a car, and the solstice is growing closer with every minute.

* So now you’re sitting in a shitty diner, in a shitty town, trying to find some way to shitty California so Percy can meet his degenerate Dad.

Not to mention that this asshole has to be here—you wrinkle your nose as another wave of violent emotion wafts over you

* ‘Can’t he keep it in his pants for ten minutes?’

* Ares grins back at you.

* He looks a lot like his mother, and a little like Maki. You catch pieces of Clarisse in him too. The shape of his nose, the curve of his lip.

* A yellow aura radiates off of him, perfect blond curls pressed against his head, and a bright red flush over the bridge of his nose.

* If he wasn’t being such an asshole tormenting Percy you’d say he was handsome.

* He gives you a wolfish grin, eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, his leather jacket wrinkling as he leans forward.

* “I’ve been dying to meet you.”

* Annabeth flinches, Percy glowers, Grover looks like he wants to disappear, you only raise an eyebrow.

* “And why would that be?”

* Ares snorts, leaning back in his chair. “Humble like your old Underworld Daddy, huh?”

* You’d laugh if you weren’t so annoyed with him right now. The children look beside themselves with horror. Ares doesn’t seem to care, using a steak knife to clean his fingers. “You’re all anyone can talk about these days.” He whistles.

* “What about him?” You nod to Percy, who seems about a second from punching him in the face.

* Ares rolls his eyes.

*“Poseidon having a kid? That’s old news, old seaweeds notorious for getting caught up in the moment—everyone knows about his and Amphitrite's agreement.”

*‘Oh my god, Percy’s dad is a swinger.’

*“But Hades having a kid?” You catch a glimmer of Ares' eyes widening from behind his glasses. “That’s interesting.”

*‘Well, he’s not really my Dad.’

*But his fascination with you is starting to make sense. Hades is hopelessly devoted to Persephone, you’re fairly certain he’s never even glanced at someone in a romantic light after devoting himself to her.

*“What’s even more interesting is how they’ve all curled around you, protecting you from the others.” For the first time, you feel a shiver trail down your spine, teeth clenched hard to suppress the natural movement. Even though you can’t see them, you can feel Ares's eyes trained on you, studying every action you make.

*‘He’s suspicious.’

*Persephone did say he’s surprisingly astute for someone who acts like a moron.

*“Not to mention half of the Olympians have given you blessings.”

*That catches you off guard.

*“What?”

*You can feel him keen at your surprise.

*“It’s right there,” he nods towards your jacket-covered sleeve. As if they can only be ignited by a divine voice, the symbols glow.

*“There’s Makaira,” he says pointing to a pale yellow mark of a bird. “Melinoe,” a somber grey mark of a stone. “Hades,” Black with three skulls. “Persephone,” a bright pink peony. “Zagreus,” this one is said with a raised eyebrow at the red sword burned into your skin. “Circe,” an orange bay leaf. “Hecate—nice.” He remarks at the green crescent moon in your skin. “Dionysus,” This is punctuated by a soft smile, the purple strawberries glow under his gaze. “Hera.” The bright yellow dove on the back of your hand.

*Ares eyes squint like he sees something else, something he can’t quite make out. But he says nothing. Only mutters a soft: “That’s weird.”

*Noticing the weakness he’s shown, he grins again.

*‘So that’s the face he uses to hide his real feelings.’

*“Want to add another? I wouldn’t mind giving you a bit of wrath.” His hand glows with an ombré of yellow to red. Your hand instinctively goes to hold Percy back when he rises to smack some sense into the incorrigible god.

*“How about you stop tormenting my friend and tell me what the fuck it is you want.”

*The use of the swear has Grover’s fork clattering to the floor.

*‘It’s rude but at least one of these crappy blessings should protect me right?’

*Ares doesn’t seem to mind, his grin only widening, hands held up in truce, Percy relaxes next to you.

*“I need a simple favor from you.”

*You very much doubt anything that comes from this man’s mouth is going to be simple in the least.

*“I was on a date and—”

*“Oh my god you were harassing Aphrodite again weren’t you?”

*He grows flustered.

*“W-what no—”

*“Yes, you were.” You respond. “Makaria and Melinoe told me all about it, how last month she was having a quiet dinner with her family and you showed up drunk on her lawn slurring love ballads.” Percy actually muffled a snort at that, and Annabeth has to feign excessive interest in the window.

*Ares flushes red in embarrassment.

*“L-look do you want a ride to the west or not?!”

*You do need a ride out of town.

*‘But I’m starting to think it’s not a coincidence all modes of transportation for us are blocked.’

*“So what is it you need?” You ask leaning back in your chair.

*“I left my shield at the old abandoned water park, if you get it for me I’ll get you a ride to the west.”

*You lean back in your chair, he wants something from this—more than just getting a glance at a few demi-gods or his shield.

*‘Which means I can get a little more out of this.’

*“You get us a ride out west and you give Clarisse and her mom a call.”

*He’s baffled by the request, as are the other three children.

*Despite his confusion, he nods.

*“I can do that.”

*“Then we have a deal.”

*There’s a moment of awkward silence, the only sound of Grover half-slurping, half-chewing his plastic straw.

*“A-alright, I have an appointment, it was nice meeting you.” He gives you a slight bow before getting on his motorcycle and ripping his engine into the highway.

*“He’s nicer than I thought he would be.” You say biting one if Percy’s fries.

***

*People should really be more wary of a gaggle of children walking around a city unaccompanied

*Especially when they’re peeking over a wooden fence, eyes swinging right to left as they survey an old water park

*“I think the coast is clear,” Annabeth says.

*“I don’t hear anything.” Grover adds, his ears twitching.

*Your mouth opens, the words: “Let’s wait a few minutes to be sure.” Dancing on the tip of your tongue when Percy jumps the fence.

*The three of you look at him with dumbstruck expression, Annabeth smacks her forehead.

*“What? We were going to do it sooner or later anyway.”

*There’s something haunting about an abandoned water park, rides teaming with algae, inner tubes half inflated still rotating on a lazy River—it’s unsettling.

*What’s even more unsettling are Annabeth’s twinkling eyes when she spots an unlocked gift shop.

*“We can’t just take this stuff Annabeth!” Percy, ever the morally upright young man, says.

*“Watch me.” She hisses back, grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

*“Hell yeah! We’re finally doing something fun, hey Annie let’s insight a riot on Main Street so we can loot there too!”

*“Oh man, not you too!” Percy groans. He looks hurt when Grover moved to join you both in your ransacking.

*“If you can’t beat em,” Grover shrugs.

*And that’s how the four of you ended up walking around an abandoned water park looking like ghosts of their catalog models.

*“It’s probably in there.” Grover nods to the Tunnel of Love, it’s one of the few rides they bothered to drain and turn off.

*‘That or Ares drained it himself.’

*Your staff glows in your hand.

*‘What kind of trick is this.’

*Annabeth and Percy race in front of you.

*“Not you too Annie!”

*“I just want to get out of this place! It gives me the creeps!” She calls back.

*That’s not exactly what you want to hear from a twelve-year-old child of Athena

*“Kids, am I right?” Grover says with a sheepish grin from beside you.

*You sigh.

*‘At least one of them has got more than one brain cell.’

*“Tell me about it.”

*You walk to the end of the tunnel, studying the walls and miscellaneous graffiti.

*“So what’s the deal with Aphrodite and Ares?”

*You scoff.

*“It’s just the usual thing, a woman finally figured out they deserve better and the degenerate they left behind thinks otherwise.” Grover looks at you with a puzzled expression,

*“I…I always heard the affair was reciprocated.”

*You scoff again.

*‘Ares would like people to think that.’

*“She woke up one day, all of her kids grown and independent, and realized the only child she was taking care of was her partner and that she’d spent most of her life taking care of other people—”

*Melinoe had a very inquisitive expression when she told you this, like it pained her too, like she was the one who lived through it.

*“—so she left him and married someone who would take care of her. And Ares is still pissed about it I guess because he keeps doing crap like this to win her back.”

*It’s almost abusive when you think about it.

*Grover is silent for a long while.

*“Why don’t people ever talk about this?”

*Your mouth stretches into a fine line.

*“Because maybe it’s easier to avert your eyes sometimes.”

*You don’t hold it against them, Ares is a powerful god, and while Aphrodite is coveted—she doesn’t hold much power on her own.

*‘It’s not easy to call out Zeus’ son for his poor behavior.’

*You both stop when you reach the end of the ride, a dome shaped enclave, gilded with mirrors.

*You and Percy share identical sneers

*‘That jerk really thought Aphrodite would want to meet up somewhere she could stare at herself…did he ever love her?’

*“Let’s go and get it, come on Annabeth—”

*“I’m not going in the Tunnel of Love with you.” She looks completely embarrassed at the notion.

*‘She is only 12 years old after all, it’s natural for her to be embarrassed.’

*“Let’s wait a minute.”

*You can’t just charge into a situation, you have to think things through.

*“So here’s the plan—” you’re positive old shitty blush has an ulterior motive it can’t be this easy to grab a shield. You look to the children, seeing a dash outline where Percy should be. “Where’s P—”

*A click echoed through the chamber.

*Percy’s standing in the middle of the empty pool, a massive silver shield in his hand.

*When he catches your gaze he gives a sheepish shrug.

*“I figured if we were going to die, we might as well die soon.”

*‘Hades, what are these kids watching to get such a negative outlook on life?’

*You’re about to open your mouth to tell him as much when you hear a rumble.

*“Shit.”

*It’s Annabeth’s idea to get on the shield, Grover’s legs that kick away water from you, and Percy’s total concentration on his blooming powers and Annabeth’s tact that keeps you from smashing into rock and riding the tide out the entrance.

*And even though the Cupid statues record you, completely drenched and a little humiliated, next to a sputtering Annabeth, a hyperventilating Grover, and a adrenaline overload Percy breathing fast—you grin.

*‘At least it’s never boring.’

*You point into the camera, still grinning.

*“You owe us.”

*Percy pops out from behind you, waving.

*“Yeah, shows over!”

*You grin.

*‘It’s good to have friends.’

A/N: As a small reminder if you are interested in a physical edition of the waking up in pjo series (like an actual book written in short story format just like the waking up in twilight book) our soft interest check is located here, and I'll be launching the hard interest check officially in the new year.

*Tag List closed, looks like I’ve reached the max!*

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[skrbol]

Skater! Percy Jackson Headcanons

-Back when Rachel and Percy first started hanging out Rachel had just got a PS1, and let Percy play it. When Percy kicked her ass in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 it’s lead to a long standing feud. It remains unresolved to this day and spans across games like Skate 1-3 and the other Tony Hawk games.

-For a brief period in time Percy had the world record in Hall of Meat on Skate 3

-Annabeth had to instigate very strict equipment location protocols while designing Olympus. This is due to one time she saw Percy drop in from a crane, hit a 1080, land on Hermes’ roof, kick off into a Christ pose, grind on the bow of the Apollo statue, then stick the landing. Apollo and Hermes where entertained, Annabeth was not.

-When Piper first met him she tried to call him out as a poser, she stopped when she got crushed in a game of S-K-A-T-E

-Percy’s music and fashion tastes reflect his skater style, it’s one of the few things him and Thalia agree on. They will frequently go to shows or malls together

-Percy has a chronic lack of flannels, he owns like 15, Annabeth stole them all.

-Percy has tried to get Grover on a board, the incident has agreed to never be spoken of again

-Clarrise was PISSED one time when Percy wouldn’t fight her and just skated around her during a fight. Similarly related, skateboards have been banned from capture the flag since the time Percy cruised up to the l flag, broke one of the defender’s nose with his board, then skated away.

-Percy has, on multiple occasions kickflipped on top of a place he just killed a monster, to truly disrespect them. Or in the case of Chrysador, find where he was originally buried, then kick flip on his grave.

-Terminus has banned skateboards from New Rome after watching Percy shred on top of a Jupiter statue

-Sally has multiple times let Percy grab onto the rear bumper on her car while he’s on his board, It’s part of the reason she has the title coolest mom.

-Paul will occasionally kickflip or hit an Ollie in front of his class if they’re bored, Percy taught him how to do it.

-Percy has attended Halloween Hellbomb every year since it started, He’s gone as Hades, Poseidon, Aquaman , and one time on a dare Athena.

[bloodyshadow1]

so the percy jackson series was good, not just decent, but genuinely good. There are 5 criticisms that I have to make though to get them out of my system. Mostly small and 1 that will hopefully change as things move forward. Please dont take it seriously, the show has been great, but there are some things I need to get off of my chest as I watch it

I don't really like how the minotaur looked. just a preference I thought he looked too bulky and too much like a bull that happen to stand on 2 legs instead of a human bull hybrid. I was actually wondering for a while if they changed things and he was going to stay on 4 legs for the fight.

I dont' know if I like Percy having Riptide at the start. Personally Percy's first training session where he every normal sword doesn't feel right in his hands was one of my favorite scenes. I like how he does have a weakness where only certain weapons, (powered by the sea) feel right in his hands while others feel awkward to him. I don't know how they would do the scene in a show where you aren't having Percy's inner POV so I get it, I just feel sad that one of my favorite scenes is gone

Chiron sometimes just looked weird. Not the actor or anything, but the way they shot him sometimes. The scenes where he's walking with Percy, when they cut to him they show him from the waste up and without Percy by his side, like they cut back and forth between the two like the two actors were shot in different locations and they are trying to pretend they weren't without digitally editing them together. They also sometimes seemed to refuse to show Chiron's horse parts, I assume to save on CGI for it, but it looks awkward sometimes because the actor moves like he has a centaur body in some of the shots, but because they don't show the horse body the way he moves doesn't look human, like he looks very stilted and doesn't move his body like he's taking steps. Combine with the first part it doesn't even feel like Percy's talking to Chiron, the centaur, but Chiron, the 8 foot guy from a lower budget project.

I'm kind of mixed on the fight scene by the river in ep 2. It was well done, well choreographed but I don't think Percy ever steps foot in the water until Annabeth pushes him. The whole point of the scene was to show Percy gets a power boost when he's in the water, that he goes from a 12 year old to superman when he touches it. In the show, he just starts to get good, kind of like Jackie Chan mixed with the first Matrix Neo. I think it's to show him as a natural swordsman, but I liked that it wasn't just him, but the powerboost he gets due to being a son of Poseidon not just a prodigy. It is somewhat mitigated by him already having Riptide, a blade that fits perfectly in his hands instead of a basic camp sword that would already feel awkward in his hands, but still, I would have preferred it like it was in the books. Also Clarisse's scream at the end wasn't great either, should have done another take. Screams are hard though so whatever but still felt cringy. Also also, the whole strategy was to put Percy on boarder patrol near the river specifically so he would have the same advantage he had in the bathroom, not just him guarding a random road on the battlefield and stumbling into the river. The strategy still works because the main goal is to draw Clarisse away due to her grudge against Percy, but it would have showed off Annabeth's strategy chops to have multiple reasons

This one is gonna be controversial because the Actress playing Annabeth is already getting a stupid amount of hate, but I do think they sand down her edges and slightly girl power her up when it isn't necessary. Annabeth is one of my favorite characters in the series, tied with Percy for first, but I like her flaws and all. I like how she stood aside when Percy and Clarisse have their first clash, and got covered in toilet water too, I like how she has a dumb little girl crush on Luke who views her like a little sister and is embarrassed to the point of blushing when he addresses her, I like how she interrogates a barely conscious Percy about something he has no idea happened. I just feel like by reducing her screen time and letting Luke show Percy around it lessens who she is as a character and sands down her edges in attempting to making her a 'girl boss.' Which brings me to the other part of the issue, Annabeth is a super smart badass and talented action girl, you don't really need to say it if you're not going to show it. She doesn't need to be shilled, the character should just be allowed to be. That's why Luke's comment about her being the best warrior in camp kind of rubbed me the wrong way. The line could have been something about she's only 12 and one of the best warriors int he camp already and I think it would have amounted to the same thing and kept things more grounded. I don't mind her being hailed as one of the smartest or best strategists, but maybe it's just me being an adult, it's weird to say a 12 year old is the best warrior in the camp where they train child soldiers. That being said, she's only been in one of the two eps, she'll have plenty of time to show off her other skills. And again I want to be clear, it is not a flaw of the Actress, it's a flaw of the writing that I hope they course correct as a book reader

--> PS to point 5 Unfortunately, TLT doesn't have that many fight scenes compared to the later books and while Annabeth is the brains behind the quest, I'm not sure if she's going to get a chance to show off her fighting prowess unless they change the books so from a book readers perspective it just feels like a tell not shown line

-> PSS to point 5. Also another small nitpick, kind of feels blasphemous as a percabeth shipper, but I think the 'you drool in your sleep,' line wasn't delivered in the proper area. when Annabeth is being Percy's sleep paralysis demon, she interrogates him over what's happening on Olympus and the solstice, it felt weird to her just standing there just to say the line. I think she should have said the line at the toilets when Percy mentions seeing her in the infirmary and asks if she's stalking him. I think changing some things around makes it feel more real and less like a line they had to say, but that's just me

Other than that, sure there are moments that made me cringe, but I'm also an adult and the show is for kids, it's fine. I think the series is great and it's only been 2 episodes, there's plenty of time to find their groove. They change stuff sure, but eh, I'm okay with most of it and even happy in some cases. Even if I'm criticizing I'll only mention it in my posts if I think the books genuinely did a scene better.

[aprocessionofthoughts]

Whumptober 2023 Masterlist

prompts

ao3

Once More We Fight day 1- swooning, how many fingers am I holding up fandom: Percy Jackson TW- injury briefly described but not graphically summary- Percy gets injured and Annabeth has to figure out how to help him

Sick Day day 2- thermometer fandom-spiderman summary- Peter gets sick but he still has a chemistry test to take

No Air to Breathe day 3- solitary confinement fandom-batman TW-slight depression summary-Dick's been locked in a room and he just wants to know why

Shock Therapy day 4-cattle prod/shock fandom-batman TW-torture summary- Jason's plan doesn't go how he thought it would, and he faces the consequences

Fighting for Air to Breathe day 5- debris/pinned down fandom- Spiderman TW-injury, disassociation, panic, claustrophobia summary- Peter is once more trapped beneath rubble. But at least this time he's not alone.

Unknown Caller day 6- recording/made to watch fandom-spidermen TW- slight torture-nothing graphic summary- someone wants Stark weapons, and they've got the leverage to get them

I'll be There day 7- alleyway/radio silence fandom- batman TW- character is drugged summary- Tim missed a check in and Jason's the closest to his location.

Out at Sea day 8- outnumbered fandom- six of crows TW- blood, death of random characters summary- mercenaries attack Inej's ship and she has to do everything she can to protect her crew.

To Succeed is to Fail day 9- mistaken identity fandom- Danny phantom x Batman TW- nothing summary- The Amity Parkers have the opportunity (they didn't want) to explore Gotham. It's just too bad that Danny looks a lot like adoption bait.

To Sink or Swim day 10- stranded fandom- Danny phantom x dc TW- panic summary- After a portal spits Danielle out onto an abandoned island she has to try everything she can to get back home.

Trapped day 11- captivity/no one will find you fandom- Danny phantom x batman TW- mind control, electrocution, manipulation, bad vibes summary- Danny has been under the cultist's control for a month and he's not doing so good.

Investigations are Attempted day 12- red fandom- Danny phantom x batman TW- none summary- Bruce and his kids continue to look into Daniel Nightingale.

Brothers day 13- cold compress fandom- batman TW- sickness summary- Tim is definitely not sick. Jason disagrees.

Just Hold On day 14- just hold on fandom- Batman TW- none summary- Batman is investigating Black Mask activity when he finds someone he never expected to see again

Partial Explanations day 15- I'm fine fandom-dp x dc TW- none summary- Jason finds out he's still got a foot in the land of the dead.

Hope is a Fragile Thing day 16- gurney fandom- Batman TW- none summary- Bruce brings Jason Red Hood back to the cave.

Consequences day 17-collar fandom- Danny phantom TW- electric shock summary- Danny tries to get the collar off

A Bird in Hand day 18- blindfolded fandom- batman TW=threats summary- Slade is on a job when he comes across a captured bird.

Creativity Denied day 19- I'm not as stupid as you think I am fandom- batman TW- none summary- Dick wants to make something special for Bruce's birthday

Let's Make a Deal day 20- you'll regret touching them fandom- batman TW- human trafficking mentioned summary- Jason come across a captured Nightwing while meeting with a gang leader.

Summonings day 21- restraints fandom- dp x dc TW- none Summary- Dick and Damian are captured in order to sacrifice to the ghost king.

Black Ice day 22- vehicular accident fandom- Danny phantom TW- character death summary- The Fentons had always been bad drivers

The Camera Lens day 23- stalking fandom- batman TW- canon typical violence summary- Jason has a stalker

Out of the Cold day 24- neglect fandom- dp x dc TW- none summary- Jazz and Danny follow Barbara back to her apartment

Ignore the Doubt day 25- storm fandom- batman TW- none summary- Tim and Dick arrive in the cave to find a possibly unconscious Jason Todd.

You Look Awful day 26- 'you look awful' fandom- Danny phantom TW- none summary- Valerie and Danny have a group project

He's a Phantom day 27- let me see fandom- dp x dc TW- brief injury summary- Jason encounters the GIW

What We Have in Common day 28- bloody knife fandom- dp x dc TW- none summary- Danny helps Jason heal

Sleepy Summons day 29- scented candle fandom- dp x dc TW- none summary- Danny just wants to go to sleep

Unexpected Company day 30- borrowed clothing fandom- dp x dc TW- none summary- Dick meets Danny

To be Awake day 31- take it easy fandom- batman TW- panic attack summary- Jason wakes up

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Please remember you love me -Danny Words: 2,282 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'As It Was' -by Harry Styles

XXI: Don't Forget to Hold Your Grudges, Ladies!

Arachne's portraying me in the middle of a fight. In the tapestry, I look taller and older, I've got a fierce gaze as I lift my sword to kill a monster, and lightning strikes behind me just the right way to make me look menacing.

"Now, that's the daughter of Olympus," I think appreciatively. 

Arachne turns in my direction. I yelp at the horrible sight, and the creature hisses. "LEAVE!"

The ground crumbles under me, and I smell a sulfuric scent that suffocates me.

Ara sits up gasping for clean air, feeling the emptiness in her gut as if she were still falling. It takes her a moment to gather her thoughts, but she's almost certain that in her dream, she was falling straight to Tartarus.

Someone knocks on her door and Hedge walks in without waiting for a reply. "Rise and shine, Strategus! Valdez says the ship's about to land."

"I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..." Jason doesn't finish his sentence, too amazed to think. 

Ara, however, isn't eager. The dream she just had told her what she needed to know, and she doesn't want to leave the ship.

"Plans?" Hazel inquires. "Nico has until sunset—at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

Ara takes a moment to hype herself up before she speaks. "I'm going with Annabeth and Percy."

Annabeth scowls. "No! This is my mission—"

"Percy can't walk around Rome alone, I'll be keeping the numbers even," she replies, eyes fixed on the town ahead so they can't see the fear in her eyes. "We won't follow you when it's time to part ways, you have my word."

"Fine," Annabeth grumbles, having no option but to give in. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"

"Um... hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"

"Absolutely."

"And, uh... Leo," Hazel adds awkwardly. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah, no problem."

Piper draws out her dagger and Ara steps back looking at it with contempt, but no one seems to notice. "Jason and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."

"Good idea," Percy continues. "How about we plan to meet back here at... what?"

"Three this afternoon?" Jason offers. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message."

"That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull," Hedge mutters. "Percy, Annabeth... Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."

Ara makes a face. "Man, I'm going with them, don't get your knickers in a bunch."

"We'll be back soon," Percy gives Ara a fleeting look before walking away. "Good luck, everyone."

Ara walks forward, her gut twisting in knots but deciding that once she leaves the ship she'll be leaving her fear too. Before she departs, though, Leo seizes her wrist. 

"Look after yourself," He tells her.

Ara kisses his cheek and mumbles. "I'll see you soon."

Percy and Annabeth end up super glad that Ara joined them, she's the only one who can kind of speak Italian.

They decide to get food so they go to a restaurant near the river. Ara spaces out for a while, brooding on her dream and her prophecy, giving Percy and Annabeth a moment to be as cheesy as they please.

"So," Percy bites on his thin pizza. "Did you know Ara had a crush on Mike?"

She snaps out of her thoughts. "Are you serious?"

"You had a crush on Mike?" Annabeth raises a brow. "I thought you liked Nico!"

"Right?" Percy continues.

Annabeth's eyes turn sadder. "He was a brother to Lily. I can see the appeal, er... for you, I mean. He was always on your side, looking after you. Kind of like Leo, if Leo knew how to fix people instead of machines."

Percy swallows his food, looking slightly guilty. "I've always had this feeling Lily never forgave me for what happened..."

"I think she blames me more," Ara admits quietly. "Maybe she has the right to be angry... about everything," the girl stabs several pieces of lettuce with her fork, but she doesn't eat them. "I come here to try and show her that he didn't die in vain, and now..."

Now I'm dying, and she won't even know that I'm sorry.

"You know, this feels like the old days," Annabeth tries to lift their spirits. "When it was just us."

"We're missing Grover, nervously chewing trash," Ara retorts.

"This is exactly like the old days," Percy responds, having none of it. "You two hiding things from me, and I have no option but to follow blindly. Did you know she decided to become a daughter of Olympus a year before the war?"

He stares at Annabeth pointedly, and the girl heaves a sigh. "No, but it makes sense." She looks at Ara. "Your mother talked you into it, didn't she?"

Ara shifts in her seat awkwardly. "Not like you think. She was trying to make me feel proud of who I was when I didn't have much to hold onto. I made the choice."

"I think you refuse to see it how it is," Annabeth's gaze isn't as resentful as Percy's, but there is some kind of concern there. "Maybe it's better like this if you want a somewhat nice, sane life. My mom isn't my best ally nowadays..."

Percy eyes both girls, worried at how defeated they sound. "Annabeth, you don't have to do this."

"You'll have to trust me," she says firmly. "You've got to believe I'll come back."

"I believe in you. That's not the problem. But come back from where?"

"Now, that..." Ara lifts her fork and stares at the lettuce, "is the question..."

The roar of an engine cuts through their conversation: a couple of vintage-looking adults are approaching, and Ara knows right away these people are 1. Not mortal, and 2. Looking for them.

"Why, hello," the guy slips off his bike.

"We've had the most lovely morning," the woman tells them as if they're all old friends.

"Oh, gods," Annabeth stammers. "How—how... ?"

Ara kicks her brother's foot. "You know them?"

"No. But you guys do look familiar," he hums. "Are you that guy on Mad Men?"

"Percy!" Annabeth gasps.

"What? I don't watch a lot of TV."

"That's Gregory Peck!" Annabeth exclaims like that would mean anything to Ara and Percy. "And... oh gods! Audrey Hepburn! I know this movie. Roman Holiday. But that was from the 1950s. How—?"

"Oh, my dear! I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else! My name is Rhea Silvia. I was the mother to Romulus and Remus, thousands of years ago. But you're so kind to think I look as young as the 1950s. And this is my husband..."

"Tiberinus. God of the River Tiber," he shakes Percy's hand and winks at Ara.

"Yeah, I see the Aubrey Hepburn," Ara observes the couple with interest. "I'm Ara, this is my brother Percy, and this is Annabeth."

"Uh, hi. Do you two always look like American movie stars?" Percy asks.

"Do we? I'm not sure, actually. The migration of Western civilization goes both ways, you know. Rome affected the world, but the world also affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I've rather lost track over the centuries."

"Okay," Percy glances at the girls. "But... you're here to help?"

"My naiads told me you were here." The guy turns to Annabeth. "You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?"

"Uh..." Annabeth hands him the disk and the letter. Ara can't help but notice she's glowing scarlet. "S-so... you've helped other children of Athena with this quest?"

"Oh, my dear! Tiberinus is ever so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess Lupa. Later, when that old king Numen tried to kill me, Tiberinus took pity on me and made me his wife. I've been ruling the river kingdom at his side ever since. He's just dreamy!"

"Thank you, my dear. And, yes, Annabeth Chase, I've helped many of your siblings... to at least begin their journey safely. A shame all of them died painfully later on. Well, your documents seem in order. We should get going. The Mark of Athena awaits!"

Percy's hand moves across the table and grasps Annabeth's before she can get up. "Tiberinus, let me go with her. Just a little farther."

"But you can't, silly boy!" The lady laughs. "You must return to your ship and gather your other friends. Confront the giants! The way will appear in your friend Piper's knife. Annabeth has a different path. She must walk alone."

"Indeed," The god nods. "Annabeth must face the guardian of the shrine by herself. It is the only way. And Jacksons, you have less time than you realized to rescue your friend in the jar. You must hurry."

"But—"

"It's all right, guys," Annabeth eases them. "I need to do this."

A split second goes by in which Percy realizes he can't work his way around this. "You're right," he struggles to speak. "Be safe."

"Safe? Not at all! But necessary," the goddess beams. "Come, Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you're on your own."

Annabeth kisses Percy and then hugs Ara. The girl squeezes her tightly. 

"If you get yourself killed," Ara whispers. "I'm forcing Hades to spit you out. Don't make me break the rules, please."

Her friend chuckles. "Noted."

Percy and Ara watch Annabeth climb onto the Vespa and leave with the gods.

"There she goes," Ara says plainly. "Let's go."

The boy glares at her. "How can you watch your oldest friendship go on a life-threatening quest like it's nothing?"

Ara sighs without looking at him. "If I had a crisis every time someone I love goes on a quest, I'd have to be institutionalized."

Percy sounds even more frustrated. "You weren't like this."

She locks eyes with him. "When you were sent to Calypso's island, Hephaestus said enduring your absence would be helpful in the future, and it was—"

"So you're saying it's my fault—"

"You were the first person to hand me a sword," she reminds him. "Maybe you didn't believe I had it in me to become more than just a mildly decent warrior, but yeah, I'd say you sort of encouraged this."

"That's not true!" Percy stops her before she crosses a road without looking at both sides. "I believe in you, but if you had the brains to think twice before trying something dangerous, maybe I wouldn't freak out as much—Quests aren't games, Ara! I wish you stopped acting like they are!"

The girl snatches her arm away. "I'm not a ten-year-old anymore, Percy, I know what I'm doing! Stay out of my way!" 

Ara pushes past him and quickens her pace.

Ara stays with Hedge after she and Percy go back to the ship. Piper hands her Katroptis and tells her she can keep an eye on everyone. Ara holds it, and her entire body buzzes with familiarity.

Ara tries to imagine what it felt like to be on the run, with only that dagger to update her on the state of her old motherland. She wonders if the remains of her primal life marked all of the rest, frightening her with thoughts of solitude and exile.

Aphrodite says she isn't Helen, and Ara doesn't want to be Helen, but sometimes she can see Helen reflected in her words and actions, and fears it'll take her to the same end.

She gives the dagger to Hedge. "Here, you can look for those baseball scores and keep an eye on everyone, I'll be at the helm."

The satyr eyes her intently, sensing her stress. "You alright, Strategus?"

Ara walks to the control board and changes the subject. "Do you know how to use this, Coach?"

He goes to her. "Only you and Valdez know how to operate that labyrinth of buttons and levels."

"I'll show you what each one does, and you must try to memorize it."

Her prophecy might come to fruition today, so she has to leave everything in order in case she doesn't come back after they get Annabeth from her solo quest. Ara acts like she's just making conversation with Hedge to pass the time, she teaches him how to use the control board, mentions where she keeps an emergency stash of drachmas, and then, talks about where she keeps the pictures, what things she wants to give to Percy after they return, to Lily and Leo...

Hedge listens with a funny look in his eyes and that's when Ara realizes she's been using charmspeak. She's so anxious about leaving, that the satyr gets the full blast of it. But being honest, it's better this way.

Not even five minutes have passed when the satyr comes back and shoves the dagger into her hand. "You should see this."

Ara grabs the blade and the visions clears: Percy, Jason, and Piper are face-to-face with the giant twins. Behind them, a large bronze jar is set between two large praetor chairs. Ara drops the dagger and picks up her Octopi backpack from under the control board. 

"Hedge, you saw where the others are?"

"No, but I can look for them."

"Cool. I'm going to help these guys."

"You can't go alone!"

Ara hesitates but in the end, she picks up Piper's dagger. "Stay here and wait, I'll contact you once I'm done."

"Strategus!"

Ara runs out with Lily's dagger on her belt and Almighty in her pocket.

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh

[forevfangirlwrites]

For the celebrity AU, how about an inverse of the how to handle fame and surprises chapter? Maybe Percy is away with his family in Greece meeting old relatives on his dads side, on an extended holiday, and Annabeth finishes a project and doesn’t like the long distance.. anyway I hope this is usable in some way, I love your work!

The house is empty.

She’s forgotten what it’s like, since Percy is usually home when she is. Or even if he isn’t, the traces of him are all around, dishes in the sink, a jacket lying around a chair, the smell of his cologne lingering in the bathroom.

But everything is cleaned up and cleared away. No laptops left open or blankets strewn about.

Sighing, she drops her purse on the entryway table and beelines for her favorite place nowadays, the closet.

The closet holds the most marked traces of him, a few jeans and sweaters he didn’t take with him. A reminder that she isn’t fully alone.

That he isn’t completely gone.

Okay, so maybe she’s being dramatic. He texts her as often as he can and sends her pictures and reminds her to eat the food that he meal-prepped.

Still, can’t a girl miss her boyfriend?

Groaning, she trudges out of the closet and flops down on the bed, unable to stop herself from thinking that if he was here, he’d be pulling her close and kissing her head.

But there’s nothing except the ceiling to stare at.

“A trip?”

“Yeah, Paul won this raffle thing at his work so we’re going on a family trip to Hawaii. Of course,” he adds, shooting her a smile, “you’re invited.”

“I’d love to, but when is it?” she asks, already anticipating her shooting schedule getting in the way of what should be a great vacation with her boyfriend and his family.

Sometimes, she hates being right.

“Oh,” Percy says when she breaks the news. The smile on his face slips a little and her heart sinks even further.

"But hey, it'll be some good family time for you!" she encourages, with a smile. "Enjoy hanging out with your sister!"

His smile returns. “Yeah, that’s true. I’ll miss you, though.”

"It's only three weeks, you'll be back before you know it and begging to go back," she teases, even though she has a feeling she'll be missing him every second.

"Nah," he jokes, grin back in full swing.

Well, here she is, missing him.

This shoot has been particularly difficult and coming home to Percy has been a huge reason she’s been able to make it through. Not having him here makes everything tougher.

"How did I do this before him?" she asks the ceiling.

Well, she still can do it. She is currently doing it.

She just doesn't want to.

A day off, she thinks as the exhaustion catches up to her, that’s what I need. Her last thought before falling asleep is of Percy’s sea-green eyes.

-.-

She wakes up disoriented to darkness and an empty stomach. Right…this is what she gets for skipping dinner.

Her phone blinds her for a solid four seconds before she reads the time, 3:47 AM. There’s a text from Percy that wakes her up right away, though and she opens it to a picture of ocean at sunset and his hand making a peace sign against the sky.

It’s so cute that she stares for a few seconds with a smile on her face. A smile that lessens when her phone buzzes, revealing Rachel’s name.

“Hello?” she answers, hoping nothing bad is happening. Given the time, she doubts it’s good news, and she prepares herself for whatever her manager has to say.

A/N: Thank you for the prompt! It was super cute, I modified the location since Percy being Greek isn't really a thing but the premise is still the same so I hope you liked it! Thanks again for the prompt!

KEEP READING ON AO3

[dreamriordanverseunboxings]

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief LEGO set ideas

Our new family tradition is building a LEGO Christmas Village together, so naturally my brain went - Percy Jackson LEGO sets. These are slightly easier to pop out than my dream unboxings, so I'm going to add a couple of these while I work on my annotations.

Fight Scenes

I love the connectivity of some themed LEGO sets, so I'm going to lean into that a little too much.  PJO culminates in a battle on Mount Olympus at the top of the Empire State building.  So I think each battle set should stack to be a floor on a giant Empire State Building (some can combine, think 4 floor tiles wide)

Book 1 gives us a bunch of fun fights.  Spoilers for book 1 and maybe for the series?

Nancy Bobofit and the fountain/Fight with Mrs. Dodds/Fury

Percy in Yancy clothes

Mr Brunner/Chiron in chair (he should have a red umbrella and a book)

Grover in hidden leg form?

Mrs Dodds/Fury (I'm not sure if this is a doable transformation or just two separate minifigs, my lack of LEGO knowledge fails me here)

Nancy Bobofit

Split this - fountain outside on one side, then stairs and a wall to room decorated with big marble frieze of greek gods for the Fury fight.

the fountain should have "grabby" water or moving tentacles of water somehow, the inside should have some sort of moving component - maybe the fury flying with her wings on clear posts

4 tiles wide for the set, 2 for each mini location

Fight with the minotaur 

Sally Jackson, Percy, Grover with satyr feet.  Percy should definitely have a bag with blue candy or cookies in it and his sword

Minotaur with removable horns

The car should be in this, able to be broken by lightning bolt, somehow incorporate the lightning bolt

Thalia's tree, several other trees for Percy to jump off of! Falling tree limbs could be cool.

this could probably be done in 3 tiles.  4th tile for that floor of the building could be the Fruit Stand with the Fates, old ladies in rocking chairs.  Is it a battle? no.  Is it eerie and comes back at the very end?  yes.

Bus fight with the furies - this to me feels like it could jump out of my Empire State Building dream to something separate that is mainly focused on the large bus.  Percy, Annabeth, Grover, 3 furies, a bus driver and 2 random people, luggage, Annabeth's cap.  I'm not going to give it a tile size because it isn't going in my Empire State Building.

Auntie M's and the fight with Medusa

This one is getting a full 4 tiles/entire floor.  all sorts of statues, a place to eat, a place to take a group "picture", the flying shoes, the reflective shield, a way to make Grover fly, INVISIBLE ANNABETH/clear minifig Annabeth.

St Louis Arch with Echidna and Chimera

The little kid who saw the monster has to be a minifig.  And the guide.  Probably no Annabeth or Grover here.  

Plus if the wall of windows can spin or break or something to launch Percy out of it. I really want this to be a full floor/4 tiles, but also that the back half of one of the tiles is an elevator tile that WORKS and can be rigged to create an elevator that goes through to other floors, because elevators show up in other areas too.  one of the tiles on each build would also have to be removable or not feature a bunch of items on it to make this possible... but it would be quite the feature, let's be real.

Waterland Tunnel of Love ride

obviously, the trap feature, the webbing covering it, the boat and then a ramp and a tunnel leading to a jump.  Grover being able to fly again (this feature comes up a lot).  The scarf, the cameras and creepy Cupids, the screen.

Our main three are now decked out in Waterland merch

Lotus Hotel

2 tiles, bright Vegas colors, lots of flowers and games.  Some lights or slides or something should happen here.  LEGO does some really cool "retro" mini builds of their historical sets that would be fun to incorporate here.  Also historical games and minifigs

Crusty's Water Bed Palace

lots of weird beds.  2 tiles.  Crusty and the main 3.  maybe some beds that can flip to have skeletons.  Idk, this one is less fun.

Fight with Ares on the beach.

Full 4 tiles, a giant wave for Percy to ride on, Ares's motorcycle, the helm of darkness, the master bolt, police and exploding police cars.

I skipped a lot there to get to the end battle, I know... but wait, there's more.

The Underworld

Obviously the Underworld is kinda its own thing, but has some parallels to Mount Olympus.  One might even say it is like... the basement of Mount Olympus.  We see more of the Underworld in other parts of the series, but here we do get some epic introductions. The color of the bricks should shift to reflect the underworldliness.

DOA Recordings and the barge/river

This deserves to be two levels and I'm going to make it two levels in this plan here, but I'm going to say that it is only 3 tiles wide.  One tile is an elevator tile that goes down to the river underworld area on the second level.  

Entrance to the Underworld - airport security level and Cerberus

another 3 tile wide - lines and security minifigs.  Could probably get away with just Annabeth, and then Cerberus. Obviously need to add the EZ death lane too.

Cannon launcher for the ball Annabeth throws to Cerberus.

Hades' throne room

the imprisoned Sally Jackson, Hades, the backpack and the masterbolt and the pearls - some sort of lifting/rising feature would be cool here. The three in their pearl bubbles would look really cool

this would be 3 tiles and could attach to...

The chasm to Tartarus

a small set with just one tile in width, but 2 levels high.  The chasm has a trap door feature that would actually swallow a minifig.

Just Grover and the shoes?  His face should show terror.

I really wanted to include the garden of Persephone, but I want that to be special much later in Nico's story.

Camp Half-Blood.

The Big House has some sectional qualities to it.  Percy wakes up in the infirmary, they play pinochle with Dionysus and Chiron on the porch, and there is the attic and the Oracle.  Later on the counselors have a meeting space and Chiron's room is mentioned.

The forest would also have its own theme to it.  There are a lot of battles and skirmishes that take place within it, the entrance to the labyrinth, etc.  Percy's first capture the flag game and the fight with the the black Hellhound near the river would be a great set.  And of course... the claiming of Percy by Poseidon.  All could be part of the same set or broken up.

As far as the rest of camp goes - the bathroom fight with Clarisse could be a cool smaller set with all the toilets exploding.

And finally - the cabins!  I really like how they have LEGO builds where a book folds out to a playscape, and I think there is a lot of opportunity there to mix in different parts of the books and of the camp training with the living situation of the campers with minifigs to match the characters of each.  So a Hermes cabin with plenty of space for an abundance of demigods, with spots to stow smuggled items and the Poseidon cabin with an ocean theme, and possibly having training items to pull out like the lava climbing wall or archery range (from Apollo or Artemis, obviously)

Anyways, that's where I am currently at with my LEGO dreaming. Looking back at this I want to amend my "4 tiles" thought for the size of each floor to a 6 tile thought. I think I have some LEGO building software on my ancient laptop, I might play around with that a bit. OH... or 6 tiles and it FOLDS. Now I want to decorate the outside with stickers of what is happening throughout the books.

[theslay3d]

Hello, may I request a Percy Jackson request. This is Annabeth with a female reader, who is her platonic mortal best friend, who can see through the Mist and knows about Demigods.

The female reader makes a request to Annabeth, knowing she's dating the Son of Poseidon, Percy Jackson. She wants Annabeth to ask Percy to take them underwater in a giant Air Bubble, to see aquatic life. So, Annabeth asks Percy this favor, and he agrees. Then he creates two air bubble for both of them and commands those bubbles to drift along the sea.

There, Annabeth watches from her bubble, her best friend awe and gush at the sight of the sea and aquatic creatures, practically pressing against the wall of her air bubble in excitement. Afterwards, she thanks Annabeth with a hug

Annabeth Chase x Mortal!female reader

Gender:Female

Warnings:none but like one curse word

Word count:917

A/N ok tbh the location makes no sense but we are gonna go along with it:) when i wrote it i wrote it as if Percy and Annabeth go to college in new Rome so they are in California but imagine what you want.

You slid next to where Annabeth was standing and pressed your shoulder against hers. She kept her head straight and still seemed to stare at whatever she was looking at. You followed her eyes and noticed a messy haired boy standing looking pretty clueless. It looks as if he's looking for someone. 

Yours eyes widened as you remembered Annabeth's description of her boyfriend. “Holy shit is that Percy?”

Annabeth nodded her head. 

“Why aren't you going up to him? He looks kinda clueless as to where you are”

“That's exactly why im not going to him im waiting for him to realize i'm over here” 

You nodded your head at her. “How long has he been there?”

“5 minutes” 

You laughed loudly which made the boy's head snap in your direction. His face lit up and he moved to start walking but Annabeth held up a hand to stop him and turned to you. 

“Well i'll see you next week Y/n”

“Wait! Can I ask you something?”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes but nodded her head yes.

“So I know you're dating Percy who's the son of a sea god and well I was wondering if maybe he could take us both underwater to see all of the sea life?” You rambled off and finished your sentence with pleading eyes. 

“I can ask him” Annabrth said

“Oh! Thank you” You hugged her. She hugged back and moved to leave. 

“I'll text you about it later Y/n”

“Ok!” You skipped off excitingly. 

Annabeth shook her head and finally moved to go see Percy. Before she could even say hello he asked. “That was Y/n right?” 

“Yes”

“I'm surprised you have any mortal friends wise girl” He teased as they both started to walk away.

“Well i do seaweed brain your just gonna have to deal with it” 

He laughed and tucked her under his arm. “Your friend seemed excited what happened” 

“Oh yeah she wanted you to take me and her underwater so that she can see all the aquatic life” 

“I can do that. When though?”

“Maybe tomorrow? She's usually free all the time” 

He laughed again as they reached his car and moved to both sides. “Yeah i can do that” 

“Thank you Percy” 

***Time skip***

You were up early the next day. Annabeth texted you last night and told you that Percy agreed to take you both underwater the next day. You planned on where and when you guys would meet.

You walked to the place you agreed to meet and got food for all of you. It would be the first time you ever met Percy and you were nervous. He was a son of the big three as Annabeth told you.

You hoped that he would like you as Annabeth was your friend and you wanted to get along with Percy. 

You finally made it to the spot and saw Percy and Annabeth sitting at one of the picnic tables. You sped up and sat down on the other side. 

“Heyyy i got food” You held it up and handed it to them. 

They both thanked you and you introduced yourself to Percy and he did too. 

You all ate the food talking a little bit but you were still a little nervous about Percy. He was really nice but he had this energy that was just always there. When you thought about it Annabeth had the same energy when you first met so you probably just had to get used to it. 

“So you can see through the mist?” Percy asked as he continued to eat. 

“Yep super freaky when I first met Annabeth and she was fighting this monster with a dagger” You nodded your head at the memory. 

“Yeah I almost stabbed you” Annabeth said. 

“Yeah forget about that” You grimaced at the fear you remembered that shot through you when it happened. 

Annabeth held in a little laugh at that. Percy clapped his hands “Ok you guys ready?” 

You both nodded and moved to the ocean. “So i'm staying up here but you both will be done there and Annabeth has a weapon just in case” Percy said. 

You looked at where Annabeth had the dagger and let out a breath. Hopefully there were no monsters that attacked you.  

After a few minutes you and Annabeth were both under the water(totally not because idk how to explain this)

You looked in wonder at the air bubble you were in. It was very weird yet so cool. 

You looked at Annabeth who was a couple feet away from you in her own bubble and she was staring at you. She looked like she was asking if you were ok so you smiled at her and moved to look around. The bubble moved along with you. 

Fish moved all around you and even went past your bubble. One fish you thought was gorgeous so you moved closer to the edge of the bubble and stared. 

Your eyes widened as you noticed something a little far away. It looks like a dolphin so you pointed at it and Annabeth turned to look. She smiled at what it was and turned back to you.

You already moved on to something else but you looked so excited. 

After a couple more minutes under the water you and Annabeth came back to the surface. 

“Omg! That was amazing. Thank you Annabeth and thank you Percy” You hugged Annabeth and she hugged back. 

Maybe next time you could talk her into letting her friend Jason take you to the sky. 

[tqsg]

i never let myself fall in love. i never let myself even think about loving someone. love was nothing but pain, nothing but anguish.

i’m not saying i feel love towards this boy. i feel something though. chiron told me his name is percy jackson. i’ve just been helping out chiron, helping this boy heal. the news about his “grand entrance” into camp has been spreading like wildfire, and let’s just say it ain’t pretty.

apparently, he beat the minotaur. yeah, that would be impressive for anyone at camp, i think. but… because of my past? holy hera… who is this boy?

he intrigues me, i’ll admit. we’ve been giving him so, so much ambrosia. even a little bit would kill any mortal. you have to be really careful when giving it out, even to someone who is a demigod.

i guess i should explain some things. hi, my name is annabeth chase. my dad is just a normal guy (aside from being a jerk that is), but that’s basically the only normal thing about me. my mom is athena, the greek goddess of wisdom. yep, the greek gods are real, surprise! they have navigated to different areas over time, until they arrived here, in new york.

i live at camp half-blood, a safe place for demigods to stay and train for battle. it’s located in long island sound, at the end of a farm road 3.14. you see, demigods are chased by types of ancient greek monsters, so we need to be ready when we go against them. the real world is way too dangerous for a large majority of us, so a lot of us stay at camp. more people than not go home when summer ends, but i don’t. i’ve lived at camp since i was seven, when i ran away from my dad’s home in virginia.

chiron, the camp director, has been there for me ever since. i honestly would trust him with my life. well, i guess i do. i think he trusts me too, since i’ve known him for quite some time now. if anyone were to be my dad, i would want him to take on that role. yes, he is the same chiron who trained the heroes from greek mythology. he migrated to america when the gods did, been here ever since.

percy keeps coming in and out of consciousness, making random noises as he does. he must be on the literal verge of death. at this point. i’m not going to let him jump off this cliff, though. not just because he’s so interesting, but because he’s a person. he, as with anyone else at camp, deserves to live a life.

he’s strong, i know that at least. how could anyone, but specifically a twelve year old defeat a horribly powerful, ancient monster? it shouldn’t be possible. my mind has been running a thousand miles a minute, ever since he has arrived. although, it always does. i have adhd, dyslexia too. a lot of demigods do. adhd helps give us fast reflexes on the battle field, and dyslexia helps us read greek. it’s wired in our brains, there to help us survive.

i won’t let myselt get attached to him, i won’t. he’s just another camper… right? he was probably just lucky. probably.

i help him sip some nectar, and then he drifts back into a state of sleep. i let myself look at him, observe him. his eyes are fluttered shut and his hair is colored jet black. he makes me almost angry. there’s no reason for it, he’s just a boy. but he does. he makes me so unbelievably rageful.

what is it about you, mystery boy? what is it that intrigues me so? and how do i make it stop?

love is dangerous, that’s something i’ve known since a very young age. love makes you do stupid things, like ruin people. like ruin lives.

[litcityblues]

'The Lightning Thief' --A Review

This is my first attempt at reviewing a YA novel as an adult because spoiler alert friends: I never read these when I was younger. First of all, by the time the first one came out in 2005, I was just about finishing up my undergraduate degree, and second of all, I sort of missed out on Harry Potter as well.

However, had these been around when I was younger, these would have been my jam. I loved mythology growing up. I ate up books of Greek mythology, drowned myself in copies of The Illiad and The Odyssey, and everything I could get my hands on.

So, The Lightning Thief:

We meet Percy Jackson at the start of the book, who is a twelve-year-old boy who has dyslexia and ADHD. He's never been good in school and has a history of being something of a troublemaker and has been expelled from several schools. On a school trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, one of the chaperones, Mrs. Dodds turns into a Fury and attacks him. Percy's favorite teacher Mr. Brunner gives him a magical sword pen to defeat her.

More strange things happen to Percy and he begins to suspect that Mr. Brunner and his best friend, Grover aren't who they appear to be and he ends the school year as he predicted: being expelled from yet another school. His Mom, Sally, takes him to Long Island to celebrate the end of the school year- but Grover shows up and, revealing himself to be a satyr, warns of impending danger and they flee, pursued by something that proves to be a minotaur- they almost reach a summer camp in time when Sally is attacked and disappears in a flash of golden light- but not before Percy kills the minotaur with one of its own horns.

Inside the safety of the camp, he learns the truth: he's a demigod, a son of one of the immortal Gods of Olympus and his mother and the camp is Camp Half-Blood, the only place demigods like him are safe from monsters that seek to destroy them. Mr. Brunner (actually revealed to be Chiron, the Centaur explains that the three eldest male gods, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades swore an oath at the end of World War II to sire no more children- Percy's birth is a violation of that oath-- the first violation was Thalia, a daughter of Zeus killed by monsters sent by Hades, but turned into a tree, whose spirit helps protect the boundaries of the camp.

Percy's arrival at the camp is greeted with suspicion in some quarters: Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen and he, who turns out to be a son of Poseidon, is assumed to be the prime suspect. Eventually, he is given a quest: go and find the lightning bolt, and with him, comes Annabeth, a new friend he makes at camp and the daughter of Athena and Grover. They believe that Hades is the most likely suspect in the theft and make their way to Los Angeles, where the entrance to the Underworld is located.

Along the way, they have to evade attacks by The Furies, Medusa, Echidna, and the Chimera. In Denver, they perform a favor for Ares, who gives them safe transport to Nevada, where they briefly fall into the trap of the Lotus Eaters at their casino.

Eventually, they make their way to the Underworld, where it is revealed that Hades has had something stolen from him as well: the Helm of Darkness- it's why Percy's mother is not dead, for he had sought to use her as leverage to get his helm back. It is then they realize that Hades is not the thief and someone, acting on the orders of the imprisoned titan, Kronos, did the deed. The bolt returned, and they return to the camp Percy is hailed as a hero and enjoys the rest of his summer and on the last day, he finds out the identity of the real thief- Luke, one of the sons of Hermes who believes that the gods are too irresponsible and need to be replaced and wants Percy to join him in his quest to do just that, but Percy refuses and Luke nearly kills him for his trouble.

When he wakes, he is given a choice to stay in camp or go home for the school year and he decides to head home to be with his mother.

Overall: So, as many parents do, I had this grand idea at the beginning of the summer that the Eldest Spawn- who has the graphic novel of this and I would read this book together and it kind of worked for a hot minute, but then life got busy, I got lazy and it just kind of fell by the wayside. But I had checked out the book from the local library and figured I might as well read it.

It's a quick read (obviously since it's YA and I am not) but it's entertaining as well- I genuinely enjoyed this book. The blending of Greek mythology with a contemporary setting is really well done-- the Gods of Olympus follow the heart of civilization, which by now is centered in 'The West'. So, Olympus is on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Mr. D (Dionysus) is the Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood and is under orders to stay sober from Zeus for at least a century. The gates to the Underworld are beneath a recording studio in Los Angeles. Medusa owns a garden gnome emporium- little touches like that work really well.

But what I loved the most about this book was that it didn't go where Disney went with 'Hercules'-- Hades did not turn out to be the bad guy! (As a mythology nerd I could write a very long and angry post/rant about how much I hated that movie. I get that people have opinions about Kevin Sorbo these days, but at least Hercules: The Legendary Journeys tried to respect the source material.) All the Gods felt true to their mythology and I think I loved that the most.

I wasn't planning on reading this series, but it looks like I'm going to have to start picking my way through these-- and watching the movies again, as I was completely unaware that they had made a second movie- plus, I guess a television series is coming? So I'll look forward to that as well. My Grade: **** out of ****

[diamondangelkitten]

Vierapril 13: Horizon

Alira holds onto the siding of the ship for dear life as the waves crash upon the boat. “I hate boats.” Alinea looks up from where she’s located at the helm attempting to draw. “Still seasick?” A murmur of assent, before the viera empties her stomach again into the ocean. Alinea grimaces. She’s taken a few boats before and has never felt sick herself, so she’s at a loss as to what to do. She decides to head down and check if Aurora has any suggestions.

As she passes by the sleeping quarters, she hears Aurora’s voice, “Annabeth, lying in here is not going to help.” “Just let me die here.” “Stop being so dramatic.” Alinea wonders if all Viera just dislike sailing, but decides now’s not the time to ask questions of the crew or Alphinaud. She enters into the sleeping bay, “Hey Annabeth, not feeling so great?” The look on Annabeth’s face would make Alinea cower, if it wasn’t for the shade of green that tinged her cheeks. Aurora sighs, “She hasn’t found her sea legs yet and she refuses to get fresh air to help.” “The same air is making its way into here isn’t it?” Alinea looks between the two of them, before interjecting, “I hate to say this, but Alira’s also still feeling ill up there. Isn’t there anything you can give them or do?”

An even deeper sigh originates from Aurora. “Is she looking at the horizon?” “What?” Aurora sighs, “Okay, Ali, hoist Annabeth from her hammock. Mind your toes and meet me up on deck.” Annabeth glares at Alinea, but she holds up her hands, “I’m just following the First Mate’s orders.” Annabeth rolls her eyes before shutting them and swings her legs over the side. “I hate boat travel.” “Yea, I do too now.”

They slowly shuffle-step their way to the deck where they see Alira slumped where Alinea had left her earlier. As they move closer to her, Alira lifts her head, “You too, huh?” Annabeth removes herself from Alinea’s grasp and falls down next to her friend. “I hate it here.” A few short moments later, Aurora emerges and heads straight for them. “Okay, here, eat this.” The two Viera look at her like she’s crawled out from the woodworks. “Look, it’s called hard tack. It’s not tasty, in the least, but it’s bland and will help settle your stomachs. At least a bit. Please won’t you try nibble on it?” She puts on her cutest puppy dog eyes and Alira and Annabeth can’t deny her. They both take a piece of the proffered hard tack and after a cautious glance between them, start to nibble. “Any better?” As they’re about to reply, a wave hits the ship, and Alira furiously shakes her head no.

Carvallain comes up behind Aurora. “Still struggling, eh? Well, Aurora, cast your eyes out, and help them remember the first rule of sailing yea?” She turns her gaze towards where her father points and a smile lights up her face. “What’s rule number one?” Alira groans. Aurora extends a hand to each of the Viera, who sigh and heave themselves up. Alinea, who’s picked up now on the lesson, goes to stand behind them and braces them, putting a hand on their shoulders. “Always keep your eye on the horizon.” Annabeth and Alira look at each other and back to the horizon as Kugane comes into view. “Oh my gosh.” Alira laughs, “that’s really it?” Aurora nods, “We’re almost there.” Annabeth pulls them into a group hug, “Well girls, almost time to be off this blasted ship and into one of their famed hot springs.” The girls laugh, before Carvallain sneaks up behind them, “Aren’t you meant to be liberating some country men or whatever? There’ll be time for relaxing later.” “Yes Papa.” He smiles as he turns back towards the helm. Aye, as long as the girls keep an eye on the horizon, on the coming dawn together, they’ll be just fine. 

[magnorious]

A Sea of Monsters Retrospective, 16 Years Later

You can read my Lightning Thief retrospective here.

To anyone who says these are children’s books and not for all ages – Around ten years ago, I was waiting outside a baseball stadium for the doors to open with a hundred other people dying in the heat and this 50-something dude was propped under a palm tree with this book in his hands, happy as a clam.

If I ran a more popular blog, I’d make a poll asking the favorite book of the original five. And I can say with confidence that Sea of Monsters would not win. It’s a good book! It gambles with interesting new elements and directions it takes its characters, it’s funny, it’s full of shiny new locations. It’s, I think, the least-best of a very impressive series, solely because the other four are that good.

With that said, that has been my opinion for sixteen years. Did it change upon this latest reread? **Spoiler alert**

The Sea of Monsters

If you’re keeping up with the classic myths homages, SoM is probably the most obvious one – the Odyssey/Jason and the Argonauts. TLT did steal the land of the lotus eaters, but they outright say ‘hey, this is what Odyseus and Jason did’.

We cold open on one of Percy’s nightmares and in seven pages (in the ‘06 paperback) plot, exposition, and tone have all been established: Grover is in Florida and is being chased by a huge monster. Camp is in danger, Percy’s not supposed to know about it, and he’s pissed. Tyson, a new character, is going to be important. And, we get all caught up with a quick refresher on the need-to-knows from TLT. Percy’s still young enough to doubt his instincts (lolz) about something spying on him and man, I forgot how innocent he used to be. 

The action continues with the Laistrygonian fight and all these puzzling details surrounding Tyson. As with TLT, PJO isn’t much for long paragraphs of poetic narrative, which means it’s paced incredibly fast and it doesn’t slow down at all during the taxi ride to camp, and then straight into fighting the golden bulls.

Compared to TLT, SoM spends exactly as much time as it needs to in the mortal world and at camp without first-book exposition dragging it down. Before, they didn’t get their quest and leave camp until almost halfway through the story. This time, it’s about 1/3rd and all the better for it.

The tone of this book is refreshingly different as well. This time, there’s trouble in paradise and everyone’s upset. Percy isn’t supposed to be the hero, he’s just a camper told very firmly to stay out of it. He’s not the one given the quest, he’s not at the crux of the prophecy, and he’s not the most important camper – and this bothers the heck out of him.

The stakes aren’t higher, per say, the fate of the world doesn’t hang in the balance this time, but they are more personal, and that makes the risk of failure that much more plausible. It’s not a godly civil war, it’s their home, it’s Chiron, it’s all their friends and the only sanctuary they have, and it’s Thalia’s legacy.

Exposition is handled as well as it was in book one. Percy is still the audience’s eyes and thus the audience’s mouth to ask all the expository questions, but, since it’s usually Annabeth having quite the attitude explaining things, it also builds on their relationship. One scene that comes to mind is discussing Jason and the Argonauts in the dish pit and their back-and-forth was hilarious.

Also, of course, I have to address the rather bold directions his character went – Percy has some scuffy new flaws. He resents Tyson as his brother and Poseidon for claiming him and makes some pretty crummy choices surrounding their relationship for the sake of not being bullied again by the entire camp, and not being known as the “kid with the cyclops for a brother”. He grows from this throughout the book, once he thinks Tyson is dead he regrets everything, but he’s a little jerk there for a while and I appreciate that he’s not perfect.

He’s also troubled by his physical appearance on Circe’s island, as any teenager mid-puberty is, and it doesn’t end with “you’re beautiful no matter what” or really any moral to take away. He’s just. Self-conscious. That’s it.

**Side note, before the new character art by Viria was accepted as canon making these characters much more conventionally attractive, the original art (especially poor Nico) did not try to make them all flawless and people poked fun, but there’s still a place for it. **

Now, Clarisse. I mentioned in my last retrospective that Ares was the bully house filled with bullies, but she got so much depth and development in this book, worlds beyond just being the jealous, snot-nosed brat. She’s smart, she’s cunning, she cares about her subordinates in battle, she’s got insecurities and a temper and friends who don’t really stick up for her (re: the You moo, girl! sign). She, too, has an absentee parent just like every other camper around her. She, too, is just a kid. And she, unlike Percy, has a huge jerk for a godly parent, and not one she can petrify with Medusa’s head.

Other beloved characters make their first appearances this book – Silena, Beckendorf, the Stolls, Chris Rodruiguez. I’d forgotten that they didn’t just show up in Battle of the Labyrinth, they’d been there the whole time.

The side-villains/monsters of the book are so colorful and unique. Circe’s island, the dead Confederates, the enchanted cruise ship. Even when they’re squatting in the cabin or stranded in the lifeboat, the conversations make it interesting where the setting comes up short – those two scenes are dedicated entirely to character drama, not plot.

Also Blackbeard was a son of Ares and Percy commandeers the Queen Anne’s Revenge, ha! I’d forgotten about that. I didn’t forget the Sirens and wow, kudos for intensity. The scene does so many things at once – plunge the tone down to the bottom of the Sea of Monsters, reveal Annabeth’s fatal flaw – hubris – and gives us some sweet, sweet percabeth all in incredibly dramatic fashion.

**Side note, I can’t remember for sure if Annabeth calls him Seaweed Brain first in TLT, but I think that nickname honor goes to Thalia in one of the dream sequences in this book.**

SoM doesn’t suffer the curse of the sequel. It doesn’t just reskin the previous book with the exact same premise: Prevent a godly civil war, go on this fetch quest across the country (there is a fetch quest but it’s different this time), the mood at camp is completely different, Chiron isn’t there, Tantalus is ass – it’s new.

It also gives plenty of new lore and backstory on Luke and Annabeth’s past that matters to the plot at large.

Speaking of lore, the gimmick of convenient dream exposition really finds its footing in SoM. No crucial information is ever handed to the characters on a silver platter and it never feels like a crutch to move the plot along where the story would otherwise be stuck, but they certainly do happen at convenient times. It is also the first and, I believe, last? time we get the empathy link thing with Grover, and the last mention of satyrs being empathic.

Unlike a certain other fantasy series, the plot holes in this series are less canon-shattering and more “huh, I wonder what happened to that,” and this empathy link is one of them. I don’t know what happened, if Riordan just didn’t like it after this book, but it seems like a useful power given how central a character Grover is for most of the series. We get one good use of Grover’s empathy in TLT when they’re lost in the forest and he tells Percy exactly what he’s feeling, and we get plenty of dream sequences with the link this series and then… never again. 

It’s a shame. They were interesting concepts.

Monster Donuts as well never appear again and Ares’ curse specifically said “every time” Percy raises his sword, not the one time he needs it most. Enforcing said curse in every single one of Percy’s battles would be tedious, but in the climax of the Polyphemus fight, Annabeth’s down, they’re all exhausted and out of options, that would have been a fantastic time to mention it.

It’s a shame. They were interesting concepts.

Something I didn’t touch on much for TLT that I will do now is the villain’ plan.

Step 1: Poison Thalia’s tree

Step 2: Get Chiron to take the blame and leave

Step 3: Wait around hoping the camp figures out they need the Golden Fleece

Step 4: Since we don’t know where it is/can’t be bothered to get it ourselves, we’ll steal it from the heroes once they’ve done the hard work

Step 5: Possibly raise Kronos but more importantly, raise Thalia

Also, somewhere along the way, free Tantalus from the Fields of Asphodel and give him Chiron’s job. Who’s idea was that? Not even Dionysus likes him after the Stymphalian birds attack. Why is he still here?

It’s a good, non-convoluted plan for a kids’ book. Luke definitely spouts some mustache-twirling propaganda that would be cheesy if you didn’t realize he’s being groomed (and most kids reading this wouldn’t) but looking back… damn, that is tragic. He was just an angry kid.

His dialogue reads a bit corny now. Luke’s only excuse for falling victim to the classic “I won’t be efficient and kill these interlopers myself, no I’ll turn my back and leave it to the minions” trope is that he needs them alive to do his dirty work and think they escape of their own volition. Percy’s solution to the camp problem at the end is clever and works solely because Luke is such an arrogant prick.

Now, the prophecy, one we don’t hear for most of the book because it’s not Percy’s:

You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone,

You shall find what you seek and make it your own,

But despair for your life entombed within stone,

And fail without friends, to fly home alone.

Since it wasn’t Percy’s prophecy he and the audience would spend the quest trying to decipher, it doesn’t need to be all cryptic, and it’s not. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show up until chapter 17/20 so by that point it just kind of… exists, giving Percy and co the idea to get Clarisse on a plane. This detail, the emergency flight, is the only reused plot thread from TLT, I think.

Concerning the ending: I also forgot about the raid by the Party Ponies! I can’t gauge how easy it would have been for younger me to predict Thalia’s Fleece-granted revival, but reading again — her showing up in the dream, the reminders that Percy is the only eligible prophecy kid on technicality because of what happened to her, it wasn’t obvious, but it was well seeded through the book.

**Side side note, the font is a bit difficult to make out, but I’m pretty sure the address to Camp is Pi. Farm Road 3.141. Also, headcannon, but I think the unnamed first year Apollo Cabin chariot driver in the redo race is Will Solace.**

And, though it’s not revealed that Thalia is older than Percy by a couple months in SoM, this mysterious Great Prophecy we’ve been hearing whispers about suddenly gets flipped on its head. Now, Thalia’s back. Now, Percy can’t be the prophecy kid unless she dies again. Now… Now what?

In the words of Poseidon: Brace yourself.

I think the only negatives are again, the established empathy rules with Grover that don’t matter after this book (which isn’t really this book’s fault) and the reminders that they’re all technically related? Luke, aboard the Princess Andromeda, greets Percy and Annabeth as his favorite cousins and it’s… kind of weird knowing that Annabeth has a crush on him. They establish later that, outside of same-cabin-coupling, the gods don’t have DNA so it doesn’t really count, but still. The reminders are a bit squicky, and that’s ignoring the age gap between “college age” Luke and 13 year old Annabeth, per Percy’s description.

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To answer my own question at the start of this: I think I have to move Sea of Monsters up a slot in my ranking and unseat Titan’s Curse (which I believe was the trend years ago, for reasons I’ll save until that retrospective). It was so fun to reread and such a different adventure to the Lightning Thief without any first-book worldbuilding baggage.