#it’s him wanting to protect annabeth at all costs

[robertsbarbie]

You being a Luke fan makes so much sense for you but I would like go know the extend of fanhood. What are your thoughts on him?

short answer: luke has never done anything ever in his entire life

long answer: my perspective is a lot wider now than when i initially read the books, i think i held a similar mentality, but i also was 12 years old and in love with him so that is biased. but i find his character fascinating, i think the fact he is 19 in the first book is fascinating (my entire life i thought he was maybe two years older than the others until i re read), i think the way his character’s story was written and how he was interlaced with the other characters could not and will never be better. that being said i do think he did a lot of things that were wrong (homeboy did commit mass murder, and like he is AN antagonist of the series), but i will never think he’s a bad guy.

i think luke being 19 and the way his story was written ALL of it makes sense, there’s true no malicious intent and that’s seen time and time again where he pauses almost (even as he’s being controlled by kronos) and is like “… but my friends” which like is just another thing that ties his similarities to percy as if they’re two paths. but back to him being 19 and mad at his dad 19 is when you age out of a lot of stuff, it’s a weird transitional period and he had to do it alone after feeling abandoned by his father (the titan headquarters being where luke got his scar and started his villain origin story>>>>> cinematic) in a place where he watched people constantly die, where his best friend died, where he was constantly in danger like that’s a lot! no wonder resentment grew! and it’s like at the end of the day like just wanted to be safe with his friends and feel seen. which i think is the main point of the first series you see it with the minor gods, you see it in the camp games (silena my absolute beloved trying to get people to take aphrodite kids seriously), you see it with the “Big Three”, you see it with rachel elizabeth dare, calypso, you see it even at percy’s first school like it’s everywhere!this concept of being seen and not just cast aside when convenient and i think luke was used as the archetypal symbol for that. and like it finally clicks for percy in the last book and he sees the point of it all and like it drove me insane while rereading but while percy gets bitter about luke and hates him and can’t stand that annabeth still feels for him i truly believe he never loses his compassion for luke and the life luke could’ve had if not for the life he did

and idk i just love him so much not for the terrible things he did but because he was literally just a kid who was fucked over by the system

[aryxchse]

percy doesn't know.

— leo valdez x daughter of poseidon! reader.

inspired from the song ;; scotty doesn't know by lustra

summary ;; percy is oblivious about leo fucking his sister at every chance he gets.

warnings ;; nsfw stuff i guess, no full smut though. percy is being oblivious as hell, reader is sneaky and leo's a little bastard <3

a / n ;; wish my english was good enough to actually write some good smut, but please don't kill me because i just implied it 👐🏻 OH and they're aged up, obvi.

Percy doesn't know that y/n and me

Do it in my cabin every Sunday

She tells him she's in lake but she doesn't go

Still she's on her knees and Percy doesn't know

y/n l/n, percy jackson's precious little sister. she was only a year younger than him, but he still acted like she was a baby. he tried to protect her at all costs and sweared that he would kill anyone who looked at her wrong.

and when she told him that she was dating with leo, he couldn't help but get even more protective. but he did not have the right to say something, because he was happily in love with annabeth. and y/n just wanted to live that kind of love too, she deserved it.

so when she told him she was going to lake, to swim and meditate a little, he believed her. she was too soft and naive to do something secretly behind him anyways. at least, that's what percy told to himself.

little did he didn't know was that y/n, was going to bunker 9.

"finally," leo breathed out when he saw his perfect girlfriend y/n. "thought percy didn't let you be alone."

y/n smiled mischiefly as she approached to him, already seeing him hard. it looked like it hurt, and she would do anything to make her sweet boyfriend satisfied. "doesn't matter, i'm here right? let me help you with that." she said, pointing his arousal.

leo only smirked when she got down to her knees.

I can't believe he's so trusting

While I'm right behind you thrusting

y/n's got him on the phone

And she's trying not to moan

"h-hi, perce. what's up?" she said, trying to hold her voice stable.

she wasn't going to open the phone, really. but leo, being a little shit he is, insisted. appearently he wanted to see how much his girlfriend was capable of holding herself.

besides, leo was too heated at the moment that he didn't even cared when percy called. she was close, he was close, they were so close to having the feeling of paradise. percy would enter the room and leo would still keep pounding into her, that's how hot he was. he couldn't stop.

leo bited back a laugh, thrusting into her more. he bended her over at his working table, the metal stuff throwed on the ground long ago. she tried to scratch the table but of course, failed.

"no, thank you i don't want anything." she said, arching her back more as leo kept his speed. she was so close to exploding that she was afraid she wouldn't be able to muffle her moans like she did now.

percy was on a date with annabeth at the amusement park and he was catching some plushies now. and he knew how his sister loved plushies, especially sea creature themed ones. "well, m-maybe you can get the shark one, thanks perce." she said, tears rolling down as her voice shaked a bit.

"okay, love you too. kiss annabeth for me." she said before hanging up, and releasing herself with a loud cry. she screamed all of the voices she kept inside while she hit her orgasm, panting on leo's desk. it didn't take much longer for leo to cum after her, a breathless chuckle leaving his lips.

"you did so well, princesa." he panted, kissing her back.

I did her on his birthday

percy doesn't know

percy doesn't know

percy doesn't know

it was august 18th, percy's birthday. everyone of their friends were invited, so it was normal for leo being there too.

the house was full of people, that percy couldn't even look or talk with his sister more than two minutes. everyone congratulated him on his new age and how handsome he turned out. bla, bla, bla.

y/n wore a white skirt with a blue crop top that leo got her at her birthday. he didn't said anything while he handed it to her, but the low neckline was making her boobs look gorgeous. and he don't even mention of how hot that top looked with that skirt.

leo held her hand as he whispered in her ear. "i need you, right now." he whispered in a desperate tone, a tone she couldn't say no to.

"leo we can't— the house is too crowded and-" leo kissed her neck secretly, only making her squirm under his touch. "that's why no one would notice." he whispered in her ear.

percy was talking with annabeth when he saw y/n taking leo's hand and dragging him to somewhere. "y/n!" he called, making the couple turn around.

"w-what's up?" she asked, trying to sound not too panicked. percy didn't noticed, thanks to gods. "where are you two going?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. which annabeth was going to be mad at him for it later.

"i gotta pee man, and she's leading me to the bathroom." leo explained, hiding behind her so that percy won't see his boner. percy was going to say something, but was intrupted by annabeth.

"okay then, we wouldn't want leo to pee in his pants on your birthday, right babe?" annabeth asked, not caring if percy was going to answer or not. and not waiting for it either. "but-" percy tried to say.

"great! be quick though, we're about to give him his presents." annabeth said like she knew, she winked to the couple. y/n gave her a warm smile, in a way only she could understand what she meant behind it. thank you, you're the best!

annabeth dragged percy to the kitchen while the couple got upstairs, making out the moment they entered the bathroom.

a / n ;; thanks for reading, you really survived to here fr 🫶🏻

[echo-stimmingrose]

Grover is the satyr equivalent of 12-14 in the first book. He is a child.

When he was tasked with bringing Thalia to camp and failed he would have been at most 9 years old. He was traumatized by her death, and he no doubt blamed himself for it.

He was shamed by the cloven council at (max) 9 years of age for a death he would not have been strong or skilled enough to prevent. He knows the counsel would have preferred that he died trying to save her which likely would have ended up in his and Thalia's deaths. He sometimes wonders if he would have preferred that as well.

When he is trying to get Percy to camp safely Percy hears him muttering "sixth grade- they never make it past sixth grade!" A reference to Thalia and his first mission. Grover is knocked unconscious due to the minotaur but thankfully Percy is able to get to camp without dying. However, he loses his mom in the process. Another death Grover has on his conscience before she comes back.

Thalia, against all odds comes back as well and he's able to feel some kind of relief. He gets to see her alive again and can almost not feel guilty anymore. He starts to calm down, able to ease his own anxiety with the help of Percy and Annabeth. He works on no longer feeling like a failure.

Then he finds the Di Angelo's. The third and fourth big three kids Grover has stumbled across. He tries to hide his anxiety as he gets the two very young kids to camp, focusing on his task because he would not fail again.

They arrive safely to camp unfortunately at the cost of Annabeth being taken. He doesn't know what to feel. It seems his loved ones safety always comes with a sacrifice.

He's the first to volunteer for the quest for her after Thalia. He knows Percy wants to go as well and will not be happy that he can't but a part of Grover wants Percy to stay at camp. Stay where it's safe as selfish as that may be.

Of course his hopes of Percy staying put were unrealistic and he knew that. Percy was far too loyal to rest while someone he loves is in danger. He could sense Percy's anger and restlessness as soon as they left and he knew his best friend would catch up to them very soon.

Grover is now on a quest with three kids he found. Three kids he was tasked with protecting. Three kids from a group of five where two are fated to die.

Bianca is lost and Grover knows that unlike the last two, there is no hope for her return. Even then he digs through the rubble desperately, not stopping until Thalia pulls him away.

They are able to rescue Annabeth and return her to safety. But as always, the safety of his loved ones came with a cost. A sacrifice someone else had to make.

[lovelife2006]

Luke deserves more recognition and every new person arriving in camp needs to know about him

As the preview of cotg has released, I just had to read it and I came across the paragraph where Percy mentions that when campers grow up and monsters don't deem them important enough to attack anymore they leave camp and go in colleges where they find a new life except a occasional monster here and there. We have already seen this with Clarisse, Charles bekhendorf (atleast he would have gone if he lived with silena). I am guessing that the older campers get chiron to manipulate the mist to make a application for the mortal institutions, especially the year rounders.

Luke was also a year rounder, he was 19 when we first saw him in lightening thief. He could have asked Chiron to do the same for him and left his demigod life behind to become something more in the mortal world. But he didn't do that. He took notice of the unclaimed campers in his cabin who go on stupid quests to make their parents notice them where sometimes they die unknown, sometimes they fail and continue unclaimed and sometimes hardly they are recognized. He looked at Annabeth, his sister who wanted to prove herself to someone who would never be proud of her to the extent she deserves. He saw his friend Thalia who protected the campers more as a tree than the gods ever did. The unclaimed campers would never be happy, Annabeth's eagerness to make her mom proud could cost her life and Thalia being a tree was only due to zeus taking pity, this was the pity a god had on them.

Luke could have left, but he didn't. He started a war against gods for all these reasons. Yes there were moments I hated Luke when he betrayed Percy, manipulated Annabeth and poisoned Thalia. Yes he was responsible for many deaths and he did choose the wrong side because of his short sight. But no one can tell me his intentions were wrong. His execution went against his morals of saving campers, however the gods were no saint and deserved the blow. He really had no choice though, the gods had already lost his trust and kronos manipulated him to make himself the better option and he failed to notice until too late. Even then in the end he did the right thing and he never let his intentions go in vain. He used his dying breath to pass on his ideals and made percy promise that he will make sure the demigods have better life.

Yes the new campers need to be told Percy is the reason they have their cabin family where they find people similar to them and their parents notice them including children of minor gods, however they also need to be told about Luke castellan who was the first one to notice them and who till his last breath fought to make their life better. Luke was a hero who did negative things but in the end he was also the reason the lives of greek demigods changed for the better even if slightly.

[kanene-yaaay]

Bonds, Friendship and other strange things that are affected by it

Kanene’s notes: It’s been! A long time!! What a hello! :D Uhhhh, tbh, I am not sure when this is going to be posted because I haven’t finished writing the ending yet but at the same time I can’t think of an ending for it so dfgthyujuhygtffg let’s see which part of me will win when this comes out xD

(Edit: So, I came here to post it unfinished but !!! a suden lighting of inspiration striked me so!! dfhyujikjh yay! another fic! lets gooo)

Warnings: None. Around 1000 words of Lee!Percy and Ler!Grover because those two are incredibly fun and cool to be around and think about.

[~*~]

Grover cared about Percy. He really did. Of course. No one would create a bond that can possibily cost your life with someone that you didn’t trust as if the own Destiny had intertwined your existences to follow each other at the hardest times. Especially if that other person was a half-blood that was more into fights, problems and almost-death situations than most teenagers could admit.

So, yes, he loved Percy. He was his friend. His best friend. And maybe a brother, but this title was already well placed in Tyson and he was not about to fight a three foot tall cyclop for it. He had enough fighting and marrying cyclops for his life. Thank you very much.

Anyway. Love and Care. Yeah.

But this was starting to get ridiculous.

Happiness and joy exploded in his chest like fireworks being set off just under his skin, leaving his entire body with a buzzing, kind of tickly feeling running just about everywhere.

"My gods, Percy, I am not even touching you!!" He had to almost physically bite the giggles that threatened to spill from his throat.

Percy wasn't so lucky. His face was already beginning to be tainted with red by both the unstoppable onslaught of titters and snickers and the embarrassment of Grover being absolutely right.

"Shut up, shut up. You're so stupid, this is so stuhuhupid!"

"Really?" Grover rested his hands on the other's sides and almost jumped in surprise with the phantom feeling of ticklish shock that made his body want to curl in a ball of protection.

It was no surprise when the younger began kicking and crackling even before Grover squeezed the tickle spot as if his life depended on it.

"Pehercy! There is no way someone can be that ticklish!"

“Shuhut it!”

And that was the thing: Percy was actually NOT that ticklish. He swear that he wasn’t! If he crumbled just with the slightly hint of wiggly fingers and a couple of squeezes, Annabeth would have destroyed him on all their playful debates for now. Damn, if he was that sensitive, he wouldn't have survived his own childhood with a mother that was as sweet and as lovely as merciless during an attempt to cheer her son up.

But he couldn’t articulate this. Not when that dumb bond could make him feel not only his own butterflies flying and dancing crazy on his stomach, but also that sunny feeling of a playful joy that he was sure that came from Grover's pride making the Son of Poseidon, who survived two gigantic wars and another countless life-threatening fights, die with just some digging on his ribcage and oh, shit he was getting higher, nononono-

"Stohohohop!!" He arched his back, hands holding Grover's wrists but too much weak to push the scribbling fingers that were focusing too much in that awful space between each rib to be fair away. He was sure the entire world could hear the way his laughter got higher and louder even before Grover decided to close his hands in fists and drill his knuckles on the skin. 

For a moment Percy almost regreted embarassing his friend in front of Juniper, but the feeling almost as quick as it was gone. 

"I hahahahate this. I hate this so much!"

Grover didn't even falter for a second, barely stopping to acknowledge the happy warmth - like watching the sunrise in the beach with your favorite people around you - that definitely wasn't only his taking over his senses before answering. "Yes, Percy, of course you do. Just like fishes hate water, but you do."

"I'm serious!"

"I am literally agreeing with you, dude."

"No, you're not!"

"Now you're just making stuff up."

And before Percy could protest more Grover decide to finally end the other's suffering and worm his way to the armpits with ease pratice, barely fliching at the honest-to-the-gods scream that came out from his friend's mouth before he fell in silent laughter, his entire body shaking with every giggle and hands twitching between hiding his face every time another snort was fished from his throat or keep trying (and failing) in pry the offending fingers from their unfair, drilling attack on the ticklish pits.

A faintly sound of leaves moving was the only warning that they weren’t alone anymore. Grover smiled even before the so known amused voice called their attention.

"Oh, it's you. I thought the Stymphalian birds were back for revenge. Hi, seaweed brain."

“Hey, Annabeth!”

With all the noise, Grover was surprised Annabeth took as long as she did to appear.

Percy seemed to think otherwise.

"No!" Suddenly his efforts to escape got 10 times worse, which, since he really wasn't trying to truly get away from the very beginning, made it see like Grover was fighting against an old lazy chihuahua. "How did you find us!"

"Did he interrupt your date again?"

At the reminder, Grover fred the rest of his fingers to claw at Percy's belly - right above his bellybutton, wehere were storaged the best collection of snorts and shrieks, while his thumbs were still drumming on his armpits.

"Yes." He had to shout above the other's high pitched laughter. "And it's Kill Percy Thursday!"

“How could I forget?” The blonde started cracking her fingers, making bubbly excitment run so quickly and strongly in his senses that Grover had to stop the tickling to snicker, instinctively fliching away. Annabeth eyed both of them with a glint of fondness and amusement that did nothing to hide the pure mischieviousness taking over her expressions. “By the way, I think I am owned some revenge since someone decided to prank me with those fake books last week.”

“It was good knowing you, dude.”

Joy and warmth and pride and care chasing each other in his chest while he tried to keep the daughter of Athena away from his tickle spots with no sucess.

The things he had to put up with because of his friends, really.

[harrietpotterandthedemigods]

See I KNEW Lin Manuel Miranda was awesome as Hermes! He IS Hermes! Hermes IS him! I could go on but really, I’m just so happy we got to see him! I’ve been waiting for that since the casting was announced!

On to the episode now…

Loved Grover! He figured out about as much about the lightning thief as I expected. He’s so smart! Little Grover, he’s so precious! We must protect him at all cost! Also he got to gush about the animals, gods Grover is so adorable! And the there was the blessing of the wild, they’ll be fine. What about the humans? Well, the animals will be fine!

Kinda disappointed that we didn’t see Percy talk to a zebra. I didn’t even see a zebra, which was… come on! The episode is called “We take a zebra to Las Vegas” and there isn’t even a zebra? I was looking forward to see Percy realize he can talk to equines…😫

The Lotus Casino was well executed. Lotus flowers are pumped into the air. That’s not explicitly stated in the books but it could very well be the case in the books as well. And we also got the myth linked to the place. That was never clear in the books, we just got that it was a place where time moves differently. And how Grover forgot more than Percy and Annabeth because it’s easy to forget what’s important when you’re alone. That’s just *chef’s kiss*.

I loved Hermes as well. Like, I get the feeling he actually wants to help but he’s afraid it would make things worse. He also really highlights that even if the gods want to be with their kids, their mere presence could lead to ugly consequences. Also, I wasn’t surprised at all when it turned out Hermes knew they took his keys. Like for real, Annabeth? Did you honestly think you had any chance of pickpocket the God of Pickpocketing? That’s your fatal flaw talking. Hermes wanted them to take the keys. That’s quite a huge deal with Hermes, isn’t it? He is the god of travelers, thieves and anyone who uses the road. To quote a line of Luke’s in the books; “Hermes isn’t picky about who he sponsors.” (The Lightning Thief, ch. 7, My dinner goes up in smoke, page 52) He helps people. But since he isn’t supposed to help them, he has to do it under the table, aka slipping them his keys like: “Ops!? You stole my keys? Oh, well, nothing I can do to stop you then…” *shrug*

Also kinda sweet that he tried to reassure Percy that even though his father can’t really be there he still loves and cares for him. They’re all just doing the best they can…

And Santa Monica, I can’t even imagine how Percy must’ve felt in that moment when the nerid told him that his father had left because they ran out of time. He must’ve felt like he let his dad down this time, after Poseidon saved his life. That poor baby! I just want to give him a hug😭 Of course he can’t go back to camp now. He has to set things right!

And this time around he has four pearls? That will be interesting to see next week…

[soapywankenopy]

I watched PJO ep4 last night

I was too tired to say anything about it but now I can't sleep so

I liked it. They changed some things as per usual. It wasn't as offensive to me as the last episode (even though i really did like the last episode). This episode is interesting because instead of making them take a detour in Saint Louis just for fun, it makes them veer out of necessity (a seemingly common change they seem to keep making in the show) and while not bad, it was a little disappointing. In the book, it gave me more of a sense of Annabeth's character, I liked seeing her really excited about something. It made her seem like an actual kid with interests. And even though in the show, she does have a few "nerdy" things to say about the architecture of the Gateway Arch, you don't get the same sense of a "nerdy" girl leading her bored friends somewhere because she really likes something and she's making them go along with it (a feeling I have known all too well :p). But the change they made was utilitarian (a common thread in this show), and I understand (to some extent) why they made that choice.

Something I didn't like as much was the change to make Echidna a conventionally attractive, slightly older woman. It's been a common thread that this show is allergic to casting people as "ugly" as book Percy decribed them to be. It's not a terrible change, but I am noticing a pattern.

Now on to the stuff I liked:

Grover and Annabeth putting Percy in the fountain is absolutely delightful. I loved that. Grover being grumpy when he gets woken up? Perfect. I loved that. Grover saying 'I need to eat' as what I assume was a reference to all the times when he would just groan and say "fooood" in the book. Really good, I liked it. Percy and Annabeth starting to get along? You love to see it. Annabeth being adamant that the gods love them and want to protect them, and then, being seemingly proven wrong about her mother? Yes. Good. Percy insisting that the guy who has never been there for him and only claimed him when it was convenient maybe doesn't have his best interests at heart probably doesn't deserve praise and will probably not help him, and then being proven wrong? Yes. Great. Do I think it's absolutely ridiculous that Athena was so ashamed of her daughter that she let a monster (that definitely should've killed Annabeth) into her temple? Yes, but it just proves the point. The gods are petty. They are not infallible. And just like with Arachne and Medusa, Athena is trying to prove a point, even if it comes at the cost of her own daughter's life.

All in all, a really good episode. And while not completely faithful to the actual plot, it is faithful to the spirit and themes of the story.

[she-karev]

Grey's Anatomy Next Generation: Lucy DeLuca (Andrew DeLuca Daughter)

Lucia 'Lucy' DeLuca

Fancast: Alexandra Daddario (AKA: Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson Movies)

Date of Birth: October 20th, 2022

Languages: English, Italian, American Sign Language

Titles: MD, FACS

Parents: Andrew DeLuca (Father), Amber DeLuca nee Karev (Mother)

Siblings: Alexander Aaron DeLuca (Younger Brother)

Grandparents: Vincenzo DeLuca (Paternal Grandfather, Deceased), Lucia DeLuca (Paternal Grandmother, Deceased), James Evans (Maternal Grandfather, Deceased), Helen Karev (Maternal Grandmother, Deceased),

Other Relatives: Carina DeLuca-Bishop (Paternal Aunt), Maya DeLuca-Bishop (Paternal Aunt), Liam DeLuca-Bishop (Paternal Cousin), Andrea DeLuca-Bishop (Paternal Cousin), Gianna DeLuca-Bishop (Paternal Cousin), Alex Karev (Maternal Uncle), Aaron Karev (Maternal Uncle), Jo Karev (Maternal Aunt), Luna Karev (Maternal Cousin), Richard Karev (Maternal Cousin)

College: Harvard University

Medical School: Harvard University

Residency: Grey Sloan Memorial

Occupation: Pediatric Surgery Fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital

Personality: Lucy DeLuca has the best of both of her parents, she has her mom's grit and her dad's heart. Many don't peg her as the usual pediatric surgeon due to her tough attitude, but she proves to be compassionate under her hard exterior and gets along with kids like her mom does as a ped's surgeon. She grew up bickering with her little brother who she loves and would protect at all costs. Her dad was her hero growing up seeing him as a role model and being somewhat of a daddy's girl. She loves her mother as well and admires her as well and turns to her for advice in choosing a specialty. Despite wanting to go into general surgery like her father when she started her residency Lucy discovered her true passion lies in pediatrics. She and her cousin, Luna Karev, are especially close. They both grew up with brothers, so they regard each other as the sister neither of them had. She has difficulties during her fellowship when she inherits her father's bipolar disorder but thanks to support from her coworkers and family, she is able to live with this disease and become a great surgeon like her father. Lucy DeLuca grows up into a caring and compassionate surgeon who earned her place with her brains instead of her family legacy.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Three chapters left! We take a break from sad and I give you fluffy instead -Danny Words: 2,187 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Hardwired' -by Hailey Knox

XL: Teenage Boy Experiences Worst Nightmare (Meeting His Girlfriend's Dad)

Leo doesn't see Ara as much as he would want to. He's working nonstop, and Ara's responsibilities go beyond just overseeing the Argo II's progress.

She handles disputes, trains the campers, holds meetings... That's why, when she asks a second time if he'd like to visit her on Valentine's Day, Leo doesn't think twice before giving her an answer.

He's scared shitless, though. Annabeth says Ara's parents are the best, but Lily says Ara's dad is protective of her, and he's only half-sure she's trying to scare him. Leo is on the verge of having a heart attack now, as he's dropped outside Ara's building.

"Thanks, man," he dryly says to Argus, not even able to crack a joke. "Wish me luck." 

Argus winks and half of his body looks normal for a moment, then he encourages Leo to press the coms so Ara knows he's there.

The visit cost Leo a lot of pledges to Chiron, the centaur only agreed after he held a conversation over the phone with Sally Jackson, who somehow convinced him Leo is old enough to behave on his own.

It's kind of annoying to be treated like a child, but at the same time, it's nice to be looked after for a change, and it's almost like having a parent. Leo looks for the family's name on the coms, and when he presses the right button, Ara answers right away. 

"Going!"

Leo gives Argus a thumbs up, he's only moved an inch when the front door of the building opens and he jumps, Ara saves him from tripping down the steps.

"Hi," she smiles at the driver and waves. "Thanks, Argus!"

The man turns on the engine and waves back before driving away. Ara pulls Leo inside the building and closes the door. "H—" The girl doesn't give him even a second to speak before she kisses him. 

It's short but intense, enough to erase all the thoughts from Leo's mind, which is a remarkable achievement. "I baked you cupcakes," she says giddily. "Come on!"

Leo gets dragged up the stairs, and by the time they reach her floor, he's having trouble breathing, not necessarily because of the amount of stairs they just ran through. 

She's about to enter her apartment when Leo pulls her back. "Wait! Are both your parents inside?"

"Yeah, they'll drop us off at the movie theater. We're having dinner first, though."

Leo clears his throat. "Okay. Cool."

"Are you nervous?" Ara grins. "They'll love you, just be yourself!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He teases her.

She opens the door. "Leo's here!"

He's half-expecting Ara's apartment to look like a fancy castle, but this is just a regular New York flat, cozy and simple. Her parents are in the living room, and they're the nicest-looking adults Leo's ever seen, which only increases his anxiety. He does not get along with sane people.

"This is my mom and dad," Ara holds Leo's hand and guides him in, he suspects she's also using her empath touch, cause his heart slows down instantly. "Mom and Dad, this is Leo Valdez, my boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you, Leo! Are you thirsty?" Ara's mom shakes his free hand, he likes her instantly. 

"Er... no, Mrs. Jackson, but thanks," his eyes move to Ara's dad, who's not smiling, but it's not giving him the stink eye either, which is a relief.

"Leo," Paul Blofis shakes his hand firmly. "Our daughter talks a lot about you."

"Every day!" Ara adds happily.

Paul nods and pats his shoulder. Leo wishes he had empath touch. "You're not hungry?"

"Uhm..." he hesitates, unsure of what to answer. 

Ara's dad shows the smallest hint of a smile. He pats Leo's shoulder again and guides him to the kitchen. "You'll be once you smell what Sally and I cooked today. C'mon, help me set the table."

Leo gives Ara one last pleading look before Paul takes him away, Ara grins and gives him a thumbs up. 

When they reach the kitchen, Paul looks around with both hands on his hips, he takes a deep breath as if pondering. The boy braces himself, Paul looks like a good guy, but if Leo had a daughter like Ara, and she brought home a guy like him, he would lose his mind a little.

"I have a question for you," Paul turns around smiling. "¿Te gusta el picante?"

Leo blinks. "¿Qué?"

"Picante," the man continues with a thick accent. "A Sally le gusta, pero no mucho. Ara no come, pero ella dijo que si te gusta... hicimos salsa."

Leo stares at the man blankly. Is he having a stroke, or is Ara's dad talking to him in Spanish? The man interprets his silence as a bad sign and he gets a little mortified.

"Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, Ara said you—"

"No, no!" Leo stops him. "Sorry, I just... I wasn't expecting that."

"But you understood me?" The man smiles again. "I've been learning on my own for two years, but I'm too shy to practice with strangers. Sally practices with me—she's as lost as I am, frankly. But you can't make fun of me if I mess up, 'cause I'm your girlfriend's dad!"

Leo tries to hold back, but he ends up bursting into chortles. Annabeth was right, Ara's parents are amazing.

"Wow," he continues, still laughing. "Smart move. But there was no need, your Spanish is good! Pretty good, actually. I appreciate the salsa-making too."

Paul beams, patting Leo's shoulder in a fatherly way. "Come try it! Maybe you can tell us if it's missing something!"

"Okay," Leo agrees, feeling much better now. "But I'll give you my notes in Spanish, so get ready."

Ara doesn't know what happened when Paul and Leo were left alone, but the boy has turned into her father's best friend in less than an hour, and he has him doubling over the table with laughter.

Her mother looks at her with a knowing smile, and Ara feels her cheeks warming up. She's got a mix of emotions, something like embarrassment but also lots of pride, and tons of happiness. This is the first time her parents look happy since Percy's went missing.

"Look at the time!" Paul glances at the watch around his wrist when Leo's gone to the bathroom. "Gotta go now if the kids want to catch that movie, Sally."

"Yes, I think Ara would like to have her boyfriend back as well," the woman muses.

Paul clears his throat. "Right. Sorry, sweetheart," he looks at Ara with an embarrassed grin. "I got carried away."

"It's alright," she smiles. "I'm glad you like him."

"Hey, Mr. Blofis?" Leo walks back into the room. "Hope you don't mind, I fixed the water pressure in your sink. And the toilet was leaking so I fixed that too."

"Oh, Leo, you didn't have to," Sally replies bashfully.

"It wasn't a problem," he insists, standing behind Ara's chair. "Took me less than a minute."

"Did I mention he's a son of Hephaestus?" Ara grins.

"Just about ten thousand times," her mother replies in the same tone.

"Leo, next time you visit, I'll get those hinges you told me about—we can install them on the kitchen cabinets!"

"Dad," Ara intervenes. "You can't use my boyfriend as a handyman, he comes here to spend time with me! I can fix the kitchen cabinets—"

"No, it's fine," Leo replies. He looks slightly flustered, but happy. "I'll help. Doesn't take that long."

Paul's smile widens. "Good catch, Ara."

She blushes. "Let's go, it's getting late for our movie."

It's weird seeing Ara like this. Here she acts relaxed and like an actual teenager. She's not wearing a camp shirt or her cloak. Next to her, for the first time ever, Leo feels perfectly normal and like a decent match. It makes his heart flutter with joy.

"Why didn't you tell me your dad speaks Spanish? He's hilarious—"

"Leo, do you want to go out with my dad instead? I'm fine on my own, been a while since I had time for myself..."

He laughs, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm just happy it went well! I was so stressed..."

"I know," she kisses his cheek. "But now that's out of the way. All that's left is to introduce you to my..."

Her voice dies out as she thinks of Percy. He'd missed so many milestones already, all the blessings she'd gained, and he'd always looked forward to seeing her date a guy she actually liked... not to mention he didn't get to throw her into the lake as she'd done to him.

Leo nudges her shoulder, sensing the shift in her mood. "Thank you for inviting me over."

"You're thanking me for forcing you to meet my parents?" Ara muses. "Maybe you really are insane."

"Hey, I mean it!" He frowns. "I'm over the moon! I met my girlfriend's parents and they love me," he lowers his voice, eyes turning playful. "And I'm definitely making out with you for the next hour."

Ara pushes him away, giving him a look. Leo gives her a shit-eating grin, raising his hands in surrender. "Anyway," the girl sighs. "Let's buy nachos!"

Leo steps in her way again, holding her by the waist. "Being real, sunshine, I'm down bad. I'm so happy that it makes me stupid."

"Oh, I thought you were born stupid."

He frowns. "Jerk."

"Go splash your face with cold water," Ara looks away, blushing. "I'll buy our food."

He holds her face. "You look so cute when you're flustered," he laughs, stopping Ara from going away. "Don't get mad, I just... I can't believe this is happening. My girlfriend is an Aphrodite, I've won in life."

Ara groans, burying her face on his shoulder. "Stooop!"

"Aw, you're adorable," he pulls her face up, kissing it all over. "You're a squishy, flustered, super pretty doll..."

The more she blushes, the more Leo teases her; right now he's nothing but a teen in love. It had been so long since he'd felt like maybe life didn't suck so much... Probably since he was eight years old.

Even the nightmares had stopped since he'd gotten together with Ara, perhaps she was like a shield to him, somehow she was keeping all the bad stuff away.

Ara leans against Leo's shoulder and yawns. 

Leo glances at her and grins. "Sleepy already? You're old."

"Shut up," she yawns again, sinking further on the couch. "Couldn't sleep... I prayed to my mother the whole time so we could have a nice day... I'm glad she listened."

He doesn't deserve to be loved like she loves him, he didn't do anything to get Ara, and yet she always goes beyond his expectations.

You don't get the things you deserve, you get the things you ask for, and then do what you can to keep them.

But he didn't ask for Ara in the first place! She just showed up and turned his world upside down.  Leo had a vague idea of what love was before meeting Ara, he thought it was meant to be confusing, upsetting, and most of all unfair. Now...

"I don't know why..." She mumbles after a moment. "But I feel that we won't get to do this in the future. I can't shake it off since we started dating."

"Geez, I wonder why," he replies. "Can't be PTSD, right? That's too obvious, there's gotta be bad juju involved."

"What are you talking about? You're my first boyfriend ever," Ara frowns.

"Your first and last," he adds casually. "But I didn't mean it like that. I meant all the people you lost in less than a year, you didn't get to have more time with them."

"I don't have PTSD. I'm alright."

"Didn't look like it when you told me about Michael..."

"Don't," Ara scowls. "You're sounding like Lily."

"That's because we both care about you," Leo tilts her chin up. "Ara, I promise—"

"Don't promise things!" She covers his mouth, awake and annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

He moves her hand away. "Fine! Look... I'm not great with words, but it's... like your fear of maths. You don't use them because you kept exploding things when you tried to, right? But you can do math, you do it every day at school, yet you still go to camp and refuse to use it. It's the same."

Ara looks at him, kind of understanding what he's saying. "Maybe we are like math a little bit, in my head," she admits. "I can't help it!"

"Keep telling me your story," he suggests. "You need to talk it out, and I want to hear it."

"It's going to ruin our night."

"If you cry I'll cuddle and comfort you. Maybe it'll ruin your night, but it would make mine ten times better," he jokes.

"Leónidas!" Ara scolds him. "That's not funny!"

The boy freezes and looks at her with shock. "What did you call me?"

She stares at him. "What?" Ara frowns. "Oh, gods, did I guess your name right?"

Leo looks at her annoyed. "How?"

She eyes him intently. "Leónidas like the Spartan guy... Yeah, that one feels right."

Ara places the accent exactly where his mother used to, and suddenly he gets transported to better times. "Wait—feels right? What does that mean?"

She laughs and kisses him briefly. "Nothing, I just like how it sounds."

Leo stares at her intently. "I like how Arae sounds."

She grins. "We both have weird and ancient names. We were clearly meant to be together."

"Yeah," he replies quietly. "I'm starting to believe that."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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

[macbeth-murder-match]

is there some kind of lore... summary? primer? last-time-on? i havent been following the white boy bracket at all but i wanna be ready for this one :3

once we're done there will be! As of right now, the general idea is:

a bunch of white boys have been collected by The Showrunner, who has a fondness for pink.

The showrunner favors "Team Lit", which is Artemis Fowl, Prosperity Redding, and Firestar, though she also has a fondness for Jason Grace.

The Showrunner is fine with fraud if it's team lit doing it

she is NOT fine with it if it's xigbar doing it. xigbar, who arrived uninvited halfway through the tournament and started wreaking havoc.

she turned what was supposed to be a fun, friendly tournament into a death match in an effort to kill off xigbar. despite him losing every time, he won't die. She is PISSED about this

she opened a portal to allow the audience to send food for the White Boys. instead of this they smuggled in a bunch of contraband. she is PISSED about this

EVERY CONTESTANT WAS REVIVED

Xigbar offered to work for her in exchange for his weapons back. She accepted and now they are working together.

She has kidnapped Annabeth and The Narrator from stanley parable and is keeping them in some kind of dollhouse. she is doing this in an attempt to stop Percy from causing trouble. she kidnapped the narrator because he annoyed her.

stanley is PISSED about this.

xigbar has been instructed to protect team lit at all costs.

thats kind of where we are now! but theres more i havent mentioned. if you're bored and want to catch up fully, check out The Timeline!

each link leads to a piece of writing someone wrote for the tournament! they are presented here in timeline order! i do recommend following @white-boy-bracket for lore purposes. it develops live and hints are dropped in asks and such!

the storyline is already largely plotted out and WILL roll directly into this tournament as a canon continuation of that story!

so dont get mad about narratively satisfying fraud

[raysletters]

2023 Character Wrapped

Rules: share your top 9 characters of 2023

tagged by the lovely @suseagull04 (like, so long ago, but i had forgotten to do it so here i am)

1. Alex Claremont-Díaz (RWRB)

i wish i could explain to you the deep connection i have to this fictional man. he is me and i am him. he probably has been my favorite character since i first found him on 2021 (which is the longest hyperfixation ive ever had, funnily enough) and has actually shaped me to be more confident in myself and all that mushy stuff, so yeah, im just missing a henry kinnie that wants to put up with this mess.

2. Percy Jackson (Riordanverse)

i binge read pjo and hoo these last months, and the way ive become attached to this kid is something else. i want to protect him from anything.

3. Nico di Angelo (Riordanverse)

like with percy, i became attached to him from the moment he showed up, and i would protect him with my life even from rick riordan. he cant do no wrong ever.

4. Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor (RWRB)

henry has specially gained a piece in my heart lately, but i have to be honest, when i first read about him, i thought nothing of him more than the perfect companion and love interest in alex's story. i have to say that getting a glance to his mind through both the bonus chapter and really fucking good fics gave me the insight i needed to comprehend him: his actions, his motivations, and everything in between that made him who he is and made me realize how many things we have in common and how many things i could learn from him, which is always a beautiful experience

5. June Claremont-Díaz (RWRB)

theres nothing i wouldnt do for her. even though i absolutely HATE how i wrote the fic that has june's pov, im still in the process of learning about her and comprehending her more. still, she reminds me so much of my own sister, even though i should kin her more than alex because of the whole sapphic latina journalist who loves her sibling very much, even when they annoy the shit out of you, but alas, im a younger sister and june has so much vibes of my own sister except with my tastes, so yeah, nothing i wouldnt do for her

6. Iris West-Allen (The Flash TV)

in case you didnt know this about me, i had a not-so-recent hyperfixation on the flash (and it can absolutely be seen in my sky high au), and she was half the reason of it. i wish i could put into words how much i fucking love her in every sense of the word. like, i'm in love with her but i also want her to be happy and protected at all costs and i would do anything for her to actually get those things. she can also step on me and i would thank her, but that is unrelated

7. Annabeth Chase (Riordanverse)

what you dont get is that for her i would become like a rabid feral gremlin or maybe that dog that takes a sword in its mouth and starts swinging carelessly. thats how ready i am to protect her from absolutely everything, even spiders, no matter how fucking scared i am of them

8. Imogen Heaney (Heartstopper TV)

yes, i am absolutely biased because the actress also has t1d and my hc is that now imogen also has t1d, but also because i, too, affirmed with my whole chest how i was an ally and totally straight and then slowly realized i was sapphic bc of one cute girl in my friend group that called me out on my bs 💀

9. Barry Allen (The Flash TV)

yes, we dont acknowledge that other version by that other actor. yes, he's last because i had a love-hate relationship with the way he was written. but season 8!barry became one of my favorite versions of him, and i absolutely thank grant (the actor) for the way he made me love the character once again

i missed so many characters that i love but just not like i love these ones. the only one who could easily take barry's place on the list would be nick nelson my absolute beloved, but since flash tv ended this year, it had me in my feelings and i couldn't not put him there, so yeah

DISCLAIMER: i am at the moment reading trials of apollo (im just like 1/4 of the first book) and if somebody spoils me anything i WILL become a rabid feral gremlin, this is your only warning, thank you very much.

anyway, you can consider this an open tag and do this and tag me in it bc i always love to read about yalls favorite stuff. still, no pressure, but im still tagging beautiful ppl so i can read about your favorite characters @anincompletelist @inexplicablymine @read-and-write- @sherryvalli @14carrotghoul @formorewishes

[haydenthewitch]

i've got shit to say ( positive) about the new percy jackson series, but i haven't watched Ep 3 yet, so keep that in mind

i read the books back in third grade and boy fucking howdy did i resonate. i'm not dislexic, but i am nurodivergerent (got that adhd in me babbyy) and i wasn't yet dignosed, but i'd only ever heard bad things about the "creative but can not sit still" kids. i was also, severly bullied, becuse i was the "overweight kids" (i'm not fat, and i never was, but when you tell a bunch of 2nd to 5th graders that your diabetic, some assumptions get made.) so seeing other bullied, nurodivergent children get reveried as heros did a lot of good in my kid brain.

seeing the new series has reignited one of my earlyest hyperfixations. percy jackson was my first intrest in actualy reading, and it got me into a lot of diffrent books. i now can resonate with it even deeper, being well and truly queer. (i love good old rick and his allyship of trans and queer pepole.) and i LOVE seeing other pepole getting into the fandom who wern't originaly in the book fandom *weither reading the books now, or just watching a good adaptation of the books in tv form.*

as much as i love the movies (eyeroll) i LOVE THE CASTING OF THE SHOW and how young they all look. like, it SHOWS that percy/annabeth/grover is 12. percy is just a sassy 12 year old and i love him. annabeth does act a little muture, but it's grounded with a 12 year old likeness and that push into the water is so 12 year old sister energy. she's my baby sister i love her so much. anyways yeah, it just hits you in the face of like, these are children about to rebel against the gods, fight monsters, and deal with luke who is truly, truly, a young highschooler who's a little shit but still so charming to percy.

yeah they have all these powers, yeah they are fighting battles, but percy burns his jelly beans to talk to his mom in the middle of a forest like he doesn't want to be caught. that is such peak young child energy who doesn't know what to do. (cute, and so sad it makes me want to cry.) he is my son and i will protect him at all fucking costs.

also can i just say, the kid actors are doing such a good job. like i keep going back to annabeth's little push and percy going "hey what was that for??". it's peak book energy, and it feels like such a realistic thing for two little 12 year olds to do. they are so good.

i truly can not wait for the interaction where little percy sasses off the greek god of war. like in the book he's just like "fuck you" (paraphrased) and i can not wait for percys actor to bring that energy in interacting with gods.

anyway, the tv show is good. it's good.

[vestigegg]

With Percy Jackson and The Olympians Priemering Today here are some changes that would have made more sense with Greek Mythos than what Rick did (I love him but holy hell is none of it Accurate):

The big 3 would not have stopped having kids cause WWII (and I pray they change it in the show. it gives me the ick). Personally either, use Nazi's to have used Demigods as weapons against their will and have the gods agree no more kids to protect them, or WWI (it's a less fucked up idea, but aligning with countries over trade and political tensions is better than Nazi's). Also cold war could work but only to an extent. I know the prophecy was also a reason but good god let's get rid of the nazi's, please!

Athena is the virgin goddess. It's one of her epithets, Parthenos, the virgin Athena (what the Parthenon is named after). No kids, she has no time for romance. Now Artemis and Hestia? They're both virgin goddesses, with it being sacred, but Hestia being a goddess of the Family and hearth, and having kids would make sense (also fire Annabeth and Water Percy), whilst it's not clear if Artemis is 100% no romance (The Orion myth where their in love is only one retelling and it's the one I hate the most), but whether through her maidens, or as her role as a goddess of childbirth, or she's just a lesbian and sometimes they want kids, it's more likely than Athena. Honestly, the demigods of Artemis being the children Artemis helped birth from victims of assault would be a cool concept, the kids could be left at camp halfblood at an early age, and when the hunters visit, they could see their mums and aunts, whilst the mums could heal and know their kid is safe. Anyways, I'm 100% Athena is no romance, no sex, but loves friendships. She and Telemachus are besties, so she def has mortal friends. She and Paul would be good friends. New AU, Athena sets Paul up with Sally, cause she was already friends with Paul and is like "they'd be happy". Aphrodite is jealous that she didn't get it first.

Dinoysis should not be camp director, banished or not. What would make more sense: Ares camp director. The Greeks (Sparta and their colonies are the exception, not the rule) kinda hated Ares but in most of the myths he's in he's at best actually helping win wars, or at worst, the problem child (and the whole jar incident where he got trapped and Artemis and Hermes rescued him. Ares was hated because he represented the brutality of war, along with the revenge and cost with the eventual victory, whilst Athena was the tactics, strategy and cunning that brings victory. Regardless, in Mythos, Ares is a pretty chill guy (just not on the Battlefield.) Ares loves training, battle, and his kids. He is a girl dad (the Amazons are his kids, and he adores them), and would probably love any kid who showed an interest in fighting and battle, no matter the weapon. And it's in line with his character. He does something, gets kicked off Olympus for a bit, and gets thrusted to camp halfblood, and all the gods are like "Yeah lol, he hates kids, he's gonna hate it", but then he's there and he's like "I'm gonna teach you how to spear 3 horses in a row!" His kids love having him there, and he just kinda adopts the kids who's parent hasn't claimed them. He also will escort demigods home and threaten neglectful/shit parents. He will adopt kids who's mortal parent has abandoned them/died. Ares is camp father, and he's a damn good one. Though maybe he does get a little riled up by captue the flag.

I know the Amazons are in Heroes of Olympus, ha ha Amazon joke, but Amazon is an evil company and I hate it. The Amazon's also live in camp halfblood as trainers, friends, family, and loyal daughters of Ares. Most daughters of Ares get integrated into the Amazon's and they go on yearly retreats to Circe's island.

In later mythos Apollo became a god of the sun, and Artemis the moon, but Selene and Helios are still important players with interesting myths, and I know the whole "mortals forget" thing but Renaissance art did not. Have a plot about Endymion, Selene's forever-asleep boyfriend, Circe is a daughter of Helios, he could have other, powerful witches in their own right. Medea being a grandaughter of Helios is critical to her power and downfall. In mythos she never dies, merely disappears. Why is she evil? She is misunderstood and fuck Jason.

My hatred of Zeus runs deep and is too complicated to get into, but he is the true antagonist of Greek mythology, and I hate him. Everyone should hate Zeus.

Persephone and Hades relationship is too strained, and they never cheat on each other (Thesus and Pirithous. Once again, Rick is too kind to absolute dicks of mythology). The only time they have was Adonis and that one is weird and possibly mistranslated, but yeah, only times they cheat is when Zeus...assaulted his daughter *gags*, though in other translations the results of those unions are Hades. Hades though? Has never cheated on her. If one fell in love with a mortal, the more likely (and in my opinion sweeter outcome) is polyamory. Or have Hades and Persephone be the patron gods of any and all children of underworld gods (Thanatos, Melione ect)

On the Persephone thing, Persephone being a nature goddess is...loose? Demeter brings spring when reunited with her daughter, making Persephone's role not really nature goddessey. More interestingly greeks use the title Dread Persephone, and her role in stories aligns her as an underworld goddess. If you want an interesting deep dive into this watch OSP: Hades and Persephone on YouTube, its super interesting and goes into it better. Also fuck lore Olympus while I'm here.

Aphrodite and Hephestus being together is not always present in written works of Greek mythos. In Homer's Illiad Aphrodite is unmarried and a consort of Ares, whilst Hephestaus has his own wife, Charis. Then Homer contradicts himself (tbf, might not be a real guy) and states Aphrodite and Hephaestus are married and Ares is Aphrodite's homewrecker. So not even one (supposed) guy can keep it straight. It varies from myth to myth. Hell, at the end of some retellings of Aphrodite and Ares in chains in Hephestaus's bed, they straight up divorce. This is less nitpicky of Rick because Greek mythos has no cannon and everything is a constant mess, but with all the... less than stellar relationships within the pantheon and wider worship, it's ok to have a pairing that while is thought of, have a canonical divorce.

Also, Cupid would out Nico, Eros would not, and Psyche would punch him.

Why is Medusa solely based off of Ovid's terrible interpretation?IDK I'm not particularly fond of Ovid's retellings of myth, because of his...baggage issues. I know it's the more popularised one, but Ovid's entire story of Perseus is...so fucked up. This is also my anger toward wider mythos fans who argue whether Athena did a cool feminist thing or punished Medusa for being assaulted. In the older retellings, she was just a monster and it's so less fucked up.

Where is Ariadne? If we ignore my Ares rant, why is she not with her husband? or at least frequently visiting him? And why is she not called up in Balle of the Labyrinth? She is the patron goddess of it. Give her a cookie Percy, It'll help.

I have more but they relate to specific parts of the plot of a book, but if people are interested I can and will complain more. Sea of Monsters is the main one that comes to mind, but I'm rereading the series atm, so I can make ongoing lists. Also, I do love Percy Jackson, but I cannot think of it as having any relationship to actual Greek mythos or history or I'll scream. If you want to write an AU with any of these ideas please let me know, I love Greek mythos and I love interpretations of stories told for thousands of years.

[furys-burn]

. thinking about...Luke

the idea that he really did die after his plunge in Titan's Curse and he only survived because Kronos' rewind time ability but at the cost of there is no evading death, only slightly postponing it. Him realizing no matter his destiny he will become Kronos' instrument to destroy Olympus. That he must let Kronos use him as an avatar because his body is rapidly failing and that is the oddness that Annabeth picks up in the Labyrinth and why he desperately wanted to speak to her. To say goodbye. To let her know that Luke is gone and if at all possible, he is sorry.

The idea that Luke was abandoned by the gods already labeled a traitor at birth yet none of them saw him as the sacrifice he would come to be. That he would be buried in the father he hated shroud despite the fact he would rather burn as a Crestellan. If his mother still cooks cookies for a child now dead and if his father will lick his wounds thinking the only person she should have been protected from was her own son.

That the son of Hermes would fly from home young, steal the fruit of immortality, and one day bite it with the teeth of Titan yet denied by the father who put that very thievery in his veins. That it was that same blood a new Olympus engineered in part by the girl he half raised would be built upon.

If the second time he was reborn it was wondering if destiny bleeds into lifetimes and if the soul is cursed or just the person it resides in.

[ignitesthestxrs]

gosh listening to how you envisioned the story to go is like hearing everything i dreamed about in my head! i can totally see how the dynamic would work that way, and i would've loved to see how you would approach the percy/luke dynamic. who do you think would've broken first? for some reason i feel like it would be luke who realises what he was feeling, and that understanding his emotions would make him be even more hostile to percy at first, until one day the tension just breaks and everything falls into place! what do you think haha i would love to know your thoughts :) ~ tirefire anon

oh luke would have figured out what was up first - even at the point in the story i got to, luke basically knew what was up - but percy would have been the one who cracked.

like! the thing is luke is older and more experienced than both percy and annabeth. he's also uh full of self loathing! so he has zero expectation of being wanted back by either of them, and is definitely not in a 'make the first move' kind of place - he will take whatever he can get, but he also thinks he deserves nothing from either of them.

but with percy in particular there's also a real thread of competition there. luke is softer with annabeth because he's more protective of her/recognises that she is the person he betrayed worse than anyone else and she is the person he feels he actually needs to make things up to.

percy meanwhile is both the demigod he could have been and the demigod he never was and that drives a real fury in him. but luke knows the cost of that anger now, knows to keep it under control, just as percy clearly can't keep his anger under control. a thing i always really enjoyed exploring with percy was the cost of his anger and the cost of his loyalty and the effect the trauma of tartarus and the constant whimsy of the gods might have on him. luke is watching this happen, and luke recognises what is happening because it's what he went through himself! so there is mixed vindication and pity there, and also some envy - luke knows that percy jackson is capable of feats he could never achieve. when he was younger that lit that same fury in him, but older and tireder and less naive, he's more wistful for that level of passion lol.

percy meanwhile - the older and angrier he gets, the more he thinks, luke was right. and that is infuriating because luke hurt so many people, especially annabeth, but also - wasn't he possessed? was it really luke at all who caused all that pain, or was it just another game of the gods? there's some part of percy that still admires luke, or maybe admires him anew, for doing something that percy thinks, i don't have the guts to do that - is it that he's lucking the guts, or is it that he knows he'd fail? is he jealous, that luke had enough faith in himself to think he'd succeed? that he could take down the gods?

they're both so alike and they both recognise that in each other, and luke is a condescending fuck because he likes to get a rise out of percy but also because he sees himself in percy and he can't decide if he wants to beat that down or goad it further. percy looks at luke and can't figure out if he's a warning or a promise.

i think luke finds the fact that he's attracted to percy to be very grimly funny. like he's already amused at himself for loving annabeth, the dramatic irony of falling for someone he could have had if only he'd turned away from the path he was on. and now this growing attraction for a man he only wants because of all his worst choices. while he recognises that percy is hot for him in this verse, i don't think he attributes that to any real feeling - it's chemistry, it's rage turned horny, it's their fucked up connection, but it's not like - love or affection or anything good, because luke doesn't think he is deserving of any of those softer emotions. so he taunts percy and provokes him and feels pretty content and certain in the idea that percy will never actually want him, that whatever he wants from luke is in fact in spite of luke.

percy on the other hand is an all or nothing sort of boy. percy only knows how to love with his whole heart, percy only knows how to reach out with both hands, and this is a part of what has been fucking him and annabeth up in this verse for so long - with luke around, he didn't feel like there was room for all of him, you know? he thought he had to be content with annabeth's friendship, they were both too scared of hurting each other or displacing something that meant so much to both of them to make a move.

but with luke? percy doesn't have to be afraid of losing anything with luke, he already literally stabbed him. their relationship exists in the ashes of everything they burned down, they have hit the bedrock and there is nowhere to keep digging. so when he realises what he's experiencing is - attraction, affection even, some kind of love all wound up in fury and resentment, what is stopping him from throwing himself at luke?

[unravellingsilencehq]

everybody wants to rule the world; --

On behalf of the mod team, it gives us great pleasure in welcoming {JAMES} to Unraveling Silence HQ.

Our Porkey Office is happy to see {DOUGAL MCKINNON} back in Wizarding Britain. We know the world is constantly changing so for your safety please do take your time reviewing the latest regulations. You are free to integrate into society but keep in mind you must send an owl to Administrative Services with your blog no later than 48 hours after you’ve stepped foot back on British soil. If you have any questions or need help getting things up and running, please do not hesitate to send us an owl.

Comments from the admins:

Brianna: this app was soooo fun, it felt like he really got more into character with dougal and you got to explore dougal. the para sample felt the best to me as it really reflected his inner struggle he's facing as he tries to protect annabeth at all costs and how that could potentially lose him everything. 

Hannah: big fan of all, really loved the wand he choice for this, unicorn was spot on for dougal’s personality especially with it being so loyal and not falling to the dark side. Really enjoyed that the bogart was fire from the raid that was a nice touch, and his sample really showed how dougal was in my head black and white with an unyielding drive that left him unsure so banging all round

Kat: What James is good at is displaying the emotion of his characters and I love that he’s presented Dougal as firm, firey but there’s that hint of uncertainty he’d never let anyone else see. I think the character work is good, I’d love to see him develop how Dougal interacts with the world a bit more to flesh it out!