#percy's life would be great without poseidon in it

[kingeparr]

abt percy jackson's middle name - a long post

let's talk about percy's middle name, its implication and what is my headcanon for it!!

first a warning!! i know very little abt actual greek mithology. i've tried to read my copy of odyssey and illiad a total of 10 times and i CANNOT for my life understand that shit. having said that, my mythos knowledge is based on hours on wikipedia sources pages, greek miths articles and more. anyways, this will have spoilers of the Percy Jackson Universe by Rick Riordan.

having been warned, I should start with one point:

percy doesn't have a middle name in canon. From what we've known it's never mentioned a middle name at all, wich is not very uncommon in the PJO universe, as most character do not have one (from the top of my head the only ones that canonically have one are Rachel and Reyna (Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano))

BUT in most fandom fanfics that feature his middle name, he is called Perseus Achilles Jackson. Again, it is not canon, but it is so common that most people think it is true. Unfortunately, it doesn't make sense.

It's canon that Sally was the one that named Percy, and she chose Perseus, a son of Zeus, as her choice because he was one of the only Greek heroes that in most versions of the myths get to live a long and relatively happy life after their adventures. From what I've known most times Perseus dies of old age or ascends as a constellation along with his mother and his wife, Andromeda.

Now, what are the implications that we know of?

this will be mostly speculation and head canons, so beware!!

i don't think Rick Riordan ever stated, but it is possible to draw parallels between Percy and Annabeth with Perseus and Andromeda, essentially in their first quest, even more in the series. The same is possible to associate with other characters with names derived from Greek myths.

and, until now, all of Percy's quest he has come back alive, even if the world was ending or if he has gone trough Tartarus, he has come back alive.

As it stands in canon, it's often said that names have power !! saying gods, monsters or others names will call their attention, or give them power. it could be associated that those names with History, or a Legacy HAVE more power and purpose behind them. Ex: Castor and Pollux, Jason, could even say Leo etc.

that is great, and reforces that its possible Sally did something right about the naming.

now, next part is a FULL BLOWN HEAD CANON!!

to me, his full name is Perseus Ulysses Jackson. let me tell you why.

Ulysses = Odysseus

Ulysses comes from Odysseus, yes, the Greek hero hated by Poseidon from the Odyssey. Why would Sally do that? Same reason of why Perseus.

Odysseus, despite all his Odyssey, came back home. In the Odyssey, is said he will live the rest of his life peacefully, and apparently he lived mor 10 years as Ithaca's King. There is another myth where he is killed by his son with Circe, but ignore that for this post.

I think it would make sense for the way they both lived that even if Poseidon hated him, that Sally would have her son named after a hero and a general that even after everything he went trough he still made home, still had people who believed in him, even if Sally herself were not there to see him, like Odysseus' mother, at least he would be alive.

Someone that is selfish in a way if that means he lives. In the same way Sally calls herself selfish for trying to have Percy with her for more time during the years before TLT. For that she endured Gabe.

Not that she knew that of course, but the fates could be at work. I'm always fan of a good foreshadowing.

Now Speaking of foreshadowing, next topic

2. Ulysses - Roman name

Ulysses is the roman version of Odysseus, still has the same meaning and the roman version of the myth is not that different. Why roman, then?

First, because my Odyssey copy was with the Roman names and I was very pissed at that when I was 12 and tried reading it for the first time and discovered that the FUCKING ODYSSEY MAN WAS NOT CALLED ODYSSEUS IN MY VERSION, to my frustration.

ANYWAY, second point: Percy has a connection to the Roman since the first book.

In his classes with Chiron, Percy fights in Roman armor, swords and has Latin classes, and while that is all good and cool, i always found it strange of Chiron to teach Latin, and not Greek. Of course, it could be a ruse of Chiron to distance Percy even more from his greek side, while still helping him learn about the world. it could be nothing.

but to me is not nothing.

Percy has a weird facility with Latin at 12 that Jason did not have with Greek at 16. And while it could be argued that they did not have their memories, Percy was a 12 yo boy that CURSED IN LATIN in a time of distress. I bet they did not have classes about "How to curse in Latin" and i doubt Percy searched for that somewhere.

Percy is very connected with the Roman side of the demigod world, he feels drawn to New Rome, goes to the Roman Uni and he gets so wrapped in it he becomes PREATOR in like a week!! while Jason spent months on the Greek side.

Percy has a lot of participation in Both sides of the demigods being a kinda important figure in both camps.

now, a subtopic.

Percy Jackson: Son of Neptune

Percy is presented as a son of Neptune from the get go in camp Jupiter, wich he doesn't protest at any time (from what i remember), the thing is Poseidon IS different from Neptune specially their roots.

Poseidon is primarily the god of the sea. Neptune is the god of rivers, springs, and waters.

Technically, Percy should not have control of any type of water or rivers, his father is the god of SEA, saltwater. Even then, he can control even the rivers in the Underworld. He has such control of "water" that he can control ALL LIQUIDS! That is not Poseidon's domain, the control of Waters is Neptune's.

knowing this i like to believe the following.

Percy is the son of both Poseidon and Neptune. Don't ask me the logistics, i wouldn't know, and i don't care. HOWEVER when you add things up, it makes sense, in my head, at least.

In conclusion, Sally associates her son's fate with two heroes that go trough MANY hardships but get back home, are strong and live kind of happy lives after that. One of them is mainly Greek, being his first name, what he is primarily called. The other is Roman, it is there, but it's not mentioned, but it still is his name, and it gives him power.

Specially, when you think that the roman counterparts all have a child, except Neptune. Pluto has Hazel, Hades had Bianca and Nico. Jupiter had Jason, Zeus has Thalia. Poseidon has Percy, Neptune has no one? seems unequal and unbalanced in a way the gods wouldn't allow.

Not only that but why would Neptune "claim" or let be claimed a son that wasn't his when Rome hasn't been grateful or careful with him? His last child was scorned (i don't remember the name but it's said that they were basically blamed for earthquakes or something in the 1900)

as the series goes and percy draws MUCH MORE POWER from rivers and other liquids than from the ocean, and the time it took for percy to be born he could be powerful from both sides. he is the first demigod of Poseidon in 70+ years, but he is the first demigod rrom Neptune in 100+ !!!

it makes sense that even if he is called a greek, as his name evokes, he is connected and powerful on his Roman side. It is not a coincidence that people thought he was a god when he first arrived in Camp Jupiter.

It's a tribute for both his Roman and Greek sides, to invoke the names and fates of two powerful kings that are burdened with responsibility, and that learned and lived after their quests.

i could talk about this for hours, specially if Epic's Odysseus by Jorge Rivera-Herrans is taken in account (wich I am doing) but I will not elaborate

anyway, Percy's middle name is Ulysses and I'm right, idc.

[7s3ven]

NOBODY’S SON, NOBODY’S DAUGHTER. luke (pjo) pt. 2

PART 1 > PART 2 > PART 3 > PART 4 (last pt)

( masterlist )

IN WHICH… Y/N is finally claimed by her father, who turns out to be Zeus. Now, she’s stuck in an empty cabin as the only forbidden child of Zeus. Luke, on the other hand, is thrilled to be playing her knight in shining armour and getting her through each lonely day.

“I’m in the wind, you’re in the water. Nobody’s son, nobody’s daughter.”

( follows the show - kind of just a oneshot bc i’m bored )

Warnings : a little bit of jealousy, arguing, Y/N being indecisive and confused (real), not proof-read

—

TAG LIST : @hottiewifeyyyy @kamiliora @be-bap @finnickodaddy @th0tblckgrl @shoyofroyoyoyo @csifandom @uniquely-her @imafrkinsimp @syraxesrevenge @ahh-chickens @dracoslovergirl @midnightstar-90 @8812-342 @liv1104 @krkiiz @arialikestea @ch16rles @lizziesliz @maryclx01 @jennapancake @lukecastellandefender @yuminako @coryoskywalker @julielightwood @crybabysbakery @jsbaby @liviessun @p3pperm1nttea @angie-esc @purplerose291 @prettylilsimp @10ava01 @froggiesstalks @happy-jj @czennieszn @gisellesprettylies @loveyava @kkrenae

I really hope this part is good enough 🙏

—

Being claimed was perhaps worse than staying in the Hermes cabin. The Zeus cabin was completely empty, much to Y/N’s dismay. Percy was unlucky enough to be a forbidden child too. Looks like neither of them would be having any half-siblings.

“I always knew she was destined for greatness.” Clarisse would say as if the life of a forbidden child wasn’t lonely and utterly isolated.

“Knock, knock.”

But there was one person who could light up the dim Zeus cabin.

“Hope you don’t mind that I brought strawberries. I picked ‘em myself. It was not easy work, let me tell you.” Luke chuckled as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. “Nice place.” He sarcastically said, staring at the cobwebs that littered the walls.

Y/N stared at him, unimpressed and unamused. “Being claimed was supposed to feel great. But I’m just back at square one again.” She huffed and took a strawberry Luke offered her. He sat beside Y/N, gesturing her to continue.

“You know, at least the Hermes cabin had another people. I’m stuck in this deserted cabin because my father finally decided that he wanted to see me! All I’m wondering is why it took so long. Why bother claiming me now?! Percy got claimed in under five days. I know people who have been claimed in one. Why did it take me ten years?! At least I know why I always attract trouble now. It’s because Zeus, that utter man whore, is my dad!”

Luke’s eyebrows silently raised at her words. “You’re welcome in the Hermes cabin any time, Y/N. Don’t forget that. I don’t think your dad was ignoring you… he was probably just waiting.”

“Yeah. Waiting until I finally proved myself to him. Because a child of Zeus should be a prodigy. No normal feat is allowed. It has to be impressive to gain his attention. How dumb.” Y/N scoffed.

“I was fine without him. I’ve gone my entire life never hearing from him and after ten years of being at camp, suddenly he wants to play daddy? He should’ve left me alone. But hey, at least you guys have more room in the Hermes cabin. I heard Chiron was going to move me.”

“What? But you’re practically part of the family. I mean, not exactly. It’d be weird if we were related because… you know… we’re friends and being such good friends with siblings seems weird.” Luke spoke so fast that Y/N couldn’t understand him.

She silently stared at him. “… You’re weird. Chiron just wanted to make more room for the newcomers. And, you know, I had been there for so long that I wasn’t considered new.”

“You okay, though? Your cuts aren’t still hurting? You don’t feel sick, right?” Luke carefully inspected her face and bruised arms, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“Luke, I’m fine.” She reassured him, laughing. “Nothing hurts anymore.”

“Guess I’ve got to let you win the next game now.” He sighed. “I can’t believe you guessed Poseidon and got it right.”

“I took a wild guess. I wasn’t expecting it to be correct.”

Luke shrugged and stood up. “I need to go check up on some kids. A new group just arrived. Will you be alright by yourself? I can always go get Clarisse.”

Y/N stared up at him and a part of Luke wished she would ask him to stay. To stay in the stuffy cabin and just… talk.

“I think I need some alone time right now.” She softly smiled, resisting the urge to ask him not to walk out, to keep her company. “I just need to process all the shit that went down.”

Luke chuckled, ruffling her hair. “That’s my girl.” He began to walk away before he turned around last minute. “Hey, Y/N… thanks for staying by my side.”

“No problem. Thanks for being my friend, Luke.”

With a wounded heart and the embarrassment of being friend-zoned hanging high over his head, Luke walked out of the Zeus cabin.

Y/N didn’t see Luke again until a few days later. He was always so busy with the new kids but he still had time to leave a small box of strawberries on her porch.

It was dinner when Y/N could finally speak to Luke. She smiled at him and subtly waved and he grinned back. He had been talking with Chris about a boring topic but his eyes lit up when he saw Y/N. Luke stood up to sit with her before he was quickly intercepted.

“Luke.” One of the new girls said, staring up at him with her big doe eyes. She was claimed the moment she stepped into camp by Aphrodite. She seemed to already be her mother’s favourite. “Are you free to sit with me and my friends? We want to ask you a few questions.”

Luke was pulled away by the girl, leaving Y/N to watch him sheepishly grin. Y/N’s smile faltered. “I think he’s avoiding me.” She muttered to Percy, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. She felt a twisted knot of jealousy well up as a girl giggled and grabbed Luke’s arm. And he let her.

The younger boy looked up in confusion. “Who? Luke? I don’t think so. Girls just seem to really like him.”

Y/N frowned but didn’t say anything else. She could only stare again as the girls around Luke laughed as he uttered something with a bashful smile.

“I’m turning in early.” Y/N said, standing up. She pushed her plate of dessert towards Percy, who slowly took it.

“You good?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m not feeling well so I think I’m going to sleep early. Good night, Percy.” She deeply inhaled as she walked away, catching Luke’s attention.

“Excuse me, ladies. I’ll be back. I need to talk to someone.” He hurriedly got up, racing after Y/N. Percy, who was eating his second serving of cake, muffled a laugh. Luke was so whipped.

“Y/N.” The brunette boy finally caught up to her. He grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “Why are you leaving early? We haven’t talked for weeks so I thought we could use today to catch up.”

Y/N stared at him in confusion before she turned her head and quietly laughed. She covered her mouth to conceal the noise. “Luke… it’s only been three days.”

His face dropped and he cleared his throat. “I know… I was testing you. That’s all.” Yet his eyes looked at everything but Y/N. “So, how has your cabin been?”

“Lonely. It doesn’t feel the same without Chris ranting about Clarisse.” Y/N sighed, lightly biting the inside of her cheek.

“I’m not sure if I can rant about Clarisse like Chris but I could try keeping you company.” Luke offered, gazing at Y/N with eyes that begged her to agree.

She merely shrugged, not stopping Luke from strutting into her cabin and lying down on her bed. He outstretched his arms, confusing Y/N. “Hug.” Was all he said.

Y/N was never much of an affectionate person but Luke certainly was. His gestures ranged from secretly fiddling with her fingers to picking her up and swinging her around in the middle of the battle arena.

Begrudgingly, Y/N closed the distance between them. Luke grinned, pulling her closer. A few moments later, Y/N attempted to pull away. Luke prevented her from doing so. “Five more minutes.” He whispered in her ear.

But those promised five minutes turned into an hour.

And a peaceful hour turned into all night.

And all night turned into the sun rising and Clarisse waking the pair up.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding, Luke.” The Ares girl snickered, folding her arms over her chest. “Your siblings are wondering where you went. I assume by the lack of clothes on the floor that you two did nothing. How surprising for you, Luke.”

“Clarisse.” Y/N warned, sitting up.

“Okay, okay. I’m going. See you at breakfast, Y/N.” Clarisse sent her friend a teasing wink before she slithered off, laughing to herself.

“Sorry. I fell asleep.” Luke muttered, stretching. He not-so-subtly placed an arm around Y/N and when she didn’t shove him away, he smiled.

“It’s fine. I’ve already prepared myself for whatever gossip is about to spread around camp.” Y/N leaned back, shaking her head, while Luke chuckled.

“Nothing we haven’t dealt with before.” Luke retorted.

Camp Half-Blood seemed obsessed with the little thing going on between Y/N and Luke. Friendship, romance, confusing situationship. The campers called it many things.

“I’m so tired.” Y/N muttered, rubbing her tired eyes. Luke took that as his chance to gaze at her. His eyes traced over the bridge of her nose and the curve of her Cupid’s bow.

He smiled to himself, pressing his face deeper into the crook of Y/N’s neck.

“Luke. We need to get up.” As if suddenly uncomfortable with his close proximity, Y/N stood up.

“Oh. Yeah. I know how you can’t miss breakfast because you get cranky without it.” Luke chuckled while Y/N shoved him.

“Get out, Luke!” Y/N exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him. He bellowed out a laugh as he ran towards the exit.

“See you at breakfast, sweetheart!”

Y/N, with flushed cheeks and a racing mind, barged into the Ares cabin. “Clarisse.” She said, holding onto the doorframe for support. “I need your help.”

“What do you need?” Clarisse questioned as they walked side by side. Y/N sighed.

“Well, for starters, Luke is acting weird. I mean, he was always kind of weird but it’s gotten… more extreme. He’s getting so close and… calling me these pet names. What am I supposed to do? And why does it make me feel shy? Clarisse, help me!”

Y/N gripped her friend’s shoulders tightly. Clarisse lightly snorted. “Y/N, he’s just in love. Let the boy be.”

“In… love? W-With… me? In love with me?!” Y/N’s mind was spinning by now and it looked like this was her mid-life crisis. “He’s not… he can’t be… no… no… No! I have to go, Clarisse!”

Clarisse watched as Y/N sprinted off with the speed of a lightning bolt. “Haha. It’s so fun messing with them.”

“Hey, Clarisse. What’d you say to Y/N?” Luke immediately filled in Y/N’s spot. He furrowed his eyebrows, glancing at Y/N.

“I just told her how in love you are with her.” Clarisse winked and laughed at Luke’s appalled face.

“You… did what?” He questioned, panicking. “Why… why would you do that?! Clarisse! Shit!”

Luke, just like Y/N, rushed off. Clarisse smiled again. “So fun.”

Y/N hid within the comforts of her own cabin. She was supposed to teach some of the newbies archery but she was sure Clarisse could fill in for her.

“Luke… in love with me… no way.” She shook her head and deeply sighed, clutching onto her blanket. “He likes that Aphrodite girl.”

“Hey, sweetheart.” Speak of the devil. Luke opened the door, grinning at her. “Sorry I’m late. I tried meditating but I ended up falling asleep.” Classic him. “I brought you some food. I gotta teach some kids sword-fighting soon but I thought I’d just leave this here.”

Luke had one leg out of the door before Y/N stopped him. “Luke, can you maybe, I don’t know… stay over tonight? Again? It feels less lonely with you.” Y/N spoke slowly, as if testing the waters.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. Sure. I’d be happy to keep you company. You can count on me, Sparky.”

Y/N scoffed, staring at Luke with her lips parted. “Sparky? No way are you calling me that.”

“Too bad. See ya, Sparky!” Luke managed to close the door before the pillow Y/N tossed his way hit him. She scoffed, looking around yet no words came out of her mouth.

“Sparky… Sparky?!” Y/N exclaimed in disbelief. “What sort of nickname is that?!”

Luke, who stood outside the door and heard Y/N, chuckled. He ran his tongue over his teeth, “Cute.”

A quiet knock on the door interrupted Y/N’s half-conscious nap. She stumbled to the entrance, slowly twisting the knob. “Hey.” She mumbled to Luke, who was holding an armful of snacks.

“Hey, Sparky.” He greeted her with his usual boyish smile. “Did I wake you?”

“I was just taking a small nap. You can always let yourself in, by the way.” Y/N muttered, yawning.

“I didn’t wanna be rude.” Luke replied as he stepped inside, brushing past Y/N. “Hey. I have an idea.” He suddenly said, spinning around. Y/N raised her eyebrows, gesturing him to continue. “I know you don’t like hanging out in this cabin so what do you say we check out the lake?”

“That’s breaking the rules.” Y/N said, shaking her head.

“Come on, I wanna go on a walk. And I’m already breaking rules being here. A few more can’t hurt.”

Y/N wanted to say no but how could she when Luke was looking at her like that?

“Fine.” She softly agreed. Luke dropped the snacks onto Y/N’s bed before dragging her out of her cabin. She didn’t even have time to grab a jacket.

Luke placed a finger over his lips, telling Y/N to be quiet. The two carefully creeped through the words, quietly giggling as they shoved each other.

“It’s prettier at night.” Y/N whispered, staring at the lake that sparkled in the moonlight. Luke smiled, nodding his head.

“Yeah.” He replied, but he wasn’t looking at the glittering water. He was looking at Y/N. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

Y/N turned her head, faltering when she saw that Luke was already gazing at her. His lips curved into a bright smile.

“So, so… beautiful.” He repeated, staring into her eyes.

“Luke.” She muttered, thickly gulping. Butterflies swirled around in her stomach. After years of pushing down her growing feelings for Luke, they were coming back.

“Y/N.” He chuckled, adjusting his stance. But he slipped and fell into the lake. Y/N gasped, staring into the murky darkness.

“Luke?” She called out. “Luke!” He resurfaced, spitting out a mouthful of water. A few moments passed before Y/N burst into laughter. She stepped forward but tripped over a stray tree root. She hit the water with a loud slap, shocking Luke. He gasped, quickly swimming over. “Sparky, you good?” Luke questioned, holding her tightly.

She coughed. “It hurt a little but I’m good. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m good. Thanks for asking, Sparky.” He twirled a strand of Y/N’s wet hair around his finger, his gaze flickering to her lips. “Don’t kill me for this, Y/N.” He whispered, leaning forward.

His lips pressed against Y/N’s, who froze in shock. The kiss only lasted a moment before Luke pulled away, holding back the animalistic urge to do it again.

“I won’t kill you… if you don’t kill me.” Y/N quietly responded, grabbing Luke by the front of his shirt and tugging him forward.

The second kiss was less controlled, more wild. Luke held Y/N tightly, scared she would slip away if he lowered his guard. In this moment, Luke didn’t care about his drenched t-shirt or his soaking hair. All he cared about, and had cared about for the last few years, was the girl in front of him

“You kissed?!” Clarisse screamed, tugging on the ends of her curled hair.

“Hey! I don’t want everybody to know!” Y/N hurriedly shushed the girl. They were hanging around in the arena for some extra sword training and Y/N clumsily mentioned last night.

“Okay, but seriously. Reel back. You guys kissed? Not once, but twice? Oh, man, Y/N. You are so whipped for Luke!”

“I am not! Besides,” Y/N fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke, “I heard one of the new Aphrodite girls is interested in Luke.”

“What? And you’re just gonna let her have him? You’ve been crushing on Luke since you first saw him.”

“I wouldn’t call it that! It was admiration.” Y/N quickly snapped to defend herself. Clarisse mockingly raised an eyebrow.

“You couldn’t stop gushing over how he pushed you out of harm’s way when you got claimed.” The Ares kid pointed out.

Y/N huffed. “I mean, I’m a feminist, obviously. But… I wouldn’t really mind him saving me. I’m not entirely opposed… to the idea. I’m just torn, okay?!”

“What are you confused about? Luke obliviously has the hots for you too.”

“Luke and I have been good friends for ages! I’ve known him for ages too! If we start dating and it goes up in flames… I don’t only lose a partner but I also lose a friend! There’s so many factors to consider. So many things that could go wrong.”

“You already kissed. Sooner or later, he’s gonna confront you.” Clarisse’s eyes flickered to a figure behind Y/N, “And looks like he chose now. You wanna talk to him or do you want me to make a distraction?”

“Distraction, please. I’m not ready. I need to understand my own feelings before dealing with his.” Y/N practically begged Clarisse. Being such a good friend, the daughter of Ares nodded.

“I got your back, girl.” She walked past Y/N, blocking Luke’s path. “Yo, Luke, you interested in having a little spar?”

“Uh, actually, I need to talk to Y/N.” Luke uttered, glancing over at the H/C-haired girl.

“Y/N needs to check on someone. One of the Ares kids got badly injured. You go ahead, Y/N. I’ll be with you soon.” Clarisse waved her off. Y/N silently hurried off, avoiding all eye contact with Luke.

She wasn’t ready to face him just yet. I mean, what do you say to a friend you kissed? More like made out with. And passionately, might I add. Beside a lake at night.

Y/N knew Luke would go looking for her an hour before curfew, so that’s exactly why she sought refuge in the Ares cabin.

“This feels stupid.” She murmured as she rolled under one of the bed, shooing the dust away.

“He’s obviously going to try and ask Clarisse about your whereabouts. You only have to hide under there until he leaves.” Erin, a girl who was a year younger than Y/N, spoke. As predicted, Luke knocked at the door.

“Hey.” He said when Erin swung it open. “Is Y/N or Clarisse here? I need to talk to ether of them but Y/N would be preferred.”

Erin shook her head. “No. Clarisse is showering right now. Maybe check Apollo’s cabin for Y/N. She might be helping out with the injured. She does that sometimes.”

The second Luke disappeared, Y/N crawled out from under the bed. She combed away the dust in her hair. “I know what you’re thinking.” She grumbled, looking up at Erin. “Why am I going through all this trouble? It’s complicated. I’m not ready to face him… yet.”

Erin hummed as she stepped towards Y/N. “None of us will be helpful with advice but if you really want help, visit the Aphrodite cabin.”

That’s how Y/N found herself standing on a porch decorated with pink and hearts and shining pearls. She sighed to herself before she hesitatingly knocked. A short blond girl answered the door immediately.

“We’ve been waiting for you.” She said while Y/N stared at her in discomfort. “Not in a creepy way, though. I swear. We knew you’d need help with you-know-who so we kind of planned it already. Come in.”

The girl warmly guided Y/N inside, beaming. “Our head counsellor isn’t here at the moment but Mai should be plenty of help!” The blond girl pointed over to a brunette who sat on her bed, reading a book. She was dressed in black shorts and a pink crop top. But when Mai looked up, Y/N was sure she was judging her.

“On second thought,” Y/N nervously said, “Maybe I should come back another time. Maybe in the afternoon?”

“The time you come doesn’t matter.” Mai piped up, closing her book. She gazed at Y/N curiously. “You’re afraid of expressing your feelings, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t know this was a therapy session.” Y/N lightly joked.

“Y/N, it’s obvious to everybody that you harbour some feelings towards Luke.” Mai said, pressing her pink-tinted lips into a thin line. “You guys are like the dynamic duo. I understand that dating someone who’s also a friend is scary but sometimes you’ve got to take the risk.”

“If you’re scared about going back to your cabin and running into Luke, you can crash here for the night.” The blonde girl from before offered. Nobody else seemed to have any problems with that so Y/N agreed.

She ended up on the bunk next to Mai, her unlicensed love therapist. Y/N tossed and turned but she still couldn’t fall asleep. She quietly groaned, rubbing her eyes.

“Can’t sleep either, huh?” Mai piped up, pursing her lips.

“No. I can’t help but worry.”

“Let me ask you one question, Y/N. Do you like him?”

“Luke?”

“I didn’t say a name.”

Y/N groaned again. “Fine. You got me. Yes. I guess I like him. I like his smile and how he’s always giving me food and how he barges in when I’m feeling lonely. I think his curled hair is adorable and there’s no other guy better-looking than him to me. But… I’m scared that I just like his platonically. Or what if we do date and I end up losing him?”

Mai smiled. “Don’t stress over it too much. You’re the daughter of Zeus, after all.”

“Yeah, thanks. Good night, Mai.”

“Night, Y/N.”

Luke approached Y/N the next day at breakfast. He let out a subtle sigh of relief when she didn’t run away. “Hey,” He whispered to her, tapping her shoulder and interrupting her conversation with Erin and Clarisse. “Can we talk? Alone?”

“Uh, yeah.” Y/N exchanged looks with both of the girls, who nodded and mouthed good luck. “What did you want to talk about?” Y/N asked when they were in the safety of her cabin and away from all the prying eyes. She played with the hem of her bright orange shirt.

“Forgive me for how blunt I’m going to be but what are we, Y/N?” Luke asked, not beating around the bush.

“We’re friends.” Y/N choked out, her conversation with Mai last night going down the drain. Perhaps it was selfish but a part of her wanted to remain friends because at least that way, neither of them would get hurt.

“No.” Luke wildly shook his head, “Friends don’t kiss. Friends don’t spend the night in the other’s cabin. Friends don’t look at each other like we do. Friends don’t sneak out in the middle of the night to go to a lake and end up making out! And now you’re ignoring me!”

His voice increased in volume the more he spoke.

“That was a mistake, Luke! I-I didn’t meant to! It just happened! I’m not ignoring you! What makes you think that?!”

“Well, what am I supposed to think, Y/N? You’re always running off and our conversations are up and down now. Sometimes we don’t talk for days! Sometimes you seem obsessed with me! I don’t know what to think!”

“That’s rich, coming from you!” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows. “If you’re not with Chris then you’re with that Aphrodite girl! You practically ignore me when you’re with her!” Y/N harshly poked his chest.

“I do not! And back to the previous conversation, was it really a mistake? Was hugging me a mistake? Was staring so adoringly at me a mistake? Was kissing me a mistake?! Maybe it was a mistake to you, but it wasn’t to me.” Luke caressed her face, holding it tightly. “Kissing you… will never be a mistake to me. Never, ever.”

Y/N gulped, practically shaking in Luke’s embrace. His lips lightly brushed her’s and she flinched.

“Sparky- Princess- Y/N,” He finally decided on what to call her in the heated moment. “I have feelings for you. And I have for a long time. So if you don’t like me back… just tell me. Because I can’t spend the rest of my life chasing after you. I get that you might be in denial but once I walk through those doors, I’m giving up.”

“Luke…”

“Do you like me or not?”

“Luke… please…” Y/N didn’t really know what she was begging for. Tears welled up in her eyes as he took a small step towards the door.

“Do you like me or not?” He repeated in a firmer tone.

Y/N silently stared at the ground, her hands clenched into fists.

“I guess I was wrong about you returning my feelings… I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll leave now.”

Y/N’s body moved on its own as she reached out to grab his arm and harshly pull him back. Her voice was supposed to be gentle but hanging out with Clarisse seemed to have an impact on her.

“Of course I like you, Luke! How could I not? But I’m afraid and confused and I don’t know what to do. I see the way other girls look at you. They like you. And I’m scared that I don’t stand a chance against them. And what if we mess up, Luke? If we date then break up, we won’t be able to be friends again. I can’t handle that!”

“I don’t think I can be just friends with you right now, Y/N.” Luke softly replied, taking Y/N’s hand in his and pressing a light kiss to it. Y/N stared at him with flushed cheeks. “I don’t care about any of those other girls. The only person I care about is you. We don’t have to rush into a relationship but I just need to hear you say that you like me. That’s all I need for now. Can you do that for me?”

Y/N shakily inhaled. “I…” She hesitated. “I like you, Luke.”

Luke pulled her into a hug, smiling as he inhaled the sweet scent of Y/N’s perfume. “That’s all I needed to hear, Sparky.”

[kamaluhkhan]

TIME TO PRETEND

pairing: luke castellan x gn!poseidon!reader word count: 5k chapter summary: you're the eldest child of poseidon and the hero of the last great prophecy. you left your demigod life behind after defeating kronos. now, years later, you find yourself back at camp half blood for the summer.....which means dealing with luke castellan, and all that history (tension?) left unresolved between you. warnings: some nicknames for reader are based on female characters (mermista, sailor neptune) but they're still written as gender neutral. reader has tattoos. mention of alcohol + death (post-titan war). spoilers for the entire pjo (book) series, mostly references to the last olympian. timeline is all over the place but set in the early 2000s for vibes. no betrayal (au where chris was the one who sided w kronos and led the titan army) so slightly ooc luke <3 author's note: welcome to another product of my pjo hyperfixation !!! i wanted to finish the nemesis!reader series first but it's summer and i felt like reworking my tsitp series in a camp half-blood setting with bb luke. so prepare for childhood friends to lovers drama! summertime vibes! nostalgia! angst! would love to know what y'all think about this and if you want a part 2 so feel free to scream at me in the comments. otherwise, enjoy and thanks 4 reading 💙

♪: time to pretend by mgmt

YOU’VE GOT MAIL!

1 new message 

from: LukeNotSkywalker

to: Mermista86

subject: you are GETTING that record deal

Hey,

Your demo CD just came in the mail — and, Connor as my witness, I’ve already listened to it five times!!! 

It’s amazing. You’re amazing. The label would totally lose out if they didn’t sign you. 

Things have been pretty chaotic around here, with the summer term happening soon. Speaking of which: are you coming back? Chiron gave me the list of returning campers and counsellors this morning and said he hadn’t heard from you, so I thought I’d ask. I know you’ll be busy with the band, but if you get the chance, it’d be really great to see you.

Anyways, I’m leading the next Shield & Sword session, so I’d better go. Talk soon ;)

- L

FOUR YEARS LATER

TURBULENT WATERS? ALT-ROCK BAND MIDNIGHT SIRENS HIT ROUGH PATCH AFTER LEAD GUITARIST GETS INTO VIOLENT ALTERCATION 

the cover is the nail in the coffin: a blurry picture of you, an electric blue guitar forgotten at your feet, lunging forward into a crowd, with your bandmates on stage behind you in shock. 

you’d gone all this time without any major incidents, and one stupid chimera managed to burn down everything you worked for in one fell swoop.

“that’d be $8.50,” the cashier informs. 

you tear your attention away from the magazine, instead fishing through your pocket for some change. meanwhile, the cashier furrows their brow, leans down slightly to get a better look at you underneath your sunglasses and baseball cap. 

“hey, do i know you?”

“nope,” you say instantly, slapping a $10 bill onto the counter. “keep the change.” you gather your pile of necessary roadtrip supplies (slushies, m&m’s, and goldfish) before rushing out the door, your half-brother trailing behind you.

you slide into the driver’s seat, set each slushie in a cup holder, and hand the rest to percy once he’s slipped into the passenger side. 

“seatbelt,” you remind him. you shake your hair out after removing your baseball cap disguise. “i promised your mom i’d be responsible.” 

percy does as he’s told, though not without mumbling about how he’s practically an adult and a demigod who’s been in much more dangerous situations than a car ride up to long island. you just tell him to put on some music, even though he has a point. he’ll be 18 in august and you’re only five years older, but the fact is that you gave sally jackson your word. 

plus — you’re his older sibling, so gods forbid you let him get hurt. a seatbelt seems like a band-aid solution for one of the most powerful demigods out there, but still.

percy flips through a few radio stations while he sips his blue raspberry slushie. when he doesn’t find anything good, he opens the glove compartment and surveys your music collection before sliding a cd into the stereo. 

instantly, the familiar sound of david bowie’s voice eases the tension in your shoulders.

“good choice?” 

you nod and percy smiles triumphantly. you reach over to steal a few goldfish from the bag he just opened and ruffle his hair playfully, for good measure. 

you’re perfectly happy, driving along a long island highway while getting lost in the glam rock world of ziggy stardust, but it isn’t long until percy interrupts: 

“are you finally gonna tell me what happened, or do i have to read it from some trashy gossip magazine like everyone else?”

“well, your dyslexic ass can barely read so….”

you look over at him briefly, and laugh when you see him stick his slightly-blue tongue out to you. 

“at least my dyslexic ass is actually decent at ancient greek. luke told me you failed the reading test, like, a million times.”

your heart twinges at the mention of your old friend. 

friend.

if you could still call him that. 

thankfully, percy doesn’t give you much room to dwell on the past, too focused on your drama-filled present.

“so, what is it? you got kicked out of the band? lost everything? have nowhere else to go?”

you roll your eyes at his dramatics. “i did not get kicked out.” 

“then, what happened?”

“just the usual.” you shrug. “monster attack, mortals who can’t see through the mist. i tried to explain it away after — something about how i saw someone in the crowd attack another person and i stepped in to help. most people bought it, but the media loves drama and the label’s worried i’m a flight risk now. apparently, everything will blow over if i just keep a low profile for the next few months. so….no. i didn’t lose everything.” you take a deep, like when anyone other than children of poseidon are about to go underwater and they’re not quite sure when they can come up for air. 

“i just don’t really have anywhere else to go,” you finish.

“damn.” percy offers you a blue shark gummy (or whale - you and percy had already debated the shape of the candy that sally packed for the trip, and the jury’s still out). you gratefully accept. “well, i know it’s not the best reason, but i’m excited to spend the summer together.”

despite everything, you find yourself smiling. 

“me too, kid.” 

“it’d give me a chance to kick your ass in sword-fighting.”

“you wish!” you nudge his shoulder, both of you giggling. once the laughter’s died down, you glance at percy once more. “hey – did you tell anyone i was coming?”

percy shakes his head. “why?”

you take a long swig of your drink until you’re on the brink of brain freeze. 

“no reason.”

it’s just after lunch when you arrive at camp half-blood. 

you weren’t sure what you were expecting — maybe not some futuristic technological developments that had been discovered within the years you were gone, but definitely not for camp to look pretty much exactly the same as when you left. 

instantly, you find comfort in the familiar scenes: a dragon, peleus, guarding the magical borders; dryads and satyrs picking strawberries in the fields next to the forest; chiron standing near the central guidepost, greeting and guiding every camper in the right direction.

chiron smiles down at percy and practically does a double take when his eyes land on you.

“mx. l/n! it has been a while. are you here to drop off your brother, or do you plan on staying for the summer?”

before you can answer, someone appears behind him. 

“perce! hey!” 

“hey, luke.”

luke gives him a side hug, and percy shoves him away with a laugh when he ruffles his hair. it’s then that luke acknowledges you, though he looks like that’s the last thing he wants to do.

“i thought i’d never see you again. what are you doing here? ”

chiron turns to you expectedly. “i believe you have yet to answer that question of mine as well.”

“staying for the summer…” you adjust the shoulder strap of your backpack, uneased by luke’s cold demeanor. “i hope that’s okay.”

“of course!” chiron’s smile grows wide, eyes crinkling. “you’ll resume your position as head counsellor of cabin 3.”

“so i’m dethroned? just like that?” percy guffaws.

you nudge percy’s shoulder. “fulfill the next great prophecy, and then we’ll talk.” 

percy rolls his eyes playfully. luke, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to appreciate your tongue-in-cheek remark. his jaw tightens, and he suddenly finds a deep interest in the clipboard he’s holding.

chiron clears his throat, likely sensing the tension. “yes, well, i’m sure you remember how things work around here. if not, mr. castellan has been keeping this ship afloat. he's always here to help.”

“always.” luke smiles, but it’s elastic, threatening to snap at any moment. someone calls his name, and he walks away to deal with whatever chaos is waiting for him.

summer — age 15

you weren’t exactly conscious when you first arrived at camp half-blood. 

apparently, coach hedge, a satyr and protector, found you just in time and had to practically drag you up half-blood hill after a particularly gruesome fury attack. 

when you woke up and saw luke sleeping next to you in a chair, his curls overgrown and falling onto his eyes, you thought you had died and gone to elysium. 

you took in your unfamiliar surroundings. some sort of infirmary, with only your best friend next to you, the one you hadn’t seen in almost a year since you’d parted ways. 

then, you remembered what was happening before you passed out; it was more likely that you were being tricked into a false sense of security by that fury, who definitely planned on devouring you later.

with a newfound sense of urgency, you decided it was time to get out of there before it was too late. you were reaching for your knife when you felt a hand grab your shoulder. without losing a second, you twisted your body around, weapon at the ready.

whoever it was watching over you sure looked like luke. he was wearing a bright orange shirt and leather cord necklace with one clay bead. another point of difference was the jagged scar that cut across his left cheek.

“it’s just me,” he said, gently. “you’re fine here. you’re safe.”

you weren’t convinced, kept your knife in front of you to keep distance. “prove it.” you narrowed your eyes. “tell me something only luke would know.”

“you’re left-handed.”

“that’s a great observation,” you scoff.

“storm is your favourite x-men character.”

“that’s a very popular opinion.”

“your aunt would make us mango lassi after swim camp when she got home from work,” luke tries for the third time. “and, my mom - she used to call you ‘starfish.’”

your heart skipped a beat.

that was the confirmation you needed. 

the knife dropped from your hand, clattered on the wooden floor, as you pulled luke in for a hug. you were greeted by a familiar scent, that pear shampoo luke loved because it made his hair so soft, mixed with the smell of fresh pine trees. 

“it’s really you,” you mumbled into his shoulder.

despite sleeping for gods know how long, you were exhausted. you rested your weight into luke, but he didn’t seem to care.

“it’s really you. i thought i’d never see you again.”

“where are we?” you asked, breaking away to face luke. you ignored the wooziness you felt throughout your body; luke seemed to sense it, his grip around you tightening. “are annabeth and thalia here, too? how’d you get here?” your thumb traced the unfamiliar scar on his face. “what happened? are you okay —”

“i-i’ll answer all your questions, but you lost a lot of blood.” luke guided you to lay back down in bed. “we’ll explain everything. just get some rest.”

a third scenario entered your mind: this was all a dream. you’d close your eyes and when you opened them again, luke would be gone. you’d be alone again.

you couldn’t let go of luke’s hand, even as he tucked you back into bed. you tugged his wrist, silently urging him to join you.

“will you stay with me?” you finally croaked when he continued standing. 

luke looked at you, and you nodded once as final confirmation. then, he removed his shoes and slipped into the bed next to you. it was luke, all sweet pear and soft curls and strong heartbeat, and you held on to him in fear that he might slip away.

“always,” he whispered.

during the orientation video you were later shown, you learned that camp half-blood’s motto is keeping young heroes safe (mostly) for over three millennia!  

luke had used that word, too. safe.

chiron told you this was to be your new home as he walked you to the poseidon cabin. he told you that you were safe now, though you noticed how the word almost got caught in his throat. he gave you a sad smile you didn’t quite understand.

you did wonder, at first, if those words were true: this place, a home for you and other children of gods. somewhere safe.

and, well.

you came to understand chiron’s general melancholy a few weeks later, and every week after that. he was used to training and sending heroes off to their potential death, and you would be no different. stolen lightning bolts, deadly quests, cryptic prophecies. a pending war between divine forces you had been entangled with long before you knew. heartache and betrayal and loss beyond measure. 

but, there were other things, too. 

annabeth, fitting in perfectly at the athena cabin, continued being her genius self, leading her team to victory every capture the flag game. she was extra patient in helping you with ancient greek, especially after chiron had given up.

chris rodriguez, luke’s half-brother, would tell you jokes from across the dining pavilion, knowing that you hated sitting alone at the poseidon table. michael yew, son of apollo, taught you how to play guitar at the bonfire one week; you’d ask for more and more lessons until you could start playing on your own. charles beckendorf made you a celestial bronze sword that shone like that burst of light when the sun hits the ocean at sunset. it transformed into a ring that you would never take off, unless in battle. you might not have gotten along with mr. d, but you spent free time picking fresh strawberries with his son, castor. you made matching friendship bracelets with silena beauregard, who was really the only person you confided in, about how you maybe possibly felt something other than friendship when it came to luke. she told you about her crush on clarisse larue, the daughter of ares whom you would always partner with during sparring practice. you taught ethan nakamura, who didn’t have his own cabin as the child of nemesis, how to properly hold a sword. thalia’s tree stood tall at the top of the hill where you almost bled to death, protecting you and everyone inside the magical borders. you, annabeth, and luke would share a picnic there every thursday.

you had been on the run for so long, always looking over your shoulder for monsters, sleeping with one eye open to be one step ahead of death, jumping from one place to the next so quickly to avoid danger.

so, yes. 

it was nice to stay in one place, where you knew you were as safe as demigods could be. it was nice to spend your time learning and training and laughing instead of just surviving. 

it was nice to have a place to call home. and people to call it home with.

now 

the first week passes in the blink of an eye, and it’s like you never left.

tie-dye, volleyball, strawberry picking, kitchen duty, and cabin inspection. 

luke has everyone on a tight schedule — one, you notice, conveniently places the two of you at opposite ends of camp at all times.

still, you catch up with clarisse and the stoll brothers, spend time with annabeth and percy, say hi to pollux and katie gardner and others you vaguely recognize as five years older than what you remember. there are also a lot of faces you don’t recognize at all.

of course, you try not to think about the faces you wished you could see: friends you grew up with and would never have a laugh with again, younger campers you had trained who would never grow up. all lost because of the gods and the titans and a prophecy you never asked to be a part of. 

it’s a side effect of being back here; their ghosts are harder to ignore.

again — trying not to think about it.

anyways.

climbing wall, armory, sword-fighting practice, archery field, and free time on the beach.

to conclude: capture-the-flag, a friday night camp-half blood tradition.

you’re praising annabeth for her latest strategy that led to blue team victory when you notice luke. he was also on the blue team, but instead of celebrating with the rest of you, he’s speaking to someone who’s wearing a red helmet. they seem to be in a heated discussion, one that luke is not wanting to continue. his tells are the same, after all these years: the impatient tapping of his foot, his eyes searching for an out.

you give it to him.

“sorry, i need to borrow this guy.” you say, grabbing luke’s wrist. “camp emergency.” 

if the person said anything, you didn’t hear it, because you were already dragging luke away from the crowd, towards the armory shed. 

“what’s the emergency?” luke wonders, brows furrowed in concern. he has deep shadows under his eyes, too. keeping the ship that is camp half-blood afloat has clearly taken a toll on him. 

“you wanting to get out of that conversation. you’re welcome.” you wink at him; luke flushes, and you’re not sure if it’s because he’s annoyed, or if he's just flustered. “so, are you gonna keep ignoring me the whole summer?”

you put your helmet on one of the shelves and turn back to luke. you expected him to start removing his armor as well, but he doesn’t. he just glares at you, arms crossed over his chest.

so, he’s annoyed, then. 

“what do you expect?” luke hisses. “you can’t come back here and pretend that everything can be like it was when we were kids. things are different now, especially between us.”

you decide to take him up on his challenge. 

“oh? tell me, luke, what exactly is different between us?”

luke shakes his head in disbelief. you remove your chest plate, and that’s when the tattoo on your waist becomes visible. it’s a magnolia, like one of the flowers that bloomed on the tree outside may castellan’s house. 

something in luke softens, then. he sighs. 

“you could have at least given me a warning.”

he storms off, and you’re left half-armored, wondering what he meant by that.

you figure it out once a few of you settle down for a late-night, underground poker game, and you’re trying not to stare at luke’s hands.

it starts with you telling yourself that you’re just trying to predict what cards he’s holding, figure out if he’s bluffing, and if he’s about to lose everything he’d so confidently bet on. 

but then you notice the silver thumb ring that thalia got him for his 17th birthday. you notice an array of hair ties and elastic bands he keeps just in case a camper needs them, and woven bracelets given to him by his admirers. you notice how the tattoo on his wrist is covered. (it’s hidden well, but you know it’s there — you’d gotten one of a wing, the kind that might be found on a pair of magical red converse, at the same time)

you also notice the forest green painted on luke’s nails, the same shade worn by the person beside him.

van, the new head counsellor of the hephaestus cabin. you’d seen them at staff meetings, but you somehow did not notice that they were dating luke. 

he moved on — is that why luke needed a warning? is that what's changed between you?

it’s fine. whatever. so what if luke has a new partner? it’s not like the two of you were anything, officially. 

luke has a new partner. they’re wearing matching nail polish. they’re one of those couples.

well, van is also wearing a nickleback shirt and luke hates nickleback, unless that fundamental part of his personality changed, too. 

“yo, sailor neptune. you in or not?” travis brings you out of your daze, by using a nickname luke once called you.

back before becoming heroes, when you and luke were just kids, you’d watch cartoons in his living room on saturday mornings — x-men, she-ra: princess of power, teenage mutant ninja turtles, sailor moon. a lifetime ago.

you look around the table and see that everyone has been waiting for you to take your turn. even luke raises an eyebrow at you.

“yeah.” you clear your throat and throw some chips into the centre. “i’m in.”

you have decent enough cards to keep you in the game, and you’re comfortable that you can play the odds in your favor. the stoll brothers are good liars, you know that, and so is luke. malcolm pace is good at strategy, but thankfully not as good as his half-sister annabeth. pollux, who had invited you to the game, already folded along with butch, the son of iris who has a rainbow tattoo on his bicep to prove it. beside you, lou ellen, daughter of the hecate, contemplates her next move. clovis has fallen asleep, true to their title as head counsellor of the hypnos cabin. you can’t get a read on van, but they keep raising the stakes so confidently, and you’ve always liked a good challenge.

soon enough, it’s only you and van in the bet. when it comes time to reveal your cards, you curse yourself for overplaying your hand.

“good game,” van says to you as they collect their winnings. “you really had me going there.” 

“yeah.” your smile is strained, but it’s there nonetheless. “tried my best.”

“guess the curse of achilles doesn’t help as much in poker as it does in capture the flag.” 

“excuse me?” you raise an eyebrow.

luke, who had one arm casually draped around van’s chair the entire game, pulls away. “van, maybe don’t —”

“it’s not like it’s a secret, luke. they’re the prophecy kid, everyone knows they bathed in the river styx to be able to fight kronos. it’s camp legend.”

other than you, luke, and van, everyone else is occupied with something else. connor busies himself shuffling the cards, while lou ellen, malcolm, and pollux get up for more drinks. it seems like butch and travis have their own bet going to see who can balance the most chips on clovis’ forehead without waking him up. 

van waits for an answer. you’re a little queasy, and it’s not from the wine pollux managed to snag from his dad’s office. you’re suddenly faced with the reality that your life is reduced to a legend. you try your best to swallow that feeling, of being made into a greek tragic hero while your heart is still beating, and your life is still a mess.

“that’s relevant, why?”

“just that some people might consider the invulnerability thing an unfair advantage in physical competitions like capture the flag,” van explains. “increased strength and all that.” 

“that would mean nothing without a good strategy,” you counter.

“that’s what i said,” luke grumbles. 

you recognize van now as the person luke was arguing with earlier. it must have been about this. 

about you. 

“okay, y’all were best friends, so luke is obviously going to take your side.”

you’re not sure what stings more: friends or were. 

“although, he never really talks about you, which is weird because you’re, like, famous in and outside camp.”

ouch. that definitely stings the most. luke winces slightly, almost like he feels it, too.

“alright, alright,” connor interjects, shuffling the cards in his hands. “another round?” 

you’re the only one who decides to call it a night. everyone says goodbye; even van, who’s blissfully unaware of the effect their words had on you. luke avoids your gaze. the game continues without you.

percy’s snoring provides enough cover as you sneak into your shared cabin. you try to sleep, but it doesn’t come easy. 

you feel the spot underneath your rib, the one spot you’re truly vulnerable, ache.

summer — age 17

for the first time in your life, you couldn’t breathe underwater. you were swimming in acid, and your skin was melting away.

at least, that’s what it felt like to bathe in the river styx. achilles could have mentioned that, but all he gave was a cryptic warning about anchoring yourself to what makes you mortal.

you really tried at first. you thought about your friends at camp. you thought about percy, about your aunt back when she was still around. you even thought about may castellan, burnt cookies and saturday mornings.

the pain was too much, though. 

you were forgetting where you were, who you were. with every passing second, you were dissolving into nothing.

“if you wanted to go for a swim, you should have told me. i would have worn my swimsuit.”

luke’s voice echoed across the waves. you tilted your head up to see him sitting on the dock above you, his feet dangling into the water. he had rolled up his jeans to just above his ankles so they didn’t get wet, but his shoes were still on, which was a bit strange. the sun made his eyes look like burnt amber, his teeth sparkling as he smiled at you. 

okay. cool.

you were at camp. it was mid-afternoon, free period. the two of you had been at the edge of the lake, until you became impatient and jumped in, fully clothed. behind him, you could see that annabeth, thalia, and percy were waiting for you on the shore. they were each wearing orange camp shirts, which was also strange; you couldn’t remember a time when you were all there together, as campers.

“we better go, sailor,” luke said, amusement laced throughout his words. “come on. those cabins aren’t gonna inspect themselves.”

luke extended his hand to you. when you hesitated, he added:

“i can’t do this without you. will you stay with me?”

you reached up and grabbed luke’s hand.

always.

you emerged from the water, catching your breath as you collapsed on the sand. 

“oh gods. are you okay?”

your cousin, nico diangelo, son of hades, knelt down next to you. he tried to check your pulse, but you waved him away. your eyes searched for luke, but he wasn’t there, despite feeling the ghost of his hand in your own. 

oh.

you weren’t at camp; you were in the underworld. it was nico’s idea for you to take on the curse of achilles so that you’d be strong enough to face kronos. 

“did it work?”

you got up, a bit uneasy on your feet at first. nico helped steady you, his hands cold on your skin.

you felt….stronger wasn’t the right word. you felt adrenaline coursing through your veins, like you could swim across the biggest ocean without pausing once. like you could defeat an entire army and not break a sweat. maybe even take down a titan or two while you're at it.

you needed to see luke again, to meet him and the others in manhattan before it was too late.

“let’s hope so.”

now

you always loved mornings at camp half-blood. the beach was particularly beautiful at sunrise, the water peaceful.

the morning after that impromptu poker game, you need that peacefulness to wash over you. you’re awake after a rather sleepless night, deciding to go for a quick run before breakfast. you get dressed and grab your mp3 player, as quietly as you can to avoid waking up percy (who, truthfully, could probably sleep through a hurricane anyways). 

you jog from one end of the beach to the other. you set a steady rhythm, somewhere between the beat of your music and the sound of waves gently washing over the shore. when you make your way back down to where you started, you notice someone sitting nearby.

luke doesn’t say anything when you first sit next to him. he’s wearing a dark blue hoodie over his usual orange shirt, a cigarette tucked behind his ear. you imagine that he confiscated it from a camper on the way here. 

“morning,” he finally whispers, eyes fixed towards the ocean. 

you shiver, and not just from the cool morning air. you’re reminded of the last time luke spoke to you so softly, the last time you’d caught an early morning sunrise together. such a contrast to where you are now.

“morning,” you finally reply. 

as the sound of waves fills the silence between you, luke surprises you by taking a lighter out of his pocket. he lights the cigarette and takes a puff. then, he hands it to you. 

it’s such an odd, though not unwelcomed, gesture. a peace offering, you figure, but it’s just so not luke that you can’t help yourself.

“is golden boy luke castellan, offering me contraband? what planet am i on?”

the hint of a smile creeps onto his face. “like i said: things are different now,” he echoes his words from the night before, but this time you don’t sense any hostility.

you take a drag of the cigarette. your fingers brush against his when you return it to him.

you decide to offer a peace offering as well, and present to him one of your earbuds — he accepts. you have to slide across the sand to move closer to him, but he doesn’t seem to mind. 

i’m feelin’ rough, i’m feeling raw / i’m in the prime of my life….

as the song plays, you glance to see luke nodding along, tapping a finger on his knee to the beat. he lets the cigarette smoulder in his other hand.

we’re fated to pretend / to pretend / yeah, yeah, yeah….

when the song is over, luke turns to you. 

“new group?” he brings the cigarette to his lips, then gives it back to you.

“kinda.” you inhale, letting the smoke warm your lungs before explaining. “this is considered they’re breakthrough album. they’re from connecticut, actually.”

“oh, yeah? guess that’s where all the talent is from.”

luke bumps his shoulder against yours knowingly. you feel your cheeks heat up at his praise, his witty sincerity.

this is familiar — you and luke, at the beach, sharing music. it’s familiar, and for a few moments, you can act like there isn’t a wall between you, of unresolved feelings and harsh words. you can pretend that nothing has changed.

“you know, nickleback are from connecticut, too. which means you just called them talented.”

luke coughs on some smoke as he exhales with a laugh. “what? no i didn’t!”

“in a roundabout way. i always knew you were an undercover fan,” you tease.

“i have better taste than that.”

“do you?”

“you’re fucking with me,” luke deadpans.

you crack a smile. “yeah, i’m fucking with you.”

“gods, you scared me for a second,” he laughs, and you can’t help but follow. luke glances at you and the sunshine highlights his smile, his dark brown curls, the ever-changing color of his eyes. golden, radiant. 

you shiver again, looking away. before you know it, you feel something draped across your shoulders.

“i’m not sure van would like it if i was wearing your hoodie.” you joke, but your words are laced with a bitterness you hope luke doesn’t catch. unlucky for you, luke still knows you too well, whether he likes it or not.

“you don’t get to do that.”

“do what?”

luke scoffs. “be jealous.” 

“well, you don’t get to tell me how to feel.”

“so, you are jealous?”

you exhale sharply; you can practically feel the wall between you two reappear.

“it’s too early, lu. and i’m too hungover to deal with this.”

there’s nothing more left to say. you get up, throw his hoodie on the sand, and walk back towards your cabin, the beach and luke further away with every step you take.

it makes sense that way: you were always the one to leave first.

[cynthiav06]

I can Almost imagine how Impressive you have to be To Pull THE percy Jackson. Like pulling any Demi-God is great but PERCY?!? The son of posiden?!? THE SAVIOR of Olympus?!?

I headcanon that Percy is really just out of Anyone's League And You gotta be Pretty damn Special to be able to Pull him

Like imagine Fumbling him or breaking his heart

THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

Like come on Rick you are telling me Percy the greatest demigod of all time Jackson has to be paired up with someone who has nothing in common with him, frequently condescends him, literally forces her own views on him, hates his father, has a mother who tried to kill Percy, is controlling and toxically possessive of him and most importantly someone who has completely different life goals than him?? It doesn't even make sense when you look at it rationally.

I think Rick himself was trying to put Percy down in post Son of Neptune books by making his personality all about Annabeth.

We are talking about the Savior of Olympus, the bearer of Achilles Curse, the strongest demigod, the man who denied immortality from the King of Gods, Poseidon's favorite son, the only demigod to have been approached by other Pantheons first and well respected among their demigod equivalents, the only male demigod to have respect of Artemis, only one to be favored by so many Gods on the Olympian Council and that's only pre-Heroes of Olympus.

The Survivor of Tartarus, the demigod whose blood even Gaia wanted to wake to due to his power, the first and only Greek to be made a Praetor and now two times savior of Olympus. This is all without mentioning his singular and unique feats, and he has many.

AND THIS IS WHAT RICK DOES WITH HIS CHARACTER ARC????

Had Rick not been so obsessed with shoving Percabeth down our throats, he could have totally made Seafam Arc, and all our fics would have not been fics. We wouldn't even have needed headcanons for seafam cause Amphitrite and Triton and all of Atlantis would have absolutely loved him cause come on, it's Percy. It's impossible not to love him. So let's assume that's exactly what happened.

So the whole of Atlantis, Seafam, and most of the Olympian Gods love Percy and not to mention Sally and Paul, who are also very protective of Percy.

The new Lord of the Wild is his best friend, The Lieutenant of Artemis is his other best friend and cousin, both the children of Hades/Pluto are his best friends/cousins, the only other demigod to be blessed by Poseidon with a rare gift is also his very close friend not to mention other members of the Seven also respect him greatly and owe him quite a bit.

Hestia, Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, Artemis,Hades, Hepheastus, and even Dionysus and River gods either openly favor him or have much respect for him. (Poseidon and the Seafam are implied, Bob and Damasen as well).

This isn't even taking into account all the pegasi and nymphs and sea creatures who love him and that he has a literal hell hound.

Percy not only has friends in high places and the favor of literal gods on top of being Poseidon's favorite son as told by Poseidon himself, all the people with special abilities are all close friends with him.

In Riordanverse, Percy is like the only person you don't want to cross like ever.

So you know logically if anyone needs an explanation as to why Annabeth isn't a good match for him and someone like Rachel would have fit much better. A mortal blessed with sight much like his Mother later turned Oracle of Delphi, the girl who saved his life in literally the very first two encounters they have, a girl under protection of Olympians and blessed by Apollo?

Apollo could have definitely waived the celibacy rule as there have been mentions of married women later becoming oracles in Greek mythology( May Castellan too if you count the books) and that the rule is only to prove devotion to the God nothing more. And if Apollo can't, then Delphi, who is a spirit older than Gods themselves, could just change allegiances. She once belonged to Poseidons' domain, so there's that.

But since I am biased in favor of Rachel, literally any other ship but Percabeth would have been logical and fitting and better off compatibility wise.

[phoenixcatch7]

Okay so I saw this post about dark percy (really him reaching his Limit and fighting full strength with everything he had) and I was imagining the potential fallout of that. Pretty bad, as you can guess.

The thing is a lot of percys strongest moments happen out of view of the olympians, especially in hoo. The hurricane atop the glacier in alaska, the poison scene in tartarus, bending the depression river and the one in the palace of nyx.

Stuff like the St Helens eruption got him washed up on an inescapable island literally removed from reality until calypso gave him the OK, the achillies curse he got tricked into losing by hera. Smaller moments, the minotaur, fighting ares, the stolen pirate ship, walking on water vs hyperion, freshwater sources, him knowing both Latin and Greek, they're more easily brushed off or at least mostly due to cunning, sword skills and sheer luck and grit.

But basically the olympians don't actually know the full extent of percys strength and divine power. They have hints - percy standing on the throne, winning against ares, his many victories - but what they aren't willing to brush aside in the heat of (an important) battle there have been pretty strong consequences for.

Heck, just look at Frank, he's no prodigy with weapons, he's polite and respectful, but his distant relation to two olympians letting him inherit shapeshifting earned him direct divine meddling and his life force tied to a hunk of half toasted firewood. Man is a honey bear with lactose intolerance and he was punished with a mythical death curse for being too strong.

If Percy's true strength came out, he would risk losing everything. His freedom, most certainly. If he wasn't straight up executed he might wind up in a Greek myth style imprisonment, the way of atlas, prometheus, calypso, or something like the myriad of ways Greek heroes met their end. Good scenario he survives a dozen curses and gets on with life with a dozen new disabilities, best case scenario he's stripped of every inch of divine power and dropped back to the mortal world, not even clear sighted. Total separation from the Greeks and Romans. Oh, annabeth would marry him either way, and his friends would hardly abandon him despite the gods wishes, but they'd hardly be able to see him, and no long range contact without the ability to IM him or vice versa.

All of that to say Percy is hiding his true strength from the gods themselves - maybe not consciously, and it's not even power he particularly wants - but if they ever find out?

It's game over.

But why is he so strong? I don't know. What I do know is that the half bloods of the books are so much stronger than the ones of myth. Used to be that divine blood would get you divine favour and a great fate whether you liked it or not. Maybe some cunning and bow skills. A spot of spell casting if you were really lucky. Achillies got his curse after he was born, Perseus had a dozen magic artifacts, orpheus had something going on but hercules is to my knowledge an outlier. Now? Everyone in camp has some special power. Flight, fire, necromancy, hypnotism, dream walking etc. However it's happening, half bloods are slowly but surely getting a lot, lot stronger every century that passes. Meta? I mean I guess. But.

What no one has done before is something that their godly parent couldn't.

Except.

Except Percy.

Except Percy, in tartarus, at his mental, emotional and physical limit, controlling poison with his mind, overpowering the goddess of poison in her home, making misery choke on misery. Feeling something in his chest crack. Doing something poseidon could not, and doing it better than the person who could.

Down there, hidden away from the gods, he evolved. For that brief moment, he did something, was something new.

And that was how the gods overthrew the titans.

And that's why they must never find out.

[11queensupreme11]

Hii queen

How do you think the other pantheons and their leaders will react to percy trying to run away orrr someone else trying to hurt her will they deem it as an act of offense against their pantheon? will they be protective of percy as well?

i crave some ra interactions pleasseeee🙏🙏🙏

alsooo i can imagine the gods arguing about percy’s way of dressing when attending to a party since she is married into different pantheons everyone especially the yanderes will want her to wear something that associates with themm and she just wants to dress in a different way but they are not letting herrr😭😭

oh i love this hehe. i'm gonna answer ur second part first cuz it's the shortest: the gods would definitely argue about percy's outfits 😭😭😭 the greeks want her to dress greek cuz well, she's greek! but she's got hubbies from different pantheons, so it just gets messy 😂 they settle it by letting her dress in the pantheon who's hosting the party. so, asgardian party? she's dressed in asgardian style. greek party, greek style and so forth! as for every day styles tho.... a new fight begins 😭

now onto the first one!

this is assuming percy managed to nab loki's cloak because there is NO WAY she can hide from the gods when they could easily just detect her

ra: as you all know, he is SECRETLY lowkey fond of her now. but just a smidge! just a bare, teensy smidge!!!!!! if he found out that she ran away, he'd just shrug it off. the girl's life is pure chaos so he understands why she'd run away from it all. he won't search her out, but if he ends up running into her while she's in a tight spot, he's gonna discretely help her sneak away. now if he sees someone try to hurt her? easy! he fries them to a crispy but ONLY because he knows anubis would lose his shit and he doesn't wanna deal with it! psh, he totally doesn't actually care about the demigod, no way!

shiva: LMAO HE'S GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SO MUCH. if percy runs away, he's gonna go look for her like everyone else is and when he finds her, he's snatching her up and taking her back to svarga! 😭😭😭😭 meet your new daddy and mommies, percy! 😂 if he sees percy get attacked, he's obviously gonna kill the guy but once he's sure there's no witnesses, he's snatching her up 😂

izanagi: he'd be such a gentle and sweet platonic yan omfgggg 🥺🥺 if he finds percy after she runs away, he'd gently scold her like "little girl, please go home, your father's very worried for you 🙁". might be tempted to snatch her up too, she just reminds him of his adorable youngest child, susano-o! oh, she likes it down in midgard? that's where his son is! perhaps he could set up a playdate? but no, no, he must be responsible! as a father, he understands poseidon's worries so he must do the right thing and take percy back to him.... after he takes her back to the palace and feeds her a little. she's just so tiny, has poseidon even be feeding her? if he sees someone attack her, he would protect her without slaughtering the guy (he doesn't want to traumatize the baby!) and makes sure he's tossed into tartarus

buddha: this dude would NOT send her back to poseidon lmaoooo, he knows the dude's crazy and he pities the kid 😭 if he finds her after she ran away, he'd help take her down to midgard. oh she likes it new york? well, now she's living in a decent apartment, attending a good college and everything! he can tell this girl is desperate for normalcy, so he helps her get it 💖 if anyone attacks her in front of him, he'd protect her without killing them because. well... killing someone in front of a kid is just fucked up, you know? 💀

lugh (he is NOT a canon character of ror or the spinoff, but he's a love interest's dad so expect to see him in my fic soon. he'll probably show up in the manga in the future and my depiction of him will be waaaay off but i don't wanna wait MONTHS to write about a character 😭): oh he'd be so worried. the love of his son's life has run away? being such a GREAT dad, he'll search for percy and snatch her up and hide her away in his palace and plop her right down on cú chulainn's lap who's like "father wtf" 💀. may or may not take advantage of the situation to plan a wedding 😭. if he sees someone attack her, instead of STOPPING IT or PROTECTING HER, he's gonna hastily teleport to wherever his son is and be like "SON YOUR FUTURE WIFE IS DANGER, YOU NEED TO SAVE HER RIGHT NOW!!!!! 😱" and cú's gonna be sooo pissed like "WDYM YOU WERE RIGHT THERE AND YOU DIDN'T DO SHIT?!" 😭😭😭😭😭😭

prometheus (i just realized he and percy are technically cousins, no idk if he's like a first/second or if he's first removed/twice removed, i don't understand that shit sorry 💀): HE WOULD HELP HER! he was the first outer god, HE KNOWS THE GODS ARE SHIT! if percy runs away, he will do his own secret search to make sure she's okay and help her hide away in midgard! he'll be like buddha but more overbearing about it cuz she's family you know??? 🥺 she is literally the ONLY family member he has who isn't shit 😭 (heracles doesn't count cuz he's adopted). if he saw anyone attack her, he's gonna put a stop to it and try his best to not accidentally kill the guy in front of her (titans are known to be physically STRONGER than the gods)

sun wukong: like ra, he won't go looking for her if she ran away but he'll subtly help out if he were to run into her and see that she was about to get caught/seen. he's a little curious about the kid, and all he knows is that despite being poseidon's daughter and despite being raised by him, she's a genuinely good person and he lowkey hopes it stays that way. plus, she's a kid. like c'mon he's not a monster. if he were to see her get attacked, he'd casually kill the person in front of her and then continue walking on by. he's just a Chill Guy.

aphrodite: ohhhhhh percy is SCREWED 💀 she would absolutely join the search to look for runaway percy and once she finds her, she'll hand her over to one of the yans who's most likely to let her watch him fuck her as a "reward" for finding his beloved. she wants her entertainment after all! and what's more thrilling then watching your favorite ship fuck? 🥰 if she saw percy get attacked, SHE. WOULD. GO. FERAL. how fucking dare you attack her precious, adorable percy?! to try and mar her pretty skin?! to ruin her perfect hair?! she would definitely protect percy and teleport her straight back to her palace and as for the attacker... well let's just say they're going to have a hellish eternity 💀💀💀💀

[geronimosong]

Okay, for a long time, I had a head cannon. Now that we have a great new adaptation, it is a good time to share it.

I firmly believe that the Neriad Percy meets after his fall from St. Louis Arch is Amphitrite, the Sea Goddess and Wife of Posiedon. Why do I believe this well? Firstly, she is the highest regarded Nereid, and after Amphitrite married Poseidon, the Nereids became part of their royal court.

I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I bowed. "You're the woman who spoke to me in the Mississippi River." "Yes, child. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court." "And … you serve in Poseidon's court?" She nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest."

"If my father is so interested in me," I said, "why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to me?" A cold current rose out of the depths. "Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid told me. "He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism.' "Even to their own children?" "Especially to them. The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift." She held out her hand. Three white pearls flashed in her palm. - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Theseus and Amphitrite, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art

Secondly, in mythology, King Minos questions Theseus's parentage with a ring thrown into the sea. Proving his connection to Poseidon, Theseus dives, carried by dolphins, to Poseidon's palace. Amphitrite treats him as a son, gifting him a purple cloak and a crown. Theseus triumphantly returns to his ship with these divine presents, reminiscent of Percy's encounter with a Nereid in "Lightning Thief."

Though Theseus proves his parentage to Poseidon, the god is not in the underwater palace. Theseus gains the ability to breathe underwater from Amphitrite. This parallels Percy's first underwater experience. You might ask why his stepmom would decide to help him; well, it is her kingdom that is at unwanted war, and Percy is her hope, too. In Riordan's own words, Poseidon and her have an open relationship:

“Most of the gods are jerks,” Delphin agreed. “And they have a lot of girlfriends even after they get married—” “Gah!” Amphitrite said. “I wouldn’t care about that. I’m not the jealous type. I just don’t want to be mistreated. I want to be my own person, do my own thing, without some man lording over me!”

As the years went by, Amphitrite discovered that Delphin was right. She did love her children even more than seabass, and most of the time Poseidon was a very good husband. He did have a lot of affairs with nymphs and mortals and whatnot, but strangely that didn’t bother Amphitrite so much. As long as Poseidon didn’t try to own her and tell her what to do, and as long as he was good to their three children, Amphitrite was cool. She was even nice to Poseidon’s demigod children, unlike some other goddesses I could name. (Cough, Hera, cough.) One time the hero Theseus came to visit, and Amphitrite treated him like an honored guest. She even gave him a purple cloak to wear, which was a sign of kingship. She’s been pretty cool to me, too. She doesn’t freak out when I leave my dirty laundry in the guest room. She makes cookies for me. She’s never tried to kill me that I know of. Pretty much all you could ask of an immortal stepmom. - Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

The description that Percy gives of Neriad matches the way he describes Amphitrite in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Although it could be argued that all the Neriads are described in the same Percy imagines the Neriad to resemble his mom because of the warmth she emits.

She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her, and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful I hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding. - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

She came in riding a hippocamps, in traditional depictions Amphitrite is represented either enthroned beside Poseidon or driving with him in a chariot drawn by sea-horses (hippocamps). It is one of her queenly attributes that separates her from the other Nereids along with her crown.

Amphitrite was gorgeous. The more she tried to avoid the gods, the more they pursued her. Her black hair was pinned back in a net of pearls and silk. Her eyes were as dark as mocha. She had a kind smile and a beautiful laugh. Usually, she dressed in a simple white gown. - Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Amphitrite sat on a coral ledge, watching the sunset filter through the deep water and make rosy streaks in the seaweed forests. A seabass lay in her open palm, all blissed out, because Amphitrite really had a way with fish. Normally I don’t think of sea bass as cuddly, but they loved her. Delphin could see why Poseidon liked her. She radiated a sort of kindness and gentleness that you don’t see in a lot of immortals. Usually with gods, the longer they lived, the more they acted like spoiled children. Delphin wasn’t sure why, but that whole thing about getting wiser as you got older? Not so much. - Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Hestia is the only other God that Percy has such an honorable description of in this entire book. This is significant. So, I can't wait to see if the show proves my theory to be right or not.

[lilislegacy]

Considering the fact that Percy is half Greek, do you think he's circumcised or not circumcised? What do you think? (if you think of this at all lol, maybe it's just me) I'm a big history nerd and in history books circumcision is mostly associated with Christian and Muslim cultures (I'm not from the US so I have no idea what the common for the average man is in there), but it is true that in Greece a very low percentage of men actually get circumcised, I know for a fact Greek gods and so included Poseidon does not engage in rites like these, so do you think Sally would have kept respectful to that side of his dad?

So sorry if this is a bit on the unhinged/weird side (you could totally not answer if you don't want to) but I can't avoid asking someone this since I'm veeery curious about what other people think.

So… I’m sure some people would label this a “weird” or “inappropriate” thing to answer, but honestly, I’m in healthcare, and this is just a natural part of new parenthood and biological males' health/well-being — so I’m gonna talk about this from a very objective perspective. This is something a lot of people either have experienced themselves or will eventually have to consider, especially since roughly half the population is biologically male, and a good portion of the other half might end up making this choice if they have a biological son. So I really don’t see a reason to treat it like a taboo topic.

Also just to clarify — I’m strictly talking about fictional Percy from the books, not anyone real.

So, it’s a great question, and honestly, one we can’t answer definitively. On one hand, I could totally see Sally being the kind of mom who wouldn’t want her newborn to go through a painful and unnecessary medical procedure. And since she is so knowledgeable when it comes to Greek history and myth, there’s a solid chance she might honor that culture and not have it done. But on the other hand, she didn’t really have any mortal male figures in her life to consult. And usually, it’s a decision that’s often influenced by the father’s input, since men tend to have more personal insight into it. In the U.S., circumcision is fairly common and is often encouraged (though never forced) by doctors, mainly for hygiene reasons. (Though the validity of that reasoning is controversial.) So I can definitely see her doing some research and deciding on it. But regardless, it can be a very difficult and personal decision. I can see why she wouldn’t, and I can see why she would. You know?

Also… I'm having a thought. If a demigod does get circumcised, would it even... stay? Like, do we think it might somehow reverse itself? Heal back? Regrow? I don’t even know how to phrase this without sounding ridiculous lol, but you get the idea, right? Demigods have accelerated healing. And especially Percy... like imagine Sally goes through with it, and then during his first bath afterwards, it just… grows back LOL?? Idk how it works though. I mean, say Percy’s hand got chopped off, would it grow back in water or would the stump just heal???? 😭

Idk guys maybe I shouldn’t have answered this. I’ve spiraled now. Begging someone else to please say something or reblog and contribute LOL

[xoxorory]

—¡!Pillow

Percy Jackson x Fem Reader

Established relationship!

Fluff & double meaning jokes,+18 jokes!(from Percy)

1K words~

Warnings: Instead of ‘Y/N’ I use Rory,mostly because ‘Y/N’ or ‘Reader’ cringe me too much lol

Percy Jackson had many skills. He could manipulate water at will, breathe underwater, communicate with sea creatures, and, most importantly, he could find the perfect way to use his girlfriend as a pillow.

“You’re drooling, Jackson.”

Rory’s voice sounded amused, but Percy had no intention of moving. If there was one thing he had learned throughout his life full of monsters, wars, and prophecies, it was that moments of peace were rare. And if he had the chance to recharge with his girlfriend, he would take it without a second thought.

“Mmh, yeah,” he murmured against her chest, feeling the vibration of her laughter. “Don’t worry, I drool with love.”

Rory snorted and ruffled his wet hair. Percy had just come out of the water, and he still smelled like the sea and salt. They were in his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, lying in bed without a care in the world. It was one of those quiet nights, no monster alarms or training shouts, just the two of them, a summer breeze coming through the window, and the sound of the waves in the background.

“If I drool like this,” Percy continued in a clearly mischievous tone, “imagine what it will be like when…”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Rory interrupted him, but the laugh she was trying to suppress gave her away.

“Oh, come on, babe, don’t put that limit on me now.”

Rory dropped her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes for a moment, pretending to be resigned.

“Why is it every time you lie on me, you end up saying something that would even make the satyrs blush?”

“It’s a gift, really. They call it the ‘Poseidon Charm,’” he said proudly.

“I call it being a pervert with way too much confidence.”

“Well, in my defense, I’m your pervert with too much confidence,” he replied, lifting his head just enough to look at her with a smug smile.

Rory stared at him for a moment, then sighed and gently stroked his cheek.

“You’re insufferable.”

“And sexy. Don’t forget sexy.”

“Unbearable.”

“Delicious.”

“Exasperating.”

“Irresistible.”

Rory narrowed her eyes, but her lips curved into a smile.

“If you keep this up, Jackson, you’ll end up sleeping with Blackjack tonight.”

Percy feigned a horrified expression.

“With how loud he is? No, thanks. I’d rather stay here, on the best pillow in camp.”

He adjusted himself, rubbing his cheek against Rory’s chest exaggeratedly.

“Honestly, you have the best chest in all of history. If this were a competition, you’d win the gold medal.”

Rory burst out laughing.

“You’re unbelievable. Do you really lie on me just to praise my chest?”

“In my defense, I’m a simple man with clear priorities.”

“Your priorities are worthy of a teenage satyr.”

Percy looked at her with feigned seriousness.

“Look, after so many battles, so much stress, and so many times we almost died, don’t you think I deserve to enjoy life’s pleasures? Like… this.” He buried his face in her chest with a satisfied sigh. “Honestly, Rory, we could stay like this forever and I’d be the happiest man in the world.”

Rory stayed silent for a few seconds, watching him. Her boyfriend, the great Percy Jackson, savior of Olympus, had the ability to be a complete threat in battle… and at the same time, an adorable idiot when they were alone.

She ran her fingers through his hair gently, noticing how Percy relaxed even more at the gesture.

“Fine,” Rory whispered with a smile. “Only because you look too cute to push away.”

Percy smiled against her skin.

“I know.”

“Don’t ruin it.”

“I’ll try.”

Five seconds of silence,not even five,two fucking seconds

“Although… since we’re in this position…”

“Percy.”

“Tell me you’ve never thought about us doing something else in this position.”

“Oh, by the gods.”

Rory covered her face with one hand while Percy laughed against her skin, clearly enjoying seeing her like this.

“Admit it, Swan, you love my perverted mind.”

Rory didn’t respond immediately. She simply ran a hand down his neck and pulled him closer, leaving a kiss on his forehead.

“Only because it’s yours.”

Percy smiled triumphantly, closing his eyes.

Yes, definitely, he had won the jackpot.

So what do y’all think? Like and repost!!! My request are currently open and I have free time *wink,wink*

©𝒙𝒐𝒙𝒐,𝑹𝒐𝒓𝒚💘

[my-pjo-stuff]

Hi, let me abuse your ask box again. I know you don't like Hermes but I was wondering why Luke is considered his pride and joy? Percy being Poseidon's pride and joy makes sense given how much Percy has done for the gods. But what has Luke done to be Hermes' pride, especially given how much Luke hates him? Is it because Hermes loved May so much? And/or Hermes knew Luke would be a hero in the end?

Does Hermes not have any other exceptional kids? A bit of a tangent, but I am still a bit shocked that Zeus' kids don't have any exceptional demigods honestly. IMO Apollo's kids should be far more deadly than they seem to be in canon. What exactly are Luke's Hermes demigod powers besides lock picking? With all the domains Hermes and Apollo have, why do their kids seem so unimpressive and weak? Is my view here wrong?

Nope, but your view is the result of what I call "assuming Rick is a competent writer" syndrome. Luke is Hermes' "pride and joy" because the guy needed to A) make Hermes look like a good dad despite him being props amongst the worst in the verse, and B) make a tragedy. In universe I assume it's rly just be he loved Luke so much that he didn't care about acts of greatness- which seems cute until you remember he actively helped to make the guy's life a living hell for no reason by being a neglectful and complacent idiot. No Zeus kid is exceptional because no one is allowed to upstage Rick's golden boy Percy Jackson. Shout out to Jason btw. Apollo kids are wacky bc, again, no one is allowed to be better than Percy. But also because Rick's "Greek mythology" is a surface level aesthetics choice completely ripped from it's own culture and whitewashed to hell and back. Apollo is fun music healer in pop culture, so his kids have to be fun music healers too. Luke's demigod powers are never explained or even mentioned, mainly just appearing when the plot needs them too. He was able to telepathically move a chair in SOM, was never explained either. Honestly now that I say it, "whatever tf Rick needs them to be" seems to be the easiest explanation (aswell as list) of those. The Hermes and Apollo kids are so weak because , again, whitewashed greek mythology who doesn't really dig into the thing, and instead just takes and runs with the most popular surface level stuff. And also because, again again, no one is allowed to upstage Percy.

Honestly I think most of this fandom's questions can just be explained with the sentence "Rick is a shit writer and y'all are just blinded by nostalgia". He's just like JKR but without the transphobia basically.

[diary-of-a-loser-boy]

Chapter one: Sugar Glider

Percy’s pov

Being liked is great.

Not being liked is not so great.

It’s pretty black and white, really.

Well, depending on the person. Maybe there are people who don’t like being liked. Maybe they see it as a bad thing.

And maybe there are people who aren’t liked and are satisfied with it.

Percy Jackson wasn’t that kind of person.

He wanted people to like him.

In an ideal world, everyone liked him. He knew that wasn’t possible, but hey.

He could try.

And when he learnt that Annabeth Chase didn’t like him anymore, it basically felt like his world was caving in on him.

Dramatic, he knew, but he couldn’t believe it. One second, his life and relationships felt perfect, the next, he was single, lying on his floor eating ice cream.

Alone.

That word scared him. Being alone was like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the jelly. Like a… yin without its yang.

He couldn’t be alone. He just couldn’t.

He was Percy Jackson for god sakes. He’d saved the world, what, like ten thousand times? He’d been to tartarus and back, swam in the river styx, and dealt with puberty.

And yet…

There he was, staring up at the ceiling of cabin three, the Poseidon cabin, blinking sleep from his eyes while the morning sun shone through the cracks of his blinds.

Alone.

I mean, really, he understood. Sometimes, you meet someone different. Sometimes that someone is a girl, and hey! Turns out you’re lesbian.

Percy didn’t understand being lesbian, obviously, but he understood that sometimes it just doesn’t work.

He didn’t blame Piper, or Annabeth.

He blamed himself.

If only he’d just been… better.

Stronger.

More… boyfriend-y.

He sighed, blowing hair out of his eyes only to have them fall back down and tickle his forehead instead.

But hey! Why be a pity party? Maybe being single wouldn’t be so bad. Nico had done it for years and he was fine, right?

Mostly, at least.

It was just that everyone had someone.

Leo had Jason.

Piper had Annabeth.

Reyna had Thalia.

Frank had Hazel.

So was he weird? Would he feel like an outcast, hanging out with happy couples? This fall they’d all be sharing hot chocolates and Percy would be staring at his feet wishing the ground would swallow him whole.

“Stop, Percy”, He chided himself. “You’re being over dramatic. You’re fine. Now get your lazy ass out of bed”.

Nope. Not happening.

No matter how many times he tried to push himself up or roll over, his body disobeyed.

Knock knock knoc-

“Urghf” Percy managed slurring at the door, muffled by his octonauts comforter.

The door swung open with a bang, revealing a beaming Jason Grace.

“Goooood morning bro! How’d you sleep, man”? He asked, strolling in and ruffling Percy’s raven black hair.

Percy let out an indignant “murmph” in response.

Jason rolled his eyes and glared down at him.

“You told me you’d start trying to get out of bed in the mornings, and there has been zero improvement”.

“Get off my case. You’re not my mom” Percy said pushing the blankets off of himself and sitting up.

Jason scowled, then smirked.

“Nice shorts” he nodded towards his torso.

“Hey, man, I don’t care what you think. Spongebob is a classic” Percy said, though he felt his face get rather warm.

“Whatever. Anyway, we’re all having breakfast together by the water. Chiron said it was okay”.

“Everyone”? Percy asked.

Jason shrugged. “Yeah, you, me, Leo, Nico, Piper, Annabeth”-

“Nope. Not happening” Percy grumbled, shuffling towards his closet stiffly.

Jason sighed, and Percy didn’t have to see his face to know he was obviously already pissed with Percy.

Though it had been… Percy glanced at the clock.

Only three minutes since Jason had came to wake him up. This was probably almost a record.

“Look, Percy, I know it’s awkward with Annabeth, but if you don’t come, she’s going to blame herself and think you’re like… ghosting her, man. And that’s not cool”.

Percy turned to face Jason to give him a falsely sweet smile.

“Oh gee, thanks, Jason! What great insight, I totally didn’t think of that at all. You’ve made me change my mind! Of course I’ll come, and it’ll all be fine and dandy” he said sarcastically, batting his eyelashes just to piss him off more.

Jason scruched his nose and narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything.

There was an awkward silence as Percy searched through his drawers to pull out his camp half blood shirt and a pair of blue ripped jeans.

“Look. I’m sorry, okay? I just don’t think I can do it”, Percy said turning to face Jason.

Maybe if he played up a kicked puppy act Jason would let him go.

Jason laughed. A good, long, hard laugh.

“Oh, I see! You thought I was giving you an option. That’s funny. You’re coming to breakfast, Jackson. Get dressed, and if you’re not ready in ten minutes I will barge in here and pull you by the ear even if you’re naked”.

“Gay” Percy mumbled.

“What was that”? Jason asked, turning back to look at him as he opened the door to leave.

“Nothin, just said okay”.

“Hm” Jason replied mutely as he shut the door.

Well great.

Truth was, it wasn’t completely Annabeth. Percy had been… confused.

Confused as in… questioning? Curious? He didn’t know how to explain it.

Like when you’re a kid and you first learn about a cool unknown kind of animal, like a sugar glider or something.

You kinda start thinking about it a lot, and getting curious about it.

Except Percy’s sugar glider wasn’t sugar gliders.

Percy’s sugar glider was Nico di Angelo.

Nico and him had gotten closer ever since Nico had came out and even closer yet after Annabeth and him had broken up.

He kind of thought of Nico as a sympathetic friend, because obviously Nico didn’t really give a shit, he just felt bad that Percy was lonely.

But Percy gave a shit.

He did, honest to the gods. And he never ever thought he’d say that.

That he cared about the weird emo kid with trust issues.

But he did.

Nico was his sugar glider. He couldn’t help but care.

@cordyline-uki if u still wanted to read, this is the first chapter but just so yk it’s fanfiction of a fandom ur not in lol

[reythenerdypisces]

things that I overlooked in PJO the first time / small, funny things I noticed during my reread

Part 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth

it's been way way way too long, I'm sorry, but I'm back with part 4 and part 5 will be uploaded by Monday!!

Whenever I thought about her [Rachel] (and I'm not saying I thought about her; she just like crossed my mind from time to time, okay?), ... this is after meeting her once!

She bared her fangs. I was so paralysed I couldn't move but Rachel through a snare drum at the empousa's head. Rachel is a beast with inanimate objects

We'd [Percy & Annabeth] fought together so many times we knew each other's moves. We could do this, easy.

Annabeth's hand slipped into mine. Under different circumstances I would've been embarrassed, but here in the dark I was glad to know where she was. It was about the only thing I was sure of. CUTEST

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except... well, it was Luke." She [Juniper] blushed a little greener. Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

I stepped away from Annabeth. "We were just looking at maps," I said stupidly. Malcolm stared at me. "Okay."

"Percy, the spider's getting away. Do you really want me to explain the exact details of how I was born?" "Umm...no. That's okay."

Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. Then she did something that surprised me even more. [...] I probably would've sat there for the rest of the day, staring at the lava and trying to remember what my name was, but the sea demons jarred me back to reality.

"They sent you to me, my brave one, knowing that you would break my heart." "But... I'm just... I mean, I'm just me." Percy has everyone in love with him and he still asks 'me?'

For the rest of my life I would always be thinking about her [Calypso]. She would always be my biggest what if. must be weird now that she's back and with Leo

"He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He..." Then she saw me. Her face went blood red. "He's right there!" then cut to: "You are the single most annoying person I have ever met!" And she stormed out of the room. I stared at the doorway. I felt like hitting something. "So much for being the bravest friend she's ever had."

Without waiting for us to protest, he picked up Annabeth and me as easily as if we were kittens, slung us both on his back, and galloped off towards the Big House. picturing this is hilarious

I left him in his wheelchair, staring sadly into the fireplace. I wondered how many times he'd sat here, waiting for heroes that never came back. ouch

Annabeth laughed. It was the first time, I'd heard her laugh in a long time. It was nice to hear.

The number had washed off my hand a long time ago, but that was ok. Without meaning to, I'd memorised it. he memorised Rachel's number!

How could this be a temple for my dad? My dad was a nice guy. He'd never asked me for a Father's Day card much less somebody's skull.

Ethan sneered. "There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I-" "Sign up with an army that makes you fight to death for entertainment?" Annabeth said. "Gee, I wonder." I love annabeth so so much

"Ow!" He yelled. For a moment it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain. :(

Paul scratched his beard. "I don't know if it's permission, so much, but she's your mother. And I know you're going through a lot. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't talk to you about it first, man to man." [...] I thought about Paul and my mom, how she smiled and laughed more whenever he was around, and how Paul had gone out of his way to get me into high school. I found myself saying, "I think that's a great idea, Paul. Go for it." Sally and Paul are so wholesome

"And you Percy, are my favourite son." He [Poseidon] smiled, and at that moment, just being with him in the kitchen with him was the best birthday present I ever got.

the last olympian is left! on Monday, I promise :) let me know if you want the series to continue into heroes of Olympus, I'm really enjoying my reread

[tsarisfanfiction]

Truth Comes Out of His Well (Chapter 22)

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Rating: Teen Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family Characters: Lee Fletcher, Kronos, Apollo, Apollo Cabin (and many more) RL has delayed this week’s podfic as well, unfortunately. I’ll update this and chapter 21 when they're out! << Chapter 21

The sun was higher in the sky when the first of his siblings pulled back, far enough across that Lee could estimate with a certainty he'd missed that it had been somewhere between half an hour and an hour since they'd all dogpiled him.

Well, that wasn't strictly true. Kayla had floated between the hug and poking at Michael with muted desperation, and Robyn had kept peeling off to check on both their unconscious siblings, but barring those, no-one had released him for a long, long time. Long enough for his latest bout of tears to expire and the evidence dry from his face. Tris' hair was still damp, as was Lee's own, but they were both drying off at a fair speed now that the sun was in the sky and shining down on them.

Sally was the one to brandish a hair tie in his face. "Your hair's long," she said, and always had a supply wrapped around her wrist, so it was with no effort on her part, and no resistance on Lee's, that she tied his long and messy hair back into something that doubtless wasn't neat, but at least stopped hair falling in his eyes inconveniently. With everything else going on, Lee had hardly noticed it, but he certainly noticed the lack when the hair was pulled back, out of the way.

"Thanks," he said warmly, and she stole another hug, worming her way between him and a vaguely disgruntled Tris to get it. Tris seemed determined to stay glued to Lee's side, and while Lee was glad for the constant reminder that his little brother was with him, the fact that he knew it was mostly triggered by trauma hurt.

"I missed you," Sally told him, and Lee gave her an honest smile.

"I missed you, too," he said.

"So what's the plan now?" Robyn asked, squatting down next to Michael with a hand over his broken ribs. Next to her, Kayla once again had one of Michael's hands in a white-knuckled grip, and unlike Lee, she didn't seem to be completely out of tears yet, although they were far less prevalent than they had been earlier. The red rimming her eyes was just as stark, though. "Percy said something about a ceasefire until tonight, but what are we doing in the meantime?"

Lee had missed the ceasefire thing – either Percy hadn't mentioned it, or he hadn't been listening when the son of Poseidon had said it. If it had come out of Kronos' mouth, he'd certainly missed it, far more interested in saving his brother's life instead.

Still, a daytime ceasefire would help them. All of them needed rest – they'd been up all night and had to be exhausted. Will was hopefully already asleep, as long as the rest of the campers weren't overworking him.

If they were, Lee would take great delight in siccing Michael on them the moment his brother was conscious again. Michael didn't need to be uninjured to verbally tear someone apart, and wouldn't wait to be, either.

"Does anyone know where the current headquarters is?" Lee asked, and all eyes went to Joy. After Michael and Will, she held the most seniority, after all.

She shook her head. "There isn't one," she signed, the jerk of her thumb from beneath her chin harsh. "Percy spread us out across Manhattan."

So they had no idea where Will was. Great.

That hadn't been something Lee had considered when he'd let Percy take his younger brother away. They also didn't have transport to go anywhere, not that would take the thirteen of them, including two unconscious bodies that had to be transported with care. All they could do was walk, but without a target to aim for, that wouldn't do them any good.

"Someone call Annabeth," Robyn ordered. "Either she'll know, or whoever's got her phone will know. There's got to be a phone around here somewhere."

They were using cell phones to communicate? Lee had seen Percy with one, but Percy tended to be a law unto himself and could also take care of himself when monsters tracked him down. Then again, he supposed that monsters finding them was probably the least of their worries, especially with Kronos already knowing their movements – oh gods, he hadn't mentioned Silena yet.

He didn't know how.

"I'm on it!" Alice called, scrambling to her feet and running over to the nearest mortal, ransacking their pockets until she pulled out a flip phone. "What's the number, again?"

Robyn rattled it off, and with more ease than Lee usually saw with demigods, Alice punched them in, not even hesitating before finding the call button and holding it up to her ear.

Alice did live in the mortal world for most of the year. Lee supposed she'd had to learn to blend in, even if she didn't own one herself – unless she did, and just didn't bring it to camp. Lee wouldn't be overly surprised, even if the idea of his younger sister carrying around a personal monster beacon terrified him.

The conversation was quick.

"Plaza Hotel," she reported, snapping it shut and stuffing it back in its owner's pocket. "I don't know where that is."

"I do," Sam said, their resident New Yorker. Lee didn't remember whereabouts, exactly, in New York his mom lived, but the paleness of his brother's face probably had something to do with the battle being far too close to her for his comfort. "It's on the south east corner of Central Park."

Ordinarily, that wouldn't be too far to walk, but with Michael and Nathan unconscious, that became a tall order – and with the streets jammed with cars, Lee couldn't conveniently borrow one to transport them.

Maybe Clarisse would have a solution, when she arrived.

"Some of you need to head over there and keep Will company," he said. "Make sure he's not being overworked."

"I have patients here," Robyn said immediately, and Lee nodded at her, expecting nothing else. Joy raised a hand, volunteering herself, and Alice followed suit, quickly followed by Elias and Sally.

Lee turned to Sam. "Can you lead the way?" he asked, and his brother nodded. A glance at Austin and Kayla made it abundantly clear that Kayla was going nowhere without Michael, and Austin was sticking closely to her, so Lee didn't bother trying to persuade them.

"What about the rest of you?" Alice asked.

"Clarisse should be on her way here," Lee said, and immediately the cabin erupted into multiple tirades, none of them complimentary. He raised a hand for silence, and after a few moments, they unwillingly gave it to him, still simmering. "I don't know what, exactly, went down between her and Michael, but Kronos knows the Ares cabin isn't here and they're our best melee fighters. We need them."

"Tell that to Clarisse," Alice muttered darkly. "Stupid bitch."

"I intend to," Lee said. He gave the rest of his siblings a look. "Anyone who thinks they can't be civil when she turns up, go with Sam and the others to the Plaza Hotel. I need a civil conversation with her."

"I'm staying," Tris piped up stubbornly. He still hadn't completely let go of Lee, still clinging to his arm, and Lee hadn't expected anything else. Tris clearly didn't know any more about the latest, massive, Clarisse and Michael argument – one that seemed to have spread to at least most of their cabin, this time – than he did and Lee rather thought it might take a crowbar to separate his littlest brother from his side any time soon.

"I'm not leaving Michael," Kayla said stubbornly, and Robyn repeated the sentiments with both their unconscious brothers. Austin hesitated, looking at Kayla but then at Lee, and clearly he didn't think he could be civil with Clarisse. Lee made a simple gesture for him to join Sam, and with dragging feet, he did.

In the end, most of the cabin went, leaving Lee with his unconscious brothers, Tris, Robyn and Kayla. That lifted a weight off of Lee's shoulders; he loved his siblings, but all of them together was a lot after a year of isolation, and being put back in charge because their new head counsellor was down for the count was a familiar feeling, but also somewhat overwhelming.

Kayla and Robyn mostly kept to their self-appointed charges; Kayla clearly hadn't been at camp long enough to be trained, and wasn't a natural healer, but she was trying her best, checking Michael's pulse and talking to him, while Robyn mostly fussed over Nathan's ragged stump, with occasional visits to Michael's side instead to make sure his healing was going in the right direction.

Lee had tried to flit between the two as well, only for Robyn to tell him if he tried she would sit on him, then moments later change her mind and ordered Tris to sit on him anyway. Tris had, of course, been more than willing, and Lee once again had a lap full of little brother.

"Are you okay?" Tris asked him quietly, resting his head on Lee's shoulder.

Lee hummed lightly, considering his answer. No, he wasn't, not really, but he had several of his siblings back, they were all still alive – even if two of them had been scarily close calls – and they still loved him, despite the secret he'd kept from them for as long as they'd known him.

"It's the right direction," he eventually replied, which probably wasn't the answer Tris was hoping for, but it was an honest answer, and Lee was done lying to his siblings. He was done with lies in general, if he thought about it, and part of him wondered if his siblings were going to start getting more creative with the truth rather than outright lying, now they knew he could catch the latter.

He thought he'd prefer it if they did; he didn't mind teenage white lies, and if they could tell him those without actually lying, that would be much, much better. But that was a problem for later, once the war was over and Kronos back in Tartarus where he certainly deserved to be.

For now, Lee's biggest concern was getting Clarisse on side, and movement in the sky indicated something drawing close.

"Stupid chariot," Robyn muttered under her breath, and Lee remembered reports of a flying chariot being stolen, remembered Michael's indignancy that he'd given Clarisse 'the chariot' – sans expletives – and put the pieces of the puzzle together just in time for the pegasi to glide to a stop in front of him.

Clarisse hadn't brought any of her siblings with her, but despite that she wasn't alone, either. A tall guy, easily Lee's height, stepped out, shuffling sideways and out of Clarisse's way as the daughter of Ares dismounted and stalked straight over to Lee.

He stood up, shuffling Tris away because Tris didn't need to be involved in this particular conversation, and watched her approach.

Much like Silena had been, in that last call he'd witnessed as Kronos' prisoner, Clarisse was dressed for war. Both wore gleaming armour that was well cared-for and wouldn't fail them in the heat of battle, but that was where the similarities ended. Where Silena had been grace and beauty, Clarisse was strength and brawn. Her spear crackled loudly, electricity coursing through it and promising immediate pain in Lee's future if Clarisse so chose.

She wouldn't hurt him, not once she knew it was him. Lee was sincerely hoping they'd get the identity proving out of the way before the violence started.

The boar's head shaped helmet glared at him menacingly, and from the eye slits Clarisse's own brown eyes duplicated the effect. She didn't look impressed at all, a twisted scowl on her face doing nothing to make her look attractive, but attractiveness had never been part of Clarisse's charm. That was in her strength, her personality, the way she fiercely protected anything that she saw as hers.

"Fletcher!" she barked, back to surnames again, and the sharp point of her spear whistled through the air, coming to a halt just under Lee's chin, far enough from his skin that he wouldn't accidentally cut himself on it if he moved, but close enough that she would have his head in an instant if he put a step wrong. "After the Labyrinth, which wound did you tell me would leave the worst scar?"

Lee remembered that clearly, patching up the girl that was more interested in Chris' welfare than her own, spitting and cursing at him as he patched her up, because someone had to, and Will might have been the better healer, but there were secrets at stake, too, and Lee wasn't letting Will carry so much weight on his shoulders. He'd been twelve.

Clarisse had barely cooperated with him, not even when he'd told her that her wounds would scar, and not nicely, if she didn't behave. He'd worn her down in the end, and while there were several scars hidden beneath her armour that he hadn't been able to completely eliminate, the one that he'd thought at the time would be the worst had actually healed up nicely, once he got hold of it. The scar that had actually ended up the worst had been one across her left hip, deep enough to scour bone but thankfully not break it.

But at the time… "Your lower back," he said. "A telekhine caught you from behind." It had been one of the worst wounds, and certainly one of her biggest blood loss contributors, but once she'd finally let Lee at it, he'd managed to reduce the scarring far more significantly than he'd expected, to his relief.

She eyed him for a few more moments, searching his face for what he could only assume would be some sort of falsehood, before the electricity faded from her spear and she tilted her helmet back.

"You didn't die," she said. "What the fuck happened?"

Lee told her, pausing whenever her eyes drifted over to where Kayla was still kneeling beside an unconscious Michael, and more than once trailing off himself as he looked at the boy behind her, one he'd never dared hope would be safe and sane again. Still, despite the interruptions, he got enough of the story out to give Clarisse the footnotes.

She barely blinked at the revelation of his truth sensing, seemingly more incensed with Luke for spilling the knowledge than Lee for hiding it in the first place. Then again, Clarisse had always been a straight-forward girl, with no time for falsehoods. Lee had only very rarely heard her tell a lie.

There was a moment of silence once Lee finished his recap, and at some point Tris' fingers had found Lee's, twisting between them and gripping them tightly. Clarisse studied him intently, her brain clearly digesting the new information and compartmentalising it, before she asked the question his siblings had all missed, either because they hadn't known or because they'd been too scared to ask.

"Kronos had a spy in camp," she said bluntly. "The idiots didn't tell me directly-" she glared at Michael again, and Lee knew it would be a long time before he got this particular feud of theirs detangled, if he ever managed it "-but too many of our plans kept going wrong. Kronos was using you to check their reports."

Behind him, he heard Robyn take a sharp intake of breath, although he didn't dare turn away from Clarisse to check on her.

"He was," Lee admitted, and the weight of it almost forced him to sit, because Kronos had been using him for that, and at some point or other he'd actually got Lee to work for him, in a strained capacity. Silena might have given the information, but Lee was the reason Kronos had been able to retaliate so hard whenever she tried to keep something from him.

"So who was it?" Clarisse demanded, still as blunt as ever. Who do I need to kill echoed into Lee's mind, even though she hadn't said it in so many words.

Lee didn't want to tell her. Saying it out loud felt like a finality, even though he'd been watching Silena betray camp for over a year. He didn't know where she was now, whether she'd finally joined Kronos' forces properly, or was still pretending to fight for the gods, alongside the Aphrodite cabin.

But he couldn't keep it to himself, and Clarisse wouldn't thank him for trying to protect her from the truth, so he met her eyes squarely and cursed his eyes for somehow finding more tears to fall from somewhere.

"Silena," he said. "It's Silena."

Chapter 23>>>

[mxnkeydo]

i loved you ‘til my dying day ✧ percy jackson oneshot

✧ summary the war against gaea has finally come. percy and his friends are thrown into the battle, but when something draws him closer to his girlfriend, annabeth, he doesn’t expect it to end like it does.

✧ genre angst, sad

✧ word count 1.4K

✧ warnings foul language, mention of blood

✧ link to main masterlist

✧ a/n ok. so. i actually have no clue what i wrote because the inspo for this came late last night while i was scrolling tumblr and came across this prompt. hope this is okay (even though it is most likely trash heh) also tagging @urfriendlywriter thank you for the lovely prompt! (side note: reblogs would mean the world to me!!)

✧ ✧ ✧

Demigods are merely the gods’ pawns, Percy thinks, swinging Riptide in an arch around him. They were used, they were manipulated, and they were laughed at. Being the son of Poseidon is not as great as they all think it is.

And what’s the point when the Fates have it all planned out, anyway? What is so great in defeating all those monsters when you were just destined to die in the end?

He glances at his girlfriend, Annabeth, through all the commotion. Her blonde curls bounce as she moves like a human tornado, and a vicious scowl is seared onto her face. The demons around her visibly back off, unsure of how to approach in a non-suicidal way. In a daze, Percy proudly mutters, “That’s my girl.”

But a single moment of inactivity could cost him his life; a new batch of giants are gaining on him already, smiling like the devil had descended to take his soul. He slashes through them all with his blade, finishing them in a matter of seconds, soon staring at the empty space where they once stood. Their remains – that black, sparkling dust – float to the ground and settle in the grass. It should give him a good feeling, eliminating all of those monsters, but instead all he feels is a certain uneasiness that makes his stomach churn.

Yet, there is nothing he can do about it other than fight. Chiron said earlier that they are helping the gods, but really, they are only helping themselves. After one Great Prophecy, Percy knows that it’s all a lie, that the immortals needed them to stay alive. They managed just fine when it was only them atop Olympus. They were all just lazy and prideful and indolent and Percy has had enough.

As he’s fighting his way to the middle of the crowd he catches sight of Annabeth once more and Percy feels it again; that anxious feeling that has shivers running down his spine, like there’s a ghost breathing down his back. He turns, but there’s nothing there other than more monsters, more demons, more creatures to kill. Almost instinctively, he slices a charging hellhound in half, wincing a half-second later when he realizes it could have been Mrs. O’Leary.

His own power scares him. Percy has never admitted this truth to anyone, not even Annabeth. Sometimes, fighting in a battle was like being twelve years old again, standing back and watching his seventeen year old self slay the bad guys without batting an eye. He used to think it was some great feat, but not anymore. Death, regardless of who died, is still death.

Suddenly, a wind comes rolling their way and Percy can’t help but ease his muscles as he briefly allows it to wash over him. It’s a short, stolen moment that reminds him that the world isn’t all bloody and violent and full of vengeance. It could be beautiful too, if they let it. If they stop destroying, destroying, destroying, and start creating instead. For the first time, Percy wholly understands his girlfriend’s passion for architecture; it’s all about making something new, building something exquisite for the coming generations to admire.

For the third time, he looks at her. He feels a strange pull, like an invisible force yanking him in her direction. Percy knows his instincts are always right, but…

But nothing. His instincts are always spot on. If they tell him to go to Anmabeth’s side, then that’s exactly what he’ll do.

Percy pushes past demigods, both Greek and Roman, as they fight hard—and more importantly, fight as one. In his peripheral vision, he spots Reyna’s long braid whipping out, smacking a monster in the face. Next to her is Piper, looking like a living, breathing death wish. Put a dagger in that girl’s hand, and she turns from sugar and spice to straight up murderous. Percy thinks he sees Grover too, somewhere. His chest does a painful pang at the thought of his best friend, and that they might not see one another again.

Percy’s closer to Annabeth now, only a few feet away. He opens his mouth to call out to her, to let her know that he’s okay, to tell her that they won’t be separated ever again.

And there it is, fiercer than ever. That ominous feeling that something bad’s about to happen. Before he even knows it, Percy flings himself in front of Annabeth with a savage battlecry that manages to pierce his own ears.

Time stops. The world ceases to turn. All he can see is…

Blood.

Deep crimson blood, coming from… his sternum? Percy presses his fingers to the wound deliriously, and feels a sharp point sticking out of his torso.

Percy Jackson, age seventeen. Cause of death: a spear to the abdomen. It sounds ridiculous; he, the demigod that underwent the curse of Achilles, dying from a spear wound? Percy manages a smile as his knees wobble and bend underneath him. Riptide clatters to the ground.

“Seaweed Brain?” Her voice is distant, like he’s underwater. “Seaweed Brain–Percy, stay with me.”

Vaguely, he hears her shout for medics, for someone from the Apollo cabin, for anyone, anyone, who will help him.

“You’re going to be fine,” she assures him, frantically, but it sounds more like she’s only reassuring herself. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. As long as we’re together, remember?”

Percy tries to utter a word, but instead coughs up more blood, staining the dirt around him a sickening red. “Wise Girl, I’m fine,” he croaks with difficulty. His hand still trembling and weak rises to cup her face. “I’m– hey, look at me.”

And she does. Her eyes are red and bloodshot and grief-struck. Her once-tan skin now seems blackened and gray. “You’re bleeding,” she whispers, grabbing his outstretched hand. Her chest rises and falls with deep, desperate breaths as she laces their fingers together and places them on her heart. “I swear to all the gods, Percy, if you love me one bit you will stay conscious, you hear me?” Annabeth’s voice trembles as she tries hard to push the tears back.

“Don’t scold me,” Percy protests feebly. “Am I not in pain?”

“Percy! Do you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, ma’am.” He grins slightly, then winces once his eyes land on the blood pooling from his stomach. Annabeth must have noticed because she lifts his chin and kisses him hard, a year’s worth of passion and desire poured into it. When she pulls away a split second later, she’s full-on sobbing. She presses kisses to his face, to the top of his head, buries her face in his hair.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispers, and then she’s seven years old again. “Please, don’t leave me again.” She hiccups. Then: “Fuck, Percy, why would you do that? Why would you get yourself injured like this?”

“Because I love you, Wise Girl.”

“Percy—“

“No, wait. I love you. I love how your brain’s always whirring with some new plan, I love the sound of your laugh, I love the way you smile at me. I love everything about you. I want you to know.”

“Percy…stop,” Annabeth says softly. “We’re going to help you, please...”

“Remember when I fell into the canoe lake at camp? That was funny.”

“We’re in the middle of a war and you’re making jokes?” Her eyes suddenly spark furiously behind a wall of tears.

“Oh, and remember the time you nearly killed me during sparring?”

Annabeth snorted at that, her lips turning up into a trembling smile. “I destroyed you, admit it.”

“Annabeth,” Percy breathes. “I—I love you. So much.”

“No, you are not dying on me!”

“Annabeth.”

It takes her a moment to respond. “I love you too,” she says with difficulty, like the words are being ripped out of her mouth.

“Tell my mom I love her too, okay? And—and Paul. And Grover. And Frank and Hazel. Chiron, too. Everyone.”

“Percy, no, stay with me—“

He soaks in the sight of his girlfriend one last time—her stormy gray irises, her princess curls—before closing his eyes.

Annabeth shouts for the medic again—a guttural, anguished call, and it’s the last thing Percy hears before he breathes his last next to the pine tree on the border of Camp Half-Blood.

[cynthiav06]

If I see one more person draw a wrong parallel and go " Percy gave up immortality for Annabeth just like she gave up the chance to be a huntress....."

Those two things are so vastly greatly different that they can't be compared. They are derived from one another but they are nowhere near on the same level. Minorly enhanced physical prowess and the ability to be ageless has absolutely nothing on Godhood, unquestionably great power and the gift of immortality .

I don't understand why no one draws the parallel between Sally and Percy:

Sally Jacskon turned down the chance to be a queen, to be immortal [Poseidon would obviously grant her some semblance of immortality in order to live among Atlantis and to be unharmed] , a chance to have the literal personification of the Seas go against it's very nature of perpetuality to stop the tide for a mortal such as her, to have a God beg her to go with him? A God that she loves?

Everybody keeps saying Percy would never want immortality, but do you really not think that he must see the benefit of it? To be free from deadly quests, to exist outside the clutches of fate to a degree, to never be threatened with death ever again?

But both Percy and Sally are so uniquely good that they understand that despite all the endless power and stability this will bring, it will also rip apart their freedom? Their chance to be who they are without being dictated by another and also beacause their's a chance to do some good for the sake of the world.

Percy can only think of it that way because the woman who raised him has thought of it in the same way.

Annabeth represents all Percy's demigod life holds, so obviously, he looks at her at what she's come to represent in order to make the final choice. But Percy's answer should tell you how much thought he put into what he wanted instead, so yes to protect and better the lives of demigods was his first reason, not wanting to watch his mother or Annabeth and Grover die also played its part.

But I the biggest impact must have been that Sally Jackson, his mother, the one person Percy looks up to the most turned down immortality, and he has been aware of her reasons since he was 11. He had long a time to dwell on it himself. In the end, even Poseidon seems to see Sally's resolve in Percy. Like mother like son, and I don't think this gets enough credit as one of the main foundations of Percy's decision.

[localqueerappreciator]

OKAY

We GET IT. You want us to die, Uncle Rick. WHY ELSE WOULD YOU MAKE SURE PJO BECOMES SUCH AN AMAZING SHOW. Look I had my doubts. I scowled whenever I noticed a change (however, the everbeautiful Tumblr connected the dots for me to understand why change is sometimes better in scenes I wouldn't change). I WANTED there to be dumb kids shenanigans with auntie M, Crusty and Ares. I wanted to see him blow up cop cars and make it make sense to mortals that Percy is a kidnaped baby so he can scam them for money to go back. But despite that. DESPITE THAT. Rick and EVERYONE. every. Single. Person. That worked on the series in the most miniscule of ways. Did an amazing job, bringing our childhood to life. And I hope it will be a gateway for others to join. Titans know,the Movie That Shan't Be Mentioned was mine.

It's amazing. Backbiter tearing away fabric of space so Luke can be on the run again? A perfect thing for a son of hermes on the run. The way Chiron addressed Percy seeing Luke's point? Flawless. Percy not luring Ares to deep waters and standing on a wave but instead crashing him so he can run up to him, slash his ankle and get it over with? Slay. Lance Reddick as The Man? Lovely performance. Amazing. The pride and power that he displays.. I have clapped twice during the episode out of excitement and once as a paying tribute to his performance. Almost everything was great. Gabe being a shitty guy who gets divorced? Fuck yes. BEING STUPID ENOUGH TO ASK A *LAWYER*, WHOM HE JUST OFFENDED, IF HE KNOWS ABOUT LOCKPICKING? HAH! and stealing that package.. Yes we won't get the Poker Buddy statue that she sells, but it still displays what an asshole he is. STEALING A PACKAGE FROM A KID. HOW DARE YOU.

The only thing that didn't smell right to me was how quickly Percy got to New York from Montauk. He could've taken a taxi or something (I'm sure Tumblr will have a post that'll connect the dots for me again). But the cut just seemed just.. Not handled as best as it could've been but that's such a teeny tiny detail. Anyway. THE OLYMPUS WAS BEAUTIFUL. AND ZEUS IS A BITCHY BIG BROTHER. AS SOMEONE WHO WAS BEATEN UP BY THEIR BROTHER RECENTLY BECAUSE OF HIS PRIDE AND POWER I FEEL THINGS WHEN I WATCH HIM AND POSEIDON. And poseidon giving up instantly to save his SON? Forbidden son like Thalia? (yes I see you, playing to his ego, mwah)

Luke, constantly saying We because he just can't fathom that Percy would say no? Oh my heart. Yes there wasn't the scorpion I hoped for but they made up for it by making the scene amazing without it.

Annabeth being there to see him?? And choose Percy?? AND THE PACT? THE STRING W BEADS AND RING?

AND SALLY TAKING NOTES OF HIS NIGHTMARES W GRANDPA?? SO THEY CAN STUDY THEM AND FIGURE SHIT OUT? I love her. So much.