#the things that happened in tartarus so far

[chibelial]

She’s surreal man, too good to be true. Been led astray by abusers before but this has a whole different feeling idk what to think but if she stabbed me I’d thank her

[gilverrwrites]

Meet Cutes Uglies Ft. Bruce, Dick, and Jason

GN!Reader, ≈500 words each

CWs: Mild/nonexplicit threats of violence, slut-shaming (but not really), swearing.

Bruce

The chances of bumping into a celebrity not once, twice, thrice, but four times in one day are low, but not impossible as you’re finding out.

It was kinda cool realising you’re stood behind him in line at the coffee shop, but not spectacularly cool or anything. Almost everyone you knew had a story about meeting Bruce, or another member of the Wayne family out in public so you weren’t overly excited. You just kept your head down, scrolling through your socials and wondering whether his drink was the iced cold brew, the fudge brownie hot chocolate, or the three pump vanilla no foam cappuccino. Your friend Jade was right, he is far ‘hunkier’ than the media gives him credit for, his piercing eyes really are that blue, and he smells good too, like bergamot and cedar.

It became somewhat more exciting when you'd headed to the library on your lunch break to return a book, only for him to already be there, chatting-up the librarians no less. Your friends were not going to believe this. He must sense you staring at him because he turns to look at you, when you make eye contact you smile, wondering if he might recognise you from the morning. He did not smile back.

Upon returning to work, the rest of your shift had been gruelling, job after job being piled onto your shoulders with minimal time to get them all done. You hadn’t even had the chance to tell your co-workers about your unlikely encounters with Gotham’s richest man. By the time you got off for the night, you were exhausted, the thought of having to cook dinner and wash the pots once you got home looming over you like a rain cloud until you decide to grab some take-out on your way home instead.

You’re barely out of the doors of Big Belly Burgers, a handful of fries hanging from your lips when you see him for the 3rd time. Bruce Wayne, on the sidewalk across the street, engrossed in what seemed to be a very intense telephone call. Weird.

You don’t have to wait long for the fourth encounter, it happens just a few blocks from your home. He’s much closer this time, a little too close for comfort maybe. You hadn’t seen it coming, one moment you’re rifling through your bag, looking for your keys, the next you’re suspended a few inches from the ground by a pair of strong hands fisted into the collar of your jacket. Instinctively you paw at him, one hand wrapping around his wrist, the other bunching up in the fabric of his sweater for faux support.  

You think for a moment you’re being mugged, until the familiar smell of wood and citrus hits your senses. Bruce Wayne is pressing you against the cold, damp wall of an alleyway, handsome face marred by its stern expression.

“Who are you?” He demands. “And why are you following me?”

>[Continued]<

Dick

The only thing worse than the feel of the uneven, filth-trodden pavements of Blüdhaven against your bare feet, is the thought of putting the torturous pair of dress shoes you’d worn last night back on. Perhaps you should have asked your hookup for something to wear, but that would almost certainly guarantee your having to see them again in order to return it and you’d happily walk barefoot across Tartarus before you let that happen.

Careful to avoid stepping in anything less than savoury, you keep your eyes glued to the floor, so focused on the things below you, that you don’t notice the things in front of you. The person in front of you, until you plough right into their admittedly firm chest.

The person in question reeks of stale alcohol, his shiny hair is a mess, there’s a shadow forming on his striking jawline, and the half-undone shirt he’s wearing is clearly wrinkled and stained from the night before. A fellow walk-of-shamer.

You stare at each other for a long moment before you realise you had bumped into him, therefore you should be the one to speak first.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” You murmur, voice hoarse.

“No problem.” He replied, far too chipper for his current predicament. His eyes rake up and down your body, and you might be vexed by it if you had not just been doing the same to him. “Why aren’t you wearing your shoes.”

“They hurt my feet.” You shrug, taking a cautious sidestep around him as you speak. “Just want to get home, they were slowing me down.”

That should be the end of it, but the sound of his dress boots tapping against the sidewalk follows you down the street. You can’t be certain, but you were pretty sure he’d been walking in the opposite direction prior to your collision. You cast a glance over your shoulder, and sure enough, he’s just a few steps behind you, offering you a striking smile that almost makes the grey morning feel brighter.

“Proposal?” He asks, and you stop to listen. Possibly because you’re genuinely intrigued, probably because your brain isn’t awake enough to tell your heart that you shouldn’t talk to strangers. “If I can get you home without you having to use your feet, will you go out for breakfast with me?”

“You’re really asking me out during a walk of shame?” You snicker, impressed by his audacity.

“We don’t shame in 2024, I prefer to call it a stride of pride.” He informs you, and he has a point. “Besides, might be fate that we walked into each other this fine morning, gotta give it a chance, right?”

“Right.” You agree, but your raised brow and puckered lips might suggest some scepticism. He doesn’t seem put off however, still beaming that brilliant smile at you. “And how do you plan on getting me home?”

“Easy.” He shakes his head, conveying his confidence as he beckons you closer by curling two fingers towards himself. You follow his direction and before you can comprehend what’s going on he’s crouching before you, threading his body between your legs and lifting you on his back, piggy style.

“So, where do you live?”

Jason

The coffee shop is that perfect level of busy that's not overwhelming but isn't too quiet as to be unsettling. Your drink is the ideal temperature, and the evening sun is seeping through the windows at just the right angle to warm your skin and add a golden glow to the atmosphere. By all accounts, this should be the perfect, relaxing moment, except… this book sucks.

You’d thought after years of recommendations from friends, many critically acclaimed adaptions, and its general status as a must-read classic that it was high time you picked it up, but you were about two-thirds in and thoroughly not enjoying yourself.

“Excuse me.” A low voice draws you from the pages of the book. You hadn’t noticed the 6ft+ mountain of tattooed muscle casting a shadow over your table until you looked into his eyes. Oh wow. You don’t know why he’s approached you, but whatever it is; he can have it. “Are you reading Lady Liatris?”

“I am.” You confer, lazily tilting the cover to show him, despite your reading choice already being apparent.

“Nice to meet a fellow bibliophile out in the wild. What do you think of it so far?” He smiles at you, reaching out a hand, your heart sinks as his strong fingers wrap around your own for a handshake.

“Well….” Handsome, well-read, confident enough to approach you, and you were about to blow it with your brutal honesty. “I haven’t finished it yet, so I won’t commit, but so far I am not impressed.”

“What?” He actually flinched. “No way. Where are you up to?”

“I just finished the bit where Claude professed his love for Florance at the flower show, which was the drollest thing I’ve ever read, and it went on and on for far too many pages.” It was probably impolite for you to be venting so quickly to this stranger, but you just couldn’t help it, the words just kept coming. “Not to mention its total lack of realistic feminism, you can’t just unveil your fencing champion to secretly be a woman and call it a day, every other woman in this book is either a two-dimensional gossiping villain or a two-dimensional love interest for the male side characters.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” The mystery man shakes his head at you in disbelief as he situates himself in the chair across from your own. “First of all, it was a product of its time, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest pieces of feminist literature despite its origins, secondly, did you not read any of Evie’s subplot?”

The conversation continues that way, back and forth. He emphasises his points with big sweeping, passionate movements of his arms. He nods his head and purses his lips when you make arguably good points and grits his teeth when he disagrees with you. Neither of you notice when the sun goes down, or your drinks going cold until the barista informs you both that they’ll be closing in a few minutes.

Shit. You’d been debating classic-lit with this guy for at least 2 hours, and you didn’t even know his name. The sentiment appears to be shared because he offers you a comically confused frown as he puts his jacket back on and offers you a hand standing from your seat.

You exit the café into the cool night air together. You’re not sure if you should ask his name and invite him over, or say goodbye, fortunately, he removes the need to decide by handing you a napkin with his name and number jotted onto it in black marker. Jason.

“Call me when you’ve finished the book.” He instructs, and then he gone.

[mediumgayitalian]

prev

———

Hades’ favourite thing to rant about is how much his family forgets about and sidelines him. Nico has literally never once given the lecture his full attention, because why the fresh fuck would he subject himself to that, but he discovers, lying facedown on the floor of Cabin Three, that he must have internalised enough of it to remember some key points.

He is loathe to admit it, but Father is right. How come the Poseidon cabin floors are so nice and comfortable? The floor of Cabin Thirteen sucks. Whenever he has Floor Time in his own cabin, he gets bruised and cold. Injustice.

“Could you suffer quieter? I’m trying to study.”

“Shut up, Percy.”

“I’m not the one groaning in misery.”

“Shut up, Percy.”

Percy sighs heavily. There’s a loud thud as he snaps his textbook shut, and the creak of mattress springs as he shifts.

“You’re so fuckin’ irritating, you know that?”

“Coming from you,” Nico says indignantly, pushing up to glare at him. Percy makes a face back. “I am here, having a crisis, being vulnerable in front of you —”

“Oh my gods.”

“— like you suggested, to rebuild our tenuous relationship —”

“I wish the prophecy had killed me. Either one, I’m not picky.”

“— and you are studying! Nose in a book! You hate reading! You are doing this just to spite me!”

“I am doing this to pass my classes,” Percy snips. “Someone should send you to public school. You need to experience that particular level of hell.”

“Experienced hell already, thanks. Don’t need a redo.”

“Tartarus references don’t shut me up, Zombie Boy. I’ve been there too.”

“Ugh.”

Percy rolls his eyes, turning back to his textbook. Nico contemplates rolling back on the floor to Ruminate and Think (after the second failure in a row he has a much to think about, like what the fuck is he supposed to do, should he even fucking bother, is he doomed to life without love, etc, etc) but finds himself, instead, sitting upright. Watching his — friend. Watching his heavy frown, listening to the bit-back curses and the crinkle of pages when he holds the book too tightly.

He’s moody, today. Sullen. Ate his breakfast in silence and stomped off to the sword fighting arena, raising hurricane downpour around the open theatre to deter anyone from joining him. Coincidentally, Annabeth has not been seen all day.

“Are you okay?” Nico asks quietly.

Percy shrugs, glancing over then glancing quickly away. “Fine.”

“I mean. You flooded half the camp. So.”

“Just drop it, Nico. If you’re going to stay in here, be quiet.”

Nico bites back the automatic, scathing retort. Be quiet, Nicolò! Lalalalala! Don’t tell me what to do! Ugh! I hate having a little brother! Yeah, well, I hate you too!

A quick, cut-off choking sound cuts through his thoughts. He looks up, startled, to find Percy’s face red, to find him swiping angrily at his cheeks.

“Woah,” he murmurs, climbing hastily upright. He ignores the loud chanting in his brain telling him to leave, the discomfort swirling in his stomach at seeing someone cry, seeing another man cry, instead hovering awkwardly. Percy shrugs off the hand he touches hesitantly to his shoulder, and Nico holds it there, suspended, in between and outstretched.

“I’m fine. Leave me alone.”

Nico hesitates. Of all people, he…nobody wants Nico around, when they’re —whatever Percy is. Upset. The only thing he can probably do is make it worse.

But what can he do? Leave him? Get Annabeth? Jason? None of it seems right. Instead he stands, frozen, hand still half-outstretched, eyes wide.

“You can —” He clears his throat. “Um. Did something happen?”

Percy shrugs. His eyes remain glued resolutely to his textbook, although the pages are wet and warped.

“Cause you can tell me, you know. I won’t — tell anyone. Or anything.”

Gods, he is so far out of his depth. Could Kampe come back and attack? That would be easier to deal with. Nico could handle that.

“I don’t —” the pages of the textbook crinkle under Percy’s grip — “it’s fucking stupid, is what it is.”

Hovering is not the right call. He knows that much. He scans the cabin, evaluating his options — sitting back on the floor feels like a bad plan. He doesn’t think any kind of touch would be welcomed, nor is he entirely comfortable in giving it. He doesn’t want to crowd. He doesn’t want to seem too distant.

Slowly, carefully gauging Percy’s reaction, he sits on the bed, across from him. He leaves the textbook between them, letting Percy keep pretending to read it, and tucks his legs up under his knees. He fiddles absentmindedly with his ring, chewing his lip every time Percy sniffles.

“Why’s it stupid?”

Percy shrugs again. Nico resists the urge to shake him. How does anyone deal with this shit? What the hell is he even supposed to do? He’s not Jason. He’s not Annabeth. Hell, he’s not Will, who seems to read emotions intuitively, who seems to know exactly what to do when someone is scared, when someone is upset. Even when someone is angry. He tries to imagine Will, in his position. Sitting across from a crying Percy Jackson, saviour of the world. Yesterday, one of the younger kids had tripped and scraped half the skin off their arm on the basketball court. Will had been there with a soft smile and gentle, glowing hands, speaking quietly and cracking small jokes until the kid was laughing again. Nico tries to imagine that here, soft words and lighthearted jokes. It doesn’t seem right. Would he — touch Percy’s wrist, like he did with Clarisse? Drag the fight right out of him?

Is Percy even angry? Nico has seen him angry before. Murderous. Fuming.

He’s never seen him cry.

Percy’s voice is like palms scraping hard over sharp gravel stones. “I made Annabeth cry this morning.”

The way he says it makes it hard for Nico to actually understand his words. His tone of voice is — volatile, is the best way he can describe it. Loathing. Based on the curling self-hatred dripping from the sentence Nico would assume he’d tried to kill her — he says I made her cry like he doesn’t deserve to live for it. Like he’s hoping to be punished.

“That happens,” Nico says. He swallows. “When you — love people.”

He and Bianca made each other cry a lot. He just never — stopped, never gave her half a second. Sometimes she looked at him and he knew she wanted to hit him. She never did. But he knew and she knew he knew and sometimes it would well up in her eyes, and she would lock herself in the bathroom of their room and turn on the sink and cry and cry and cry. And it ached something nasty in the cavity of his chest.

Percy sneers at his hands, flexing his fingers. “People who love you don’t make you cry. That’s just — hurting. That’s people who hurt everyone around them.”

Nico frowns. “That’s not true.”

“It is,” he says venomously. “I’m supposed to be — I’m supposed to protect her. I’m supposed to keep her safe, keep her from people who cause her pain.”

“People like you?”

Percy nods.

Nico drags his teeth over his bottom lip. He thinks of bleeding fingers clinging to a tiny shaft of rock, thinks of dangerous green eyes, hard voices; thinks of a thick web clinging to a broken ankle and an abyss. Thinks of promises and oaths and choosing. Thinks of falling. Thinks of letting go.

“People who want to harm Annabeth do not jump into the Pit for her.”

The pages of Percy’s textbook have started to dry. The ink has bled, dark splotches in perfect circles. The fountain bubbles gently behind them, mattress creaking under shifting legs.

“You don’t understand what I —” He pauses, swallowing. “Did, down there.”

“D’you hurt her?”

“…I scared her.”

“Oh, well — Christ, Percy! Is that really what this — brooding is about?” He scoffs. “No shit you scared her!”

“…What?”

Percy looks at him, wide-eyed. Nico rolls his eyes.

“Aw, when you were fighting for your life in the place meant to tear your essence into atoms, did you do things that make you question your personhood? Your morals?”

“I —”

“Of course you did, dumbass! Of course you —” he takes a breath, trying to organize the jumble of thoughts in his brain — “of course the physical manifestation of darkness and distortion made you act differently than you would usually, Percy. Of course it — affected you. Gods. Of course you’re struggling.” He flicks Percy’s knee, looking at him with exaggerated exasperation. “Use your brain, why don’t you.”

A small smile quirks the corners of Percy’s mouth, although it fades as quickly as it comes. He wipes his face with his sleeve, breath shuddering.

“She didn’t scare me, though.”

“Not even once?”

“Not in the same way,” Percy admits. “I was scared, once, when I looked at her. In the death mist. But that wasn’t — her, you know? She could never scare me.”

“I mean,” Nico wrinkles his nose, trying to articulate, “I think that’s kind of abnormal?”

Percy tilts his head.

“I just mean that you have a very high threshold, Percy. For…what you’ll tolerate from people you care about.”

“Everyone has that.”

“Not in the same way you do.” He taps his knuckles, considering. “Tell me the truth — if Annabeth stabbed someone to death in front of you, in total cold blood, would you help her hide the body?”

“Yes,” he says immediately. He shrinks, a little. “Oh.”

Nico rushes to assure, placing a fleeting touch on his wrist. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing. I don’t think. It’s just —” He shrugs. “I’m used to scaring people, too. I don’t mean to. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand what I — do, it’s not intentional.”

Percy opens his mouth, but Nico stumbles on.

“But you’re not — a monster, Percy, gods. No one thinks you’re a monster. Especially not Annabeth.”

Percy wiggles his finger under his watch strap, turning it tightly around his wrist, cutting off the circulation. Nico watches but doesn’t say anything.

“You’re not, either.”

Nico blinks. “Huh?”

“A monster,” he explains. “You’re not, either.”

“Oh.” Nico shrugs. “Thanks, I guess.”

“No, I mean it, dude, I — look. Listen.” Percy sighs. “You got baggage. I put some of it on you. I’m sorry.”

Hands around his — throat — angry, angry eyes — harder — bruising — you promised! you promised! you promised!

“It’s fine.” A pause. “I did shit to you, too.”

“It’s not fine. And I know you did. We can still —”

He doesn’t finish his sentence. He sighs again, a long, defeated sound, and curls in on himself.

“One day you’ll forgive yourself,” Nico murmurs. “One day I’ll — me too, I guess. Me and you.”

Percy smiles tiredly. “And we’ll be okay?”

“No. You’ll still be annoying.”

He snorts. “Whatever. Drama queen.”

“Oh, I’m the drama queen, Mr. I Don’t Deserve To Be Loved.”

Percy snorts. He turns back to his textbook, fiddling with the dried page, and snorts again, trying to duck his head. Nico bites the corner of his mouth, hard. Percy glances up again, and Nico meets his eyes, and they —

Gods, they’re bad at this.

But suddenly Percy can’t choke back his laughter, and it’s wheezing and self-deprecating and still kind of teary and Nico is laughing, too, because thank the gods that shit is over. Percy’s red-cheeked and Nico is red-cheeked and neither of them are going to look at each other for a week, Nico’s sure, but for now he can roll his eyes at Percy’s melodrama and dodge his embarrassed shoving, and it’s fine.

“You should talk to Annabeth,” Nico suggests, when the giggling has toned down.

Percy picks at the torn-up skin around his nails. “Probably.”

“Are you going to?”

“Why were you lying on the floor?” Percy asks instead. It is the least subtle subject change of all time, but Nico takes it as the hint it is and drops the subject. It’s not his business, anyway. They’ll talk. He knows Annabeth better than to think she’ll let it fester, at least.

“Oh, you know. Crushing weight of being alive, mortifying ordeal of being known, et cetera, et cetera.”

“Oh my gods. I’m sorry I asked.”

“Well, serves you right then, you selfish bitch.”

Percy snorts. “What, I cry all over you and now it’s your turn to vent?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how it works. Transactional and eye-for-an-eye. Exactly as friendship should be.”

“You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are,” Percy says, but he can’t tamp down his smile any more than he can stop his eyes from rolling, so there. Nico is exactly as funny as he thinks he is, thank you very much. A regular comedian.

Percy snaps textbook closed and sets it on the bedside table. “So.”

“So.”

Nico squirms. Suddenly he’s not sure why the hell he came in here in the first place. Are the floors in Cabin Thirteen really that bad? Surely not. Surely Floor Time didn’t have to be in Percy’s cabin.

(He blames Father for this. He’s horribly nosy. No doubt he’s passed his nosiness onto Nico, irregardless of his lack of DNA, and made Nico the way that he is. He can’t think of a single other reason he ducked into the cabin after lunch, when Percy still hadn’t shown his face.)

“Dude, come on. You came in here and whined and huffed and made a nuisance of yourself for literally forty minutes, and now that I’m giving you the attention you begged for you don’t want it? Nuh-uh. Spill.”

“There’s nothing to spill about,” Nico protests, “gods, can’t a man just complain in peace —”

“Ha! Not sure you can call yourself a ‘man’ if you’re voice is still cracking, squirt.”

“I literally hate you. Not joking.”

“Uh-huh. Okay.” Percy raises an eyebrow. “Well, since my guts are already spilled out and flopping all over the floor —”

“Disgusting.”

“—so it’s your turn, now.” He pokes Nico’s bicep. Nico bats him away, rolling off the bed and hitting the floor, scooting over to put more space between them. Thankfully, Percy doesn’t follow, and he exhales, settling his back against the bed frame. The mattress springs creak again as he readjusts. “You can tell me, you know.” Nico can hear the smile in his voice at the cheeky repitition. “I won’t — tell anyone. Or anything. Ahem.”

“You’re so annoying.” Nico picks at a loose thread in the knees of his pants, looping it around his finger.

Will thinks ripped jeans are stupid. He hadn’t said so outright, when Nico came back from his Aphrodite-Cabin-enforced shopping trip, but Nico had noticed his pursed lips and deliberately schooled face. When he’d pressed about it, pestering him until he’d given up with the very southern passive aggressive if you like, Nico, I love, don’t you worry about it answer, he’d gotten a forty minute rant about jeans that “sold less jean for more fuckin’ money” that made him laugh until he cried.

He yanks the thread and pulls. The hole widens.

“Oh my gods, you’re actually whipped. Is that what this is?”

Nico flushes. “Shut up.”

“It is!” Percy grins widely, wicked delight in his eyes. “You are literally thinking about him right now! You might as well be kicking your feet! You —”

“Shut up, Percy, gods.”

“I’ve never seen you so red,” he says instead, because he is incapable of following instructions. His smile fades, face softening into something more pensive. “You must really like him.”

Nico shrugs. Is that what he feels for Will? Gorgeous. I’ve been crushing on you forever. He likes a lot of people. You always know just what I need. A lot of people aren’t Will.

“He’s not scared of me.” No matter how much he fiddles with it, the metal of his ring is always cold. Cold hands, he supposes. He never heats up much. “Or. intimated. Creeped out. He thinks I’m —”

He clamps his mouth shut. A bubble of something expands in his chest, growing out of his lungs, past his shoulders, pushing his throat closed. He swallows, hard, trying to shove it back, but — Nico! Hey! You think I couldn’t stand to see a friendly face? No way, Death Boy, no more Underworld-y magic for you! I can literally feel you fading! My hands are still shaking — here, feel.

“Gorgeous?” The smile on Percy’s face is teasing, but much softer than before. “I heard he — said.”

Maybe it’s the redness of Percy’s nose that hasn’t quite faded, or his still-puffy eyes, but finally the bubble pops, and Nico sighs, tipping his head back until it rests on the edge of the bed. He closes his eyes. After a beat of hesitation, callused fingers brush through his hair, ruffling it, lingering awkwardly before pulling away. He smiles.

“Yes.”

“…Really? He just up and told you, that he had a —”

Percy stumbles on the words. Nico peeks one eye open and grinning wryly. “Yeah. He’s a hell of a lot braver than I am. Or maybe he’s just shameless.”

“He was always really intense about being your friend.” Percy screws up his face, tilting his head as if envisioning it. “I didn’t understand what that meant, at first. I didn’t get…the reason? Behind it? If that makes sense.”

“You forgot about gay people,” Nico says drily. “I know.”

“This is true,” Percy admits. He grins, sheepish. “That’s an L on my part. Every time me and Annabeth went looking for you he’d somehow know about it and ask us a bajillion questions when we got back. I just thought he was really into necromancy, or something, but now it’s like…damn.”

Nico covers his eyes with his hand, fighting back an embarrassed smile. He thinks your eyes are a tie between moonstone and agate, in case you were wondering. There is literally not a single soul in this camp unaware about how much he likes you.

“You’d think it would be easier to get him to go out with me, then.”

“It hasn’t been?”

Nico throws his hands up. “No! He doesn’t — I got him flowers, Percy, and he ground them up to make a poultice. He thought the rock I got him was a bribe. I open every door for him and I always pull out a chair for him at counsellor meetings. I make sure to stand up first when we’re sitting together and offer him a hand. I don’t know what else I can — do, gods.” He makes a noise of frustration, glaring at the ceiling. “I’m being as obvious as I can be. What am I gonna have to do to get him to realise? Fuckin’ — tattoo his name on my forehead?”

Percy slides his hand into his pocket, pulling out his pen. He twists it around his fingers, fiddling with the cap, picking at the plastic casing. He uses the end of it to trace mindless swirls on his thigh, which Nico can’t help but feel is dangerous. One wrong move and he better hope Nico can drag him to the fountain fast enough to stabilize him. But his eyes are far away, teeth gnawing on the inside of his cheek.

“There is a chance,” he says slowly, “that he…knows.”

Nico frowns, turning to face him properly. He looks resolutely at his lap. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I — well.” He does finally uncap his blade, staring at the soft glow of the bronze, rubbing his thumbnail over the leather handle. “I. Knew,” he says haltingly. “That Annabeth liked me. I —”

Nico watches him carefully. This is…news, to him. He didn’t keep up much on camp drama about the two of them — for obvious reasons — but he hardly had to. Even during his brief, one or two day stops at Camp, Percy and Annabeth gossip was impossible to avoid. People talked about them constantly, about how much they obviously cared for each other, how oblivious, especially, Percy was. It used to give him a twisted sort of hope.

“You…knew? And you didn’t do anything?”

Percy winces. “She got frustrated with hiding it. She kissed me, once, before I blew up St. Helens. And I just —” He shrugs. “I couldn’t believe that someone like her would want anything to do with someone like me.”

It’s impossible to miss his meaning, to miss the self-directed bitterness at the end of his words. Nico recognises it because he practically invented it. Someone like me. Someone disgusting, ugly, unworthy. Someone bitter and twisted and wrong. Someone so undeserving.

“I think Will is like me,” Percy continues softly. “That — insecurity.” He says the word quickly, like he might be able to hide it in the rest of the sentence. “I think he thinks very highly of you. And I think it’s hard for him to believe that you want to — to lower yourself, to be with him.”

“That’s inane,” Nico argues. “He’s — bright and kind and smart and — he’s fucking everything, what is he —!”

“He grew up a healer in a camp full of warriors. Full of talented people,” Percy murmurs. “When you’re surrounded by people who know what they’re doing, it’s easy to feel like a loser.”

Nico opens his mouth, closing it again. On principle he doesn’t agree with Percy. It doesn’t make sense. Every single person at this camp has relied on Will in more than one way for as long as he’s been here — as long as he’s been healing them. How could he not know what his purpose is? How could he not realise his talents?

Ace bandage, sound and unwound. Hard blue eyes, self-directed sneer. I’m just a healer.

“He’s not a loser,” Nico says eventually. “I don’t think he’s a — loser.”

Nico thinks he’s quite a bit more than that, actually. In fact if all words in the any language he knows, ‘loser’ is probably the least apt to describe him.

“How do I make him realise? Make him —”

Percy shrugs. “Took Annabeth several years and I still think I’m — well. I still struggle. You’ll have to be patient.” He glances over, and that mischevious smile is back on his face, the one that promises trouble and guarantees Nico an excuse to kick him. “Or, you know, you could just tell him that you think he’s bright, and kind, and smart, and beautiful, and —”

Nico does indeed kick him. He falls back against his pillow, laughing, curled against his side.

“I did not — I did not say beautiful,” Nico says hotly, “that was not on the list, you total jackass —”

Percy only laughs harder, no matter how many times Nico kicks him.

———

next

[gentrychild]

An anon who was rereading Anyone asked me what would have happened if Izuku didn't like eggs and how you tell a supervillain you don't like what he made and that you want something. I have bravely tried to answer said ask but Tumblr laughed at my pain, so here is it, on a new post.

------------------------

When confronted with the super villain Izuku had accidentally broken out of the most secured prison in the country, a man who had basically walked out of said prison as soon as he hadn’t been restrained anymore, Izuku did the only thing any rational person would do.

He ran like hell. No shoes, no plan, nothing except Full Cowl roaring in his veins and he fled.

At least, he tried to.

Strong tendrils stopped him dead, then hands picked him up by his shoulders and suddenly, his feet weren't touching the ground and he was forcibly brought to the kitchen table.

''No, no, no,'' All for One said with the tone one would employ with a disobedient pet or a very young child. ''Your breakfast is going to get cold and we have so much to talk about. Sit. Enjoy the eggs. If you don't like them, I can make something else.''

And he dropped him on his chair, before putting the plate in front of him. Then, he sat at the other end of the table, facing Izuku, his own plate in front of him and he started to eat. Slowly, his manners perfect, while Izuku was dying of sheer stress over there.

Then, he looked at Izuku. Then at Izuku's plate.

''You're not eating?''

Izuku looked at the man who had literally reduced people to paste last night and then at his plate of eggs and bacon, then back at the lunatic who was probably going to skin him alive soon enough. He needed to do something, to get the time to find a way out of this mess.

Now, any reasonable human being would have eaten a bit of eggs and bacon – well, eaten the bacon in Izuku’s case – but he had just woken up, was in a pre-caffeinated state and truly, Izuku had never claimed to have the slightest working relationship with sanity.

“I don’t like eggs,” he blurted out.

The supervillain, the very same man who had literally gone through a prison riot of fellow villains like he was running through wet paper, was startled so badly by those four words that he dropped his fork.

“What do you mean, you don’t like eggs???” he asked like this was a ludicrous notion, like everyone’s favorite breakfast should be eggs and bacon.

“Never liked them,” Izuku lied, by pure spirit of contradiction, far more developed than for most people, for it had been left with quite the amount of room after the disappearance of all his survival instinct.

And it was indeed a lie because, once upon a time, it had been his favorite comfort food, but when he had been a kid, during one of those weeks where his mom was gone and the neighbor supposed to watch over him was busy forgetting his existence, he had gorged himself on it at every meal until he had gotten so sick of it that he had been unable to eat them ever again.

All for One watched him with something that went beyond annoyance, it was the patented look of someone who knew one was messing with him and the words “You’re a goddamn liar” were probably fighting to be left out but he had no proof that Izuku was bullshitting him and if even if he somehow had a lie-detecting-quirk, Izuku would keep denying it because he probably wasn’t making it out alive anyway so why deprive himself of the chance of annoying his would-be-killer?

And actually, why wait?

“I prefer waffles,” Izuku informed him because, after all, All for One had offered him to make him something else.

All for One stared at him without saying anything, probably thinking about all the ways he could have killed Izuku back when they were in Tartarus. Meanwhile, Izuku gave the illusion to be staring back at him when he was actually thinking about the fact the window made a faster exit but All for One would have the time to catch him before he landed seven floors lower while the door offered him more options.

All for One eventually abandoned his plate and started to rummage through the cupboards, going straight to the place where Izuku and his mom usually put the baking ingredients. Either everyone organized their kitchen the same way, or All for One had broken in so many homes that he was just a pro at using any kitchen he found himself into.

“Do you have flour?” the lunatic called out. “I can’t find it.”

Izuku had already flowed out of his chair and was making his way to the door by walking backwards, trying to radiate nonchalance and not the need to RUN AWAY WITHOUT LOOKING BACK.

“Try the highest shelves,” Izuku helpfully suggested, his hand on the doorknob.

It was where his mom put the heaviest pots and pans they usually didn’t use, since everyone in this household needed to climb a chair to access it. With a little luck, they would all fall on All for One.

Izuku left the apartment, not even bothering to fully close the door behind him, and he ran. He was in his pajamas, had found his sneakers by the door and they were still in his hands as he booked it out of his neighborhood as fast as Full Cowl could carry him and he didn’t stop until his building wasn’t in sight anymore. Then, he stopped on a bench, the couple flirting on it deciding they could do that somewhere else when they saw him approaching, and he put his sneakers on, took a deep breath, and decided to run some more, still in the opposite direction of where Todoroki was living, and then, he would figure out a plan.

Unfortunately, liquid shadows chose this moment to appear right in front of him, revealing All for One, who was holding a bag from Waffle Palace in one of his hands.

“I didn’t find any flour or sugar so I just ordered in.”

Some people would have screamed or been startled but Izuku had already ripped the bench from the ground and thrown it at All for One. The villain batted it away with his empty hand but it didn’t matter because Izuku was already half way through the park, or at least until black tendrils grabbed him and yanked him back.

 “Your waffles are going to get cold,” All for One sternly informed him before grabbing him by the back of his shirt and he warped again, this time with Izuku under his arm.

[persevereforahappyending]

Luck Runs Out |Part 3|

Pairing: Mabel x Reader

Summary: When your luck runs out you unknowingly drag Mabel back into the life, she's so desperate to escape.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.7k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Epilogue

The first thing you felt was warmth, your first thought being maybe you weren’t dead. It was dark, you couldn’t feel the sunlight on your face, or any light shining in your eyes, maybe you were dead. Your fingers twitched, grazing against the soft fabric below you, you furrowed your brow, maybe you weren’t dead. You slowly opened your eyes, blinking to adjust to the darkness of a room you didn’t recognize. You started to push yourself up, quickly hissing at the pain in your shoulder making your drop back down, maybe you weren’t dead, there was no pain after death, unless you were in Tartarus, man that would suck.

“Hey,” a soft voice whispered. “Easy.” Then the most gorgeous face you had ever seen came into view, your breath hitched at seeing her beauty, the way the surrounding darkness seemed to bend to her will. Maybe you were dead, maybe this was Elysium, the only place that would be worthy of such beauty.

“Easy,” she whispered again. “My names Mabel.” You tried to smile at such a beautiful name, but the pain was becoming more prominent. “Take this.” She held up little blue pills to your mouth, usually you had better judgement than to take drugs from a random stranger, but you did as asked, opening your mouth just enough for her to pop in. You swallowed them, your body shaking as you quickly began to cough.

“I was going to get you water,” she said, a glass of water in hand. You tried to lean up, your mouth reaching for the water. “Easy,” she said again. She gently rested a hand on your chest, pushing you back down. She put one hand around the back of your head to help prop it up as she gently brought the glass to your lips.

“Thank you,” you finally rasped out after a few drinks. “Y/N.”

“I’m sorry?”

“My name.” You coughed some more needing another drink which Mabel happily provided. “My name is Y/N.”

She hummed and leaned back in a chair where you had to look down to be able to still see her. “What happened?” You asked, your voice still gravelly. You looked around, not recognizing anything in the room you were in. Scratching the soft material underneath you, you determined you were lying on a bed. With your limited vision you would guess that the room you were in was some sort of apartment.

“You don’t remember?” She questioned.

You scrunched your brow, thinking back to what happened, what could have happened to lead you to being in a stranger's bed. “It’s fuzzy.” Closing your eyes all you saw was darkness, feeling cold water hit you, a loud noise, distorted voices yelling but no faces coming into view, then pain. You winced, reaching your hand up to your shoulder, pausing when you saw the bandage wrapping around your entire arm.

“You were shot,” Mabel’s voice sounded far away.

Your eyes stayed on the bandage, flashes of the night coming back to you, you had been at work, you were on the boat. Your face contorted as you strained yourself trying to force the memories to return. You were on the boat, there was a storm, you were arguing with someone, the drugs went into the ocean, then it was just darkness.

“I-I-I was at work,” you said slowly. “We were on the boat,” you pressed a palm to your head as you pinched your eyes shut, “there was a storm, it was nighttime.”

“Sounds like a typical night for a drug smuggler,” Mabel scoffed.

Your eyes snapped open; you dropped your hand as you glared at Mabel. “I’m not a drug smuggler.”

“Yeah, cause the three packs of drugs my friends found with you was a coincidence.”

“I’m not a drug smuggler. I’m just-”

“Someone who smuggles drugs?”

You clenched your jaw, staring down Mabel, seeing that she wasn’t backing down you conceded, slowly letting out a breath. “You do what you got to with the hand you’re dealt.” You held Mabel’s gaze, your eyes suddenly wet, you were going to write it off as the pain meds not kicking in yet. “All I’ve done is try and survive.”

Mabel leaned back in her chair, her eyes never leaving you as she took in your response. You didn’t know Mabel, she might decide to call the cops, if she hadn’t already. Now that you were awake, she could push you out the door, tossing you out in the cold to fend against the wolves yourself. You wouldn’t blame Mabel for any choice she made, you deserved it, you worked for terrible people, and it would be in Mabel’s best interest to avoid you all together. Hell, she could return you to your boss, if they learned you survived you were sure they’d be happy to pay for your return, pay Mabel a pretty penny just to kill you again, not without making sure they were compensated for their missing drugs though.

Mabel suddenly got up from her chair, kneeling down on the floor next to your bedside as she looked for something. She popped back up with more of the same bandages and wrap that were around your wound. She started to reach for you when you instinctively moved away.

“What are you doing?” You asked, eyeing her, trying to decipher her intentions.

“It’s time to change your bandages,” she mumbled, sounding annoyed that you’d ask such a stupid question. “Doc said twice a day.”

“A doctor?” You jolted forward, ignoring the pain shooting through you and Mabel’s warm hand gently easing you back down. Your eyes darted around the place, just waiting for it to be swarmed with cops.

“Relax, he’s not going to say anything.”

“How do you know?” You stared into her eyes, she didn’t seem as annoyed anymore, she almost looked like she felt bad for you.

Her eyes darted to the side; her mouth partially hung open as she decided how much to tell you. “He’s in a similar line of business.” Her eyes dropped down to the clean bandages in her hands, her fingers fiddling with the edge.

“Oh,” you could only mumble.

Mabel cleared her throat, shaking her head as she looked back at you, but you didn’t miss how she was gripping the bandages. “Can you lift up your shirt?” She asked, her cheeks tinting red as the question left her mouth.

You gave a small nod, lifting off the shirt so it hung around your right arm and covered most of your front but left your injured arm exposed so she could change the bandages easily. Mabel got to work, shifting on the bedside as she leaned closer, slowly beginning to peel the old bandaging away. You sucked in a breath when her fingers grazed your skin, the simple touch seemed to warm you, or maybe you were still freezing from being in the ocean for so long and any human contact would feel like the most amazing thing ever.

“How long was I out?” You finally asked. You stared at Mabel, watching as she focused on cleaning the wound, being mindful not to try and cause you to much discomfort. A ghost of a smile found its way to your lips as you saw her eyebrows scrunched together and the way her freckles popped out when she crinkled her nose.

She tossed the dirty bandages into a trash bin, throwing the now dirty rag she used to clean your wound into the laundry hamper. She scrubbed her hands in the kitchen sink before quickly finding her way back to your side, starting to unravel the new bandages. “About a day,” she finally answered. “The boys found you yesterday morning, considering you’re still alive I assume you were shot the night before.” She gently began applying the new bandage and wrapping. “It’s actually late afternoon now,” she tapped her phone checking the time. “You were barely conscious when they got your aboard their boat, so you’ve been out for over twenty-four hours.”

“The boys?” You didn’t like the idea of more people knowing about you, Mabel was already at risk for helping you. You didn’t want more people to be at risk because they decided to save your life, the more people who knew you survived also meant more people who could turn you in.

“My ex, his brother, and their crew,” she finished the last of the wrapping up then slipped back into the chair at your bedside. You got your head back through the hole of the shirt but struggled with your injured arm. Mabel got up and helped gently guide it into the arm hole while you pulled the shirt down.

“They’re fisherman?” You focused on the word crew. You really shouldn’t have been so surprised; besides the coastguard it wasn’t like anyone else would have been out on the water that early after such a big storm.

“The Finestkind,” she smiled. You quickly frowned, your eyes widening at the boat’s name. “You know them?”

You sighed, reluctantly nodding. “They aren’t my biggest fan.” Mabel raised an eyebrow, clearly sensing a story there. “We’re competitors, me and my crew have the nicer boat, bring in larger catches, and they don’t like it.”

“Because I’m sure you never instigate it,” she deadpanned.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at the way she already clocked you. “I mean,” you rolled your head to the side. “Maybe a little.”

“So, what did you do to get yourself shot?” Mabel asked, narrowing her eyes as she watched you.

You sucked in a breath, your fingers began to play with the blanket over you, it was a really soft blanket. “I dropped the shipment.”

Her eyes widened. “You mean…”

You nodded. “The storm was raging, and the load was too heavy, it was going to tip us.” You refused to meet her gaze as flashes from that night came back to you, you could almost feel the cold water coming down again. “I hit the button to release the product and the next thing I know I was in the ocean, sinking to the bottom.”

“You did the right thing.” You scoffed; you almost never did the right thing. “Trying to save your life and your crews isn’t a bad thing.”

“Well look where that got me.” You saw flashes of yourself on the deck, the rain pouring down on you, the waves rocking the boat violently, and in front of you stood your captain, pointing a gun at your head. “My own captain shot me,” you let out a humorless chuckle.

You still refused to look at Mabel, too deep into question every decision you’ve ever made that led you to where you were right now. You tried to do the right thing for once, you tried to save lives, the drugs weren’t worth dying for, you still believed that. The one time you tried to do something good though it ended with you almost dying. You got lucky, you always got lucky, your entire life could be summed up by being lucky. Some would say you were lucky to survive the gunshot, lucky to survive going overboard and being in the ocean for so long, lucky to be found, lucky to be found by the people who did. If that was all due to you being lucky, how much time before your luck ran out? It was only a matter of time and what would be the consequences, who would pay the price?

“What’s with the necklace?” Mabel’s voice snapped you back to reality. You furrowed your brow looking up at her finally before you realized she was talking about your trident necklace. “You worship Neptune or some shit?” She joked.

You laughed along with her. “I guess technically Neptune is his Roman counterpart, but I’ve always been more of a Greek mythology nerd.”

“Of course you are,” she shook her head. You couldn’t help but laugh along with her, no one understood your fascination with the gods and Greek mythology in general, they always just gave you a weird look. Mabel might have thought it was weird, but she didn’t seem to be judging you for it. “What’s your favorite book?” You opened your mouth, but she sat up in her chair, “Let me guess,” she said holding up a hand to silence you. “Percy Jackson.”

You chuckled, shaking your head, it was a good guess, it was usually everyone’s first guess or what they assumed when they learned about your interest. “Percy’s great,” you admitted. “But actually, The Odyssey.”

“Really?” She raised her eyebrows clearly not having expected that.

“The story of Odysseus,” you let your head flop back onto the pillow, unable to stop smiling. “It’s just incredible.”

“I get that it’s a classic but what’s so great about it?”

A large smile broke out on your face, Mabel was going to regret that. “He’s just such a great hero,” you sighed. “He’s just a man but he fights all these monsters, he travels the sea, having to deal of the wrath of gods, he fights against all of it, all just so he can return home.” You paused, realizing you had been rambling, but then you caught Mabel’s eyes, seeing her leaning forward, you had her full attention. “Multiple ladies try and seduce him, he could just stay safe on an island with Calypso, but he doesn’t, because he loves his wife. For ten years he fights to return to his family because he just loves his wife and son that much.”

“Okay, he does sound pretty cool,” she admitted with a smile. “Is that why you became a fisherman?”

You shrugged. “I’ve always loved the water and travel, plus didn’t have many options, couldn’t afford school,” you looked down in shame.

“And the drugs,” Mabel asked, seeming hesitant to shift back to that topic.

You refused to meet her eyes again. “Sometimes despite our best-efforts family just tries to drag you under with them.”

“I get it,” she whispered, you looked up, seeing her nervously playing with her fingers. “I get it.”

“Do you know what happened to the drugs? I know I was floating on a couple packs.” You held your breath as you awaited her answer, silently pleading they just left them in the ocean, destined to wash ashore or be pulled further out to sea.

“They’re on the boat.”

You let out a sigh. “They need to get rid of them, they should get rid of them. If anyone discovers they have them, they are screwed.” You stared Mabel in the eyes, trying to keep your voice from shaking. “I do not work for good people; they will kill everyone to keep the business running.”

“We’ll take care of it when they get back, it’ll be a few days, they’re out on a job.” You nodded, gripping the blanket around you tighter to hide your shaking hands. “Tell me more about Odysseus?” Mabel said softly. You scrunched your brow as you stared at her in disbelief, no one ever asked you to continue. “I’m serious, tell me more about this epic adventure.”

You smiled, your eyes shining as you looked at her. “Well, I consider it more of an epic love story.”

“But he fights monsters and stuff, right? How is that not an adventure?”

“It’s both!”

Mabel playfully rolled her eyes. “I’m serious,” you said, sitting up a little more. “The entire story is about him fighting against all odds to return to his love, despite all his obstacles and despite more than one lovely lady trying to seduce him,” Mabel silently chuckled. “His heart always belongs to Penelope.”

“Well, I’ve never read it.” You gasped in faux offense. Most people now and days hadn’t read it, they heard of it, they knew of Odysseus, but they didn’t know his story, not fully. “But convince me.”

Your eyes lit up, you had a soft smile on your face, you felt your cheeks heat up, here you were injured, a pretty girl taking care of you and asking you to tell her all about your favorite story. For a second you thought maybe you really were in Elysium, maybe you really died the other night. If this were your afterlife though, you couldn’t complain. “So, it starts off with Odysseus being away, off fighting a war for ten years…”

[harukamitsuki]

man. spinner and shoji were two characters that i really enjoyed and wanted to see more of... until i did get to see more of them and horikoshi stomped on my dreams...

spinner goes from being one of the best characters to being ridiculously one-dimensional. the heroes don't do jack shit, until it's revealed at the last second that they did, meaning that everything the 'bad guys' did was ultimately useless. kurogiri being in a hospital made no sense; the guy is a high-ranking villain who is far too useful to the villains to give up, he should be in a highly secure location like tartarus. shoji goes from being someone who i really enjoyed to being someone with ignorant beliefs, despite him accusing his friends of being such people.

seriously, shoji's rant on how the 'people from the city' wouldn't understand because they 'had it easy'. NEWSFLASH: discrimination happens everywhere. yes, it's a lot more rampant outside of cities, but it still exists within a city. heck, i had someone scream racial slurs at me while i was walking home, and i live in a big city. to say that someone had it easy just because you had it worse is a horrible thing to say, especially when it's coming from someone who is supposed to be empathetic.

this is not shoji's beliefs. this is horikoshi's beliefs. he could have easily had shoji say something like 'you have had it hard. that being said, people are more willing to turn to extremes outside of the city'.

also, shoji's whole 'violence to get what you want never works out!!' is wrong. i'm not saying from a moral standpoint - that's perfectly fine. but it's historically wrong. yes, there are such a thing as peaceful protests, but they have never worked out as well as those that fight violence with violence. blm riots, for example, were the thing to force the government to take a closer look at why people were rioting and do things to prevent more property damage.

another thing i found troubling was how the mutants became enraged at a person of colour, specifically black, for trying to intervene and empathise with them, screaming that he could not understand. it's supposed to imply that racism wasn't a concern after quirks emerged, as people found other things to discriminate.

which is... very idealistic. if that were something people would really do, then racism wouldn't be a thing after sexism came to light. and neither of them would exist after the lgbt or the neurodivergent. but that's not what happened.

if someone else arises that people could discriminate upon, people would just add that to the list of things to discriminate on.

horikoshi could have drawn anyone for the mutants to yell at. he chose to use a person of colour. it comes off as very tone-deaf and it was just another sign that the mini-arc would screw up.

spinner losing his mind was bad. as in bad-bad. as in, there were so many ways to write this fight, and he chose this? instead of being a battle of ideaologies, it's shoji convincing the rest to step down, then trying to beat a mind-less spinner.

it could have been one of the best fights, with shoji's belief that using violence to solve your issues will only make it worse, and spinner arguing that using violence is the only way to do it with the state of their society.

no matter who won, in that case, it would be ultimately up to the readers to decide who truly won. who had the stronger argument, who made the more sense, all that jazz...

instead, shoji yells at a bunch of people about how 'destroying property isn't good' and 'violence is never the answer', all the while using violence to subdue him.

that could have been could, if it was commented on. if there were some sort of self-awareness.

but it's not and there is none. it went from being an arc i was really looking forward to reading, to something i can no longer stand.

shoji. spinner. you were both done so dirty

[waitingonher]

percy dating a daughter of zeus?? jasons little sister maybe

percy jackson dating a daughter of zeus

pairing: percy jackson x daughter of zeus!reader

content warning: nothing

word count: 721

author's note: guys...there's so many mosquitos rn i can't. anyways, sorry this one's a little short!! enjoyyy

okay a son of poseidon and a daughter of zeus dating??? such a power couple!! 

all of the new campers are terrified of you guys. they hear about all the quests you guys have been on and all the monsters you’ve defeated and they’re just so intimidated. the stoll brothers, being who they are, they like to make you and percy seem really scary. 

they’ll spew nonsense to the newcomers, telling them that if they look at you two the wrong way, you’ll zap them with lightning or percy will make their toilets explode. 

honestly, it’s super funny seeing how they become visibly nervous talking to you guys. but you and percy always make sure to act a little more friendly around them. 

you never fail to continually impress percy. your boyfriend absolutely loves seeing you use your powers and he lowkey thinks you look hot when you use them. (he will never outright admit it though) 

training dates are a must for you guys. it’s a great way to spend time together while also being productive. at this point, you and percy are so in sync with each other, you and him may as well be reading each other's minds. 

after a while, you and him have developed multiple fighting techniques that involve both of your powers. everyone knows not to mess with you guys. even the monsters know that you two are a dangerous pair. honestly, you and percy are basically celebrities down in tartarus. 

thalia and jason are so, so protective of you. they’re aware of how much percy loves you, but as your siblings, they just can’t help it. 

before dates, they always jokingly (for the most part) threaten percy to bring you back in one piece or else they’ll get zeus involved. he’s watching you like a hawk on that date. your boyfriend has had enough of zeus for one lifetime.  

for basically your entire relationship, you and percy have been in a prank war with each other. it initially started with just tiny things like a water balloon over the door or shaving cream in shoes. but now, it’s progressed into a big competition that almost everyone at camp is aware of. when they hear shouting by the zeus and poseidon cabins, they know not to worry because it’s one of you playing a prank on the other. 

you and percy keep track of who plays the best pranks on a white board. so far, you’re winning by two points! 

one of your best pranks to date was when you and nico actually convinced percy that his cabin was haunted. initially, he actually thought it was a prank. but as the prank progressed, your boyfriend thought it was way too real to just be fake. so then, he slowly became convinced that his place was haunted. the best part was when he came running out of his cabin into yours, screaming that there was an angry ghost coming to get him. 

you and nico had a good laugh that night. 

you guys always have some sort of bet or competition going on. one week you two would be competing for the fastest time on the climbing wall. next thing you know, percy’s betting that you can’t beat him in a pegasus race. 

at this point, everyone uses you two as a form of entertainment around camp. you guys are always up to something, so when it’s quiet around, your friends immediately become suspicious. it’s either a) the quiet before the storm, meaning that you guys are planning something or b) you guys are just simply in danger. 

it’s never a boring day when you and percy are around!

MATCHING JEWELRY!! 

one christmas, you two oddly had the same gift idea?? 

you bought him a lightning bolt charm to add onto his camp necklace. coincidentally, he just happened to get you an ocean wave charm for your necklace! 

it was such a cute moment when you two realized that you guys had the same idea. ever since then, you and percy have always been on the lookout for matching charms and jewelry. 

you guys are the it couple of camp. everyone can’t decide if they want to be you or if they want to be percy. ugh the struggles of being the best couple at chb…

[codenamesazanka]

While I could see how the ending of Touya going home to eat a meal with his family was expected, I always thought that was a touch too fantastical. Not because it wouldn't have been the perfect ending - it would have been a very fitting one, given the recurring motif of Todoroki meals - but because I felt it would've require an absolutely extreme restructuring of Hero Society - a complete change in attitude towards Villains, and, frankly, the destruction/reform of the current in-universe prison system. Which we saw none of in the 100+ chapters of the final arc post-Jaku.

Like. For Touya to be able to go home, means that the system is willing to change everything written here:

A detention facility constructed in the open waters about five kilometers from the mainland. Though nominally a prison, the facility effectively serves as a dumping ground for individuals who pose significant threats to public safety and security. Regardless of sentencing status, these individuals are incarcerated and heavily monitored. The prisoners have a wide range of quirks and are assigned to one of six cell blocks based on the danger their quirks represent and the severity of their cases. The more dangerous the individual, the deeper they're kept within the prison. Tartarus is the dark side of quirk society, and it is said that anyone imprisoned there will never again emerge alive.

That's how the story describes Tartarus, and absolutely no one in-story ever considers this bad (...except for the MLA's political party, who accuses it of human rights violations, but they're evil, so it canceled out to good/neutral again).

For Touya to go home, means that Tartarus is just not a thing, that he's not going to be in another similar prison straitjacketed 24/7 with guns pointed at him; he's not going to be locked in there because even if he can't use his fire anymore without hurting himself and that's good incentive to stop, he had/still has dangerous anti-hero views (Overhaul was armless and essentially 'quirkless', and thus of low threat to anyone, but he was still put into Tartarus for his 'dangerous ideology', as per the character book).

It would mean that Touya is receiving therapy in prison, so that when he steps outside, he's stepping out after having gone through a thorough checkup and made sure that he's not harboring harmful-to-self-and-others thoughts (see: Ending the Villain, whose first action when he was released from prison was to skip a meal to stalk Endeavor.) It would have to mean that the public will stop ostracizing people and be willing to give Villains second chances, at least enough to stomach the idea of Touya not receiving the death penalty and living in house arrest or something.

All of this is never hinted to happen.

It's the same for the idea of Toga joining UA, or Shigaraki becoming a hero, or even Spinner becoming an advocate that people listen to and take seriously. For that to happen, things would have to change. Someone - a hero, all the heroes, collectively - had to have declared and promised with all their hearts and might to make these changes, to be willing to go that far.

And these changes don't just apply to the League - gets applied to all Villains and all criminals and all people! If it was just the League who gets these benefits, it will be because of the high-level connections the League has to top-Heroes like All Might and Endeavor, and that would be audacious string-pulling, nepotism, and outright corruption of the highest degree. If you want to claim that Hero Society is doing better, you cannot have this either. Appropriate leniency and consideration of circumstances and rehabilitation and understanding and all that has to be shown equally to all Villains. This is what I mean when I say to save the League, you have to save all villains.

For the Villains to be saved and to be able to live happy socially-integrated lives meant that their society has been radically and irrevocably changed enough that they can and have a reason to participate - that that bright future truly included them - but it just didn't happen. it wasn't happening in 'we all became the greatest heroes' chapter 325, it wasn't happening in 'Tsukauchi grudging admitting they have to acknowledge villains are human' chapter 378, and it's probably not happening now.

[rocknroll7575]

Knight of Olympus: Titans Lullaby - Chapter 3: Cursed Kisses

The three sat around the table as Jaune had finished telling the two what had happened when he left the Cabin and what The Oracle had said to him, and they focused on deciphering the prophecy.

Chiron turned to the young blonde, "What was the first line of the prophecy?" he asked.

"To the Knight, who bears a broken heart and two bloody hands," Jaune repeated. "That's me, no doubt about that,"

"Yes, and the reason she called you that was because of that friend you were forced to kill, correct?" Mr. D said.

Jaune nodded, "Yeah," He replied. "The second line was, "Come and fight, and seek the place with the whitest sands," any idea what that could mean?"

Chiron seemed to be in deep thought, "There is one place that comes to mind, and it's not a beach," He said.

"Where?" Jaune asked.

"White Sand National Park in New Mexico," Chiron replied. "It's a place where some of the Titans and Titaness who didn't take sides during the war are currently staying, they simply have been wanting to live in peace... but, with Kronos returning, he may go there, and try to recruit them,"

Jaune nodded in understanding and recited the next line, "Travel southwest and you shall find the banished mother," Jaune repeated.

"New Mexico is southwest, but... who could this "banished mother" be?" Chiron asked.

Jaune shrugged, "beats me, you know Mr. D?" Jaune asked, turning to the wine god.

Mr. D finished his can of diet coke and looked at Jaune, "I'm afraid not, after all, none of them are truly banished, we Olympians have been leaving them alone since they haven't posed a threat," Mr. D said.

"Like all the rest, face to face with the one who shall become another," Jaune repeated, "But who could that be?"

"Luke?" Chiron asked, "Unlike everyone here, you're the only one who has yet to meet him,"

Jaune sighed, he had been informed about Luke, and the things he heard were a mix of good and bad, but mostly bad since he had left camp and sided with the Kronos, so it wasn't far-fetched that he would run into him soon. "But then what about the line of "one who shall become another"?" Jaune asked.

"That I am afraid, I don't know," Chiron replied.

Jaune let out a sigh, "Well after that, the next line is, "Find the blade, and Hades will make you a deal" but who is Hades?"

"He is king of the underworld and ruler of the dead," Chiron told him. "But he doesn't have a blade, he has his helm of Darkness, but..."

"He could be making a new weapon that would put him on par with Zeus and Posiden," Mr. D said. "They wouldn't like that at all,"

However, in the back of Jaune's mind, he couldn't help but think of his own missing blade, Crocea Mors, and remembered it had no doubt fallen to the bottom of the ocean, and that was fine by him... he didn't want to have a weapon that took the life of a friend.

"Accept the trade and two fates you shall seal," Jaune repeated. "But whose fates will they be?"

Chiron shook his head, "That I don't know either," He said.

Jaune sighed and continued, "Atop the oldest mount, you will beat the mad titan bloody," Jaune repeated. "12 by your count, and a king's name you shall muddy,"

"Atop the oldest mount? Could it mean Mount Othrys?" Chiron asked.

Jaune raised a brow in confusion, "Mount what?" he asked.

Chiron looked at him, "Mount Othrys, it was the base of the Titans during the First Titan War" Chiron told him, "In the First War, it was assaulted by the Olympians, where Zeus used Kronos' Scythe to cut him into a thousand pieces, and cast him into Tartarus, and it predates Mount Olympus,"

Jaune nodded, "So if it's there, then who's the Mad Titan?" he asked.

"That is another one that bothers me," Chiron said, "The "Mad" part could mean they are angry with the gods, or it could mean they were driven to madness, so the wording is confusing," Chiron said.

Jaune sighed nearly getting fed up with the vagueness, "Ugh, ok... what about the last line? 12 by your count, and a king's name you shall muddy,"?" he asked.

"The only 12 that come to mind are the Gods, and the king, of course, is Zeus," Chiron said, "But the big question is how would you muddy his name?" she asked.

Jaune shrugged, "I have no idea... the last thing I would want to do is piss off the king of the gods," Jaune said.

Chiron smiled, "Indeed," he said. "Well, worry not Jaune, eventually, the Oracle's words will make sense as the journey continues, but for now, get some rest, and we'll choose the Councilors going with you on your-"

Jaune shook his head, "No," Jaune replied. "I need to do this alone, I'm not bringing them along on something this dangerous," Jaune told Chiron.

Chiron sighed, "A quest is usually done in threes," Chiron replied, "You have to take-

"NO!" Jaune cried as he stood up from his seat.

This outburst shocked Chiron and even Mr. D the two as they looked at the young man.

Jaune looked at them with an angry look, "Look, they are just kids... let them be kids, even for a little longer," Jaune said.

Jaune's thoughts trailed back to his at Beacon, his carefree memories, and the brief relaxation of Atlas with RWBY and Penny. All the Good he could do, even if it was just walking kids across the street.

He thought about all the horror and pain he witnessed during the fall, the destruction of the Mistral villages, the guilt he felt because it was his fault Weiss was stabbed, the hopelessness he discovered when he learned the truth, the guilt he felt for being mad at Oscar, all the deaths caused by Tyrian in Mantle, and finally, the killing of Penny.

None of it should've happened. None of that should have become a reality and yet... because of other people's actions, because of an evil ancient woman and a man willing to rope young adults into an endless war, it did happen.

Jaune wasn't going to let that happen, not anymore.

Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Will, Clairesse, Charlie, Drew, and every other camper here... they were just children.

"I'm not letting any more children get roped into a mess that was never theirs to begin with..." Jaune said sadly as he turned away to go back to his room...

That was all last night, and currently, the young blonde knight was finishing getting packed while being supplied with some Money, both for the human world and the Magical world, this time, he was also granted to use a Van that they use to transport their jam, thanks to his age and knowing how to drive a car.

Once outside of the Big House, Jaune saw Chiron waiting for him. "Setting off?" He asked.

Jaune nodded, "Yeah," He replied.

Chiron nodded, "And you are sure you don't want to take some campers with you?" He asked.

Jaune nodded, "Like I said, no more kids getting roped into this mess," Jaune replied.

Chiron nodded, "Very well," he said. "Be safe and remember to be careful, the monsters of this world are far more dangerous and some even have intelligence, so do not underestimate them," Chiron finished.

Jaune smiled, "Don't worry, I've faced my fair share of dangerous monsters, and none of them are putting me down, I still got things I need to do, here and in my world," Jaune told him.

Chiron smiled at him and gave him a quick nod, "Very well then, but I think you'll need these," Chiron said.

Chiron then opened his hand and in his palm was a dark orange bracelet and a dark orange pen.

The bracelet had a symbol of a fire in the middle of it, and the pen looked like the ones you'd see in an office, the ones you click to write with.

Jaune was a bit confused as to why he would need them. "Uh... what am I supposed to do with these?" He asked.

Chiron chuckled, "Gifts from a certain Goddess," He said with a knowing smirk. "The bracelet is a shield, tap the symbol once and it will transform,"

Jaune grabbed the bracelet, put it on his left wrist, and then tapped the symbol, only for a shield to appear, unlike the round shields that the rest of the campers had, the shield looked just like his old one, of course, it wasn't his Emblem on the front but Hestia's and Jaune was impressed.

Chiron smiled at Jaune's reaction and handed him the pen. "Click it and it shall turn into a sword," He told Jaune.

Jaune took the pen and did so, and when he did, the sword took form, he noticed that it had dark red leather wrapped around the handle, and the blade looked different, it didn't look like Celestial bronze, no the blade was black and appeared like it was charred wood. He noticed that there appeared to be small cracks in the blade, but they looked more like decoration than actual cracks.

"Say Fotiá," Chiron told him.

Jaune nodded and looked at the blade with a smile, "Fotiá," He said.

Suddenly the blade burst into flames and Jaune was in awe at the sight before him, and that's when he noticed the cracks of the blade, had begun to glow, like hot embers.

"It's beautiful," Jaune said with a smile.

Chiron nodded, "Indeed," He said. "Now, just say the words again and the flames will turn off, and simply press the bottom of the pommel and it will turn back into a pen," He said.

Jaine recited the words and when the flames turned off, he pressed the bottom of the pommel and the blade did as Chiron said it would, and was now back to simply being a pen.

Jaune smiled, "This needs a name," Jaune said.

Chiron smiled, "And what would you name it?" The Centaur asked.

Jaune thought for a moment before the image of Hestia appeared in his mind, and he could not stop thinking about her beauty, that is when he decided on the name, he would name it after her beauty.

"Beauté brûlante," He said.

Chiron nodded, "I believe that was French you spoke," He said.

Jaune nodded, "In my world, it's southern Valerian," Jaune replied. "It means Burning Beauty,"

Chiron chuckled, "A fitting name for a gift from the goddess of the hearth," He said. "Now then, best to get going, you'll find a map in the Van that will guide you to White-Sand National Park, and know that I'll be praying for your safe return," Chiron told him.

Jaune nodded, "Thank you, Chiron," Jaune had said.

The two parted with a handshake and Jaune left for the Vans, and there he was given the keys for one, and Jaune got in, started it up, and drove off.

As Jaune drove out of Camp and onto the main road, he eventually stopped and looked at the map, and he saw which road he needed to take to get on the Highway. Jaune then folded the map back up and started the van back up, and drove off once again, this time, with some music.

He switched through the stations, not finding the right song, till he heard one that kind of caught his ear.

"Don't wanna be an American idiot~!"

Jaune didn't like it and switched the station, only for Thalia's head to appear right next to him looking at the radio, "Aw! I love that song!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Jaune screamed.

With the sudden scare, he began to swerve the Van out of control and both he and Thalia began to scream as he kept turning the Van wildly before he quickly slammed on the breaks, the Van halted abruptly and Jaune was yanked a bit forward, but because of his seatbelt, he didn't hit the dashboard... like Thalia.

Jaune looked at the young Demigod with a dumbstruck face, "THALIA!?" He cried, "What are you doing here!?"

Thalia groaned in pain before sitting in the passenger seat and looking over at Jaune, "We're coming with you and- ugh! My head...!" She groaned.

Jaune glared at her, "Listen, I don't need-!" Jaune stopped himself and realized what she had said. "Wait... what do you mean "we"?"

Suddenly, the back door of the van burst open and Jaune saw two figures popping out. Jaune quickly undid his seatbelt and got out of the van, running over to the back to see who else had been in the van, when he reached the back of the van, he saw Will throwing up and Drew rubbing her head.

"WILL!? DREW!?" Jaune cried.

Drew looked at Jaune with a bashful smile, "Uh... Hi Jaune," She greeted.

Will simply gave him a wave as he was still throwing up.

Jaune sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Get back in the van, I'm turning around and taking you three back to camp," He said.

Thalia got out and looked at him, "No way! We're coming with!" She said. "We heard everything last night and you need help!" She said.

Jaune shook his head, "No, No I don't" He said and he turned to glare at the daughter of Zeus, "And how did you three know about this?" He asked.

Will turned around and looked at him after his puking session, "When you didn't show up last night for extra practice, Drew and I headed over to the big house and that's when we saw the Oracle give you a prophecy, and then we heard you, Chiron and Mr. D talking about it," He said. "Thalia caught us but we told her to keep quiet and we heard everything," Will said.

Drew looked at him, "We also heard how you didn't want help, but with where you're going and the things you might face, you're gonna need our help," She said.

Jaune groaned, "Look, I don't want you three in danger, which is why I didn't want to take anyone along," He said. "I know monsters are attracted to Demigods and they might be attracted to me because of my aura, so the more of us there are, the more we draw attention to ourselves, especially you," he said pointing to Thalia.

"Me?" Thalia asked.

"Look, all I know is that your... grandfather, might try to get to you," He said. "Which is why you were supposed to stay at Camp," he said with an angry tone.

Thalia glared at him, "Look, I can't just sit around and do nothing after so long!" She cried. "I need to be out here and help the fight!"

Jaune growled, "What you need to do, Thalia, is stay at camp and stay safe! You're still trying to readjust from not being a tree! You need time to regain strength!"

"I don't need time to do anything! I can fight just fine! What I need to do is find Luke and make him pay!" Thalia growled.

Jaune was confused as to who she was talking about, all he knew was the threat of Thalia's grandfather, Kronos. He had no idea who this Luke guy was. "I could care less why your out here! You need to be back at camp!" Jaune cried.

"Why do you care!? This isn't even your world!" Thalia cried. "This is my world and my fight! And you are not going to top me!"

Jaune at this point had reached his breaking point, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA JUST WHAT YOU ARE GETTING YOURSELF INTO!?" He cried with fury. "DO YOU HAVE THE SLIGHTEST WHAT THE HELL IT IS YOU PLAN ON DOING!? YOU ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT KILLING SOMEONE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS LIKE!?" He asked.

Thalia was taken aback by his outburst and slowly she shook her head, Jaune wanted to yell at her and tell her he knew exactly what it was like but he stopped himself, something was holding him back, he didn't know why he stopped himself from hitting Thalia with the reality of what she wanted to do... but he did.

Jaune took a deep breath in and then let it out, he leaned against the van and let out a sigh. "Just get in the van and let's get going," he said.

Drew looked at him with a raised brow, "Y-You're letting us come with?" She asked.

Jaune nodded slowly, "You're already here so, might as well let you tag along," He said, "But there are rules... you do what I say and you do it no matter what, I tell you to run, you run, I tell you to leave, you leave, got it? Do not risk your lives for me, that is the most important rule of all, understand?"

The three nodded in unison, however, they couldn't help but feel a pit in their stomach form, as they wondered why Jaune was so easily accepting this possible future demise.

Jaune nodded back, "Good, now get back in the van, and let's get going," he said.

All four got inside the van and Jaune started it up and Thalia quickly changed it back to the previous station where they were playing another song she liked, so they left it on there for now as they drove farther away from camp. Jaune was still not happy the three had snuck on he was sure he would be getting an earful from Chiron, and even worse, he was worried that he couldn't keep them safe...

But he would have to try his best.

XXX

XXX

XXX

After an hour of driving on a back road around New York City, Will and Drew had fallen asleep with Thalia still awake in the passenger side, still listening to the Radio with Jaune. However, Thalia looked over to Jaune and decided to break the long silence between them.

"So... what was that all about?" Thalia asked him.

"Hm?" Jaune asked.

Thalia sighed, "Don't play dumb, what was that about knowing what it was like to kill someone... Have you... killed anyone" She asked.

Jaune let out a long sigh, "I... I don't wanna talk about it," Jaune told her.

Thalia could see that there was a story, a dark one, but she wasn't going to pry, she didn't want to upset him.

However, Jaune now had a question for the demigoddess. "Who's Luke?" Jaune asked.

Thalia looked at him with a raised brow, "Chiron didn't mention him?" Thalia asked.

Jaune shook his head, "No, only told me about Kronos," Jaune replied.

Thalia looked away from him and out the window, watching the woods pass by. "Luke... he was my friend, more than that, he was like family," Thalia began. "Before we ran into Annabeth, He and I were on the road for a long time, we had each other's backs and kept each other safe, and when I gave up my life to save him and Annabeth, I thought that he'd still be the guy I knew... the selfless hero who'd protect Annabeth and be the good person I knew he was... but I was wrong," She finished.

Jaune glanced at her for a quick second, "What happened?" He asked.

"He stole my father's master bolt, planned on giving it to Kronos, then he poisoned Percy and ran away, only for him to then poison me while I was still a tree and put the camp in danger, nearly got Annabeth killed, and destroyed the only safe place for people like us... he betrayed everyone, he betrayed me," She seethed. "I want to make him pay for everything he's done and I want- I need to be the one to kill him,"

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Annabeth can't do it," Thalia said. "She looks up to look, she thinks there's a way for us to talk some sense into him, but I know he's too far gone," She finished.

Jaune wanted to think she was right, as his thoughts drifted back to Cinder, and he knew it was far to late for her to ever be redeemed, but then he thought of another person he had recently worked with who had helped hurt him and his friends. Emerald... she had changed, she had helped them, and while he couldn't say he had completely forgiven her, unlike Cinder, she wasn't too far gone, and is she could change, perhaps there was hope for this Luke guy.

"No one's too far gone, Thalia," He said. "Trust me on that," He said.

Thalia wanted to believe him, and a small part of her did, a small part of her said that Jaune was right, that she and Annabeth could find a way to get through to Luke, to bring him back to their side, but another part of her, told her that Luke was beyond saving, that he was and is going to pay for all the terrible things he had done.

Thalia sighed, not knowing how to feel and not knowing what to do, but she would figure something out, she had to because she only had until she turned 16.

As the Demigoddess was in deep thought, something suddenly hit the Van, and the two jolted but Jaune kept the van straight, despite the sudden hit. The jerk of the Van woke up Will and Drew and they quickly looked around before turning to Jaune and Thalia.

"What was that!?" Drew cried.

"I don't know!" Jaune responded.

The Van was struck again and the four were jerked around once more, but then Jaune and Thalia turned to the left side of the Van only to see another van hitting them, however, this one was black with a Scythe symbol on the side of it.

Jaune gritted his teeth and quickly pressed on the gas, trying to speed up, but the other van kept keeping up with them and swerved out, before turning back and hitting them, this time, the Van was nearly thrown off the road, and not wanting to crash and get the three younger teens injured, Jaune slammed on the breaks as the other Van sped in front of them before coming to a halt.

Jaune, Thalia, Will, and Drew looked out the front window and saw the doors of the black van open, and coming out of it was a group of people, clad in what appeared to be swat-like armor, and with one woman, with Raven hair and lavender eyes, stepped out in front of all of them and Jaune noticed that strapped to her side was a sword and based on the shape of the sheath, it looked like a scimitar.

"Who the hell is that?" Thalia asked.

Jaune's eyes remained on the figure and the men behind her, and he then looked at the three, "Stay in the van, all of you," He said

Will looked at Jaune, "No way! Jaune, we can help!" he cried.

Jaune looked back at him, "No, not yet, not until we know what the threat is," he said. "Once you can see what we're up against, then jump in, but only then, understand? No taking any risks," He said.

The three wanted to argue, but Jaune undid his seatbelt, quickly got out of the van, and closed the door, he looked over to the military-looking group with an expressionless face, and the female leader looked at him with a sinister grin.

"Ah, it seemed our information was correct," She said. "The man from another world... Jaune Arc,"

Jaune glared at her, 'If they know who I am then she's not human,' He thought. "Maybe... who are you?"

"I'm afraid that does not matter," She replied, "What matters is you... And the daughter of Zeus," She said.

Jaune glared and not missing a beat, he grabbed the pen from his pocket and activated the sword, but did not utter the words to activate the flames. Jaune stepped forward a few feet and looked at the woman, "Leave or else," He warned.

The woman smiled and drew her scimitar, which was celestial bronze, and pointed it at Jaune, "I was afraid you'd do this the hard way," She said. She then turned her head to look at the soldiers with a smirk, "Kill the other two demigods, bring me Thalia Grace and Jaune Arc," She ordered.

The Soldiers behind her drew their own swords from their backs and charged at Jaune, with great speed that didn't seem human.

Jaune activated his shield and took a fighting stance. "Fotiá!" Jaune cried.

Beauté Brûlante burst into flames and Jaune quickly cut through one of the soldiers and instantly, they burst into gold dust. Jaune saw another coming and blocked their attack with his shield and saw another coming right at him, Jaune pushed the first one and turned to the second soldier charging in and blocking their sword with his own.

The first soldier saw an opening and kicked Jaune in the side, sending him flying into a nearby tree and then falling to the ground. Still, Jaune quickly got back up only to see both soldiers charging in at him one pulled their sword back to go in for a stab, but Jaune moved his head to the side and the sword stabbed the trunk of the tree, and Jaune quickly stabbed them in the stomach and they evaporated into gold dust like the last one.

The second soldier slashed at Jaune, but the young knight ducked under the swing, only for the soldier to grab the collar of Jaune's armor and throw him back toward the road, Jaune tumbled on the ground, and when he stopped, he began to slowly get up only to see that more soldiers quickly surrounded him.

The female leader stepped forward and looked at Jaune with a smug smirk, "Come on now, don't make this harder than it has to be," She said. "Keep struggling and I'll kill one of the kids right in front of you," She said.

Jaune growled and he quickly got up, and raised his shield, looking at each guard, ready for one of them to strike, however, one got shot with an arrow and another had a dagger in their back. Jaune quickly turned his head to see Will and Drew out of the van and with their weapons, and that's when he saw Thalia in front of them, with electricity buzzing out of her eyes and around her spear, and she charged at the soldiers, pulling back her spear and when she had closed the gap between her and them, she quickly stabbed them in the chest and they burst into dust, and quickly slashed at a second, cutting its neck and also causing it to become nothing but gold vapor.

Will loaded another arrow and shot at another soldier, however, the soldier grabbed it before it could hit him, dropping it, before running toward the son of Apollo, when the young boy saw the incoming threat, he prepared another arrow and aimed as fast as he could.

As the soldier closed the distance, Will fired an arrow but the soldier sidestepped the attack and raised their sword to bring it down on Will, but the young boy rolled out of the way as the sword struck the pavement.

Will quickly notched another arrow and fired it at the left side of the soldier's head, finally hitting them and causing them to burst into dust.

Meanwhile, Drew picked up her second dagger and quickly came face to face with another soldier, who tried to slash at her, but Drew quickly bent backward and dodged the attack, and quickly took a few steps back and prepared to fight against her foe.

They swung at her but she used both daggers to block his attack quickly pushed the sword away, and slashed at him with one dagger, which he managed to deflect, but she used her second to stab them, in the leg, causing them to kneel in pain. Drew pulled back her first dagger and stabbed the soldier in the face, and much like the rest, caused them to fade into dust.

Back with Jaune, he walked toward the female leader and easily dispatched one soldier who tried to slash at him, but Jaune parried the attack with his shield and then stabbed them in the chest, and kicked them off before they evaporated.

The female leader smiled at Jaune and took a fighting stance as she saw the blonde approaching her. "Alright then, let's go little mortal," She said.

She charged in and swung at Jaune, but Jaune blocked the attack with his blade, and the woman pulled her blade back to strike again, this time, Jaune blocked her stroke with his shield and quickly swung at her, but she quickly backed up and weaved away from Jaune's attack. She swung at him again, and this time managed to hit him in the shoulder, however, the attack didn't hit due to his aura. Like Thalia before her, she was confused and Jaune used her stupor to slash her across the stomach quickly, and he managed to make her bleed, as Ichor, the golden blood of the Titans and gods, seeped from the wound, however, the cut was not as lethal as he had hoped.

The woman backed away and looked at her cut, she felt a burning sensation from the wound and chalked it up to the fire magic imbued into the blade, but she couldn't care less about that right now. Using two fingers, she wiped it up, looked at the golden blood on her fingers, and smiled. "It's been so long since I had bled," She said before her lips slowly formed into a smirk and she wiped the golden blood on her lips, creating a disgusting makeshift gold lipstick. "I'll tell you my name, Jaune Arc, and perhaps later, your friends will tell you who I am," She said sinisterly

Jaune took a stance, ready to fight, as the flames of Beauté Brûlante roared next to him, "I don't have all day lady," Jaune replied.

The woman giggled, "Of course," She said, "I am the Titan Theia, Goddess of sight and vision," She said.

Jaune was confused as to what weight her name held, however, it was Will who recognized her name, "Your Hyperion's wife... which means you're also Helios's mother!" he cried.

Jaune looked at him with a confused expression, "Who?" He asked.

Will shook his head, "Long story, but just know that she's part of the first generation of Titans, like Kronos," he told Jaune.

Theia glared at Will, "Correct spawn of Apollo, and to correct you, Ex-Wife to Hyperion now," She spat, "Damn weak fool he is,"

"What are you doing here?" Thalia said as he joined Jaune's side.

Theia smiled at the demigod, "Lord Kronos wanted me to bring him Jaune Arc, after all, a man from another world, who is not bound to our laws is... oh so useful," She said with a chuckle.

'Not bound by our laws?' Will thought. 'What does she mean?'

Jaune also caught onto her words, wondering what she had meant when she had said he wasn't bound by their laws.

Theia however, didn't let them ponder the question too long as she spoke up once more, "But here I am with not only him standing before me, but the daughter of Zeus as well, oh my what a lucky day this is," Theia said as her eyes now looked to the young punk girl. "Lord Kronos had plans for you, Thalia Grace,"

Thalia glared at the female titan, "Well he can shove those plans right back up his ass," She told Theia, "I'm not going to be his pawn!" She cried.

"Are you so sure?" She asked. "Your friend Luke seemed so sure you would come over to us, after all, do you not want the power of a god, little half-blood?"

Thalia stiffened up a little and Jaune noticed this, and he began to grow worried, so, he quickly stepped in front of the younger teen and glared at the Titan.

Seeing him step in front of Thalia, Theia smirked at the sight. "Oh my, how cute you are, protecting Zeus's offspring!" She mocked, "Jaune Arc, protector of half-bloods! Such a nice ring to it~!" She taunted some more.

Jaune glared at her and prepared to fight, "If you're done trying to piss me off, then let's get this over with," He said.

Theia chuckled, "Oh no! No, no, no! I don't want to end this so soon!" She said. "I think I'll have a little fun with you~!" She said.

Suddenly, she waved her hand in the air and suddenly, she was invisible. Seeing this happen, the Demigods and Jaune looked all around for any small sign of her or waited for her to attack, however, instead of attacking any of them, she reappeared in front of Jaune, shocking the young knight just enough for her to grab him by the head and pull him into a kiss.

Seeing this, Thalia glared at the titan and tried to jab the Titaness, only for Theia to break the kiss just in time and quickly step back from the group.

Theia snickered as she licked her lips and looked at Jaune with a smug expression, "Mhm~! Quite tasty for a mortal," she said.

Jaune was confused as to why she kissed him and she touched his lips only to see her bloody ichor lipstick had stained his lips.

Theia sheathed her blade and she stared at Jaune, and her eyes glowed a bright lavender color as the white of her eyes became dark the night sky. "Με αυτό το φιλί, σε βρίζω, Jaune Arc," She said. "Το μυαλό σας θα στοιχειωθεί από τρομερά φαντάσματα!"

Jaune was confused as to what she was saying but even before he could ask what she was saying, she began to slowly fade away, her eyes still locked on him and her smug smile still gracing her lips.

"Αντίο Jaune... Ελπίζω να σας ξανα γευτώ πολύ σύντομα~!" Theia said, licking her lips once more before fully disappearing.

Jaune was confused about what Theia had spoken and turned to the three demigods with a raised brow, "What did she say?" he asked.

Thalia glared at him and huffed before turning around and heading back toward the van, while Drew tried to hold in a bit of laughter, but was trying to calm herself down, as she walked back to the van.

Will looked at Jaune with an uneasy smile, "I don't know if you are the luckiest guy on earth to be kissed by a Titan, or if you are the unluckiest person to ever live," He said as he walked back to the van as well.

Jaune's eyes widened with worry as he turned back to the three and chased after them, "H-Hang on! What the hell did she say!?" he asked.

Jaune eventually got his answer as they all piled back into the van and Jaune simply grumbled in annoyance, wondering if she had actually cursed him or simply tried to scare him, but Jaune knew that from this moment forward, things were just going to get harder as the journey continued.

He just hoped that they all would make it there in one piece and not run into any more big dangers like Theia, but even with that small hope, Jaune knew the chances of that were slim to none.

XXX

XXX

XXX

How was the third chapter everyone? Did you enjoy it!? It seems Jaune now has another ancient deity lusting after him! Seems like the Arc charm is backfiring here on Earth eh?

I was wondering which Titan to make Jaune's enemy for the first half of the story and I thought that Theia was a good fit since I don't think we have a lot of female Titans in the main books and since she is the titan goddess of sight and vision, her powers would be sort of illusion based and with the curse she put on Jaune, things are only going to get worse for him.

Yay! Jaune is going to be psychologically tortured! Ha, such a classic trope!

However, I will say this, She is not the banished mother nor is she the Titan that Jaune is meant to beat bloody.

Anyway, here are the translations!

1. Με αυτό το φιλί, σε βρίζω, Jaune Arc, = With this kiss, I curse you, Jaune Arc,

2. Το μυαλό σας θα στοιχειωθεί από τρομερά φαντάσματα! = Your mind will be haunted by terrible ghosts!

3. Αντίο Jaune... Ελπίζω να σας ξανα γευτώ πολύ σύντομα~! = Bye Jaune... I hope to taste you again very soon~!

With that, thank you all for reading, and I hope to see you all in the next chapter!

[ordon-pumpkin]

Remembering (Alt Title: Apollo Gives The Best Hugs)

A short (2280 word) fanfic set after The Sun and The Star. (Tags: Hurt/Comfort, fluff, Solangelo, Apollo being a good parent)

Note: I read The Sun and The Star and I spent most of it hoping for a scene like this at the end to explain the whole Will forgetting about Apollo returning thing. Since the book seems to have… er forgotten. Quite a disappointing oversight but that’s what fix-it fics are for. So, here’s what I envisioned happening. From Apollo’s POV because I miss it. 💛

//////////////////

My son and his boyfriend had embarked on a dangerous quest. One that left me worried. I respected their choices, even if their journey was one I wished they wouldn’t take. The life of a demigod was riddled with danger, quests, and things unfathomable to a regular mortal. Yet, it was commonplace for them. It felt as though my relationship will Will as his father had barely begun. Now, he had journeyed far from me. My heart ached at the thought of losing him.

While they were away I continually checked Camp Half-Blood. After several unsuccessful visits the dread started to grow. Until one day I showed up only to see a head full of messy blonde hair running towards the infirmary for supplies.

Will!

My son.

My beautiful son!

Tears welled up in my eyes. He had survived! I could sense pain coming from him and see bandages and scratches across his form. He was drained from being away from the sun for too long. But the injuries were, thankfully, minor. I turned to look where he had come from. I saw Chiron and Dionysus talking with Nico. He too was pretty banged up, but all things considered he looked well. I thought I saw shadows shift near him. Perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me. Though, with a child of Hades who knew for certain?

Will had disappeared into the infirmary. I approached the doorway and leaned against the frame. My son grabbed supplies; fresh bandages and ointments. He paused to look down at a bandage wrapped around himself. It had bled partially though. The bandage needed to be changed, but of course Will would put Nico’s needs first. I shook my head and blinked away the tears in my eyes. He was incredible. My son.

“Don’t neglect your own wounds. What good is a doctor if they are fighting off infections?” I said simply. “You know… I could help with this.”

Will’s back remained turned to me as he filled a bag with anything he might need. He was focused and determined. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. I heal fast anyway.”

I hummed in amusement at the reply. “Oh, I’m sure you do.”

He froze.

Then, slowly, he turned around. The expression on his face was difficult to read, as if a million things were going through his mind. After a moment, he reached his hand up to run his fingers into his curly blonde hair. He sat down hard on one of the infirmary beds. A look of shock on his features. 

“Dad?” His eyes were watery. “Oh gods.”

“Will?” I approached him as if he were a frightened animal that might run away at any moment. I didn’t want to scare him away, not when I finally knew he was safe. 

“I-I’m sorry.” Will’s voice cracked.

“Sorry?! Whatever for?” I took another step in his direction. “My son! A hero that survived Tartarus! I’ll admit I was worried. But I knew if anyone could succeed it was you and Nico!”

A light blush dusted his cheeks at the praise, but he still appeared to be struggling. 

“When I was down there… I forgot.” Will began before stopping himself. His head tilted away from me as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

“What did you forget?” Again, I found myself concerned.

He looked down at his hand and picked at the sheet covering the bed. “I forgot you came back.”

The words left me speechless.

“When I was down there. I-I guess it messed with my head. I thought you went off to fight Python, became a god again and that was it. That you never came back. That I’d be lucky to ever see you again at all. I remember now. You’ve visited. We’ve sat around the fire together. But when I was down there I really thought you never did.”

A gasp escaped my lips. Will turned to look at me. His words felt like a knife to my chest. Because there was a time when I thought that’s how it would be. Finish my trials, become a god again, everything back to how it was before. It wasn’t what I wanted now. My experiences as Lester had changed me. Still, the Underworld had caused Will to forget that I had returned to him. 

I couldn’t help but think that such a thing was exactly what I deserved.

“You were…far from the sun.” I felt the heavy weight of shame cover me like a cloak. “The Underworld didn’t even have to do much to make you believe that I left for good. It’s what you rightfully should have expected based on my track record. I hadn’t been there for you like I should have in the past. It only seems fitting that you would think I returned to godhood and abandoned you.

Fists clenched at my sides, not angry with him, but certainly with myself.

“Will…” My eyes met his again and I hoped he could feel the sincerity in my words. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He studied me briefly. His eyes darted from mine to my hands, then my slumped shoulders, the tension in my neck. Will’s eyes were those of a physician looking for signs in the body language of a patient. Then his demeanor shifted, the studious look melting away. Finally, those same eyes rolled at me. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a smirk. “Stop that.”

“Excuse me?”

“I feel bad for forgetting. Even if it was temporary.” My son got up and walked towards me. I could see that his eyes were now watery, matching my own. “But you haven’t. You haven’t forgotten what you promised!”

I swallowed and the tears spilled. He was right. Jason’s sacrifice. My promise to remember what it was like to be human. How could I ever forget? The experiences I had as Lester, they changed me. Being around my children reminded me of the person I had become, who I wanted to be. I was determined to remember. Though it didn’t mean I still couldn’t be ashamed of my absence in the past.

“I haven’t forgotten, but I certainly couldn’t blame you or your siblings for being upset with me for being so distant before.”

“Seriously, stop it. You are standing in front of me right now!” Will stepped closer to me as he spoke his hands gesturing freely. “You are here checking up on me. Making sure I made it back safely. I’ve been back for less than 5 minutes! How many times have you checked while I was away?

A sheepish smile crept on my face. I wasn’t intending to go from absent parent to helicopter parent. But you try finding out that your kid is heading to Tartarus of all places! Can you blame me for being worried?

“That’s what I thought.” Will rushed forward and wrapped his arms around me. “It means a lot to me. You being here. Checking up on me. Checking in at Camp Half-Blood. It means everything. Thank you, Dad.”

Great. As if I wasn’t already crying! I returned his embrace and began to glow, pouring healing energy into him. I noticed Will glowing as well and felt him breathe out in relief as all of his remaining injuries and aches faded.

His voice was a bit muffled against my chest. “You give really good hugs. You know that?”

“The best in existence, I assure you.” I smiled.

He laughed at that, but made no move to leave the embrace. Which I certainly had no objections to. Will had been away from the sun for too long. I could feel him regaining strength in my arms. He could take all the time he needed.

“Oh.” Another voice came from the doorway. 

I turned towards it to see my son’s boyfriend. 

“Apollo.” Nico’s lips were curved in a subtle smile before he caught himself. He tried to hide by rubbing his hand over his mouth. “You’re here.”

It occurred to me that while in the Underworld Nico may have forgotten I ever returned as well. He did seem pleased to see me, which was quite a win in my eyes. It made me feel as though Will was happy for me to be in his life as well.

“Yes. I am.” I said. Nico was tough, as was Will. I didn’t interfere with their quest, but I didn’t see a need for either of them to be in pain any longer. My voice became stern. “And you are hurt.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He looked away.

Will scoffed in annoyance. “Always the tough guy.”

“Get over here, future son-in-law, and let me heal you.” It was as much me teasing them as it was sincere.

“DAD!” Will groaned.

I laughed in return. To be fair, I wanted to be there for my kids. But maybe the idea of embarrassing them from time to time was an added benefit.

To my surprise, Nico approached. Exhaustion was evident on his face. These two had been through a lot together and apparently the idea of feeling better was more appealing than keeping up a tough guy appearance. 

He stopped within arms reach of us, eyes squinting. “Never mind. I can’t say I’m the biggest hugger anyway and you two are a little…bright.”

I dimmed the glow and noticed Will doing the same. I reached out the arm that wasn’t around Will. “Let me help you, Nico. Please? Those injuries can leave you sore and achey for weeks, much longer if I wasn’t sure Will would be healing you. He needs to rest as well. It’s the least I can do.”

The son of Hades reached up his hand to brush along some partially healed gashes on his face. “Okay, but can you leave these?”

“Whatever for? Is there a deep meaning behind them.”

“No Dad, he just likes the look.” Will looked up at me. “And so do I.”

“Ah! It does go with his aesthetic!” I understood. They certainly suited him. “They will remain I assure you.”

Nico blinked at me before shrugging and allowing me to wrap an arm around him. In a moment I could feel him breathing easier. It’s likely that the boy didn’t realize how tense and sore his entire body was outside of the nicks, scrapes, and bruises until that pain subsided. 

When I felt that the wounds were healed I loosened my embrace. 

I looked into Will’s eyes. “I’m proud of you.”

Then I turned to Nico. “BOTH of you.”

Nico nodded appreciatively and stepped back, while Will wrapped his arms around me again and squeezed quickly. “Thanks Dad. It means a lot.”

He walked over to where he had been gathering supplies. 

“I guess I won’t be needing these after all.” He took off his own old soiled bandages, revealing no remaining cuts underneath, and disposed of them.

Nico stretched and rolled his shoulders. No doubt realizing just how banged up he had been before. He tried to be discreet in checking to see if his facial scars were still there, which I found to be amusing. They were fully scars now, and they did compliment his look. 

Behind him something caught my eye. Shadows moving in the doorway. Which must have been what I had seen near Nico earlier.

“Uh. Nico, your kids are here.” Will crossed his arms with a smirk.

“Kids?” I raised an eyebrow.

Nico sighed. “Not exactly. They are demons made from my emotions.”

“He calls them Cocoa Puffs.” Will offered like that explained everything.

Considering the many so-called impossible things I’ve seen in my thousands of years, I didn’t bother prying too much. Perhaps one day Will and Nico would recount their adventure to Tartarus but it would be on their terms if they wanted to share the details with me. “And are these ‘Cocoa Puffs’ friendly?”

“Yeah, they’re friendly.” Will replied. 

I crouched down and made sure I wasn’t emitting light. If these shadowy creatures were important to my son and Nico then I would not wish to hurt them even if on accident. Our natures were not all that compatible but I wanted to try. Darkness and light didn’t need to be enemies. One approached cautiously and I reached out a hand. The contact reminded me of interacting with other spirits, but these creatures didn’t seem menacing. In their own strange way, they were kind of cute. 

“Ah. Hello there little ones.” I suppose what I was doing was petting them, or some variation of the action. They seemed to find this acceptable.

Nico watched the interaction cautiously. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, not in a threatening manner. It was more likely a reflex brought on by his desire to protect them from danger. I was the sun god, they were darkness. I couldn’t blame him for his concern. Will walked to Nico and brushed his hand against his free one. Their fingers intertwined and Will squeezed. Nico turned to him with a soft smile. The other hand fell from the sword. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. About me, I assumed, which made me quite curious. But the fact that the son of Hades was actually smiling was more than enough for me to recognize that it couldn’t have been a bad one.

After a bit of interacting with several of the Cocoa Puffs I stood and tapped my finger to my chin. “So these are Nico’s children?”

Nico huffed in annoyance as he’d already offered an alternate name.

I continued anyway in a sing-song voice. “So I’m sure that Will has adopted them! Which makes them basically myyy grandchildren!”

“Daaaaad!” Will rubbed his free hand down his face. He was blushing. Though Nico and I both noticed something else. 

“You’re glowing again.” Nico teased and elbowed his boyfriend lightly.

“I can’t help it! Is it not enough to just blush when I’m embarrassed?!?!” He glared at me.

I laughed. His pout was adorable. “Would it make you feel better to know that I do that too sometimes?”

“What? Really?!” Amusement danced in Will’s bright eyes.

“Yep. Your Aunt Artemis finds it entertaining.” I rolled my eyes. “I adore my sister, truly, but we are indeed siblings and often interact well… as you’d expect for siblings to do. She’s always finding ways to embarrass me to get that reaction.”

Will laughed loudly at the notion and it was like music to my ears. “Actually, that does make me feel better.”

After that we headed to the dining pavilion to meet with Chiron for dinner. The boys trailed behind me, but I heard their hushed conversation. 

“I’m not usually much of a hugger, but I feel a million times better. Didn’t even realize how sore I was before.” Nico whispered.

“Well, he is the god of healing.” Will pointed out. “I feel a lot better too. Not surprising that he gives good hugs all things considered.”

“Healing hugs.” Nico teased. “No wonder he has a care bear for a son.”

“Oh shut it!” Will snapped, but it was quickly followed by laughter.

Nico’s voice dropped even lower to barely a whisper. “I’m glad he’s here. You worried me down there. I knew the sun would help, but having your dad here is even better. It seems to be speeding up your recovery a lot. I know how much this means to you.”

There was no audible response from Will, but I could feel the warmth of his smile. Which was more than enough to make me have to wipe away a tear that had yet again escaped my eye. I wasn’t sure I deserved to feel as welcome as I did.

What is it about kindness? It’s a melody that overwhelms me. One I never want to take for granted.

////////////

Now, I don’t speak as the god of prophesy when I call Nico my future son-in-law. 

It is for them to decide their future. 

I do speak as someone who sees the love Will and Nico have for each other.

I do speak as someone who knows it takes a lot to go through Tartarus together.

I do speak as a dad who wants, more than anything, to see his children happy.

[anticomedygarden]

Percabeth hurt/comfort post Tartarus ptsd?

Basic I know but you can't go wrong torturing some comfort characters 😂

one of my favorite pjo tropes! so so true, thanks for the prompt. (you're my first ever prompter! bit of a landmark for me :) )

-

Staring deeply into his blue comforter like it held the secrets of the world, Annabeth didn't need to be a child of Athena to know that her boyfriend wasn't really there with her. It wasn't the first time one of them had found the other like this, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

He wasn't making noise or moving, actually not doing anything at all, which led her to believe that he wasn't having a panic attack or a flashback. Dissociation then.

After a lot of trial and error following the titan war, they'd figured out touch - especially involving water - helped ground him the best, so she didn't bother with trying to talk to him, not knowing how far gone he was yet. Instead she got some ice out of the water bottle on his nightstand, happening to glance at the few pictures she'd been able to bring for him to Camp Jupiter. Sally, Grover, Tyson, Thalia, the Stolls, Clarisse, and a few other campers smiled back at her.

If she'd known they were going to fall into Tartarus, she'd have packed a few more.

Turning away from the photos with a sigh, she sat down cross-legged on his bed and winced when the mattress bouncing got no reaction from him, so she gently picked up his arm in the hand not holding the ice and starting rubbing it up and down his tan forearm.

"Percy?" she murmured. "I'm gonna count backward from 100, okay?"

Predictably, he didn't answer, but she started her countdown anyway, studying his form for any changes. His jet black hair was falling into his down cast eyes, low enough that she couldn't see his seagreen irises. His pants were creased where his elbows rested on them, and she realized he was wearing the same thing as he was when his watch ended an hour ago. It hurt to know that he could've been like this for so long and she had no idea, but there wasn't anything she could do, not without leaving the ship vulnerable.

Then - movement. His hand twitched; she didn't dare stop, though, not wanting to risk backslide, just kept on counting and rubbing the ice up and down his arm.

A few minutes later, he pulled in a sharp breath and sagged a bit so that the only thing Annabeth could see was the top of his head. She'd lost count of how many times she'd made it to a hundred and back at this point.

"Percy? Are you with me?" He waited a bit and nodded minutely. "Can you try and breathe with me?"

She drew in an exaggerated breath slowly and let it out even slower. He didn't join her, so she tried again. This time, he managed a shaky, slow breath that almost aligned with hers.

After a few minutes passed and he seemed to be more present, she put the ice down on the nightstand, and he sagged even more, head landing on her shoulder like his strings had been cut.

She ran her fingers through his thick curls, illiciting a sigh from him. "Hey, baby."

His breath hitched, and she was afraid for a moment he'd start panicking, but she soon felt her shoulder grow wet.

"We're together," she whispered, hoping his words from so many (weeks? days?) ago would bring him some comfort.

They were still the most important words in the world to her.

At some point, his hands must have unclenched because she felt his nails softly scrape her thigh. "How long was I gone?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "At least 15 minutes, an hour at most."

"Damn."

Sadly, he pushed himself off of her shoulder, leaving it cold and salty. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He looked off into the distance, thinking. "I remember sitting on the bed to get to ready to shower, and nothing else."

Her heart clenched as that meant he must have been gone closer to an bour. Do you have any idea what triggered you?"

"Uh...I think maybe when I looked across the hall and saw your empty bed..." He trailed off, and she nodded.

"I'll keep the door closed from now on," she promised. It wouldn't be any kind of major change since she never slept in that room anyway. The only reason it had been open was because of habit from Coach Hedge.

Now that Percy was present and they were both calmer, they started getting ready to shower, not wanting to be without the other. (Only shower. Neither of them were ready for more at the moment.) It wasn't long before they were climbing into bed together, both considerably more refreshed but exhausted from a long day on the Argo II.

It had to get better at some point. It just had to.

[rollercoasterofshitposts]

RAMBLE TIME BUCKLE UP

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR TRIALS OF APOLLO AND BASICALLY EVERY PERCY JACKSON BOOK EVER BUT MOSTLY TOA, ESPECIALLY THE BURNING MAZE.

TLDR at the end.

spoilers start now ok bye

Here are some facts that we know for sure:

1. Percy Jackson is named after Perseus, the Greek hero who killed Medusa.

2. Perseus is one of the only, if not THE only Greek hero to not die tragically.

3. Rick Riordan is VERY careful about how he uses names throughout the series, something he addresses from the very beginning when Percy gets to camp. Percy says Zeus’s name (or Kronos’s, can’t remember which and I’m lazy right now) and the sky rumbles, and Chiron warns Percy that names have power and to use them carefully. Later, in Tartarus (if I’m remembering correctly), Percy and Annabeth are wary of using names because of their proximity to monster respawn points.

4. The only other main character named after a Greek hero is Jason Grace.

Here are some things we can assume, based on Rick’s writing style and the details he has given us:

1. A character’s name will tell you something about them. That’s a Riordan near-guarantee.

1a. For example: Piper being a reference to the Pied Piper since she can get anyone to do anything for her, even follow her off a bridge.

1b. Or Magnus and Alex being confirmed from the beginning because Rick mentioned that he stole the name Magnus from Cassandra Clare. (She wrote The Mortal Instruments, which contains a gay couple named Magnus and Alec (Alexander).)

1c. Or Leo being named after the great inventor Leonardo daVinci (not confirmed, but they’re so similar it’s hard to believe otherwise).

1d. A castellan is the governor of a castle who enforces the law around the land. They also have military responsibility. Luke Castellan. nuff said.

2. NAMES HAVE POWER IN THIS UNIVERSE. Sally literally named Percy after a Greek hero to keep his roots close in a subtle way, but she purposefully picked a Greek hero that lives.

2a. HUGE example: Castor and Pollux. In myth, sons of Jupiter. Castor is mortal while Pollux is immortal, and Castor dies. (Slightly irrelevant but Rick loves taking notes from other authors so: In The Hunger Games, part of Katniss’s film team. Castor dies, Pollux lives.) In PJO, sons of Dionysus. Castor dies during Battle of the Labyrinth, while Pollux lives.

The one exception to this rule is Jason Grace. Or so I thought.

If you read the myth pertaining to Jason (Golden Fleece, Argo the First, Medea, etc) you find out that Jason of the Argo dies when he falls asleep on his ship underneath the rotting mast and it falls and kills him. There’s a lot of other stuff that goes down, but for the sake of being succinct, here’s a link to the myth for your perusal:

The only other SUPER MEGA IMPORTANT DETAIL from this myth: Argo Jason, by cheating on Medea, falls out of favor with Hera, while in PJO/HOO, Hera actively names Jason 2.0 and claims him as her champion. (despite him being. Y’know. The proof of her husband being a jackass to her. quality time with the stepmom right there.)

Putting this all together:

1. Sally purposefully named Percy after a Greek hero who lived, indicating fear that he would die if she chose a different name

2. Names have power and Rick puts meaning behind every single name he uses.

3. Jason dies in The Burning Maze.

The real kicker is that they both die in the same way: having lost everything, with so much still to do, dying a completely avoidable death because they weren’t paying attention to what was going on behind them. There’s differences, obviously, because Jason Grace is actually a good person, but those are inconsequential as the big picture is all the same. (We see these similarities happen A LOT with Percy, especially when he kills Medusa.)

We should have known. Rick laid out all the pieces for us from the very beginning, even (possibly) going so far as to straight up tell us that one of the seven would die (again, not confirmed, I saw it in a meme and maybe his twitter? idk im ty ty).

so:

TLDR: Rick Riordan left a gigantic trail of breadcrumbs that should have clued us all in to the fact that Jason was gonna die long before it happened.

And no, I will never shut up about Jason. Justice for my favorite white boy.

[moony-2001]

How I would’ve constructed the 10 year time skip

✨Brought to you by my deep loathing for Lore Olympus✨

•warnings: super long post (I’m not joking), death, kidnapping, violence•

What The Fuck Happened

There was so much potential for the punishment arc. We could’ve seen a lot of character development, fleshed out storylines, reconciliation between certain people. We could’ve seen both Hades and Persephone going to therapy instead of claiming that one therapy session has fixed all their problems and then never going again.

Instead we got horny Persephone, pretty much no clue about what happened to Demeter OR Persephone during that time, and an easy plot device (sorry Cerberus) for Persephone to be like “I’m a big girl now harrumph harrumph, time for me to go reunite with my crusty ass bf who I’ve only know for a month”.

I hate the way she reunited with Ares. Ares is just a bonafide creep throughout the whole comic (although I liked when he attacked Zeus lol). I guess what I mostly hate about Ares and Persephone’s interaction is, yet again, it’s another example of every guy in the comic going AWOOGA over Persephone. Also Athena’s design is so fugly. I guess Rachel is completely incapable of drawing masculine presenting women as actual women.

The whole Kronos plot line is stupid. I hate it so much. Imo the whole “the titans are trying to escape so they can rule Olympus again” is overdone and not particularly done well. The fight between Kronos and Persephone is lame as shit. Like what, she gets big for all of 20 minutes, burps out a bunch of bees (which aren’t even aggressive creatures), and then does her version of the Wuxi Finger Hold from Kung Fu Panda and has Tartarus spirit Kronos away, magically fixing all of their problems (except it doesn’t and nothing is actually fixed).

Also I might get a lot of flack for this, but I don’t think the addition of Morpheus’ character was necessary. I like Morpheus. I think she’s cute. But she’s a) slowly turning into another version of Hecate and b) not really vital to the narrative imo. We already have so many other characters and plot lines that take away from the central “romance” the story is SUPPOSED to be focused on. I just don’t think we need ANOTHER character whose arc is probably not going to go anywhere.

So yeah, overall very L writing, L plot, and L characters.

What I would do differently

The first thing I would change is that the whole punishment arc would be an entire season unto itself. You’ll see why it has to be a separate season.

The second thing is (and this literally pains me to say) in order for me to rewrite this portion of LO without rewriting the entire comic, I kinda sorta have to throw the entire timeline of Greece out the window. If I try to follow a timeline based on the history of Greece, the entire timeline of LO has to shift massively. I’m already getting a migraine trying to think about how I could possibly make it work.

I do know this: Instead of 10 years I’d do somewhere between 1,000-3,000 years. 10 years is a joke. When you’re a god, 10 years is a trip to the time out corner

For now, let’s just say (assuming LO takes place in the Ancient Greece era) and Ancient Greece spanned ~1500 years, Persephone’s punishment would’ve needed to have been established near the very end of the collapse of the Late Bronze Age, spanned the entirety of Ancient Greece as we know it today, and ended some time in the very early Byzantine era. So like what, 1500-2000 years? Fine. I can work with this.

The Famine

You know how the first 400 years of Ancient Greece was deemed the “Dark Ages” and it was a time of war, famine, and loss? I want to start the punishment there. It would make sense for what we know about the characters thus far:

Demeter has had complete control over the growth of the flora and fauna on earth. She’s the goddess of the harvest after all. But we also find out that while Persephone has been in Olympus, Demeter has also been carrying out her duties as the goddess of spring. Plus Demeter has been around for forever and a day. She knows what she’s doing

Persephone doesn’t (at this point in the comic) really have control over her powers. Even in her fits of rage, she ends up doing more harm than good (i.e. her act of wrath, turning Minthe into a plant, etc.). In comparison with everyone around her, she is a literal infant. I mean shit, she’s only been alive for 20 years compared to the fact that everyone else has most likely been around for a minimum of 500 years.

If Demeter is stripped of her status as a goddess (and thus her powers) it would make sense that there would be a lot of death and famine and war over territory/food. Persephone would be left with nothing: no guidebook, no how-to. Of course a lot of people would die while she’s trying to figure her shit out. It could also be a very interesting tactic for psychological warfare on Zeus’ part. Zeus KNOWS Persephone doesn’t know what she’s doing. He knows people will die. And he knows that since life is precious to Persephone (or at least that’s what she claims), it would punish her further.

We can see episodes of Persephone struggling to provide for humanity. We could have real world examples of the affect of famine and depopulation. We would see her struggling with her powers, her mental health. We could get an episode that explains how her hands got destroyed from trying to mimic her mother’s powers. We can see what the fuck happened to Demeter in Attica.

Now obviously things will eventually go on the up and up for Persephone and her compatriots. The whole 1500-2000 years isn’t just going to be one big clusterfuck. As time progresses and chapters pass, we could see real character growth for Persephone not just mentally, but in almost every aspect. Since she will have been alive at that point for over 1000 years, the readers would be able to see her newfound maturity. We could also see her build strong female support systems and strengthen her friendships, something we NEVER saw in the OG comic (or at least they never happened without Hades somehow being involved). You get the point.

What’s Old Man Hades up to?

I have big plans for Hades and none of them involve him going into a 1000+ year coma or getting possessed by his creepy-ass dad. He is an asshole though. I kinda wanted to portray him in this the way he is in the original myths (which for those who don’t know or haven’t read it, it’s not good).

So in Greek mythology, Hades actually had a wife before he even met Persephone or Minthe. Can you take a wild guess as to who?

Bingo! It’s Leuce. Contrary to popular belief, Leuce is actually NOT a home-wrecking POC version of Persephone (don’t @ me we all know the nymphs represent the lower class and POC). In mythology, Leuce was Hades’ first wife/lover and she died sometime long ago and I believe was turned into a white poplar tree. No she is not a cousin of Thetis and Amphitrite. She is not even remotely related to them. And Thetis and Amphitrite are sisters, not cousins. Do your fucking research Rachel.

Unfortunately, Greek Mythology doesn’t really mention all that much about Leuce outside of the fact that she was a daughter of Oceanus, she was kidnapped by Hades, and when she died (for unspecified reasons) she turned into a tree. Which means I’m going to be taking a lot of creative liberties for this portion of the post. Sorry to all you diehard fans of Greek myths out there. I shall try to do her justice.

In my head-cannon Hades and Leuce had been in an arranged marriage for thousands of years. Leuce was offered by Oceanus as a peace offering after the War and Hades, not really having any other viable options for a wife, agreed to take her to the underworld (much to her dismay). Over time, they grew to have a mutually loving/caring relationship. Unlike LO Persephone, Leuce was a good queen and she worked hard to make sure the denizens of the underworld respected her and that they were well cared for. Unfortunately, they got divorced because Hades starting having an affair with Minthe. Even though she loved her kingdom and the people of the underworld, she divorced Hades because she couldn’t stand to be around him, which, y’know. Fair.

A few notes: in my head-cannon, Leuce is still around leading up the the trial and punishment. Her portrait would still be up, we would see signs that Hades and Leuce still interact (more in terms of business, not romance), etc.

Also, unlike Persephone, Leuce would not take her anger out on Minthe or turn her into a plant or destroy her apartment. She would simply wish her good luck. She would be mad at Hades for cheating and for taking advantage of Minthe while she’s at her lowest. But I’m going to be straight up: even though Leuce is meant to be the better Persephone, she still has her flaws. She’s not going to feel inclined to help Minthe in any way. Would you want to help out the person who your partner is cheating on you with? The answer is no and if you say yes, you’re lying.

Anyways, during the Punishment, Hades and Leuce reconnect and Hades finds out Leuce is dying. He tries to convince her to leave the underworld and return to her father, but she insists that she is going to stay, even if it means she dies away from everyone she loved. She won’t abandon her kingdom, her people, or her ex-husband (although that’s much better than he deserves). They move in together and Hades begins to take care of her, even as she begins to deteriorate. They also begin to rekindle their past relationship and (with the help of a therapist) work through some of their past problems together.

Note: their relationship rekindles a couple hundred years into the punishment so by the time the punishment ends, they’ve been back together for a minimum of 1200 years

The aftermath and the Rape of Persephone

Before any of you go gaga over me for the title used above, the original title used for the myth is The Rape of Persephone (or if you want to be really original, The Rape of Proserpina). In the context of the title, the term “rape” means to be taken/kidnapped rather than having sexual violence inflicted upon you. Rape stemmed from the traditional Latin word “raptus” which means “to be seized” or “carried off”. Okay? Okay.

So after the Punishment ends and Persephone feels like she has thoroughly improved herself, she goes to find Hades and talk with him about their relationship. Mainly that she feels they rushed into it, and even though she does like him she wants to take things really slow (kind of like how she wanted before getting married 3 episodes later).

Upon arriving to the underworld/Hades house, her worst fears are realized: not only has Hades (seemingly) moved on, he has found someone else. Or rather, he got back together with his ex-wife.

Persephone freaks out (“who is she?”/“I’m his wife!”)

Persephone, throughly upset for getting her hopes up, flees back to mortal realm. Hades goes to leave Leuce, but not before she tells him that if he leaves her for Persephone, she will never forgive him. Hades leaves anyways, much to the absolute despair of Leuce, who is left wailing as he runs off.

Persephone returns home and finds Demeter and they hug. Demeter is initially horrified to see what happened to her hands, but is proud of the work she did during the punishment. Persephone cries to her mother about Hades, and Demeter tries to comfort her but it inadvertently comes off more as “I told you so” rather than “I’m sorry you had to experience that” (although Demeter is sorry that Persephone’s heart is broken). Persephone, already feeling incredibly emotionally distressed, lashes out at Demeter and they start to argue. This is when Hades arrives.

Hades sees Demeter and Persephone arguing and inserts himself into the situation. Persephone becomes more upset after seeing him and Hades (assuming that Persephone is upset about the fact that Demeter is getting in the way of their “relationship” and not the fact that Persephone discovered Hades went back to his ex-wife after saying he loved her) whips out the the “one personal question, no exceptions” card and proposes to Persephone. He insists that he loves her and only her and that they should spend the rest of their immortal lives together.

Persephone says no.

Hades, not taking no for an answer and not wanting to leave the mortal realm empty handed, kidnaps Persephone, much to the dismay of Demeter, Artemis, and the nymphs. Hades returns with a traumatized Persephone to the underworld to find that Leuce has died and turned into a white poplar tree. While Persephone is sobbing on the floor, Hades weaves a mock crown from the branches and leaves of the tree, places it upon Persephone’s head, and tells her she better get used to their life together.

Thus ends the season and the punishment arc.

Afterthoughts

Thank you for sitting through my ramblings. I officially joined the anti-LO community about the time the trial happened and had been wanting to make a post like this for a reaaaaally long time. Besides the fact that the trial in of itself was completely unethical (@genericpuff made a whole post about that) the punishment arc just really pissed me off. Like go girl, give us nothing!

Anyways, I may or may not do a whole timeline reconstruction of LO depending on how much I feel like offing my sanity with the amount of research that would have to go into that. Until then, I hope you like this post and look out for other anti LO posts coming your way :)

[aroaceleovaldez]

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on the Percabeth parallel (can you call it a parallel if it is the exact same thing happening twice????) in TSATS (also the travel brochure thing)

The entirety of TSATS is very clearly trying to make Solangelo into Percabeth 2 and its one of the fundamental flaws of the entire novel.

Because immediately, Solangelo and Percabeth are such drastically different relationships and characters to one another that trying to make Solangelo into a cheap mirror of Percabeth results in Solangelo feeling so horrifically warped and out of character that it constantly makes you wonder if either author actually had any idea what Will or Nico's personalities and personal themes are supposed to be going into the book.

(Putting the rest under a cut because it got VERY long)

The plot itself is obviously a very direct mirror in trying to repeat the emotional effect of Percabeth falling into Tartarus, but right off the bat it doesn't work because the contexts of each situation are so different. Particularly the thematic elements to it - Percy and Annabeth are both pulled into Tartarus due to their fatal flaws (loyalty and hubris, respectively). It's emotionally charged, it's unexpected, and it's coming right off the heels of Nico returning from Tartarus and us seeing how absolutely horrible it was for him, which sets us up to have this huge impending fear of how this will impact them because we have zero information about what Tartarus is like besides how it impacted Nico (with no further details). Plus, it has a cliffhanger (literally), so it builds suspense so much better because you LITERALLY have to close the book and open another one to find out what happens. Meanwhile for Solangelo, not only is it physically impossible to hit those same emotional notes or suspense, especially within a singular book, but... the quest itself is entirely pointless. With the Doors of Death and Tartarus in HoO, the main point is a.) Nico entered Tartarus willingly to search for the Doors of Death because the gods couldn't because Gaea's army had found it and taken control of it, b.) Nico located it, but he was the only one who knew where it was, the gods didn't. He was able to pass on this information to the rest of the Argo II crew, and c.) Percabeth did not intend to enter Tartarus, but when they realized they were going to against their will, they knew that was going to be their only way out and that they would attempt to solve the problem while they were there anyways. With Solangelo in TSATS, a.) We know that Hades is in control of who can and cannot leave Tartarus on a general level, and is able to release individuals from Tartarus at will, and b.) basically everyone in the Underworld knows that Nyx is holding Bob prisoner. This is literally how Will and Nico learn of this information in the book. In fact, Hades himself is fully aware of the situation Bob is in, and we are directly told that Bob is an employee of Hades' whom Hades views favorably. There is literally no reason for Nico to have had to go to Tartarus. And before anybody says "But Nyx!" - Nyx's interactions with Nico were entirely retconned/fabricated for the sake of this narrative. Bob was not originally stuck in Tartarus because of Nyx- he was stuck in Tartarus because of Tartarus. They even somewhat acknowledge this in TSATS. Also, Nyx shouldn't be able to affect Nico's dreams like she does when he's in the Overworld, because she's too far away to impact any of the demigods (or else Percy and Annabeth would also still be in danger) and Nico in BoO is established to have very strong dream powers. Also, why was Bob reformed but not Damasen? Bob is a titan, he's supposed to reform extremely slowly. Damansen is supposed to reform very quickly, that's his entire thing, because he's constantly fighting the serpent in Tartarus. Literally no part about the plot itself makes sense with what has been previously established, it's all manifested entirely because we needed an antagonist for some extremely poorly executed heavy-handed metaphors.

Then there's Nico and Will's actual personalities as presented in the book and other random details - the most notable one being Nico giving his ring to Will (which seems extremely ooc to me, personally), which is very obviously supposed to be a nod to Annabeth wearing a ring on her necklace, alongside the coral on her necklace she received as a gift from Percy. Will and Nico repeatedly referencing gifts they gave each other in the most shoehorned-in way possible is also meant to mirror Percy and Annabeth, except they're cramming about ten books worth of relationship development into one. I suspect this may also be why Will is characterized as such an asshole throughout the book - they were gunning for the Percabeth "loving but frequently bickering/sarcastic" couple dynamic, but ended up with it just coming off as Will and Nico almost hating or being extremely antagonizing towards one another but seemingly putting up with it and dropping arguments frequently for no reason - Nico in particular frequently getting more shit from Will than he gives in return, and feeling hurt about it! But then randomly forgetting about it immediately, which is probably supposed to be like how Annabeth frequently gets annoyed by Percy but finds it endearing, except they did it entirely wrong. I'd bet this is also why Nico is so characterized as helpless, weirdly sarcastic and "dark humor"ed, and randomly completely ignorant about Greek mythology (and maybe even his random boat knowledge, despite completely forgetting about his pirate special interest and the fact that because he grew up in Venice that he'd almost definitely know about boats, since the book claims the only boat Nico's ever been on was the Argo II) - because it was trying to shove Nico into Percy's position, with Annabeth/Will being the exposition (which is Percabeth's dynamic in the first place because Percy is the stand-in for the audience as the POV, so Annabeth has to act as the exposition to teach the audience what's going on through the POV. This doesn't work for Nico because when Annabeth isn't able to be the exposition, that role actually often falls to Nico, so it's extremely difficult to put Nico in a situation where he's supposed to be the POV and teaching the audience new information that he is usually the source of. There's no reason he shouldn't know it, so they have to randomly make him ignorant of stuff he should know, which results in him being completely OOC). If you're trying to make him the POV, you can't make him the type of POV that has a secondary figure doing all the exposition for the audience to learn through, because you have to basically make him forget all the information he logically should know in order to excuse him not previously knowing it (this is actually why, on a meta level, Jason and Percy have their memories wiped at the beginning of HoO, because they cannot reasonably function as that format of POV protagonist otherwise). The annoying thing is that you can have Nico be a POV protagonist, it just requires that you use a different format. First person limited would have actually worked great, because then we would not only get Nico and Will's internal voices, we would also get to see how they interact with the audience. It would have also allowed Nico to explain concepts to the audience rather than not know them for no reason (give me Nico struggling to not infodump excitedly to the audience about the Underworld every 20 minutes). I particularly take grievance with this when they're in Tartarus, because not only should Nico logically know about Tartarus before he goes there the first time, but by the second time he should definitely know the landscape rather than him seemingly being lost both times. There's exactly zero reason for Nico to not know Underworld stuff. You can make that excuse with Percy and Annabeth, or Will, but not Nico. If they wanted to play up the feeling lost in Tartarus thing, then they should have tried to stay in Will POVs for Tartarus!

I could honestly go on about even more details that just clearly spell out this being a cheap Percabeth 2 rip-off that's a complete disservice to both Nico and Will's characters, but this is already so long and I've gone over my main points.

One more thing - the travel brochure thing in particular pissed me off, and actually I have the perfect video to explain why it pissed me off (and why I've disliked a lot of the writing in recent Riordanverse books) - Overly Sarcastic Production's video on bathos. The Riordanverse, particularly since HoO, has had a really bad problem of overusing bathos and rarely allowing scenes of emotional sincerity. The travel brochure thing is one such example of this - we're at a very big emotionally charged moment... and immediately it's broken because we jump into a joke. And because we overuse that format so much throughout both this book alone but also the series in general, it just completely ruins the effect of the scene. And this happens multiple times throughout the book! It's downright aggravating.

[makeithappenandreal]

I think Percy is being written so far away from the character since the Demigods and Magicians. And yes that is a hot take but hear me out.

Why is Percy is getting written such as he is careless about his friends? Some guy whose character arc is literal loyalty, does everything that he does in the og books because of it, you are telling me that's how he would act like a normal friend? Like we are talking about the same boy who literally chose the properchy for himself to not let Nico go through such a thing and heaviness. Even though Nico hated his guts. Even after the The Last Olympian, Percy was content with Nico. After that coming out, why is Rick trying to get us feel as Nico and Percy has a strained Relation ship, like Percy is a careless villain. And You are telling me that PERCY GODDESS OF WISDOM TOLD ME THAT LOYALTY WILL BE WHAT FUCKS ME JACKSON would be just oh ok, sure go to Tartarus and be okay, I have a collage to get into in New Rome like..

That is Nico, going after Bob who Percy should have a massive feeling of remorse of after what happened. I get that Percy deserved to live happily with Annabeth and that but That is not who the character was. The character would have tried to go with Nico and Will without thinking. Sure going to Tartarus would be not logical at all, but he would have done that. We would have seen his dilema , internal struggle and being torn apart at Seeing Nico to go there. The boy who he promised himself to protect at all cost after all. Percy should not have been someone that Nico judged for being a bad friend, like Rick maybe just write the character when you get it right again.

Demigods and Magicians Percy was the Percy that I wanted to see after Heroes of Olympus and it was justice to his character after. I loved Percy's attitude in the first book, turning into that scary power filled warrior that protects his camp, friends with an incredible fierceness not making exceptions and , very cautious about New people, with a right amount of the beautiful sarcastic, silly beautiful child we knew. The one that loves Annabeth all over with an higher level that is not very Comprehensive to other. Why is Percy this relaxed especially after what happened to our Jason like seriously, that is supposed to be Percy?

Let Percy be Happy as he deserves, but not by leaving the character behind. That is what made us love Percy so much at the first stage. Percy is, should be an anti hero, not a regular one character that just fucks to some place leaving the camp behind. Thank you for the talk today.

[godsofhumanity]

We all know what happen with Cronus and Rhea relationship, how do you think Cronus brothers treat their wives and family?

whenever i received a hc-request related to the titans, i do a little weird dance and scream inside my head because im so excited to talk about them hee hee

ok. i'm just gonna start with Kronos x Rhea to begin with, because it's been a while since i talked the Couple of the Year, and it's just easier for me to get my thoughts going. the rest of the titans follow the [read more] break... i didn't want to clog people's dashes :)

KRONOS x RHEA:

BEFORE everything went bad, BEFORE Kronos was even born (remembering that he is the youngest of the Titans, and was born last), i love the idea that Rhea herself was always a mischief maker and she naturally got along with Iapetus who was the Family Prankster (much to Oceanus' despair T-T).

so when Kronos was born, and it turned out he was even more wily and cunning than Iapetus, i think Rhea and Kronos just had a natural thing going from the start.

Rhea, to me, is super intelligent and witty. so is Kronos. so i like the idea that, in their youth, they were quite the prankster duo. Kronos would play pranks on Rhea, and Rhea would one-up him, and then Oceanus would get mad at them both.

i don't see Kronos and Rhea as being "overly romantic". Kronos doesn't call Rhea by any gushy nicknames or anything; i think they both would hate that. they'd much rather poke fun at each other and tease each other.

i think Rhea has a quick temper, and i love the idea of Kronos intentionally getting on her nerves because he thinks its cute when she gets annoyed lmfao

as a husband, i think it's far more bittersweet to imagine that Kronos was a great husband pre-insanity. he was the saviour of the Titans; the only one gutsy enough to commit patricide and save his siblings from an eternity of terror and fear, never knowing when Ouranos would one day snap and decide to shove them ALL in Tartarus.

but he wasn't only a warrior. he loved Rhea. her death is what i have previously hc'd to be the awakening point of Kronos' powers; his need to save her allows him to travel back in time and fix his mistakes. so yeah he certainly treated her well.

faultwise, i think Kronos' worst trait is that he always has this super strong, fearless exterior. so when Ouranos tells Kronos that his children will rise up and overthrow him and enslave all his siblings, Kronos DOESN'T TELL Rhea this. he doesn't want to look weak in front of her. and i think he still has this idea that he needs to protect her.

i think it's important to remember that at this time, there were NO OTHER GODS. Nyx's children were alive, but not involved in the affairs of the titans. this was the first time in history a "takeover" had occurred. no one really knew what to do. Kronos didn't know what to do. all he knew was that he was the leader, and he had to protect his siblings at all costs.

i hc that Kronos and Rhea have always wanted children; i mean, the Earth was sort of just made up of 12 Titans, 3 Hecatoncheires, 3 Cyclops, 4 absent primordials, and 1 psycho pseudo-primordial with anger management problems. so i think there was definitely a need for the Titans to have their own families to populate the place.

but when Kronos and Rhea settle down as King and Queen, and Rhea starts talking about families, Kronos just indulges her without ever acknowledging his own fears. perhaps this is partly because he doesn't want to burden her, but i also think Kronos was just naturally paranoid and feared that if he spoke his worst fears aloud, they'd come true. so he'd keep them buried until it was too late and oops, he's swallowed his kids.

i think it's a real testament to Rhea that she forgives him after losing Hestia. well, maybe not forgives him, but she moves past it. i think it shows how much trust and love she had for him.. to stick around after all of that. she truly adored him. of course, we all know how that story ends with them.. so i'll stop there. but yeah, i think pre-insanity, Kronos was a good husband and Rhea was an excellent wife. and their downfall was Kronos' inability to express every part of himself to his wife, fears included.

OCEANUS x TETHYS:

THE most unproblematic couple of all time.

Oceanus treats Tethys like,, well, a goddess.

Oceanus is the firstborn Titan. he was the guy who raised all his 11 little brothers and sisters. he fed them, clothed them, taught them, played with him, disciplined them. he was the guy who was there for the first time they cried, the first time they laughed, the first time they fought, the first time they lost. needless to say, that kinda makes a guy.... patient, kind, respectful, thoughtful.

i'm a younger sibling myself, and i know that many older siblings work their butts off to take care of their little siblings... and that can be a pain. but i love the idea that Oceanus enjoyed every second of it. it was the most IMPORTANT duty Gaia ever gave him; to look after them.

11 siblings is a lot. so i think that Oceanus never really ever had any time for himself... but when Tethys comes along, i love the idea that she is sort of the only one of her siblings who actually realises fully how much work Oceanus does for them. and she does everything she can to make his burden lighter.

Oceanus normally has a hard exterior, but i hc that with Tethys, he fully relaxes. the full range of his emotions, he shows to Tethys, who is his confidant, his other half.

i think their communication skills are soo good. that's why they last for eternity without any real fights.

obviously, after having 11 siblings, that Oceanus would have his own children, no one could doubt. he was so good at it. and of course, he does... he has like 1000s of kids hee hee.

Oceanus knows every single one of his children's names, he could recognise them by their laugh alone... i think these are the things that make him the complete opposite of Ouranos and that's SO important for his character.

fault-wise, i think maybe Oceanus' only weakness is that he's a bit over-protective. for Hera, for example, i've always liked the idea that Oceanus hates Zeus; this all makes sense, of course, when you consider Zeus' history, and also that Zeus killed Oceanus' daughter Metis. so i get it. but i also think he's like that for all of his kids... heavily scrutinising their partners etc. (see Iapetus x Asia below!) but yeah. even this "weakness" is up for debate. but i personally think Oceanus may be justified in this.

COEUS x PHOEBE:

i always hc'd Coeus as very shy and timid. he is the most intelligent of all the Titans,,, but he cannot hold a conversation to save his life.

i think Coeus was usually the victim of Iapetus and Kronos' jokes in their youth, even though he's the 2nd oldest, because he just naturally is a very passive and soft god with an aversion to fighting.

Phoebe is a lot like him, i suppose, because she's also a bit shy. but i do like the idea that Phoebe has a little more gutsiness than him when she is really pushed. she can fight, when provoked.

because of this, i truly think Phoebe is the pillar in their relationship. any doubts that Coeus has, i think he would bring it to Phoebe.

i think he would tell her almost anything... and he is inspired by her strength during the Titanomachy to also take up arms against Kronos when he goes mad.

Coeus' kids are Asteria, Leto, and Lelantos. Asteria and Leto are both quite headstrong goddesses... i think Leto, especially, is quite boisterous, which is fascinating considering Phoebe and Coeus' mild natures. but i think their children are reflections of their hidden strengths.

Coeus is a good father, i think. Phoebe is a good mother. i think all of this is attested by the kind and elegant nature of Asteria, Leto's righteousness, and Lelantos' innocence.

also, a bit unrelated i guess, but Phoebe is the kinda gal to call her husband by gooey petnames HAHA and Coeus is too shy to ever say he likes it when she does that, but he does. and she knows it. it came to her in a prophecy ;)

CRIUS x EURYBIA:

winners of the Most Enigmatic and Mysterious Couple of the Year.

Crius and Eurybia are a lot of fun to make up stuff about because there's literally no lore for either one.

Crius, to me, is quiet. but it's not because he's shy. he's just reserved. he doesn't like talking if there's no reason to talk.

yes. he hates small talk.

Eurybia, however, is the opposite! i think she talks LOADS. she loves talking. or singing. she loves asking all sorts of useless and dumb questions, especially to Crius because she knows it irritates him... she loves messing with him.

for example, Crius, as the god of the stars and constellations, is always star gazing and recording the movement of the planets, etc. and even though Eurybia knows exactly how it works (Crius has explained it to her many times, it's one of the few things he actually likes actively talking about), she'll still point at the constellation of the Ram and say, "that's the donkey one, right?" and Crius will try not to scream.

i can't remember if i wrote about how they met, but basically, i think Kronos divided the land into North, East, South and West: Coeus in the North, Iapetus in the East, Crius in the South, and Hyperion in the West. and while wandering about across his land in the South, Crius randomly came across Eurybia while she was by one of the rivers that flow through his land, and she was just so fascinating to him, and he was just so interesting to her, they just naturally clicked.

because Crius is such a reserved guy, i honestly think, Crius isn't all that forthcoming about everything. this is because Crius only says things that he deems "need to be said".

so, as Kronos' 2nd right-hand man (after Iapetus, obvs), i think Crius is privileged with a lot of information. and he doesn't share a lot of it with Eurybia, only the things that are relevant to her.

for example, Crius wouldn't tell Eurybia that Kronos locked up the Hecatoncheires (a pivotal event marking the growing paranoia of Kronos) because it doesn't have anything to do with Eurybia, but Crius does tell her of his suspicions that there is a resistance growing against Kronos, and that he feels their son Pallas is part of it (which is true) because Pallas is their son and this involves Eurybia.

for Eurybia's part, i think she has never cared much for "titan business". Eurybia, being the daughter of Gaia and Pontus, is NOT a titan. so i hc that she isn't really concerned at all about Crius' secrecy. she is aware of it, but she is 100% confident in his love for her (which is true, he does love her) and trusts him implicitly. and if she had reason to suspect that Crius was not being true to himself, only then would she confront him.

now to the children: Pallas, Astraeus, and Perses. Pallas and Perses are a lot like Crius, and Astraeus is a lot like Eurybia. Crius and Eurybia love all their children... BUT. Crius is very... stoic. i don't think he has ever actually told his children (or Eurybia for that matter) that he loves them, they all simply know it by way of his actions.

as a father, i think Crius pushes his children all the time to be the best they can be. for him, Ouranos' terror was not all that long ago. he doesn't want them to be weak and defenseless. he needs to know that they can save themselves. he also expects that they will follow Kronos as he does, because Kronos saved them all, and Crius is loyal to him.

so i think, when the war finally comes about, and Crius is fighting against Pallas and Astraeus, and not alongside them, it's a terrible betrayal for Crius. and i think he rejects them as his sons then. so not the greatest father of all time.

now Perses does fight with Crius, and he is loyal to Kronos. and i think Crius is forever wondering how things could have gone so wrong when clearly one of his sons is still loyal.

when Kronos is freed from Tartarus and becomes King of Elysium under Zeus' orders, his siblings go with him. and though things will never be the same, and Crius will never see his children again. i like the idea that in his heart, he feels pride for Pallas and Astraeus fighting for what they believed, and he forgives them.

for Eurybia, i think she has always loved and adored her husband and her children. and lets them know that every step of the way. i love the idea of her fighting alongside Crius, less because she cares about Kronos and more because she supports her husband (and also, i needed at least 1 goddess being punished in Tartarus.. there were too many men T-T). BUT. even though she has to fight her own sons, it's not a betrayal to her. she is SO proud that they stuck to their guns. that they wouldn't sacrifice their morals and beliefs just to avoid confrontation with their parents.

Eurybia fights against Pallas and Astraeus with a smile on her face, and she throws everything she has at them because, when they face her in battle, they are gods in their own right, and they are her equals. she's equally proud of Perses for staying true to what he believes in; to her, this is the most important thing in the world, to be true to yourself.

post-war, Pallas' daughter is named Bia, and i love the idea that he named her for his mother, so he definitely admired his mum and her strength. curiously, Bia ends up being a very loyal supporter of Zeus during a time that the 2nd gen. titans fall OUT with Zeus due to Prometheus being punished, so Crius' family is full of gods who put their family ties on the line to do what they think is right. which i kinda like! ((Pallas and Prometheus are the best of friends. practically brothers.))

so yeah, i think Eurybia's a different sort of mum, but i personally think she's one of the best :)

HYPERION x THEIA:

hmmm.. what to say about these two. honestly i think they're a pretty normal couple.

Theia's a goddess who loves jewels and sparkly things and i can see Hyperion always showering her with gifts. that's their love language.

they don't really have too much trouble. Hyperion isn't one of Kronos' most loyal supporters... i think if Hyperion was privy to what he had done to Rhea, Hyperion would have immediately been on Team Zeus.

in their regular life, i think both Hyperion and Theia are very good to each other. they're open with each other, and they have a lot of trust.

their children are Selene, Eos, and Helios. i think that, from all the 2nd gen. titans, these three are the most "spoiled". i truly think Hyperion is an adoring and doting father.

side-track for one sec: if you're familiar with the myth where Medea kills her own children to get revenge on Jason for marrying Creusa behind her back, you know how taboo filicide is, and YET, Helios saves his babygirl granddaughter and gives her a chariot ride away from the scene. truly Helios loved all his children and lineage. i think he HAS to get this from Hyperion, who in turn had to get it from the only father he knows: Oceanus.

also, with the way Eos casually takes the mortal prince Tithonus and others against their wills because she's in love with them.. there is a myth where she only does this because Aphrodite cursed her because of some other disagreement to have insatiable sexual desire, but even in light of this, she's definitely a girl who's used to getting what she wants.

BUT IN SAYING ALL OF THAT, i think Hyperion and Theia are good, kind people. if Hyperion and Theia learned to be good parents from Oceanus, then they had to learn his kindness too. and i do think that Selene, Eos, and Helios share this trait with them too.

in Medea's myth, i think Helios KNOWS that Medea was pushed into that horrible tragedy; she was cursed with a love spell that made her commit both patricide and fratricide for Jason, whom she never would have helped without it. and after all that, he still ditched her. so yes, i think Helios having sympathy for his granddaughter was justified.

FURTHERMORE, in Persephone's abduction myth, Hekate takes Demeter to Helios to learn where Persephone is and he tells her.. similarly, Helios tells Hephaestus about Aphrodite's affair with Ares... these are things that Helios doesn't truly have to do, but i picture him doing it with such kindness and gentleness.. i think he's a caring guy.

with Eos, i think after she gives Tithonus immortality, even though he starts to age, she still STAYS with him, and takes care of him even after her fascination with him has died... i think that is a lot more than most other gods do after playing around with their favourite mortal.

Selene is relatively problem-free (? dont quote me on that pls idk what exactly is going on with Endymion's myth HAHA) which i feel can only serve to support the idea that Hyperion's kids are PRETTY good.

so yeah. all in all. pretty good family. Hyperion (and Theia)'s biggest weakness, i think, is that they were so caught up in their own bliss, they didn't see any of the signs that could've suggested the impending doom of Kronos lurking on the horizon.

IAPETUS x ASIA:

winners of the Most Unexpected Couple of the Year.

ok so. Asia is an Oceanid. and as i already wrote before, Oceanus is fiercely protective of his children. and Iapetus... well, Iapetus is Iapetus.

i think Iapetus was a bit of a late-bloomer when it came to love. i think he was the last one of the elder Titans to marry because for the most part, he was just interested in joking around and having fun.

but after everyone starts to get married and have families, and Kronos becomes King so he doesn't have any time for trivial pranks, i think it starts to settle in with Iapetus that he needs to get along with his life.

i have a hc that Oceanus would, pre-Kronos-insanity-era, regularly hold these dinners for his siblings so that everyone would still come together with their newly established families to share meals together like they used to. and of course, that meant that all of Oceanus' children would be there too.

and i like the idea that Iapetus, ever eager for an audience to entertain, would always come up with some trick or the other to make Oceanus' children laugh. and now that Oceanus didn't really have to keep an eye over Iapetus anymore, he could afford to smile at his tricks too :)

now. i have said a few times that the gods don't age the way humans do. it's not linear. gods mature according to the needs of the time. so even though Iapetus is, technically, a lot older than Oceanus' children, he doesn't appear like it because.. as i said.. Iapetus himself wasn't really ready to settle into life and be an adult.

anyhow. Asia is one of Oceanus' sweetest daughters. her humour threshold is so LOW. she will laugh at even the worst of jokes... and Iapetus is a GOLDMINE for bad jokes. so i think, Iapetus was always guaranteed a smile and enthusiasm when he saw her.

i think Oceanus was very annoyed by this... he didn't really want one of his daughters to be hanging around with a god whom he personally knew was a bit of a no-gooder. so i think Oceanus really put Iapetus through the ringer to show that, if he was serious about Asia, he could be a good husband and treat her properly.

and through that process, i think Iapetus did mature out, and show that behind the jokes, he truly was kind and loyal, and as the Ruler of the East, he could provide a good home for Asia. and so it was!

now Iapetus definitely loved Asia. all the titans loved their wives to begin with. BUT, Iapetus' problem was Kronos.

being the right-hand man of a psycho tends to rub off on you.

i think that Kronos' paranoia seeped into Iapetus' mind too. and as Kronos began to put distance between himself and Rhea, so did Iapetus with Asia. suddenly, Iapetus didn't feel like he needed to tell his wife everything... keeping Kronos' secrets was more important to Iapetus than being truthful to his wife.

to be honest, i don't imagine Asia being particularly smart, or fierce or courageous. not every god needs to be a superhero. that's not to say she was dumb or anything, but no one was calling Asia to weigh in on war councils or anything like that. and i think, as time goes on, this becomes very apparent to Iapetus. and he thinks that makes her weak. and as her husband, it's his responsibility to shield her from the things that he think could break her.

now in this regard, i do think Asia would have been absolutely heart-broken to know the kinds of gods Iapetus and Kronos had become, and post-war, Asia still is never fully aware of the extent of Iapetus' crimes because Prometheus and Anchiale make sure their mother will only remember her husband for the good things... leading up to and during the war, Iapetus is a MASTER of illusion and deceit.. and by Gaia he can play the role of a good husband amazingly well. so Asia i think, was totally blind to the truth.

Asia and Iapetus' children are: Prometheus, Atlas, Anchiale, Menoetius, and Epimetheus. Iapetus would never SAY he had favourites, but i do think Prometheus was his golden child. he was smart, witty, cunning, mischievous, and with a natural talent for illusions and magic, the same as Iapetus. so i think he had a lot of pride for Prometheus, and so many huge expectations that Prometheus would be some sort of powerful commander in Kronos' army.

when it became apparent that Kronos and Rhea were not having much luck in producing heirs (though the exact reasons were yet unknown), i think Iapetus might've considered that Prometheus could be the heir that Kronos needed... he would have been a perfect candidate. and Kronos himself had a super great relationship with Prometheus as a child. Prometheus didn't call Kronos "King" or "my Lord" like most of his cousins did, he called him "Uncle" because that's what he was.

AND YET. Prometheus also had all of Asia's kindness. mixed with Iapetus' bravery... he could never be the god that Iapetus wanted him to be.

in the Titanomachy, i think Prometheus is the one to fight Iapetus and it is... like the world falls apart. i think Iapetus is so furious that his son could betray him, i think he disowns him in his heart for sure. but Prometheus doesn't. he loves his father like he loves his uncle, and he knows that their current corrupted state is not a reflection of the gods they truly are.

as for the other kids: Atlas is Iapetus' 2nd most cunning child, and i think he's almost like Prometheus EXCEPT that Atlas is cowardly. even as a child. and i think Iapetus always tries to push Atlas to overcome this: it's important because if any one of the elder Titans had shown cowardice, they would have failed in their fight against Ouranos. so Iapetus truly despises cowardly people. Atlas ends up giving himself up and helping Zeus at the 11th hour to save his hide, and i think that's another disappointment for Iapetus.

Menoetius is headstrong, but he's not too witty, so i think he could've been closer to Asia than Iapetus... nevertheless, he supports his father to the end because all of Iapetus' children are aware of how much he values loyalty. and though Menoetius couldn't do the tricks Prometheus and Atlas could, he showed Iapetus his worth by standing with Kronos till the end. he's actually the only one of Iapetus' 5 children to show such undying loyalty, the same as Iapetus has for Kronos. so Iapetus appreciates that.

Anchiale and Epimetheus are more soft in nature. Anchiale is smart but she doesn't care too much for trickery, and i think she doesn't like confrontation and violence, the same as her mother. i give her this attribute to explain why the Lore doesn't give Anchiale much of a role. but where Iapetus doesn't share much with his wife Asia because he thinks her weak, Prometheus does share with his sister Anchiale all his thoughts and his desire to fight against Kronos, and though she's unwilling to pick up a sword herself, she stays with her mother and little brother Epimetheus and protects them from home, and she covers for Prometheus: which i think is an alternative form of bravery, but bravery nonetheless. and if Iapetus wasn't such an idiot, he would've been proud of that.

Epimetheus i think was a child when Iapetus went to Tartarus. his only memories of Iapetus is being a good dad; a dad who tells him jokes, and scary stories, and who could make a coin appear from his ear. i don't think Prometheus and Anchiale ever try to spoil these memories for him. it's good for Epimetheus to remember Iapetus for who he was and not who he ended up as.

anyhow. all in all, Iapetus was probably the 2nd worst husband after Kronos... this is to be expected given their proximity.... but uh yeah.

i hope this all made sense lol feel free to send an ask if u want a clarification on anything ^-^ i have terminal brainrot about the titans and can speak forever and ever about them.