"Perpollo is wrong on so many levels..."
List to me, please. Why is it wrong? And who are you to decide if it is wrong. I would really like to know.
I have seen a few harpies going after a friend of mine, and their argument to invalidate why she dislikes Perc*Beth is hunting her down by shipping Perpollo.
I am not going to enter in anti-perc*beth discussion. My opinion on the matter is very much open. My only comment on that matter: people have the right to have a different interpretation about something - especially in literature - than yours.
Now let's address the elephant in the room:
âą First argument: "Percy is a minor"
They used the arts to say that Percy was a minor to pass @ackerlikesmen as a non-relient person... and the fact is... No. Percy isn't.
Now let me clarify, since these people are as smart as Polyphemus to the point they need to be told word by word to understand something simple.
Percy isn't a minor in the art @ackerlikesmen did. She pointed out many times she aged up the character in her art.
While in a fandom, you can make art (be it on fanart, be it on fanfic) about a character and age them up on it. It is something pretty common... In any fandom you go. Especially in the ones you make modern au, or cafeteria au when the original setting is passed in high school or school. You will see plentiful fanarts about older Anya with Damian from spyxfamily, so they can write a fic where both of them are teenagers who have a crush on each other. Most part of these stories are literally: hurt/comfort, fluff, idiots in love, t-rated. You will see many fics in BNH about any ship in which they are adult heroes to make a ship sail. Even before the end of Naruto shippuden, people wrote tons and tons of fics and fanarts of adult!Naruto, adult!Sasuke, adult!Sakura, adult!Gaara to the point when the actual canon adult characters designs appeared people got disappointed with it.
It used to be very much commun in HP fandom as well when I was in it, to age characters up to write a more mature fic, or a fic which passes in a professional environment, such as a lot of drarry as magical-police officers fanfics and fanarts out there. There are many other couples I am not going to quote here, since it is not the point.
In the end, these accusations are not done in good faith. It is made up to make an appeal to ridiculous.
I am not inventing words:
"Appeal to ridicule (also called appeal to mockery, ad absurdo, or the horse laugh) is an informal fallacy which presents an opponent's argument as absurd, ridiculous, or humorous, and therefore not worthy of serious consideration."
And to simplify your understanding:
Falacy: an idea that a lot of people think is true but is in fact false.
Ad absurdo is not sustainable in a discussion, much less in a debate. It is rather childish, in fact, to use it in such places.
Now with that said: there are tons of p*ercabeth fics and fanarts out there, way more than perpollo - or nicercy to that matter - with mature, sugestive content. As it is very easy to find their fans giggling over the stable scene, or implying the fact that Rick isnt innocent for making Percy living alone and Ann*beth having a hat that permits her to be invisible, or how you see many fans fangirling using the scene where Percy talks about "desert" with Ann*beth nearby. There are many other examples. You only need to search pjo in TikTok or Tumblr, and you will see it.
Where is your morality then, when you start fangirling and obsessing with the idea of two teenagers having sex while you are a grown adult? Where are your worries with "underage"?
Hands down. That is only a food for tought.
Eitherway: So the art you showned with "minor percy"? Debunked.
âą Second argument: the age gap
Honestly, I find this argument with the immortal x mortal trope rather ridiculous. It can bother you, and it is your right to dislike it.
But in fiction an immortal is not bound by the same laws of humans, simply because they lived centuries and millenia. They are not humans, some immortals have never even been a human in some point of their lives. There is no "base IRL" to say how they would act and behave or the psychology of such beings. We never had contact with one.
They are myths and legends.
You are not going to see Lord Apollon walking down the streets of Creta, nor a vampire running around at night on London, or see fairies building something on a garden in ireland, or see kamis and yĆkais in the forests of Japan. For many, these beings do not exist. (I am not going to enter in faith here.)
Every person they would have a relationship with, the age gap would still be huge. A lady, or a man, with 75 yrs old, would still be considered rather young to a being who have lived thousands and thousands of years if we take it to real world.
What it is a great time to remember: This is fiction.
And gods - and other immortal mythological beings - falling in love with humans are in every culture you can think of, and still exists in media to this day: From the terrible cringe romance between Edward and Bella from Twilight, to Jane Foster and Thor from Marvel (comics and movie).
You have Pelops and Poseidon.
Many other examples to count.
If someone is writing about a divine, mythological beings in fics: It is up to the writer decide how they will write such beings in the narrative.
You may find criticism on the portrayal, but that will happen whenever you make something public.
Every fic I read of Perpollo are with adult!Percy, be it fem!Percy or not. That is for my comfort, because I am not comfortable otherwise.
In the end of the day: you have the right to dislike the trope, but not act as a pantheon of morality and condemn other people who likes it.
âą Third argument: "They are cousins"
So is Ann*beth and Percy. Sorry to tell you this, but you can't decide when you use the "Gods don't have DNA in riordanverse" excuse as something valid and when it is not. You fall into a contradiction.
Point taken: it is greek mythology. I have read a few works of Sophocles (... And Jocasta and Oedipus was disturbing, ngl) and Hesiod. I can assure you, when I put my hands on any greek mythology related material, I am very much aware of my triggers, and I know how to deal with incest in these works. What most part of the PJO fandom doesn't seem to be mature enough to do.
One hypocrisy - not on you, i dont know your opinion regarding this - but I find rather funny in these discussions is how Lady Persephone and Lord Hades are put on a pedestal as the perfect couple in greek mythology by these people, when Hades literally kidnapped her. Persephone is his niece, Hades is her uncle. But I don't see many people out there condemning them for incest, abduction, and forced marriage. This is not related to the discussion. Now going back to the post...
âą Argument four: "Percy hates the gods/Apollo"
Point one: That is a lie.
Point two: It is a crack ship.
Let me make it clear: Percy do not hate the gods as much as you believe he does. Actually if we take the books it is rather confusing how he feels about them. (Now. That is Rick's fault for not being consistent with characterization...) but
Percy canonically has very contradicting feelings towards his father from love to resentment. What it is fair, and realistic, with we are being honest.
Percy canonically goes to Atlantis, and canonically Amphitrite bakes him cookies.
Percy is canonically Hermes's friends.
Percy canonically cared for Bobby in the end of House of Hades.
Percy canonically respects Artemis.
Most part of the time, he seems indifferent or annoyed towards most part of the gods, with only a few exception such as Zeus and Ares. Annoyance, dislike and hatred are two very different things. Luke hated the gods. Percy does not.
Now about Percy hating Apollo: As a crack ship, the author can write anything about them. Literally. The only limit is imagination. He can make Percy start being friend of Apollon, surpassing his distrust on him. He can make Percy being indifferent of him at first. Or else. Or they can just jump and write "established relationship" so they can write a one shot fluff.
It is crack. It is supposed to be funny and relied entirely on imagination.
You wanna defend your case, use valid arguments instead of backlashing people for having a different opinion - and ship - than your own.