No Net Ensnares Me

pjo, musicals, epic the musical tiktok: dewert_stew minor

[insomanyfandomsilosttrack]

Despite popular belief and rumours, Jason Grace had never felt any jealousy regarding Percy Jackson.

He'd never felt any bitterness or envy either.

Why should he? Both he and Percy had lived vastly different lives, and their own actions and decisions, and the people who surrounded them, shaped them into who they were today.

Why be jealous of something that'll never change? Why waste time and energy on something like that?

More than anything, Jason had been scared.

Scared that Percy wouldn't see him as a friend, scared the Son of Poseidon wouldn't want to befriend him in the first place.

Ever since he was young, he'd longed for another Big 3 kid to show up at Camp Jupiter. Despite knowing they'd be subjected to the same brutal training and horrible tortures that he was, the selfish part of his 7-year-old self wanted a friend.

He didn't have any friends. He wasn't allowed to. And anyone who did befriend him was executed for trying to lead the prized Son of Jupiter away from his path of becoming Rome's ultimate weapon.

So when Hazel and Nico first appeared at Camp Jupiter, he'd leapt at the oppurtunity to befriend them both.

It saddened him when Nico always left, but he and Hazel had actually become close friends.

He'd screwed that up. He'd screwed his friendship with Hazel up. Just like how he screwed his friendship with Reyna, and Dakota, and Gwen, and Bobby,

He's screwed up what little was left of his brotherly relationship with Octavian when he chose to fight against him rather than try to help him break free of Gaea's control. He'd left the first friend he'd ever had. Abandoned him.

He screwed up his relationship with Piper; he was a terrible friend to Frank, giving him a huge position of leadership without first considering if Frank even wanted that immense pressure. Annabeth always kinda hated him, and Leo was gone. Not dead if Lester was to be believed, but he wasn't here with Jason.

Not even Nico or Thalia stayed with him. Nico had Will, and Thalia had the Hunt. Neither needed him.

But Percy,

Percy who still chose to talk and try to befriend him after the mess that was Kansas. That night Jason had nearly cried himself to sleep after punching his mirror, saddened to the core by the thought of potentially losing Percy's friendship over this.

Percy, who'd let Jason into his home, sit at his mother's dining table, and hold his baby sister with his dirty, blood-soaked, mutilated hands. He let Jason, the greatest monster to crawl out from the depths of Tartarus, touch Estelle, who was a miracle child.

The same Percy who was now staring at him.

"Jason. Promise me you'll come back from Apollo's stupid quest alive,"

The same Percy who didn't know about the prophecy that doomed either him or Piper to death.

The same Percy who just assumed Jason was being overly cautious.

The same Percy who was asking Jason to make the first promise he'd ever break.

"I'll be back. I promise,"

His mother had promised she'd be back, hadn't she? Fitting. His mother had promised she'd be back for him, but she never came, and now he'd promised Percy he'd come back, and he had no intention of doing that.

The Fates probably thought they were hilarious.

His father hated him, hated his existence, and actively avoided considering Jason as his son.

All that was left of Jason now was to die his Mother's son.

----------

@starlightshadowsworld, @freezer-bride-your-sweet-divine

[patronsaint-ofthedenial]

How it feels to be on my period

[seulgishaku]

Everyone has to be careful with what they say around Jason cause he WILL do it.

He grew up living his entire life for others and that's not something that's so easy to unlearn.

One time sparring with Percy, Percy had to leave and said he would be back soon if Jason wanted to wait. Whatever Percy had got up to took longer than expected but Jason had sat there, waiting.

Waiting, waiting... And even more waiting. He didn't know how long it had been and he didn't care. Percy said he would be back, so Jason waited.

When Percy walks into the training room the next day he wasn't expecting to see Jason who hasn't slept, hadn't eaten, hadn't showered or even moved since yesterday, he figured he would've left by now? but all Jason says is "finally, you're back. Ready for another round?"

Even when his mother had told him, that day in the forest, "just wait here, darling, mommy will come back for you.", he had waited. When the pack of wolves grew near he was scared, he wanted to run. But his mother had said she would be back, so he waited, until the wolf pack dragged him away all kicks and screams and tears.

[bugpurity]

Jason, as a child, is abused by older kids and trainers at CJ because they need to mould him into the perfect soldier and golden child and only when he is that golden child are they nice to him. Jason hits a certain age and he has proven that everything has worked, that he is the golden statue that everyone needed him to to be and so now he is elevated to a hero-like status. He's walking around New Rome and someone who hurt him as a child is there, bowing to him and calling him the son of Rome and he has to pretend like the last 12 years didn't happen.

[princessofghosts-posts]

Adding on to your previous post about Thalia and Jason, I think Thalia would be quite overprotective of Jason because for a while she still sees him as a 2 year old who (obviously needed her help for everything) and it takes a long time for her to adapt.

Meanwhile Jason, raised by Lupa and camp Jupiter with high expectations as the son of Jupiter, is more used to caretaker figures being very strict and making him as independent as possible so he has NO IDEA how to handle Thalia’s overprotectiveness.

Percabeth are kinda stuck in the middle watching this all go down.

I think it could be a really funny and a really angsty concept. What do you think?

I genuinely love this.

Canonically,Thalia already is overprotective over Jason (that girl was in distress once realized she couldn't go with him when they met up in TLH because she still had Percy to find) but the books hardly explore their relationship so we never had much information on their dynamic. That's why I 100% support this concept.

Thalia would totally try to overcompensate for missing half of Jason's life,so she would want to be involved in whatever adventure Jason has going on when they are separate. Iris Messages and regular long trips (at least 3 per month) are mandatory for her. Jason gets hurt? She will travel at the speed of light to check on him because Iris messages aren't enough,she has to make sure he is there and safe. She is always trying to help him when she can,and he needs to. If she can she even tries to send him updates via dreams,but she doesn't do that often because she values each other privacy.

And when she visits CJ for a couple of days to spend time with him (because in my mind,once HoO ended,he went back there)? Especially after Jason told her about his early years at New Rome? It's on sight for Thalia. Someone says something bad about Jason? She argues back. She meets someone that used to give her brother a hard time? She will side-eye the fuck out of them until they sense her presence and walk away fearing the worst (accidentally angering the daughter of Zeus? No thank you). There is a high chance that she ends up in a physical fight at some point,but Jason is there to calm the waters because he doesn't want his sister to fight one of their citizens/fellow soldier (even if she might be right in having such violent reaction).

At some point she would also blur the lines and overstep too much without realizing it,because she feels guilty of missing so much time together (so again,she overcompensates and ends up doing too much). I think her fellow hunters,and probably Artemis too,would try to snap her out of it once they noticed how emotionally dependent she is on her brother,and that can't be healthy at all for either of them. But Thalia won't listen because she is in pain and just wants to be there for Jason and she hates how their father and Hera basically made it impossible. What type of big sister isn't there to help their little brother? What type of big sister doesn't try everything they have to make sure they are healthy and safe? What type of big sister abandons their little brother again?

Thalia has so many feelings bottled up inside her and doesn't know what to do,but she genuinely wants to be there for Jason now that she can. She just needs to tone it down,and maybe her and Jason need an overdue talk of this situation (and setting up boundaries might help because),but Thalia doesn't see want to accept that yet.

Jason is distraught. Jason,who had to figure out everything alone from the beginning,even when surrounded by mentor figures (who do nothing but watch because they don't need a weakling that can't provide for himself–especially if said weakling is a son of Jupiter) ,doesn't know what to do. He actually dreamed of having a closer relationship with his sister once his memory started to gradually come back. How could he not? They got separated so young,lost so many years,and his vague memories of his early childhood –and Thalia,her little smile,the games they played together and how she was always there to make his days better with a laugh– don't help his looniness and this desire. Then this wish of his becomes reality.

Jason is delightful at the start. He actually enjoys their Iris Messages (even if they are a bit too many for his liking but doesn't tell that to Thalia because at the end of the day it's just a harmless number) and appreciates Thalia's effort to be there when she can. He is a little bit weirded out by the amount of trips she takes to see him,worried that he might distract her from her duty with the Hunters,but she shut his worries down by declaring that the Hunters were self-sufficient and highly capable even without her around. So Jason let it go (and I breathe a sigh of relief because he doesn't want her to stop visiting now that they have time to finally know each other). He is fully aware of Thalia's dislike of CJ and its elders,but he still insists on giving her a tour during her first visits because that's still the place where he grew up. Because even if sometimes it's soffocating to be there,and there are a lot of things to do,that's still his home and the place that welcomed him when he had nothing.

But the amount of visits starts to increase,the trips become almost weekly and Thalia starts to use Iris Messages like a phone (Reyna started to side-eye him when they appear during their work hours because she doesn't like the distraction),and she almost always ends up in a physical confrontation with other demigods whenever she stays long enough in New Rome. Jason doesn't know what to do. He freaked out a bit when Thalia tried to contact him in his dream once. He would never blame his sister for his uneasiness,because she was trying to recover the lost years (and wasn't this what he wanted? To have his sister back in his life? To be cared for?) but the more overprotective she became the more overwhelmed he got. He never had someone that cared about him so fiercely,and he got raised to be able to fend for himself and always be independent,so he starts to feel restricted–trapped even– in her care for him.

When he reluctantly asks Reyna what to do she advises him to tell the truth to Thalia,and to set up boundaries that can help the both of them because it's not healthy. Jason doesn't. Because he knows that it's not Thalia's fault and doesn't want her to feel guilty about it and deep down he thinks that if he did,Thalia would stop to contact him and he would rarely see her,and he still needs his sister in his life and he's scared of being left alone again by his family. Reyna thinks he is stupid and they should just communicate their feelings,because it's not the end of the world to correct someone that is overstepping,especially when Thalia isn't even aware of what she is doing. She even gets Hazel and Frank on his case and,although understanding of the situation and feeling empathy for the siblings (especially Hazel because she went through something similar with Nico),they both agree with Reyna. Jason thinks they are traitors but understands their point as well.

Enter Percabeth. Percy and Annabeth saw how all of this affected the two of them and decided to talk it out. Annabeth went to Thalia first and Percy to Jason,then they switched during their second talking session–with Percy going to Thalia and Annabeth to Jason. Emotionally heavy conversations sprinkled of childhood trauma happens and Percy and Annabeth are the last straw that convince them to have a genuine talk about this.

They do talk,not by Iris Messages,not by dreams,not at CJ when Thalia comes to visit or during one of her trips,and not even by one of the Hunters'camps. (the rare times Jason visits her since it's difficult for him to track them out or take time off his schedule). They decide to meet at their house–their old family house,where the memories are heavy and the tears of what could have been are silent drops of destroyed hope.

They talk. It's not easy,but it never is when it comes to emotions. It hurts both of them,but once done they feel lighter: their doubts get answered and their fears get comforted; their guilt is still there,quite in their shared grief,but it doesn't feel as sharp as before. They start to heal. It's a long process but they are both there for each other,and they both try to communicate with the other in case of distress. Boundaries are set up as well: Iris Messages can't go beyond one at day–and they need to be during the evening after Jason is done with his work; the trips are restricted to 4 at months and the long visits are distributed based on when they want to see each other or spend time together. Thalia tries to not overstep again (sometimes it's stronger than her but she tries and Jason is always there to tell her the truth),and Jason starts to learn how to be cared for without feeling like a burden (Thalia helps reminding him that,just because he is their father's son,it doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve someone to lean on). It takes a while but they are ok.

Then Jason dies and Thalia's life falls in shambles again,and it only confirms her previous doubts because what older sister lets their little brother die alone,miss his funeral and doesn't even try to avenge him?

[starlightshadowsworld]

People talk about Camp Halfblood being uneasy around Jason because of how much he resembles Luke. Not only in his physical appearance but in the way he’s a natural leader, skilled with weapons and the way he seems to act like everyone’s big brother.

With Annabeth in particular being very vocal about her suspicion towards Jason because of Percy’s disappearance and presumably also for the above reasons as well.

So with all in mind can you imagine how terrifying it must’ve been for her to see Jason possessed by the Eidolons?

To see someone who has such a striking resemblance to Luke look back at her with those eerily familiar golden eyes.

[dogwaterdish]

you’re such a genius

[echo-loves-flowerboy]

Big fan of Helen - deified demigod daughter of Zeus, most beautiful woman in the world, adept in drugs and imitating voices and capable of killing fully grown men - being married to just... Some guy. Who I presume she thought was hot? Maybe nice? The less important Atreus brother who wouldn't even rule a kingdom without her, who only really gets anywhere because his big brother big-brothers him 24/7, who is *checks notes* a better melee combat fighter than Paris, truly just some guy with a family curse and nice hair who has a huge soft spot for his wife.

And like I wonder if Helen ever thought about how when her father would inevitably take her home to be with her brothers and her godly family, how then Menelaus would be left on earth and later in the underworld all alone, how their love was only ever meant to be temporary because gods and men bla bla bla

[starlightshadowsworld]

Crack Concept: Reluctant Praetor Jason Grace who tries to quit every other day and then ends up having to immediately retake his position. Cause every time he quits shit goes downhill really fucking quick.

Jason quits and half the camp gets set on fire. Jason quits and a civil war breaks out between cohorts. Jason quits and the new praetor gets mauled by a wolf. Jason quits and the camp rains for 3 straight weeks. Jason quits and the new praetor ends up getting assassinated the next day.

At this point everyone thinks his position is cursed (doesn’t stop em from wanting it) and Jason really should just suck it up and carry on but he doesn’t wanna be in charge of these morons.

And if the chaos doesn’t get him to come crawling back Reyna absolutely will talk him into returning. She knows he’s a good leader and the only around who doesn’t piss her off so are you done moping? Good camp flooded again come on let’s get this over with I’ll get your robes.

The entire war with Gaia is blamed on the fact that Octavian tried to take Jason’s cursed crown.

[onyx-eclipz]

It's cool someone else cares about what Jason was up to during his time at Edgarton. Almost every fanfic I've surveyed on ao3 basically completely ignores it when, to my mind, it's really the most open-ended and interesting part of Jason's life to explore.

Beware that this is QUITE long Though there is more that I probably want to say I just can't remember everything at the moment...

IKR, I so want to explore what Jason did in Edgarton, we know a few things about his classes and hobbies but what about his social life and all that? That was a period of time in which he was literally grieving Leo and basically everyone else that he knew were gone (Reyna, Hazel and Frank stayed at Camp Jupiter, Percy and Annabeth were planning for college, Piper stayed with her dad, Thalia was with the Hunters, and Nico stayed at Camp Half-Blood). Although I cannot fully make an assumption on whether or not they kept in touch, it could be safe to assume that the majority of the time they were all busy with their own things. I do believe the Seven had monthly reunions but I’m not entirely sure when that started taking place, since it could’ve started after Jason’s death. With Thalia, I do believe they kept in touch as often as possible, with Jason having a picture of her in his dorm room and getting visibly excited at the mention of her.

Also how Piper, who was one of his main connections at the time, breaking up with him and him taking the blame would’ve affected him. From what I’ve seen of Jason’s character, he is someone who tends to put the blame onto himself whenever something goes wrong because he’s supposed to be “the leader” and if it fails then he was the one that didn’t lead people correctly. 

As far as I’m aware, Jason never mentions any friends, just a few teachers and physics class. Maybe he had a hard time connecting to people who weren’t a part of the mythological world? He’s not really that close to many people in canon so it could just be that he has a hard time with people in general, though we’ll never know.

Also I’m very curious on how the transition into going to a mortal school was like, Jason has grown up his entire life in the demigod world, so that must’ve been a major shift. Though in the Burning Maze he seems mostly settled in, with joining the lacrosse and tennis team (or at least plays it). 

With how Piper phrased it, going to Edgarton was Jason’s idea. I remember Jason dreaming of a more domestic, simple life. I guess that after all the attempts of finding Leo, he decided to settle down and finally try for the life he wanted, one like a mortal’s. Also something that I found interesting was Lester pointing out the fact that Jason chose to go to school somewhere close to where his mom was from. My guess is that he might’ve tried to find out more about his past and other family relations, or simply tried to get closer to it.

There’s a lot to assume about Jason’s character that we don’t know about and I do wish that we had more information. To me he’s such an interesting character, but unfortunately he was pushed more to the sidelines. He gave up so much yet also got nothing in return, and I just wish that we got to learn more about him. I've mentioned before that Jason (in my opinion) had SO MUCH potential and it was all thrown away. He has begun to be one of my favourite characters because I find him, to a level, relatable and I just wish more people could recognize that.

There is this fic that I remember reading. It was one of those fics that’s like Jason writing letters to Leo after Leo’s death. I really enjoy these types of fics because it discusses and talks about what Jason did during his time at Edgarton and his friends. I'll try to find it again. I do have some fics that have Jason at Edgarton but they are all Valgrace. I'll see if I can find any that aren't Valgrace because I want to see if I can find some genuine Jason content without a ship mainly involved but I feel like that might be unlikely...

Though do let me know if you want the small fic list I do have so far!!

[nuthin-gold-can-stay]

idk thinking about how thalia and percy allegedly look/act more like siblings than thalia and jason, what with their tan faces and black hair and sarcastic attitudes, the way they tease each other and fight each other and know each other's limits but would also die for each other. Thinking about them meeting up after the Battle of Manhattan, the two of them and Annabeth and Grover, all four of their little group heading to some restaurant in the square for lunch and somebody asking if Thalia and Percy are siblings. Percy rolling his eyes and laughing it off while Thalia suddenly shuts down for no apparent reason.

Thalia who spends the rest of the visit cold and quiet and Percy who knows it's somehow his fault but doesn't know why, couldn't possibly know why, because he doesn't know about Jason. Grover and Annabeth who are equally confused, watching, as Percy spends the rest of the day trying and failing to cheer Thalia up. Thalia who snaps at him at the end of it because she's reached the end of her line, she doesn't want to tell him the truth, can't tell him the truth, and she's sorry, she's so sorry, but she's mad at him for reasons that aren't his fault.

Thalia and Percy who spend the rest of the evening inexplicably mad at each other. Assuring themselves that the next time they meet it'll have blown over. Thalia telling herself she'll get over it, Percy convincing himself that she was just in a bad mood today and he must have said something to set her off.

Except they don't get that chance because Hera kidnaps Percy the following winter, and who does Thalia find while looking for him? Jason. Jason, who made her snap at Percy because she was mad that he was here and Jason wasn't. And now Jason is here and Percy isn't.

[anxiety0-0]

Pjo but the Athena cabin hates Percy. Not for any actual reason but because Percy keeps making out with their sister in public and no sibling wants to see that

Anyway Malconnor fake dating au where Malcolm ropes in Connor to his scheme of getting Annabeth to realize your sibling making out with their lover in front of you is terrifying all while not realizing Connor has a crush on him when

[mmavverickk]

it’s no question that Percy looks like Poseidon but can you imagine being Thalia Grace spending years and years remembering your brother as the teeny tiny toddler he was when he died only to have him find you a decade and a half later and when you look at him you don’t see your brother you see your father. stern and cold and severe. and you see your mother. beautiful and proud and burdened.

you look at your brother and instead of seeing the rosy, chubby cheeks of a kid who adored you, you see remnants of the parents who disappointed you.

[mmavverickk]

can you imagine being Thalia Grace and spending years on the run clutching to the memory of the brother you failed to protect.

can you imagine finally allowing yourself to heal from that. finally picturing your younger sibling and she has blonde curly hair and grey eyes and follows Thalia like a duckling.

can you imagine the guilt you feel when the little brother you gave up on comes back to you alive and doesn’t look like your little sibling.

[mmavverickk]

can you imagine being Jason Grace and spending months on a quest with Annabeth Chase and you’ve saved each other’s lives and you trust her to do the right thing and you’ve become great friends. only to realize, after the war, that your older sibling has replaced you with her.

did Jason ever truly know envy before? had he ever ever felt quite so betrayed? because his mother gave him away. juno took his memories from him, and in doing so, a part of himself. his father never cared in the first place. but he remembers his sister promising she’ll always be there for him. that she’ll always find him when he’s lost. that she’ll always take care of him.

and yeah, maybe she tried to find him. but he doesn’t know that. what he knows is that his sister replaced him with someone else. someone he still thinks of as a friend. how badly would that hurt?

[steamypockets]

@dogwaterdish

[dewertstew]

Why do some Luke defenders think that if the original PJO series was from Luke’s perspective, everyone would see him as a hero rather than  a villain?

While we’d get to see Luke’s failed quest and Kronos’ initial manipulation of him, which might change how some people view him, we’d still see him come up with, justify, and executing heinous shit like

Sending 12 year old Percy, Grover, and Annabeth to Tartarus

Set a hellhound on 12 year old Percy

Try to kill Percy via pit scorpion and leave him for dead in the middle of monster infested woods

Manipulate and take advantage of Ethan, Alabaster, Chris, and Silena

Poison the only remains of his best friend who died to save him

Try to feed Grover and 13 year old Annabeth to monsters

Blackmail Silena and threaten her with killing Beckendorf if she refused to spy for him

Plan to invade a summer camp populated almost entirely with children and teenagers

Emotionally manipulate 14 year old Annabeth to take the burden of the sky from him, 

Allow a hellhound into Camp Half Blood to prompt Percy’s quest (so Luke could send him to TARTARUS)

Constantly imply Thalia’s death was Grover’s fault 

Becoming romantically interested in 16 year old Annabeth

Abandon Chris to lose his mind in the Labyrinth

There’s probably more heinous things he’s canonically done that I’ve forgotten

The books would probably be filled with his internal monologue trying to justify his pro-authoritarian stance (he just wanted to dismantle the system that oppressed HIM and whoever was on his side, not freedom for all demigods, and wanted out the second he realised things might actually not be so great for him once Kronos took charge) while manipulating and taking advantage of the people he’s supposed to care for

If anything, it would probably be more similar to Coriolanus Snow’s POV in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes rather than anything else 

[sockth]

Hey if you See This can you reblog this or comment on this with a character you headcanon as aromantic, asexual, or both. It can be canon it can be founded on absolutely nothing I just need more aroace stuff on here #yay

[helenofsparta2]

One thing which always makes me roll my eyes when I think about the beginning of Mark of Athena is how absolutely stupid Annabeth, Jason, Leo and Piper acted when they approached Camp Jupiter.

Like, completely ignoring the whole eidolon plot, everything they do before that just makes me cringe on a different level.

They not only approached New Rome, a place they have a centuries long history of war with, a place they know highly distrust them and a place where not only soldiers, but also families, and little kids live in, in a fully equipped flying warship, but they also didn’t even properly warn camp Jupiter of their arrival.

Their “warning” consisted of a two-minute-long video created by Leo. A video, where Jason, their old praetor, one of the people who led them during the titan war, and the only link camp half-blood has to camp Jupiter, doesn’t appear in.  

‘Hey!’ said the guy in the video. ‘Greetings from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I’m the …’ He looked off screen and yelled: ‘What’s my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or –’ A girl’s voice yelled back, ‘Repair boy.’ ‘Very funny, Piper,’ Leo grumbled. He turned back to the parchment screen. ‘So yeah, I’m … ah … supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we’re gonna be sailing towards you in about, I dunno, an hour in this big mother warship. We’d appreciate it if you’d not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)

The only reasons why they did not get blasted out of the sky the second they appeared near New Rome is because Percy is a phenomenal public speaker, because he miraculously managed to gain Camp Jupiter’s trust in three days, and because Reyna was gracious enough to give them a chance:

‘Why should we trust these Greeks?’ Octavian was saying. He’d been pacing the senate floor for five minutes, going on and on, trying to counter what Percy had told them about Juno’s plan and the Prophecy of Seven. The senate shifted restlessly, but most of them were too afraid to interrupt Octavian while he was on a roll. (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)

‘Oh, come on!’ Octavian shouted. ‘He’s making things up, now.’ Reyna frowned. ‘It is a lot to believe. Jason is coming back with a bunch of Greek demigods? You say they’re going to appear in the sky in a heavily armed warship, but we shouldn’t be worried.’ ‘Yes.’ Percy looked over the rows of nervous, doubtful spectators. ‘Just let them land. Hear them out. Jason will back up everything I’m telling you. I swear it on my life.’ ‘On your life?’ Octavian looked meaningfully at the senate. ‘We will remember that, if this turns out to be a trick.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)

‘Praetors!’ the messenger cried. ‘What are your orders?’ Octavian shot to his feet. ‘You need to ask?’ His face was red with rage. He was strangling his teddy bear. ‘The omens are horrible! This is a trick, a deception. Beware Greeks bearing gifts!’ He jabbed a finger at Percy. ‘His friends are attacking in a warship. He has led them here. We must attack!’ ‘No,’ Percy said firmly. ‘You all raised me as praetor for a reason. I will fight to defend this camp with my life. But these aren’t enemies. I say we stand ready, but do not attack. Let them land. Let them speak. If it is a trick, then I will fight with you, as I did last night. But it is not a trick.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)

All eyes turned towards Reyna. She studied the approaching warship. Her expression hardened. If she vetoed Percy’s orders … well, he didn’t know what would happen. Chaos and confusion, at the very least. Most likely, the Romans would follow her lead. She’d been their leader much longer than Percy. ‘Hold your fire,’ Reyna said. ‘But have the legion stand ready. Percy Jackson is your duly chosen praetor. We will trust his word – unless we are given clear reason not to. Senators, let us adjourn to the forum and meet our … new friends.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)

Then, their plan to gain Camp Jupiter’s trust and create an alliance with them involved using Piper’s charm speak against them. A power, which is literal brainwashing, and which both Terminus and Reyna immediately recognized, and which immediately made them both distrust Piper:

Piper paced back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines. “Lower your weapons,” she murmured. “We just want to talk.” Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Annabeth, filling her with the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 1, Annabeth)

 “Oh, I remember you, Jason!” Terminus grumbled. “I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!” “But they’re not enemies—” “That’s right,” Piper jumped in. “We just want to talk. If we could—” “Ha!” snapped the statue. “Don’t try that charmspeak on me, young lady.” (Mark of Athena, Chapter 1, Annabeth)

“Your friend Piper has sorcery in her words. I spent enough time with Circe to know charmspeak when I hear it. I can’t trust what she says. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 4, Annabeth)

Later, after they’ve been allowed to enter New Rome, the very first thing Annabeth does is judo flip one of their praetors, without any warning in a moment of anger. An action, which almost caused them to get attacked by the Romans had Reyna not intervened, and had Percy not reacted with humor:

“Gods, I never thought—” Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, “Hold! Stand down!” Annabeth put her knee on Percy’s chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat. She didn’t care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest—a tumor of worry and bitterness that she’d been carrying around since last autumn. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 2, Annabeth)

Then, Piper and Annabeth make fun of their augur, a person in a high, and respected position, who has many friends in the roman senate, and disrespect him for no reason whatsoever on multiple occasions. (also, again, by using charm speak)

 “Impossible!” Octavian broke in. “That’s our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there—” “They would’ve destroyed her,” Piper said. “And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish.” Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Annabeth really loved Piper’s charmspeak. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 3, Annabeth)

Reyna nodded. “We call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?” “Of course,” he said. “But, Reyna—” “Recite it, please. In English, not Latin.” Octavian sighed. “Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—” “An oath to keep with a final breath,” Annabeth continued. “And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.” Everyone stared at her… (Mark of Athena, Chapter 3, Annabeth)

Like, it’s one thing when Jason, Percy and Reyna do that, because they are appointed praetors, rank higher than Octavian, and, in Percy’s and Reyna’s case, actually have reason to resent him, but outsiders like Annabeth and Piper doing the same as ambassadors of peace in a place that already distrusts them is so fucking dumb.

And then Jason, again, the only link they have to Camp Jupiter, who has been missing for months, doesn’t actually interact at all with his old friends or tries to wash away any doubts that he might no longer be on their side, and instead wanders around New Rome with his greek girlfriend. An action, which caused even Reyna, his supposed closest friend and ally to doubt him.

“Uh, Reyna,” Jason said, “if you don’t mind, I’d like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She’s never seen New Rome.” Reyna’s expression hardened. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 3, Annabeth)

And Jason… well, he has changed. He seems distant, no longer quite Roman.” The hurt in her voice was as sharp as broken glass. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 4, Annabeth)

Like, bro…

You’re all supposed to be smart characters. Please start acting like it

[dewertstew]

superboy and the invisible girl but it’s Annabeth Chase and Malcolm Pace

[finsettoland]

*fires a gun into the ceiling* WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ZEUS TURNING THALIA INTO A TREE WAS A PUNISHMENT????

*swings bat into the wall* THE "LIGHTNING THIEF" BOOK EXPLICITLY STATES THAT ZEUS DID IT OUT OF PITY AND TO SAVE HER

*slams chair into the floor* THE TV SHOW WANTS US TO LIKE THE (male) GODS SOOO BAD AND "OH THEY'RE TRYING THEY'RE BEST" AND "OHH THEY'RE ACTUALLY NOT THAT BAD"

AND THEN WHEN THERE'S A MOMENT WHERE ONE OF THEM SHOWS HUMANITY, THEY CHANGE IT AND MAKE IT INTO A PUNISHMENT????

THIS MIGHT BE WORSE THAN THE TRIO MISSING THE DEADLINE IN SEASON ONE!!!

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS FUCKING SHOW????

GRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHGKDJDKSKWISOSIS

[dewertstew]

The treatment of the gods is one of my biggest gripes with the show.

The original PJO gods are flawed, if they weren’t the plot wouldn’t exist, but they still generally cared for their kids, but they can’t interfere directly so it’s harder for them to show it. Athena gave Annabeth her cap and guided her towards Luke and Thalia, Poseidon got the Nereid to help Percy on his quest, Zeus refused to kill Thalia and sent the eagles to help her on her quest etc. They weren’t perfect by any stretch of the imaginations but they also weren’t figures who actively put their children in danger, such as Athena letting Echidna into her temple.

Zeus in the original PJO books cared for Thalia. We know he was around in her childhood until the age of seven, as she talks about the effects he had on Beryl after he left for good, meaning that they likely had a closer bond then most gods have with their children, even if he wasn’t around all the time due to Hera and the Oath of the Big Three, but he was still there. He also refuses let her die twice: once when Hades was trying to engineer her death and again in TTC, he refuses to kill her when the rest of the Olympian council was debating whether or not to kill her and Percy.

Now in the show, he goes from that to trying to kill Thalia. I get Rick wants to make Luke more sympathetic earlier on, which I don’t mind because Annabeth defending him in Battle of the Labyrinth after he actively tried to kill her and Percy a few months and after his speech about driving humanity back to the caves always felt like an odd choice, and an easy way to do is to make the gods worse, but then you have to explain why Percy and Annabeth continue to fight for Olympus despite everything they’ve gone through, and why they’re only reformists instead of revolutionaries

Rick has never portrayed Zeus in a particularly flattering light, especially in later books, but one of his few good traits was that he cared for his kids, but why have that when we can have goofy Hades instead? /s