Screaming into the void bc who gives a fuck, and I mean no disrespect to Leah bc I know for a fact that this is just the narrative Disney's PR people trained the cast to push, but saying it's inconsistent for people to question the lack of the bubble scene and cheek kiss because "you guys were complaining about too much percabeth before, so we couldn't do it, it would have been too much" is absolute insanity.
First of all, WHY are the writers catering to social media fans? Who GIVES A SHIT if people on tiktok are saying it's "too much percabeth"???? Are they paying your salary? Bc I know *I* said it's too much but I also know I'm not giving the writers any money, I'm just a woman bitching online, I have NO say on how a tv show is produced, nor should I have. And neither should ANYONE ELSE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Write the show properly, USE THE BOOKS THAT ALREADY EXIST TO MAKE THE STORY. That's THE POINT OF AN ADAPTATION. Don't make a shitty fucking show and then throw your child actors to the media wolves to excuse your poor writing choices in your stead, that is SUCH DISGUSTING BEHAVIOR.
And second of all, how is "we couldn't put in these two monumental character/relationship development moments bc we had some other stuff (we made up) already" not ringing any alarm bells? Like. Let's USE OUR BRAINS and THINK for one second. When you're writing an adaptation, not everything translates text to screen, and often times concessions need to be made. That's natural, and in an ideal world, you'd keep the stuff that's relevant to the plot and characters even if it means sacrificing one or two small moments (maybe they're fan favorites, maybe they're cute, but objectively, they're expandable).
Unfortunate example, but in the first Harry Potter book (fuck JK Rowling, but it is the most apt comparison I can think of now, genre wise), the three kids have to go through several tests to get to where the stone is hidden, one made by each professor. In that scene, each of the kids gets their little moment to shine individually but also work together, as it is the final act on the story and the culmination of their development as friends and characters. The movie obviously didn't have time for all of this, which was good bc we didn't really meet that many professors, so tests made by all of them would mean nothing to us as the viewers. There are 3 tests (I think, I haven't watched it in like 10 years), one for each kid where they each display their strengths, just like in the book. The scene is different, shorter and less intricate, but the point is the same. We get to the same place. They are now friends who trust and sacrifice for each other, and help each other out in their own particular way.
The Percy Jackson show does not do this. Percy and Annabeth having (yet another) intense heart to heart conversation where they flat out tell each other "I would have died if you weren't here" isn't the same as Annabeth crying in his arms, at her most vulnerable, after being baited by her most intimate dream just to have it taken away from her in an instant. Percy asking her "are you okay?" when Annabeth takes an arrow to the shoulder isn't the same as her kissing him on the cheek in front of the entire camp after they work together to win the chariot race, since Athena and Poseidon are meant to be rivals so them working together at all was huge, but this additional act of public affection with each other is a very big swing on Annabeth's part, not to mention, a sign of a 2 year old friendship. They've faced death together twice at that point, of course she feels comfortable kissing him on the cheek, they literally have been through hell together.
Adapting a book to a visual medium isn't easy, but fucking hell, it isn't This hard either. A lot goes into why pjo tv just isn't working (Disney Corp meddling, RR going crazy, lack of faith in the source material), but this specific situation really goes to show what I think might be one of the biggest issues plaguing the show. The fandom. Or more specifically, production people being so involved with the fandom. I can go on my personal tumblr and complain about how weird it is that these 13 year olds are making intricate declarations of love to each other until the cows come home, but if you, as a showrunner, have a plan for the story, why should it matter what I think? I don't know what the plan is, maybe it works because they're getting together in season 3 instead of 5, maybe it works because they're gonna break up in season 4, maybe that's the plan (I would personally kill myself if it was, but again, it doesn't matter what I think, I'm not the writer). But if you let Twitter dictate how you tell your story, all you get is a disjointed mess that pleases no one.
By now it's clear that this show is never going to be a faithful adaptation, so don't pretend. Just fucking commit to something. Make a plan and stick to it, but don't have your actress go on an interview to explain why the stupid choices you made are very valid, actually.