Okay, this is just a quick (lies, this ended up so long) and dirty articulation of why I don't like Annabeth Chase from PJO, her relationship with Percy, and what I think could fix it. (It got too long so I cut that bit. I'll write it if someone asks, but right now this is just a deconstruction of how, in my opinion, Annabeth Chase is not a well-written and compelling character.) This will be rambling and scattershot but hopefully it all makes sense, even if you don't agree.
First of all, Annabeth Chase has a lot of potential. I'm about to talk some shit, but I want to be clear, I see a lot in her character that could be interesting. I attribute most of my problems with her to Rick's writing, which, for all its good qualities, is not the strongest or most consistent imo. This isn't intended as a hate piece, just a way to organize my thoughts. I'm doing this all from memory, and am open to feedback, disagreement, or correction if I make a mistake so long as it's done in a civil way. Thank you.
I think my biggest frustration with Annabeth is that I simply don't believe her intelligence. I would LIKE to. But I think we are told that she is smart far more than we're shown, which makes the praise heaped upon her somewhat galling.
When I think about great strategies in these books, Percy comes to mind first. In The Last Olympian, he's the one who plans out the destruction of the bridges to frustrate Kronos' approach, including making diplomatic deals with the river gods and strategically deploying demigods to get it done. He's the one to realize that Poseidon is critical to success, find a way to get his attention in the middle of a war, and convince him to take heavy losses in Atlantis — and lose that battle which was very personal and precious to him — in order to win the ultimate war against Kronos. It is also Percy's strategy which is successful in defeating Typhon. Percy is constantly thinking up strategies in high pressure environments, such as fights. For example, in the Labrynth, when he realizes that his half-brother is healed by earth so he concocts a method with what he has around him to keep his brother suspended so he can be killed.
Now, other demigods also make important contributions in The Last Olympian. Wasn't it Nico who convinced Hades, Persephone, and Demeter to join the fight? And Annabeth activated Daedalus(??? spelling) statues in defense as well. But Percy is one that we are most often shown being strategic. I think it just goes under the radar because Percy does not have a high self esteem and does not praise himself internally for a lot of the clever stuff he does.
Annabeth most often contributes by knowing something. She often serves as exposition; she'll recognize a myth first, and explain it to Percy. But not only is prior knowledge and memorization not a replacement for actual strategy, BUT PERCY GETS BETTER GRADES THAN HER. I think it's in that Demigod Files book?? All Riordan's stuff has at least a month's waitlist at my library or I would double check my source, but I distinctly remember an entry where Annabeth is like, "Seriously, how is Percy getting better grades than me?? I'm the one who taught him how to put an essay together and now he's breezing through them??? Wtf." I find this intensely frustrating. Because what do you MEAN she's not even more successful than Percy academically? It's just, it's frustrating, because she's supposed to be so super smart, and I'm struggling to see where that actually gets expressed. If her only advantage is an earlier exposure to the Greek myths than Percy and a good memory, then her value as a character is highest near the start of the series and can only decline from there.
Even her encounter with the Sphinx highlights this. She had the trivia knowledge to answer the questions but not the wisdom to just, do that and not start an unnecessary fight in the middle of their quest.
I can think of several times in the books where Annabeth stutters, trying to think of something, while Percy improvises something that might be a little goofy but it WORKS.
Actually, Percy is by far the better manipulator out of the two of them. He is insanely good at reading his enemies, figuring out how to convince them to ally with him if possible, or defeat them if not. His big vulnerability is he can't do that for shit with people he cares about. Percy is actually very conflict avoidant in his personal life, I've noticed? And he's very quick to empathize with a friend and try to see things from their persepective (like when Grover kinda SABOTAGED his college applications and Percy heard him out and supported him in his emotional struggle with Percy leaving).
By contrast, Annabeth doesn't seem interested in the emotional wellbeing of her friends?
Annabeth often insults Percy's intelligence and his strategies. She says his head is full of kelp, seaweed brain, outright calls him stupid at least once (during that quest for Hermes, if I recall; was that in the Demigod Files as well? It wasn't in a main book I don't think). Everyone says that Annabeth is so smart, she's the daughter of Athena she's the architect of Olympus!! Meanwhile, the person I see actually implementing successful strategy is the person Annabeth constantly insults. She says that he's lucky, that he needs help to do anything, couldn't think his way out of a paper bag without her????????
That's what drives me crazy about Annabeth. Nobody ever calls her on her bragging or her putting down of other people. She doesn't learn. Not even when her carelessness and overconfidence gets her DRAGGED INTO TARTARUS. I'm so sorry, but is it not embarrassing for a daughter of Athena to be defeated like that??? All you had to do was keep an awareness of your environment, put two and two together that you're covered in webs just like the spider who just fell through the floor, and realize you'd better do something about that ASAP. And, like. Look. My issue isn't that she was pulled into Tartarus. My issue isn't even the way it happened. It matches with her fatal flaw.
My issue is that, like with everything else she gets wrong, she never seems to learn or grow from it. Like when Luke tricked her into holding up the sky. That to me is a perfect opportunity for a genuine character moment. It's so humbling, and would leave you so shaken. A moment for an unwanted but desperately needed reckoning between who she wants Luke to be and who he is. I'm not even saying she should have given up on him. I don't mind that she couldn't or that the whole thing was so messy and painful for her, but the way that it was expressed in the book made me feel like Annabeth was either willfully blind or untrustworthy. Her denial of Luke's worst aspects, her defending of him, her refusal to hold space for other characters feeling differently to her, all of it fostered suspicion in me when I first read the PJO books.
I remember when I first read the scene where Percy reveals his Achille's heel to her. My hair stood on end. Something about the way her eyes are described as "distant" when she asks where it is, and how Percy hesitates. In that moment I was screaming for him not to trust her. I did not want her to know. I thought his fatal flaw was going to kill him. Percy is a character who cannot anticipate betrayal.
Of course I was wrong about Annabeth there. Or was I? Other people before me have noted that when Annabeth judo flips Percy onto his back in New Rome, she does not know that the Mark of Achilles has been lifted. I don't think that the throw would have necessarily killed him if it hadn't; he lands on a flat surface. But it was certainly DEEPLY careless and foolhardy of Annabeth, EVEN BEFORE you take into account that it was, strategically, a STUPID thing to do. It makes me want to scream how dumb this moment makes Annabeth look. It's the tense, fraught first meeting in years between ancient enemies. You're the leader of your group, the diplomatic ambassador from Camp Half Blood. It's imperative that this goes well, for the fate of the world. And your emotions run so high upon reuniting with your kidnapped boyfriend — who was stolen by a god and has been through you-don't-know-what kind of godly fuckery — that you take it out on him, the VICTIM, and physically attack him. Didn't she put a knife to his throat?? If PERCY hadn't defused the moment, handled it, Annabeth would easily have destroyed the Greek-Roman alliance right there, no ghostly possession of Leo needed. With friends like her, who needs enemies?
Her relationship with Percy…I've never understood why they're the golden couple of the fandom. Annabeth seemed more interested in Luke than Percy, and when she was interested in Percy it was always…like, okay, Annabeth was vulnerable with Luke. I don't think he ever had a thing for her, but there was a tenderness to how she'd interact with him. When she interacted with Percy — think of the school dance, or how she handled having Rachel on a quest — she refuses to be vulnerable with him. If she has a crush on Percy, she hides it under glares, insults, and demands. Annabeth won't ask Percy to dance with her, she'll hit him and call him stupid for not asking her. She will not let her guard down with him.
This is a throughline in their relationship; even in Tartarus, she's thinking about how she likes to keep Percy on her toes. Yeah, Annabeth, we know. It was obvious when you manufactured a whole drama around your "one month anniversary." Which, no, that's not a thing, and it's completely normal of Percy not to anticipate that you would want him to do something special for it. I hated that whole story (it's in demigod files, I think). It's just Annabeth dangling Percy over undefined consequences if he doesn't read her mind and figure out what she wants and needs. He does all the work and she judges it. It's not cute or fun.
I do place most of the blame on Riordan's writing. What's that scene where Annabeth pushes Percy unexpectably off a cliff, triggering a very sensitive and dangerous encounter that he had to negotiate under time pressure while Annabeth watches? How does that scene start? "Get you a girlfriend who…" It's framed as a positive that Annabeth will just shove Percy into dangerous situations without warning when she absolutely does not have to do that. Isn't she supposed to be strategic? Why can't she think up a strategy and tell him, instead of shoving him at the problem and just, putting it on him to find a solution? "Give the problem to Percy" isn't a strategy worthy of Athena, I'm sorry. But my point is, Rick genuinely seems to think their romance is good and these red flag moments are cute and flirty. He is not writing Annabeth as an asshole on purpose.
I tend towards death of the author analyses myself, but Rick's writing is not consistent enough for that. You kinda just have to identify what he was trying to do, see where it failed, and decide how you wanna interpret that. And when it comes to Annabeth…I just want to either burn her relationship with Percy down or rewrite her character.
What else is there? Oh yeah, does anyone else feel like the way her family is written makes her seem…overdramatic? Like, meeting her dad and stepmom…it's an anticlimax. This girl was so unhappy she ran away from home as a child. She chose to become homeless in a world where monsters hunt her down, AS A CHILD, rather than stay with her dad. There's a deep unhappiness and loss to that. When she talks about it, she talks about being unwanted, a burden that her dad was unable and unwilling to handle, not being heard, not being believed. She is describing victim blaming. In that house, she, a six year old child, was seen as the problem.
And after that build up, we meet her family, and they are…well, they're fine, aren't they. Her step mom is concerned for her. She and Annabeth's dad (no i don't remember his name rn) seem to want the best for her, to help however they can. Mr Chase—is his name Frederick maybe???—Mr Chase takes the initiative, after Percy and his friends let him in on a sliver of what's going on with Annabeth, to melt down old weapons to make bullets and FLY A HELICOPTER to come save his daughter.
I'm honestly at a loss about what we're supposed to think here. At the end of Titan's Curse Percy gently suggests to Annabeth that she give her family another chance. If I recall, she says some things can't be repaired, but it's implied that she does actually try again with her family later. This always seemed to me to undermine Annabeth's entire narrative…the way she describes being treated simply does not match what we observe for ourselves in Titan's Curse.
I could go on but I'll cut it here. Maybe I'll make a post about I'd rewrite her if I could, because I do WANT to like Annabeth. There's a lot interesting that could be done with her. Probably not though bc all the Annabeth stans are gonna block me for this one I fear. Maybe I'll post my criticisms of other PJO couples instead lol (I won't. if you've read this far you'll find this claim dubious, but I actually don't enjoy being a hater. anyway i don't have nearly so much to say about any other pjo couple). Thanks for reading.
You really highlighted several issues I have with Annabeth that is holding back her character potential.
She does not feel like the daughter of a war wisdom goddess. Which is a shame because she has no other powers! Wisdom!=knowledge. Annabeth knowing a lot of facts does not make her wise. If Rick wanted a knowledgeable character, he could have used an Apollo kid. A prime example of Annabeth not being wise in a war situation was judo flipping Percy in front of the Romans. Forget the Percabeth implications. Even if she and Percy were just friends, what she did was so foolish, if I were Athena I would disown her on the spot. Given that Annabeth has no other powers, having Percy who is already OP as hell coming up with so many strategies is a spit in the face to Annabeth's character. I don't like her much but she deserves better when it comes to that. At least make her way smarter than Percy.
Annabeth seemed more interested in Luke than Percy, and when she was interested in Percy it was always…like, okay, Annabeth was vulnerable with Luke. I don't think he ever had a thing for her, but there was a tenderness to how she'd interact with him. When she interacted with Percy — think of the school dance, or how she handled having Rachel on a quest — she refuses to be vulnerable with him. If she has a crush on Percy, she hides it under glares, insults, and demands. Annabeth won't ask Percy to dance with her, she'll hit him and call him stupid for not asking her. She will not let her guard down with him.
Annabeth treats Luke like the first love, the one who had her heart. She treats Percy like the second-choice guy she ended up with because she couldn't get the first guy. Post book 2, Annabeth has so much tenderness and concern for Luke. It's actually really sweet that she still has hope for him, no matter how fall he has fallen. And she's not totally naive since she did slam the door in his face when he came begging to run away with her. In comparison, she treats poor Percy so harshly. She would never judo-flip Luke. I partially disagree that Annabeth doesn't let her guard down with Percy. Percy allows Annabeth to be vulnerable with him (eg. Percy holding her after the siren scene in book 2) but is the opposite true? Does Annabeth ever comfort Percy when he is going through a hard time?
the way she describes being treated simply does not match what we observe for ourselves in Titan's Curse.
Maybe her parents had a change of heart? Also, Annabeth was six and everything is so overwhelming as a small child. The storyline with her parents was a bit tacky to be honest.
I did not like Annabeth at all before reading the books. But my opinion of her has softened a bit since then (still don't like her overall) and I wish she had better writing.
I am in love with this post. Because I have been screaming the same things for so long, and yet the fandom is as willfully blind as ever. Annabeth is more knowledgeable, but knowledge is nothing without practical application. Percy is quick on his feet, extremely adaptive, and has good instincts and has way higher emotional intelligence (people reading skills, people assessment skills) and is also a far better manipulator. Ergo Percy is smarter than Annabeth. There I said it. Plus, in knowledge and studies, which is Annabeth's supposed field of expertise, she still lost to Percy when Percy began putting in effort. So again, Annabeth's got nothing on Percy. Also, this is the entry op is talking about:
There's just so few people who are willing to acknowledge genuine character flaws instead of mindlessly defending their own skewed opinions. Everyone in the anti percabeth community or anti Annabeth chase community has been hounded with labels of being a misogynist, death threats and other complete and utter bullshit arguments lacking common sense like that one time someone told me, "But Percabeth are inspired by Rick's relationship with his own wife. So you can't critique them." I am sorry, what? If anything, that's more concerning.
Now that Rick's marketing trilogy is out and Annabeth's flaws are glaringly visible, like flashing neon red, everyone rushes to blame Rick's writing but given Annabeth's toxic traits and flaws have existed since the orignal series at least at some point readers need to admit that Rick was definitely framing the character persona like this since the start and everyone else has just been glossing over it for the convenience of their "golden ship" and "strong female character."
Annabeth out of every other character needs to be critiqued the most, given how redundant and devolving her character keeps getting. Like not only does she not get character development for her past mistakes and flaws, SHE SOMEHOW GETS WORSE WITH EACH BOOK AND EVERYONE JUST GLOSSES OVER IT.
Come on, people, even the fanfic authors change her personality to suit the idea of their golden relationship. Obviously, everyone is playing trail and error with Percy's personality anyway. Listen, if you have to change two characters completely to be able to ship them, then you aren't shipping the original characters, you are shipping oc pairing. And to all the proud Annabeth stans, if you really loved her, you would call her out on her bullshit and love her despite that. But you ignore that the flaws exists implying that you don't love the character itself but whatever altered version of her is in your head.
Facts! One of my biggest problems with Annabeth is how she never grows as a character and is constantly praised for her so-called abilities. Annabeth is not the stragestist, Percy is. Also, despite Annabeth warning her "seaweed brain" about not angering the gods, she's the one who needs the warning. *cough* *cough* Hera in the labyrinth. This wasn't to manipulate the goddess to their favor or to try and get out of a bad situation, this was Annabeth not holding her tongue and yelling at a goddess. Sure, think that all you want, but don't complain about the goddess to the goddess! Have the so-called myths that Annabeth is supposed to know all about taught her nothing?! And Annabeth's called wise 🤣
Yeah, it's also just the fact that for some reason, a lot of people ignore Annabeth's lack of growth and instead put her this pedestal (even sometimes raised above Percy for her accomplishments, despite the fact the Percy's done the same and MORE). I would love it if Annabeth was written to show this toxic person who takes her anger out on others and entitled to think she's better than everyone, but instead, she's written to be a HERO. Sure, she's helped save the world, but was that out of the good of her heart? Or even to save her loved ones like Percy? I don't think so. She wants glory. She wants her name and work to be remembered for all of eternity. And while this isn't inherently a bad thing, she's written as someone who's supposed to "leash" Percy in in case he goes too far (Yeah, the guy who litterally fell into Tartarus for his girlfriend). I wouldn't trust Annabeth's judgment and "goodness" with a ten-foot pole. The one who argued with an easy Spinx riddle and ended up making the others fight it, no thanks!
Annabeth is not the calm, cool, and collected hero. She's prideful and angry and snooty person. She's not wise. She's simply knowledgeable about myths (the ones she's learned about since she was seven!). Overall, she just doesn't contribute anything more than tension to the characters (with Percy and his friendships with others i.e Rachel and Jason. Also, with not accepting that others can have different views of people i.e Luke and the Romans) and knowledge of myths. Anyways, peace out.
Keep in mind that while I am ranting about this fictional character, I do not in anyone condone hate on actual people. Anyone is free to dislike or like whatever characters they want, and that's that.
I absolutely adore this series of posts: every sentence that is respectfully critical of Annabeth's character writing scratches an itch inside my brain. I won't go into detail on my own complaints about how RR wrote Annabeth, especially in the later books. A majority of it has already been addressed, and I don't feel like beating a dead horse.
Instead, I want to talk about Annabeth's intelligence; in particular, her strategies. I agree in part that Annabeth should be smarter than Percy. Her strategies should be more developed and sound than Percy's. Now, that's not to say that I wish Percy had been less strategic. I actually adore how cunning he is. But I wish their dynamic had been Annabeth coming up with the strategies beforehand, and Percy adapting them when the plan falls apart a bit due to enemy interference. This way, we can see the complex workings of Annabeth's brain. We can watch her look at a situation and understand at a glance who their enemy is and come up with a plan that accounts for both the enemies' weaknesses and their own to give themselves the best chance at victory.
This way, Percy still shines as well when he has to correctly figure out what part of the plan stopped working and how to change it in a way that doesn't interfere with the working parts of the plan. Because I don't dislike the idea of Annabeth finding difficulties when it comes to having to adapt. I think it's a cute way to show how Percy and Annabeth complement each other, had the dynamic been written well. The best couples, after all, are the ones who learn and grow from each other.
It also would have worked well with her fatal flaw and potentially fixed some of Percabeth's issues. Have Annabeth start out as she did in canon. Have her utterly confident (and this time, for good reason) in her strategies and plans. Have her so confident that, with the sole exception of Luke, she looks down upon the ideas and strategies that other campers come up with. She still looks down on campers like the children of Demeter and Aphrodite, because she sees no worth in powers that don't directly correlate to the wisdom aspect of war. And because of this, she can still be rather ruthless, especially pre-canon when she was trying to find "the one."
Enter Percy Jackson. He comes to camp scrawny, injured, and confused. He annoys her because he doesn't seem to understand anything, and with the sole exception of canoe racing and sword fighting, he doesn't seem to be good at stuff. Annabeth thinks, "This kid can't possibly be my ticket to a quest," when the whole incident with the toilet happens, and suddenly Annabeth sees potential. It's revealed that Percy is a son of Poseidon, and Annabeth thinks that means they're bound to never get along, but she wants the chance for glory more, so she is still determined to join him on his quest.
And sure, when they first begin their quest, Annabeth snips and Percy snips back. And they have some trouble because Percy is in charge of the quest, but Annabeth has problems with giving up control, but then they eventually get into a rhythm in the dynamic I explained earlier. Annabeth, in turn, grows closer to Percy and starts to regard him as a friend. Because of this, she is less irate when Percy has to adapt her plan, caring more about his safety than any sting at the idea that her plan was not absolutely perfect.
And throughout their quests, they learn and grow from each other. Percy, who is incredibly perceptive, picks up a few things from Annabeth when it comes to pre-planning and battle strategies. Annabeth learns how to be okay with adaptation and how not to freeze when an enemy does something you were not expecting. And best of all, Annabeth's learning from Percy causes her to hold respect for him that then grows towards other people. She grows to trust Percy's intelligence, or else she would never accept him adapting her plans, thinking that he would instead ruin them.
Show them coming up against an opponent they cannot beat in the beginning, with them needing to retreat and re-plan with the new knowledge they learn. Have Annabeth at the forefront of the planning, but have Percy chime in and give suggestions that she either turns down for logical reasons or acknowledges as a good idea and then implements. Even better, let Annabeth grow to respect and trust Percy's input so much that she comes to him for ideas when she finds herself stuck, and realizes she needs a change in mindset to move forward. Show Annabeth being more ruthless in her plans than Percy, because she is a daughter of war, and sometimes you need to sacrifice the minority for the good of the majority. And Percy, who cares so much about others, has to sometimes push back if he feels her plan puts others in unnecessary danger. It would also become a good internal conflict within herself at the idea that even if it is a sound strategy and better for CHB and Olympus as a whole, she can't sacrifice Luke. Even when he hurt her best friend and someone she loves more than her own life (Percy), because above all else, Luke is her brother and hero. Her family, along with Thalia.
And then BOTL comes around, and Annabeth is finally leading her own quest. And while she's grown and developed, she still hasn't truly addressed her fatal flaw. And at this point, she's grown enough that she is a genuinely good leader. And doesn't do the stupid thing with the Sphinx. But she still refuses to have Rachel join because she has to wrestle with her pride and jealousy. But then they come across a monster. And her plan (which was logical and well thought out and should have worked under any other circumstance) fails so completely and utterly that it crushes Annabeth. And leaves Percy as the one to come up with a plan completely and utterly on his own to get them out of there.
And with the crushing defeat, Annabeth is forced to realize that she still needs to hold a tighter grip on her hubris. Have her allow herself to become more vulnerable after years of learning to communicate plans with Percy. Whether you want Percabeth to become canon or not, have her acknowledge to Percy that she was jealous of his and Rachel's relationship because she's known him longer and was scared that by being too close to Rachel, Percy would push her to the side. Have them talk it out. Have Percy EQ-king Jackson alleviate her fears, which in turn allows Annabeth to truly apologize to Rachel and lets the three of them grow close so there's none of that "keep him on his toes" bs.
And I can't remember who wrote it, but I read a post somewhere, whether it was here or in a comment section on AO3, that Percy was the leader/general in TLO but then fell back into more of an avisor role in HOO when the seven finally get together, pushing back on plans and decisions he thinks are unwise. And I love that for them. Have Percy be the leader in TLO. Have Annabeth follow his lead with complete and utter trust, standing beside him as his right-hand man, helping with the overall strategies. Have them collaborate: Percy, with his diplomacy (especially with the river gods) and insight into the enemy's mind, and Annabeth, with the ability to read a battle and impeccable knowledge of their allies' strengths and weaknesses. Show Annabeth's growth from her quest with her willingness to be relegated to support, knowing that it is where she is needed most. Let either her or Percy's narrative make a comment about how twelve-year-old Annabeth would have hated her role and would have wanted to join the front lines, where she believed she would receive more glory.
And in HOO, have Annabeth actually lead, rather than just everyone say "Annabeth is obviously the leader." Have her relegate jobs for everyone. Have her head meetings where she comes up with plans on how to go about their quest. Have her and Percy working as an oiled machine so well that everyone else is left stunned and in awe. Have Annabeth take Percy's insights and disagreements into account, knowing that he understands her better than anyone else on the ship and knows how to keep her grounded in case her fatal flaw unintentionally starts to act up. Have her actually stand up for Percy, knowing deeply how intelligent he is, and refusing to let anyone try to imply otherwise just because he knows how to be goofy. Have Piper try to tell Annabeth that Percy needs a girl like her to keep him on a leash. And have Annabeth remember how she almost got everyone into a fight with a sphinx until Percy and Grover pushed back and made her realize that it was her hubris talking and that it would have been wiser to simply play along.
But most importantly: SON and MOA. These books, which are supposed to focus on Percy and Annabeth separately, should showcase them using what they learned from each other. Have Percy (especially after regaining his memories) use the knowledge he's learned over the years to come up with Annabeth-approved plans while keeping his own style. Have him remember things Annabeth said about battle strategies, both things that work and reasons why some of Percy's past ideas would have been a bad choice under those specific circumstances. And Annabeth. Have her come under situations where she truly has to know how to adapt in order to move forward. Have her outsmart her enemies, not by being more knowledgeable than them or even having a more complex plan if they are hyper-intelligent. But by taking all the things she's learned about adaptability under Percy's influence, and wrecking the enemy's plans by not behaving how they think a daughter of Athena should behave.
I get Apollo, btu I dont get how Demeter, Hermes, Aphrodite, or Dionysus kids are underpowered let alone could be op like Percy...
So Riordan has Percy as OP and justified by the many domains, titles, and godly abilities of Poseidon. He does NOT do this for the gods I listed. Since you said you can get Apollo, I'm just gonna skip him.
Demeter - Goddess of harvest and the "life" parts of "life and death."
She caused winter and famine via no plant growth, has some authority over animals since she's goddess of agriculture, has cursed someone with insatiable hunger (he ate himself).
Her children growing plants is undervalued, especially when one that's powerful could put things into perpetual bloom or keep anything from living. Or get creative -
Goddess of food has children whose food gives buffs and debuffs
Goddess of life has children that can take it away and give it to someone else
Being "they like and grow plants, they're weaker" only works by ignoring a bulk of her mythology. If Percy can cause earthquakes because Poseidon can, Katie can curse people and the land itself because Demeter can (and that's terrifying as hell).
Hermes - god of travelers, shepherds/cowherds, thieves, wit and cunning, writing and language, commerce, diplomacy, and luck and good fortune
I think I mentioned this in a reblog, but he uses magic and incantations, it falls under his domains of writing and communication. Magic alone could make any of his children OP, but he's also a psychopomp (takes the dead to the underworld), god of mediation (because he's god of communication and commerce), AND god of BOUNDARIES - the latter has so much potential, from making and weaponizing barriers, but also negating them.
In theory, nothing could stop a child of Hermes from poofing themselves into places they want to go to, making portals to bring an entire army into Camp Half-Blood, or make a barrier that keeps everyone out (yes, I'm talking about Luke - he deserved to be over powered and on par with Percy by virtue of being the primary antagonist).
Aphrodite - goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality
Again, I made a post about her and Riordan's treatment of her and her children. She's legit one of the most dreaded gods by the Olympians because her power over love has authority over anyone that isn't asexual or aromantic. Plus, Aphrodite Areia, her war goddess aspect, exists.
And even ignoring that, Aphrodite is beauty and it can be found in anything, it's a major aspect of her attraction to Ares (not just him being physically attractive, but because his carnage is beautiful in its own right). Beauty in war, strength and physical power, combat and bladework, you get my point.
Any of her children could be an OP warrior like Malenia from Elden Ring (her bladework is described as beautiful, she herself is beautiful IMO, and she hits harder than a freight truck) or amass such warrior loyalists like Miquella (charmspeak, people, it is OP on its own and Riordan ignores that).
And now, to my favorite to talk about:
Dionysus - god of wine, theater, festivity, madness, religious ecstasy (visions and propechy), orchards/fruit, wildlife, and death and rebirth.
Not even discussing his conquest of India while drunk off his ass, an OP child of Dionysus could, in theory:
Cause mass hallucinations and madness not just in large groups, but over an entire town/city/country
Be nigh-invulnerable with ressurective immortality or be Kenny Mccormick and keep being reborn, memories and all
Potentially have authority over lightning and thunder (The Bacchae) or be loud enough to create something akin to thunder
Inspire loyalty and have the following of a group similar to Dionysus with his maenads and the thiasus (his retinue)
Have a loyal following of MONSTERS in the form of kobaloi (well, sprites - but I feel like in the Riordanverse they would be treated as monsters)
Be able to grant superhuman strength to their followers (maenads, just maenads, they're terrifying)
Lowkey effect the world around them through theater (and madness/religious ecstacy). Imagine a dramatic ass theater kid that embodies main character syndrome and borders on a reality warper (and this is a further justified idea because in Ophic Hymns, Dionysus is kinda an aspect of Phanes - it's complicated, Zeus ate Phanes and Dionysus is twice born among other things)
There's such cool things that could be done with any of the gods, but them and their kids are downplayed because let's be honest, Percy would not be viewed as so powerful if they weren't underpowered.
Tangent time, but in what world would a child of Hecate be weak in any sense? Alabaster should be able to body the camp via magic and Mist.
Or a child of Nemesis, a goddess feared by even Zeus, not being able to control retribution and luck in their favor to never lose. Ethan should be out here winning until he gets hit with divine intervention and even that shouldn't stop his pursuit - because that is a major trait of Nemesis, retribution is an unstoppable force!
Or a child of Hypnos, why is Clovis among those deemed weak when he legit can put anyone to sleep (and sleep is so close to death in mythology that they were born together, he could make people sleep so heavily that they look dead - AND Hypnos is "easily embraced," imagine Clovis having a form of charmspeak where people he puts to sleep do whatever he wants like he's a necromancer controlling the dead).
POTENTIAL WASTED!
Like, even Percy and his OPness is wasted - prophecy was once Poseidon's domain, strategy was once his domain, he used to be god of the underworld AND top god (Mycenaean - it's also where his Earth-Shaker epithet comes from). Riordan didn't even truly emphasize everything would make a child of Poseidon powerful.
HEAR ME OUT! Percy Jackson as a love god; more specifically, as a god of faithful love (not to be confused with his sonetimes-brother Anteros as a god of requited love). This love can come romantically, platonically, familial, or just love of a concept (humanity, a passion, animals, you name it)
It's the love that empowers bravery and the willingness to sacrifice for others. It's the love that gives hope for a better future, if you're willing to work for it. It's the love that will let a person fall into hell for their loved ones. It's the love that causes a demigod to willingly take on an entire prophecy to protect his younger cousin.
Because face it, Percy Jackson is made of love. From the very first book where his main concern when fighting the Chimera were the innocent people around them to the SOM where he became protective of Clarisse the moment he noticed her looking truly nervous around her dad. It's love when looks out for Thalia even when they first didn't get along on the quest. It's love when he keeps searching for Nico and keeping his parentage a secret. It's love when he refuses to leave Nico behind even after Hera guaranteed him and his quest mates safety. It's love when he respects the nymph enough as a person that even the thought of him using his status as a son of Poseidon to strong-arm her into using her river makes him feel bad. It's love when he leaves Calypso's Island and it's love when he grieves that he couldn't remember everyone's names who were lost in the battle at camp. It's love that warns the enemy demigods to get off the boat he and Beckendorf were going to blow up and it's love when he welcomes them back into camp after the war. And most importantly, it's love for the demigods that cause him to turn down immortality in exchange for a better system.
And if you need further convincing, here's an excerpt of Percy's first meeting with Aphrodite in TTC:
"She really was beautiful, and not just because she had a pretty face"
The simple fact is that Aphrodite's appreciation and zeal for love made her seem more beautiful in Percy's eyes. And even if you can claim that he is partially influenced by the goddess, the fact that he uses the word "giddy" when describing his feelings is very telling.
This is from the online Merriam Webster's dictionary. Let's use the synonym/definition instead:
"[Aphrodite] believed in love so much, it was impossible not to feel euphoric when she talked about it."
Because someone who scorns love, or even doesn't fully respect it, wouldn't be using those adjectives.
Any thoughts? @cynthiav06 @helenofsparta2 @virtualflowerbatathlete @fate-of-the-envious
I have a lot of criticisms for the writing in Heroes of Olympus, but I will forever be grateful that that book series gave me the scenes where Percy interacts with the roman senate in son of Neptune.
I adore these scenes on so many different levels.
There are two senate scenes in son of Neptune, and I am obsessed with both of them, partly because they really highlight some of my favourite aspects of Percy’s characters: His intelligence, his social awareness, his leadership abilities and his ability to easily understand the emotions of others.
For one, he completely matches, and sometimes even outmaneuvers, Octavian’s oratory skills. Little reminder: at the time of these two senate meetings, Octavian is an 18- year old guy, who is Augur of New Rome, who has grown up in Camp Jupiter, whose family has lived in New Rome for generations and who has consistently been characterized as an extraordinarily talented orator, who even Reyna struggles to deal with in front of the senate:
Suddenly Percy understood what an effective speaker Octavian was. He sounded reasonable and supportive, but his expression was pained. He carefully crafted his words to put all the responsibility on Reyna. This was her idea, he seemed to say. If it went wrong, Reyna was to blame. If only Octavian had been the one in charge, things would have been done more sensibly. But, alas, he had no choice but to support Reyna, because Octavian was a loyal Roman soldier. Octavian managed to convey all that without saying it, simultaneously calming the senate and sympathizing with them. For the first time, Percy realized this scrawny, funny-looking scarecrow of a kid might be a dangerous enemy. (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
‘It’s not you.’ Reyna scowled. ‘I hate senate meetings. When Octavian gets talking …’ Percy nodded. ‘You’re a warrior. Octavian is a talker. Put him in front of the senate, and suddenly he becomes the powerful one.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re smarter than you look.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 15, Percy)
‘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)
Yet, Percy, a complete newcomer, who has never in his life attended a senate meeting or has trained in oratory skills, not only manages to interrupt him in a very effective and even charming way, which makes other members of the senate laugh, but even makes Octavian look ridiculous in what is normally his natural habitat:
‘The camp is safe,’ Octavian continued. ‘I’ll be the first to congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion’s eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt fate?’ ‘I’m glad you asked.’ Percy stood, taking the question as an opening. Octavian stammered, ‘I wasn’t –’ ‘– part of the quest,’ Percy said. ‘Yes, I know. And you’re wise to let me explain, since I was.’ Some of the senators snickered. Octavian had no choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed. (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)
With a couple simple sentences, he completely flips the conversation, takes control of the debate and forces Octavian into a defensive position.
At the same time, he shows good restraint and doesn’t fall for any of the tricks Octavian uses to try to rile him up
When Octavian, for example, denies them any kind of provisions on their quest, Percy accepts it without complaint, deescalates a potential tense situation between Frank and Octavian and simply focuses on the matter at hand instead:
‘Praetor, if I may,’ Octavian said. ‘Oh, great,’ Percy muttered. ‘Here it comes.’ ‘The camp is in grave danger,’ Octavian said. ‘Two gods have warned us we will be attacked four days from now. We must not spread our resources too thin, especially by funding projects that have a slim chance of success.’ Octavian looked at the three of them with pity, as if to say, Poor little things. ‘Mars has clearly chosen the least likely candidates for this quest. Perhaps that is because he considers them the most expendable. Perhaps Mars is playing the long odds. Whatever the case, he wisely didn’t order a massive expedition, nor did he ask us to fund their adventure. I say we keep our resources here and defend the camp. This is where the battle will be lost or won. If these three succeed, wonderful! But they should do so by their own ingenuity.’ An uneasy murmur passed through the crowd. Frank jumped to his feet. Before he could start a fight, Percy said, ‘Fine! No problem. But at least give us transportation. Gaia is the earth goddess, right? Going overland, across the earth – I’m guessing we should avoid that. Plus, it’ll be too slow.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
Even when Octavian personally attacks Percy by insinuating he might be a spy, something which directly goes against his fatal flaw, Percy doesn’t engage with his taunts at all. Instead, he sees through what Octavian is trying to do, keeps his own emotions in check and continues as if nothing had happened:
‘Really?’ Octavian said. ‘You seem to know a lot about our enemy’s plans, Percy Jackson.’ Most insults Percy could shrug off – being called weak or stupid or whatever. But it dawned on him that Octavian was calling him a spy – a traitor. That was such a foreign concept to Percy, so not who he was, he almost couldn’t process the slur. When he did, his shoulders tensed. He was tempted to smack Octavian on the head again, but he realized Octavian was baiting him, trying to make him look unstable. Percy took a deep breath. ‘We’re going to confront this son of Gaia,’ he said, managing to keep his composure. ‘We’ll get back your eagle and unchain this god …’ He glanced at Hazel. ‘Thanatos, right?’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
Because of this, Percy seems like a reasonable and responsible roman, and not as the untrustworthy, rash, incapable danger Octavian tries to portray him as.
But it’s not only Octavian he outperforms. During the second senate meeting, where they discuss whether they should let the Argo II land in New Rome, a lot of senators and Lares are vehemently against the idea, and even Reyna expresses her doubts.
Yet, Percy, on one of his very first days as praetor and during only the second senate meeting, he ever attended, counters every single argument the opposite side provides perfectly.
When a lar insinuates that Percy is untrustworthy, he brings up the appearance of two of New Rome’s most highly respected gods and their respective interactions with him:
‘Ha!’ shouted a Lar from the back row. ‘The last time a praetor tried to interpret the Prophecy of Seven, it was Michael Varus, who lost our eagle in Alaska! Why should we believe you now?’ Octavian smiled smugly. Some of his allies in the senate began nodding and grumbling. Even some of the veterans looked uncertain. ‘I carried Juno across the Tiber,’ Percy reminded them, speaking as firmly as he could. ‘She told me that the Prophecy of Seven is coming to pass. Mars also appeared to you in person. Do you think two of your most important gods would appear at camp if the situation wasn’t serious?’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)
When Reyna herself expresses doubts that Romans and Greeks could ever work together, Percy brings up the newly formed alliance between the romans and the amazons:
Reyna stood. Percy watched her anxiously. Her opinion could change everything – for better or worse. ‘You claim this is a combined quest,’ she said. ‘You claim Juno intends for us to work with this – this other group, Camp Half-Blood. Yet the Greeks have been our enemies for aeons. They are known for their deceptions.’ ‘Maybe so,’ Percy said. ‘But enemies can become friends. A week ago, would you have thought Romans and Amazons would be fighting side by side?’ Queen Hylla laughed. ‘He’s got a point.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)
He also consciously uses Jason’s reputation in his argumentation, because he knows what a significance he holds to the romans and he even swears on his life, something which has a huge significance in roman society:
‘I know it’s hard to believe,’ Percy said. ‘But I think I’ve earned your trust. I’m on your side. Hazel and Frank – I’m sure they’re meant to go with me on this quest. The other four are on their way from Camp Half-Blood right now. One of them is Jason Grace, your old praetor.’ ‘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)
And he even brings up his own position as a praetor, because he understands how much honor and respects this position holds within Camp Jupiter and reminds them of his own action in the battle against Polybotes:
‘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)
It’s not only insane that he comes up with these incredibly smart and logical counters on the spot, without having to think about his answers for too long, but it’s even more impressive that he managed to tailor his argumentation perfectly to the values and beliefs of roman society, a society, Percy has only been a part of for like a week at most. He shows an incredibly amount of cultural fluency.
But even aside from his argumentation, the way he acts really shows what a good leader Percy actually is. For one, he acts very decisive and confident in front of the other characters, even when he feels the very opposite, and is not afraid to take full charge of the conversation. At the same time, he fully understands when the people around him become scared and panicked, in which case he tries to calm them down as much as possible:
‘Silence!’ Reyna called. ‘Senators, we must act like Romans. Mars has given us this quest, and we have to believe it is possible. These three demigods must travel to Alaska. They must free Thanatos and return before the Feast of Fortuna. If they can retrieve the lost eagle in the process, so much the better. All we can do is advise them and make sure they have a plan.’ Reyna looked at Percy without much hope. ‘You do have a plan?’ Percy wanted to step forward bravely and say, No, I don’t! That was the truth, but looking around at all the nervous faces Percy knew he couldn’t say it. (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
Finally Senator Larry stood. ‘I know what Mars said, but that’s crazy. Alaska is cursed! They call it the land beyond the gods for a reason. It’s so far north that the Roman gods have no power there. The place is swarming with monsters. No demigod has come back from there alive since –’ ‘Since you lost your eagle,’ Percy said. Larry was so startled, he fell back on his podex. ‘Look,’ Percy continued, ‘I know I’m new here. I know you guys don’t like to mention that massacre in the 1980s –’ ‘He mentioned it!’ one of the ghosts whimpered. ‘– but don’t you get it?’ Percy continued. ‘The Fifth Cohort led that expedition. We failed, and we have to be responsible for making things right. That’s why Mars is sending us. This giant, the son of Gaia, he’s the one who defeated your forces thirty years ago. I’m sure of it. Now he’s sitting up there in Alaska with a chained death god, and all your old equipment. He’s mustering his armies and sending them south to attack this camp.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
‘If this begins the ancient prophecy, we don’t have resources to send an army to these Doors of Death and protect the camp. I can’t imagine even sparing seven demigods –’ ‘First things first.’ Percy tried to sound confident, though he could feel the level of panic rising in the room. ‘I don’t know who the seven are, or what that old prophecy means, exactly. But first we have to free Thanatos. Mars told us we only needed three people for the quest to Alaska. Let’s concentrate on succeeding with that and getting back before the Feast of Fortuna. Then we can worry about the Doors of Death.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
The senate scenes also really highlight how skilled Percy is at understanding the emotions of the people around him through the way he immediately understands what Reyna is thinking and feeling, someone who is consistently characterized as a person who keeps her emotions close to her chest:
Reyna must have recognized this, too. A look of irritation flashed across her face. (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
‘Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death,’ Reyna said. ‘That’s the Prophecy of Seven …’ She looked at Percy, and for just a moment he could see how scared she was. She did a good job of hiding it, but Percy wondered if she’d had nightmares about Gaia, too – if she’d seen visions of what would happen when the camp was invaded by monsters that couldn’t be killed. (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 14, Percy)
God, I love these scenes. They’re easily some of my favourite scenes in all of heroes of Olympus, and provide such a good characterization for Percy.
Son of Neptune Percy Jackson, you will always be famous.
HEAR ME OUT! Percy Jackson as a love god; more specifically, as a god of faithful love (not to be confused with his sonetimes-brother Anteros as a god of requited love). This love can come romantically, platonically, familial, or just love of a concept (humanity, a passion, animals, you name it)
It's the love that empowers bravery and the willingness to sacrifice for others. It's the love that gives hope for a better future, if you're willing to work for it. It's the love that will let a person fall into hell for their loved ones. It's the love that causes a demigod to willingly take on an entire prophecy to protect his younger cousin.
Because face it, Percy Jackson is made of love. From the very first book where his main concern when fighting the Chimera were the innocent people around them to the SOM where he became protective of Clarisse the moment he noticed her looking truly nervous around her dad. It's love when looks out for Thalia even when they first didn't get along on the quest. It's love when he keeps searching for Nico and keeping his parentage a secret. It's love when he refuses to leave Nico behind even after Hera guaranteed him and his quest mates safety. It's love when he respects the nymph enough as a person that even the thought of him using his status as a son of Poseidon to strong-arm her into using her river makes him feel bad. It's love when he leaves Calypso's Island and it's love when he grieves that he couldn't remember everyone's names who were lost in the battle at camp. It's love that warns the enemy demigods to get off the boat he and Beckendorf were going to blow up and it's love when he welcomes them back into camp after the war. And most importantly, it's love for the demigods that cause him to turn down immortality in exchange for a better system.
I love SBG because it doesn't matter who you ship; they all have severe separation anxiety. You think these kids will grow up and move to separate cities/states for college and jobs?? Puh-lease. Aiden is going to buy them a big house and they will all chip in to pay for food and utilities. They will live together until the day they die.
Any friend/partner they have outside of the group will have to get along with everybody if they want to stay.
They have no boundaries. And they are happy to keep it that way.
Ben thinks about maybe moving out of state for college? Logan is on distraction while Aiden and Taylor take apart and hide his car engine (She'll put it back once he promises to stay). Ashlyn thinks that maybe this friendship thing is cool and tries to find some more friends, causing her to spend significantly less time with the group? Tyler is sitting her down in an intervention to let her know that, "When I said 'you should expand your friendship circle,' I didn't mean for you to do it away from us."
Percy is a strategical genius, and this hasn't been said enough. I don't get why the Fandom collectively thinks Percy is dumb or needs Annabeth's help with stuff or isn't as smart as Annabeth. Even Annabeth, who should know better, sometimes treats him as such.
Reyna, Piper, Annabeth, and everyone else needs to hear this:
The truth is Percy is a far better strategist than Annabeth because Annabeth can't think quickly on her feet at all. She can weave accurate plans but only when given time and enough information, and only when she is looking at the bigger picture.
Annabeth does, however, have an almost encompassing knowledge of most things, but information is just information unless you apply it.
No one and I mean no one is better than Percy at thinking on his feet.
Mostly almost always Percy seems to be unaware of who his enemies are and yet still manages to go up against them and eventually win while Annabeth is at times left reeling.Percy has run into monsters/deities he had no idea about and still manages to figure out their goals in time to trick/defeat them.
Who figured out Ares's motives? Percy
Who figured out Luke's scheme? Percy
Who tricked Crusty without lifting a finger? Percy
Who figured out the use for Hermes's gift? Percy
Who came up with a way to show Luke's betrayal to the camp? Percy
Who tricked Atlas? Percy
Who made up the entire battle plan in the Battle of Manhattan? Percy
Percy tricks Phineas by literally goading Gaea. He could only do that if he himself understood how Gaea's mind worked.
He singlehandedly subdued Chrysaor (Yes, Frank was the key player, but we are counting the plan only)
Came up with the plan to defeat Polybotes and also executed it singlehandedly
Effortlessly argued and out debated the Roman Senate all by himself
Figured out how to defeat Geras (personification of old age)
Outsmarted Antaeus in his own ring
Managed to negotiate and attain the loyalties of River gods in the Battle of Manhattan.
Manipulated the entirety of New York Law department/ journalists into believing his fabricated cover story and dropping all legal charges against him at 12 years old.
There's so many instances of Percy being far more strategic than Annabeth herself.
Not only this, but Percy is extremely and terrifyingly perceptive and just a damn genius at getting people to give up secrets. [Done this to literally everyone since Book 1]
Athena is the personification of cold hard logic and facts hence Annabeth follows and so she isn't nearly good enough at reading people's intentions or body language.
Yes, Annabeth can be quick on her feet, but it's not very natural to her as it is to Percy because Annabeth believes in pre-planning, but Percy understands and embodies adaptation.
It's a flaw of many of Athena's children. The problem is Athena is a God with the mind of one, nothing stumps her so at any given moment she can and will always have the best plan because her mind is much more rapid than the surrounding circumstances.
Her children, however, are mortal and hence always vulnerable to surprises.
It's the reason why Athena favors Odysseus the most, over everyone. He was quick on his feet, along with being a great planner. He was a strategic genius, and my headcanon is that part of the reason Athena hates Percy is because her greatest enemy's son reminds her of her most favored person.
I recently edited this, and I am sure it's still missing some stuff. That's how underhighlighted Percy's intellectual feats are.
why has everyone just decided to disregard everything that makes percy interesting?
we are always begging for a main character who is given a life outside of being a main character and then we were given percy jackson, a demigod in the summer, saving the world and looking good doing it, but is also just a kid.
he skateboards and collects them, he listens to punk rock and alternative rock (are they the same thing or is punk rock a sub-genre?) but doesn't dress 'alt' (like thalia) and has anger issues and has been kicked out of multiple schools for said anger issues, some of them being (court-ordered) military schools.
he also has problems with authorities who abuse their power (gabe, the gods, the nypd etc.) and will not hesitate to call you out on your bullshit no matter how powerful and important and feared you are.
but he has morals and doesn't do things without reason. he has a level of maturity and integrity that isn't even present in most adults. he is really smart and gets better grades than annabeth, and is the most considerate person you will ever meet. he is humble and never tries to be the center of attention.
he's not the most optimistic person in the entire world, but he tries to find reasons to be happy in really crappy situations (when they were traversing Tartarus and he was so happy that annabeth was with him that he started smiling).
he is always grateful for everything he has and tries to show genuine interest in all the things that interest his loved ones, even if they bore him to death (like annabeth with her architecture).
and we completely erase that for some reason to make him nothing but 'annabeth chases' boyfriend,' and, well he is her boyfriend, and he's very proud of that fact, but he is his own person as well.
people get really mad when we erase all of annabeth's character to make her nothing more than percy jacksons' girlfriend but we do it to percy all the time.
Reversing the judo flip without context is incredibly disengenous.
I'm inclined to agree.
You have to reverse the entire relationship for the right context.
Let me.
Annabeth is an abuse survivor who has asked Percy to not call her the nickname that makes her feel bad but Percy never listens. Annabeth is scared Percy's going to hit her whenever something happens to her and she comes back even though it's not her fault. Annabeth is always scared of her boyfriend hitting her. Annabeth is not comfortable with Percy as she is with other people (Rachel). Percy gets jealous and takes it out on her and Rachel.
"I am never ever going to make anything easy for you, Bird brain. Get used to it."
Annabeth gets judo flipped, choked and threatened by her boyfriend for being kidnapped and traumatized.
Don't forget that Annabeth, despite growing up poor, is expected to foot everything on their dates. She makes a wonderful picnic with all of his favorite foods in a creative effort to be romantic within her means, and Percy completely disregards her effort because he's disappointed that she hadn't taken him to a nice restaurant. After an unexpected quest from Hermes where he took them to Paris afterward for a reward, Percy tells Annabeth that he's excited for next anniversary date in a month, implying that he's looking for something similarly fancy despite it being way outside of Annabeth's budget. And Annabeth thinks about "surviving" the relationship until next month.
Or when Annabeth willingly falls into Tartarus with him and saves him from dying on impact and makes him laugh while they're in literal hell, Percy in turn mentions a guy she liked back before they started dating. Percy mentions her old crush because he finds her nervousness amusing and likes to "keep his girlfriend on her toes."
I know this is going to be extremely bias, but i’m trying SO hard to understand Jancys. I’m trying to see their side, instead of arguing with people but I physically can’t.
Things I can’t wrap my mind around:
- When has Jonathan EVER showed he understands her on some deep level Steve doesn’t? He has proved time and time again that he DOESNT understand her at all. In the book, Nancy got angry at her mom for thinking she’d give up her dreams for him.
- Why do people act like it’s some grand romantic sacrifice Jonathan was doing?? Had he just TALKED TO HER he would’ve known he misunderstands her entirely. Him saying he’s going to break up with her wasn’t romantic, it was just plain wrong. You know who DID give her up so she could be happy? STEVE! “You should go with Jonathan. It’s okay Nance.”
- I don’t understand why people say they have chemistry when there’s not a single intimate scene between them UNLESS it’s them reuniting after a huge fight because of some upside down trauma? The first time they have sex is off screen. You know whose sex scene isn’t? Nancy and Steve’s. Steve and Nancy have far more intimate seasons in s4 than Jancy has in the entire show.
- How does Steve not understand Nancy? He doesn’t just see her as some badass who doesn’t need anyone support (which, yes, jonathan does) YES Nancy is a total badass, insanely clever and smart, but she’s also deep, and emotional. Steve understands she needs support, while not seeing her as a damsel he needs to save. He knows she can handle herself, but understands that her traits don’t mean she doesn’t need comfort.
- We have never once seen Jonathan taking care of her. It’s always him insulting, belittling, and putting her down. Natalia literally says that Steve is more of the Caregiver, while Nancy is the caregiver for Jonathan. Is this literally not her parents marriage word for word? Ted does nothing. Karen does everything. She has to take care of him consistently, all while talking care of three kids. If Jancy gets married, this would be their marriage, whether you like it or not.
- When has Jonathan EVER supported her in a way Steve hasn’t? He belittled her in season 3, refused to believe her, which completely contrasts how Steve supported her idea to talk to Victor Creel. He even wanted to HELP her! Jonathan has consistently put her down, argued with her, refused to see her side of things, all while acting like a kicked puppy when called out on his BS.
- Jonathan has literally barely given her a sincere apology. The fight in season 3, he said “I was completely wrong” which is barely an apology. Their entire makeup was almost nonexistent. It was just Nancy smirking while saying “Just don’t doubt me again.” This scene wasn’t deep, or intense. It seemed almost humorous. You know who DIDNT want to apologize but still bought her flowers and drove all the way to her house? Steve. When they broke up he couldn’t stop thinking about it, even when she literally said she doesn’t love him. He said to himself “what am i apologizing for” but he chose to let it go because of how much he loved her.
- Why do people claim it’s creepy that Steve’s not over her? They barely broke up. Steve was forced to let her go so she could be happy. Nancy was so stuck in her Barb trauma she couldn’t be with Steve by association. Why is it so hard to understand that the first girl he loved is still in his mind? Especially because they’re always around each other? He loved her at 17, whys it so gross that he still loves her at 20? He’s still young.
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