Maybe we're lucky that Rick Riordan chose to write Percy Jackson and the Olympians for kids because I just randomly reimagined it as a Greek tragedy and let me tell you, I am UNWELL.
It's 5 am and I haven't been able to sleep.
In a typical myth, heroes do not have happy endings. They gain glory, they make mistakes, they fall to hubris or greed or love or lust etc. etc. then they die.
Okay, picture this. The throne room scene in the Last Olympian. That's it.
Now, imagine Percy. Imagine Mr. Percy-fatalflawispersonalloyalty-Jackson.
(Or even, pre tlo Percy, the one who didn't really have many friends or confidence or a good reputation. Who was weirdly suicidal, and in a devil may care but I really don't way. The one who really didn't have much to lose and somehow even less to look forward too? Who spends most of his time, the majority of his time, alone and lonely hoping either one of his two friends call. Who didn't have any semblance of normalcy or escape like Rachel.)
Percy, who is standing in front of Luke/Kronos. Next to him, Annabeth. Annabeth, who spent the better portion of the summer trying to convince Percy that Luke can be saved. Annabeth who just took a dagger for him. Annabeth, who told him he was right but is again trying to reason with Luke. Annabeth who he loves more than anything. Annabeth, who is his anchor to life. Annabeth who is hurting. Annabeth, who thinks she's right because her fatal flaw is hubris and would never be wrong. She's stubborn, an insistent little thing but really just sixteen year old girl.
Percy, who is very deeply, profoundly loyal. Percy, who carries Styx's blessing, which amplifies greed, selfishness, love, lust and every flaw dangerously. (Or just Percy, who's always hated himself, has been prepared to die for so long, was told he was a mistake and took that shit personally and fucking internalised it.) Percy, who's blessing/curse amplified every flaw, including his inability to be selfish.
His loyalty has never been challenged. He always overcame it. For once, he cannot.
He's never accepted defeat, not even if it would come at the cost of his life. And true victory is destroying Kronos, anyway. He doesn't even care about Luke.
So, Percy does what he does best. Self sacrifice.
He offers Kronos his body because Luke is failing him. Kronos is high on victory, he does not realize he's being tricked. The son of Hermes starts coming back to himself and Percy is holding a titan in his mind. Annabeth is obviously horrified because this is NOT how this was supposed to happen. Percy was on their side. But then right as all the color in his eyes is about to turn gold he whirls as fast as light, he catches her wrist and stabs that dagger into the small of his back.
The wound is not even a finger nail deep.
When he dies, he tells her that he only did what she so desperately wanted.
For the first and final time, he falls victim to his fatal flaw. And with that one time, becomes the greatest consequence of hers.
