oh wow look a hc meme ╱ accepting.
Riptide is an incredibly special blade && she, in part, was almost designed for Percy.
riptide ( in greek: anaklusmos ) is a celestial bronze xiphos forged in the fires of mount etna !! ( the mountain under which typhoon was trapped for eons ) && cooled in the river lethe ( the river of forgetfulness / oblivion that runs through tartarus into hades )
before percy, the sword was wielded by herakles as a gift from zoe when she was still one of the hesperides on his quest to collect the golden apple which was protected by the dragon ladon — this is where its cursed past comes to fruition
this is a personal hc, but zoe gave the blade to herakles: in doing so she lost her immortality amongst her sisters && was thrown from the garden. I see ?? the blade as gaining a “soul” of sorts from her during this process ?? which is where riptide’s personality / etc comes from !! we know for a fact riptide is female && has some personality to it but its never explained more than that. && riptide specifically is a magic item that draws power from the ocean — percy is the ocean. riptide grows more powerful the stronger the oceanic connection to its wielder then it would make sense the blade has a stronger aura / etc when percy is wielding it than those who have come before him. && since the blade has a personality ( a “soul" ) then it would make sense that it responds better to those who foster it aka percy feeding the weapon off his own powers.
now, riptide is a "cursed blade” due to the fact its history is one of betrayal ( which is the opposite of who percy is ) which leads me to believe riptide as a magical weapon with a soul ?? likes him better ?? due to his nature potentially being able to offset that One Curse but that’s just me fdjhgjsdgf
shes a much smaller blades then those others wield ( && percy wields her like its second nature )
she glows. like actually glows. when percy has riptide out its a ?? soft bronze glow around the blade that can light up a small space
she transforms into daily objects — for percy riptide hides as a ballpoint pen ( when uncapped the sword is shown ) but for zoe she was a hair clip / etc
she always returns to percys pocket. always. it usually takes a minute or two but she’s reliable
shes perfect to pair with water / ocean based powers
riptide is an actual gift from the ocean && a very very ancient magic weapon — again forged in destruction ( mt. etna ) && oblivion ( river lethe ). think on that
is semi sentient && shows preferential treatment to those who wield her
