Everyday Firefighter Percy who volunteers at the aquarium, quits to be a stay at home dad, and goes back to the aquarium when they grow up becomes more and more canon to me
look, percy better finish college. and he will. but as someone who has adamantly advocated for firefighter percy, i feel oddly validated that percy himself agrees with me LOL
Hey, so, I was thinking about firefighter Percy Jackson, and then thought about the OG timeline (2005-2009). That got me thinking: do you think that Percy’s fascination with firefighters got started by 9/11? He saw those individuals that looked at the world crumbling around and decided to go and fight it anyways? And it felt so familiar, even though he was 10 and didn’t know why?
(You can answer privately if that’s a better way to tackle this)
Oh I absolutely think 9/11 had an effect on Percy. No doubt about it. When I posted that little one shot I wrote forever ago of percy telling Sally that he wants to be a firefighter (should I dig that up and reblog it? 🤔), I wrote about her being all freaked out cause she just has this memory of seeing all of the firefighters run into the World Trade Center and never come out.
Percy’s heart beats for New York. He lives in Manhattan, where the twin towers were. That’s always been his home. So 9/11 would definitely have had a big affect on him, even if he was young. So in addition to him being burn resistant, having control over water, being strong and fast, and wanting to feel good about what he’s doing and help people, I think it’s just another huge reason that firefighting is so fitting for him
What if Percy wanted to become a firefighter? How would Sally Jackson react?
~3 to 4 minute read
21 year old Percy Jackson sat at his old kitchen table in his parents’ New York City apartment. Next to him was Annabeth, his girlfriend of almost 6 years. On the other side of the table sat his mom, Sally, his step-dad, Paul, and his 4 year old sister, Estelle, who was coloring.
Percy was nervous. He had something to tell his mom, and he had no idea how she was going to react. Annabeth told him it would be okay, but he truly had no idea what to expect.
They’d gotten through dinner and were now talking and catching up. He loved his visits to New York. Annabeth and he had considered moving back after college, now that they were nearing the end of their time at New Rome University, but they decided that they would keep discussing it. That is, assuming his mom doesn’t kill him tonight.
“Percy, you’ve been quiet tonight.” Sally glanced at him with concerned eyes.
He hated how easily she and Annabeth could read him. How do they do that?
He took a deep breath and sipped his soda. “Uh, yeah. I have something to tell you.” He felt Annabeth squeeze his hand from under the table.
Paul and Sally looked at him expectantly. Estelle continued to scribble in her coloring book, having no interest whatsoever in the conversation.
He glanced at Annabeth, and she gave him an encouraging nod.
He took a deep breath. “Okay, here goes. I want to be a firefighter. I’m going to be a firefighter. Not forever. Just while I’m figuring out what I want to do with my life.” He looked her in the eyes. “I just, I can really help! I’m fire resistant. I can control water, so I can help put out fires more quickly. I’m tall and athletic. I’m really fast. I’m strong, too. And I think quick on my feet in dangerous situations. I’m perfect for the job, especially given my powers. I can really do good by this. And I—well, what do you think?” He looked at her with uncertainty.
Sally stared at him blankly, for what felt like several minutes, but was probably just a few seconds. Paul didn’t say anything either. He usually did this; he waited to react until Sally did so first. When it came to Percy, he always followed her lead as his parent.
When his mom finally spoke, Percy’s stomach dropped at tone of her voice. If sounded like pain. No… worse. It was betrayal.
“You want to run into burning buildings? On purpose?” She asked him slowly. “Not because you’re forced to for a quest, but because you want to? You want to risk your life on a daily basis? You’ve survived all that you have and— are you trying to get yourself killed?”
His heart broke at the wounded look she was giving him. “I— No! No mom. I want to help people. I want to use my abilities for something good. And like I said, I can’t really be burned. I’m way safer than—”
“I don’t care that you can’t be burned, Percy! You could die from smoke inhalation! Or toxic gases! Things explode. Buildings collapse. I watched from right down the street as hundreds of firefighters ran into the towers and never came out. Firefighters die! You could die, Percy!”
Percy felt sick. His heart raced, and he couldn’t even look at his mom’s face. He all of a sudden felt guilt beyond belief. After all he’s been through—after all he’s put her through… he felt terrible even considering it. How could he put her through any more than he already had?
The room was tense. Everybody was unsettled, and it was completely his fault.
“I won’t do it. I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking. I’ll call the station tomorrow and tell them—”
“Oh be quiet.” Sally dismissed him. She seemed to be at war with her own emotions. “I said I didn’t like it, I didn’t say you shouldn’t do it.”
Percy was now confused. A feeling he was very familiar with, being the boyfriend of a daughter of Athena.
Sally looked at him, carefully considering her next words. “Is this something you really want to do?”
Percy looked his mom in the eyes, channeling every bit of sincerity and determination that he had. “Yes. I really think I need to do this, Mom.”
Sally closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She took a minute to compose herself, and seemed to be willing her mindset to change. He’d seen it before—when he had asked her for her blessing to bear the curse of Achilles, all those years ago.
She let out a sound that was something between an exasperated sigh and a laugh. She shook her head in a way that said ‘I should have expected nothing less.’
“Well okay.” She said with a new, slightly forced, optimism. She reached across the table and took his hand, looking at him with a mix of emotions: uncertainty, fear, love, and tremendous pride. “You’ll be a firefighter, then.”
He squeezed her hand, and she gave him a small watery smile.
Sally looked him in the eyes. “I better get lots of pictures of you looking all handsome in your uniform.”
Annabeth laughed. “I’m already on it.”
Percy felt relief flood through him. Usually he would roll his eyes at that exchange, but he was so happy that he found himself smiling.
Paul chuckled and lifted his glass. “To Percy, and to his safety as he begins this new adventure.”
Everyone raised their glasses.
Estelle finally looked up from her coloring book and gave Percy a very serious look. “Are you gonna get a polka-dot doggy?”
About firefighter Percy: if he started around before or during college, that would also mean he served both in NYC and San Francisco. Meaning that he probably became a wildland firefighter too, right?
Well, the Caldecott tunnel (below the entrance to Camp Jupiter) is about a 30-40 minute drive to San Fran. So I’m guessing he starts out working for Oakland Fire, or possibly Berkeley Fire, then transfers to the FDNY once he and Annabeth move back to the east coast. But yes, he probably would have gotten both wildland and structural firefighting experience, along with EMS, working in Cali.
That would be such a good intro to the field for him. He’d have a blast lol.
