#helena_rants

[helenofsparta2]

Personal Headcanon:

Percy is the one who informs most of the parents of the demigods who died during the Battle of Manhattan of their children’s death.

He was the leader and main strategist of that battle, and, as such, feels responsible for their demise. Percy probably also feels guilty, because, despite all odds, despite everything and everyone telling him he won’t make it past his sixteenth birthday, he managed to survive and can now freely plan his future, while so many of his friends, who had nothing directly to do with the prophecy, died.

He doesn’t face too much resistance when he brings the topic up at camp.

While some cabin councillors like Clarisse and Annabeth are adamant about informing them themselves, others are glad to accept his offer. On top of grappling with the fact that they are now cabin councillors, characters like Drew Tanaka and Jake Mason, for example, are also still lost in their own anger and grief, and don’t have the energy left for conversations like this.

Will is also, at first, reluctant to accept, but Percy is very resolute to not force that burden onto him, because Will is around the same age Percy had been when he had been forced to tell Nico of Bianca’s death. In the end, he manages to convince him by saying that it’s probably easier for the parents, when they hear the news from someone who is16 years old and not 13.

A lot of the dead demigods also didn’t have official cabin councillors, since they were children of the “minor” gods.

Percy makes no difference between demigods on different sides. As long as he can find out who their parents are and where they live, he pays them a personal visit. He works closely together with Nico, who can communicate with the dead, help him with find out about their loved ones, and who can give him the final reassurance that they ended up in Elysium, which would give their parents at least some sort of comfort.

Still, most of the time, Percy is alone when he makes the visits.

He is alone when he visits Beckendorf’s and Michael’s moms. He is alone when he finally manages to track down Ethan’s dad, and he is alone when he visits May Castellan again after the war.

He is alone, except for one time.

When he visits Mr. Beaureguard, it’s not him who actually tells him of Silena’s death. It’s Clarisse.

The two of them never talk about that moment afterwards, but their relationship, which had already improved after “Stolen Chariot” grows even deeper, even if neither of them ever openly acknowledge it.

[helenofsparta2]

So, let me get this straight.

The only reason why Percy is currently doing three more quests for the gods, while already being burnt out from finishing high school, is because he wants to enter the university of New Rome. A place where the monster who he watched kill his mom when he was twelve, the monster, who wore the necklaces of his dead friends around its axe as spoils of war, the monster he canonically still has nightmares about, lives peacefully alongside him and gets offended when he gets called a monster.

He does not want to go to that university, because he has a passion for a specific subject, or because he has a good time and flourishes in an academic environment. We know that Rick Riordan didn't really bother to think about what Percy wants to study, and as already stated, he is already burnt out from academics. But he wants to go there solely because his girlfriend and maybe some of his other friends live there.

All the while, he could technically go to a different university altogether, because, appearantly, monsters stop bothering demigods once they reach a certain age, which completely robs New Rome of the initial appeal it had to Percy in Son of Neptune, and of the sole reason why he wanted to live there in the first place.

On top of that, his trauma gets completely ignored, his accomplishments don't matter at all, and his relationship to other characters get either ignored/ brushed to the side, like in the case of Clarisse, Hazel, Frank, Rachel, Thalia etc. or get washed down so much that they are unrecognizable, frankly completely one dimensional, and require a bunch of mischaracterization, like in the case of Annabeth, Grover or Nico.

I can't believe I say this, because i love Percy, and because I desperately want him to live a fullfilled and happy life, but at this point, I really wish he would have died while closing the doors of death in Tartarus.

[helenofsparta2]

Sometimes I go a little insane, when I think about the dynamic between Percy and the demigods who were part of the Titan Army, specifically named characters like Chris, Silena and Ethan.

Unlike most other demigods at Camp Half-Blood, Percy’s fate was inseparably bound to the outcome of the war. There was no possible scenario in which Kronos could win and Percy still survive in any way, shape or form, and, I think, everyone would have been aware of that. In contrast, many of the demigods who joined Kronos’s army seemed to believe that, should the Titans prevail, the surviving demigods of Camp Half-Blood would be granted amnesty. (Even if that would have been a lie)

Silena, for instance, admitted that she thought she was saving lives by working for Kronos. Likewise, Prometheus explicitly assured Percy that camp half blood would be spared, should they give up:

Silena tried to nod. "Before . . . before I liked Charlie, Luke was nice to me. He was so . . . charming. Handsome. Later, I wanted to stop helping him, but he threatened to tell. He promised . . . he promised I was saving lives. Fewer people would get hurt. He told me he wouldn't hurt . . . Charlie. He lied to me." (The Last Olympian, Chapter 17)

The Titan slid the jar across the table. "I give you this as a reminder of what the gods are like," he said. "Keep Elpis, if you wish. But if you decide that you have seen enough destruction, enough futile suffering, then open the jar. Let Elpis go. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. He will spare the survivors." (The Last Olympian, Chapter 13)

Prometheus smiled. "Troy was completely destroyed, Percy. You don't want that to happen here. Stand down, and New York will be spared. Your forces will be granted amnesty. I will personally assure your safety. Let Kronos take Olympus. Who cares? Typhon will destroy the gods .my way." "Right," I said. "And I'm supposed to believe Kronos would spare the city." "All he wants is Olympus," Prometheus promised. (The Last Olympian, Chapter 13)

Even though Prometheus also said, he would assure Percy’s safety, logically speaking, that promise would be even more non sensical, than the one about granting amnesty to other enemy demigods. After "Sea of Monsters", Percy was openly enemy number 1 of the titan army (after the gods) and, I think, most demigods would be aware of the fact, that Percy’s death was inevitable, should Kronos win:

I was feeling pretty good about myself, until Luke turned and gave me a murderous look. “Kronos was right, Percy. You’re an unreliable weapon. You need to be replaced.” (The Sea of Monsters, Chapter 17)

"Perseus Jackson," one of them said. "Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat." "Who said I was a threat?" The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee." She pointed at Thalia.  (Titan’s Curse, Chapter 16)

So, it’s not that big of a leap to think, that the titan army probably thought quite a bit about how to kill Percy specifically, long before the battle of Manhattan started. That’s what you do in war. You plan and scheme and think about how to take out your biggest threats. They would have been extremely foolish not to spend time plotting Percy’s death, and it’s reasonable to assume enemy demigods at least knew about those plans,  if not actively contributed to them.

I now think about Chris, who was part of Kronos’ army since at least Sea of Monsters, returning to Camp Half-blood, and facing Percy again, who simply forgives him. Who is happy for him when he’s healed and not once brings up his life in Kronos’ army.

I shivered, though I wasn’t exactly sure why. Poor Chris…he hadn’t been a bad guy. What could’ve driven him mad? (Battle of the Labyrinth, Chapter 3)

“I heard about Chris,” I said. “I’m sorry.” Clarisse paced a circle around the arena. (…) She picked up a javelin and threw it across the arena. It nailed a dummy straight between the eyeholes of its helmet. She had called Chris a hero, like he had never gone over to the Titan’s side. It reminded me of the way Annabeth sometimes talked about Luke. I decided not to bring that up. “Chris was brave,” I said. “I hope he gets better.” (Battle of the Labyrinth, Chapter 13)

And as I watched Clarisse and Chris singing a stupid campfire song together, holding hands in the darkness, where they thought nobody could see them, I had to smile. (Battle of the Labyrinth, Chapter 19)

"Hey, Silena, I'm really sorry." She sniffled. Clarisse glared at me, but she always glares at everyone. Chris would barely look at me. He'd been one of Luke's men until Clarisse rescued him from the Labyrinth last summer, and I guess he still felt guilty about it. (The Last Olympian, Chapter 4)

Or Silena, whose boyfriend is one of Percy’s closest friends. Who fought alongside him to save Beckendorf from Festus, taught him first how to ride a Pegasus and whom Percy sees as a friend as early as “Sea of Monsters.” Silena, who has been a spy for the titan army since the beginning and gave Luke not only the coordinates of the golden fleece in "Sea of Monsters", but also told him specifically of Percy’s and Beckendorf’s mission to destroy the princess Andromeda and of camp’s strategies during the battle of Manhattan. Silena, who has betrayed camp countless times, but whom Percy still sees as a hero, even after finding out what she’d done, and whom he feels very protective of all throughout the last Olympian:

As I made my way through camp, I said hi to some of my friends. In the Big House’s driveway, Connor and Travis Stoll from the Hermes cabin were hot-wiring the camps SUV. Silena Beauregard, the head counselor for Aphrodite, waved at me from her Pegasus as she flew past. (Battle of the Labyrinth, Chapter 2)

Only Silena Beauregard didn't pay any attention. She sat beside Clarisse and stared vacantly at the Ping-Pong net. Her eyes were red and puffy. A cup of hot chocolate sat untouched in front of her. It seemed unfair that she had to be here. I couldn't believe Clarisse and Michael standing over her, arguing about something as stupid as loot, when she'd just lost Beckendorf. "STOP IT!" I yelled. "What are you guys doing?" (The Last Olympian, Chapter 3)

I could tell we were thinking the same thing: What if the Princess Andromeda was a ploy? What if Kronos let us blow up that ship so we'd lower our guard? But I wasn't going to say that in front of Silena. Her boyfriend had sacrificed himself for that mission. "Maybe you're right," I said, though I didn't believe it. (The Last Olympian, Chapter 3)

Finally I got up the nerve to walk over. "Hey, Silena, I'm really sorry." She sniffled. (...) I cleared my throat. "Silena, you know Beckendorf carried your picture. He looked at it right before we went into battle. You meant a lot to him. You made the last year the best of his life." Silena sobbed. "Good work, Percy," Clarisse muttered. "No, it's all right," Silena said. "Thank . . . thank you, Percy. I should go." (The Last Olympian, Chapter 4)

Her mouth trembled. Ever since Beckendorf died she'd been getting worse, and every time I looked at her, it made me angry about his death all over again. Her expression reminded me of glass—like she might break any minute. I swore to myself that if I ever found the spy who'd cost her boyfriend his life, I would give him to Mrs. O'Leary as a chew toy. "You're a great camper," I told Silena. "You're the best pegasus rider we have. And you get along with people. Believe me, anyone who can make friends with Clarisse has talent." (The Last Olympian, Chapter 12)

Connor and Travis Stoll met us by the elevators. "Is it true?" Connor asked. "About Silena?" I nodded. "She died a hero." Travis shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I also heard—" "That's it," I insisted. "End of story." (The Last Olympian, Chapter 17)

Or Ethan Nakamura, who actively tried to kill Percy during “Battle of the Labyrinth”, and who became the demigod, whose final allegiance made Kronos’ rise possible. Who tried to steal the Sword of Hades and almost killed Percy during the battle at the Williamsburg Bridge, while Percy saved his life twice, both in “battle of the labyrinth” and in “Sword of Hades”, and while Percy refused to kill him, even after he stabbed Annabeth of all people.

He fell on his back, dazed and tired. I put the tip of my sword on his chest. “Get it over with,” Ethan groaned. I looked up at Antaeus. His red face was stony with displeasure, but he held up his hand and put it thumbs down. “Forget it.” I sheathed my sword. “Don’t be a fool,” Ethan groaned. “They’ll just kill us both.” I offered him my hand. Reluctantly, he took it. I helped him up (Battle of the Labyrinth, Chapter 14)

I looked at Ethan. “When you see your chance, run.” (Battle of the Labyrinth, Chapter 14)

Ethan ran, straight into the cave of Melinoe. Thalia took aim at his back, but I said, “No. Let him go.” She frowned but lowered her bow. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to spare Ethan. I guess we’d had enough fighting for a day, and in truth, I felt sorry for the kid. He would be in enough trouble when he reported back to Kronos. (The Demigod Files: The Sword of Hades)

Even Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud—black silk with a logo of swords crossed under a set of scales. As his shroud went up in flames, I hoped Ethan knew he had made a difference in the end. He'd paid a lot more than an eye, but the minor gods would finally get the respect they deserved. (The Last Olympian, Chapter 22)

Like, the concept of Percy being enemy number 1 of the titan army but still treating every enemy demigod we know off with (mostly) unreciprocated understanding, mercy and, at times, even kindness is so fascinating to me and creates dynamics that are slowly driving me nuts.

[helenofsparta2]

Very little scene, but a very important piece of information for me personally, because it totally supports my “Percy and the Apollo cabin friendship” agenda.

In this moment, Percy could have technically chosen every other cabin to train with. For example, the Hermes cabin, with whom he used to live with for a couple days in the Lightning Thief or the Aphrodite cabin, whose cabin counsellor is one of the few people who treats Percy kindly during sea of monsters:

Silena Beauregard, one of the nicer girls from Aphrodite’s cabin, gave me my first riding lesson on a pegasus. (The Sea of Monsters, Chapter 6)

He also could have chosen the Hephaestus cabin, whose cabin counsellor he gets along well with:  

He was nice enough once you got to know him, but no one ever called him Charlie or Chuck or Charles. Most just called him Beckendorf. (The Sea of Monsters, Chapter 5)

The only person at camp who had no problem with Tyson was Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin. The blacksmith god had always worked with Cyclopes in his forges, so Beckendorf took Tyson down to the armory to teach him metalworking. He said he’d have Tyson crafting magic items like a master in no time. (The Sea of Monsters, Chapter 6)

or any of the other cabins. But he actively chose to spend time with the Apollo cabin, and even goes to archery class afterwards. Especially considering how bad the situation at camp was for Percy at the time, with all the isolation and even bullying, it seems illogical to me that he would join a cabin he doesn’t get along with.

So, they're friends, your honor

[helenofsparta2]

One thing which always makes me roll my eyes when I think about the beginning of Mark of Athena is how absolutely stupid Annabeth, Jason, Leo and Piper acted when they approached Camp Jupiter.

Like, completely ignoring the whole eidolon plot, everything they do before that just makes me cringe on a different level.

They not only approached New Rome, a place they have a centuries long history of war with, a place they know highly distrust them and a place where not only soldiers, but also families, and little kids live in, in a fully equipped flying warship, but they also didn’t even properly warn camp Jupiter of their arrival.

Their “warning” consisted of a two-minute-long video created by Leo. A video, where Jason, their old praetor, one of the people who led them during the titan war, and the only link camp half-blood has to camp Jupiter, doesn’t appear in.  

‘Hey!’ said the guy in the video. ‘Greetings from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I’m the …’ He looked off screen and yelled: ‘What’s my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or –’ A girl’s voice yelled back, ‘Repair boy.’ ‘Very funny, Piper,’ Leo grumbled. He turned back to the parchment screen. ‘So yeah, I’m … ah … supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we’re gonna be sailing towards you in about, I dunno, an hour in this big mother warship. We’d appreciate it if you’d not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)

The only reasons why they did not get blasted out of the sky the second they appeared near New Rome is because Percy is a phenomenal public speaker, because he miraculously managed to gain Camp Jupiter’s trust in three days, and because Reyna was gracious enough to give them a chance:

‘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)

‘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)

‘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)

All eyes turned towards Reyna. She studied the approaching warship. Her expression hardened. If she vetoed Percy’s orders … well, he didn’t know what would happen. Chaos and confusion, at the very least. Most likely, the Romans would follow her lead. She’d been their leader much longer than Percy. ‘Hold your fire,’ Reyna said. ‘But have the legion stand ready. Percy Jackson is your duly chosen praetor. We will trust his word – unless we are given clear reason not to. Senators, let us adjourn to the forum and meet our … new friends.’ (The Son of Neptune, Chapter 52, Percy)

Then, their plan to gain Camp Jupiter’s trust and create an alliance with them involved using Piper’s charm speak against them. A power, which is literal brainwashing, and which both Terminus and Reyna immediately recognized, and which immediately made them both distrust Piper:

Piper paced back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines. “Lower your weapons,” she murmured. “We just want to talk.” Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Annabeth, filling her with the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 1, Annabeth)

 “Oh, I remember you, Jason!” Terminus grumbled. “I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!” “But they’re not enemies—” “That’s right,” Piper jumped in. “We just want to talk. If we could—” “Ha!” snapped the statue. “Don’t try that charmspeak on me, young lady.” (Mark of Athena, Chapter 1, Annabeth)

“Your friend Piper has sorcery in her words. I spent enough time with Circe to know charmspeak when I hear it. I can’t trust what she says. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 4, Annabeth)

Later, after they’ve been allowed to enter New Rome, the very first thing Annabeth does is judo flip one of their praetors, without any warning in a moment of anger. An action, which almost caused them to get attacked by the Romans had Reyna not intervened, and had Percy not reacted with humor:

“Gods, I never thought—” Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, “Hold! Stand down!” Annabeth put her knee on Percy’s chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat. She didn’t care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest—a tumor of worry and bitterness that she’d been carrying around since last autumn. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 2, Annabeth)

Then, Piper and Annabeth make fun of their augur, a person in a high, and respected position, who has many friends in the roman senate, and disrespect him for no reason whatsoever on multiple occasions. (also, again, by using charm speak)

 “Impossible!” Octavian broke in. “That’s our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there—” “They would’ve destroyed her,” Piper said. “And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish.” Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Annabeth really loved Piper’s charmspeak. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 3, Annabeth)

Reyna nodded. “We call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?” “Of course,” he said. “But, Reyna—” “Recite it, please. In English, not Latin.” Octavian sighed. “Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—” “An oath to keep with a final breath,” Annabeth continued. “And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.” Everyone stared at her… (Mark of Athena, Chapter 3, Annabeth)

Like, it’s one thing when Jason, Percy and Reyna do that, because they are appointed praetors, rank higher than Octavian, and, in Percy’s and Reyna’s case, actually have reason to resent him, but outsiders like Annabeth and Piper doing the same as ambassadors of peace in a place that already distrusts them is so fucking dumb.

And then Jason, again, the only link they have to Camp Jupiter, who has been missing for months, doesn’t actually interact at all with his old friends or tries to wash away any doubts that he might no longer be on their side, and instead wanders around New Rome with his greek girlfriend. An action, which caused even Reyna, his supposed closest friend and ally to doubt him.

“Uh, Reyna,” Jason said, “if you don’t mind, I’d like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She’s never seen New Rome.” Reyna’s expression hardened. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 3, Annabeth)

And Jason… well, he has changed. He seems distant, no longer quite Roman.” The hurt in her voice was as sharp as broken glass. (Mark of Athena, Chapter 4, Annabeth)

Like, bro…

You’re all supposed to be smart characters. Please start acting like it

[helenofsparta2]

Listen, I have some issues with the short story "Staff of Hermes", but the way Rick Riordan wrote the relationship between Percy and Hermes is absolutely hilarious and I love every second of it.

Percy describing Hermes as "Personal friend, dispenser of heroic quests, and frequent cause of migraine headaches" is absolutely peak.

The fact that Percy was able to literally grab Hermes's arm, physically pull him away from a confrontation with Annabeth, and then interrupt him twice, while he was telling him how he lost his staff, all the while Hermes was already in a really bad mood, with Hermes' only reaction being mild annoyance, and not even a hint of the anger, which would be the expected reaction from a god, is amazing.

And Hermes then telling Percy at the end, "I might not see you for a while" as if they see each other frequently and talk every other week, when they only had like five conversations total over the course of three years is so funny to me.

Percy and Hermes have honestly such a peak dynamic.

Like, that is the closest you can get to an actual cousin dynamic between a god and a demigod.

[helenofsparta2]

Can I just say how much I love the similarities between these two reactions?

The "Percy and Nico are brothers" agenda will truly never die, because what do you mean Percy had the same reaction to Nico being in danger (running impulsively into what could very well be grave danger, while ignoring Annabeth calling after him) to Tyson being in danger (whom he later in "Sea of Monsters" recognized as his little brother).

[helenofsparta2]

It’s actually so funny to me that this is one of Hades’ core reasons for disliking demigods and the Olympians, and then he continues to have a personal vendetta against the one demigod, who helped him recover two incredibly important, powerful items (the helm of darkness and the sword of hades), the one demigod who is/ was friends with all three of his demigod children, who acknowledged Nico’s deeds in front of the entire Olympian council, and who is one of the main reasons why Hades’ children received a cabin at camp half-blood.

Like lmao