Sometimes it baffles me that a large subsection of the PJO fandom is so rabidly hostile towards any Percy ship that isn’t Percabeth, and then I remember how Richard has tacitly been encouraging this behaviour since TLO. Anyone who has even the slightest potential of being a love interest for Percy has that potential shut down with extreme prejudice:
Rachel is made the Oracle and can never have romantic relationships with anyone. After TLO, the friendship that she and Percy developed over what he thought was his last year alive was thrown out the window.
Calypso is trapped on Ogygia, but Percy ensures her release. Until that’s retconned in HOO, anyway, in a move that makes Percy look like a dick and utterly defangs oaths on the Styx. Not to mention, Calypso “cursing” Annabeth (even though it wasn’t intentional or even conscious), and then being given to Leo to ruin his character arc for good measure.
Reyna isn’t even given a chance; her advances are openly rejected by Percy, which is a rarity, and she’s later made a Hunter for good measure.
Nico, despite the years Percy spent worrying about him, searching for him, and then spending time with him, is now treated like a stranger by Percy, even though TLO left them off as good, even best, friends. To add insult to injury, Nico’s “confession” to Percy is, frankly, insulting and played for laughs, and post-HOO he’s given a new boyfriend he has spoken maybe one sentence to beforehand.
And it’s not even just canon love interests either; anyone who even has the potential of an interesting romance with Percy is pushed aside:
Thalia? She’s a hunter now.
Bianca? Hunter; also she’s killed off the chapter after she and Percy form a solid bond.
Any of the Seven post-SON? Percy only has eyes for Annabeth.
Clarisse? Random new boyfriend.
Grover? Random new girlfriend.
So yeah, it makes total sense that Percabeth stans get so toxic about shipping when Richard insists on isolating Percy like an abusive husband.
