Dare i say Octavian died by his own hand? Death by misadventure. The fact he didn't intend to die makes it worse.
As someone who struggles like he does, i can not only sympathise but empathise with him.
He's not a perfect character, no. He's not even a good person. But no one really is. Maybe that's cynical, or maybe it's a truth that people are too scared to speak.
I will always see myself in octavian because he reminds me of me in a way. Not in the stealing and cutting up pillow pets way, but i fear he is me on some level. I know what it's like to be lied to by someone you trusted. I know what it is like to fall apart whilst people watch and do nothing.
It's not his fault that he believed what the gods and gaea had to say to him. He fully believed they were on his side. Catastrophic misjudgement.
It's easy to say you see yourself in characters that are mentally ill until it doesn't fit your aesthetic anymore because of how seriously gone Octavian clearly was. He was unravelling, manipulated, and utterly abandoned. Whether you like it or not, it's clear he was spiralling into Messianic Delusion. He thought he was chosen.
Why should we blame him for trusting the gods? Why should we allow ourselves to judge characters that represent so much more than good or evil?
Octavian represents the complexity of mental health and what it can do to a person when they are not treated properly. He was fed lies until he choked on them.
I'll never hate Octavian because hes so not there to be hated. He's there to be complex. He's there for people like me as a reminder of what happens when you don't get treated. He's a cautionary tale.
He wouldn't have been if he had been given help, instead New Rome watched him unravel, and you'd all choose New Rome over Valhalla or CHB?
i love pjo but istg this fandom plays performative empathy like its a professional sport.
You all wanna talk about Nico, Percy and Leo but suddenly when it gets messy, WHEN IT GETS REAL theres no space at the table for people like Octavian and that says a lot about who you choose to empathise with.
You like your characters digestible and easy to put into a box, I like mine, real and complex.