Hi my names skyla and I make myself sad with fake scenarios for HoO. Here's one I want your opinion on. Instead of leo being the 7th wheel it should have been jason. Part one of two (probably) evidence in the next one
Okay first of all Skyla is such a beautiful name🥺and hello my friend! Love that you're in my inbox❤️
Secondly, this literally broke my heart and made me go feral at the same time!! Do you know how much love this?????
Okay I love literally all your points and here's my additions:
Rick making Leo the third/seventh wheel had no basis because Leo's personality isn't coded to have issues like that. So when Rick made him seventh wheel he had to focus Leo's entire character arc around it because otherwise it would have been completely invalid and plotless (lowkey it was but like there was some ingraining). So absolutely agree with you on the fact that Leo shouldn't have had the whole seventh wheel bullshit🙄
I LOVE LIKE CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THAT YOU THINK JASON (Alexander @derpywarren) GRACE SHOULD BE SEVENTH WHEEL! Your points are Hella valid also to add on:
Because he was abandoned by his mom (and by extension his sister) when he was two there'd be some level of distrust, inability to form relationships, abandonment issues from that (not a 100% guarantee but pretty high #3rdyearpsychologsaywhat) and then he is given to Lupa who although takes care of him isn't really mothering and shouldn't be expected to be since she's a literal wolf. Also him being surrounded by the pack where he is the only human would be understanbly isolating. On top of this he would have to watch the only other humans (those demigods who go train with Lupa briefly before going to SPQR) go off and leave without him #abandonmentissuescomethrough. Now you have this kid (because he is undoubtedly still a child) who is fair enough a gentleman and will protect you and fight for you but he doesn't know how to connect with you. Doesn't know how to get close to anyone. And even if he did why would he because they're probably gonna leave again?
So he goes to SPQR and he chooses to become part of the lowest cohort (and we know Rick made it seem like it's because he wanted to he the hero and make him give them glory) but maybe it's because if he becomes part of the higher ranking ones he has to be involved, has to become part of a tight knit team and that means letting people in. (there's also some validation in him being scared they'll use him for his status) so he joins the lowest ranking cohort and if they fail oh well at least he never let anyone down or anyone in.
On the topic of Reyna. Maybe the reason her and Jaosn never worked out is because of him and not because of her (gods I cannot stand that rick made it seem like there was something wrong with her that she could never find love??? WTF kind of shit is that to say to a teenage girl?????????) So maybe because jason doesn't really know how to be vulnerable, how to let people see you their relationship never worked. He was a good soldier (which gave him praetor status and probably respect form Reyna) but he was a bad friend (or at least a detached friend) and for Reyna who lost her sister she probably needed someone stable and kind to wear down her stoniness.
Then Jase loses his memories and although he somehow (gods knows????) gradually gets them back we firstly dont know if he gets all of them or if he gets them accurately (because as we learn in neuropsychology memory is fickle and very easily manipulated). So he loses his memories by someone else's hand so on top of having abandonment issues and connection issues he probably also develops trust issues. And all these people know each other because piper and Leo know each other, Hazel and Frank and Percy know each other, Annabeth Leo piper know each other and obviously percabeth. He's the odd one out because he disappeared before Hazel and Frank could become friends and all his mems of Pipes and Leo are fake.
And now he's part of this huge quest to save the world, he doesn't really know anyone and they don't know him and how much can you really trust the son of Jupiter because it's not like the king of the gods has been especially kind or helpful to any of them in the past. On top of all this Rick knocks him out for most of this damn quest so he feels useless on top of everything else.
Anyone this idea is *chefs kiss* and I'm crying with you😭🥺