Portugal as a PJO demigod
WARNING: long post
This should have come out much earlier but I had completely forgotten about it 😭 It has been sitting in my drafts since 2023, and now the TV series is already out, oops…
If Portugal (Afonso) were a Greek/Roman demigod in the Riordanverse, who would his godly parent be? The candidates below are ranked from most to least obvious (in my opinion):
Poseidon or Neptune
Apollo (Greek or Roman)
Bacchus (Roman aspect of Dionysus)
Hermes or Mercury
Venus (Roman aspect of Aphrodite)
Hades
Detailed explanations below!
Candidate #1: Poseidon/Neptune
“God of the sea, storms, earthquakes, and horses.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon
I think most fans would agree with this one
But at the same time, Poseidon is a little too generic for my liking. I don’t really think “loving the ocean” is among Afonso’s most unique quirks. Plenty of nations worship the ocean in their own ways. I see England as a nation who also deeply respects the ocean, given that he was once a maritime empire himself, even though he doesn’t know how to swim. (Haha if England were a Poseidon kid, he would be just like Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus, god of the sky, who has a fear of heights)
Still, real-life Portugal takes its historical connection to the ocean extremely seriously so Afonso as a Poseidon/Neptune kid would still be ‘accurate’ in a way. Between the two, I think Neptune (Roman aspect of Poseidon – in PJO, Roman aspects of Greek gods are more “war-like” and “disciplined”) is slightly more fitting because I see Afonso as a quieter and mellower person, sharper and more strategic and less action-oriented – much unlike Percy Jackson. But I also like to put him in Camp Half-Blood because Poseidon kid Afonso and Athena kid Arthur make an awesome duo. They don’t need to be a couple like Percabeth – I love them as BFFs too
Just like Frank Zhang initially prayed for Apollo to be his father (when his dad is actually Mars), Afonso himself would definitely pray for Poseidon to be his father. But what if history repeats itself and another deity claims Afonso as their child?
Candidate #2: Apollo (Greek/Roman)
“God of oracles, healing, archery, music and arts, sunlight, knowledge, herds and flocks, and protection of the young.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo
Honestly, canon (and my interpretation of) Afonso doesn’t strike me as a child of the sun god. But upon looking at Portuguese culture, it makes a lot of sense:
It has been revealed in the Hetalia Collezione that Portugal may know how to perform Fado music; Apollo is also the god of music!
Himaruya’s older design of Portugal features him in chibi form playing a guitar, and the god Apollo is associated with the lyre, a distant ancestor of the guitar
In Trials of Apollo, Apollo as a human fights with a combat ukulele. The ukulele is actually a direct descendant of small guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin! These instruments were introduced to Hawaiians by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira, and eventually evolved into what we know as the ukulele today!
Apollo is the god of poetry. Poetry is also pretty big in Portugal’s history. Camões and Fernando Pessoa are among the most well-known Portuguese poets
Unfortunately, just like with Poseidon, many other nations can also be Apollo kids. Spain is among the best candidates for this role, and arguably much better than Afonso. He canonically can play the guitar, and probably knows how to perform flamenco (music and dance). Moreover, Apollo is the god of light and healing, two symbols I have never associated with Afonso, but with Antonio instead. C’mon, he is a literal ball of sunshine, unlike his neighbour (sorry Afonso, you’re pretty adorable too but you’re way too mean). Not to mention, he is referred to as “El Sol” in the Gangsta universe! Can anyone get more “Apollo” than that???
Candidate #3: Bacchus (not Dionysus)
Finally, an underrated one. I had this lovely post (https://www.tumblr.com/theuselesshistoryweeb/736463666762973184?source=share) in mind while finishing this part
“Lusus is the supposed son or companion of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and divine madness, to whom Portuguese national mythology attributed the foundation of ancient Lusitania and the fatherhood of its inhabitants, the Lusitanians, seen as the ancestors of the modern Portuguese people. Lusus thus has functioned in Portuguese culture as a founding myth.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusus
Unfortunately, I can’t really see Afonso as a Bacchus kid. Portugal has a strong wine culture, but other than that, I struggle to imagine him being related to Dakota from the book. I think France (often portrayed with a glass of wine) or even Spain (happy-go-lucky guy who enjoys many physical aspects of life) would be more fitting as a son of Bacchus
Yes, we can’t forget that Bacchus/Dionysus is also the god of divine madness, so I guess we can relate this to Portugal’s chaotic personality in Hetalia canon, but it still feels too much like a stretch. Also, Dakota, the only son of Bacchus we know from Riordanverse, has a Kool Aid addiction, while I don’t see Afonso as a heavy drinker (but given his tendency to be self-depreciating in canon, I wouldn’t be surprised when Himaruya eventually shows us this side of him). We COULD portray Afonso as another demigod who is “nothing” like their parent, similar to Piper being a (horribly written) rebellious daughter of Aphrodite, but Arthur following this trope as a child of Poseidon appeals more to me…
Most recent edit: now that Himaruya has shown us a sketch of Gangsta Portugal holding a bottle of wine(?) and wine glasses…
Candidate #4: Hermes/Mercury
“God of boundaries, roads and travellers, thieves, athletes, shepherds, commerce, speed, cunning, wit, and sleep. Psychopomp and divine messenger.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes
Travellers? Boundaries? Age of Exploration, check.
Commerce? Portugal was an empire of trade, check.
Cunning? Wit? Pretty sure Hermes is also god of trickery. Afonso is already a troll in canon and I really see him as someone who is not afraid to use under-handed tactics (this post https://at.tumblr.com/stirringwinds/dutch-japanese-relations-like-sometimes-a/eqyr9rypxucp is partially to blame) so… check!
Bonus: As a psychopomp, Hermes is associated with death and the afterlife, which are also related to one of the following candidates!
Candidate #5: Venus (not Aphrodite)
“Goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite
In the Lusiads (Os Lusíadas) by Luís Vaz de Camões, Venus favours the Portuguese’s voyage to the east, while Bacchus opposes it. At some point, the goddess even intervenes to protect the Portuguese explorers. Ok, you know what, let’s just completely replace Bacchus with Venus in this list then!
BUT there’s one issue: I headcanon France as a child of Aphrodite/Venus and Francis is definitely a way better Venus child than Afonso. C’mon, canon France is referred to as the country of love. (https://hetalia.fandom.com/wiki/France) His hobbies include fashion design, sketching and singing, as well as wandering around the art museums and fashion boutiques of Paris. If none of these are “Aphrodite/Venus” enough, he is canonically attracted to “beautiful” things, which include men and women of any age (oh dear…). He has admitted to being "the dandiest among the dandies." He loves himself so much that he does not bother to remember English and considers French the "language of love." [source: hetalia fandom wiki]
(I know we shouldn’t be stereotyping because otherwise demigods who share the same parent would all be the same, but I don’t think Francis deserves to have the spotlight stolen from him by a non-conformist Afonso instead – like Piper vs Drew lol)
Alternatively, in a different universe, Afonso could be a non-stereotypical child of Venus while France is a child of Mars, both staying in Camp Jupiter. This is similar to the case of Arthur being a child of Poseidon who can drown himself, but on a much ✨deeper✨ level
Francis would probably have fooled himself into thinking he actually was a son of Venus, considering how naturally good-looking he is and how fixated he is on his own appearance. (Ares in Greek mythology is also rather vain and narcissistic and cares a lot about his own image!) Yet, Francis only realises how much of a strong and confident leader he is, after many War Game experiences on the Fields of Mars. (I know this conflicts with the French surrender stereotype but this is Hetalia we are talking about and not about Feliciano so shh)
Afonso in turn may secretly wish that he were a son of Mars because of how much he admires the god (similar to young Frank Zhang) only to be claimed by none other than the goddess of love and beauty. If we base this on nation stereotypes, it actually makes sense. Portugal has a very romantic culture. Saudade, fado, poetry… It is very melancholic, but romantic nonetheless. It’s nothing like flamboyant France which is literally stereotyped as the “nation of love”, but Aphrodite/Venus herself also embodies the sadder/deeper aspects of love and relationships. Also, Aphrodite was born from seafoam – another connection to the ocean! Perfect
In this version, Afonso’s character development would be something along the lines of self-acceptance, something encouraged by Venus herself (wholesome). “Maybe it doesn’t suck that much to be a Venus kid (with no powers) after all” (Remember: not all Aphrodite kids are capable of charmspeaking)
Candidate #6: Hades
“God of the dead and riches.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hades
Because of how Portugal is depicted in Hetalia, it may be difficult to spot any similarities between Afonso and an edgy Hades kid like Nico di Angelo
But hear me out!
The Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos) in real-life Portugal has actually made an appearance in one of the Riordanverse books. I really don’t want to spoil the story, so I’m not gonna elaborate on it here. (Honestly, if the Riordanverse “centre of the flame” has moved to Europe, that place absolutely deserves to be an entrance to the Underworld)
Saudade, which is unique to Portuguese culture, symbolises a longing for the past, longing for a beloved yet absent something or someone. This could be attributed to death
Last but not least: Barcelos! The most famous undead rooster in the world. I think we can safely assume that this zombie is Portugal’s pet in Hetalia. Imagine Hades gifting Afonso a zombie rooster just like how Nico di Angelo received a zombie chauffeur as a birthday present!
We can forget about the Roman aspect (Pluto) since he is associated more with riches than the dead, and modern Portugal is quite famous for being, erm, “poor” (among western Europeans) – I’m so sorry…
In terms of character development, I suppose self-acceptance would also be a major theme here, given the reputation of Hades kids at the start of the PJO series
If you have made it this far, thanks for reading :3
