Stories that never were

A blog for fanfiction. I like/ prefer writing platonic or ambiguous things, so you will probably find mainly those here. If you send in a prompt, there's a high chance I'll make the relationship ambiguous since a couple is supposed to be best friends first and foremost. I hope you'll enjoy your stay! Requests: Closed Headcanons: Open Avatar by celestialspark. Header by arianwen44.

[vertigoats]

this looks fun

[evemoneypenny-deactivated201609]

1.) Give me a pairing. 2.) Give me a prompt. 3.) I will write you a three-sentence fic.

[butteredonions]

PROMPT CAN BE: - AU - not AU - canon - not canon - whatever you want!

All little ficlets from me will likely be platonic. <3 hit me up!

[xagrofiction]

I’ll try to amass some so I have a few to work on tomorrow to ease myself back. I’ll take some for Voltron and the Percy Jackson verse, maybe some Danganronpa ½/AE if someone’s interested. Please feel free to send me some prompts.

[arianwen44]

A sale commission for @xagrok of their character Akakios, seriously I’m so happy to have been commissioned for a centaur~ TOO MUCH CENTAUR LOVE. Especially beefy centaurs…

If you’re interested in a commission, please feel free to follow this link for information!!

[maryenette-writes]

to those who read our stories

To those who reblog our stories. To those who simply like our stories. To those who comment on our stories. To those who take the time to send in messages saying the simplest yet the most meaningful words. To those who have stayed by our side through thick and thin. To those who stayed patient with us. To those who understood us. To those who defended us. To those who supported us. To those who are simply here.

Thank You.

Every little like, every little reblog, every little response we get, no matter how big or how minor, makes our day. The amount of support we get here is tremendous, it is so much more than what we may find in the real world. We write because it’s what we love to do, yes, but also because we love you. It is you, our followers, our fans, that keep us going. It is you that keep our head above the water, when things get rough.

You are our rock. 

Don’t be afraid to respond, to send asks and talk to the writers you love and follow because there’s a 110% chance they want to talk to you too. We writers, we love our fans. They are basically our second family and they are dear to our heart. To see that we have made you happy will make us happy as well, no matter what mood we are in.

Each and every one of you is special to us. Your support means the world to us.

So thank you. 

There are no words to express how grateful we are for your support.

[sunken-standard]

For Writers:

Reblog if it’s okay for your followers to leave you an ask telling you what the one thing is they remember you for as a writer.  Is it a scene or a detail or a specific line? Is it something like style or characterization?  Is it that one weird kink they never thought they’d be into, but oh my god wow self-discovery time?

[xagrofiction]

Pointed talks

A belated birthday gift for one of the best people out there, @mab-speaks. Happy birthday, my dear. I hope all is going well.

Betaed by the kind and sweet @percyinpanties.

Read it on AO3.

“Thing is, as I was choking just now, I kept thinking: this is payback for Akhlys. The Fates are letting me die the same way I tried to kill that goddess. And… honestly, a part of me felt I deserved it. That’s why I didn’t try to control the giant’s poison and move it away from me. That probably sounds crazy.”

Jason thought back to Ithaca, when he was despairing over the visit from his mom’s spirit. “No. I think I get it.”

Percy studied his face.

Jason stayed silent for a moment, weighing his words. Just when Percy looked like he was about to change the topic, he spoke.

“I mean that when I felt the Imperial Gold sword go through me and burn my skin, I felt like that was punishment, too.”

His hand went down to his belly where he could almost feel the burn of the scar seething through his clothes, and a wry smile creeped on his face.

“Like some kind of joke - It was a roman, an ultimately traitorous spirit at that, who did it, and the guys from Camp Jupiter probably are saying now I backstabbed them by siding with you, not to mention what happened with mom. So really, I can relate.”

Percy said nothing. When it looked like Jason had nothing more to add, Percy opened his mouth to say something, but Jason continued.

“Look, I get it. Your pain is valid, dude. But you don’t deserve to die - not like this, not ever. You make mistakes, we all do. But beating yourself up over self-defense that happened in the heat of the moment - that’s understandable.”

Percy chuckled without humour.

“Look, I appreciate the thought, Jason, but we should head back, shouldn’t we?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and he seemed to know it because he wouldn’t meet Jason’s gaze.

Jason took a deep breath.

“Yeah, let’s. Wouldn’t want to make them think we actually ended up kicking the bucket in your element.”

Jason started when he heard a knock on his door, his mind worn out after guard duty.

“Jason?” a voice whispered. Percy.

“Come in.” Jason said, trying not to slur his words.

Percy came in, but then stood there as if he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Take a seat.” Jason said, waving in the general direction of the bed, and Percy sat down.

“So, what do you wanna to talk about?” Jason said as gently as possible.

“Why did you think you deserved it?” Percy said, his eyes averted.

Jason tilted his head. “I already told you. What do you mean?”

“I know you said that you think Camp Jupiter thought that.” A brief, choked-sounding laugh wrought its way out of Percy. “But why would that make you believe that you deserved it?”

Jason stared at his hands, folding them in his lap, noticing Percy’s eyes followed the motion.

“Asking whether you believe in fate is stupid, but… See, did the people at Camp Half-Blood immediately try to make you a leader of the people because you’re the sea god’s son?”

Jason heard Percy shuffle, probably frowning while moving.

“Not immediately. They did act weird once I was claimed, but people still trusted Chiron more with leading the camp than me.”

Jason couldn’t help the huff.

“See, that was different in Camp Jupiter. Once I was claimed, they immediately tried to groom me into the praetor position. Offered me a spot in the first cohort, and I refused, picking the least favourite. I figured that if all cohorts really did have the same rights, they’d have no problem and wouldn’t speak up, but they did and I mostly joined to defy them.”

His hands separated and he traced the lines on his forearm with slightly trembling fingers.

“Not that I had a choice about joining in the first place.”

“I heard. I mean, I was thrown in with the cohorts, too, son of the sea god and all - even if they put me in the fifth right away.” Percy said.

Jason nodded, then continued. “Things didn’t stop there. For every good deed I did, they tried to offer me a promotion to get away from these oh-so-awful people. ‘Centurio’, they whispered, ‘then general, and then praetor’ - raising in ranks swiftly. They weren’t stupid enough to tell me personally, but… it was obvious.”

Percy chuckled, a little dark-sounding. “Yeah, they tend to underestimate kids.”

Jason chuckled himself. “For whatever reason anyone might think you’re stupid. Anyway, after destroying the throne on Mount Othrys and slaying the titan, I couldn’t reasonably say ‘no’ anymore, so - praetor it was. People expected Reyna and I would become a couple because we were colleagues, which… that’s still a bit fuzzy. Then I vanished.”

Percy nodded. “I went on multiple quests myself as the leading demigod, but we never really had one of our own leading outside of that, or battles and Capture the Flag, I think. Well, aside from the whole head counsellor thing. Chiron usually takes the responsibility as our instructor, and Mr. D shares the same right if he wants to or not.”

Jason laughed weakly. “Sounds like a dream, at least for the most part. And even then, it’s more like a parliament.” He paused, looking Percy in the eye.

“Promise you won’t take the next thing personally? Because it’s not meant that way.”

Percy raised an eyebrow.

“I’m careful with promises. But I’ll try not to judge.”

“Fair enough.” Jason breathed in and out, feeling more awake after their chat so far.

“So I vanished and was gone for half a year after I defied them and what they called my birthright - my role in life as set by the Fates. Reyna held out with no other praetor. And then you appear - son of a hated god, and you turn everything upside-down. You retrieve the Eagle.” Jason inclined his head. “Thank you for that, by the bye.”

“No problem,” Percy said.

“You help with the ensuing battle. And from one second to another, everyone forgets about their oh-so precious son of the highest god. You’re immediately voted praetor and Reyna takes an interest in you.” His eyes narrowed. “Then I come back and am quickly welcomed, but awkwardly at best, and I feel the pressure flooding back already- and then the attack happens and everyone is happy to follow Octavian’s accusations that I’m traitorous graecus scum. No offense.”

“None taken.” Percy looked guilty. That must be that infamous kicked seal baby face Annabeth had talked about. “It wasn’t - that’s not what I wanted to do, Jason -”

“I don’t blame you for it.” Jason said. Percy looked at him normally again, and Jason returned the look with a wry smile. “You were thrown in there like I was. It’s almost funny how what happened to us kind of mirrors the other, in a messed-up way.”

Percy laughed bitterly. “Oh, tell me about it.”

Jason’s smile turned solemn.

“I defied them - not entering the first cohort and getting easy promotions, but working my way up the ranks instead. Not choosing prestige, but outsiders. Not choosing traditional romance -”

Percy made a noise at that, though whether it was a snort, a huff, or something else, Jason couldn’t tell.

“- but friendship. I challenged them in their ideas instead of just falling in line like a good soldier. And that’s just the things I recall from the top of my head.” Jason shook his head.

“And I lost my memories for it. I sided with reason, I thought, and with Camp Half-Blood, not Camp Jupiter as I would’ve been expected to be. I betrayed them and was backstabbed myself.

Of course I deserved that - I mean, judging from what happened with you... I-I was easy to replace to begin with.” He had to choke out the last words and was fighting back tears and bitterness. Jason had his hands placed in his lap again to keep from  fumbling.

Percy scooted closer, one hand raised. “May I?,” he asked, and Jason nodded. He still stiffened when he felt Percy hug him before slumping.

“I made my decision, Percy. But sometimes, I can’t help but feel like I should have died in those ruins.”

Percy hugged him harder, and tears began to flow.

“And I told you - I feel like I maybe should have died from that poison. But I didn’t.”

Jason slowly returned the embrace.

“So you see what I meant? No worth in taking a stab at it.” He said humourlessly, but neither of them commented on his pun.

They separated, and Jason couldn’t help but ask. “So, you told me the basics, but would you mind telling me more of your career as a demigod?”

Percy chuckled, sounding exhausted himself, but more liberated. “Only if you tell me about yours.”

“It’s a deal,” Jason smiled and lay back on his bed. “Just tell me. We can talk and, if needed, fall asleep. We need sleep. And -” he struggled with the words, “And if necessary, we can tell each other - after.” He said it carefully, as if not to test the Fates, as if there would be no ‘after’.

Percy regarded him silently. “That sounds like a plan.”

Jason looked forward to it.

It took time until they got to talk again, longer than Jason would’ve liked. They ended up not dying to Gaea, fortunately, and after the buzz of victory subseded, Percy approached Jason in his cabin. It would not be much longer until Jason would be on the road and fulfilling his duties.

“Come in,” Jason said, raising his head when he saw it was Percy standing on the door. “Ah, it’s you. Take a seat.”

Percy took Jason up on the offer, less awkward than last time. “I wanted to talk to you again,” Percy said. Eyes averted, he added, “I didn’t know how to before, with all that happened.”

Losing Leo still hurt, so the words stung more than they should have, but Jason appreciated the sentiment.

“How are you holding up?” Percy asked.

“I’ll live,” Jason said. “I survived a stab to the gut, I’ll live with a stab to the heart.”

“Dude.” Percy said.

“Don’t appreciate my brilliant jokes?” Jason said with an empty smile. It slipped quickly. “It hurts, just like any other time when I lost someone.”

“Do you wish it had been you?” Percy asked, and Jason jolted at the question.

“You ask that as if you were asked the same, and answered yes.” Jason said.

Percy frowned. “You’re dodging the question, but yes.”

“Kind of, yes. Through fire or storm, it said. It could have been me.” Jason buried his face in his arms. “Maybe it should have been me, Percy.”

“And that’s where I have to stop you,” Percy said with a hand on his shoulder. “This thing is called ‘survivor’s guilt’ and it’s dangerous.”

“You sound like an expert,” Jason said.

“That’s because I started going to one,” Percy answered. When Jason looked up, Percy shrugged. “I have plans, man. Will told me about PTSD after the Titan War... and told me to see a therapist. I didn’t really have much time for it before -” there it was again, that humourless smile with a handwave as if it was nothing, “- what with the kidnapping and all, but I had a session with a demigod therapist yesterday.” He started rubbing his hand in circles, giving Jason an emphatic look. “You should, too. These talks with you help, but they can’t replace a professional.”

“Look at you, acting all grown-up and mature,” Jason said, eyes at half-lid. “You’re not even a year older than me, Percy.”

“And you have barely an inch on me, that balances it out,” Percy teased back.

They shared a moment of silence.

“Would you mind telling me about this ‘survivor’s guilt’ of yours?,” Jason asked quietly. Percy nodded.

“Back when I was still pretty new to being a demigod, I was on a quest to find some demigods - Nico and his sister, as it turned out.”

Jason raised his head. “I don’t like where this is going.”

Percy nodded. “Well, we managed, but Annabeth got lost in the process, so as usual, some people were sent on a quest. And Bianca, Nico’s sister, was among them.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t?”

Percy shook his head.

“I wasn’t told to go with them, but I was worried about Annabeth. I couldn’t not go. So I went with them in secret and broke the rules.” He took his hand back, turning more towards Jason. “We were on a junkyard and there was a figurine of a game Nico liked. He was so happy and chipper and frankly annoying back then, you wouldn’t have recognized him.” He clenched his fists. “Taking the figurine triggered an alarm and a giant junk robot awakened. Bianca went to shut it down and did it, but never returned, as told by the prophecy.”

Jason blinked. “That’s - harsh. And Nico didn’t take it well.”

Percy shook his head. “I’d promised to keep her safe, and I failed. Nico blamed me, and I blamed myself, for her death and for Nico disappearing after.” He looked Jason directly in the eye. “What happened after isn’t my story to tell, but I blamed myself for it. I still kind of do, just like for what happened to Calypso, who I left behind to help the people here, or Beckendorf and Silena, or Castor, or Michael, or Bob, or Ethan, or - or Luke even.” His voice had grown quieter with each name, and Jason had a feeling that they weren’t the only ones. Hesitating, Jason let his hand hover in the air, unsure of how to act, before he rubbed his hand in soothing circles over Percy’s shoulder.

Jason frowned, concerned. “Percy, that’s not your fault. We can’t save everyone. You did what you had to do, and you did your best.”

“I did. It doesn’t change the fact that I failed,” Percy emphasized, “but I did, and I’m working on it. And I still catch myself looking at Nico and wondering whether he’d still be that upbeat kid if I had managed to save Bianca.”

“I see where you’re getting at.” Jason said. He opened his arms for a hug, and Percy accepted. When they broke apart they smiled. It didn’t quite reach either of their eyes, but still, they smiled.

“Thanks, Percy. I really appreciate it.” He looked down. “I appreciate you.”

“No problem, man,” Percy said. “All in clear communication.”

Jason chuckled. “Man, imagine how awkward things would have been if we hadn’t talked.”

Percy snorted.

“You say that as if your personality allowed leaving people alone.” He patted Jason on the shoulder. “You’re a hopeless people person, and that makes you awesome.”

Jason snorted himself. “And what about you? Have you ever looked back at your history, man?”

Smiling, they went on to a friendly fight of out-praising each other. And later on, they fought in the arena, feeling good about having found an equal in mind and fighting capabilities.

(The beginning was taken from House of Hades under Fair Use)

[icybluepenguin]

How to praise writers and influence fics

I’ve seen a lot of posts recently reminding readers to leave feedback on fics, which is great!!  Writers deserve all the love they can get.  Likes, reblogs, comments, messages, these are the lifeblood of writers.  They are proof that people are reading, that they’re enjoying, and that they want more.  

But maybe readers don’t know what to say.  Maybe you’re new to Tumblr, new to reading fan fiction, shy, or just not sure how to say what you want to say.

Let me start by saying, no matter how popular the blog or how cool you think they are, everyone loves a compliment.  If you’re worried about sounding silly or bothering people, let me assure you- a message will make your writer do a happy dance (depending on the writer, they may actually get up and dance.  I have.)

Here’s the basic ways of communicating with writers on Tumblr:

Likes and kudos- these are great, they’re the high-fives in this world.  They’re the “hey, nice” nod. Reblogs- even better, because they mean exposure.  More people see the story and that makes us really happy.  A reblog with a comment is amazing, especially one that entices others to read.  These make a writer’s day. Comments and messages- these are the thing that keeps us going.  Most of us have anon turned on- and if we don’t, just let us know you want a private reply.  (And, if your writer has anon off, it probably means they’ve been getting hate and deserve extra love.) Recommendations- recs are like coming in to work to find someone baked your favorite cake and left it on your desk.  Recommendations make your writer feel so loved and valued!

So, that’s all good, but what do you actually SAY to writers?  It doesn’t have to be much or take a lot of time.

A simple “This is great/funny/hot!” is wonderful.  "Best fic I’ve read this week!“  "Funny as hell and cute too.”  "You have to read this, it’s awesome!“  "I can’t wait for more of this.”  "I hope you keep going!“  These are great in reblogs and in messages.

Even better is specific feedback.  We love specific feedback, because it tells us what readers liked and what they didn’t.  Want to influence our next fic?  Tell us what you liked about this one and I bet you it will keep showing up!  Specific feedback is just telling the writer what you liked.  It doesn’t have to be long or complicated, either.  (But if you write a lot, we will love you so much.)

Was there a character you liked?  Talk about them:  "I love how you wrote X” “Y was so funny!”  "OMG I wanted to STRANGLE Q!“  "You can really feel X’s frustration.”  "Y has so much depth, they’re a really well-rounded character.“  "R says so much with so few words, it’s amazing.”

What about a part or line you enjoyed?  "That bit in the park- LOVE IT.“  "I have never read a better description of a cup of tea.”  "The way you wrote about his fear, that was heartbreaking.“

Was there a part that made you feel something?  Happy, sad, angry?  "That last sentence killed me, he’s so broken.”  "I wanted to jump around when they finally kissed!“  "This chapter was so tense, my heart was pounding by the end.”

Did the characters or plot or setting remind you of your life?  "I live in Brussels, that’s just how that street looks.“  "When Y talked about R, I knew exactly how he felt.”  "You captured that lost, aimless feeling perfectly; I’ve so been there.“

Are there unanswered questions?  Mention how much you want the answers.  "I can’t wait to find out what’s in the basket!”  "That was a cliffhanger ending, wow.“  "How is she going to explain THAT?”  (some writers are touchy about  predicting, though, so stay away from “I bet he’ll throw that letter out.” or “X is clearly coming back.”)

A few closing notes: be enthusiastic if that’s your style, go crazy with exclamation marks, smileys, caps!  Tell a writer if you’re rereading their work- very little makes us happier than knowing our writing has the staying power for a second, third, sixth, tenth read.  Did a reread give you a new insight or feeling about the fic?  Tell us!  We will be so excited to hear.  And remember, recommendations are wonderful- putting up a random post tagging your favorite writers or fics you’re enjoying will show the writers that they’re writing is more than a flash in the opan and they’ll get some new readers too!

We can’t do this writing thing without you guys.  So thank you so much!  Without readers, we’re just talking to ourselves.  We love and appreciate you for reading- but we need to know you’re doing it.  We need feedback like we need air.  Don’t let your favorite writers suffocate! :)

[themissingmarvel]

Always reblog.

[capsgirl1990]

Never scroll past and not reblog.

[arianwen44]

Hey guys! Here’s the second last of my pre-Christmas Five-Dollar Friday Festival! @xagrok‘s character Morgan Gràdhach, whom I had a great time drawing! I love the costume (though those clasps tested my patience LOL). 

If you guys are interested in my Fabulous Five-Dollar Friday Commissions, I’ll be opening them up again over random times during the new year!! 8D

[lightsaber]

i think i speak for just about all content creators when i say that i level up every time someone reblogs my shit and adds nice tags

[xagrofiction]

Percyve the Darkness, assess the Situation

Chapter 2, still for @percyinpanties. I hope you’ll enjoy this.

Thanks go out to @malkuthe for all the advice and pep talks and to @stilltoolazy for betaing.

For those who prefer it elsewhere, this chapter is also on AO3.

Chapter 2: The noise that left them foxed

Percy held back the curses that were forming in his mind and put on his hospitable mask. He bowed before the empousai, keeping an eye on them, as did Ethan. “Greetings. We have come in peace and do not mean any harm. We apologize for having interrupted your ritual and, if you’ll allow us, we’ll leave you alone so you can continue,” Percy said, his voice polite and apologetic.

The empousai eyed them warily. “What brought you here, demigods? You interrupted a sacred ritual.”

Keeping his face friendly, Percy mentally made faces. “I heard noises coming from the forest,” Ethan said. “Being so close to Camp Half-Blood, I was worried about the camp’s safety, so I decided to investigate whether someone or something managed to pass through the barrier.”

“Foolish demigods,” the empousa at the front said. “Your explanations are nigh. The sacred goddess and titaness, Lady Hecate, is our mistress and she informed Chiron of our ritual here. These grounds hold great power, as is befitting of a ritual for the great goddess.”

“And we apologize for that!,” Percy said, an uneasy feeling in his gut. Ethan squirmed a bit at his side, trying not to sink down to his knees again. “We didn’t know you’d have a ritual here - just that we weren’t supposed to come - and we apologize. Is there something we can do to make up for our rudeness?”

The empousa frowned. “You - Chiron made sure to have the demigods informed of our ritual so we absolutely would not be interrupted.”

“They must have come here to stop us,” another empousa said.

“Are these two not Perseus Jackson and Ethan Nakamura?,” yet another supplied.

“That must mean they want to steal the power of the ritual to overthrow Lady Hecate!”

The empousa who seemed to be the leader bared her fangs. “Quiet, everyone!” Immediately, the others quieted down, instead eyeing the demigods. Still looking aggressive, the leader turned back towards Percy. “Do you realize that you challenge Lady Hecate herself by interrupting?”

Percy held up his hands, trying to appease her, while Ethan, as usual, kept his mouth shut. “We didn’t mean to, we swear! Back when I was twelve, as you surely know, I had a bout with the god of war himself. I know the gods’ strength, and I know going against them like this is foolish. I was a spy in the Titan army - do you really think I would risk something like angering a titaness?”

Still looking suspicious, the empousai collectively looked at them as if they planned to tear the two apart with just their eyes, trying to unravel the mystery of their appearance.

Their scrutinous gazes kept going on for minutes. Percy stood in front of them. He’d had to do this often, under the eyes of the lord of time who could make minutes seem like hours and seconds like an eternity. Slowly, he reached for Ethan’s hand after noticing his slight shivering and, after seeing that the empousai permitted the action, took Ethan’s hand and squeezed it. They didn’t meet each others’ eyes, still fixated on the women before them, but Percy could feel the tension slowly leaving Ethan’s body.

The forest around them was quiet, as if it was holding its breath, as if it was watching and waiting for the outcome. The wind softly rustled the leaves above them while the sun sent its rays shining through the foliage, lighting up the ground with patches of light. Percy didn’t exactly like that, as if by coincidence, they were highlighting Ethan’s and his throats and chests where their hearts would be, but he resolved himself to enjoy the warmth they brought instead of cursing about Apollo.

The leader finally acted again. “Ethan Nakamura.” Percy squeezed the hand a fraction harder. “You said you came here because you heard a suspicious noise coming from the forest. Is that true?”

Ethan visibly tried not to gulp. “Yes.”

“If it was not your intention to interrupt the Mormolykeian ritual, what else do you think the noise could have been?,” she asked, her gaze still piercing.

“I thought that a remnant of the Titan Army might have slipped through the barrier one way or the other.” Ethan gulped. “I knew we were not supposed to go too deeply into the forest, so I assumed the ritual couldn’t have been the cause because I figured that whatever might be going on in here couldn’t be this loud.”

Following this, the mormolykeiai - who, thinking about it, did look a bit like vampires - were silent for another few seconds that seemed to stretch forever until finally, their leader spoke up again, turning towards her sisters. “Does any one of you have objections? I believe Ethan Nakamura’s reasoning.”

One of the mormolykeiai raised her claw. “However, I do not. If they had supposedly heard sounds coming from the forest and followed them until they found us, should we not have heard these sounds as well?”

Murmurs erupted from the rows. “A valid question,” the leader said and turned back towards Ethan. Ethan shrank a bit and his hand got a bit sweatier. “What is your answer, demigod?”

Ethan took in a breath, deep, and slightly shivering. “I lost the sounds after a while and decided to follow nevertheless in hopes of finding the source. Then I heard clunks and investigated. That was when Percy caught up and we were about to leave when you spotted us.”

The leader nodded. “Is that answer satisfying?”

The mormolykeia wrinkled her nose. “There is also the issue of Percy Jackson still having Anaklusmos in his hand.”

Percy tilted his head. “If I’d wanted to attack you, I could’ve done so many times over, and not just with Riptide. Let alone with the two of us together. And there’s still the fact that we don’t want to get on the bad side of your mistress.”

The mormolykeia bared her teeth. “Point taken, demigods.”

Percy nodded and looked back at the leader. “We answered your questions. If there is no need to redeem ourselves, we would like to leave now, so may we?”

“I see no reason to keep you here. You’d only be a hindrance, anyway,” their leader said and Percy and Ethan nodded.

Then, the annoying mormolykeia tensed and, a split second later, the others as well. Percy and Ethan went still themselves before they heard it - the slightest rustle of leaves, and a distant heaving. They turned around and, by a hair, Percy managed to push Ethan out of the way of the fox that just missed Ethan’s arm, therefore only brushing against it with its tail. It came at high speed and flew far, and the mormolykeiai apparently were still slow. The fox crashed into the one who’d doubted them and tore into her arms, sending her screaming as she beat at it with her unharmed one as the other mormolykeiai stood in shock for one or two seconds before rushing in. Before they were able to get a grip on it, however, it jumped away from his prey, having realized it wasn’t its aim, and landed in a few meters’ distance.

The fox had deep black fur safe for the white area around its snout and its red-tipped paws and tail. The fur around its snout was dipped in the blood of the mormolykeia, who was surrounded by her sisters whose claws were glinting in the light. They had assumed a defensive position as to not allow one of them to be hurt again.

“This… That’s the Theumessian fox, isn’t it?,” Ethan gasped.

“How do we beat it?,” Percy asked.

“I don’t know! It was made to never be caught! The only reason why it ended up dead was because of a dog that was said to catch anything, so to resolve the paradox, Zeus turned both of them to stone,” Ethan stammered before he was jumped by the fox again. He and Percy had their swords in their respective hand and stood ready, though the fox was cursedly fast.

Percy moved in a blur, Riptide never even touching a hair of the fox that continued to move with lightning speed. He skipped forward and backward, trying to keep the fox away from Ethan - without success, as Ethan found out as he, too, had to dodge attacks, and more than once, the demigods had to dodge each other, too, as the fox used its speed in an attempt to confuse them into cutting one another.

Percy had more endurance than Ethan in an exchange for a worse defense, so he kept up with relative ease, but he noticed Ethan’s movements slowly become sloppier despite not wearing heavy armour or a shield. A flash of red caught his eye and a whimper, and Percy reached out and searched for the blood in the fox - only for the fox to disappear as sudden as it had appeared.

Panting, Percy went over to Ethan, still keeping his eyes alert on his surroundings while he wound an arm around Ethan, helping him stand up. He noticed Ethan tensing and felt his weight dragging him down, so he looked at him. And froze.

The fox had managed to draw blood - no, rip flesh. Ethan had a gash on his arm. It didn’t look too deep or to big, but there was a lot of blood and the wound looked severe. Similar to Ethan, a sob from the mormolykeia came over and Percy regarded them with a cautious glance. While half of them were still keeping watch, the other half had gathered around their wounded member.

“Demigods, did you bring this cursed fox here?,” one of them asked.

“Why would we?,” Percy said. “Ethan is wounded. Why would I risk that?”

The leader took a look at him and paused. “Go now,” she said gravely. “We need to take care of our own, and you of yours. Know, however, that this will not be without consequences, regardless of your involvement.” She held up her hand as he opened his mouth. “Whether that is fair or not will be neither our nor your decision.”

Percy could do no more than nod. He looked at Ethan and unceremoniously took off his shirt and ripped off stripes with which he tried to bandage Ethan’s arm to stop the bleeding. He’d still have to make his way to camp, so he couldn’t afford to care too much about the mormolykeiai, but he still gave them a glance. “I’ll hurry. If there’s something I can do after Ethan is taken care of, let me know.”

His offer went unanswered, so he glanced to his side where Ethan was holding his arm. The stripes were already soaked and blood was dripping down his arm. Percy frowned. Even a wound like that ought to start healing after some time. Already feeling sick, he closed his eyes, reached out and grasped Ethan’s blood and a wham went through Percy as he could feel the entire life force of Ethan, the seventy percent of water he consisted of, and he clenched his teeth as he felt a rush go through him. Evening out his breath, he concentrated solely on the wound on Ethan’s arm, working on preventing the blood from dripping out further, and when he thought he was able to control it, he opened his eyes again to face Ethan.

It must have only taken him half a minute or so at maximum, but Ethan was visibly tense and his face was pale. “I can feel you,” Ethan said, and Percy flinched at the tiny voice.

Bringing a reassuring smile he didn’t believe in to his face, he tightened his hold. “No worries. Just keeping the blood in you. Now let’s head back. You can walk, right?”

“Uhm, yes,” Ethan said. “My arm is hurt, not my legs.”

“Right,” Percy said. “I just… Need something to ground myself with. Is that okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Ethan said, shivering a little. Trembling, they made their way back to camp.

[antivancoffeelover]

anonymously tell me what my specialty as a fanfiction writer is

[shannon-kind]

yes. peruse my limited stories and please tell me there’s at least one thing i don’t suck at. please.

Super detailed questions about your OCs

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything? 2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them? 3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory? 4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents? 5. Do they have any siblings? What’s their names? What is their relationship with them? Has their relationship changed since they were kids to adults? 6. What were they like at school? Did they enjoy it? Did they finish? What level of higher education did they reach? What subjects did they enjoy? Which did they hate? 7. Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood? 8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals? 9. Do animals like them? Do they get on well with animals? 10. Do they like children? Do children like them? Do they have or want any children? What would they be like as a parent? Or as a godparent/babysitter/ect? 11. Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies? 12. What is their favourite food? 13. What is their least favourite food? 14. Do they have any specific memories of food/a restaurant/meal? 15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking? 16. Do they collect anything? What do they do with it? Where do they keep it? 17. Do they like to take photos? What do they like to take photos of? Selfies? What do they do with their photos? 18. What’s their favourite genre of: books, music, tv shows, films, video games and anything else 19. What’s their least favourite genres? 20. Do they like musicals? Music in general? What do they do when they’re favourite song comes? 21. Do they have a temper? Are they patient? What are they like when they do lose their temper? 22. What are their favourite insults to use? What do they insult people for? Or do they prefer to bitch behind someone’s back? 23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces? 24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress? 25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves? 26. How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions? 27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad? 28. What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared? 29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective? 30. Do they exercise? Regularly? Or only when forced? What do they act like pre-work out and post-work out? 31. Do they drink? What are they like drunk? What are they like hungover? How do they act when other people are drunk or hungover? Kind or teasing? 32. What do they dress like? What sorta shops do they buy clothes from? Do they wear the fashion that they like? What do they wear to sleep? Do they wear makeup? What’s their hair like? 33. What underwear do they wear? Boxers or briefs? Lacey? Comfy granny panties? 34. What is their body type? How tall are they? Do they like their body? 35. What’s their guilty pleasure? What is their totally unguilty pleasure? 36. What are they good at? What hobbies do they like? Can they sing? 37. Do they like to read? Are they a fast or slow reader? Do they like poetry? Fictional or non fiction? 38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had? 39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging? 40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert? 41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship? 42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition? 43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people? 44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most? 45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves? 46. Do they make a good first impression? Does their first impression reflect them accurately? How do they introduce themselves? 47. How do they act in a formal occasion? What do they think of black tie wear? Do they enjoy fancy parties and love to chit chat or loathe the whole event? 48. Do they enjoy any parties? If so what kind? Do they organise the party or just turn up? How do they act? What if they didn’t want to go but were dragged along by a friend? 49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them? 50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials?

[afutiledevice-deactivated201608]

Fuck off Jupiter…

[xagrofiction]

I got carried away... Inspired by @im-justanother-wallflower since tumblr for whatever reason deleted some of the the caption?

All these years, Jupiter had been doing his rounds through the solar system, unchallenged in his size and might. One day, he noticed asteroids intruding the solar system, and since he never was one to just let outsiders into what in his opinion was his, he instead blocked them with the pressure of his massive body until they would join him - whether they were seen was a different story entirely. Jupiter enjoyed the ever-increasing power he gained by doing this, gaining in size, his mass attracting lovers of his own who mooned over him - Ganymede, Io, Europa, and many others.

One day, one of the other planets noticed Jupiter stopping one of the intruders with his own body and thanked him. While protecting Earth hadn’t been Jupiter’s idea, he still took credit for it, basking in the grace and admiration of the tiny, tiny Earth who no doubt would be lost and bullied by the asteroids if it weren’t for the mighty Jupiter. He held off more of the intruders, keeping his place as the king of the solar system, as he thought, and went unchallenged. There was a faint memory in his head of a former lover, but it was drowned out by feasting on the intruders’ bodies and being constantly surrounded by a circle of his admirers. Earth was in the distance, looking at his closely, and Jupiter showed off his might while saying he’d always protect Earth.

Then, Earth noticed the admirers and gained interest in them as well. Earth started keeping an eye on Kallisto, Lysithea, Amalthea and whatever their names were, discovering more and more - Jupiter hadn’t even tried to hide it. What could the worst thing happening be? He was still the king here. He became angry, a storm gathering on his face that stayed during Earth’s supervision, which felt as though it was almost four hundred years - so big was the pressure he suddenly felt. He still held off the asteroids since they had no business in this whatsoever and were tasty, but Earth noticed the storm raging in him. “It’s not me!,” Earth cried, “It’s those creatures on me, the humans!”

Jupiter was not appeased, but willing to keep up the charade. But then, one day, he noticed a flash of light reflected by someone or something in the distance that was headed in the direction of not him, but - his moons? He looked closer and felt cold and exposed, as if under surveillance.

On the side of this strange apparition, he saw a name ingraved.

Juno.

[whimsikyaarts]

“Percyve the Darkness”

My half in the collab for @rarepairproject with @xagrok!

[xagrofiction]

Thank you for collaborating with me - I hope you’ll like the chapters that are to come.

[xagrofiction]

Percyve the Darkness, assess the Situation

My entry for the RPP Big Bang - split into parts due to personal reasons. Also, I decided to gift this to my dear friend @yvieisqueer - happy belated birthday, my dear.

Edit: I forgot to mention: Thank you to @malkuthe for betaing and helping out in general. This wouldn’t have been possible without your support.

Read it on AO3.

Chapter 1: I wood not do that

Percy tapped his foot on the ground. ”Just so we’re clear,” he said and crossed his arms. “There’s this great, looming danger that may or may not end badly, and you can’t or won’t tell me what it does, what it is, how hard this problem will be to solve, or how long it will take.”

“Yes.”

“You’re asking me to risk my life without knowing what it’s for, because of some great, complex reason you can’t tell me about.”

“Yes.”

“And you believe that I will just do this with a smile and a bow like the obedient pawn you expect me to be.”

“Naturally.”

“Is this a joke?,” Percy asked.

“Does it look like one to you, Percy Jackson?,” Dolos asked. He sighed and adjusted his poker cap. “Demigods these days. Never willing to take on a gamble.”

“Listen, just because you’re a god of - opportunity, was it? Doesn’t mean you can instantly order around any demigod. Besides, I’ve done more than enough favours for gods to deserve being left alone for the rest of my life.” As Dolos opened his mouth, Percy shook his head. “Actually, scratch that. Knowing the gods, they’d resurrect me from the afterlife just to call in a favour. So I’ve done enough favours for eternity.”

Dolos looked at him. “You just used the opportunities presented to you, like in poker. You read your opponents based on how they act and react, and you’re good at doing that. You should have sacrificed to me countless times, Percy Jackson. I won’t reduce you to ash if you just do me this small favour. I’m generous like that, you know.”

Percy took a deep breath, trying not to bare his teeth and just growl from frustration. His service in Kronos’ army still influenced his behaviour despite everything, and Dolos had taken him out of a counselor meeting for this. “I think I’ll use this opportunity to just go. Now leave me alone or you can join Kronos down there. I was going to have my date and I will have it.”

Dolos’ eyes flashed in anger. “You’d do well not to forget your place and anger a god, demigod.”

Percy glowered at him. “And you'd do well to not anger the son of one of the big twelve whom you have to thank for not fading into obscurity, minor god.” Without paying him any attention, he walked past Dolos, feeling the daggers glared into his back, but feeling too annoyed to care.

Damn these ungrateful idiots, Percy thought to himself. First they betray Olympus, then they come back and demand favours as if they hadn’t tried to overthrow the ones whose boots they’re now licking. At least he was going to see Ethan, which always was something to brighten his day. As if he balanced him out, Percy mused.

Ever since Kronos’ defeat, Percy struggled to show Ethan that power and cunning weren’t the only strengths and sides of his. That day, Percy showed Ethan that he not only had control over his powers by bending the water with only his will and flicks of his wrist, but also that he was capable of using them for beauty by shaping the water into artistic, intricate designs. For this show, he was awarded with holding hands and, once they’d returned to Sally’s apartment, mutual petting and stroking through hair, one of their remains from their days in the titan army.

Back then, swollen lips and elevated heart rates would have given too much away. Instead, they’d found peace within each other. Percy had been like the calm sea and Ethan had been tranquil. They both had been steadying forces in each other’s unsteady lives - and they still were.

Stroking hair had been simple enough. It left no lasting marks, and yet it had been and still was affectionate and intimate. They'd held hands sometimes, or even hugged occasionally. Sometimes they even cuddled. These comprised the brief, peaceful moments their lives had granted them before either Luke or Kronos sent them on another mission or before Percy would have to report back again.

Strangely, despite the rocky times back then, despite all the fights in-between, despite all the bad memories this might have carried, stroking each other’s hair remained a calming, frequent activity between the two of them. Maybe it was the intimacy of allowing themselves to let go and just feel that brought them to a state of trust and relaxation.

Percy lazily opened his eyes and saw Ethan gazing towards a window where people outside were buzzing with the usual business, a faint smile on his lips and his eye unfocused. Noticing the movement of Percy’s head in his lap, he looked down and stroked his hair further, lightly massaging the scalp.

“Relax, Percy,” Ethan hummed. “I got you.”

Percy smiled, sleepy. “Come down here. I wanna pet your hair, too.”

Ethan complied with a smile, laying down so he faced Percy and hugged him. “I got you,” he repeated, breathing in the smell of the sea that always seemed to surround Percy while he stroked his face before Percy turned him around and hugged him from behind, threading his fingers through Ethan’s hair.

“And I got you,” Percy replied and hummed as he took in Ethan’s scent as well. These days, he smelled less like sweat, metal, and blood - these days, he smelled more earthy, probably still remnants of his time in the labyrinth, along with a faint fragrance of cherry blossoms, something he said reminded him of his father. As Percy drifted off to sleep, he heard keys turn in the front door.

When Percy woke up, Ethan was gone and he heard the tea kettle whining in the kitchen. Stretching the stiffness from his limbs, he rose from the couch as his joints popped. He blinked away the last remnants of sleep as he went to the kitchen to find Ethan standing in front of the kettle, frowning as he portioned some kukicha.

Next to him, Percy spotted a steaming cup filled with hot chocolate and marshmallows. He sighed as he picked it up and let the heat seep into his hands. Looking across the table, he noticed Ethan’s cup was just about finished warming up in the microwave and took it out so Ethan could prepare his tea, wrapping his arms around Ethan’s waist from behind and nuzzling his neck. Ethan made a noise and patted his shoulder, and when his tea was all ready to be drunk, they moved back to the couch, sipping their hot beverages until it was time for Ethan to go back to Camp Half-Blood.

Just because they’d saved the world didn’t mean they’d be forgiven easily after all that had happened - deaths they hadn’t been able to prevent, destruction and, well, Kronos almost succeeding. While Percy had managed to make the gods swear on the river Styx to grant his requests - that, as Ethan joked, had almost been like Kaguyahime’s due to the gods’ pride - demigods like Ethan who had served in the titan army were still put to work to make up for some of the damage they’d caused, with the benefit of Ethan being able to directly influence the building of his mother’s cabin. Percy saw him to the door and followed him with his eyes until Ethan was out of sight.

After helping out his mom and Paul as they’d asked him to, Percy went to the camp himself. He greeted Peleus at Thalia’s pine, happy and relieved that the dragon liked him by now, or so it seemed. He’d grown used to Percy not being seen as evil following him with his yellow eyes.

Unfortunately, Peleus was one of the rarer examples showing such an attitude. When Percy entered the camp, some campers still started to whisper when they spotted him, but it had grown less since the end of the Battle of Manhattan - still, rumours were a difficult thing to get rid of.

Ignoring the whispers - fewer than usual, but the camp was rather busy with activity since the summer was coming to its end - he made for the Big House when he didn’t see Ethan near the spaces that were reserved for the new cabins, figuring he’d be discussing the needed materials and working shifts with Chiron. He knocked before entering the big discussion room with their ping pong table and nodded towards Chiron, frowning.

“Ah, Percy. It’s… nice to see you again. How are Sally and Paul?,” Chiron said, smiling, albeit a little stiffly.

“They’re fine and thank you for asking.” He reached back into his backpack and produced a book of poetry. “She thanks you for lending her your book. She liked it and said you could loan her books anytime.”

Chiron’s smile turned warmer, more genuine. Despite being the pillar of their plan to have a spy amidst Kronos’ army, he still seemed a little uneasy, as if Percy might be just acting friendly, as if he still was always ready to eradicate despite his proven loyalty. Not that it surprised Percy, but Chiron showed him much more trust these days - maybe they could be friends sometime, or something similar.

A knock at the door made him turn, expecting to see Ethan, but it was Annabeth. Percy saw her tensing immediately and tried to stay as relaxed as possible. “Percy,” she said, keeping her gaze neutral and her eyes slightly averted.

“Annabeth,” he replied with a smile as easy as possible before turning back towards Chiron. “Actually, Chiron, I was looking for Ethan. Could you please tell me where he is?” The sooner he was able to leave, the better. Annabeth and he had been spending some time together in attempts to mend what had broken, sometimes with Ethan’s help. Losing Luke had hit her hard, but she said she didn’t feel as desperate and alone anymore despite everything that had happened.

“Ethan? He went into the woods to investigate some strange noises about fifteen minutes ago. He insisted on going alone.”

“And that doesn’t strike you as something odd enough to insist on having someone accompany him, especially after you said we shouldn’t go into the woods, especially this week.”

“He was a general of the titan army and said he might have imagined it, and he said he wouldn’t go too far. Plus, he promised to come back as soon as something seemed amiss,” Chiron replied.

Percy sighed. “Let’s just hope it’s not a former member of the army. They’re probably not too happy about us blasting off Kronos’ party, or rather, their dreams.” He purposefully ignored the guilt gnawing in him - he’d deal with it at full force later, but he had Ethan to find for now.

Percy reached down into his pocket and fumbled with Riptide, twisting and twirling it in his finger, absently noting that the sword in pen form was vibrating softly. In passing, he scanned the trees and kept an ear on his surroundings to see whether he might find Ethan. Due to the rather dire situation earlier that year, probably no demigod, not even the Stolls or the other children of Hermes, would prank someone to go into the woods of the camp, especially since monsters might still be lurking in the underbrush.

Not foolish enough to call out, Percy checked the water that was still soaking the ground for indications of meddling with the forest when he saw a dryad and asked her whether she’d seen his partner. She pointed him towards Zeus’ fist, and Percy felt odd about that. Demigods’ ears might be good, but not that good. Had Ethan chased the sound down?

Just before breaking through the line of trees before the clearing, he saw Ethan crouching behind a tree. “Ethan,” he hissed as he approached and crouched down next to him, attempting to find a spot where he could easily spy on the strangers as well. “What are you doing here? Also, yews are potentially toxic, you idiot - we had to review that stuff a lot, remember?”

Ethan gestured towards the clearing. “That’s why I was hiding here. Don’t worry, we’ll go soon, but - look, over there.”

Percy’s pressed his lips into a thin line as he saw a group of women on the clearing. They were dressed in what looked like ground-long black ceremonial dresses, their faces covered by stylized masks. They were standing in a circle, their arms raised towards the middle.

“What are they doing?,” Percy asked.

“I don’t know,” Ethan said, frowning. “It doesn’t even make sense that I heard them all the way to camp. I figured I should report back and turned around to head back, but got lost in the woods despite not going far in - We should try to go back and inform Chiron about this.”

Percy was about to agree when he heard clicking on the ground when the women stomped on the ground and moved - the rustling of their cloaks wasn’t enough to cover it. He froze. He didn’t know of this many satyrs and even then, Chiron would have mentioned it, warning Percy not to interrupt their rituals to save Ethan and him from their scorn - angering those who could turn dryads against them wasn’t a good idea.

The uneasy feeling increased when he heard a metallic clunk as they stomped and moved again. He’d dealt with enough empousai to know leaving them be could be a bad idea, especially if they, for some reason, were within the camp’s boundaries.

“There’s something strange, though,” Ethan said. “I feel like there was something we should know about this. Empousai should be kept outside by the barrier.”

“We shouldn’t risk anything,” Percy whispered, shifting on the ground to keep the blood in his legs flowing. “Chiron might know of this and even if they are intruders, we’d have better chances with a few more demigods.” He paused, glancing at the circle of empousai. “We should retreat, regroup and discuss this back at camp.”

“Sounds good to me,” Ethan replied and they stood up cautiously. Under their feet, the dirt gave off a disgusting but quiet squelch. Their clothes rustled like the needles on the ground as they remained low, but when Percy shot the women a look, he froze.

Of course they’d been spotted.

[xagrofiction]

4, 7 and 15 for the "get to know the author" thing... Have a nice evening!!

Thank you for asking!

4. Favorite character you’ve written:

I’ll just not assume this is for OCs because most of them are unknown to most anyway. Probably. I feel like I enjoy writing Percy and Jason from the Percy Jackson series, though. And, well, if it’s about OCs, I’d say... Puya probably, since I probably spent the most time with him. Puya is the one in my header, by the bye.

7: When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

It depends on the person because I know some will belittle it and make fun of me for it. I have fun writing with my creative writing (often), but I don’t really feel like having people mock me for that, so I usually try to be more enthusiastic, too. By my standards, that is..

15: Why did you start writing?

I think it was because I had an idea that I thought of as fascinating and I wanted to explore and develop it and share it with the world. While that old story is no longer available, this excitement still fuels my will to write creative writing.

[shadesfalcon]

send an ask: get to know your author

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

4) favorite character you’ve written

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

7) when asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

8) favorite genre to write

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

12) your weaknesses as an author

13) your strengths as an author

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

15) why did you start writing?

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

22) are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

[xagrofiction]

Did Percy return?

Hera kidnapped Percy and ‘hid him in the Wolf House’, and in Son of Neptune he ‘returned’. Or did he? He did behave quite differently in Heroes of Olympus in comparison to the first series, after all.

The only memory Percy had left was of Annabeth. Nothing else. Not Camp Half-Blood, none of his adventures, not even his mother. His mother who undoubtedly was one of the most important persons in his life. Furthermore, he just called her once to leave a voice message behind, and nothing else?

Percy Jackson leaves Sally Jackson nothing but a voicemail after disappearing for six months?

Therefore, my thought: Percy never returned. And Hera didn’t know too many things about Percy: He liked Annabeth and they had just become a couple, he was incredibly loyal, an exceptional fighter; he could be scary, but goofy, too, and some people liked him especially for that.

Percy was such a loyal fellow, the embodiment of what a good marriage should look like. He’d finally become a couple with Annabeth by the end of Last Olympian. It might have reminded her of her perfect couple of Odysseus and Penelope, who had waited twenty years for Odysseus to return and never betrayed him.

He must never break up this relationship. Hera had seen it all: Couples who had seemed like they’d stay together forever breaking apart. Marriages that seemed eternal shatter. Odysseus and Penelope were a special case. They could realize they didn’t fit together, they could have a fight, they could betray each other. Hera had seen it again and again - and worse yet, Aphrodite had promised to make Annabeth’s love life ‘interesting’. Percy and Annabeth were a couple forged greatly by the fires of war - maybe once everything was over, they’d realize they’d be better off as friends, not married, or worse, cheating on each other. Broken promises were nothing uncommon.

She needed to preserve that loyalty and faithfulness before it even had a chance to weaken.

She prepared a double, infused with Percy’s core aspects. Not too many people would notice if she was careful enough. She could simply keep Percy herself as an own private exhibit, a perfect, untainted symbol of loyalty and would never risk anything.

She only gave the replica the, in her opinion, most important memory - the name of the one Percy was so perfect for. Annabeth. Who needs something like Sally, his family, or his friends, anyway? Only the one he’d planned on marrying would be important.

Once everything would be over, the replica would therefore go and do the most natural thing - marry and move somewhere safe. Such as New Rome. Who’d need those puny mortals over on the East Coast, anyway? Even better, Annabeth would marry a replica, believing it to be Percy, while not being married to it. It would benefit Annabeth in a way that would benefit Hera as well, and be a jab at her at the same time.

And he may still slumber, a prize and a trophy of Hera.

This would explain many things.

Percy not caring about Nico all that much anymore, something which is explained better here.

Percy, who brought an amazing speech for the Greeks in the battle for Manhattan (A speech Hera never witnessed), holding a speech that consisted of “Greeks! Let’s, uhm, fight stuff!”. Because a strategic and inspirational speech would of course come from Annabeth, since Percy is too stupid for something like that, right? He even refused godhood.

Percy barely spending time with the other members of the Argo II outside of Annabeth.

Percy, probably one of the most perceptive demigods alive, not realizing that Jason wanted to talk to him about his suicidal thoughts back at Kymopoleia - that they could both have talked about their problems and experiences.

Achilles’ curse being washed away by a river?

Percy never calling Sally Jackson, his mother who might have thought he’d never return and whom he hadn’t seen in six months.

But that’s just a theory.