I Am So Sorry Op But I Think It's More On The Inverse Side. Percy's Powers Are So In Tune With Him That

Jason and Percy have a very unique position of being able to understand each other perfectly where certain issues/topics are concerned. We truly deserved more of Jason and Percy having conversations that actually tackle their insecurities or burdens about leadership and carrying the weight of most of the responsibility for getting everyone out alive.

But it's not really surprising that Jason, despite his supposed jealousy or other insecurities with Percy, is still trying his best to understand him and pull him out of his suicidal antics. He and Percy are two of the most genuinely sensitive people who define their worth by being able to save enough people or do enough for others and in a weird sort of way I think they would have a better understanding of each other than most others.

(But the op's tags are the best part. I think they break down the scene in a very nuanced way that doesn't really get applied to PJO series often enough:

#I feel like too many people reduce this interaction to jason being like 'lol same"

#but idk :/

#this chapter is from jason's pov

#and leading up to it he's like "people keep walking on eggshells around me bc of the the michael varus stab wound'

#and he hates it so when he goes on deck to help out with the storm

#everyone's like wtf except for percy

#and jason states how much he appreciated percy not treating him like a sick kid

#and I feel like it's echoed in this sentiment where jason could say so many things like

#"you should never feel that way' 'im here if you need anything

#but he doesn't make percy feel alone in his desire to just.... end it all

#which ik for some people that doesn't work but you're not a character in hoo and percy is dealing with so much guilt

#and he can't tell annabeth bc she's a main aspect of that guilt

#and he doesn't wanna guilt her more and he feels ashamed and when he describes this he feels weird for feeling it

#so having jason this tough guy be like 'yo i understand it bc i felt the same way

#that's gotta mean a lot to percy

#also insane how jason who also struggles to display vulnerability

#allows it in one of few times in this moment just so percy this guy he's supposed to be jealous about

#feels comforted and not alone in his guilt and shame

#and also it's just insane how jason's wanting to kay em ess does not get talked about AT ALL

#and just seeing his mom and the pressure of new rome getting to him )

yeah so this was insane

kind of related to your post about zoe just now but: what do you think of the hunters in general? I've got a lot of thoughts on them myself.. most of them not that positive lmao lots of "could have been good, but very poor execution" and "sounds cool on the surface, but very questionable when thought about more"

First of all, thank you for the question :)))

Oh god, this might become a slightly longer post, because I have a lot to say about the hunters of Artemis.

From what you’ve written, it sounds like we might have a very similar opinion. I personally think they are one of the worst-written parts of the original Percy Jackson books. I love their idea, I love their basic concept, but their execution was pretty atrocious.

There are four main points regarding them that I want to talk about.

The portrayal of Artemis (though this one is by far not as bad as the others)

2. The behaviour of the huntresses

3. Bianca

4. Lacking Development

Artemis

Now, I know that the gods and goddesses of the Riordan verse, are sanitized caricatures, and shouldn’t be compared to their actual myth versions. I think everyone in this fandom has at least heard some well-founded criticisms regarding the portrayal of Ares, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo or any of the other gods.  

I even understand why Rick Riordan made most of the decisions that he did. Obviously, the gods had to be sanitized for a book series primarily aimed at children, and, to be fair to him, even if their characterizations are a far-cry from their myths and sometimes overly stereotypical (Aphrodite), they are fulfilling the roles they have in this story as deeply flawed, but powerful individuals, because of whose careless mistakes and pride demigods, and other ‘lesser’ beings have to suffer.  

And I actually do not hate Artemis’ portrayal that much, if we exclude the behavior of her hunt, and the initiation of Bianca. Her taking Annabeth’s place in holding the sky and her loudly arguing against killing Percy and Thalia at the winter solstice was a great portrayal of her being a patron goddess of children, and the idea of including the hunters of Artemis as a group of girls, both from mortal and immortal parents, who have been hurt by the world, and found a safe place with one another is actually really great. Generally, whenever she appears in the books, I have the feeling she is handled with far more graze and respect than a lot of other godly beings.  

However, as someone who very much loves Greek mythology, I just want to point out some small parts, which are not entirely accurate, though, again,  I understand Rick’s reason for omitting them in the context of what he wanted to do with her character and the hunt , and I acknowledge that even in ancient times, there existed a variety of different interpretations of the gods.

(Please note, that while I read original sources like the works of Diodor, Apollodorus, Hesiod, and Euripides, I am not a classicist, and that my knowledge of the greek gods primarily stems from personal research and my own interest. If anyone knows more about Artemis, please feel free to correct me if necessary)  

While Artemis is primarily the goddess of the hunt, and in later interpretations of the moon, she is not only the protector of girls, but the patron goddess of children in general and a goddess closely linked to childbirth.

Yes, she expects her followers to remain chaste, but to say that she is completely against men would be a grave mistake. Male followers of Artemis did exist in mythology, most famously Orion, who later became a constellation, and Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and the Amazon Hippolyta.

So, her cold behavior towards Nico and her degrading words towards boys in general is an attribute primarily added by Rick Riordan.

Though, like I said, I understand making certain changes to gods and goddesses, or rather choosing different interpretations of them to have them fulfill a certain role in a book series, so Artemis portrayal itself doesn’t bother me that much.

But if we’re talking about the hunters themselves, things easily take a turn for the worse.  

The behavior of the hunters

Now, I understand the hunters point in the story.

A huge theme of Titan’s curse is to explore the difference between old ideals of what heroism entails and the modern take on it, represented through Theseus and Herakles on one side, and Percy on the other. The hunters, and especially Zöe, represent a group, who have suffered through the actions of those old, primarily male heroes, and have developed a strong bias against all boys and men as a result. A bias, Percy is supposed to break in this book.

This, in itself, is a pretty awesome concept. But, like I said, the execution mostly failed.

Most of the Hunters of Artemis in Titan’s curse were written without any nuance, without development and without any sense of self reflection.

To express it plainly, they completely suck. And that hurts to say, especially as someone who is asexual-sex-repulsed and aromantic, because, like I said, they could have been an absolutely amazing part of the overarching story and theme of the book series, but with the way Rick Riordan wrote them, they suck. They’re insufferable.  They’re a group of immortal teenagers with a superiority complex, who act the way right-wing republicans and trump supporters think feminists act like.

They’re completely antagonistic towards the campers at camp half-blood for absolutely no good reason, act really childish and immature, and their overwhelming bias against every male character, especially Percy and Nico, is just plain annoying and goes to a point, where it makes them act like absolute idiots and assholes.

Zöe’s behavior at the meeting to decide who should go on the quest to save Artemis is a pretty good representation of everything I dislike about the hunters.  

She doesn’t want to take campers with her on the quest, even though the oracle plainly stated that them working together was the only way for them to succeed:

“You’re missing something as usual,” Thalia said. “Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We’re supposed to do this together.”

“No!”, Zoe said. “The Hunters do not need thy help.”

Immediately afterwards, she makes fun of Silena Beauregard (who is around 14 or 15 at the time, might I add.):

“Percy is right,” Silena Beauregard said. “Two campers should go.”

“Oh, I see,” Zoe said sarcastically. “And I suppose you wish to volunteer?”

Silena blushed. “I’m not going anywhere with the hunters. Don’t look at me!”

“A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at,” Zoe scoffed. “What would thy mother say?”

And then, she decisively refuses Percy’s help for the quest, even though he is objectively the best person for the job. I really can’t reiterate enough that Percy is the most accomplished hero present at that meeting. He has successfully led two quests, one to stop a civil war between the gods, the second to recover the golden fleece. Even in comparison to Thalia, Percy is more accomplished and has gained more respect within the mythological world.

As I walked back through the city of the gods, conversations stopped. The muses paused their concert. People and satyrs and naiads all turned towards me, their faces filled with respect and gratitude, and as I passed, they knelt, as if I were some kind of hero. (The lightning thief)

Yet Zoe refuses his help to save the goddess she serves and increases so the risk of failure, simply because he is a boy.

“Oh,” Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. “Whoa, yeah. I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn’t mean… I’ll stay. Percy should go in my place.”

“He cannot,” Zoe said. “He’s a boy. I won’t have Hunters travelling with a boy.”

Another huge problem in their characterization is their immortality. Here I want to focus again on their ongoing beef with camp half-blood, because, yes, while the campers also act pretty antagonistic in return, I think it’s important to note that most kids at camp half blood are between the ages of 10 and I’d say maybe 17 years old, while the huntresses are immortal.

Now, it’s obviously possible that most of them are still teenagers and haven’t been part of the hunt for that long, but considering the fact that Zoe is over 3000 years old, and could very well be older than most Olympians, the chance of most hunters being older than at least 30, is pretty high, which makes their behavior seem even more ridiculous.

And obviously the whole situation with Bianca paints the hunters in the worst light possible.

Bianca

There are already some pretty good and detailed posts on tumblr regarding the subject of Bianca and the hunters, so I don’t want to dig into this subject too deeply, because this post is already way too long, but you can’t possibly write about the hunters without mentioning her.

The hunters, especially Zoe and Artemis convinced Bianca to join them in a moment of huge distress. Bianca was a twelve-year-old, vulnerable girl, who just found out she was a demigod, almost got kidnapped by the manticore, and watched a girl fall down a cliff, yet they expect her to swear allegiance to them after only a couple of minutes of knowing them.

They paint her this beautiful picture of having no responsibility and a new family, telling her exactly, what she wanted to hear without giving her even a moment to breathe or give her time to talk to her brother or fully think this through.

I want to point out that at this point in time, Artemis had already decided that she needed to go after the monster alone, and knew, that her hunters would spend some time at camp half-blood. But instead of giving Bianca these couple days/ weeks to accept this new reality of the mythological world and get to know both camp half-blood and the hunters, she wants an answer at this very moment,

Yes, Bianca’s answer was rash, and yes, I do think it’s rather cold that she didn’t first talk to Nico about it, but it’s pretty plain to see that she was overwhelmed and pretty much manipulated during this entire conversation.

Later, Zoe decides to take her with her on the quest, even though Bianca is completely unprepared for it. She is probably, aside from Nico, the most unprepared person in the entirety of camp half-blood to go on a quest.  

I don’t think I have to explain how terrible of a decision that was.

The hunters are objectively the worst thing that could have ever happened to Bianca and the main reason why she died.

Lacking Development:

Now, all of this, every single flaw I just pointed out, could have actually worked out, if there would have been some sort of change in the hunters’ way of thinking and an acknowledgement that their opinions on boys and males in general are misguided and lead to more harm than good during the course of the books.

Especially after their actions led to Bianca’s death.

Them seeing how much love Nico had for his sister and how much he suffered from her death could have been a great moment for some character development.

But nothing happened.

Camp half blood and the hunters grieving together at the end of Titan’s curse for both Zoe and Bianca could have resulted in a genuine moment of friendship between the two groups, leading to understanding and change.  

But nothing happened.

The only person who took responsibility for Bianca’s death at the end of Titan’s curse was fourteen-year-old Percy. The only person who cared enough about Nico to search for him and make sure he was safe, was Percy. The hunters didn’t care at all. Took no responsibility whatsoever.

All that happened at the end of that book was that Thalia became a huntress, and that Zoe and Artemis acknowledged Percy as a hero.

This, while admittedly, a great moment for Percy’s characterization and also somewhat for the character development of Zoe, had very little effect otherwise.  

Because, in the end, Zoe and Artemis treated Percy as if he was the exception. As if they had been only wrong about him, and not boys in general. They didn’t revisit their line of thinking, they didn’t self-reflect and they didn’t acknowledge that their bias was utterly flawed, and that they should treat male demigods generally better.

She (Zöe) grasped it contently. “You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like… like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword.”

Then, she (Artemis) turned to me. “You did well,” she said. “For a man.”

Percy Jackson is fundamentally a story about the circle of abuse, and, Percy specifically, breaking that circle, but nothing of note happened with the hunters.

Because even if Zoe had confronted her own bias, (and there is admittedly an argument to be made that she did) she would have been the only hunter to do so. And she died.

Thalia becoming the lieutenant of the hunters as someone who is best friends with Percy and Grover, and who misses Jason more than anything, could have confronted this distorted line of thinking, but the other hunters remain pretty much unchanged in the last Olympian and The Lost Hero.

There were hugs and greetings al around- or at least Thalia was friendly. The other hunters didn’t like being around campers, especially boys, but they didn’t shoot any of us, which for them was a pretty warm welcome. (The last Olympian, chapter 10)

“Oh, no way,” Leo said. “We’ve been sitting in a cave and you get a luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!”

Phoebe sniffed. “Boys,” she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of. (XXXVI Leo, the lost hero.)

Conclusion:

So, yeah. They had huge potential, both as individual characters and as part of the overarching plot and theme of Percy Jackson, but their execution was absolutely abysmal.

The only possible positive thing I could say about them is that they are at least better than the Amazons (though that is not particularly hard)

I hope my rambling was understandable, it's already pretty late:')

Red and blue ships am I right? Slightly belated entry for @them-awesome-rarepairs day four: colours ft. Perachel

Klayley were twin flames. They brought out the best in them and also the worst. They showed each other who they were and who they could be. They touched each other’s dark sides and brightened their bright sides.

Every emotion arose when they encountered each other’s presence. Love, hate, lust, indifference... And they never had an easy ride. As a matter of fact Klayley couldn’t be any other way.

What makes Klayley different from other series ships for you?

I am assuming you mean other ships in the orignals by that.

It's the really simple case that's not simple at all. It's the underlying passion between them that just won't go away no matter who they take as a lover. The burning anger, loathing, care, loyalty, and the inexplicably undying connection that keeps them tethered to each other always and forever, come hell or highwater.

Mikael almost killed me and the baby, but i can't help but be more worried about how Klaus suffered all these years, I need to comfort him.

The witches are murdering me and the baby. Forget Elijah , I need Klaus here.

The witches stole baby hope? Not important right now, Hayley's dead, and I need a moment or several to take it all in.

I don't really love Jackson, but Klaus needs me to marry him, so I will.

I have to deal with my newly risen from dead mother and father, but whether Hayley's new husband is treating her right or not is more important.

Hayley tried to run from me, and I am extremely furious, but I can't bear to kill her or physically hurt her.

I will hate Klaus forever, but I can't really hate him at all.

My siblings are in trouble and may need my immediate help, but the road trip with Hayley is the best fun I have had in centuries, and I love it too much to stop now.

I am the strongest and the proudest being on earth. I kneel to no one, especially not to scum like Lucien, but he has Hayley, and I would never let her die. She means too much to me. I have to kneel to save her, no problem, I will do it a thousand times if it's to save her.

I love my Pack a lot, but the Mikaelsons are dying, Klaus is dying, so my pack can go to hell. I will save him and the Mikaelsons even if I die .

I have to let go of my dignity as a wolf and kill, lie, massacre all to save Klaus and Mikaelson family. And I used to have a problem with that, but it's for Klaus, I can't watch him suffer, so i will do it gladly.

Klaus is going around the world, massacring everything in sight and trying to cut contact, but I will never give up on him.

Being in New Orleans near hope will bring forth Apocalyspe that might kill hope, but Hayley's missing, so all else be damned.

I am being killed, and Klaus is being attacked by Elijah. He's hurt, Hope's hurt, so I am going to kill Greta and sacrifice myself for them because Klaus and Hope are my family Elijah be damned.

My daughter is dying and meets me in the afterlife, but the second I hear Klaus's voice, I know all will be alright.

My brother, my companion, my only confidant who I would go insane without is dead to me for good because he killed Hayley, and there's no greater offense than that.

I am in hell. My heart feels empty. Hayley is dead. I can sacrifice Elijah to save hope and kill the hollow, but I vowed to Hayley that I would do anything to save our daughter so I will sacrifice myself. [Also because I can't live without my little wolf]

So yeah, it's you know, soul shattering stuff like this that keeps me hooked to Klayley. Nothing huge. This and all the other essays I wrote should be plenty enough evidence as to why. (Sorry for the late)

And here's the thing anyone who watched the Orignals and isn't blind should be shipping them intensely, too.

https://www.tumblr.com/my-pjo-stuff/772756680384577536/have-you-ever-noticed-how-the-most-liked-posts?source=share

I am laughing at how ridiculous that post is. Listen, anon, this is the kind of thing you look at and laugh at. Cause what else can you do? The way that post is made, the sheer insecurity and willful ignorance reeking off of it is self-explanatory.

It's a bland rage bait, okay. You could play a drinking game with stuff like that. Take a shot every time someone just blatantly makes up something to hate Percy for. People's reasons for hating Percy keep getting more and more ridiculous and self invented.

So when you come across posts like that, just have a good laugh and move on. You don't argue with a flat earther. It's that sort of thing. The only people worth arguing or discussing with are those who listen to reason and are willing to respond with reason.

This is for everyone. I know we all love certain characters or hyperfixations and cannot tolerate much negativity against them. And sure you don't just have to sit and take their criticisms, feel free to correct their misconceptions or express that this is a space for that particular interest and therefore no negativity is welcome.But everyone is entitled to their opinion. As long as they are not enforcing it on you, just ignore it.

And even then, there's a merit to the kind of hate you should respond to. In the end, it is up to us to have respect for our own time and opinion. So, if any such posts have been forwarded to me for a response and you haven't gotten one, this is why. There are just some things too blatantly dumb to invest time arguing against .

Almost my entire blog is proof enough against that take, so enough said, really. But good on you for sending me this and giving me something to laugh at.

This might be a good explanation for why Klaus so pointlessly sacrificed both Elijah and himself.

I think another thing that plays into it is Klaus's promise to Hayley that he would do ANYTHING to save their daughter, and now that there's a chance for him to fulfill it, he takes it. They could have killed Hollow through so many other ways, but no, this is the one Klaus settled on cause it was his only way out of his own misery and to see through his vow to avenge Hayley.

( Reminds me of how in Castlevania we find out that Dracula's whole destroy the world campaign is just a grandscale suicide act after the killing of his beloved wife.)

But of course it goes without saying that if it actually came to sacrificing himself for Hope he would gladly do it, especially if it's a way to keep both his daughter and the mother of his child safe.

All in all, though, as I have said so many times before to him, Hope and Hayley are a static pair. Both of them or not at all, it's non-negotiable to him. (An example is when he exiles Hayley and binds her in her wolf form, we see mainly Freya or even Elijah care for Hope, and while Klaus is present, he isn't as involved)

What's for sure is that he loves Hope and Hayley the most and to extreme lengths, which are at times overwhelming.

Klaus did NOT die for hope

Klaus was stuck in a torturous loop of self loathing and self destruction

He had lost everything he had, was completely estranged from the only people he actually felt safe with, people that made him feel less lonely (his biggest fear)

Hayley's death sent him over the edge and he felt responsible for what happened, he had admitted to staying away from her for the simple fact he felt like he was failing her and hope, and fear he'll only hurt them more and he only realized staying away did more harm than good far too late

Had it been about hope he would've either 1) not have killed Elijah because that was pointless, he left hope an orphan and Elijah was the only perfect person to look after her and Klaus was more than okay with killing him proving he no longer really meant shit to him after his indirect role in killing Hayley (he was ready to die for him every other day in the previous seasons)

And 2) since he gave no fucks about Elijah he could've let him die alone and stay with his daughter who he admitted clearly needed him

Instead he hit two birds with one stone, he gave Elijah what he thought he deserved and he died to simply get out of the responsibility of actually caring for his daughter, he knew he had nothing to offer her especially without Hayley there to help him so he thought the only thing he might give her is his death

Till his very last breath he was running away from facing his fear of turning into Mikael and failing as a father

And Hayley who was the biggest part of parenthood to him was lost so he had ultimately nothing to stay for

I have been living with this headcanon/brainrot about Athena (both from Epic the Musical and pjo) for a long while and a warning for the faint of heart, you know what read it anyway cause it haunts me , so everyone else has to be haunted by it too, cause I am petty like that.

Most people might be aware of the myth that Athena sprung from Zeus's head fully formed and in battle armor, but a few might not know the preceding myth, so here's a quick recap:

Zeus married the titaness Metis, who was the titaness of wise counsel, wisdom, and planning. She was also Athena's mother. Metis was his advisor, both an indispensable aid and threat to him, given her power and cunning. But it's no Greek mythology without a son overthrowing the father archetype haunting the narrative. There was a similar prophecy about Metis's second child being so powerful that he would overthrow Zeus. Mind you Metis was pregnant with Athena when the following events transpire:

Zeus being Zeus, paranoid and power hungry, the King of the Gods and the God of "Justice" manipulates Metis into playing a shape-shifting game and when Metis turned into a fly , he swallowed her whole. [I know Greek patriarchs have a thing for eating their children or spouses pregnant with said children. Runs in the family, apparently]

Mind you in Greek myths, swallowed children, or in this case, swallowed wife pregnant with said child stay alive for a good amount of time even inside someone else's organs. So Metis gives birth to Athena inside Zeus's head and raises her there. She teaches her warfare and strategy until Metis herself eventually dies, i.e., her essence fades. Knowing what she must do to not meet the same fate, Athena hammers on Zeus's skull from the inside to escape. Everyone knows the rest of the myth.

But imagine Athena's first lesson being that the man she calls her father is the one who killed her mother and almost killed Athena herself by swallowing Metis so she must do everything in her power to survive and avoid that fate by staying on his good side. To try and fit in this twisted family of immortals, half of who hate her existence and half who are indifferent to him. So she does exactly that.

Think of Athena asking to be a Virgin Goddess from learning of what comes of marriage with gods.

Now, the continuation of Athena's myth is that she goes to Atlantis to train with the sea nymphs. There she makes her first ever friend and someone she comes to dearly love, Pallas. Greek myths being allergic to happy endings, one day when Pallas and Athena are sparring as they do a bit more seriously this time; Zeus being a nosy bastard decides to spy in just when Pallas is about to land a finishing blow on Athena. Thinking she might kill his daughter, he kills Pallas by blasting her with his lightning. Athena, being heartbroken , Zeus gave her Aegis as an apology. The continuation of this is that Athena adopts the namesake Pallas Athena and even carves a statue in likeness of her friend called Palladium and then more.

But think of Athena heartbroken and bitter as the Goddess of Wisdom learns her second lesson, then she must abandon all personal relations and sentiment before her father ends it for her in one way or another. For Pallas was the first true relation in her life after her mother.

Keep in mind that Pallas is Poseidon's granddaughter through his firstborn son and heir Triton. This is the point that sparks eternal enmity between Athena and Poseidon, and all those who come after will suffer in the wake of this tragedy.

So Athena chooses to remain alone and without a friend to avoid such a situation. Imagine Athena being hurt, especially brutally, when Odysseus says: "Since you claim you are so much wiser, why's your life spent all alone? You're alone!"

Because that's exactly it. Athena is wise. She knows the consequence of endearing herself to someone again so she stays alone to avoid such a thing and yet coming from someone who is so close to being her first friend in a long time, hurt and enraged she leaves.

Now, when finally Athena comes to terms with her friendship with Odysseus she finds yet again that her father Zeus struck him and his crew in a similar fashion to Pallas , yet again ripping her only friend away from her .

He is not dead yet, and Athena isn't about to let that happen. This time, she fights against Zeus, risks her life and position of being the favorite, and her survival method all because she can't bear to see Odysseus die.

Think of the agonizing fate of Athena, repeatedly being traumatized by her father yet having to do his bidding and stay on his good side to survive and live not for herself for she lives in misery but for the people who suffered for died for their association with her. In her eyes, she must suffer tenfold for letting this happen thrice, for all eternity under the man who so wretchedly ruined her life.

hi hello! i hope you're having a good day

i love reading your writing and analysis/takes on percy jackson ( the character and franchise ), and i wanted to know your opinion on perpollo. just anything you have to say on the topic. i find it so interesting as a concept itself and when it's explored.

I am sorry for the delay. I hope you and everyone else who sent me asks has found the pinned post regarding my hiatus. I will answer as many asks as I can in this week but I have exams coming up so I won't be very active for a while after this.

Back to the point, I really like the possibilities that the Perpollo ship presents. I know I have not made any Perpollo centric posts but given its popularity and how many prominent blogs have analyzed it along with some of my mutuals @ackerlikesmen , @deliajackson , @hermesmyplatonicbeloved I really haven't felt the need to. They will probably have great stuff to add on or correct in my analysis.

I have mixed opinions on the ship. My parameters for analyzing this ship may not align with you, but I just feel better when factual and practical nuances are considered. This is one of the few ships where the cons can be used as tropes to further bolster the pros of the ship. So let's start with that:

PROS:

1.It's a mutually respectful relationship with no toxicity.

Apollo greatly respects Percy even before the events of Trials of Apollo. He votes to save Percy in the Titan's Curse and also actively helps him and begins respecting him after he saves Artemis.

In Singer of Apollo, Apollo tells Percy that he is Apollo's favorite hero.

In the Hidden Oracle, when Apollo realizes that he is human, he wants Percy to be his master. Apollo the ( God of Ego) thinks that if anyone is worthy of commanding him it's Percy.

When Meg is being hesitant about trusting demigods, and Apollo wants to prove that some of them are good and reliable, he picks Percy as the prime example. Not anyone else of the Seven or even his own children but Percy.

In their initial conversation where Apollo is still repulsively high handed and egoistic and considers Percy declining him as self-centered he doesn't complain too much on it an even follows up by the thought that Percy has done him much goodwill. And this is before his transformation so Percy is that influential that even pre ToA Apollo can't really pick faults at him.

Now Percy began with disliking Apollo as much as he dislikes any gods. But he does remember Apollo thanking him at the end of Titan's Curse and declines Apollo's offer for free Archery lessons.

Percy acknowledges the change in Apollo and respects Apollo for it. Despite his annoyance Percy is one of the few to help him initially and consistently throughout the series.

2. Common family/friends circle and culture

Initially, one would question why this matters, but I think it's generally a comforting space to be involved with someone who knows your roots and is on good terms with your family. It's both wise and fosters a stronger bond. It's even more reassuring and I dare say easier when a couple shares similar cultures/family roots. It automatically trumps the trial and error phase of adjustment with another person's family and cultural norms.

Percy is a family oriented person and therefore likes that Apollo respects and thinks highly of his mother and his family.

Apollo is despite his progress, someone who considers status quo important, and he appreciates that Percy is such a high profile person on Olympus and obviously the most influential out of all demigods. Plus, he is a sea prince.

Percy is on good terms with Apollo Cabin and Will, Kayla, Austin and formerly Michael all respect Percy and are fond of him. Percy despite being mid battle and exhausted from his fight stopped everything and looked through the bridge rubble to try and save Michael and retrieve his body.

Percy is the only male demigod Artemis acknowledges and likes and he has saved her before and they are on extremely good terms. Apollo loves his sister very much so it's unlikely he would accept someone who wasn't on good terms with Artemis. No other demigod has that advantage.

Percy and Apollo also have an exclusive friend in common being Rachel, who is Apollo's Oracle and Percy's very good friend. In fact, Rachel was led to being the Oracle by meeting Percy and Apollo adores Rachel.

Percy is possibly the demigod that has been through the most hardships and Apollo has had a taste of what demigod hardship is like so he knows what it is like being in Percy's situation. And there's full understanding there.

Percy knows many gods and is aware of godly ways so he isn't a novice to divinity or the world of gods or what gods do in general. So, it's unlikely that Apollo's functions, roles and responsibilities will cause any misunderstandings between them.

3. There is no god mortal power gap that usually exists.

Percy is a prince of the Sea and Poseidon's favorite child. He has also been offered godhood before and is hailed throughout Olympus as it's Savior twice. Essentially, he is on equal footing with Apollo.

He might be mortal but given his high profile status in Olympus and in both camps, Apollo [yes Apollo already absolutely respects and thinks highly of Percy] would not be able to mistreat or hurt Percy in any major ways.

4. They have similar goals of bettering lives of demigods and are both in positions to do so and therefore collaborate frequently even in their work life. This is healthy in a relationship.

5. With Sally's own affair with Poseidon, Percy and Apollo dating create a nice sort of generational parallel.

6. Percy respects the domains Apollo stands for, and that's very important, I think to a god. Percy is grateful to healers, is friends with the Oracle and is Rachel's protector to some extent, is fond of music and is fairly artistic (writer as he does write/ narrate the whole orignal series himself) on his own. Though he sucks at Archery, it seems to amuse Apollo rather than anger him, and he offers Percy archery lessons from himself, so that could be a fun dynamic.

7. Percy and Apollo are very complementary, and their dynamic can really help both of them.

Percy has extreme self esteem issues and Apollo, proud and egoistic as he is can help Percy develop self assuredness and inner confidence. Apollo is narcissistic without understanding how damaging his narcissism can be. He learns about as much from his Trials so he can and I think he would like to learn from Percy his compassion and humility. I think they could really help each other and match each other quite well.

They are both very open-minded, so they can always try out new interests that the other likes and can develop completely new hobbies together. They both like not having important tasks thrust upon them, lol so they can find ways to dodge godly affairs together.

CONS:

1.Apollo's lovers often meet disastrous ends either at his hands or another's.

Percy is the one person who deserves to have a very relaxing and enjoyable life devoid of any excess trouble after all he's been through. So another death prophecy might not be something Percy wants and given how tormented Apollo is by memories of his past lovers, another relationship might not be the best idea especially with one he thinks of so highly. Apollo might intentionally stay away from Percy to not bring him any misfortune.

2. Percy dislikes gods.

No matter what, after all that's been done to demigods and all the wars they have suffered are direct results of godly mistakes. He generally tolerates gods and likes only Hestia and Poseidon and has antagonistic take on all other gods, rightfully so.

Therfore Percy might not be at all interested in pursuing a relationship with a god, changed or otherwise. He might have come to see eye to eye with many gods and he clearly respects Apollo now, it might still be a bit too far of a leap for him to consider getting together with a god.

3. Percy wants a quiet and peaceful life

Apollo loves grand things and grand gestures. He also loves being the center of attention as you know he is quite literally the Sun God. It might not align well with Percy's mindset for thea future or Apollo's mindset for a relationship.

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There can be a compromise found for all of these. And they all make for good fic ideas.

For the first one,Apollo being extra careful towards Percy's safety or considering the threat of Apollo's own enemies targeting Percy and making arrangements accordingly might help along with Percy's own reassurances as a powerful demigod.

Secondly, Percy might be convinced through seeing things with Apollo's eyes that even those inside Olympian systems suffer the wrath or Zeus regularly and chafe under the chains of ancient and archaic rules. He might decide to help them so that they can better help their own children. And he has made exceptions for certain gods before. Like Hestia, Pan and his father. So it's not far fetched to think that Apollo could also be potentially added to the list.

Lastly, Apollo might make Percy realize that wanting a peaceful and quiet life doesn't mean he should give up perks of enjoying his powers or his status and can and should be able to experience the joys of both.

That's my honest thoughts on Perpollo. I like them. I like their dynamic. I certainly have enjoyed my fair share of Perpollo fics and they could make a great pair together. But regardless of that, they can really help and understand each other. I love and I mean absolutely love the fics where Apollo hypes Percy up. I need more of those fics so would love recommendations. Also, fellow greek mythology enthusiasts, feel to chime in with obscure Apollo facts.

Do you think there are insanely few couples with Percy in this fandom? Characters that are well thought out and have a backstory. For example, Rachel and Percy are an interesting dynamic and a repetition of the Theseus myth with a different end to the story. Or Percy and Michael Yu (Apollo's son who fell off the bridge) It would be interesting if he survived: Percy feeling guilty for the fall, and Michael comforting him. Or Will and Percy, where both feel the guilt of the survivor (Will is the doctor, and Percy is the commander and leader), or the same Percy and Nico with their story and attempts to talk. Percy and Ethan would be a real pain in the ass with a story and explanations. But they don't nominate them as a couple? Like Pernico, they can be found, but everything else? Will's only fanfiction/The Percy I found was the one where he cheated on Apollo with Will, and Will cheated on Nico with Percy. And I really can't stand cheating.

It's a general problem in the fandom, especially prominent in Percy ships, which is that there are very few of them, and it is made to seem that liking any Percy ship other than Percabeth is taboo. It's only recently that there's an influx in other ships, and even that is miniscule in comparison to the excessive Percabeth fic pool . I know how bloody frustrating that is. For a good amount of time, I have vented over that.

Another problem along the same lines is fanart. There's extremely little fanart on any other Percy ships barring Percabeth. This has created a very toxic sort of environment in the fandom for alternative shippings. It also discourages people from making other fanarts and fanfics due to certain toxic Percabeth fans. ( I am not saying all just most of them). Hence why you won't see much material on most of the ships you have mentioned.

I think the fandom has forgotten that people can ship whoever they want, canon or otherwise, and that's the point of a fandom. We are allowed to disagree with the canon and dislike cause in the end books are subjective and we can choose to like and prefer whatever interests us as a reader and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT! Especially to Percabeth stans and recently Solangelo stans, you have your ship, no need to force it on everyone else, sure you can make points about why it's good or why people should like it but that doesn't mean have to or should.

You can dislike a ship and even express why you dislike it, but you can't tell people what they can and can't like. Just give your opinion, try not to be negative or offensive , just stick to the facts and objective reasons why you dislike it or just say it's a personal preference .

I personally generally either favor Perachel or Percy with no romantic partner. But I have read and seen some other Percy ship fanfics.

Perpollo and Pernico are kind of popular and I have read some fanfics of that category though Pernico's popularity suffered greatly due to Solangelo stans as such and some other opinions. (I have covered my thoughts on both Solangelo and Pernico in an old post of mine so check that out if you want).

Other alternative Percy ships I have seen mostly are Percy/Jason or Jercy. I kind of like where thea are going with it cause I really liked Percy and Jason's this odd but very unique dynamic they have and I really wanted it explored more but after the events in HoO and TOA and what happened to Jason( I refuse to accept it still due to no actually compelling and necessary reason behind it plot wise or character development wise), I kind of gave up on it. I really thought Rick Riordan would flesh their dynamic out more thoroughly other than whatever misguided rivalry he was trying to stoke between them. (Let's just agree that despite minor envy they might harbor for each other, they have much higher respect and admiration between them).

There's I think a few who consistently ship Percy and Artemis I think? Which I really thought was very contradictory and just simply not viable in canon or by fanfic cause Artemis is a maiden goddess.

There's Perclarisee which I mean I am neutral on it. I can see what it's based on but I actually liked Clarisse with Chris and I kind of thought of them better of as good friends who bicker a lot( I have a post on Perclarisse as well).

I once made the mistake of searching all Percy ships on ao3. It's safe to say I will never be doing that again ever. The absurd and deranged pairings I saw. Not even bleach will get that out of my eyes or mind.

As for Michael Yew, I am not sure about a romantic pairing of him and Percy, but in an au, it can kind of work, I guess, but I just don't see the appeal. I mean one moment of trauma bonding can't be the basis for a whole relationship.

As for Will and Percy, I see the parallel you are trying to make, but Percy can heal himself, so he's not really in need of a healer most of the time. Cause his power and ambrosia fix most of his injuries. Overall, I just don't think they are very compatible, but I will try and find fics about them for you.

Ethan and Percy? Where the hell did you find that? I don't think anyone ships that. Percy should have killed Ethan the first chance he got. That bastard really really had it coming. Even after Percy spared him so many times, he had the audacity to try and kill Percy. Absolutely not a pairing.

This is like the people who ship Percy and Luke. There are some, and I have never understood it. Luke tried to kill Percy multiple times and showed no remorse for it, and Ethan is the same. They are enemies, not a pairing. Not everything has to be enemies to lovers. But I suppose to each their own, everybody has their own preferences.

As for cheating , to whoever wrote that fic, stay the hell away from pjo respectfully cause neither Percy nor Will would ever do that to anyone. This literally goes against their very nature itself. To people who write cheating Percy fics, his fatal flaw is literally LOYALTY, what the hell is wrong with you?

Anyway, I am very sorry for this devolved into a rant. If I find any Percy and Will fics, I will reblog this post with recommendations.