This Is One Of My Many Gripes With HoO. Rick Should Have Really Not Included Percy In The Main Plot If

This might be a genuine Controversial opinion of mine. Really because I Always see The Black Percy fanart or POC Percy and I love them, even though i still love the book version...it had me thinking...

But I highly think that if Percy were Black or Any minority I Doubt he would Take Annabeth's Bs or let her treat him the way she does

What do you think?

I have mixed opinions on this. I think it's a bit controversial but not for the reasons you are going for. Bear with me.

I think all this diversity propaganda has warped our perspectives on characters and their roles. Rick is shit at diversity roles cause he is trying explicitly to write them as diversity characters. I mean yes coming from a certain race, culture or ethnic group does play a large part of who you are but most authors make that the entire point or personality of their character.

In a world like Percy Jackson, where far greater things are at stake, I don't think a character's race or ethnic group should be prioritized so much. In fact, their motivations, how they choose to cope with their trauma and insecurities, how they love, how they fight is what makes a character.

In contrast to Rick, Leigh Bardugo writes tons of diverse characters who are just that, characters in her eyes. It's not because she needs to meet some quota or write diversity for the sake of it. She writes as it comes to her, and I think anyone would appreciate that far more.

Now, coming to your point, I don't think Percy being a minority or person of color would have changed him much. Because the points that you are trying to make should already be valid for Percy as he is.

He had an abusive stepfather who not only physically and mentally abused him but also always harassed him for money. Percy has grown up in that environment, he knows abuse well.

Percy can't stand bullies or people who impose their will, which is a fundamental part of his character which we are actually introduced to very. early on

Not to mention, Percy grew up in the streets of NYC all on his own, also moving from one boarding school to another. He is seasoned player when it comes to cops or law enforcement.

Plus I headcanon that all demigods have issues with any kind of normal organization or law enforcement cause what explanation are they supposed to give for their actions when the person across from them can't fathom it, see it or let alone imagine it. So they are all kind of in similar situations despite whatever culture or ethnic group they are from.

Percy's actions are also a reflection of his self-esteem. That's the thing driving his behavior. Percy wouldn't stand for this from a stranger, but Annabeth is his best friend. The first person he got close to in Camp. She represents his demigod life in a way. To him, the fact that someone like her wants to date him seems unbelievable. He goes in that relationship or any relationship feeling inferior. Then he begins dating her, and he desperately wants to meet her expectations cause Percy Jackson can't take her walking out on him, not because he disappointed her. Cause what sort of shit boyfriend is he if he can't even stand and accept Annabeth as she is. So he takes it as it is. He takes her demands, her violent way of expressing her emotions and her need to be in control. She wants to go to University and study, she wants to be involved in the demigod business, wants to be the heart of it and Percy isn't about to leave her to be on her own. He is Percy, he would go to the ends of earth and beyond for people he loves and cares for. So he goes along with that too.

The question shouldn't be what it would take Percy to be done with Annabeth's bullshit or what would finally make him snap. That shouldn't be the focus.

The focus should be at what point will Annabeth realize that she is stifling Percy, leashing him. (Before you snap, percabeth stans hear me out, not my words. Literally a bloody conversation from Mark of Athena, in which Piper word to word says and agrees with Annabeth that someone needs to leash him and Annabeth can do it.)

And I love how the fandom just glossed over it. What the hell??? Are you people blind? How is that a healthy relationship??

Annabeth should realize how badly she is hurting Percy or how badly she has misunderstood him. How awful her actions have been and how her actions are enabling his lack of self esteem. (For confused people who think Annabeth can do no wrong, please check other posts. There's nothing wrong with admitting that your favorite character is flawed and can make mistakes. )

And then if she truly loves him they should separate, go their ways, still be friends but not romantic partners. Or they should go on a long break in which Annabeth needs to sort out her behavioral issues, come back to Percy, apologize to him earnestly, then to Rachel and even Reyna. And then if Percy (after he too understands the problems in their relationship and how disastrous his lack of self esteem and self deprecation is) is willing to give her a chance or even willing to be in any romantic relationship then and only then should they get back together.

It might not be the answer you were hoping for anon but I had to give my honest thoughts on this. Feel free to comment your own opinions on this as well.

If I had a nickel for every time Percy Jackson turned down immortality/godhood, I would have two nickels. Which is a lot, and it is absolutely iconic that it happened twice!

I hate the way the Greek campers were viewed in hoo like these literal kids who made up a grand total of 40 (maybe 100 max with hunters + party ponies + satyrs) defeated an army that consisted of hundreds possibly thousands of monsters on their own including a couple of rouge titans and Kronos who was their leader. And won. Don’t get me wrong the Romans destroyed the Palace and all which was probably filled with their remaining resources but there were hundreds of them including adults who had retired after a decade of experience. And the army they fought was probably smaller cause everyone was off at New York in the main fight so give the Greek campers their due respect cause not only did they win, they pulled off the impossible

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

Abuse Apologism

IF YOU'RE A PERC@BETH STAN KEEP SCROLLING. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.

The abuse apologism is among these fans is sickening.

Do you see this?

Annabeth has to hurt Percy to let him know she's about to kiss him?

What the actual fuck. She could just. Ask. for. consent. "hey Percy can I kiss you?" It's not that fucking hard. If she doesn't understand what consent is then she has no right kissing anyone until she learns. I don't care how old she is. She's not a baby. This is a romantic kiss. Get fucking permission without hurting him. Use your fucking words.

Also no, this is not a discussion post. Don't come here defending this comment, I will not respond and will block you.

Exactly. Percy's fatal flaw is personal loyalty damn it. But no Rick decided to shove Percabeth down our throats and made Annabeth his whole personality. It's literally the character assassination of the main character, and no one even talks about it . Not enough. Not to the extent it needs to be said.

Okay, so when you look at PJO Percy and HOO Percy, his character has almost completely changed besides the basics, and I was wondering if someone wanted to rewrite the end of SoN and the rest of the HOO books? The thing that angers me the most is how he acts around/about Nico. Like Percy was completely (kinda) obsessed with Nico’s safety for BotL, and yeah they had rough patches when Nico accidentally betrayed Percy in tLO, and later when he doesn’t tell Percy who he is in SoN, but when Percy learned that Nico was captured, he should’ve like, flipped his shit. He should’ve joined Hazel in standing up for Nico in MoA.

Nico gets a lot of people who care about him later (Hazel, Jason, Will, etc.) but I think we forget that Percy has known Nico longer, he and Nico were actually friends before he met Hazel and the others. Percy claims the prophecy and lies about Nico’s parentage to protect him??? And in HOO he barely thinks about Nico which is really out of character. When they get Nico out of the jar he would’ve immediately gone to him and tried to take care of him. I feel robbed of the Percy/Nico friendship, and the disaster that was Percy’s character in HOO.

Makes me think about the moment where Percy actually died for the first time i.e when he bathed in Styx. It's said to be a rebirth of sort. Those who survive it burn away all their mortality except at a single point. The Curse of the Styx is essentially meant to be for a lifetime because the Styx is about unbreakable oaths, and the curse is an oath of sort. Terrible power for a terrible weakness. But we know that Percy subverted the Curse when he passed into Roman lands by Juno's intervention. He escaped his fate of a terrible death, escaped the Styx's Curse and broke his vow. We know promises made on the Styx when broken lead to catastrophic outcomes [maybe a bit more bearable for gods but not for others]. I have nothing but pure vibes to go off of here but what if this is the Styx's punishment?

She can't punish Poseidon or any of the big three gods directly, so she settles for their mortal halves, their demigod children. Unlike the others, Poseidon loves his child the most. Killing Percy by using Poseidon's own domain would be enough to scar Poseidon for eternity. Percy had a chance to escape Styx's wrath by keeping faithful to the Curse, but he too, like his father defied his vow, and now he has to pay the price for it.

Percy's suicidal tendencies will keep getting worse, and he will keep looking for ways to die. One day, he will find one, and chances are he will drown to death. Maybe not by Poseidon's rivers then by one of the Underworld's. Because the Styx keeps grudges and she has been waiting to collect on this one for a long time.

It might be so for every big three child. Cause there's a vague pattern here. It might not be intentional by Riordan but it's there. Personal headcanon. A bit morbid than usual but I really can't get the symbolism out of my head.

Thalia has died once already but she didn't stay dead.

Hazel has also died once but didn't stay dead either.

Nico has, in a sense, embraced death once (pomegranate seeds induced death trance), and maybe soon, it will embrace him back.

Bianca is already dead. [Only after Bianca's death was Hazel resurrected]

Jason is now dead, too. [Thalia was dead till events of the Titan's Curse and was later given Artemis's blessing. So, immunity to natural death but she could still be killed. But now Jason's dead so does that mean Thalia is exempt?]

Did Thalia, Nico, and Hazel pay for their safety with the life of their siblings? The question is, will Styx be satisfied with one sacrifice per each god, or does she want them all?

It's just a vague theory, but it's been stuck in my head for so long. Might as well pester everyone else with it, too.

@helenofsparta2 I kind of really want to hear your thoughts on this.

love when percy's suicidal and he gets upset that he can't drown. dude you have other options

List of people Percy Jackson has scared the shit out of:

Clarisse, daughter of Ares, Drakon Slayer: “Believe me, revenge is coming. One of these days, he’s going to be sorry. Why am I waiting? Just strategy. Biding my time and waiting for the right moment to strike. I am not scared, okay? Anybody says different, I’ll rearrange their dental work.” - Demigod Files (Interview with Clarisse LaRue, Daughter of Ares)

Luke Castellan: “‘Luke feared you,’ the Titan’s voice said. ‘His jealously and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you.’” -BotL

Kronos himself: “"Perseus Jackson,“ one of them said. “Yes,” mused another. “I do not see why he is a threat.” “Who said I was a threat?” The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. “They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee.” She pointed at Thalia.” -TTC

Leneus, a member of The Council of Cloven Elders: ”I didn’t push him very hard, but he was kind of top-heavy. He fell on his furry rump, then scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his belly jiggling.” - TLO

Hades, Lord of the Underworld: “Hades swallowed. ‘Now, Jackson, listen here…’ He was immortal. There was no way I could kill him, but gods can be wounded.” -TLO 

Phobos, the God of Fear himself: “I couldn’t kill him. He was immortal. But you wouldn’t have known that from his expression. The fear god looked afraid.” -Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot) 

Leo Valdez: “Leo’s legs trembled. The way Percy looked at him made him feel the same as when Jason summoned lightning. Leo’s skin tingled, and every instinct in his body screamed, Duck!” -MoA

Piper McLean: “Piper guessed that Percy hadn’t meant to cause so much damage, but his glowering expression made her want to leave the ship as soon as possible.” -BoO

fucking Annabeth Chase: “Since she’d come back from Tartarus, Annabeth had told Piper about a lot of scary things that had happened down there. At the top of her list: Percy controlling a tide of poison and suffocating the goddess Akhlys.”- BoO

And let’s not forget:

How Percy looks when he fights: “My expression in the picture was fierce—disturbing, even—so it was hard to tell if I was the good guy or the bad guy, but Rachel said I’d looked just like that after the battle.” - TLO

Hazel’s first impression of him: “Then she’d met Percy. At first, when she saw him stumbling up the highway with the old lady in his arms, Hazel had thought he might be a god in disguise. Even though he was beat up, dirty, and stooped with exhaustion, he’d had an aura of power. He had the good looks of a Roman god, with sea-green eyes and wind blown black hair.”

Hephaestus’s words to him in BotL: “The god grunted. “Not that powerful, eh? Could have fooled me. You’re the son of the Earthshaker, lad. You don’t know your own strength.””

“Nico twisted his silver skull ring. “Percy is the most powerful demigod I’ve ever met. No offense to you guys, but it’s true. If anybody can survive, he will, especially if he’s got Annabeth at his side.“ -MoA

“Part of their problem was Percy. He fought like a demon, whirling through the defenders’ ranks in a completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with his sword instead of stabbing like a Roman would, whacking campers with the flat of his blade, and generally causing mass panic.” -SoN

Yess yess seriously, the entire Fandom better acknowledge Percy's smarts. The best strategist in Riordan verse, no questions asked.

OK GUYS IVE ALWAYS KNOWN ABOUT READRIORDAN.COM BUT NO ONE EVER TOLD ME YOU GET UPDATES FROM THE CHARACTER'S LIVES??

From the Spring Break Update Article

PERCY GETS BETTER GRADES THAN ANNABETH????!!!! WAS PERCY JUST....GASLIGHTING US THAT HE GOT BAD GRADES IN SCHOOL? WHAT NEW LEVEL OF UNRELIABLE NARRATOR IS THIS?

"oh yeah annabeth is the top of my class, i just manage through school😁🥰" WHAT THE ACTUAL--

PERCY IS DUMB TRUTHERS HAVE LOST THEIR ONLY DEFENSE???

(obligatory beep boop percy being called smart alert)

Would you ship Klayley if Klaus Mikselson was not played by Joseph Morgan (the same goes for Phoebe) or if Joseph/Phoebe played a different character?

It's hard to imagine other actors playing these roles given the fact that Joseph and Phoebe not only did justice to the characters but also elevated them a step beyond but frankly it has less to do with the actors and more to do with the characters Klaus and Hayley, their unbreakable connection and undying chemistry. As long as the actors do justice to that, I will ship them readily. Because Klayley is bold and Klayley is subtle all at the same time. Bold in their hate, anger, disagreements, even displays of care and loyalty, but subtle in their love. It was too late by the time both parties came to the realization. People say its Love too early, love too late situation but I personally believe it's love too much, so much so to let go of the other kind of situation, except that they can't. I would say it was an addiction, but those go away one way or the other. And as long as the actors bring that to life and portray all the layers of Klayley, I will be very satisfied and very happy. That's not to say Joseph Morgan and Phoebe Tonkin did an absolutely phenomenal job.