It Was Annabeth's Own Quest, Too. She Is Just Jealous That She Has To Do Stuff Like Punch Percy And Tell

can i just like vent for a second? i just saw an anti percy take that just pissed me off so bad bc i forget not everyone separates percy's real characterization (pjo books and son) and throw out the very terribly written one boo and post hoo books like i do. percy antis can only speak of his character from the text where rick decided percy needed to suddenly be this horrible character and friend (to this day i hate that the narrative genuinely blamed percy for bob and calypso) and the nico thing gets so misinterpreted and was a total retcon to percy and nico's canon progression in the og books. everyone is allowed to have their opinions obviously but there's this thing in the pjo fandom where everyone wants to take a single moment in which the author's writing was so weak and turn it into an actual real character moment when all prev texts in past books show that it's simply just character assassination

You are not the only one, anon. Thankfully, all my mutuals are of similar opinion, so I rarely am alone in my frustrations over this. I have made posts on most of the points you mentioned, but I swear the reading comprehension the fandom has is akin to a bottomless bag. No matter how many facts, rational explanations, and canon examples you feed in, it will all just fall down in vain. The same old incorrect takes and terrible biases will keep circulating and spawn even worse, zero comprehension takes, and "headcanons." I would say you could play a drinking game with it, but you will be dead not even quarter way through all the misinformation.

At this point, my media literacy test in pjo fandom is the opinion someone has on Percy and Nico's relationship. At least Nico has the excuse of being a literal hurt child for him lashing out at Percy and misplacing his anger on Percy, but I wonder what's the fandom's excuse. I have disproved everything I believe wrong about that take in my post here.

What I think has happened is everyone in the fandom has read these books years ago and hasn't bothered rereading the source material properly after when they got older or have only reread their favorite "shipping scenes." And during this time everyone in the fandom has been over indulging themselves on fanfics and now there is a large disconnect between the actual character in the books and the fanon version everyone has affixed in their heads. And no amount of external feedback will convince anyone to rectify and authenticate their version. Same with the ships. Especially with the ships.

Throw in some childhood nostalgia and a bit of projection, and you have a bunch of extremely single-minded opinions from people who would rather resort to death threats than actually acknowledge any other point of view exists. And gods forbid, an alternative ship exists, and people don't like their ship; the fandom which claims to hate itself is perpetuating its own miserable condition. Either way, my advice? Stick to tags you like. Try and ignore the monopoly in the fandom. Find a circle that shares your niche interests. And you will have fewer frustrations to deal with, at least usually.

As for Percy, he has become such a face of iconic and epic character and obviously the heart of the series that Rick thinks for any other character to be good, they somehow need to be better than Percy in some way or that he needs to put Percy down in some way to uplift others. And he has been doing that post Son of Neptune till today, and Percy is still the absolute fan favorite. Imagine the author and half the fandom doing everything they can to soil a character's arc and achievements and still not succeeding, hah.

I recommend you 'Percy jackson supremacy' or 'Percy jackson defense squad' tag on tumblr. At least half your frustrations will settle down. I recommend the first tag personally. I use that tag so often in my own posts, and it's the one Percy tag page where I am sure the posts will not disappoint. Those two tags with a side of powerful Percy jackson and smart percy jackson are the only fandom tags worth scrolling. Take my advice on it.

The monopoly in the fandom is so bad that if you block percabeth tag, then almost three quarter's of fandoms content is inaccessible. I checked into this and realized that posts that have absolutely nothing to do with shipping or even Percy and Annabeth are tagged with it for the sake of larger exposure. It's absolute bullshit. So now you need to check every percabeth tag post so see if it's actual ship content or just general content tagged that way.

I have no delusions of changing anyone's mind in the fandom. But a few years ago this place was even worse and death threats were almost a common situation for everyone outside popular takes and only now is there a relative safe space for new blogs to make anti posts about popular media in the fandom and not get absolutely flayed for it. Just trying to contribute to that circle. Cause I didn't have to deal with the absolute worst of the fandom because of older blogs that kept on making enough content for there to be a community by the time I joined two years ago. Would like to do the same to some extent. Cause here if you are in any unpopular branch of the fandom, then you will have to make your own content for it. That's just how it is.

Most people now however are getting more and more into alternative opinions and ships and rightfully criticizing Rick for not only character assassinations but the stereotypical things he perpetuated by selling them in the name of diversity and representation.

As I said, the fandom has more problems than it has people, lol. But you just need to find one niche group that fits with you and see if it lasts. By the looks of it, I am not going to be too active in this fandom for very long either. Doesn't seem to be worth it. But you can vent on here anytime about anything. It's definitely the sort of space for that. And I like seeing people finally vent out their frustrations, so you are welcome anytime.

The entire Fandom needs to listen to this:

Percy having a thing for Rachel was so absolutely deserved like he should have been head over heels for her. Here's why?

First meeting? Runs her through with Riptide, and where anyone would have spent the whole time yelling and arguing, Rachel quickly gauged the situation, helped Percy hide, deviated the skeletons from their orignal path all at the same time.

Percy is so awed and he should be and Rick Riordan doesn't do justice to the whole thing.

It ends on Percy saying he owes her one, almost an indication that they would meet again.

Yet Percy is terrified of running into Rachel again because he isn't sure if he could answer all her questions, most definitely because he doesn't want to drag her into the whole thing. So much so that when he sees her at Goode, he calls her "my redheaded nightmare " .

Not only has he thought of her since they last met, but he may or may not have dreamed about her, not to mention he remembered her full name after listening just once.

When he does meet her again she yet again warns him about monsters hence saving both of them.

The most important thing is Percy, who all his life has been judged blamed ridiculed, and mocked is for the very first time understood so instantaneously by Rachel. She who has been put in mortal danger every single time she meets him doesn't blame him, doesn't judge him for it, and openly takes the blame for the burning school. Even Annabeth's first response to seeing the smoke is blaming Percy despite being around him and knowing well enough for 3 years; she chooses to blame him as if she doesn't know that it's never Percy's fault. Yet Rachel, someone who he has met only twice and that too for meager few minutes, understands him and his situation so well.

All the people in the Fandom ask yourself this: Will Percy Jackson not for all that he is be absolutely head over heels and in awe of someone like that?

He can barely give her any answers at the moment, but she agrees to a death quest to help him save the world.

Throws a literal hairbrush at the Titan King and stands her ground.

Stays by him and comforts him through his depressive thoughts about dying due to the prophecy.

Falls in love with him despite knowing he has little time left.

Does her best to help him while still keeping his mind off from spiraling into dark thoughts.

Rides a literal helicopter mid-apocalypse to get to him just to warn him of the dangers?

Percy would be so absolutely over the moon in love with Rachel, were Uncle Rick not so fixated on Percabeth agenda.

The last bit is for toxic Annabeth stans:

Rachel is a genius too.

She is ambidextrous and can draw with both hands and legs; probably has exceptional memory, and her composure and quick thinking are on par with Percy himself.

I hate bringing this to looks, but I will if I get to shut up toxic fans. Annabeth is certainly beautiful, and her grey eyes are quite unique, but Rachel is the most underrated and definitely the most beautiful out of all Percy Jackson females.

The woman literally won genetic lottery with red hair and green eyes, and the only reason Uncle Rick doesn't rave about her beauty is to not make Annabeth insecure.

Also, for those overly concerned about the Oracle celibacy thing, I will address that in my next post and how it's not a problem at all. (Now posted link is here:

Expect more Pjo-centric posts along with Perachel headcanons and more.

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.

people seem to forget how smart Percy is. he's not book smart, but then, that's not the kind of smart he has to be, that's not the kind of smart his survival depends on.

Percy is an insanely good strategist. we don't often pick up on it, because he's placed himself right next to the smartest strategist at Camp, but he's a veritable chess master. book one, at twelve years old, we see him manipulate Procrustes to fall for his own trap in minutes. book two, he manipulates Luke into confessing his entire evil plan in front of the whole Camp, instantly clearing Chiron's name and revealing that hey there's a storm coming. we see that trend continuing all the way up until House of Hades, where Annabeth herself has to take a step back and reevaluate how she sees him.

Percy can be oblivious, certainly, but any time he acts downright dumb, he's doing so to make his opponent underestimate him or annoy them. he's loud, and brash, and speaks before he thinks, and honestly his sarcasm may get him killed one day, but all of that meshes together into a facade that he's happy to hide behind so that no one knows how smart he really is.

Percy is a Hatsune Miku fan. I will not elaborate futhermore

i feel like we don’t talk about this scene from the titan’s curse enough, because i think about this a lot. like… a lot. the way he was just like ‘oh i can move faster than bullets, that’s cool’, and then immediately moved on and never thought about it again?? i mean, i knew he could SWIM at mach 5, which is…. hypersonic speed, and equivalent to 3836 miles per hour. and i know all demigods are naturally a bit faster than humans. but like… he can move faster than bullets?

i guess i just wasn’t expecting perseus to go all spider-man on me, that’s all

I'm really pleasantly surprised that you answered :)

Of course, here are some materials from where I got information about Zagreus and Peitho!

For Peitho:

https://mirrorpalace.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/an-exploration-of-peitho/ - her research, which I really love.

And here is the stream of consciousness about her - https://mirrorpalace.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/thoughts-on-peitho/

They both don't belong to me.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3093410 -the fanfiction in which she appears, just keep in mind that it can be very difficult and dark there - Nico Di Angelo becomes a victim. This fanfiction also doesn't belong to me.

Zagreus:

https://hades.fandom.com/wiki/Zagreus - his wiki page, though I can't judge how good it is, because mostly I just read fanfiction/posts on tumblr and get information from there.

and - https://www.tumblr.com/happyk44/tagged/Zagreus - there is also a lot of good material about Zagreus.

And here's one fanfiction - https://archiveofourown.org/works/47538967/chapters/119808652 - from there I draw the creepy and dark part of Zagreus. It doesn't belong to me.

I'm sorry if you get a little confused. I "collect" Character images from various sources, reinforcing them with my own thoughts. For example, Peitho in my understanding is basically the same as in "An Abyss for Atonement" with some additions and my changes. And if you were wondering why I see Percy as a legacy of goddess of charm and a chthonic god - the answer is simple - Percy is beautiful and charming,He is most likely one of the most beautiful demigods of his generation and he can convince you to do what he wants. And I think Percy has some kind of connection with the underworld, it's a subtle dark atmosphere and the fact that he likes to travel through the shadows. His connection to the underworld is subtle and not too noticeable, as if, funny to say, ghostly.

I think this was the hardest of asks, but somehow, I liked it entirely too much. It's a bit out of box take, but I have already done one where I wrote Percy as a Legacy of Odysseus, so I think this fits too. Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a recurring theme for asks?

I am so terribly sorry for the delay but I didn't want to make the post without reading up on most of your suggestions; as I have said I was really unfamiliar with both Zagreus and Peitho.

As per anon's request Percy is a Legacy of Zagreus and Peitho through his grandparents. Percy Jackson as the Legacy of Zagreus and Peitho. [His grandmother Estelle was the daughter of Zagreus, and his grandfather James - son of Peitho].

Peitho is a very interesting deity. I suggest all readers check out at least one of anon's references. She is the deity of seduction, of persuasion , of divine charm and thrall. A force of passion and abstract power.

In certain versions, she is also an alternate representation of one of the Moraie. Lachesis, to be precise. She also used to represent the concept of everything that has happened before or has been till now.

Zagreus, though intriguing, is a bit more straightforward. I know I know I just called a chthonic god straight forward, but he is. Now, the wiki states that he is the God of Blood, but in one of the codex entries, Achilles says he is also a God of life.

He has connections with Styx and has traversed through Tartarus and here's a fun fact in the orignal myths Zagreus and Dinosyus are actually the same gods or at least father and son which would kind of create an extremely strange and entertaining dynamic but let's stick to game wiki. Not to mention the very newly layered dynamic now painted between Percy, Hades, and Nico.

Now think, Percy, eloquent and charming, words dripping with unspoken power. People think it's the tongue of the sea, of sirens, alluring and hypnotic, but it's far older, far more primordial, of Peithos, of divine eloquence, of persuasion.

Perseus Jackson, who none, not god nor mortal, can deny. Persuasion by words, persuasion by war , is it not all the same? Both reflect passion and thus reflect Peitho.

Perseus Jackson, beautiful and alluring, yet dangerous. Too sharp edged. Not a gentle beauty. A sharp, passionate, bloody beauty ,whether of sea or underworld we know not yet.

Percy Jackson, with midnight black hair, so vivid, so deep, that even the Lord of the Underworld balks at the resemblance, to his own line and that of Poseidon's.

Percy Jackson, who dreams and dreams yet again of things that have been, ages before or just now, it does not matter. He has my sight drawls Peitho , lips red with blood and rose, from somewhere far away, but perhaps Sally hears it all the same for she has it too, the gift of her line.

Perseus, whom Styx spares the fatal curse of Achilles not out of Roman interference but out of familial bonds, of primordial connections. The Underworld looks after its own, does it not? And Perseus Jackson is most certainly of the Underworld, will always be.

Percy, whose mind bends blood as easily as it would water sees not the gift of Zagreus, but a horror of Tartarus but he will come to see, after all blood is life and life is blood. Of blood and over blood child, that is your power declares Zagreus from the deepest caverns if the Underworld and Percy thinks he's heard the whispers of the pit but perhaps, just perhaps blood will serve him well, better than sea, better than water.

Perseus, whose call the rivers obey, the rivers of the Underworld. They recognize the blood of their own, do they not? They do, and they answer. They always will, and so will the dead if he dares call upon them. One day, one day whispers Achilles to Zagreus as they watch, the rise and triumph of the favored child of the sea and the Underworld.

Percy, who puts all in his thrall just with the green of his eyes and the smile at his lips. He sees not the divine Peitho in himself, but Aphrodite does not miss, neither do the Olympians.

Perseus, who teeters on the edge of mortal and divine as does Zagreus between living and death. Both, neither, one more than the other. Which one? We may yet see, but Peitho knows, and so does Zagreus. They do not say it, but the Olympians feel it. The wave of change.

Percy, who finds his way in and out of his uncle's, once and again, and then always. New ways and old ones, even forgotten ones. Perhaps Zagreus will be out of a job soon, thinks Persephone fondly. Not even the Lord of the Dead finds it in himself the words of chagrin.

That's all the thoughts I can think up at the moment but I will reblog with more I am sure cause this will stay with me.

I wrote it a bit too dramatically, but I think it fits well. All things considered. Also, anon, let me know if this was to your liking.

Also, I think Zagreus's dynamic with Nico could be super interesting, and maybe just maybe it deserves it own post.

This is one of my many gripes with HoO. Rick should have really not included Percy in the main plot if he wanted others to shine. Or just done the whole "Romans were involved in the Titan War, and they fought against Kronos by assaulting his stronghold at Mt. Othrys" thing but with Percy and Annabeth. Because realistically, when everyone meets up for the first time, the Lost Trio should have absolutely known all of Percy's exploits. I refuse to believe that the campers at CHB didn't absolutely rave on about Percy. And the whole who should be the leader situation shouldn't have been a question at all. I mean the Savior of Olympus and the Commander of the Demigod Army of Olympus is among you, but by all means, fight about who to pick as leader. It's not like it's self-explanatory.

Plus, most of the time, they traveled by the sea routes. And it's hard not to make it all about Percy when they are literally in his domain. Plus, the whole Tartarus situation obviously highlighted Percy as well since he was the only realistic choice for someone who could survive Tartarus and fight his way through the pit.

And then some stans have the audacity to blame people who were hyped for Percy the most over the new characters arguing that they are the main characters not Percy. Come on you can't expect all the people who grew up with Percy Jackson books and absolutely love Percy to not be more hyped about his return.

Plus it would have been manageable if Percy was in only one or two books but Percy is 4 of the 5 major books and not just as cameos but literally a main character. So it is natural that he would overshadow the newer characters in comparison no matter what. Because at that point, no one in the Seven had anything that even remotely compared to Percy's feats.

Rick realized how much he fucked up by adding Percy into the story and had to change things up last minute. That's why BoO is such a shit finale. Percy didn’t even have a pov for the entirety of Blood of Olympus but he still he was the one whose blood Gaea awoke to and he was the key player in the last fight at Camp Half Blood. If Rick had been actually consistent throughout HoO and had the balls to continue with the story as is, then Percy would have been the Storm part of "To Storm or Fire the world must fall." Obviously, Percy can summon storms, hurricanes, and so on, but more importantly, we have clear information on which God is associated with storms. Poseidon is literally called Stormbringer multiple times throughout the original series, and Percy is his son so lore wise, logically, and also keeping with plot consistency. The Storm part should have been Percy.

Now, not only does it ruin the entire buildup leading up to the finale, but it also undermines the other characters who were almsot hastily shoveled into their roles in the finale. Jason deserved more and should have ended up in Octavian's position or higher. The Pontifex and so on. Frank should have made Praetor anyway, but I hate that all of his insecurity was resolved by giving him Mar's blessing and pulling a magical transformation. He deserved his own arc and to shine through his own strength and mindset. Leo's was decently done save for the whole Calypso Leo situation. Hazel was awesome in the last two books, but we totally needed more of her. Piper’s arc, I am not really sure about her. Feel free to reblog with your own ideas.

Don't even get me started on the whole Gaea being put back to sleep thing. That's an entire conversation in itself but the point is Rick chose not to exclude Percy or limit Percy's appearances in HoO then realized his monumental mistake and fucked it up at the last second.

when you get kidnapped and get your memories wiped by the queen of the gods for six months, have to trek across california, find this new camp of demigods, go on a quest to find their legion standard, get your memories back by gambling your life, fight off an army to defend this new camp of demigods, reunite with your girlfriend, get chased across the country by the demigods you fought to defend, fight your way through the deadly mediterranean, arrive in rome, send your girlfriend off for a suicide quest, fall into tartarus with said girlfriend, fight your way to the doors of death, escape tartarus, fight giants, get slapped back to camp half-blood, and then you get sidelined for the big fight because apparently you need to "take a step back"

percy: hold on, i’m having one of those things - a headache with pictures

grover: huh?

annabeth: he’s having an idea

First fic contribution to Perachel Bingo Week. Check out more perachel fics from bingo week here

The Words left Unsaid

PERCY

Percy breathed deeply as soon as he felt the air of Montauk, with its rich and salty tang surround him. The anxiety he felt under his skin calmed a little as the waves happily lapped against his feet. He couldn't help the nostalgic smile. Rachel joined him soon after as he instinctively tensed. She must have noticed it because she remained silent, letting him work his thoughts out for himself, and he had never been more grateful for anything else. 

A wave roared in his ears as his thoughts spiraled, and he had to suppress the sensation.  He did not need another flood on his hands. The past few months had been rough, and Percy's powers had been all over the place, and he couldn't rein  them in no matter what he did. His Dad and Triton had both tried to make it better, but ever since the Pit , Percy had a feeling it would be permanent. Before then, he had felt as close to the sea as he possibly could. He had been able to call upon it, however, and whenever he pleased, but now it was something else, something more. The sea, the ocean, was under his skin, raging and churning for a release. Another reason why he was here.

He has been at home, a rare moment of calm with his mom and Paul. After all the trouble he had made them go through with his nightmares,  lack of sleep, out of control powers, and not to mention his paranoia. Fates must have seen that and gone: You thought, LOL NO. Because the next second, his phone had buzzed with a text from Rachel: I saw it. He didn't need further explanation than that.He shot her a quick reply, turned off his phone and grabbed Paul's keys.Before any of them could ask , he was out of the door, phone in his pocket. Yes,  he had begun using a phone. Because they stayed away now, the monsters ,because he was the one who was- 

"Percy, can you help keep the sand in place?" He was cut off from his darker thoughts by Rachel's words and on instinct he complied. He had barely been able to hear what she said over how soothing her voice sounded. He could feel the sand keep itself in place in response to his will; Rachel had a habit of drawing in the sand, a habit he really really liked. He had once set off waves upon waves over her sand drawings just to see her awed reaction at finding her drawing undisturbed.  He had liked that too. He had spent the entire day showcasing different stuff he could do with his powers to her. Annabeth and Thalia would have called him a showoff but he had enjoyed it and Rach had too so he didn't see a problem.

She wasn't in awe like the first time she had seen it but she was still smiling and he would do just about anything to see that soft smile. Rachel had always laughed a lot, always kept a very expressive face which he had learned was her small way of rebelling against her father who had done everything he could to forcefully turn Rachel into some poised lady. "Like a mannequin" she had once told him and he had felt a surge of anger and a vicious need to strangle the man.  But he was glad he could do something, even something so small that could genuinely make her smile. It made him smile too.

"Wouldn't want to disturb the new masterpiece." Percy told her as he watched her scrunch her nose, something he thought was really adorable and very endearing; which was tame compared to the usual mess of feelings he felt around her; Somedays she looked so beautiful, it was hard to look at her. Looking at her like this, at them like this, he wished he could keep this moment going forever.  Him finally free from wars with only college to worry about, and the Oracle now having gone silent with Apollo being punished or whatever. But he wasn't the same, not after all that and he didn't know if Rachel had it in her to keep looking at him after what she had seen, after all, Annabeth's wailing screams were still fresh in his mind, a scar that wouldn't fade but Rachel's fear would break him, he knew that much. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and waited for everything to go wrong as it always did. 

RACHEL

To Rachel, he had always looked out of this world. Ever since she had met him on the Hoover dam. Steady gaze, sea green eyes, a flash of blue. Percy had been her gateway to a whole new world ever since. But today gazing at the sea, his eyes softly glowing, the way he stood, he looked like something more. Rachel would have said he looked like a God, but she had met Gods, more so she had felt the essence of Gods  taking over her to communicate through her, yet Percy had always felt like more. She had seen the way he had kept everyone at bay after the war, all of the seven, even Grover. Even Annabeth, especially Annabeth. She knew they had called things off soon after they had reunited in New Rome. She had seen it after all. But Percy could never keep her at bay, no more than she could keep him. They had seen and known things about each other through their visions, things so intimate, in a way no one ever could or ever should. Even when the Oracle's power was out of control, she could always rely on it to show her Percy, where he was, what he did or was about to do. Ever since she had met him, he had become her anchor. All her dreams started and ended with visions of him. She knew it was like that for him, too, at least sometimes. They had shared dreams before. She had really liked it, having him there. Because Rachel had been afraid, there was a lot to fear even in her dreams, but if Percy was there , everything would be alright. She would be safe, always. Even her father had accepted that. 

So she and Percy had done what they always did. Sit together in silence doing their own things occasionally talking about the most random of things, a lot of words left unsaid but understood. Until yesterday when she had seen him in the pit, seen everything unfold in the pit. Rachel wasn't sure if she could understand it all  even though she had been learning up on Greek lore and such and despite Chiron telling her ,"Some things are beyond the realm of possibility Ms.Dare." She would always believe in her own eyes, in what she saw for the sake of all the times she had not and how it had cost her. She had been afraid, she had been shaking, and she had been crying which always happened after a violent vision but this time it wasn't the vision that set it off. The raw fear and worry gripping her heart was not for herself but all for Perseus Jackson. The things he went through, his screams, his desperation, how close he had come to death, the heart wrenching way his face had contorted when he saw Annabeth's horrified face. She hadn't been able to shake it off, not the tears nor the shivering. Until she couldn’t stop the urge to talk to him. I saw it, she had texted him, her fingers shaky knowing she couldn't trust herself to speak. It hadn't stopped until his reply a few long moments after , which had felt like forever then. Montauk. I will pick you up. 

 Now here they were, with her drawing the most inane things and him keeping the sand in place for her. She had always loved that. The way he cherished all her drawings and her words,  prophetic or otherwise. She could see him warring with himself, his powers growing stronger than ever; the reason why they were at the sea. She could wait for him to be ready, to be okay with having this conversation, she didn't want to push him, she never would. She was alright even if they didn't speak a word of it and instead spent the whole day here, like this, at peace.

He must have been resigned to having this talk because his voice turned soft as he asked, "What did you see, Red?" Her heart did the little dance it always did when he called her that . For all his love of the color blue he had ways said called her Red softly and fondly. She wished she could have controlled herself better, stopped the tears threatening to spill as she muttered just as softly,  "Everything." She managed to choke out. Now they would talk in fears and in truths and a litany of promises, of assurances which would have to be enough.

"Why are you here then?" Why are you not running away in fear, in horror like they all do.

Labored breaths mingled with wavering voices.

"Where else is there to go? And I wanted to be here." Where could I go but to you who knows all of me and who I know all of. I am not afraid. I want to be here, Perce. 

Choked tears, heavy voices, with emotions and impulses.

"I am not okay. I will never be okay ever again, Red ."  I am a monster now, and I will always be a monster.

Waves thrashed as the sea churned on itself. 

"You don't have to be okay. You just need to be alive, to be willing to live. It will get better  because you have to make it better. Everyone else is like that too, Perce."   You are not a monster, you are human, the best of humans. If you are the monster, then the world is hell, full of devils. But you are not. It's alright and it will be okay. You have to believe it will, with me, with everyone else. 

Calm words, a chant, a prophecy.

"You saw it all, you know what I did, how I enjoyed it, Rach. Don’t defend me." I know what I am, you don't have to fool yourself into believing something else, Red.

The sea raged and raged. 

"It was hell, you were in hell, you were going through the worst of situations, you were going to die, Annabeth was going to die, you were being tortured. Of course you were happy to get the upper hand. You didn't cross some line, Percy, Perseus, you held back infact. You showed mercy." You gave everything to save Annabeth, to save everyone. You have given so much too much and you are still so good.

The waves toppled over one another.  Strongly then, slowly.

Sea green eyes finally met emerald ones. A look full of nothing and everything as long left unsaid words beat against each other, the waves of the sea matching the pace. 

Her words, fears bared for him to see, as his own were.

"You should be the one angry, I couldn't help you, I couldn't help anyone, save anyone."  Rachel was the one who had been useless through all of it. All she had done was deliver a message Annabeth had sent and worry and worry and worry about Percy,  the camp and the fate of the world.  The gift broke down when they needed it the most and she had tried and tried to will it to work, to start. She had started with prayers to Apollo and then ended with curses.

"That's not true, Red. You told Reyna what she needed to do to unite the camps, to face Gaea. You delivered the message. In a way your prophecy saved us all, Red." Percy was sure they couldn't have made it without Rachel, they never did when it came to great prophecies. And deep down he couldn't help the relief that she hadn't been roped into a fight or a quest. She had sacrificed enough already. 

The waves thrashed once, twice, thrice more before dissolving into a harmonic calm.

PERCY

That was how he had found himself kissing Rachel.Overwhelmed and high on emotions, the both of them. He would have said more, thought this through, but he couldn't think with her soft lips moving against his own.

He relished in the familiar  warmth of it and he didn't want to let go.

Sloppy makeout, sand drawings and surfing, both of them together, happy and relaxed for the first time in a long time. That's how the day had gone and Percy couldn't help but be giddy about this, about them. It was one of the best and happiest days he had ever had and maybe he was wrong about never being okay; he had a feeling with Rachel by his side along with his family, both mortal and godly, he would be okay,  eventually. He had to be.

As Percy took Rachel back to the car, both of them looked back and he was sure they had the same hunch, the same shared feeling: There would be trouble ahead with newer prophecies,  with Gods, and they both had a lot of explaining to do to his family, to her family, to a probably human Apollo but  it could all wait a little while longer,  a bit more till there were no words left unsaid.