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)
The Percy Jackson Fandom as a whole has this blind misconception that Annabeth is the smartest but Percy is this super powerful but dumb guy who can't do anything without Annabeth.
There is no evidence that proves Annabeth is the smartest, and let us break down the criteria for this.
1)Mythological knowledge:
Annabeth gets full points cause she has an exceptional amount of knowledge regarding almost all sorts of things.
Do we know anyone who knows myths better than her?
Nico and Jason most certainly have just as good theoretical information on Greek and Roman myths.
So, is this category inclusive to Annabeth? No.
Another point is that Percy is so good at adapting that even though he is unaware, almost always of who his opponents are, Percy ways manages to outwit them or beat them.
2)Quick thinking/Adaptation:
Percy Jackson wins no contest here.
Most newer demigods like Hazel and Piper have also shown the ability of quick thinking well.
Frank's tactical abilities are really underrated, along with Jason's .
3)Specialized weapons
The invisibility cap
(It was unusable through the whole of HoO.)
4)Power specific skill set:
Photographic memory
(It's an ability all Athena children probably have)
Natural aptitude for weaponry
(All children of war gods have this)
Trickery
I didn't say manipulation cause Percy is way better manipulator than Annabeth. It's not even comparable.
5)No. of Strategies made/ Perceptive ability/
Percy:
Tricking Crusty
Unraveling Ares's scheme
Unraveling Luke's betrayal
Figuring out use for Hermes's gift in SoM
Proving to camp of Luke's betrayal by tricking him
Helping in Tricking Atlas to lift the weight of the sky
Figuring out Kronos's plan
Planning the entire strategy of Battle of Manhattan
Tricking Gaea into helping him over Phineas
Tricking Chrysaur
Outwitting Geras
Annabeth:
Made the plan to kill Medusa
Taming Cerberus
Tricks Polyphemus, however, she directly copies Odysseus, so it's not an original tactic
Figuring out Quintus' true identity (along with Percy)
Activates Deadleus's defense mechanisms
Tricking priestesses of Roman deity
Tricking and trapping Arachne
I think based on all this, there's sufficient information that dispels the misebelief that Percy is somehow dumb and Annabeth is the smartest