That's the thing about Annabeth. Her development is only surface level and one dimensional and limited to other aspects that don't cover her fatal flaw or judging persona. Her character is the one that keeps surprising in the worst ways possible, and as I often say, Annabeth is a character that keeps devolving.
Part of the problem is how Rick refuses to address her fatal flaw to the extent that is necessary. He goes on and on about Percy's fatal flaw, or even the fatal flaw of children of Hades like Nico and Bianca, and even Thalia at times but not Annabeth. And Hubris is the most lethal flaw out of them all, too. I mean, between personal loyalty, ambition, and holding grudges and hubris, it is definitely the most detrimental. Rick refuses to critically analyze Annabeth's flaws, and it's not one or two it's many.
And with that alone, coupled with his romance, solves everything attitude towards characters he's permanently ruined some great plot ideas, potential relationships, and even entire books.
Even in a relationship, Rick let's Annabeth be the one calling the shots and pushes her agendas on them so much so that he has made Percy who is the main character and the focus of many books turn one dimensional. His whole personality has become Annabeth. Do Percabeth stans understand that Rick is literally making Percy an entirely different person just to achieve the ship? When it literally goes against Percy's nature of heavily disliking being told what to do, let alone being controlled.
Do you ever think about the fact that Annabeth started out the series by setting up Percy to be bait for the Ares kids and not even giving him a heads up/back up about it? Like we don't talk about the fact that he had less than a week's amount of training under his belt, barely knew how to hold a sword and shield and he was up against 5 Ares warriors - the strongest kids at camp who all had a vendetta against him and weren't known for following the no-maiming rules?
And then at the end of the series Annabeth literally shoves Percy off a cliff into a river with no warning whatso ever where Percy gets beat up by a river god while Annabeth sitting in safety tapping her wrist impatiently. When he finally wins she's there comforting the god that just gave Percy a bleeding head wound and triggered literal years worth of trauma???
Like. This girl does not grow. At all. She has not changed one bit. And Percy at least snapped at her once at the beginning of the series even if nothing came of it. By the end? He doesn't even get mad - he's so used to being treated like shit with no respect and no loyalty he just accepts it. He jokes and romanticizes it as a way of coping. Its so sad.
That's PJO's no.1 couple? Really?
For a very long time I have been extremely respectful to Percabeth shippers and made no comments on Annabeth out of respect but overall I have had terrible experiences with Percabeth shippers so at this point I have no patience for their brand of bullshit. It's such a toxic bunch(not all but most), that nothing but blunt criticism will get through to their skewed heads.
Question. do you think Percy should have stayed Single? Or ended up with somebody other than Annabeth? I Really think he should have stayed Single. Because I personally don't Like Percabeth, I don't Ship Percabeth and I don't Like Annabeth at all because of the way the Shippers act, or The way the characters themselves in Canon Act, like how Percy just does whatever Annabeth says, or how Percy is scared of Annabeth, Or how fans make it seem like Percy would become an Emo Edge Lord if something happened to Annabeth, Or How much she Belittles and Degrades him (I hate the nickname Seaweed brain), Especially since she acts like Percy cant do anything without her That moment when She and Reyna were talking about how ("Percy Couldn't find his way out of a Paper Bag without you")Made me SO mad it made me Dislike Annabeth even more and Dislike the Percabeth Ship as a Whole, I even hated when she Pretty much Restricted percy of using his powers You Know? "The sea doesn't like to be Restrained" well here it is.. being restrained...Exactly what it hates, and I hate how the Fandom makes Percabeth a Godly Ship saying they are the "It Couple" which they aren't and how They treat anyone who doesn't like Percabeth or Ships Percy with someone else other then Annabeth, but the one thing I HATE the most is how they make EVERYTHING percy Does Romantic for Annabeth like she's the only person who matters to him (Percy Only Remembering Annabeth (a Girl he's Known for only a couple years) Instead of The woman Who RAISED him by a goddess who isn't even the goddess of Love Made me SO MAD and Even when Annabeth made Percy remember when he was in the River Styx when it should have been his Mom made me mad) which is why I mostly believe that Percy Should have just stayed Single (I'm all for an Aromantic Percy) or At least Give him a Love interest who he can be Comfortable around and doesn't have to Constantly walk on Eggshells around her (I wished he Dated Rachel) or Hell Even make him Gay i've saw characters who have Better chemistry with Percy then Annabeth IMO but this all just my opinion.
You honestly don't know how long I could rant on this exact subject.
It's partly Annabeth's fault, and it's partly Rick's fault.
Anyone and everyone who has read the Pjo and HoO series should have noticed how illogical Percy's personality change was.
Percy Jackson, the hero of Olympus and the strongest demigod to ever live, sassy as can be, laid back but scary beyond measure if you cross him and an absolute menace to his enemies and loyal to death.
That's who he is, and Rick remembered that initially, and even till Son of Neptune then he just forgot how Percy someone he himself wrote to be this way is.
It's like Percy has no identity of his own, and he is only significant if he is with Annabeth. Like hello, he's the main character people, is the Fandom seriously going to degrade the main character, especially when the said mc is Percy Jackson???
Percy, despite his own issues, is and will always be foremost in helping people. He would be the first person to help keep the seven together. He would be the first to try and make a bond. He wouldn't have some stupid and illogical and totally ooc beef with Jason. Instead, he would help Jason be more sure of himself to stand up to Jupiter and for himself.
He would help Leo personally to bring back Calypso and they would both shit talk Olympians and how fickle their oaths are.
He would literally do anything to save Nico. Like hello, are you telling me that the boy who at 14 took it upon himself to bear the Great Prophecy, which he thought who end up killing him just to save Nico from that fate????? He would go absolutely madly feral to save Nico from the Giants.
If Piper and Reyna had their screws all properly fit they would see that Annabeth and literally everyone else would be all left to die if it wasn't for Percy. Percy gets himself out of everything by his own efforts and his own strategies. (Annabeth's rarely work). It's time the Fandom acknowledges that the best strategist in the verse is Percy, no questions asked and finally give him due credit for all HIS efforts.
Percy would never ever leave Sally unless it was for a quest, especially not when she was pregnant and absolutely not to go to college, something he hates especially when it concerns New Rome.
Here's a thing about Percabeth shippers they care about Annabeth's plans and her dreams, not Percy's. It is literally so out of character for Percy to want to live in New Rome a place that invests in a child army, a place that despises his father and wouldn't even build him a decent temple, a place so extremely cut off from the sea.
If Percy wanted to live in peace and grow old, he would do it in a place of his choosing close to his mother, Paul and Estelle, and close to the sea. But here's the thing about Percy.
I don't think people get this, but Percy can't just up and leave, nor would he want to. His damned fatal flaw is LOYALTY. He would never ever leave demigods or anyone helpless by leaving Camp Half Blood. Sure he would take less quests on but he would ALWAYS stick around and Rick did him so dirty by making all his thoughts revolve around Annabeth and insinuating he would let others suffer just fine to be with Annabeth.
Percy gave up immortality because he took Sally's teaching to heart as she did so too when she denied Poseidon's offer. He did it for himself for demigods it didn't have shit to do with Annabeth, but of course, he would look at her because she represents his life as a demigod.
Rick making Percy see Annabeth near the Styx and making him remember Annabeth instead of Sally is just him bullshitting. We all know Percy is a mama's boy, and he would do right by Sally always, so him giving a girl who he has known for barely long enough has no basis to it.
And Percabeth stans literally can't take a mention of a single alternate Percy pairing that alone is the biggest red flag. Because they know their ship is toxic and that Annabeth is the root of it.
For the PEOPLE IN THE BACK aka toxic stans:
Annabeth's fatal flaw is HUBRIS, and she is by nature controlling and condescending, and her character had the chance to GROW and CHANGE, and it would have been the most epic character growth sequel but she did not and she is CONTROLLING, DISMISSIVE , DEMEANING.
The newest Read Riordan entry literally has Annabeth saying that she needs to catch up to Percy cause he scores a better grade than her in school (even there Percy is smarter folks there you have it) and she literally says if she doesn't catch up Percy might start calling her SEAWEED BRAIN. So it is a demeaning nickname she gives Percy and continues calling him that even after knowing how Gabe similarly verbally abused Percy.
This is the fandom's IT couple? Wow. Percy literally is going against his own nature of being free and unrestrained like the sea because of Annabeth's controlling nature.
The worst of her behavior is when she blames Percy for his disappearance when she dismissed him when he was talking about his trauma induced by Gabe, her beyond toxic treatment of Rachel, especially when she unreasonably asked Percy to supress the use of the very power that got them out alive (she is scared naturally but she cannot force her own fear on Percy when he did nothing wrong).
So yeah, Percy Jackson with anyone but Annabeth. I am all for aromantic Percy, but personally, I find Perachel to be more appealing.
Trust me, I could rant about this for hours, especially how Rick butchered Percy's personality and made it full of Annabeth, especially how he threw Percy's insecurities and trauma and PTSD out of the gutter post tartarus.