Watching Percy’s Trauma And Low Self-esteem Be Used As Fuel For The “hehe Himbo Adhd Simp” Punchline

Hades is just uncomfortable cause Percy beat the shit out of his army and had him at swordpoint. But there's no way he has any right to bear a grudge when he was the one who detained Percy. Plus, considering Percy vouched for Hades and his children in his wish, there's no way Hades won't show gratitude. As Poseidon says, even the Lord of the Dead pays his debts.

If that wasn't enough, Percy was one of the instrumental people in saving Thanatos, Hades's right hand in the Underworld, the god of death, so there's that. There's also the fact that Percy is super close with Hazel, who looks up to him like another brother. Bianca herself trusted Percy enough to leave Nico to him and again Percy was also the one who got Nico out of the jar along with Jason.

So I don't see why Hades would have a beef with Percy considering Hades sort of owes Percy for so many things. But I see why one might think so cause Hades has complex feelings when it comes to Percy given the things Percy has done and the stuff Percy knows.

Percy is one of the few people to know that Hades cursed the Oracle of Delphi. And the reasons behind it. I don't remember whether Apollo knows who cursed his Oracle but I am sure that won't go over well with either Apollo or any other Olympians; after all the Oracle is always under the sacred protection of the King of Olympus and Olympians themselves. So it's definitely quite punishable to curse the Oracle.

And if you remember the short story, the Sword of Hades where Persephone fucks up by going behind Hades's back and trying to create another great weapon for him and forces Percy, Thalia and Nico into a quest. The punishment for an Elder God forging another weapon of power is enough to incur severe consequences from the rest, especially Zeus and Poseidon. While Hades wasn't directly at fault, it was under his name that the weapon was being made. Thankfully, neither Thalia nor Percy snitched on what Persephone was upto and so only five of them knew. And if that got out, it might become very problematic for Hades.

Which is another reason why he has complicated opinions on Percy, a demigod to whom he either owes quite a bit to when it comes to his children and someone who knows things about Hades that he rather not have anyone know. But either way he definitely won't be petty to Percy in terms like the ones op mentioned, cause there's Poseidon to think of and Hades knows that Poseidon loves Percy enough to take actions like Hades banning Percy from entering the Underworld as a slight against himself as well. I just find it so funny that all of the Big Three have a very uncomfortable relationship with Percy. Hades because Percy knows some of his secrets and he owes Percy for everything he did for his children; Poseidon cause he is trying to be a better father and mend his relationship with Percy, Zeus cause he wants Percy dead so bad; like that so called all powerful God is so fucking hellbent on wanting Percy's demise, so paranoid and afraid of what Percy might do. I swear if Zeus saw half of what Percy did in Tartarus, he would sentence Percy to execution then and there and the war it would cause. I honestly want to see that happen just for the sake of it.

I like to imagine that Hades is real nice to Jason, yknow? Partly out of spite cuz he doesn't like Percy and partly to genuinely show he appreciates how well he treats Nico and looks after him. And I think that would make for some hilarious conversation like Jason goes "Yeah Hades is pretty neat I had to pop around a cemetery for a quest and he showed up out of nowhere, said he was just passing through, ended up helping me out and even bought me lunch" while Percy is just "he threw me in a dungeon once". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I mean we know Hades picks favorites and is capable of learning to be a better father/uncle sooooo.

Nico: Hey can I invite Will to our scheduled dinner next week?

Hades: I'm sure we can find an extra seat for him.

Nico: Can I also bring Meg?

Hades: Demeter would enjoy seeing her daughter.

Nico: Can I bring Jason?

Hades: Of course you can bring Jason.

Nico: Can I bring Per—

Hades: No.

Having the whole plot between Nico and Percy be resolved simply with “You’re not my type” in Blood of Olympus was such a huge disservice to both characters

They are pivotal parts to each others journey. No person in PJO influenced Nico as much as Percy did, aside from Bianca, and no person represents Percy’s guilt and the responsibility he had to shoulder more than Nico does. The writing for both characters really suffers through this lack of a real satisfying resolution.

First to talk about what Percy represents for Nico:

Percy, first of all, represents Nico’s introduction to the mythological world

He is the first demigod Nico ever came in contact with

He saved him and Bianca from the manticore (somewhat)

Nico stated in Blood of Olympus than Percy had reminded of the heroes of his mythomagic game come to life

Nico wholeheartedly believed that Bianca would be safe, if Percy was with her and created this image of the perfect hero in his mind, putting Percy on a pedestal

2.

In Nico’s mind Percy is irrevocably intertwined with Bianca and everything that happened to her

Despite Nico naively believing, that Bianca would be safe if Percy were around, he was instead the last person to ever talk to her, and present when she died

Percy informed Nico of her death (Dead silence. I stared at Chiron. I couldn’t believe nobody had told him yet. Then I realized why. They’d been waiting for us to appear, to tell Nico in person, Titan’s curse)

Nico turned him into the scapegoat for her death, so that he could let all his grief and anger and bitterness out on him

Bianca sent Iris-messages to Percy, so that he would find and help Nico (“Percy has been worried about you, Nico. He can help. I let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you.”, Battle of the Labyrinth)

Her ghost only appeared to Nico when Percy was with him

Percy is the only person Nico knows of, who also grieved for Bianca (“Bianca,” I said. My voice was thick. I’d felt guilty about her death for a long time but seeing her in front of me was five times as bad, like her death was fresh and new. I remembered searching through the wreckage of the giant bronze warrior she’d sacrificed her life to defeat, and not finding any sign of her. “I’m so sorry,” I said. Battle of the Labyrinth)

3.

Percy is the person who protected and cared for Nico more than anyone else in pjo

Tried to convince Bianca to think more deeply about her decision of joining the hunters, especially thinking of him (“Biance, this is crazy,” I said. “What about your brother? Nico can’t be a hunter.” (Titan’s curse)

Searched the woods in the dark for hours after he had disappeared (Annabeth and Grover helped me search the woods for hours, but there was no sign of Nico di Angelo.)

Didn’t tell Chiron about Nico’s parentage to protect him from the Gods. (I don't think Nico understands who he is. But we can't go telling anyone. Not even Chiron. If the Olympians find out—") Titan’s curse)

Decided to completely commit to the prophecy, solely so Nico didn’t have to bear that burden and go trough any more suffering(It was the last thing I wanted, but I didn't say that. I knew I had to step up and claim it. "I can't let Nico be in any more danger," I said. "I owe that much to his sister. I… let them both down. I'm not going to let that poor kid suffer any more." ) Titan’s curse)

Searched for Nico in the months after Titan’s Curse (Now, six months later, I hadn’t even come close to finding him. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. Battle of the labyrinth, chapter 3))

Saved his life on Geryon’s farm. (“Either way, you get my friends,” I said. “But, if I succeed, you’ve got to let all of us go, including Nico.”)

Always offered Nico a place at camp half-blood to the best of his abilities (“We missed you at dinner,” I said. “You could’ve sat with me.”“No.”“Nico, you can’t miss every meal. If you don’t want to stay with Hermes, maybe they can make an exception and put you in the big house. They’ve got plenty of room.”, Battle of the Labyrinth)

Invited him to join him on his birthday (“Is that… is that blue birthday cake?”He sounded hungry, maybe a little wistful. I wondered if the poor kid had ever had a birthday party, or if he’d ever been invited to one. “Come inside for cake and ice cream,” I said. “It sounds like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”, Battle of the Labyrinth)

Reminded him that he was still a child (I smiled. “Maybe it’s okay to still be a kid once in a while.” I tossed him the statue, Battle of the Labyrinth)

Helped him to get the sword of hades back to impress his father (Then I looked at Nico. Unfortunately, I recognised the expression on his face. I knew what it was like wanting to make your dad proud, even if your dad was hard to love., Sword of hades)

Acknowledged everything Nico did in The last Olympian and is one of the main reasons why Hades has a cabin at camp. ( “But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that.”)

4.

Percy was Nico’s first, and after Will, his biggest love

Nico had feelings for Percy, which didn’t leave him for around 2 1/2 years, and accompanied him throughout the most challenging parts of his life. 

Feelings, which were so deep, the god of love personally acknowledged them.

Favonius even called Percy, the person Nico cares about most in House of Hades.

This was more than just a mere crush

Percy is so completely intertwined with most aspects of Nico’s character arc, in both PJO and Hoo, be it his feeling of ostracism, his relationship to Bianca or him coming to term with his own sexuality, that them not having a final interaction, makes his writing feel shallow and unfinished. Especially Nico coming to terms with his crush on Percy opens up the opportunity for a really heartwarming conversation and a moment of character growth and maturity for both of them, instead of it being wasted on one throw-away line.

And it’s the same the other way around. Nico is also a huge part of Percy’s journey.

He especially represents Percy’s biggest failure.

The first five Percy Jackson books are characterized by Percy having to take up responsibility and him being afraid of not being able to fulfill them. Be it responsibility for camp, the world, Bianca’s death, the prophecy, his friends, teh unclaimed demigods, or everything else. Most of the time, Percy was able to make sure everything turned out fine. He saved camp, he saved Olympus, he finished his quests, made the right decision for the prophecy, and he made the gods swear upon teh styx. But there’s one exception. And that is Nico.

Percy did everything in his power to make sure Nico would be spared any more hardships. He took up the burden of the prophecy, explicitly, so that Nico doesn’t have to go through any more hardships

He searched for him after Titan’s curse, kept his identity a secret and even risked himself, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson dying if it meant saving Nico

Still, Nico is one of the characters, if not the character, who has suffered the most in PJO and Hoo, even partly because of Percy (though, of course, Nico having a crush on him was not Percy’s fault at all)

He lived alone at 11 years old on the streets and in the labyrinth, while getting manipulated by an ancient evil spirit

He was isolated and ostracized at camp half-blood

He experienced the horrors of Tartarus completely on his own

He got captured by the giants and slowly suffocated to death in a small jar

He had to deal with internalized homophobia and his complicated feelings regarding Percy

He has been a vital part of two wars at only 15 years old

Had to admit his crush involuntarily in front of Jason, etc.  

One of the things Percy battles with in Heroes of Olympus is this overwhelming sense of guilt. He blames himself for almost everything that went wrong over the last few years. Be it for Iapetus, Calypso, or especially Nico. Having Percy acknowledge this complicated relationship he has with him during House of Hades, but not allowing the two of them to talk it out is genuinely baffling to me, and one of the (albeit many) reasons why I really don’t like most of Percy’s writing during Heroes of Olympus, despite the fact that he is my favourite character by far. This could have led to a moment of character growth, where Nico helps Percy to aknowledge that he feels guilty for things he had little to no control over, while Nico himself realizes how important he actually is to Percy.

They are also so similar in terms of who they are and what they’ve been through, that even if you ignore their history with each other, it seems insane, that they didn’t interact in any meaningful way:  

Both were ostracized at camp half-blood because of their parentage, and so far are the only two half-bloods we know of with that experience

They are (together with Hazel) the most powerful demigods in the Riordan verse, and have feats which far surpass anyone else’s

Both are in some way afraid of their powers

Both went through Tartarus

Both have relatively similar relationships to their godly parents

Both have gone through immense trauma and loss

And if you read heroes of Olympus, it actually very much seems to build towards a final resolution of their relationship

Percy and Nico were, aside from Frank, the two people closest to Hazel; both saw her as a little sister, and Hazel treated them both like her brothers

Nico was the first person Percy met from his old life

Percy was the one, who received the visions of Nico being captured

From everyone present, Percy trusted Nico to lead the others to Greece in his moment of greatest desperation

They both had introspections about the other in house of Hades, Nico having to deal with his crush and Percy with his guilt in Tartarus

But, in the end, after they met again, nothing happened. The only scene we really got was the “You’re not my type” line and Percy being surprised by it for a couple seconds. That’s it.

We saw no meaningful conversation between the two of them, no acknowledgement of what they’ve been through together, no lasting feelings. Nothing.

In regards to their relationship, Percy acknowledging everything that Nico has been through led to nothing. Nico acknowledging his feelings for Percy and finally letting go of this pedestal he had placed him on led to nothing. You could argue that their entire relationship, which has been built up since Titan’s curse led to nothing. And considering that they are so important characters for each of their character arcs, their characterization very much suffers from this writing decision.

The two of them, together with Hazel, are my three favourite Riordan verse characters by a long shot, but some very important aspects of both of their characters fall so flat to me through this lack of a satisfying resolution.

 Both of them deserved so much better.  

They are the friendship with the most missed potential in the entirety of the Riordan verse and probably the most fleshed out and nuanced relationship Rick ever wrote.

R.I.P.  Nico di Angelo, and Percy Jackson, you will always be brothers in my mind.

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.

Percy is a dude from the category of screaming "what the hell did you do!" and solve all the problems in 5 minutes. Everyone would have been dead a long time ago if it wasn't for him.

I have mixed opinions on this. On one hand, Percy is the type of person to wait about for the problem to disappear by itself just so he doesn't have to deal with it. Cause even before he found out he was a demigod, he was 100% done with everyone's shit.

But I do agree that he would be able to solve all problems because through so many books we have seen that no matter how much prior planning Annabeth or the Seven or anyone else does, Percy always does his own thing at the end. And it works out mostly for the better than whatever initial situation anyone else had in mind because Percy thinks almost too well on his feet. Every time.

But Percy has such low self esteem that he sees the fact that he has to make so many improvisations more so as his plans never working as less so as an exceptional ability to adapt. Especially when at times he can easily sense that some titan/giant is too powerful so he maneuvers around a direct fight and ends up defeating them by pure strategy and still ends up thinking of himself as "Oh shit I seriously had no plans. I am so reckless and stupid".

His whole character arc could have been evolving into a more confident and self assured but still the usual sarcastic laid back version of himself who no longer doubts his own abilities and becomes the great leader he showed many signs of being. But no, Rick had to ruin it all because, for some reason, 10+ books later and almost all the characters are still the same, just decorated with even more trauma. Rick being Rick, and instead of showing characters working out their traumas and insecurities, he just slaps a relationship on them, and lo and behold, all is better again somehow.

I am kind of disappointed that we never got to see Percy or any other members of the Seven do any solo missions(aside from Annabeth in MoA) . She almost had the very quintessential realization about how she needs others and how her hubris will ruin everything if she doesn't keep it in check only for whatever she was doing in the later parts House of Hades and all of Chalice of the Gods to take away even that little bit of character development.

And cause solo missions working out perfectly well for Percy while most other demigods struggle a bit to make it work might finally make him realize that his plans don't suck and he is actually a really really good strategist and somehow an even better manipulator. (Though more on that and his observational skills later).

Or make characters like Frank and Leo whose unique abilities and perspectives on combat could have been shown off more, making them all become more self-reliant.

And even so we could finally get proper idea of limits of certain characters like Piper (cause charmspeak isn't going to get her everywhere) or Hazel (we so need more scenes of her surprising demigods and monsters with not only her unique jewel abilities and her magic.) Plus Nico's combat limits, Jason's stamina limits (no I am not considering his death part of canon, you can't tell me it's true, I refuse to stand by it), Thalia's character development as well as her honing her powers and combat abilities more.

So yeah, we really should have gotten a few solo missions instead of so many short stories and all. And a bit more cross-over highlighting the power levels between the Norse, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian demigods/magicians/Valhalla residents/Valkyrie and so on.

To sum it up, tons of missed opportunities by Riordan and even more tragic and terrible progression of previously great characters who just needed a well-made character arc or even some favoritism. (I am looking at Grover and Rachel, who both could have done so so much if Rick had only realized the awesome potential they had).

I have said it many times that it's #percy jackson supremacy. So hell yes everyone would be dead without him, and he is arguably the best protagonist out of any other fantasy action book series. All hail Percy Jackson, the master of sass, and the most beloved but somehow still the most misinterpreted character in the fandom. Really liked this ask, would love more of these regarding Percy or any other characters.

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.

Triton “I’m not particularly interested in my half-blood brother’s life, I just think…” ‘s opinions on some of Percy’s relationship outside the seafam:

Chiron: Should’ve been more careful with Percy, but overall okay given Chiron being an obviously underpaid and overworked old man

Grover: He likes him. It’s pity he didn’t marry Polyphemus, it’d be nice to have him in the family and maybe he would convince good old Polyphemus to start a healthier diet

Luke: Bad thing he betrayed Olympus, blah blah blah, but in a positive light he left camp before Percy’s hero worship turned into something more 👍

Annabeth: She… oh… okay… I guess I can’t write that, Triton. I’ll leave it here that you are strongly against her near your brother. What? No, I won’t say that either. What does Athena and Pallas have to do with this… Okay, enough. Next!

Apollo: Again, I can’t write that. I cannot call the god of sun a [redacted]!!! Okay, I’ll leave the message. Directly quoting Triton (not my words, Triton’s) “I know things about you, cradle robber. Don’t make me come for you!”

Hermes: Not bad. He’s happy that at least one god has restraining. Keep distance, either way. In fact, STOP visiting Percy with presents you were NOT allowed to gift him with.

Thalia: Surprisingly alright about their friendship, laments that she is the daughter of who she is, but she’s got points since she doesn’t like her father much, too.

Hazel: Best half-blood around (after Percy, ofc), says he’d like to have her and Frank over to dinner any day at the palace.

Frank: Basically family, he totally approves of Percy’s friendship with him. Pity he’s Roman and child of Mars, “no one is perfect, I guess”

Nico: In the name of Lady Amphritite, Lord Triton is asking you to eat more healthily. Mostly okay and “Don't crush on Percy again, if you know what's good for you.”

Jason: Roman. Jupiter. Multiple hisses… I don’t know what he meant with it, but whatever.

Beckendorf: He’s ranting for three hours about how great Beckendorf was. Terms such as “Honorary Percy’s Big Brother” were used.

Rachel: Very nice mortal. Poor taste in patrons, though.

This is gonna be an Anti-Percabeth/Annabeth rant so don't come at me if you continue reading.

Can't read HOO without Percabeth being shoved down my throat (at the point in life, I forgot everything in the books, hence why I need to reread them before starting CotG), like ffs, best Percy characterization in the series is SoN and it was TTC in PJO. Guess what they both have in common? Little to no Annabeth.

Honestly, maybe I should just shelf this entire series and give up? I don't understand why I saw Percabeth as the golden standard when I was younger? Have I really changed that much to the point that I hate Annabeth now when I used to like her? Like??? Who can stand this bitch irl? She's fictional and I roll my eyes whenever I see her name written on the page.

Don't even get me started on the Percabeth fandom. I'm reading a feel-good fic with Solangelo (because tsats does not exist for me, thanks) and these people just ask why there's no Percabeth??? This is a Solangelo fic??????

Supported/bought a zine and there's barely any art that has Percy in it with no Percabeth. Thought this was Percy Jackson and the Olympians? Does Percy have no character except for the fact that he's Annabeth's boyfriend? God, fucking hate this ship now, hate their fandom with how insistent some people are to smash our face with it too

THIS fucking close to just writing a character review on why I dislike Percabeth with my entire being and I am petty enough to do it in APA format. Just out of pure fucking spite.

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

And these are not even all the feats. Well and truly, Percy Jackson is in a league of his own.

Manipulated literal primordial of the Earth into saving him over her own servant Phineas after challenging him, a literal seer to a poison trial. [I know it's mentioned, but still wanted to clarify on it]

Was successfully able to hold his own for a while in a tug of war [for the control of the sea] against Chardybis in her own domain, at age 13

Came up with the plan to use the river gods against the Titan Army and successfully convinced them to give their assistance

Figured out Ares was the deciever.

Singlehandedly defeated Hades and his army in minutes [Even with the curse, it was still beyond impressive]

Not just became a Praetor but did so in a week

Found out the way to triump over Geras

Beat Phobos and Deimos, two minor gods

Managed to drown and brainwash a Titan in waters of Lethe when he was heavily injured

Has killed more monsters than any other demigod in the verse

Has been called by Apollo to be the only one worthy enough of his service, a god's service after he turned mortal

Is the only one to survive the curse of Achilles without dying

Survived Tartarus [Don't Annabeth me, the only reason she survived was because Percy was there, I would like to see how Annabeth stans try and refute that, Nico also doesn't count cause he got captured soon after entering Tartarus]

Hermes, one of the Olympians went to Percy after losing the symbol of his power

Dionysus trusted Percy to protect his son, no one else

Successfully resisted Pandora's Jar [which is literally meant to tempt you beyond what mortals can resist]

And yet, there are still some groups in the fandom that call Percy dumb and that he needs Annabeth to tell him what to do. Tell me you haven't read the books without telling me you haven't read the books for sure. Percy Jackson is literally a strategic genius and the most powerful and influential demigod of this age or ever. If you count how many individual key strategies Annabeth has made over the ones Percy made; he has made higher and more successful strategies literally in each book. Imagine how low of a self-esteem you would have to have for you to see yourself like this even after saving the world more times that you can count. And how comments and behaviors of Annabeth or other characters enable this behavior. It's like a broken tape at this point.

this is why we need a pov outside of percy cause wdym "i am a guy of limited talents" YOU NEARLY DROWNED A GODDESS IN HER OWN POISON AND ANNABETH HAD TO STOP YOU BEFORE YOU DID. BE FR