Every Now And Then Don't You Just Start Thinking About Heroes Of Olympus And The Reason Why It's So Unsatisfying

every now and then don't you just start thinking about heroes of olympus and the reason why it's so unsatisfying continuity-wise as a sequel to percy ackson is that the small steps taken to dismantle the system of gods using children to fight in their wars are not acknowledged in the main narrative, and the mention of calypso and the very minor inclusion of kids from cabins other than the olympians don't do much to carry it on for another series

maybe it's just me but, pjo is kinda a tragedy? the fact that twelve year olds are forced onto quests to help a world they didn't choose to be born into, growing up seeing everyone around them fall before they got to reach adulthood, and having absolutely no choice in this narrative because either side they choose they're going to die no matter what

percy trading immortality for a normal life for all the demigods, his asking literal gods for basic human rights of not dying, at the end of the last olympian sets such a great potential for sequel exploring how things start to change in the demigod world; a hopeful tone to establish that although the world is broken we can change it no matter how little the steps we take

then hoo comes along and we're supposed to believe that despite fighting for five years, losing people along the way, turning down frickin' immortality, the highest honour the gods could give, just for a chance that those he loves and others that will take their place can live a better life, percy gets kidnapped and is ripped from everything he held dear and loses his memories and is transported to another camp, is forced onto another quest along with

a) four teenagers who are new to this demigod thing and haven't experienced the manipulation of the gods as much as he has (sure, they recognise the unfairness of the lives the gods have given them, but their points of view don't seem to show as much resentment towards them as much as percy is likely to have harboured)

b) a new roman praetor who, despite losing his memories, is raised in a culture where discipline and duty is prioritised, where the gods are to be treated with utmost respect and hence is numb to obeying their whims

c) his literal soulmate who has fought by his side through thick and thin, who had to endure eight months of his disappearance without a single clue as to where he could've been as well as a goddess for a mother who would disown her if she ever chose him over obeying her mother's commands,

he doesn't refuse to go? nor does he go on the quest out of reluctance and protectiveness over these children who don't know any better, and along the way doesn't begin to question whose side he actually wants to be on, now that the gods have dismissed his plea without so much as an excuse, and showing the others that maybe the gods aren't worth fighting for?

it doesn't show me a war-weary percy, not just feral and terrifying to watch on the battlefield, but absolutely refuses for him or anyone else to return there. the percy in hoo isn't one who curses out the gods, who is only forced aboard the argo ii after he sees jason, piper, leo, frank and hazel and is reminded of bianca, zoe, lee, beckendorf, michael, silena, ethan, luke, and those from kronos' army that he barely recognised from his first years at camp and decides he won't let that happen again, not ever. it doesn't tell me how he feels a pang in his heart whenever they can only do what the gods say because they don't know what else to do, and convinces them (and himself) that there's a way to make them listen, by going against what they stand for and resisting until they look us in the eye

idk man, there's a ton of things i'm not huge on about hoo, but how percy (and annabeth!) out of the seven approached the quest wasn't exactly my favourite. and how it ended without acknowledging things around here need to be changed or else. maybe it has been addressed in a later book like in toa, which i don't plan on reading, and if so i stand corrected

it's weird since i haven't read either series in so long but I was suddenly hit with feels this afternoon and wrote this post in a. frenzy after coming across this post on my dashboard