NO IDEA WHERE THIS CAME FROM - Blog Posts

Percy starts the chalice of the gods with the unwavering certainty that he is majoring in marine biology. It’s the only subject he ever excelled in at school, when he walks into the admissions office the interviewer doesn’t even ask what he wants to do, just checks the box for the courses on marine life and tells Percy that he’ll be amazing. Because he’s the son of Poseidon and how can he not be?

And he’s not even mad, because he loves the ocean and the creatures that come with it, it’s his “domain” it’s the thing that makes him special and it’s given him the life he has now. He has very few things that he loves that he can’t attribute to the sea.

Then suddenly he running around the country, trying to find this stupid chalice for these stupid gods who have clearly never cared for him in the slightest, because he’s two wars deep at this point and apparently “saving incompetent deities from their own mistakes” isn’t a good enough skill to put on a college application.

He’s in the middle of his quest, cursing the sky and wishing - not for the first time - that he was a normal kid, enjoying his last summer before adulthood, when he comes face to face with a young kid.

He’s maybe 7 or 8 and fresh onto the streets having just run away from his parents, he sees things, monsters and creatures that his mother and stepfather just don’t understand. He’s scared shitless, all on his own and he’s pretty sure he’s going insane.

Percy looks at this boy and sees for the hundredth time how the gods seem to ruin everything they touch, from entire countries falling to wars and disease, down to little kids - who are scared and alone in a world that will never understand them.

He tries not to feel guilty when Grover leaves to take the boy to camp, he ignores that it feels like a pig to the slaughterhouse.

Whatever, he’s got a quest to complete. The gods “guidance” brings them to a harbour and Percy has to go diving through the water because he’s the son of Poseidon and what else is he going to do.

The water pressure feels crushing and the fear of drowning is almost unbearable, a school of fish swim up to him.

They call him the son of Poseidon and Percy struggles to feel pride in the title. It’s what monsters call him before they meet the sharp end of a sword. It’s what Gods call him when they want to be condescending. It’s what an admissions officer calls him when she signs him up for a course that he’s not even sure of anymore.

He’s spent the better part of a decade being in his dads shadow, and he feels like it’s time to move into the sunlight.

They make it home in one piece (thank god) and Percy steps back into the admissions office in New Rome.

He thinks about the boy who would probably still be on the streets right now if it weren’t for him. Magnus Chase living a life on the streets with no one to help him. Annabeth leaving her home with nothing but a baseball bat.

He thinks about his dad, who probably hasn’t spared a thought to him in months.

He signs himself up for the social care course, and steps into sunlight.