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ship_manifestoTitle: You're Not Getting Away That Easily
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
greenconverses
Pairing/Characters: Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Spoilers: Massive spoilers for all five books.
Word count: ~4,800
Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan and I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Notes: Sorry to be sliding this in so close to the deadline, mods! This essay covers Percy and Annabeth's relationship quite extensively, so if you haven't read far in the series and don't want to be spoiled for ending, I'd stay away from this. Thanks to my f-list for the help in gathering some of the fics! Enjoy!
You're Not Getting Away that Easily: A Percy/Annabeth Ship Manifesto
The Mythology
Inspired by the bedtime stories he told his son Haley, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan is a five book children’s series where the Greek gods are alive and well in modern day America, and doing what they do best: having affairs with mortals and producing demigod children. The series chronicles the adventures of the titular character, Percy, as he discovers his heritage as a demigod and adjusts to a world where your Pre-Algebra teacher might be a Fury in the disguise, good old summer camp where you get trained to slay monsters and learn how not to die horribly, and all you need to do to get to Mount Olympus is take an elevator ride to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building.
All five of the books have spent considerable time on the New York Times Best Seller list, and the movie adaptation of the first book, The Lightning Thief, was released February 12. This essay examines the relationship between Percy Jackson and his fellow demigod, Annabeth Chase, in the book series.
The Seaweed Brain
My name is Percy Jackson.
I’m twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
Am I troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that.
Our narrator and hero, Percy Jackson. The son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon, Percy Jackson grew up in New York City with no knowledge of his father until he was twelve years old and monsters straight out of the Greek myths were suddenly trying to kill him. Soon after he arrives at Camp Half-Blood, Percy learns that not only is he the son of Poseidon, but that his birth broke a pact that his father, Zeus, and Hades had made years ago to never have children again because of a prophecy that one of their children would decide the fate of Olympus when they turned sixteen. As a result, a lot of immortal beings want to kill Percy, and his appearance in the series starts a war between the Titans and Olympians that will rage for the next few years.
But he doesn’t let that get him down. Percy accepts his destiny as a child of prophecy as he does almost all challenges in his life – with a healthy amount of sarcasm, slight exasperation, and a determination to prove himself. He begins the series a little naïve and clueless, the latter of which he never completely grows out of, especially in regards to girls.
Percy is unfailingly loyal to everyone who earns his trust – so much so that it’s his fatal flaw. He’s willing to do anything and everything to protect those people and everyone he doesn’t know, although it might take a bit of convincing along the way. He has a rebellious streak that he gets from his father, and distrusts most authority figures… probably because they’re always out to get him. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and even though he’s the child of prophecy, he knows when to take a step back and let others be the hero.
The Wise Girl
She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blonde hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.
Call her Percy’s sidekick, and she’ll kick your butt across the training fields at Camp Half-Blood, but there’s no denying that Annabeth Chase is Percy’s partner-in-crime and best friend above everyone else. The daughter of Athena and Frederick Chase, Annabeth’s the girl you want on your team, whether it’s a friendly game of Capture the Flag or fight to the death - she’s seriously smart and an excellent battle strategist to boot. Although she doesn’t have any supernatural abilities like Percy, she more than makes up for it with her hand-to-hand combat skills and her bravery.
Because she possesses all these skills, Annabeth has built up a large amount of pride - so much of it, in fact, that it becomes her fatal flaw. She believes she can do anything, and she’s hesitant to admit when she’s wrong, especially when it comes to people she cares about. Due to trouble with her home life and the general uncertainty of life as a half-blood, Annabeth guards her heart more preciously than anything else.
She’s often afraid to show her true feelings for people, hiding them behind insults and stand-offish behavior, lest they reject her and leave her scrambling to put the pieces of her life back together. Her goal in life is to become an architect, so she can build something permanent, something that won’t change on her and stay with her always.
The Evidence
Boy meets girl. Girl remains highly unimpressed by boy and insults him. Boy is confused, but interested. Girl humors boy’s antics. Girl and boy eventually become best friends for life.
Out of all the characters in the books, Percy and Annabeth have the most “screen time” together. In fact, it’s pretty rare to find one without the other, and since the books are told from Percy’s point-of-view, Annabeth’s presence is particularly strong even when she isn’t physically present in a scene (or most a book, but we‘ll get to that later). It’s pretty hard to miss any of the groundwork Riordan laid for their relationship, and I don’t think a single reader was surprised by how things developed between the two of them in the end.
Because of this, there are a lot of moments to work with - moments of friendship, humor, frustration, heartbreak - and if I talked about them all, we’d be here all day. I’ll touch on the development of their relationship throughout the books, and hopefully I’ll cover everything that makes Percy and Annabeth… well, Percy and Annabeth.
The Lightning Thief: The Beginning
She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you’re so awesome! or something like that.
Instead she said, “You drool when you sleep.”
Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.
Sea of Monsters: Tension and Growth
Before I could figure out how to apologize for being such an idiot, she tackled me with a hug, then pulled away just as quickly. “I’m glad you’re not a guinea pig.”
“Me, too.” I hoped my face wasn’t as red as it felt.
Annabeth and Percy’s relationship continues to grow with the second installment in the series, Sea of Monsters. The book opens with Percy at his latest middle school, just before he’s about to head off to Camp Half-Blood for the summer. Percy’s caught looking at a picture of Annabeth by a bully during class, and immediately denies that she’s his girlfriend, beginning what will be a long trend of romantic denial on both sides.
The events which occur in Sea of Monsters test of Percy and Annabeth’s friendship on several levels. Tensions are raised right from the start as Tyson, a friend from Percy’s school, is revealed to be his Cyclops half-brother and Annabeth can’t get past her previous dislike of Cyclops to get along with Tyson. This causes several fights between the two, bad enough that they won’t talk to each other for a time. The betrayal of Annabeth’s good friend Luke, who’s trying to raise the Titan lord Kronos from Tartarus, also puts a strain on their relationship as Luke tried to kill Percy the summer previous and Annabeth still believes him to be a good person.
So the two aren’t on their best terms when they head out on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to help save Grover and find the Golden Fleece. Like in The Lightning Thief, however, the challenges they have to face make them put aside their differences to work together. Their relationship only grows stronger after Percy saves Annabeth from the temptation of the sirens, and she, in turn, saves him from Circe’s spells.
Somewhere in the middle of all of their adventuring, it’s clear that the first signs of attraction are beginning to appear as well. Percy’s narration remarks that Annabeth looks “really good” during their brief stint on Circe’s island – so good, that he’d probably be tongue tied if he hadn’t been in guinea pig at the time. Annabeth kisses Percy on the cheek. Romance is definitely in the air between them, and it all hangs in the balance of the next chapter of the series.
The Titan’s Curse : Figuring Out Your Heart
"Dance you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
I looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls who were roaming the gym.
"Well?" Annabeth asked.
"Um, who should I ask?"
She punched me in the gut. "Me, Seaweed Brain."
"Oh. Oh right."
The Titan’s Curse is essential to understanding the Percy and Annabeth relationship dynamic because in this book, Annabeth isn’t around much at all and her absence effects Percy’s every decision in this book.
Annabeth is captured by Luke’s henchmen and presumed dead by everyone except Percy, who’s been receiving prophetic dreams about her as she’s used for bait to attract Artemis to the hideout of the Titans. Percy blames himself for Annabeth’s capture, and tries to get a prophecy from the Oracle so he can go on a quest to save her. But the Oracle gives the prophecy to Zoe Nightshade, a Hunter of Artemis, instead and she doesn’t pick Percy to go on the quest with her.
This frustrates Percy beyond measure. Annabeth is his friend, the most important person to him outside of his family, and he knows he needs to be on the quest to save Annabeth because no one else will be looking for her. So he breaks camp rules by sneaking out and setting out to find her. Kind of romantic of him, huh? Aphrodite certainly agrees.
Aphrodite waved her hand irritably. “No, no. I leave the details to you. But it’s been ages since we’ve had a good, tragic love story.”
“Whoa, first of all, I never said anything about love. And second, what’s up with tragic?”
“Love conquers all,” Aphrodite promised. “Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?”
“Didn’t they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?”
“Pfft. That’s not the point. Follow your heart.”
“But…I don’t know where it’s going. My heart, I mean.”
While on the quest, she appears to talk to Percy about his love life, specifically her plans regarding him and Annabeth. Percy's still not sure where his feelings for Annabeth, and Aphrodite tries to prod him toward admitting that he likes her as more than a friend. Because Aphrodite likes him, she’s going to make Percy’s romantic life pretty complicated … as if trying to save your best friend from certain death wasn’t complicated enough. This scene is pretty much a guarantee that Percy/Annabeth is going to happen at some point in the series because if you’ve got the goddess of love rooting for your ship, how can you lose?
Our heroes rescue Annabeth and Artemis, and Percy and Annabeth get matching gray streaks of hair after they both spend time holding up the sky. After almost losing her, to both Luke and the immortal Hunters of Artemis, Percy comes to terms with his feelings and seems ready to confess to Annabeth that his feelings for her have developed into something deeper than friendship. But gets the wind blown out of his sails when Athena informs him she doesn’t like his friendship with her daughter. He agrees to dance with Annabeth, however, and their song is “a little sad, but hopeful,” leading readers to believe something will be happening between them soon.
Battle of the Labyrinth: Complicated, huh?
Then she did something that really surprised me. She blinked back tears and put out her arms.
I stepped forward and hugged her. Butterflies started turning my stomach into a mosh pit.
“Hey, it’s…it’s okay.” I patted her back.
I was aware of everything in the room. I felt like I could read the tiniest print on any book on the shelves. Annabeth’s hair smelled like lemon soap. She was shivering.
The fourth installment is where things get complicated for Percy and Annnabeth. While The Titan’s Curse established that Percy’s feelings for Annabeth have been steadily growing beyond those of friendship, he’s reluctant to admit that to anyone. There are several moments where he and Annabeth are thought to be doing something romantically inclined which Percy, and frequently Annabeth herself, deny every chance they get. Like many young teenagers, they’re embarrassed by their feelings and still very much in that, “I don’t like her/him like that!” phase
First, are their plans for a movie date at the beginning of the book. When Percy’s mother points out that the two of them are going to the movies by themselves and that it’s an awful lot like a date, Percy gets flustered and denies it, saying it’s “just Annabeth” and that she’s his friend. The second is the scene quoted above where Percy hugs Annabeth to comfort her about her decision as quest leader, and one of Annabeth’s half-siblings walks in on them. Percy lets go of her instantly, embarrassed, and says, “We were just looking at maps.” Smooth, Percy, very smooth.
Battle of the Labyrinth also contains Percy and Annabeth’s first real romantic moment. While sneaking around in Hephaestus’s forges in Mt. St. Helens, Percy draws the attention of some vicious monsters and realizes that someone needs to stay behind to distract them. He sends Annabeth back to Hephaestus, but not before she kisses him.
Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. And then she did something that surprised me even more. She kissed me.
“Be careful, Seaweed Brain.” She put on her hat and vanished.
I probably would’ve sat there for the rest of the day, staring at the lava and trying to remember what my name was…
There. They’ve kissed, Annabeth’s feelings are out in the open, and the Percy/Annabeth ship is ready to sail for the rest of the books. Right? Wrong.
While Labyrinth throws Percy/Annabeth shippers the best bone in the series so far, it is also introduces several frustrating factors, namely the mortal girl, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Percy first meets Rachel in the third book after she helps him escape from some skeleton soldiers at the Hoover Dam, and then discovers that Rachel is in his class at his new high school. Rachel is a rare mortal who can see through the Mist and often sees what both demigods and mortals cannot; Percy and Annabeth need Rachel later in their quest, a fact which Annabeth doesn’t like at all. Upon first meeting her, Annabeth becomes extremely jealous of Rachel, noting to Percy that she’s “cute” and she becomes annoyed whenever the other girl is mentioned. She doesn’t like that another girl is getting Percy’s attention, especially so soon after she kissed him.
It probably doesn’t help any that Rachel isn’t the only girl whose found a piece of Percy’s heart recently either. After Annabeth kisses him, Percy manages to find his way to the island of Calypso, a Titan who’s been cursed by the gods to fall in love with every hero that lands on her shores. She falls in love with Percy and offers him a chance to stay with her forever; although it pains Percy to do so, because he too has fallen for her, he must leave to fulfill his prophecy. Although he never tells Annabeth about his time on Calypso’s island, it’s implied that she figured out what happened – Annabeth’s a smart girl, after all.
However, Percy’s not the only one confused about his feelings. Annabeth’s feelings for Luke again become a conflict between them, as Annabeth still believes there’s good inside of him, and it only gets worse after Luke becomes the new host for Kronos. After all these events occur, the two spend the rest of the summer skirting around each other, and while Percy likes spending time with her, “it also kind of hurt, and it hurt when I wasn’t with her, too.”
The book ends ambiguously for Percy and Annabeth. Percy attempts to bridge the gap between them at the end of the summer, but never gets the chance and Annabeth leaves without looking back once.
The Last Olympian: Take My Hand
She looked at me, like she was drinking in the fact that I was still here. And I realized I was doing the same thing. The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me that she was alive.
If Battle of the Labyrinth was about bringing Percy and Annabeth’s romantic feelings to the forefront, The Last Olympian was all about achieving their resolution, one way or another. For Percy/Annabeth shippers, The Last Olympian is the Holy Grail of Percy/Annabeth moments; everything that’s truly important in terms of their relationship happens in this book.
The Last Olympian begins with a kiss – not a kiss between Percy and Annabeth, but rather Percy and Rachel. In spite of this, however, it’s immediately evident that Percy’s feelings for Annabeth haven’t changed and have only grown stronger throughout the last year. Whereas Percy was reluctant to admit that he and Annabeth were going on a not-date at the beginning of Battle of Labyrinth, here we have Percy’s narration commenting on Annabeth’s looks, worrying about spending time alone with her in a cabin, and wondering if they’re ever going to move beyond the “strangle-each-other” phase of their friendship. Percy’s clearly been thinking about changing the state of their relationship, but has so far held back – possibly because of the complications of the war or because of any feelings he might have toward Rachel. Annabeth calls him a coward because of his indecision, and their spat propels Percy to do what’s necessary to defeat Kronos: taking a dip in the River Styx to make himself invulnerable.
When Percy arrives at the River Styx, the ghost of Achilles tells him that to become invulnerable, he must think of what keeps his soul tied to his mortal life. If he fails, his body will burn to ashes and he’ll cease to exist. Pleasant stuff, huh? When Percy submerges himself in the river, he quickly becomes overwhelmed by the pain and begins to fade away because can’t focus on anything. But then…
“Hold on, Seaweed Brain.” It was Annabeth’s voice, much clearer now. “You’re not getting away from me that easily.”
The cord strengthened.
I could see Annabeth now – standing barefoot above me on the canoe lake pier. I’d fallen out of my canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul me up, and she was trying not to laugh.
“You are such an idiot sometimes.” She smiled. “Come on. Take my hand.”
Memories came flooding back to me – sharper and more colorful. I stopped dissolving. My name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth’s hand.
Annabeth is Percy’s vulnerable spot; the one person above everyone else that makes him human and whole, that connects him to this mortal thread. Without Annabeth, Percy would cease to be a person. This scene speaks volumes to the strength of Percy and Annabeth’s relationship, and how much they matter to each other. Forget heroic kisses or epic feats of love; this is what Percy and Annabeth really come down to.
Of course, this isn’t the only scene involving Percy’s vulnerable spot. During one of the battle scenes, Annabeth is seriously injured when she takes a knife that would’ve hit Percy’s vulnerable spot instead. At the time, Percy hadn’t told her where his vulnerable spot was, but Annabeth claims she just knew that Percy was in danger and she had to do something to stop it. Clearly, the connection from the River Styx goes two ways, and it’s safe to say that Percy is Annabeth’s vulnerable spot too.
There are smaller moments with them throughout the book – Percy asks for a kiss before their first battle and Annabeth tells him to come back in one piece first; Annabeth remarks that Percy looks cute when he’s worried; they both try to protect each other from Kronos’s forces. Annabeth again gets jealous when Rachel appears, but it doesn’t last for long as Rachel reveals that she was drawn to Percy for another reason, to become the new Oracle of Delphi, and she “breaks up” with him. Annabeth’s feelings for Luke are also clarified; when he asks if she loved him, she looks at Percy first and then tells Luke that she only loved him as a brother.
When things are all said and done with the fight against Kronos, the Olympians reward the demigods for saving the world. Annabeth becomes the official architect of Olympus, and Percy is the first hero in hundreds of years to be offered immortality. But he turns this generous offer down. Why?
Well, he tells the Olympians because he doesn’t want to “peak in his sophomore year,” but it’s clear his main reason is Annabeth. He says as much when Athena confronts him about it before he leaves Olympus, and later, when he and Annabeth are talking about his decision at Camp Half-Blood.
“Oh, you so wanted to.”
“Well, maybe a little. But I didn’t, because I though – I didn’t want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking…” My throat felt really dry.
“Anyone in particular?” Annabeth asked, her voice soft.
I looked over and saw that she was trying not to smile.
“You’re laughing at me,” I complained.
“I am not!”
“You are so not making this easy.”
Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands around my neck. “I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it.”
And, after everything they’ve been through, the two of them finally kiss. Which apparently the rest of the camp has been waiting for just for as long as the readers, as they arrive to spoil the moment and dump Percy and Annabeth in the lake. But the joke’s on them as Percy explains:
I made an air bubble at the bottom of the lake. Our friends kept waiting for us to come up, but hey – when you’re the son of Poseidon, you don’t have to hurry.
And it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.
Neither Percy or Annabeth ever fully confess their feelings for each other anywhere in the series, but sometimes actions speak louder than words and in the case of Percy and Annabeth, their actions are the loudest of all.
Why Ship Them
I discovered the Percy Jackson series a little over a year ago when I was looking for something to read during winter break. The series immediately piqued my interest – because what’s not to like about Greek mythology intersecting with modern day society? – and I haven’t been able to let go since, as my friends list can probably attest. Percy and Annabeth’s relationship is one of my favorite parts of the series, and it’s quite quickly become one of my favorite Young Adult literature romances of all time. So what is it about this pair that’s so appealing?
It’d be easy to say it’s because they’re the canon couple, the classic hero-gets-the-girl couple, or any other clichéd kind of couple you want to throw out there. That’s really just scratching the surface when it comes to these two, though.
First of all, I love that both Percy and Annabeth are strong, interesting characters on their own, with or without their romance. I’d loved them both on their own before I loved the idea of the two of them together. They have fantastic backstories, excellent character growth and development throughout the series, and they feel like real people. I think this is especially significant in terms of Annabeth’s character, as she could’ve easily been overshadowed by Percy’s heroics and become nothing more than a shallow, two-dimensional love interest. Thankfully Riordan created her to be just as – if not more – interesting and compelling as Percy.
I also love their friendship, and how it’s one of the most important aspects of the series. Percy and Annabeth complement each other; Annabeth is Percy’s rational side and Percy brings out her impulsiveness. They know everything there is to know about each other, and they’ve faced countless dangers together. They cared about each and trusted each other long before they became interested in each other romantically. Their friendship only enhances their romantic relationship, and if Percy and Annabeth were to break up, it’s highly likely they’d still be good friends with each other.
Their friendship also lends itself to that certain inevitably of their relationship; readers are able to watch their relationship grow from barely tolerating each other to best friends to a frustrated seesaw of emotions, so by the time The Last Olympian comes around, they’re practically cheering for them to get together.
Perhaps the thing I love most about Percy and Annabeth is that they’re equals. They save each other from certain death constantly, and Percy never has to utter the dreaded, “I’m just doing this to protect you!” line as so many heroes before him have. He might have supernatural powers, but Annabeth is tough and clever, and she can take care of herself without his help. And if they do need help, they're not afraid to ask. They're partners in every imaginable sense of the world, and simply put, they’re a well-matched couple.
Plus, they’re just plain cute. They've got matching gray streaks and obnoxious nicknames for each other and they're so painfully oblivious to their feelings and I could probably flail about their cute all day if you really wanted me to. How can you say no to a couple like that?
Fandom Guide
Percy Jackson fandom is still reasonably small, but thanks to the movie, we're in the middle of a growth spurt. All of the comms are fairly active, usually averaging two to three posts a week, and there are nearly 5,000 fics on the Percy Jackson section of FFnet.
LJ communities
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
cabinthree and halfbloodhill are available for your general Percy Jackson needs. The formers swings heavily towards news, while the latter as more of a fandom focus.
I'm the mod at the oldest P/A comm,percy_annabeth, but there's also ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
percyannabeth, which is a closed comm. They both have the same amount of members and posting rate though.
Art
If you want good Percy/Annabeth fan art, look no further than burdge bug.
Some other great pieces:
Fics
Even though the fandom is overwhelmingly dominated by Percy/Annabeth fic, finding one that is both well characterized and well-written can be extremely difficult. But when a good author sinks their teeth into the Percy/Annabeth dynamic, it produces some fantastic results.
Omnia Vincit Amor by dnrl: a fantastic character piece for Annabeth that covers her views on love from when she was young to the end of the series. dnrl always manages to completely nail whatever character she writes for this series, and her other fics are just as good.
Here's How It Goes by Mooncatcher: Percy and Annabeth's story told in 50 powerful sentences.
In His Arms by Lord Death's Paramour: Written pre-release of The Last Olympian, this fic is a cute, morning-after fic where Percy and Annabeth come to terms with their relationship and how it's changed.
With Or Without You by believeinthegods: a collection of Percy/Annabeth one shots covering various moments between the two.
Rewind by icy roses: Percy and Annabeth's love story, told from end to beginning. If you want a post-series fic to make you bawl, this is the one to click. Hell, most of her post-series stuff will make you tear up a bit. Especially this next fic.
Three by icy roses: Percy and Annabeth try for the Isles of the Blest, and are reincarnated two more times, hoping to find each other once more in their new lives. "Three" is one of those fics you wish you would've thought to write yourself. This is my favorite of her as it's so intricately told, emotional, and just plain beautiful. Plus, it's long.
It's a No Regret Life byantistar_e: Technically it's a Nico/Percy/Annabeth OT3 fic, but antistar_e handles the Percy Jackson universe the best out of anyone in the fandom and the way she seamlessly slides Nico into the Percy/Annabeth dynamic is a thing of beauty.
Of Sound Mind byartemisrae: Annabeth's thoughts during Percy's missing two weeks during Battle of the Labyrinth. Another good character study for Annabeth.
Making the Man byartemisrae: some post-series Percy/Annabeth smutfic that's simultaneously really cute and really, really hot.
And that's that! I hope you've enjoyed reading through this essay, and if I missed something in terms of fic or art, feel free to recommend them in comments!
Note: I decided not to cover Percy/Annabeth in the movie!verse as they're completely different characters from the book and their relationship in the movie could probably be a whole new essay in and off itself.
Author:
greenconversesPairing/Characters: Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Spoilers: Massive spoilers for all five books.
Word count: ~4,800
Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan and I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Notes: Sorry to be sliding this in so close to the deadline, mods! This essay covers Percy and Annabeth's relationship quite extensively, so if you haven't read far in the series and don't want to be spoiled for ending, I'd stay away from this. Thanks to my f-list for the help in gathering some of the fics! Enjoy!
The Mythology
Inspired by the bedtime stories he told his son Haley, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan is a five book children’s series where the Greek gods are alive and well in modern day America, and doing what they do best: having affairs with mortals and producing demigod children. The series chronicles the adventures of the titular character, Percy, as he discovers his heritage as a demigod and adjusts to a world where your Pre-Algebra teacher might be a Fury in the disguise, good old summer camp where you get trained to slay monsters and learn how not to die horribly, and all you need to do to get to Mount Olympus is take an elevator ride to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building.
All five of the books have spent considerable time on the New York Times Best Seller list, and the movie adaptation of the first book, The Lightning Thief, was released February 12. This essay examines the relationship between Percy Jackson and his fellow demigod, Annabeth Chase, in the book series.
The Seaweed Brain
My name is Percy Jackson.
I’m twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
Am I troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that.
The Lightning Thief, pg. 1
Our narrator and hero, Percy Jackson. The son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon, Percy Jackson grew up in New York City with no knowledge of his father until he was twelve years old and monsters straight out of the Greek myths were suddenly trying to kill him. Soon after he arrives at Camp Half-Blood, Percy learns that not only is he the son of Poseidon, but that his birth broke a pact that his father, Zeus, and Hades had made years ago to never have children again because of a prophecy that one of their children would decide the fate of Olympus when they turned sixteen. As a result, a lot of immortal beings want to kill Percy, and his appearance in the series starts a war between the Titans and Olympians that will rage for the next few years.
But he doesn’t let that get him down. Percy accepts his destiny as a child of prophecy as he does almost all challenges in his life – with a healthy amount of sarcasm, slight exasperation, and a determination to prove himself. He begins the series a little naïve and clueless, the latter of which he never completely grows out of, especially in regards to girls.
Percy is unfailingly loyal to everyone who earns his trust – so much so that it’s his fatal flaw. He’s willing to do anything and everything to protect those people and everyone he doesn’t know, although it might take a bit of convincing along the way. He has a rebellious streak that he gets from his father, and distrusts most authority figures… probably because they’re always out to get him. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and even though he’s the child of prophecy, he knows when to take a step back and let others be the hero.
The Wise Girl
She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blonde hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.
The Lightning Thief, pg. 63
Call her Percy’s sidekick, and she’ll kick your butt across the training fields at Camp Half-Blood, but there’s no denying that Annabeth Chase is Percy’s partner-in-crime and best friend above everyone else. The daughter of Athena and Frederick Chase, Annabeth’s the girl you want on your team, whether it’s a friendly game of Capture the Flag or fight to the death - she’s seriously smart and an excellent battle strategist to boot. Although she doesn’t have any supernatural abilities like Percy, she more than makes up for it with her hand-to-hand combat skills and her bravery.
Because she possesses all these skills, Annabeth has built up a large amount of pride - so much of it, in fact, that it becomes her fatal flaw. She believes she can do anything, and she’s hesitant to admit when she’s wrong, especially when it comes to people she cares about. Due to trouble with her home life and the general uncertainty of life as a half-blood, Annabeth guards her heart more preciously than anything else.
She’s often afraid to show her true feelings for people, hiding them behind insults and stand-offish behavior, lest they reject her and leave her scrambling to put the pieces of her life back together. Her goal in life is to become an architect, so she can build something permanent, something that won’t change on her and stay with her always.
The Evidence
Boy meets girl. Girl remains highly unimpressed by boy and insults him. Boy is confused, but interested. Girl humors boy’s antics. Girl and boy eventually become best friends for life.
Out of all the characters in the books, Percy and Annabeth have the most “screen time” together. In fact, it’s pretty rare to find one without the other, and since the books are told from Percy’s point-of-view, Annabeth’s presence is particularly strong even when she isn’t physically present in a scene (or most a book, but we‘ll get to that later). It’s pretty hard to miss any of the groundwork Riordan laid for their relationship, and I don’t think a single reader was surprised by how things developed between the two of them in the end.
Because of this, there are a lot of moments to work with - moments of friendship, humor, frustration, heartbreak - and if I talked about them all, we’d be here all day. I’ll touch on the development of their relationship throughout the books, and hopefully I’ll cover everything that makes Percy and Annabeth… well, Percy and Annabeth.
She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you’re so awesome! or something like that.
Instead she said, “You drool when you sleep.”
Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.
The Lightning Thief, pg. 64
When Percy and Annabeth first meet at Camp Half-Blood, they’re not sure what to think of each other. Percy is an unclaimed demigod who managed to defeat the Minotaur on his way to camp; Annabeth is a five-year camp veteran, a daughter of Athena who’s been waiting for “the chosen one” and thinks Percy might just be her ticket out of camp. They’re friendly toward each other, although Annabeth’s not above using Percy as bait during Capture the Flag so her old friend Luke can get the flag instead. Everything changes when it’s revealed that Percy’s the son of Poseidon, however.
Athena and Poseidon don’t get along, and so, naturally, neither must their children. Annabeth makes it clear that she doesn’t hate Percy, she just knows they’re not supposed to get along, and the two of them snipe back and forth throughout the book, creating their nicknames “Seaweed Brain” and “Wise Girl” until Percy asks for a truce.
As their quest progresses and they come to learn more about each other, they steadily form a friendship. They discuss Annabeth’s issues with her mortal family, a subject she isn’t comfortable talking about to anyone, and Percy’s fears about the coming war between the gods and his mother’s fate. This conversation midway through the book highlights the big change in their relationship:
“So if the gods fight,” I said, “will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?”
She put her head against the backpack Ares had given her and closed her eyes. “I don’t know what my mom will do. I just know I’ll fight next to you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?”
Earlier, Annabeth had been unwilling to let go of her preconceived notions of Percy and simply followed the standard the myths had set before her. Now that she’s come to know Percy, she finds that she actually likes him and she’ll remain friends with him, even if it upsets her mother.
At the end of the book, Annabeth and Percy are still shown to be on good terms with each other. Their nicknames have turned into terms of endearment, and Annabeth has taken Percy’s advice to reconcile with her mortal family – something she would’ve never done without his influence. The two have made an impact on each other, and this is only the beginning.
Before I could figure out how to apologize for being such an idiot, she tackled me with a hug, then pulled away just as quickly. “I’m glad you’re not a guinea pig.”
“Me, too.” I hoped my face wasn’t as red as it felt.
Sea of Monsters, pg. 183
Annabeth and Percy’s relationship continues to grow with the second installment in the series, Sea of Monsters. The book opens with Percy at his latest middle school, just before he’s about to head off to Camp Half-Blood for the summer. Percy’s caught looking at a picture of Annabeth by a bully during class, and immediately denies that she’s his girlfriend, beginning what will be a long trend of romantic denial on both sides.
The events which occur in Sea of Monsters test of Percy and Annabeth’s friendship on several levels. Tensions are raised right from the start as Tyson, a friend from Percy’s school, is revealed to be his Cyclops half-brother and Annabeth can’t get past her previous dislike of Cyclops to get along with Tyson. This causes several fights between the two, bad enough that they won’t talk to each other for a time. The betrayal of Annabeth’s good friend Luke, who’s trying to raise the Titan lord Kronos from Tartarus, also puts a strain on their relationship as Luke tried to kill Percy the summer previous and Annabeth still believes him to be a good person.
So the two aren’t on their best terms when they head out on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to help save Grover and find the Golden Fleece. Like in The Lightning Thief, however, the challenges they have to face make them put aside their differences to work together. Their relationship only grows stronger after Percy saves Annabeth from the temptation of the sirens, and she, in turn, saves him from Circe’s spells.
Somewhere in the middle of all of their adventuring, it’s clear that the first signs of attraction are beginning to appear as well. Percy’s narration remarks that Annabeth looks “really good” during their brief stint on Circe’s island – so good, that he’d probably be tongue tied if he hadn’t been in guinea pig at the time. Annabeth kisses Percy on the cheek. Romance is definitely in the air between them, and it all hangs in the balance of the next chapter of the series.
"Dance you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
I looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls who were roaming the gym.
"Well?" Annabeth asked.
"Um, who should I ask?"
She punched me in the gut. "Me, Seaweed Brain."
"Oh. Oh right."
The Titan’s Curse, pg. 12
The Titan’s Curse is essential to understanding the Percy and Annabeth relationship dynamic because in this book, Annabeth isn’t around much at all and her absence effects Percy’s every decision in this book.
Annabeth is captured by Luke’s henchmen and presumed dead by everyone except Percy, who’s been receiving prophetic dreams about her as she’s used for bait to attract Artemis to the hideout of the Titans. Percy blames himself for Annabeth’s capture, and tries to get a prophecy from the Oracle so he can go on a quest to save her. But the Oracle gives the prophecy to Zoe Nightshade, a Hunter of Artemis, instead and she doesn’t pick Percy to go on the quest with her.
This frustrates Percy beyond measure. Annabeth is his friend, the most important person to him outside of his family, and he knows he needs to be on the quest to save Annabeth because no one else will be looking for her. So he breaks camp rules by sneaking out and setting out to find her. Kind of romantic of him, huh? Aphrodite certainly agrees.
Aphrodite waved her hand irritably. “No, no. I leave the details to you. But it’s been ages since we’ve had a good, tragic love story.”
“Whoa, first of all, I never said anything about love. And second, what’s up with tragic?”
“Love conquers all,” Aphrodite promised. “Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?”
“Didn’t they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?”
“Pfft. That’s not the point. Follow your heart.”
“But…I don’t know where it’s going. My heart, I mean.”
While on the quest, she appears to talk to Percy about his love life, specifically her plans regarding him and Annabeth. Percy's still not sure where his feelings for Annabeth, and Aphrodite tries to prod him toward admitting that he likes her as more than a friend. Because Aphrodite likes him, she’s going to make Percy’s romantic life pretty complicated … as if trying to save your best friend from certain death wasn’t complicated enough. This scene is pretty much a guarantee that Percy/Annabeth is going to happen at some point in the series because if you’ve got the goddess of love rooting for your ship, how can you lose?
Our heroes rescue Annabeth and Artemis, and Percy and Annabeth get matching gray streaks of hair after they both spend time holding up the sky. After almost losing her, to both Luke and the immortal Hunters of Artemis, Percy comes to terms with his feelings and seems ready to confess to Annabeth that his feelings for her have developed into something deeper than friendship. But gets the wind blown out of his sails when Athena informs him she doesn’t like his friendship with her daughter. He agrees to dance with Annabeth, however, and their song is “a little sad, but hopeful,” leading readers to believe something will be happening between them soon.
Then she did something that really surprised me. She blinked back tears and put out her arms.
I stepped forward and hugged her. Butterflies started turning my stomach into a mosh pit.
“Hey, it’s…it’s okay.” I patted her back.
I was aware of everything in the room. I felt like I could read the tiniest print on any book on the shelves. Annabeth’s hair smelled like lemon soap. She was shivering.
Battle of the Labyrinth, pg. 79
The fourth installment is where things get complicated for Percy and Annnabeth. While The Titan’s Curse established that Percy’s feelings for Annabeth have been steadily growing beyond those of friendship, he’s reluctant to admit that to anyone. There are several moments where he and Annabeth are thought to be doing something romantically inclined which Percy, and frequently Annabeth herself, deny every chance they get. Like many young teenagers, they’re embarrassed by their feelings and still very much in that, “I don’t like her/him like that!” phase
First, are their plans for a movie date at the beginning of the book. When Percy’s mother points out that the two of them are going to the movies by themselves and that it’s an awful lot like a date, Percy gets flustered and denies it, saying it’s “just Annabeth” and that she’s his friend. The second is the scene quoted above where Percy hugs Annabeth to comfort her about her decision as quest leader, and one of Annabeth’s half-siblings walks in on them. Percy lets go of her instantly, embarrassed, and says, “We were just looking at maps.” Smooth, Percy, very smooth.
Battle of the Labyrinth also contains Percy and Annabeth’s first real romantic moment. While sneaking around in Hephaestus’s forges in Mt. St. Helens, Percy draws the attention of some vicious monsters and realizes that someone needs to stay behind to distract them. He sends Annabeth back to Hephaestus, but not before she kisses him.
Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. And then she did something that surprised me even more. She kissed me.
“Be careful, Seaweed Brain.” She put on her hat and vanished.
I probably would’ve sat there for the rest of the day, staring at the lava and trying to remember what my name was…
There. They’ve kissed, Annabeth’s feelings are out in the open, and the Percy/Annabeth ship is ready to sail for the rest of the books. Right? Wrong.
While Labyrinth throws Percy/Annabeth shippers the best bone in the series so far, it is also introduces several frustrating factors, namely the mortal girl, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Percy first meets Rachel in the third book after she helps him escape from some skeleton soldiers at the Hoover Dam, and then discovers that Rachel is in his class at his new high school. Rachel is a rare mortal who can see through the Mist and often sees what both demigods and mortals cannot; Percy and Annabeth need Rachel later in their quest, a fact which Annabeth doesn’t like at all. Upon first meeting her, Annabeth becomes extremely jealous of Rachel, noting to Percy that she’s “cute” and she becomes annoyed whenever the other girl is mentioned. She doesn’t like that another girl is getting Percy’s attention, especially so soon after she kissed him.
It probably doesn’t help any that Rachel isn’t the only girl whose found a piece of Percy’s heart recently either. After Annabeth kisses him, Percy manages to find his way to the island of Calypso, a Titan who’s been cursed by the gods to fall in love with every hero that lands on her shores. She falls in love with Percy and offers him a chance to stay with her forever; although it pains Percy to do so, because he too has fallen for her, he must leave to fulfill his prophecy. Although he never tells Annabeth about his time on Calypso’s island, it’s implied that she figured out what happened – Annabeth’s a smart girl, after all.
However, Percy’s not the only one confused about his feelings. Annabeth’s feelings for Luke again become a conflict between them, as Annabeth still believes there’s good inside of him, and it only gets worse after Luke becomes the new host for Kronos. After all these events occur, the two spend the rest of the summer skirting around each other, and while Percy likes spending time with her, “it also kind of hurt, and it hurt when I wasn’t with her, too.”
The book ends ambiguously for Percy and Annabeth. Percy attempts to bridge the gap between them at the end of the summer, but never gets the chance and Annabeth leaves without looking back once.
She looked at me, like she was drinking in the fact that I was still here. And I realized I was doing the same thing. The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me that she was alive.
The Last Olympian, pg. 338
If Battle of the Labyrinth was about bringing Percy and Annabeth’s romantic feelings to the forefront, The Last Olympian was all about achieving their resolution, one way or another. For Percy/Annabeth shippers, The Last Olympian is the Holy Grail of Percy/Annabeth moments; everything that’s truly important in terms of their relationship happens in this book.
The Last Olympian begins with a kiss – not a kiss between Percy and Annabeth, but rather Percy and Rachel. In spite of this, however, it’s immediately evident that Percy’s feelings for Annabeth haven’t changed and have only grown stronger throughout the last year. Whereas Percy was reluctant to admit that he and Annabeth were going on a not-date at the beginning of Battle of Labyrinth, here we have Percy’s narration commenting on Annabeth’s looks, worrying about spending time alone with her in a cabin, and wondering if they’re ever going to move beyond the “strangle-each-other” phase of their friendship. Percy’s clearly been thinking about changing the state of their relationship, but has so far held back – possibly because of the complications of the war or because of any feelings he might have toward Rachel. Annabeth calls him a coward because of his indecision, and their spat propels Percy to do what’s necessary to defeat Kronos: taking a dip in the River Styx to make himself invulnerable.
When Percy arrives at the River Styx, the ghost of Achilles tells him that to become invulnerable, he must think of what keeps his soul tied to his mortal life. If he fails, his body will burn to ashes and he’ll cease to exist. Pleasant stuff, huh? When Percy submerges himself in the river, he quickly becomes overwhelmed by the pain and begins to fade away because can’t focus on anything. But then…
“Hold on, Seaweed Brain.” It was Annabeth’s voice, much clearer now. “You’re not getting away from me that easily.”
The cord strengthened.
I could see Annabeth now – standing barefoot above me on the canoe lake pier. I’d fallen out of my canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul me up, and she was trying not to laugh.
“You are such an idiot sometimes.” She smiled. “Come on. Take my hand.”
Memories came flooding back to me – sharper and more colorful. I stopped dissolving. My name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth’s hand.
Annabeth is Percy’s vulnerable spot; the one person above everyone else that makes him human and whole, that connects him to this mortal thread. Without Annabeth, Percy would cease to be a person. This scene speaks volumes to the strength of Percy and Annabeth’s relationship, and how much they matter to each other. Forget heroic kisses or epic feats of love; this is what Percy and Annabeth really come down to.
Of course, this isn’t the only scene involving Percy’s vulnerable spot. During one of the battle scenes, Annabeth is seriously injured when she takes a knife that would’ve hit Percy’s vulnerable spot instead. At the time, Percy hadn’t told her where his vulnerable spot was, but Annabeth claims she just knew that Percy was in danger and she had to do something to stop it. Clearly, the connection from the River Styx goes two ways, and it’s safe to say that Percy is Annabeth’s vulnerable spot too.
There are smaller moments with them throughout the book – Percy asks for a kiss before their first battle and Annabeth tells him to come back in one piece first; Annabeth remarks that Percy looks cute when he’s worried; they both try to protect each other from Kronos’s forces. Annabeth again gets jealous when Rachel appears, but it doesn’t last for long as Rachel reveals that she was drawn to Percy for another reason, to become the new Oracle of Delphi, and she “breaks up” with him. Annabeth’s feelings for Luke are also clarified; when he asks if she loved him, she looks at Percy first and then tells Luke that she only loved him as a brother.
When things are all said and done with the fight against Kronos, the Olympians reward the demigods for saving the world. Annabeth becomes the official architect of Olympus, and Percy is the first hero in hundreds of years to be offered immortality. But he turns this generous offer down. Why?
Well, he tells the Olympians because he doesn’t want to “peak in his sophomore year,” but it’s clear his main reason is Annabeth. He says as much when Athena confronts him about it before he leaves Olympus, and later, when he and Annabeth are talking about his decision at Camp Half-Blood.
“Oh, you so wanted to.”
“Well, maybe a little. But I didn’t, because I though – I didn’t want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking…” My throat felt really dry.
“Anyone in particular?” Annabeth asked, her voice soft.
I looked over and saw that she was trying not to smile.
“You’re laughing at me,” I complained.
“I am not!”
“You are so not making this easy.”
Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands around my neck. “I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it.”
And, after everything they’ve been through, the two of them finally kiss. Which apparently the rest of the camp has been waiting for just for as long as the readers, as they arrive to spoil the moment and dump Percy and Annabeth in the lake. But the joke’s on them as Percy explains:
I made an air bubble at the bottom of the lake. Our friends kept waiting for us to come up, but hey – when you’re the son of Poseidon, you don’t have to hurry.
And it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.
Neither Percy or Annabeth ever fully confess their feelings for each other anywhere in the series, but sometimes actions speak louder than words and in the case of Percy and Annabeth, their actions are the loudest of all.
Why Ship Them
I discovered the Percy Jackson series a little over a year ago when I was looking for something to read during winter break. The series immediately piqued my interest – because what’s not to like about Greek mythology intersecting with modern day society? – and I haven’t been able to let go since, as my friends list can probably attest. Percy and Annabeth’s relationship is one of my favorite parts of the series, and it’s quite quickly become one of my favorite Young Adult literature romances of all time. So what is it about this pair that’s so appealing?
It’d be easy to say it’s because they’re the canon couple, the classic hero-gets-the-girl couple, or any other clichéd kind of couple you want to throw out there. That’s really just scratching the surface when it comes to these two, though.
First of all, I love that both Percy and Annabeth are strong, interesting characters on their own, with or without their romance. I’d loved them both on their own before I loved the idea of the two of them together. They have fantastic backstories, excellent character growth and development throughout the series, and they feel like real people. I think this is especially significant in terms of Annabeth’s character, as she could’ve easily been overshadowed by Percy’s heroics and become nothing more than a shallow, two-dimensional love interest. Thankfully Riordan created her to be just as – if not more – interesting and compelling as Percy.
I also love their friendship, and how it’s one of the most important aspects of the series. Percy and Annabeth complement each other; Annabeth is Percy’s rational side and Percy brings out her impulsiveness. They know everything there is to know about each other, and they’ve faced countless dangers together. They cared about each and trusted each other long before they became interested in each other romantically. Their friendship only enhances their romantic relationship, and if Percy and Annabeth were to break up, it’s highly likely they’d still be good friends with each other.
Their friendship also lends itself to that certain inevitably of their relationship; readers are able to watch their relationship grow from barely tolerating each other to best friends to a frustrated seesaw of emotions, so by the time The Last Olympian comes around, they’re practically cheering for them to get together.
Perhaps the thing I love most about Percy and Annabeth is that they’re equals. They save each other from certain death constantly, and Percy never has to utter the dreaded, “I’m just doing this to protect you!” line as so many heroes before him have. He might have supernatural powers, but Annabeth is tough and clever, and she can take care of herself without his help. And if they do need help, they're not afraid to ask. They're partners in every imaginable sense of the world, and simply put, they’re a well-matched couple.
Plus, they’re just plain cute. They've got matching gray streaks and obnoxious nicknames for each other and they're so painfully oblivious to their feelings and I could probably flail about their cute all day if you really wanted me to. How can you say no to a couple like that?
Fandom Guide
Percy Jackson fandom is still reasonably small, but thanks to the movie, we're in the middle of a growth spurt. All of the comms are fairly active, usually averaging two to three posts a week, and there are nearly 5,000 fics on the Percy Jackson section of FFnet.
LJ communities
cabinthree and halfbloodhill are available for your general Percy Jackson needs. The formers swings heavily towards news, while the latter as more of a fandom focus. I'm the mod at the oldest P/A comm,
percy_annabeth, but there's also percyannabeth, which is a closed comm. They both have the same amount of members and posting rate though. Art
If you want good Percy/Annabeth fan art, look no further than burdge bug.
Some other great pieces:
Fics
Even though the fandom is overwhelmingly dominated by Percy/Annabeth fic, finding one that is both well characterized and well-written can be extremely difficult. But when a good author sinks their teeth into the Percy/Annabeth dynamic, it produces some fantastic results.
Omnia Vincit Amor by dnrl: a fantastic character piece for Annabeth that covers her views on love from when she was young to the end of the series. dnrl always manages to completely nail whatever character she writes for this series, and her other fics are just as good.
Here's How It Goes by Mooncatcher: Percy and Annabeth's story told in 50 powerful sentences.
In His Arms by Lord Death's Paramour: Written pre-release of The Last Olympian, this fic is a cute, morning-after fic where Percy and Annabeth come to terms with their relationship and how it's changed.
With Or Without You by believeinthegods: a collection of Percy/Annabeth one shots covering various moments between the two.
Rewind by icy roses: Percy and Annabeth's love story, told from end to beginning. If you want a post-series fic to make you bawl, this is the one to click. Hell, most of her post-series stuff will make you tear up a bit. Especially this next fic.
Three by icy roses: Percy and Annabeth try for the Isles of the Blest, and are reincarnated two more times, hoping to find each other once more in their new lives. "Three" is one of those fics you wish you would've thought to write yourself. This is my favorite of her as it's so intricately told, emotional, and just plain beautiful. Plus, it's long.
It's a No Regret Life by
antistar_e: Technically it's a Nico/Percy/Annabeth OT3 fic, but antistar_e handles the Percy Jackson universe the best out of anyone in the fandom and the way she seamlessly slides Nico into the Percy/Annabeth dynamic is a thing of beauty. Of Sound Mind by
artemisrae: Annabeth's thoughts during Percy's missing two weeks during Battle of the Labyrinth. Another good character study for Annabeth. Making the Man by
artemisrae: some post-series Percy/Annabeth smutfic that's simultaneously really cute and really, really hot. And that's that! I hope you've enjoyed reading through this essay, and if I missed something in terms of fic or art, feel free to recommend them in comments!
Note: I decided not to cover Percy/Annabeth in the movie!verse as they're completely different characters from the book and their relationship in the movie could probably be a whole new essay in and off itself.
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Date: 2010-03-09 04:11 am (UTC)Boy meets girl. Girl remains highly unimpressed by boy and insults him. Boy is confused, but interested. Girl humors boy’s antics. Girl and boy eventually become best friends for life.
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Date: 2010-03-09 06:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 08:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 01:12 pm (UTC)LOVED IT! <3
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Date: 2010-03-09 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 08:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 08:21 pm (UTC)Sigh, how I adore these two beyond all sense. Thank the gods they're canon. I would've been pissed otherwise.
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Date: 2010-03-09 08:29 pm (UTC)Oops, thanks for that catch. Fixed now!
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Date: 2010-03-09 08:46 pm (UTC)It would be downright ridiculous to be a shipper and not read them. Blasphemy and all that jazz! :)
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Date: 2010-03-09 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 10:43 pm (UTC)Greenconverses fics are totally IC, amazing and original and over al fantastic!
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Date: 2010-03-09 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 03:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-09 09:37 pm (UTC)Well done.
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Date: 2010-03-10 03:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 01:06 am (UTC)i am now thoroughly spoiled-- i haven't read the books yet but damn it, who cares... the fic recs and pretty fanart more than make up for it. xD besides, UPS tells me my books are already in the country so i'll have them in my hands in like two days, anyway =P all this does is get me even more excited. ;)
you (or someone) should make one for movie!percy/annabeth. preferably one with lots of gorgeous pictures of logan & alex included. x3 honestly, there can never be enough of these two. and i SO need a percy/annabeth icon. *sigh*
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Date: 2010-03-10 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 01:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 03:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-06 11:37 pm (UTC)And then I saw your icon.
And I'm telling you, I started laughing like a maniac.
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Date: 2010-03-10 01:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 03:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 02:07 am (UTC)And omg, my fics again! *blush* Thank you again for reccing me (again)! And I also wholeheartedly second the rec on your fics as well!
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Date: 2010-03-10 03:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-10 06:15 am (UTC)Also, your pimpage of my fic is making me blush hardcore. <3
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Date: 2010-03-11 04:14 pm (UTC)And I'm always happy to pimp out your fics. Because they are awesome like that. :)
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Date: 2010-03-11 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 07:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-27 09:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-06 11:19 pm (UTC)Another Percabeth writer I like is pinkcatheaven from fanfiction.net. She writes "Percabeth Drabbles" that I absolutely love. She even takes requests! Here is the link to her fan fiction: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5673459/1/
I'd also suggest Kioko, as she's one of my favorites as well, but um... I'm pretty sure that's already you. ;)
As for fanart, I can't help but smile awhile when I look at these chibis: http://rsrkingdomstars.deviantart.com/art/ANNABETH-CHASE-143863925
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Date: 2010-06-08 12:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 01:43 am (UTC)