What Do You Think About The Klayley Relationship In The Vampire Diaries? If Hayley Hadn't Gotten Pregnant

I have made so many posts on this, and I am so glad many other blogs are pointing this out. Percy is way better at Annabeth than strategizing, and that's a pill that the fandom can't seem to be able to swallow. Let's go over some of them (I might have missed a few):

1. Tricking and trapping Crusty using his own creations

2. Figuring out Ares's scheme

3. Figuring out Luke's plan

4. Figuring out the use for Hermes's gift in SoM

5. Procuring proof for the camp of Luke's betrayal by tricking him into confessing it

6. Tricking Atlas into lifting the weight of the sky

7. Figuring out Kronos's plan

8. Planning the entire strategy of Battle of Manhattan

9. Tricking Gaea into helping him over Phineas

10. Tricking Chrysaour and his entire fleet into fleeing for their lives

11. Outwitting Geras

12. Outwitting Octavian in front of the entire Roman Senate

13. Manipulating Bob into siding with them over his own brother

14. Planning the strategy of dealing with Polybotes and executing it singlehandedly

15. Figured out how to kill Antaeus in his own arena

16. Convinced the river gods into offering their allegiance to the Olympians

No matter what situation you put Percy in, he always adapts. He is almost never operating with full intel on the situation or his opponents, and yet he manages to survive and even defeat them because of his quick thinking and battle iq.

I know most people remember the books as Annabeth and Percy working together, but it's almost always Percy going solo after Annabeth's plans fail and her scolding him for actually getting the job done, which is ridiculous.

Now, I don't think I need to quote Darwin on how adaptation is the key to survival and evolution, but you get the gist of it. No one in the entire series thinks better on their feet than Percy, no one.

Annabeth has all the knowledge, sure, but it's worth very little if she can't apply it. Knowledge by itself isn't power. Applied knowledge is power. Annabeth rarely has any concrete feats in this regard or even in the category of wisdom. She is extremely emotional and impulsive, more so than even Percy, which people tend to forget.

Annabeth gets worked up and gets them trapped with the Sphinx after the puzzle isn't what she expected and because someone else solved it over her, letting her pride rule her.

She underestimates her opponents. She once again let her emotions take over when they needed Rachel's help on Annabeth's own quest but she didn't want it out of jealousy.

Despite repeatedly having proof of Luke being hell bent on killing Percy and destroying CHB and after having been tricked by him herself, she still repeatedly lets her emotions cloud her judgement and dismisses any proper advice given by Percy about Luke as him being jealous and him being angry at Luke for no reason when Luke's literally tried to kill him multiple times.

Then, once again, she judo flips Percy, a Roman Praetor in a diplomatic setting in front of all the Roman legions because she can't control her emotions.

She lets it happen again in MoA when her pride takes over and she sits wrapped up in webs instead of cutting them off her and escaping first because she is too busy reciting the tale of her quest to the rest of the Seven.

And again in Tartarus, when she almost gets herself and Percy killed because she stops Percy from defending himself and her in front of Akhyls.

She is said to be a leader, but we never ever see her display any proper leadership qualities. Percy is the one who leads the camp during the fight at BoTL, during the actual second Titan War, during the fight in Blood of Olympus and even during Son of Sobek the campers all follow his orders and advice, showing how much of a natural leader he is. Even the seven during the pirate attack all follow Percy's lead, Annabeth herself included, and Percy in Son of Neptune is the de facto leader between himself, Frank, and Hazel. We only see the Seven following general orders from her on Argo-II, but it's never during times of crisis.

I know Annabeth is a teenager and prone to emotional outbursts. But she is supposed to be a child of Athena and her literal power is supposed to be being level headed in times of danger, being clever and wise and getting herself out of them because otherwise she is hopelessly outmatched against everyone else who has powers. She could have been so iconic if she had been just a smidge better written. Literally just a smidge. But she displays neither of the qualities she says she possesses nor any she should be displaying as an experienced strategist or a strategic fighter.

I'm not saying she's stupid but...

(I swear she should've had more good feats. Show her making amazing plans with actual back-up plans, not just references. Display her war strategy more. Make her opponents smarter and not brick-dumb)

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

JAY WHEN I CATCH YOU JAY!!

I know, I know, I am so late to the ever-growing brainrot due to Epic now with the Underworld Saga out but I honestly needed to just sit with that thing for a while.

Polites was obviously expected, but the open arms reprise still hurt, especially with Ody deciding to abandon Polites's ideals, which are something he has considered to be a crucial part of him for a long time.

What made this more tragic is the fact that we as an audience know for a fact that the monster ideology is what will get Odysseus back home and would have also not gotten Polites killed and yet it's so much better that he doesn't have to witness his best friend become that sort of monster and he could instead die with some semblance of peace knowing for all the pain it got him Odysseus still believed in his ideals till his dying breath and only in death has Odysseus made peace with the monster he has to become and that he will never have to see it or know it happen especially because he was one of the catalysts that incited it. (It would destroy Polites to know that, but he doesn't. Therefore, he died in peace with his ideals held intact, and so did his best friend because Odysseus is no longer himself when he gets back!!!!!!)

Don't even get me started on Anticlea. Tell me it doesn't haunt Odysseus for the rest of his days. The hollow voice waiting and waiting unwavering in love as it fades for something that will never be a reality, not for Anticlea, not in her lifetime and him forever unable to soothe her even after he brings his mother's once futile hopes to fruition. And the tragedy that no matter how enduring a will and unwavering her beliefs, she is and has always been betting against Gods and for all their supposed benevolence they will not grant her only wish; that she dies with no semblance of an idea of what happened to her beloved son.

And Odysseus is the most tragic of them all for he knows all of this and more, has to feel and survive past it and watch his own descent into monstrosity as he falters at last in the face of a wretched Prophecy that seeks to upend all hopes of the haven he thought he would be returning to from the hell he has sailed through.

God the songs are so good and so just and so repulsively heartwrenching when you think on it for even a little while, I swear Jay and the whole Epic cast has written arguably the greatest masterpiece of a musical!

exploring Percy's canon interactions with Nico from botl and onwards on the level that I am for my fic is making me have a whole new perspective on percico and their relationship...

like Percy. oh, Percy cares for Nico so much and it's subtle at times but he's constantly reaching out at him, checking he's okay, making sure he's safe, inviting him to sit with him, asking him to keep in contact.

yet each time he does, Nico shuts it down with his own logic or brushes him off. there's nearly always something else he needs to do instead of going with what Percy suggests, and Percy always respects that.

at the end of botl, Percy respects Nico's need to leave camp, even if he does try and suggest options on how Nico could be welcome there, and then let's him go without any bitterness or other negativity (he even lightens the mood and makes Nico remember he's still a kid under there).

Percy accepts Nico for who he is and lets Nico go at his own pace. He doesn't push him or drag Nico's feelings down or blame anything on Nico's own actions.

also, at the end of the sword of Hades, Percy respects and understands Nico's need to stay in the Underworld while still offering out his support (by letting Nico know he's there if he needs anything).

Percy understands Nico's need to find out information about his family, get closer to Hades, stay in the Underworld & be one with it.

then, to top it all off, Percy uses his reward from the Gods to make sure Nico has a home, a safe place to go back to, somewhere where he can be accepted.

Nico is part of Percy's loyalty and honestly, I feel like if the two of them had simply got a chance to talk then Nico would have realised just how much he does mean to Percy.

oh and ANOTHER interesting thing that Riordan does with Percy in the tartarus chapters to never ever bring up again is Percy achieving seemingly impossible(?) physical feats.

Like when Percy kills Arachne, he does so so quickly that Annabeth can't comprehend it. She literally asks him "How did you move so fast?" and he just shrugs and is like "Gotta watch out for each other right? Anyways..." and immediately changes the subject.

Then later he jumps over a river with Annabeth on his back and again, right before it, she's like "How are you going to do this??? It's twenty feet across. How can you possibly do that?" and he straight up is just like "yeah I can do it just close your eyes" and then does it???

of course these moments happen during Annabeth's pov so we'll never know for sure but its just so fascinating cause Riordan goes out of his way to indicate that Percy was displaying strength, speed, agility, etc way beyond his typical threshold while also implying that not only was Percy aware of it but he was either trying to downplay it to Annabeth or avoid discussing it altogether.

Oh my God. How did I forget this one??? Peak Percy Jackson! I swear Son of Neptune was everything. Percy, Hazel, and Frank is the best trio. There, I said it. Yes, I like it even more than the original trio. And finally, Percy's getting the thirdwheeling experience, lol. Grover is glad.

This book and Son of Sobek have my favorite Percy characterization of all time. Not to mention short stories like Sword of Hades and The Stolen Chariot.

I know I have said the same thing before, but I will say it again, Percy's best and most consistent characterization comes from when he goes solo on something. [He almost always went solo in each book of the original series, and we got pure Percy based writing]. Others who have yet to reread these books, please do. They are so good.

At this point, Rick, if you want to recover, just give Percy a solo book again. By solo, I mean no Percabeth involved or Annabeth involved. Percy has been so undermined and twisted by Rick just to put Annabeth on a pedestal. What the hell kind of relationship is that anyway? Until Rick learns how to write both Percy and Annabeth properly in a relationship without being unjust to both of them, just give them solo books. Or drop the ship. Either way, just do one or the other.

cant believe the same man who wrote wottg percy also wrote THIS

people literally drowning out him out with applause when he tried to downplay himself?? making him walk around the mess hall because they wanted to be his friend?? "I want to be percy jackson when I'm older"??

take me back to when percy was characterised like this I beg of you rick

comic commission for @scribesynnox: a what if au. what if percy hadn’t been in agonizing pain while taking atlas’ burden

people seem to forget how smart Percy is. he's not book smart, but then, that's not the kind of smart he has to be, that's not the kind of smart his survival depends on.

Percy is an insanely good strategist. we don't often pick up on it, because he's placed himself right next to the smartest strategist at Camp, but he's a veritable chess master. book one, at twelve years old, we see him manipulate Procrustes to fall for his own trap in minutes. book two, he manipulates Luke into confessing his entire evil plan in front of the whole Camp, instantly clearing Chiron's name and revealing that hey there's a storm coming. we see that trend continuing all the way up until House of Hades, where Annabeth herself has to take a step back and reevaluate how she sees him.

Percy can be oblivious, certainly, but any time he acts downright dumb, he's doing so to make his opponent underestimate him or annoy them. he's loud, and brash, and speaks before he thinks, and honestly his sarcasm may get him killed one day, but all of that meshes together into a facade that he's happy to hide behind so that no one knows how smart he really is.

I don't know if you're taking story requests, but I hope you won't turn down my suggestion to write a one-part humanfanfic. Subject: Hayley Marshall is the only daughter of a poor family. When she was only 13 years old, her parents were killed because of a debt they couldn't pay, leaving her completely alone. But the situation will soon change. King Mikael's servants found the young girl sleeping on a bench outside and immediately brought her to King Mikael. This allowed Hayley to receive the necessary training and become the first female bodyguard in King Mikael's palace. From the age of 13 until he was 18, she was Lord Klaus' bodyguard. Hayley had managed to maintain her professionalism over the years, but her feelings confused her. Could it be that she has romantic feelings for Klaus, who is feared by everyone, trapped by rules, and who must soon marry a lady he does not love for the good of his people?

While I am busy with studies, I would never turn down such a kind request. Though I'm not sure it could be wrapped up in one part. But we will see.

Part 1

Hayley

He was late, Prince Klaus was late. Again. There were two rumors circulating to explain this. Either he does it purposefully to spite his father, or he really engages in a sex spree at night, leaving him exhausted in the morning. And if Hayley knew anything about him at all, she would bet it was the former. Her contract for being a bodyguard was almost at its end. With whatever money she had saved over the years; she could use that to leave for someplace else, be free, and see the world for herself. Why, then, did the thought of leaving elicit a pang of pain at every instance she thought of it. But now was not the time to be daydreaming of yet unachievable destinations.

With a long suffering sigh, she threw open the door to the prince's room. This would usually be an assured invitation for certain death but being privy to his personal life for so long a time of being his bodyguard had earned her some privileges and Klaus had no business telling her when to walk in his chambers if he counted on her to do the protecting.....

The thought vanished as soon as it spurred by the sight she just walked in on. Klaus, half-naked, clad in a towel,his hair partially drenched. Yes, she had seen this sight before, yes she should have been used to it but was she? She will be damned if she said yes. There was something alluring about him, even when countless people deemed him the personification of darkness. "After all, one must never mistake the allure of darkness. Even the purest hearts are drawn to it." It was something Klaus used to spout from all those philosophy texts he read just to criticise the writers on their limited understanding of human emotions.

"What's the matter little wolf? It's nothing you haven't seen before." A lopsided smile with those stunning blue eyes sparkling in mischief motivated Hayley to look away, her face heating in embarrassment for spacing out while staring at him and also due to the sight of his....

What in the devil's name was wrong with her?She was his bodyguard, not one of the flirtatious maids in the castle that swooned at the sight of him despite fearing him. Not one to lose, she quipped back equally as fast: " Not new but definitely soon to be extinct if you choose to while around and make us late for the fifth time this week to the King's daily briefings."

The sparkle in his eyes snuffed out at the mention of the King. A colder tone overtook his next response, "Yes, yes the ever important briefings from my father which are but his ruse to bare my inability to rule to the lot of his ministers and rub it in my face every other chance he gets. While I would love nothing more than to meet a swift end and be rid of these by all means let us hurry."

"Why are you yelling at me? Listen here Klaus, it's one thing to be furious at your father and entirely another to take it out on me. It's my job to do what King Mikael asks of me and I will not be made to deal with your temper tantrums." What an infuriating bastard Klaus was but she understood. With how much Mikael controlled his life, these little ways were his only means of rebellion, something his father couldn't punish him for since the meetings were public.

Klaus

He didn't like taking his anger out on Hayley, but usually it was too late by the time he was done with it. It's infuriating how she keeps drawing the line between them, keeping up that flimsy facade of professionalism. Despite all the years they have spent together, she so readily dismisses it as her job. He could still remember the first time they met:

"Boy, this is Hayley. She will be your bodyguard. No questions asked, boy. Learn a thing or two about fighting from the girl Niklaus. It just might elevate you to that of a soldier's level of expertise in fighting. " He had decided he would loathe the girl. No servant of his father was an ally of his. And a woman, no a girl, would protect him. It enraged him beyond any sense that he Klaus Mikaelson, the only heir of the warrior Dynasty, was being looked down upon by not only his father but not he had added some girl to the list. "You, I don't care what your name is, I do not require your services. You and I shall spar, and when I emerge victorious, you shall relay this to my father and have your services offered elsewhere."

He hadn't looked at her properly before but she certainly had a unique appearance. Brunette hair and eyes like nothing Klaus had ever seen. Hazel green. There was a spark of fury and resolve when he declared his challenge, and to his astonishment, the girl had the audacity to roll her eyes. "If, Prince, if. " And no one had ever made his title sound so much like an insult before. If he wanted to prove his father wring before, now he wanted the girl humiliated. How dare she assume such a tone with him.

So spar they did. And Klaus had never in his entire life proven so wrong. She fought with so much ferocity that it reminded him of a wolf cub he had taken in when he found it injured and had raised it into a wolf only for his father to butcher it. There was no clear winner, but Klaus might as well admit he had lost, given how exhausted he looked compared to her. "Ugh, were you in military training, too? Why the hell do you need a bodyguard if you fight this well? The king is nuts." He shut her mouth by slamming his hand over it. Did she have a death wish, and did she just call his father nuts? "Don't say that in open little wolf." She had taken such offense to that nickname, but he had an inch or two over her in height and was definitely more built. He would find out in passing years that the vpw he had made of loathing her would turn out to be impossible to uphold. Even then, and especially now. So as they both headed towards his father's court, he muttered in a voice only Hayley could hear, "Sorry, little wolf. Bad morning. I will make it up to you later." And for all her claims of hating that nickname, he could swear he saw her smile.

Hayley

By the time we greeted the King, all the Council members had settled themselves. There were more so than usual. What the hell was going on? She excused herself to her reserved position near Klaus's seat when King Mikael's booming voice thundered the words that somehow shattered her heart. "Niklaus, I have decided that you shall marry the Princess of Mystic Falls, Princess Caroline. Nuptials will take place two weeks from now."

That's all for part 1. Send me a query for part 2 as a reminder, and let me know if you actually like this.

Ok, so I am HOWLING with laughter.

So, have you heard? People are comparing Percy and Annabeth to................Odysseus and Penelope.

When I heard this, you don't know how funny it was to me. I almost choked on my spit. LMAOOOOOOOOOOO

Penelope would NEVER hit or insult Odysseus. She doesn't play mind games with him and they communicate properly.

Odysseus and Penelope are not toxic. Percabeth is.

Also, Rick Riordan is LEAGUES worse than Homer. Like, the guy cannot even compare to the ACTUAL GREEK POET.

And people are actually comparing the two.

Percy Jackson IS good at times, but it will NEVER compare to Homer's compositions. Literally never.

TBH that's just my personal opinion.

Also, Homer actually composed many of the Greek epics that we still read today.

I get why people would want to compare them, but there is no comparison, really. It's so fucking funny to me.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on Percabeth compared to Odysseus and Penelope?

That comparison alone has ruined the New Year for me. It's an insult to the Odyssey. Hell, it's an insult to the recently released Ithaca Saga of Epic the Musical.

But seriously, are these things actually being said? Cause that puts Percabeth stans from delusional category to brain dead.

Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey are one of history's most reputed myths of all time. And the primary source of Greek mythology for many people. I am certain Rick himself referred Homer's works for ideas and references. Even Riordan himself would be ashamed to compare his writing to Homer, in even the slightest manner.

Now to Odysseus and Penelope; the greatest couple of all time, truly and undeniably. The orignal eternal love. Even Hera, the goddess of marriage and family, considers Odysseus and Penelope's marriage bed sacred. Which Odysseus carved out of a living tree as a symbol of their undying love and so that it could never be moved.

Odysseus crawled through hell to get to Penelope and Telemachus. He survived and won the 10 year long Trojan war, defeated/ tricked a Cyclops, countless mythical monsters, Circe, Calypso, and even Zeus himself and at last Poseidon. That alone is beyond comprehension. Because Odysseus isn't a demigod or any specially blessed being. No, he is just an ordinary mortal, a genius mortal, one trained by the wisdom goddess but an ordinary mortal all the same. Yes, he is one of a kind genius, but these are literally eldritch creatures compared to him.

Let me put it this way, Odysseus is the OG Batman. He is who all smart fictional human characters aspire to be.

The Odyssey is literally about the all transcending power of human will. Of Odysseus's sheer fucking will to get back home, to his wife and son. That's it. A common desire of a common man, yet so miraculously burning and indomitable in Odysseus's mind that it alone outshines his extraordinary genius.

He quite literally died on his way there. Had to hitch a ride through the Underworld and then some.

Then he had to sacrifice his ENTIRE CREW, HIS FRIENDS, HIS COMRADES to get back to Ithaca. Mind you, Odysseus had the record of getting every single one of his 600 men alive out of Trojan War. The only one to have done so. And he had to lose some to the tragedies and then WILLINGLY SACRIFICE others to get back to Penelope.

I don't think there are words enough to encapsulate Odysseus's dedication.

Now Penelope. The thing is, she is just as bloody impressive. The Queen of Ithaca and a Spartan Princess, she is also one of a kind. Throughout Odysseus's departure and the suitors' invasion , not five, not ten, 108 SUITORS, Penelope held her own, keeping the castle, her son Telemachus and herself secure. All the while, raising Telemachus and running the kingdom on her own as well.

She tricked the suitors into an eternally futile game of trying to lift Odysseus's bow and shoot with it. Tricked them by telling them she was weaving Odysseus's shroud, which, when finished, would signify that she is picking a new husband. Each day, she would weave for all suitors to see, and each night, she would unravel the shroud. All in an attempt to stall. Among the many other ways, she did so. Including STEADFASTLY DENYING EACH AND EVERY SUITOR CONSTANTLY FOR YEARS AS THEY ASKED FOR HER HAND, NEVER ONCE LOSING HOPE OR FAITH IN ODYSSEUS.

When Odysseus returns, disguised as a beggar, she not only immediately recognizes him but subtly helps him in killing the suitors, which then Odysseus and Telemachus proceed to do.

All 108 suitors dead in a night. Add that to 600 men under Odysseus's command. 708 lives murdered and then some all for Odysseus and Penelope to reunite.

And this is me abridging the whole thing. Imagine the struggle, the suffering, the mental and physical trauma. 20 years straight. You can't fathom it.

I don't think I have words enough to state how repulsively disrespectfully wretched this comparison is. I would use an analogy, but it's so horrendous that I don't think there's one that suffices.

I literally have more than half the posts dedicated to dismantling the delusion of percabeth being a perfect ship, so I won't preach to the choir, but I mean Annabeth's fatal flaw is Hubris and Percy's is Personal Loyalty. Go figure.

If that isn't enough, Percy jumped in Tartarus for Annabeth. She fell, but Percy jumped, among the many other ways he has saved her from countless deaths. And Annabeth offers him what in return? It would have been alright if she gave him nothing in return, but somehow, the situation is EVEN WORSE.

Physical and mental demeaning. Toxic and controlling attitude and of course BLAMING HIM FOR GETTING KIDNAPPED AND HAVING HIS MEMORY WIPED BY A GODDESS. WOW, THAT SOUNDS SO SIMILAR TO PENELOPE AND ODYSSEUS.

Not to mention, Penelope accepted her husband, as he was. Even after being so completely changed by his tragic journey that he was quite literally NO LONGER HIMSELF.

And Percy when had to CHOKE AKHYLS WHO WAS DEFINITELY GOING TO KILL HIM AND ANNABETH, WAS KILLING HIM AND ANNABETH, OUT OF SELF DEFENSE AND SHE BLAMES HIM AND FORCES HIM TO PROMISE NOT TO USE HIS POWERS TO DEFEND HIMSELF???

WHAT THE FUCK??? And sure it would have been ignorable had it not had any long term effects. BUT NO PERCY ALMOST KILLS HIMSELF OUT OF KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO ANNABETH.

Call them whatever the hell you want but DON'T EVER COMPARE THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO ODYSSEUS AND PENELOPE.

PERCY DESERVES INFINITELY BETTER THAN ANNABETH. Enough said, really.