Beeznett

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No, you don’t understand, I really really need you all to enjoy these next few months in the Percy Jackson fandom to their fullest extent. Be grateful for every second. You will miss this time once the show, the Solangelo book and the new Percy Jackson book come out and the flood of new people inevatibly changes this fandom forever. Remember the peace we have right now.

Give me a scene where Persephone begrudgingly teaches Nico some plant magic, a scene where he's absolute ass at it, a scene where Persephone scoffs and wonders why she bothers, a scene where Nico doesn't give up, even though a part of him sneers at the attempt.

Give me a scene where Hades picks Nico up to run an errand and wonders why his son stares at the dirt, a scene where Persephone curiously watches the demigod try over and over again, a scene where it works: a little daisy.

Give me a scene where Nico is crying as more daisies pop up around him because he's so used to death around him, he really thought he was never going to be capable of giving life.

Give me a scene where Persephone softly chides him for thinking like that because in reality he already had given life before, so many times — to that boy who wouldn't have plunged himself into the Styx if it weren't for Nico, to that girl who would have known nothing beyond the fields she roamed, to demigods from both camps alike. Throughout his time in the mortal world, all Nico has done is given life.

Give me a scene where Nico gifts bouquets to Hazel, Reyna, and Hestia, a scene where Nico runs a little flower shop with Meg and Apollo is their most generous patron, a scene where Nico braids flowers into Annabeth's corsage before her wedding with Percy.

Give me a scene that parallels the grass that wilted by Nico's feet when he's grieving for Jason, a scene where beautiful, resplendent honeysuckles, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and gardenias bloom at the steps of Elysium when Nico reunites with Bianca, with his mother, with Jason, with everyone he missed in the mortal world.

Give me a scene where Persephone muses that even in death, Nico brought life, something that shouldn't have been possible. Then again, she thinks, anything was possible for the son of Hades whose love was so strong it brought the dead back to life.

I have been seeing a lot of mixed views on TSATS preview chapters. Bear in mind I have not finished the Trials of Apollo but I am aware of what happened. I am not interested in people starting a fight on my post. You are welcome to politely share your opinions but we are not starting a discourse. I am too old and too tired for a fight

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

First and foremost, Nico di Angelo was introduced as a 10-year-old, dorky little kid who got excited about myth-o-magic and wanted to play games. He was a sunshine. Not doom and gloom. He became serious after Bianca died. After he was all alone in the world, being manipulated and enduring trauma. Oh and did I mention he was 10? He was 14 in the Battle of Manhattan. He was still 14 in the Battle against Gaea. He is a child. A literal child who thought he didn’t have a place in this world, and even among his own kind, where he was supposed to be safe, he was ostracised. Nico’s serious, no-nonsense attitude was a result of his trauma because he learned if he didn’t take things seriously, he could die.

Secondly, we always saw Nico di Angelo from a third party perspective. Whether it’s Percy, the Seven, Reyna or Apollo, it was always an external perspective until Blood of Olympus where we actually got a Nico POV. BoO Nico is a very traumatised demigod who never felt he had a place where he belonged. From losing his mother, abandoned by his sister, then experiencing her death, Nico has been ostracised and shunned because of his lineage by the very people he should feel safe with. Nico told Jason that once the war is over he is leaving because he was in a bad place. He never felt welcome. But after the events of the war Nico tries again to stay at camp. He tries to make a home for himself there.

TSATS takes place 1.5 years after the Battle against Gaea. It has been one year since Will and Nico are together. Nico has been at camp trying to get his life together for 1.5 years. This boy is trying to unwind and relax. He is learning and unlearning a lot of things, and as he feels more safe with people his dorky side starts to surface. His inner child never died, he is still there. We see that with that adorable Star Wars conversation. If you have a problem with Nico making dark jokes or being sarcastic, may I raise you: coping mechanism. It’s a coping mechanism a lot of people use and it can be used to mask his own insecurities. Just as Nico is trying to get control of his life again, he is still scared (constantly) that everything will fall apart and he will lose it all. His hyper independence at a young age makes him be sarcastic so people don’t worry about him. Personally, I find Nico acting a bit childish as an act of his inner child Nico surfacing and feeling safe again.

Next, I don’t get the ship wars. You can have your own fights about it but don’t romanticise Nico missing and grieving Jason.

Lastly, this is a children’s book. It is targeted at middle schoolers (unless the rating has changed. Please feel free to correct me). It provides support to all the Nico di Angelo kinnies that it gets better. After all the hell you have been through it will get better, it is okay to ask for help and reach out. I love that the book addresses PTSD, the nightmares and flashbacks. I adore that they’re actually including that in a book for middle schoolers because some kids need to know that they aren’t alone and there will be better days ahead for them.

At the end of the day, this is Uncle Rick and Mark’s Book. They’re the writers and they can do whatever they want.

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exultation of fire