The Burning Maze - Tumblr Posts

FOR REAL

"Jason ONLY died for Apollo's character development!😤"

Okay. If that's true, then;

Bianca ONLY died for Nico's character development.

Zoe ONLY died for Percy's character development.

Luke ONLY died for Annabeth's character development.

Silena ONLY died for Clarisse's character development.

Anybody else see how stupid saying that is? Good. If Jason died for anyone, it was for his own character development and it was for Piper.

Do not erase Piper from his sacrifice. You are disregarding his entire story and character if you do.

Jason died for his friends. End of story.

How I Would Write Jason in TOA?

Sorry if any of this feels disjointed. This is my first time doing a character and plot rewrite.

I think Jason had loads of potential to be a great character, but it was messed up in TBM. 

If you want more details, I wrote a post about my thoughts: https://www.tumblr.com/criminalmutantsins/698742446518091776/jason-grace-deserved-better-this-is-just-my?source=share

To add on to the post, I’ll explain what I would change. 

Jason and Piper are together in TBM, but there would be dialogue explaining how it was tough “starting over” their relationship(like Blood of Olympus very much hinted) and that they had to do individual soul searching before building a better foundation for their relationship. Piper would have doubts about their relationship and still question if Aphrodite and Hera’s interference is why they are together.

Piper’s father would still lose his money but earlier, so Piper would move back to Oklahoma. Jason would go back and forth between Camp Half-Blood, building plans for the shrines. They still communicate except as friends. This would give them time to individuate and learn more about themselves(they would be broken up). Piper would realize her bisexuality and become attracted to Shel. They date, but it only last for a few months because Piper still has feelings for Jason. Her doubts of the relationship are resolved; however, she waits so she doesn’t pressure Jason. Speaking of Jason, after working for months on the shrines, he wishes to take a break and start acting/doing things for himself(hang out with friends, relaxing, etc). Jason’s feelings for Piper are still the same and, after a while, he talks to her about it. They get back together with Jason going to Oklahoma to be closer to Piper and try living a regular life. This could be good representation on how relationships take a lot of work and time, but can be worth it when there is love and communication. 

By the time The Burning Maze starts, Jason and Piper have been together for a month and are a stronger team. However, Jason is having trouble adjusting to having a normal because of his sense of responsibility to be a leader and protector. Between the couple getting together and TBM, they find another entrance to the Labyrinth and Jason learns about the prophecy. Safe to say, he is really stressed.

Instead of the prophecy saying that either Jason or Piper would die, I would change it to either one having to make a great sacrifice. Jason would still fight Caligula. It would be monumental for Jason’s character, and a big fight. Jason would lose, though he would escape with the group with grievous injuries and would be out of commission for the rest of the book. These injuries would result in Jason being paralyzed from the waist down, sacrificing a big part of his identity- being a strong fighter, something he is mostly known for. Jason would have to learn to adjust to the change and further learn more about himself. Though, thanks to Leo’s skills and a battle-ready wheelchair, Jason can still fight, he decides to mostly stay in the sidelines and be a tactician.

whywhywhyWHY is piper mclean so goddamn sweet i love her sm now that ive started to read the burning maze why did nobody tell me??? the way she treats meg is just ufhfffhhfhfhdhfhfh too sweet i cant handle this shit

PJO Meme Dump (2 of ??)

DISCLAIMER: These memes are merely comical, exaggerated representations of my opinions. I don't mean to offend anyone. I'm extremely sorry if these came across as offensive to you.

(If I see another post on reddit which goes "character xyz is the most/not the most tragic", followed by some inane discussion....)

Meanwhile, on tumblr:

(A lot of people on pjo tumblr tend to romanticize autism, mental illness, disabilities etc in the name of representation. No offense intended to the few who actually want representation and don't romanticize any of it)

Random PJO Meme (6 of ??)

DISCLAIMER: This a comic representation of an opinion. It is NOT a personal attack. Jason stans who are uncomfortable with jests, please scroll away.

A lot of the Jason Stan’s are really nice, and no, I don't hate or (even dislike) Jason or find him "bland" or "boring", but...

Some Jason stans when they realise people can have valid criticisms of Jason AS A CHARACTER:

Miscellaneous PJO Post (5 of ??)

Hot Take: I find Jason to be average as a character. The writing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't exemplary or great either, especially for a main character. And no, this isn't because of his personality (it was not bland or boring for me). Just his character arc, development and writing in general.

Note: This is a personal opinion. Please DO NOT take it personally.

NUH UH

GUYS THERE'S A LINE IN THE LOST HERO WHERE PIPER SAYS TO JASON "Get going, Sparky, before I skewer you."

Friendly reminder that Jason never got to punch Leo for dying.

<33

Friendly reminder that in mark of Athena Percy saves Jason from a spear in the back…

Trials of Apollo however-

<33

Friendly reminder that chapter 33, trials of Apollo, the burning maze exists.

<33

Friendly reminder that none of Jason’s Greek friends were at his funeral.

<33

Friendly reminder that the one time Percy rejected a quest, one of his friends died in Percy’s territory.

<33

*the seven + Nico doing impressions of Jason to feel better*

Nico: Okay, my turn.

Nico: *Dies*

Sad Percy Jackson head cannons

If you haven’t read all of the trials of Apollo this will have spoilers

I like to imagine that BOTH piper and Jason are gay

I always thought that it was weird that they stayed together after Jason said that he didn’t remember her, because amnesia can really change a person

And then when it was confirmed that piper’s memory had been changed by Hera/ Juno I know they “took a break” but still

I think it fits with their character tho

Piper probably grew up in the spotlight because of her dad, I imagine she’s been in the tabloids as her dads troubled child - the time period of pjo and hoo is unclear but they’re usually not great to women likeing anyone so I could see her suppressing wlw urges before the lost hero

to have someone who isn’t a criminal like her and Leo care for her, while not caring/knowing about her dad was probably a nice. Plus she probably knows how to put up an act for the public

Jason couldn’t remember who he was. and honestly if a hot girl said you were dateing and would then kills a monster I’d go with it too

Even when he could remember his childhood he wasn’t exactly rased in an excepting environment idk how wolves are with gay rights but he was literally rased to be a child soldier and feel like that doesn’t invite self exploration and expression adding having to take on a leadership role with a girl who you’re low key expected to date— and we get more gay repression

Plus Hera/ Juno is seen to have like no moral qualms about forcing theses two together I doubt she’d even consider that her perfect suto child/ solider could be gay

I’m mostly just a fan of angst

And I’d like Nico to have gay friends, I know how important that is even if you’re other friends are supportive it’s not the same

I know they tried to have him talk to piper in sun and star but they never had any previous friendship and they honestly kinda threw piper away after hoo

JASON!!😢😢😢😢😢😭😭😭😭

Me: Infinity War hurt, but damn it made me realise I’m so glad that all my other fandoms are okay and happy :) 

The Burning Maze:

Jason Grace and Legacies

there something to be said about Jason living to try and appease the gods, and him dying to try and change them.

something to be said about how he was raised to defend his fathers name and Camp Jupiters honor above all else, and died to protect his friends

who jason grace was raised to be and the legacy he chose to leave behind are two very different things

"How are you going to protect others if you can't protect yourself?"

In the first quest Jason was sent on, things went wrong.

He was too young to go on a quest. But they sent him anyway because he was the son of Jupiter, it would be a good omen.

Things went horribly wrong.

His other two companions were unconscious, about to die, and he wanted to do nothing but hide and cry, but he couldn't move either.

It wasn't until the monster almost killed them that Jason reacted.

"Don't touch them!"

Trembling, with tears and blood, the son of Jupiter raised his voice. And it was ridiculous. He couldn't win.

And the monster told him:

"How are you going to protect others if you can't protect yourself?"

And it was right. Jason didn't know how to protect himself.

He didn't know what was more humiliating: not knowing how to protect his companions or having a monster let him leave out of pity.

But from that day on Jason tried harder.

Not only because they expected that from him, not only because it was his labour. But because he knew he wanted to protect the ones he loved.

And looking back, there he is.

Being praetor of camp Jupiter. Being the figure that others trust. He having enough strength to protect everyone he cares about. He being invincible.

Jason fought to keep what little he had protected. He fought for those who were part of what he wanted to call home.

And a time after, he fought for his friends.

Jason Grace. The sun of Rome.

A wonderful friend.

He knew how to protect. And he protected until the end.

But he forgot to protect himself.

His strength was enough to take care of everything he loved. But in the end, there was always a danger: and it was himself.

Then, as he closed his eyes for the last time, the phrase passed through his mind again.

"How are you going to protect others if you can't protect yourself?"

In the end, he would never know how to protect himself. His fate was written on light in the sky.

i like to think that jason, knowing he’ll never be able to meet any of his loved ones again, wrote them all letters and the such. when they were cleaning out his dorm, they probably found them. jason definitely wrote leo a letter apologizing for leaving him and telling him how much he missed leo. piper and leo definitely had another crying season after that

them <3 </3

Saw a post and it got me thinking… in The Burning Maze it wasn’t Jason who died and thought he was going to be reunited with Leo, it was Leo who arrived at Camp Jupiter excited and all smiles when he asked where Jason was. It was Leo who showed up expecting to see Jason again, and Jason who died knowing it would be several (he hopes) years until they saw each other again. Even a few months (i think) prior he had no hope of seeing Leo again because he received a prophecy saying either he or Piper was going to die, and he would have rather spent an eternity in Tartarus rather then having yet another friend die to save him. Jason went with Apollo knowing he would never see Leo again, and yet was told Leo was in Chicago on his way to the very state they were in, and Jason continued knowing he wouldn’t be the one greeting him.

Anyways, Jason my beloved and most favorite guy ever and Valgrace, one of the many tragic queer ships in PJO/HOO/TOA in which one of the characters dies ✌🏻

@via-pantomime behold :D thought you'd appreciate a ping

The Burning Maze HURT so bad, but honestly the tragic irony of Jason's character, the way he was raised to sacrifice everything and everyone in the name of the mission, in the name of the honor of the legion, but he died protecting the people he loved. He chose to protect and chose to leave behind a legacy which was nothing like what he'd been born into. He died into a world numb from sacrifice and made it better, made Apollo PROMISE to change.

He's Jason Grace. He's awesome. And he deserves the world. <3

I Want to Take Time to Talk about What I Love about the Third Books in Rick Riordan’s Quintologies

The third books in Rick Riordan’s quintologies all create massive paradigm shifts within their respective series. In all of the third installments the stakes become real and the heroes are faced with decisions that alter the courses of the series and change the tone moving forward. I want to talk about each individual book and express my thoughts on how they change the status quo of the series and characters as well as what I liked about what was done and how I think they stand apart from the first two entries and set up the rest of the series.

First up is the Titan’s Curse. Many people, myself included, remember this book fondly because this is where Percy Jackson and the Olympians got serious. There were hints here and there about how dark the series could become, but no death stuck until this book and the deaths present carried lasting effects as the series continued. Bianca’s death affected Nico from this point up until the Hidden Oracle where he had finally made peace with what had happened. And even after the quest was over there is a hanging sense of melancholy and foreboding of the losses that had happened and the ones yet to come. This is where it hit that the trials would only get harder and more emotional from here. I really liked that the deaths in this book weren’t cheap and that they weren’t reversed. Bianca’s death had the biggest impact on the story moving forward of any of the death in any of Rick’s series (we’ll have to wait an see the ramifications of Jason’s death, but I think it may surpass this one in terms of personal impact on the characters). Zoe’s death is, in my opinion, the most emotional death in this book and really set the tone for the sacrifices that will have to be made in the future.

The Mark of Athena signalled the start of the seven questing together. This book gave us Annabeth’s solo quest, the beginning of greek-roman relations falling apart, and the iconic fall into Tartarus. This book probably changed the status quo of the series less than the other two books because the stakes were already built up in the two books leading up to this installment, but this book succeeds at building up to the following installments and showing the heroes both what they will have to endure and the trials they will have to face. Unlike the Titan’s Curse there isn’t a sense of mystery and foreboding because you know what trials the heroes will have to face moving forward. We know Percy and Annabeth will have to trek through Tartarus to get to the doors of death and we know that the rest of the seven will have to meet them on the other side, but it’s the fact that this is how it will play out that surprises us. It succeeds because this is the first time Gaea’s threat becomes real, where things don’t work out for the heroes and there isn’t some sense of momentary safety. It ends with the heroes in their most precarious situation, Annabeth and Percy are plummeting into Tartarus and the rest of the seven guided by Nico must find the doors of death, both of which are built up to be the most difficult tasks the half-bloods will have to face. I believe this book does a great job of paying off on the stakes set up in the previous two books and while there isn’t a sense of loss for characters who died it gives us a sense of loss over the fates of Percy and Annabeth, two characters we have followed since the beginning, with the knowledge their suffering is far from over.

The Burning Maze completely changed the tone of the trials of Apollo series and in my opinion for the better. I didn’t really like the Hidden Oracle. I found the Dark Prophecy to be good, but not anything special compared to Rick’s other books. The Burning Maze blew me out of the water. This book gave us the most radical shift in tone and changed the main players within the story permanently. Piper and Apollo change the greatest throughout the course of the story and I was captivated by how much they changed within the span of one book. Apollo, throughout the course of this book, truly learns the pain and suffering demigods go through because of the gods and by the end had resolved to remember what it’s like to be human. This is such a radical shift from the arrogant self-centered character we were introduced to in the Hidden Oracle. There were deaths that changed the characters and I hope carry through and guide the characters actions going forward. I really liked that Grover, Jason, and Piper all came back for this book and it was a really good move on Rick Riordan’s part. While a lot of people are mad Jason died in this series and not the heroes of olympus I really liked the decision. I liked Jason in HoO and having him die after surviving all the trials he was put through by being brought into yet another quest and having him stand up for Apollo in HoO it made it have more meaning to Apollo specifically. It also helped to emphasize the message that the gods are unfair. Jason was put through trial after trial and in the end it was Apollo and the god’s mistakes that did him in and makes Apollo realize that he has to remember what it means to be human in the mythological world. Piper was really compelling in this book and the development she was given in this book alone put her in my top 5 favorite characters in Rick’s mythological series.