Hereâs a thought Iâve been having for a while now:
Full disclosure: Although I have native blood from Puebla, my parents didnât bother teaching me Nahuatl or some of the customs. Also I was raised very catholic. Anything I say comes from research and hyper fixation. Anyways:
Most of the Percy Jackson fics Iâve read deal with Greek and Roman gods with the occasional Egyptian and Norse gods. However, I donât really see a lot of fics that include the gods and spirits that are found in the Americas prior to European colonization/invasion. Iâm thinking that as a result of Europeans invading their spaces, they didnât fade but rather went somewhat dormant as a result of forced conversion to Christianity. Theyâre still there, but it takes them a bit more energy to answer prayers or show themselves to mortals. I also think they work differently than the gods in the Percy Jackson universe. As younger generations reclaim their cultures and spirituality in both the Americas, the gods/spirits become stronger and more present. So hereâs how it would work in a fic:
1. They are under different rules than the Greeks and Romans. Meaning that they can interact directly with people regardless of demigod status. Think Onyx Equinox without the killing of the host. So they can talk to regular humans and demigods. The never really understood why the Greeks refused to be more present.
2. They are freely talked about and worshiped/respected through the US and parts of the Americas. For instance, some adapted to mix with Christianity like the Virgin de Guadalupe and Tonantzin. Or they live on in traditional practices like a continuous use of scared medicine or ceremonial drumming.
3. They are very widely spread and are both in their home country as well as the US. So like Mayan gods can be both in Guatemala but also in NY because of the large Guatemalan population unlike the Greeks who stay on the East Coast and the Romans on the west and follow the heart of civilization. As long as you have the blood of the tribe/nation/etc running thru you, you can connect with the gods/spirits.
4. They are a bit more chill than the European gods due to the beliefs of the Americas before Europe came. They were more intuned with nature among other beliefs.
5. They donât use children as soldiers or discard them. They see the kids who want to continue their practices as precious. They hate what the Greek gods do to their kids.
6. Because they are originally from the Americas, they can freely move between pantheons unlike the European/Egyptian ones. But they donât because trying to explain something to the Greeks is like talking to a concrete wall
7. They are at times stronger than the Greeks/Romans because they are on their home turf and are more widely worshiped even if people donât realize it. I can get into this later.
8. They currently have priests/priestess/shamans/ medicine women/ etc. they donât necessarily need to be demigods
9. Every time a Greek god claims/does not claim a demigod that is descendent from their people, they get really pissed. This all leads to a BIG custody battle after the battle of Manhattan. They want the kids back.
10. After the battle of Manhattan, they have had enough and call out the Greeks shitty parenting. They back Percy up with his demands and then tell the gods that their days of being deadbeats are over. And since the camp is technically on native land they have the right to see how camp is run and how itâs failing the kids. And basically take over if they donât get their shot together.
11. Alaska is named the land without gods but thatâs only because the Greeks and Romans donât want to tell them about the other pantheons. The big one being the Inuit (IĂąupiat/Yup'ik) spirits in that area. So when the seven reach Alaska they can get help from the spirits since as long as you are respectful they will work with you.
12. New Orleans is its own thing. Itâs like a big mixing bowl so the rules are a little different. For instance the spirits of the Chitimacha Tribe, the Coushatta Tribe, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe are still there but because of slavery there is a big presence of African gods/spirits. Iâve seen some fics of other fandoms mention something similar where you have to give an offering or ask permission to enter the city. It really depends on your interpretation.
Anyways I can keep going but this was my thought process so far.
