#except when it is

I think it’s a shame how little other shops there are. Personally I love Percy and Ethan, because I think that dynamic is really interesting, particularly when you highlight the fact that Percy didn’t like the gods, and that Percy ends up thinking that Luke wasn’t necessarily wrong. I might be biased tho bc I am currently a Percy and Ethan oneshot bc I couldn’t find more than one good Fic about that ship.

I also, hot take, think Percy and Leo are a possibly very interesting match. I’m also currently writing a oneshot about them too. But I think they both have powers that related closer to each others than anyone else. They both at some point fear their own powers (at least as far as I’m aware, I’ve not finished HOO so my Leo knowledge is a bit small) and I think they could have a very cool dynamic. Missed opportunity to for Percy to see someone struggling and not super confident with their powers, like he was all those years ago and not have him help! (I like this even better if I think about my HC that Luke taught Percy to control his powers, as Percy canonically points out that Luke is the only person who will train with him after he’s claimed)

I also think you make a really good point about Percy and Michael. Especially because Percy is so prone to guilt, and already has a lot of survivors guilt. It would be an interesting dynamic both ways, if Michael survived and if he died just like he did in canon. If I can think of a good concept for a Fic I’m going to look at writing one for them.

I’ve always been a fan of rare ships too, so I’m pretty used to struggling to find fanfics written about them (Harry Potter/Theo Nott, Percy Jackson/Leo Valdez, Percy Jackson/Ethan Nakamura, etc.)

I feel like I have read a few fics that are Percy/Will, and I like it because it almost feels like it’ll never last. Both feel guilty, and both struggled to survive through the war. I also HC that Will does resent Percy for Lee Fletchers death, and maybe even Michael, because he was there on the bridge and saw it happen. Even if he doesn’t necessarily resent Percy for it, I think it still creates an interesting dynamic. If I can find the fics I liked for them, I’ll leave them in the comments.

Honorable mention to Percy/Pollux and Percy/Castor, because the inherent sadness and depth of guilt that would play into either relationship is amazing. There are criminally little fics with this pairing, so if anyone has any good recs pls send them my way. I’m hoping to get something in the works about one of these ships, but no promises.

Also we do need to mention the Percy/Rachel and Percy/Nico of it all. I wholeheartedly believe that both of these ship options are so much better than what we get in canon. I think Percy with Rachel would be so much healthier than what he had with Annabeth in canon, and that maybe even having someone removed would help him to cope with everything that happened. Allow him to grieve and mourn and be angry. I also think Nico is still a very good choice, paticularly because I don’t like his canon pairing with Will. Especially the limiting use of his powers. In contrast I think Percy would help Nico, would teach him how to use his powers in a way that makes them stronger and doesn’t drain him, because Nico taught himself and never had someone who could teach him how to train his powers up to be stronger and longer lasting. I think Nico also used quite strong powers immediately, in the sense that it’s like if Percy was running around causing earthquakes every where, it drains him and never learnt how to properly manage that. Percy used to get drained with his powers, but he built them up into what they are now, something that didn’t happen with Nico. I have a lot of love for Pernico, because it’s so angsty but has the poetenial to be so good, and again it goes back to guilt.

I think I’ve just realised that a running theme in Percy and his pairing is his guilt. His guilt factors into every relationship in his life, and shapes it. His guilt impacts his relationship with Annabeth, and arguably has a hand in what makes it toxic. Percy is synonymous with his guilt, and I think no matter what pairing you put him with, the guilt has to be acknowledged in some shape or form.

👏"Arm chopping is not a love language"👏