Okay you want PJO analysis asks lemme serve it to ya:
I've been thinking about the implications of the gods modernizing so many aspects of themselves but still making people swear chastity vows. It makes sense for Artemis, because that's her whole thing (even if Rick mostly uses it as prison for women he doesn't want to write anymore) but the implications for the oracle swearing one seems weird. The oracle can be a whole-ass corpse, but gods forbid she has a boyfriend... idk, curious for your thoughts.
oooo wait okay i havent thought much about this...
alright alright, i think like the 'outside the world' reason it was written was mostly just because rick still clearly wants to keep some aspects of greek mythology even with the modernized story, and this was one part he wanted to keep but for an 'in story' reason...
like you said, it makes sense artemis would keep her vow as thats kind of her whole thing, though you can make the argument that he probably couldve found a way to modernize that as well but thats not what this is about, in ancient greek there were priesteses that were the inspiration for the oracles in ancient greece, pythia maybe? ill admit i havent done much research but i wil later (and might come back to this with that info), but they were usually older women who, when becoming a priestess, would lose all sense of self identity and cut all their close relationships; so that is probably part of the reason that rachel isnt allowed to have a partner anymore, but with that train of thought she wouldnt be able to go to school or see her family, as she needs to give up all personal parts of herself so honestly for that writing descision i think it was just rick wanting to make sure rachel wasn t a 'threat' towards percabeth anymore
i dont really remember any other chasity vows made in the books aside from the oath of the big three but i dont think that counts since its only with gods, but for the written reason i think these still exist in the books is because, like i mentioned earlier, rick wanted to keep some aspects of greek mythology that didnt change too much with the modernization of everything else, and so the vows seemed like a fairly simple tool to use for that as for the in universe reason, it could probably be the gods somewhat 'claiming' someone as theirs- not in the traditional sense with demigods but with how artemis has her hunters swear to be loyal to her and the hunt, and how the priestesses swear themselves to their duties.
this is a really interesting idea though, and like i said i havent thought much of it, im gonna do some more research on oracles and oaths/vows in greek mythology and priestesses in ancient greece, see if theres any other examples of things similar in the books and if i find anything that i feel like fits with his topic then ill come back and add it :3
