Unpopular opinion (if it not this time then I'm safe from not being bashed by angry fans forever): Nico di Angelo shouldn't have stayed at Camp Half-blood at the end of HoO.
Listen,I have my problems with CHB (and CJ),no one of them are safe from my treatment when it cames to Nico mistreatment,literally no one is innocent there. And if it's not for Nico,then for Percy's mistreatment or the pressure they put on Thalia when she only come back from being a tree. Demigods at both camps take one look at a child of a Big Three God and ask themselves "Is anyone gonna mistreatment that?",without waiting for an answer.
I like Nico character development and his quest with Hedge and Reyna was probably the push he needed to understand that there are people that care for him,and it's ok to let them in. He come out of his shell,even if only a little,and started to not feel the "outsider" like always. It's mean he is finally starting healing for real,after 7 books full of pain. But his decision to stay at CHB? Where no one,beside Percy and Annabeth,showed to care for him? The same place where he felt so left out? Full of judgmental people ready to not hear him out and accuse of everything because of who is father is? No,I can't stand that. Nico would never come back in a place he knew he isn't welcomed.
Before the start of HoO,it's implied that at the end of PJO Nico started to live at camp right? With his own cabin and anything else. But with Percy disappearance the situation went back to 0 for him,after all Percy was still the only one who was fully comfortable with him. Before TLH he was already helping Annabeth in her research,and during the time-skip of 6 moths it's unclear what happened to him. But since he was there for Percy arrival at CJ,and they were already familiar with him,I don't think he stayed a lot of time at CHB. He already was doing back and forth between the two camps at the start of everything,and either Piper,Leo,Jason and Annabeth pointed out if he was at camp all the time or not. The only thing we know is that the Aphrodite's cabin thought he had a crush for Annabeth,since he was always helping her in the research (we all know how that went),but no one of them ever commented on Nico staying at camp. And he wasn't there for TLH (before Jason,Piper and Leo went on their quest,and when they come back). And since he didn't want to come back to neither of the 2 camps after the war and prophecy,I believe he stayed most of the time in the Underworld. And if not in the Underworld,then on his own (again).
So,again for the second time,CHB campers were shit to him,even after part of their victory during the final battle with Kronos was thanks to his army of undead. Apparently saving their lifes didn't count for shit when it cames to Nico. First time wasn't enough.
Nico didn't had a reason (yet) to stay at CHB after HoO. Everyone still was wary of him,even after everything he did,and Nico himself wasn't comfortable with almost all of them expect a few. He wanted to leave because he knew he wasn't going to be welcomed,the first two times it went the same way after all,why bother for a third when he knew what would happen already?
But most of this reasoning can also fall on the rush of his decision,which is also something I don't like for all the things I wrote already. BoO final battle is a mess,we all know that,it's not even 10 pages long (TLO had half of the book only for the final boss battle) and Gaia is defeat by a flying guy with a girl that has a good voice,and a guy that can put himself on fire,sitting on a dragon,that went with it. Rick really wasted himself here and it was extremely rushed,so everything else felt also rushed.
One page Nico is "I don't want to stay at CHB or CJ,I don't belong here!" and 5 pages after he is "I think I'm staying,this place it's not so bad" to Jason. And that's not how it work.
Realistically Nico should have walked away and returned to the Underworld,while visiting for Hedge,Percy and Will (he will probably hunt him down once he knew he is there to try and be his friend) and occasionally helping CHB when there is something going on,and visiting CJ for Hazel and Reyna. Let him grow on his own and out of CHB toxicity,while also trying to strengthen the relationship he already has and trying to create others. There are cabins for children of minor chthonic gods at camp too (Hecate,Hypnos,Nemesis,ecc),let Nico have some connection with them. He already know Clovis (Hypnos cabin) and he isn't weird out by him,so let Nico grow that friendship. Hecate cabin should be close to him since their mother is his sister mentor and their parents work together. Nemesis children value justice and balance,a philosophy that Nico share with them and take in consideration when it came to dealing with his enemy/people disrespecting the dead. Let him build little by little a good emotional support in people he can actually trust at camp,while in the meantime his relationship with his dad start to heal and he gets closer to Persephone.
He doesn't need to rush his decision,he has to grow into it. If he stays st CHB is because he want to,not because Jason,Will or someone else want him there even with all the mistreatment he could face again. And I can see it totally happening during ToA,where at the end of the serie he decide he want to try again because now he is aware of having people there for him. He finally has that motivation to stay.
This is how it should have gone,instead of Nico changing his mind without even a motivation in just 4 pages. There is so much hurt in being shunned away by everyone you met,knowing full well you will never be part of their "perfect little friend group" because you are the weird one. Because people want someone to use as escape goat when shit gets real and needs help,but don't even try to get to know you. You can't change that just because a guy asked if you want to stay. That's not how this type of pain and healing works.
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Every Single Gaia Earth Mother Fucking Song on MYYYYY Octavian Playlist and why it makes sense because I might as well
TWs for dorkiness, blood, madness, and suicidal tendencies, and because I crashout and don't type or articulate well. Messy.
Oh, and headcanons. Yeah. Hahahaha.
Caesar's Nightmare by Jeff Van Dyck - Beautiful music in my opinion, and also because he was written to parallel him.
Nepo Baby by Fox Szn - you CANNOT tell me he doesn't come from a prissy, rich family. Sure I doubt he's very proud of getting that help at all, but still.
"they hate me cause ma Daddy is rich and I'm like goddamn, leave me aloooonne. They want me six feet deep in a ditch, don't hate me cause ma daddy's rich, mother fucking jealous bitch."
Give and Take By Poor Man's Poison - Tis about preparing for a war.
Achilles Come Down - Beautiful music, doesn't exactly fit Octavian in terms of their actions, but still ridiculously prideful, willing all too well to let themselves die, etcetera. Only, no one was begging Octavian not to do it. Except for like, the twelve fangirls out there.
Are You Satisfied? By MARINA - Jesus Christ, probably this entire song. Pretending he's got it all, striving for absolute success whenever possible, risking losing everything. I like to imagine the background chorus (as an animatic that I will never finish, mind you) as his family, peers, FUCKING PERCY, even Apollo, and (without really aware of it) Gaia, all taunting him in his mind. Because we KNOW that bitch was going insane. Just "Are you satisfied, Augustus?" over and Over and over and Over again.
For The Love Of God by MSI - That short period where he believed everything he was doing was for the greater good, that nothing terrible had even been done on his behalf, etc.
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing By Set It Off - Probably how he feels about Percy, possibly Reyna, and anyone else he trusted that turned out to be a 'traitor'. Which, honestly, no surprise there.
Make Of This What You Will by Billy Cobb - For the short period of time that likely comes with Madness, the confusion, the losing memories, disoriention, etc.
Battle Cry by Shafer James - Talking about War, in survivability, how coming out will only be the new beginning to something worse, etc.
BirdHouse in Your Soul By They Might Be Giants - A little self indulgent, I can't really connect these two lol.
Burning Pile by.. Sigh. Mother Mother - Look, normally I avoid Mother Mother to a STUPID point when making these things, but, just because it's him, he gets to have it. Self Destructive tendencies, problems with rage and pushing everything away.
Hermit The Frog By MARINA - Setting all of his eggs in the completely wrong basket, putting everything he had into a cause that would've destroyed him either way, whether it be Gaia killing them all or what would've happened if they revolted and killed him specifically (spoilers I guess?) "I let it fly too high and it shattered too soon, I broke my glass balloon."
Seventeen By MARINA - He's only implied to be, what? Eighteen years old at max? That means seventeen years old vaguely aligns with the time Jason was captured, and I assume a whole lot of other bad shit happened. "The rise of a king and the fall of a Queen" could mean that he had to rise to power, and how in comparison Reyna, poor girl, was struggling much more without him. Because, seriously, girl was GOING THROUGH IT.
All Eyes On Me By Bo Burnham - Hopelessness. Accepting his fate. Need I say more.
Aaron Burr, Sir from Hamilton - Their crashouts are so damn similair, ngl. Especially with the way that Percy climbed the ranks stupidly fast, even if he didn't want to at all. All of the lyrics pretty much match.
Our Word By Thirty Six Questions - More on the headcanony side, his family seems like the type to keep a LOT of terrible secrets. And plus, they probably don't even know about their son's death.
Honor To Us All from Mulan - Honestly, I sorta view him as being more on the AroAce spectrum, so he could probably give less of a shit about seeming hot to women (that aren't Jason at least) but DEFINITELY cares about giving Honor back to New Rome and Camp Jupiter.
Sleeping Giants By The Crane Wives - Also kind of self indulgent, just about him and his prophetic sense as a Haruspex (Sorry, I meant Augur (no I didn't)), feeling that something is wrong but being unable to pin point it, etc. "My pulse is clear, rushing in my ears, I feel something calling me,"
Average By Sushi Soucy - Trying Stupidly hard not to be like everyone else, absolutely NEEDING to be someone important and needed to the Legion.
My Dad is Rich By Danny Gonzales - Every tragedy needs to have at least one or two funny guys, right? Another silly song about his family's probable weird ass background. No, Rick, I don't care if you describe him as looking incestuous, here's a funny vampire song. No explanation needed.
A song from Miracle Musical that my keyboard literally doesn't fucking let me type. It sounds cool. Sorry.
I'm Autistic (I don't get social cues) by BJ Connolly - I genuinely think this song is fucking hilarious and suits him, even if his problems with masking (which he just.. Doesn't do at all. Exact opposite of Jason, who does it ALL the time) don't exactly involve hook up culture. I don't have time to get into All of the reasons that I believe Octavian has Autism (ask for it and maybe), but I feel like it would help the fandom more understand why their reasons for hating him are so flawed, especially just based off of what.. Micro expressions? Come on. Rick writing is, and I cannot articulate this for the life of me, feels REALLY ableist, sexist, racist, etc, in ways that are "subtle" and hard to pinpoint. Anyways. Haha autism and dick song funny.
Army Dreamers by Kate Bush - Young men serving in wars they never should've had to, their lives being lost too soon. Sometimes I imagine Dakota (should've been a rock star), Octavian (should've been a politician) and Jason (should've been a father) all lined up together and oh shit the tears are coming fuck.
We are Not the Same Person By Drew Gorden and Danny Gonzales - Just because Viria's fan art of Octavian, Jason Grace, and Like Castellan all look insanely similar.
Stuck Inside By Black Gryph0n - Again, self indulgent. Knows he's doing something wrong, knows that people are most definitely going to be killed (I don't CARE what the Riordan says, people absolutely died) etc.
Haunting My Dreams By Skyfixing - The prophetic nightmares, daydreams, and visions he probably has that get worse with the madness.
I'M SANE By AXIE - Coz he's not. Ha.
Not Evil from The Lego Movie 2 - I think I'm so hilarious for this one. Only issue is, sometimes I switch back between him acting as wildstyle (disbelieving) and Leo Valdez acting as Queen Whatevaiwannabe (offering great things in a weird and not reassuring way), and I switch their parts in the song often. Mildly entertaining.
GOSSIP By Mâneskin - HATING ON PEOPLE. HATING THEM. HATING THEIR WAYS.
My Ordinary Life by The Living Tombstone - When he believed he was really about to earn it all, when the Legion believed his word, honestly saw him as something great.
Sonne By Rammastein - It's about the sun, and from the few lyrics I can decipher (No I will not use google, fuck you) and about how it shines the brightest of them all, basically how he will NEVER live up to being the Savior Of Rome the way he was promised.
Venetian Blind Man By ohohoho boy we're gettti g to the Will Wood Section. Oakyyy. Also about his Wrath for the Greeks and blind loyalty clouding his judgement.
Welcome to Camp Here and There By Will Wood - I lik the jinkles.
Evening Announcements By Will Wood - Same exact story.
It Ends Tonight by All American Rejects - the title made me giggle.
War Isn't Murder by Jesse Welles. Just. The. E tire. Thing. Sob.
Cigarette Daydreams by Cage The Elephant - Again, only being so young, supposedly having so much ahead of him, not being able to change or grow the same way everyone else does, feeling left behind, also because RICK ONLY FUXKINF MENTIONS HIM FOR THE SAKE OF POKING JOKES AND THE ONE TIME WILL SOLLACE CARED IT WAS IMMEDIATELY BRUSHED OFF. I GET NICO IS DESENSITIZED, BUT CHRIST MANNN.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World By Tears For Fears - This level of self awareness, that, yes, he thirsts for power and control. But also that so many other people do the exact same in their rat race of a life. His strive for greatness.
Just A Man By Jorge Riverra-Herrans - Something Something how he was only human and doing it for what "the gods" (Gaia all along) promised. Also just really great song. Also tackles the idea of how something so minor can snowball into such a large and complex issue before you even know it. How a lanky, teenage boy is suddenly known as this harsh, murderously violent ruler who deserved what he got. How people are naive enough to think that he was always this way, and not yet another horrible product of environment.
The Mind Electric By Miracle Musical - The whole backwardness of the writing (ha, get it), the way everything is jumbled up, making little to no sense unless you really think about it. Pleading insanity for his crimes, his brain claiming glory over him (the madness), being sent to the infirmary (which he never even got). Watching as his people are being used and abused by a system that he is now in control of, and especially how the survivors never think to question Camp Jupiter's ways the same way that Kronos' army was questioned. I could go on and on about how people treat them and the way it's really unjust on either side. But not right now.
Nobody Likes Me by ABC Kids - That one Michael Afton animatic. Pretty much it.
Oh No! By MARINA - Huh, wonder if it's the entire fucking album I dashed in there. Anyways, the entire fucking album being about his strive for success yadda yadda, putting off most social connections to the side, literally going nuts just chasing a dream.
The Family Jewels By MARINA - Again, more about his fictitious relationship with his family that I made up in my head. About how manipulative is behind everyone's back, how he is likely the disappointment of the family and will now never rise from it, how he probably disgraced everyone. Now would be a good time to mention that I think his last name is probably Gallo or Gallus. Because rooster. A haha.
Can you tell I haven't slept.
Left Behind By Dagames - Because nobody fucking gives a shit about him /j
Your Stupid Face By Kevin Mackay - Also pretty self indulgent, I think that if you were to ship him with anyone at all, this is how it would probably go. Realistically, that boy does NYAT process those emotions until it's too damn late.
Candle Queen By Ghost and Pals - Because I imagine him as the youngest child, but also as someone who was pretty much the glass child of the family. Ignored. Uncared for. His only saving grace (Grace? Get it?) Being his ability to Haruspex better than his siblings.
Brave As A Noun By AJJ - Just the messiness of it all. There's no way he completely Blindsidef the entire time.
Monster By Skillet - I think it's funny, especially given that he was raised by Lupa. Sometimes I imagine him bragging to Jason about how much of an alpha he is, flexing his muscles, only for their to be absolutely nothing.
Abbey By Mitski - Hungry for power, for recognition. For love. To be top. He is something - hardly even a normal teenager, not a mortal but hardly considered a demigod, the Savior of Rome but also a horrible tyrant. The light being, knowing that there has to be a way out, and seeing that death is his only honest escape, where the cold hands of the deceased are warmer than anyone else he ever knew. The Waiting. The climbing the ranks. Needing to be heard by Apollo, honored for his accomplishments, his skills. Born waiting, born into a fate, a destiny that was merciless. Being a pawn for everyone else, even those who didn't fancy themselves as cruel.
No Surprises By RadioHead - Yeesh, this section is miserable. My organs are moving in weird ways they should not be.
Malmo By Mook - Throwing everything to the wind, not trying to be much of a person right now, because being a leader, a warrior, their praetor, is much more important at the moment.
I'm afraid I'll go to Heaven By Moon Walker - Fearing what remains after death, knowing that there could either be the inevitable shame from ever soul that he ever comes across, his ghost being seen by Will in TSatS, or the unlikely, being praised and finally seen by someone with accurate judgement.
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want By The Deftones - needing one thing and one thing only before he goes. The time to shine.
(Kaboom)
The Pitiful Children By Be More Chill - Seeing knew recruits (definitely Hazel and Frank) and thinking "jeez, these guys are absolute losers. Might as well give them a little stab in the right direction."
I hear a symphony by Cody Fry - Being exposed to the truth all too damn late
Survive By Jorge Rivera Herrans - believing that as soon as the Greeks were captured and Camp Half Blood was taken over, they would finally be safe and the conflicts with the Gods would end.
Bohemian Rhapsody By Queen - Because Octavian is a fucking nerd who's obsessed with things like that, waddayya want outta me?
From God's Perspective By Bo Burnham - Literally needing a slap in the face to realize that so many of the things he thought was being done for Apollo were absolute bullshit. Every time I listen to this song, it's a fun time and all, when suddenly, BOOM. "No one entertains the thought, that, maybe God does not believe in you." It fucking HURTS for no reason at all 😭. The fact that after everything, Apollo only saw him as a minor stain on the rug. I LOVE ToA, don't get me wrong, but for fuck's sake, Rick. That was absolutely Apollo's fault, and Octavian can't be the scapegoat for LITERALLY FUCKING EVERYTHING AFTER LUKE.
Yeesh, this isn't going well.
61/ out of 121 checkpoint. Ha. Ah ah.
Let me know if there should be a part two. Also, if you made it this far, or are just patient enough to scroll, here's the link. Thanks for watching me dry heave over and over again about an anemic loser.
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Ok but some things that the pjo fandom is missing: Leo and Annabeth bonding over being geniuses, Leo Percy and Nico being besties, Leo teaching Hazel how to curse, Jason being the type of guy to say "f word" instead of fuck, Leo x reader fics where the reader comforts him, giving more attention to the characters' disabilities since most of them are canonnically neurodivergent or others, giving LEO CREDIT BC HE IS PERFECT
In chapter 32 it's cassually mentioned Will did not bring his own weapon with him to tartarus. I get how that is a very Will thing to do but also BITCH ARE YOU INSANE?