Note: Not even sure why I'm writing this, guess this is a scratch I have to itch, but I often see a lot of fan fiction that puts sets a standard of an abusive Annabeth, a dismissive Percy, stories of how Annabeth cheats or Percy gets a harem that so defies the core of their character that I just wanted to put some thoughts out there. Now am I some authority, absolutely not. I honestly hate fan fiction that is "you're doing it wrong" or "why the fan fiction of Percy Jackson sucks" That's not what this is. I'm writing this as a character study on Annabeth and who knows, I may continue or I may delete this, but felt like posting it anyway.
Would like to start with saying what most people misinterpret about Annabeth is that they think she's this abusive, domineering girlfriend which is so far outside her character it isn't even Annabeth. Point is, much of the fighting that Annabeth and Percy got into was contained within the PJO set of books, and if you look at underlining cause its easy to see that both Percy and Annabeth were two kids awkwardly toeing the line of friends and something more, and neither really knowing how to navigate the change in their relationship. The biggest blowout, Annabeth calling Percy a coward in The Last Olympian cements that as Annabeth is frustrated over Percy spending so much time with Rachel, who she feels is a distraction from the coming war. Granted, Percy did that as a way to hold to his mortal life, a reason to save the world apart from the service of the gods, a collection of self-entitled tyrants. Face it, the entirety of Percy's interaction from them has been either being blamed for something he didn't do, forced to put his life in danger, or be threatened to be killed just for the crime of existing. For Annabeth though, she was struggling with her developing feelings for Percy, while he spent so much time with Rachel, a thought that if he wanted to cling to his mortal roots, could have been filled by his mom; and of course the fear that everyone she ever trusted abandoned her. First her father, then Thalia, then Luke, Thalia again when she joined the hunt, and now Percy.
The one commonality in all of the abandonment is her. This only further feeds on her fatal flaw of pride, because if everyone who was ever important to her just continually either let her down or left, is she then worthy of being loved? All this on the backdrop of a war that she is the primary strategist and under the stress of trying to keep everyone alive, its no wonder she was extremely short with Percy.
But that scene was the most significant scene of their argument. Sure, it could be stated that Annabeth leaving Percy on the top of Half-Blood Hill at the end of the Battle of the Labyrinth was more impactful as neither of them spoke over the summer, but again, Annabeth had to admit to a boy she had kissed in Mt. St. Helen's that she considered the prophesy could be about him, to lose a love to worse than death, and yet he didn't act on it. Again, those silly teenage emotions of not knowing how to navigate their changing relationship. Percy was confused as to the fact that Luke gave himself to Kronos, thus he was the love lost to worse than death. If Annabeth loved him, could she love Percy? Percy however misinterprets the love displayed as a brotherly bond. I mean who really put any stock in the Annabeth/Luke relationship that they had more than a sibling connection. Luke was 7 years older than Annabeth, He was 23 at the end of the story, asking if she ever loved him, a 16 year old girl. Tell me that doesn't scream of horribly implied implications. But all that is Riordian trying to put an end to a love triangle he foolishly forced that had no real impact on the story except to bring into question Annabeth's loyalty. But back to the point, Annabeth, confessing that Percy might have been the "love lost to a fate worse than death", had effectively opened the door to more, and Percy, being a teenage boy trying to figure out his own feelings, stepped away from it. Of course Annabeth was hurt, and of course she didn't contact Percy that entire summer, but then, neither did he. He instead spend his time with Rachel, only further exasperating Annabeth's insecurity about herself and her relationship with her best friend / possible more. So yeah, she had every understandable reason to blow up at Percy about him being a "coward" and it had nothing to do with him being afraid to face Kronos, but to face their relationship.
Once more, before the war started, she opened the door to Percy and he balked. When she talked about Selena and Charlie and how losing people important to them is a real threat. Percy, is his own awkward way, knew what she was alluding to, but was nervous. How do you go from being best friends to a couple, especially with a looming war. Instead, Percy, in a typically bone-headed teenage move, brings up a dream he had about Rachel, the girl he sees only as a friend and Annabeth sees as a threat between her and Percy finally taking the step needed to be that something more. And so yes, she lashes out and is angry.
But during this time Percy is forced to face a cruel reality he wasn't ready to. The dip in the Styx showed him consciously go through all the people he counted as important, but he purposely pushed Annabeth at the back of his mind for fear of what that would mean, and of course, she was his anchor. After everything they had been through, it was proof that Percy knew what all the fans finally realized, they were each others other half. But he couldn't confront that now, he had a war to fight. But the anchor had bonded them body and soul, as shown when Annabeth throws herself in front of a blade that would have killed him. Had she taken a moment to stop and consider the swelling feeling of "Percy in danger" she got, she would have figured it out. She would have known that Percy had anchored himself to her. But again...war.
Which from that context, makes the scene of the cupcake after the war all the more telling. I've always believed, after the war, Annabeth had the opportunity to realize what the swelling feeling of danger for Percy was, how she knew he would have died had she not taken that blade, and on further examination, understood she was his most important person. But again, she needed to hear it from him. That's why she had that teasing smile as he was talking about the Styx and needing to anchor himself to what made him want to remain mortal. Just for a selfish reason, she wanted him to confess he wanted their relationship to change, rather than her opening the door and him walking away, she now wanted him to be the one to open it, and let her step through. So her teasing smile was not a "you're laughing at me" but more of a "finally" reaction.
From there, we get little information on their relationship after they start dating. The next book, The Lost Hero, only shows an exhausted and frustrated Annabeth who is driven to near panic over the well-being of a missing Percy, to the point she can quote to Piper the days, hours and minutes that Percy has been missing. This is enormous in the show of devotion she has for him, to the point that even if she is the most capable among the demigods, she foregoes a quest to save Hera to still look for Percy.
Percy had been said he'd sacrifice the world to save one person, Annabeth just proved the same is true for her. Granted, she was unwilling to help Hera because of her past dealings with the goddess, but with Hera missing, chaos would have erupted on Olympus. Regardless, Annabeth would let Olympus crumble because her priority was only Percy.
Gone was the girl who wanted nothing more than to go on a quest to prove herself. Instead she because a young woman who devoted herself to the gods only to see that devotion was wholly one-sided. Percy being kidnapped was a big show of how insignificant the concerns of their mortal children the gods truly were. Another example of this was the Athenian coin. After returning from Sally's apartment where she and Sally had cried about the abduction of Percy, as stated by Annabeth it had been a very hard visit, she was confronted by Minerva, the Roman aspect of Athena. Given the coin and directions to find her statue. How does this translate to Annabeth's focus on Percy beyond the concerns of the Olympians. Simple, she continually tried to throw the coin away only for it to return to her pocket, yet she never stopped searching for Percy.
As stated, she was no longer the child who revered the gods and wanted their favor, she was battle-weary warrior who just wanted to retire, have a normal life and learn to fall in love with her best friend, and yet the gods did not allow it. It was depressing for Percy to know that he missed so much of their first year together, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day...all essential milestones for their first year as a couple, but was in a coma, Annabeth was left to suffer his absence without any concern for her emotional, mental or physical well-being.
But herein becomes the true problem. The reunion, and the point in which so many taut that Annabeth is a toxic person and Percy is abused so much. The judo flip. This scene is what so many detractors of the Percy and Annabeth relationship like to point out to defend their stance that they are bad for each other. A counter I wish to offer is, when in the story, before or after this reunion, did you see Annabeth ever treat Percy like this? I'm sure Riordan thought the scene was amusing, certainly I've seen numerous fanfictions written surround this or using it as a means to have Annabeth punch, slap, or abuse Percy, but the simple reality is, it was a horribly written scene that was so far out of character that it was simply not Annabeth. An argument can be made that her actions were in response to her relief of finally being reunited with the love of her life, and the frustration his disappearance caused, through no fault of his own, to which she acted on that aggravation and frustration, but again, this act has never demonstrated the dynamic of their relationship, nor does it permeate within the story.
It is simply one scene that was added, likely as an attempt at humor while undercutting the emotional impact of their reunion that falls as hard as Percy after being flipped. It was inconsistent with all interactions between the pair anywhere in the story and undermines the depth of what they truly stand for.
Anyway, moving on, Piper herself states how much in love they are, simply in the scene where they are standing at the railing of the Argo II and holding each other, how comfortable they are with each other and how happy she is to see Annabeth actually smiling and at ease for the first time since knowing her. Most of that is implied given context from other characters and Annabeth when discussing the her meeting with Minerva, but it stands as a testament nonetheless of her emotional state during Percy's absence.
But, this does lead to my single favorite scene between the two, the stable scene. Annabeth, in defiance of the rules set by Coach Hedge, sneaks into Percy's room and the two go to the stable to watch the world pass them by through the see-through bay doors. This is the heart of their relationship, the quiet desire to share their time with one another, to hold each other, and in Percy's case, share his dreams of the future with her. Granted, Annabeth is partially hesitant for this change, but that's mostly due to need for stability in her life. Up until this point, her only real stabilizing influence has been Camp Half-Blood. Even moving back in with her father never lasted too long in contrast to camp, and to relocate to a camp that is, for all extents and purposes, an enemy stronghold, that leads to a lot of anxiety. But in the end, Annabeth agrees, not because she feels a connection to New Rome or because she can attend college while being safe, but because its a chance to build that permanent foundation with Percy, the one person who has never failed her, and even when he was taken and his memory wiped, he still remembered her.
At any rate, the final point being that Annabeth and Percy's relationship can be summed up in two words. "We're Together". As Annabeth stated, she loved Percy for those words because he know what she needed to hear the most, after all the time they were separated was not "you're okay" or "I'm here" but "we're together" because when they are together, the world seems to spin on the correct axis. And this is further emphasized when Annabeth repeats the words while dangling over the pit of Tartarus. "As long as we're together". And that encompasses the entirety of their relationship. Through all of their quests, all of their missions, all of the wars they did it together.
And that sentiment alone is why I love this relationship, because they are both imperfect people who perfectly fill the gaps in each others character, personality, and lives. I have read a plethora of stories, novels, novellas, short stories, you name it, and have consumed untold numbers of media content, and while I am willing to point out the failings of the Percy Jackson series, of which there are many, I still enjoy it. Annabeth is my favorite character and Percy is a very close second. But together, I find Annabeth and Percy to be my favorite fictional couple.
As stated, I generally hate the notion of essays as if trying to tell other fan fiction writers how to do it right, that feels disingenuous and pretentious. I'm not here to tell you your opinions of Annabeth and her relationship with Percy are wrong, but maybe to give you a different perspective of how they work.
That's really all I'm trying to do.
A/N: Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'll leave this up. I wasn't even sure I'd publish it, but wanted to put this out there as a study on the characters and world of Percy Jackson. I could write essays on numerous characters, events, even how Riordan ignores the rules of his own universe, but again, that seems heavily self-indulgent and again, not sure if I'll leave this up or delete it, but its here now, so whatever.