Okay so I didn't plan on updating yet- I wanted to take more time to try and get some more writing done, build my backlog but I checked my guest reviews and I swear to god I felt such a rush of pure freaking fury that I had to do it so I could respond. So this AN will be big. And I will be copying and pasting the review to address every single damn fucking point. Sorry but I am angry. First though, the reviews that didn't provoke fury! :) Feel free to skip the response to the shitty review if you want, but I needed to get my feelings out there.
Replies:
Undeath9087: Yeah things are definitely going to go interesting I can say that.
Nate Macrae: Thank you!
Drizzle: I hope I can do it justice!
NOW!
For the rage inducing review- my response will be the italics.
Pretty in Pink.
Homosexuality isn't right
SO from the start- fuck you. Fuck you you homophobe, get the fuck away from my fanfic and go die. I don't care about my language right now fuck you.
The actress for Annabeth Chase has been announced, and it's Leah Jeffries. If you don't know who that is, don't worry, neither do I. What I do know is that Leah is a black girl.
And a racist too. I already see where this is going, let's do this.
Black.
Playing Annabeth Chase…who is white.
Rick, who is directly involved with the show, cast a black girl to play a character that has been white since her introduction in 2005. If you don't believe me, go check out Twitter and the subreddit real quick. Social media is blowing up with posts about it.
Shockingly enough I am aware, have been since the news came out. Asshole.
It's extremely ironic to me. The movies were heavily criticized for how unfaithful they were to the books. The plot had to be adjusted to fit the runtime, and so many scenes were omitted and the movie plot itself loosely followed the book. The actors were also criticized for being not true to the book characters, being adults playing who are supposed to be twelve-year-olds.
The fact that they're children is important to the plot- as are many of the scenes that were missing such as the stuff with Ares. So there were lots of valid criticisms.
Most specifically, Alexandra Daddario's portrayal of Annabeth. From the character standpoint, we go from "You drool in your sleep," to "I definitely have feelings for you, but I haven't decided if they're positive or negative yet."
Honestly I think she did well with what she had- but they fucked it. That is true.
Um, okay.
But beyond even that, the heaviest criticism for Daddario came in the form of her appearance. Annabeth is supposed to be tan with grey eyes and curly blonde hair. Daddario was pale with blue eyes and straight brown hair. There was a major outcry over this.
At the time many of the fans were younger- it was twelve years ago. And we were dumber. I like to think that most of us have matured in the twelve years since this. The criticisms of her for her looks was unfair. Being blonde wasn't that integral to the plot.
And don't forget Viria. Remember how she was cancelled and bullied out of the fandom when she started drawing Annabeth as "too dark?" She started drawing Annabeth with tanner skin than how she colored Reyna and Piper, and this apparently counted as racism.
No I don't- so I won't respond to this as I have no comment.
Fast forward twelve years later, and now we have a black actress playing this same tan-skinned, grey-eyed, curly blonde-haired character…and there's a celebration over it?
Yes, yes there is. Annabeth's skin color isn't that important. If anything it actually kind of works changing it. The dumb blonde sterotype hasn't been around for a long time. But little black girls don't get to see themselves on screen as badass smart girls nearly as often as they should and it could easy help play into Annabeth's feelings of being underestimated and underappreciated
Where is the disconnect?
Twelve years. Twelve years is the disconnect. Fans have largely grown and matured. And the world is changing, which is a good thing.
The two biggest arguments for Annabeth being cast by Leah is that A) Annabeth's skin color has no bearing on her character, therefore it doesn't matter what color actress portrays her, and B) it doesn't matter what actress portrays her, so long as the actress is the best fit for the role.
Okay, that's understandable.
Beckendorf being black has no bearing on his character, or any impact on the plot. Carter being black doesn't affect his character or the plot;
I'mma stop you right there. It does have an affect on his character- it's openly stated that he's dealt with racism- his grandparents didn't want him because he looked like his black father and part of the distance between him and Sadie is because she is white passing and he is not so they don't look related and it causes issues which is part of what built him into the person he is- who always has to present himself perfectly to avoid people thinking the worst.
Rick could've wrote the Kane family as one race and nothing about the story would've changed, because the story doesn't revolve around their skin. The same is true for Hazel. Her being a black girl from the 40s is a minor subplot and has no bearing affect on the story.
Fuck off. It effects her character you dickwad. She is who she is largely because of the struggles she faced.
She could've been white or Hispanic like Sammy, and nothing would be different. This also goes for TJ in Magnus Chase, and Austin Lake, Apollo's son.

Not to mention Leo, Frank, Reyna, Hylla, and Drew, who is Asian.
Leo has dealt with racism- Reyna and Hylla's culture have an influence, Frank's ancestors were treated poorly because of racism. The only one I'd say you could argue for there would be Drew.

None of their ethnicities have any impact on their character, and to the sentiment of the best actor for the role, does this not mean you can go get whatever colored actor you want and cast them as any of these characters? Hazel played by a white girl, Frank by a black boy, Leo by a pale, redheaded Irish boy, Reyna and Hylla as Japanese girls?
Not even close.
Imagine the outcry there would be—particularly in the cases of Beckendorf and Hazel—if non-POC actors were cast as these POC characters?
Rightly so, there's little enough diversity as it is.

So why is it okay to cast a black actress in the role of a white character?
Because the media is oversaturated with white characters. Little girls have plenty of Brainiac blondes these days- not so much when the book was written but they do now. That part of her character is no longer significant in the modern day media. But making her black actually adds new dimensions as I have said.
It's not. This is the blackwashing phenomenon we're seeing more and more in the media. Will Smith playing Floyd Lawton, Michael B. Jordan playing Johnny Storm. If whitewashing, the action of casting white actors as colored characters, isn't okay, then neither should blackwashing.
Whitewashing has gone on for a lot longer and is a lot worse because it erases the little diversity there is.

But for some reason, it is.
It's okay to cast Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, a historically white character, but buckle down and prepare for a shitstorm should Hazel, a historically black character, be cast by a white girl, even if that white girl demonstrated the greatest aptitude for the portrayal, like Leah apparently did for Annabeth.
Being black in the 40's is part of her character. Feel the need to repeat that.
Now, what does this mean for the future?
Since 2005, all artwork of Annabeth has been of her being white, as per canon. For almost two decades now, all the fanart has been of white Annabeth. As of the morning of May 5, the day of the casting announcement, already has there been an influx of fanart with Annabeth featured in the likeness of Leah, with black skin and blonde, braided dreadlocks.
Given the nature of the cancel culture we live in today, can we expect all these artists who drew a white Annabeth to be viciously attacked and cyberbullied? Can we expect demands of them to go back and recolor Annabeth as black, and redraw her hair to fit Leah's style? Going forward, is all artwork of Annabeth depicting her as black now mandatory, and any artwork of her as white to be considered whitewashing, and to be taken down immediately?
Literally no one has even suggested that. Everyone knows that there are two different versions of Annabeth. Stop acting like a victim- book Annabeth will still be blonde and white, show Annabeth will be black. Easy. Heck she could even still be blond if they want. Doesn't matter that much. I won't be changing her in this purely because this is based on the books. And I have recieved zero negative comments over that fact.

Is Rick going to go back and rewrite the whole canon with Annabeth as a black girl? Can we expect a retconned rerelease of the entire Riordanverse saga, all 20 books, with Annabeth rewritten as black, and her and Percy as a mixed-race couple?
Here in the realm of fanfiction, will authors now be expected to write Annabeth as black?
If you think I'm writing a black Annabeth, you can go fuck yourself. I wouldn't write about a black Annabeth anymore than I would a white Carter Kane or a German Reyna.
Ultimately, this decision by Rick to cast Leah as Annabeth is highly disappointing. With him in a leading role in this whole project, we expect a true, by the literal book, faithful adaptation of the material we all love,
I expect a faithful adaption of the material. And by that I mean I expect things like the Capture the flag scene, the toilet scene. The prophecy scene. I expect minotaurs and Furies and Medusa- heck I expect Echnida and the Lotus scenes and I sure as fuck expect the fight with Ares. I do not care about the characters skin colors. And if you do you can get the fuck away from my fic you homophobic racist piece of trash you do not deserve to call yourself a fan.

And I'm done! Have fun my lovelies.

Sewers. It had to be the sewers didn't it? Even Percy didn't want to go in sewer water. Though thankfully they were able to keep out of it- though the stench was going to cling to Percy's clothes and skin like nobody's business she was sure.

It was the smell of rotting fish, mould and snakeskin. Percy wasn't sure how Piper kept singing the way she did, the song definitely felt out of place in the snake mans lair. And Percy clung to both of her girlfriends hands tightly. Whatever they were heading into was going to be dangerous. And Percy would do whatever it took to make sure they both got out alive.

"I don't like this." Annabeth's voice sounded almost small in the darkness and the quiet crunching of the ground beneath their feet. "It reminds me of when I was underneath Rome."

And that made Percy's chest tighten, her stomach twisting horribly. She still hated that thought, of Annabeth having to do that alone. And Rachel didn't look much happier at the reminder, her expression turning sour.

"Our domain is much older. Much, much older."

And when Annabeth shuddered slightly Percy squeezed her hand, and Rachel spoke up.

"You're not alone this time braniac." her voice was soft, "We're here with you. No matter what." and Percy forced down the guilt at those words- given the risks she was planning on taking to ensure her baby brother lived that might not be fully accurate. But she wasn't letting them in on that fact, they'd stop her.

"You'll never be alone again." Percy said the words quietly. And at least they were honest enough. Annabeth and Piper would always have one another- and maybe Percy would get lucky and she'd be able to stay by their side no matter what.

And there was nothing more that really needed to be said. They kept moving, Piper's voice enchoing through the tunnels. As they travelled further into the lair, more snake people gathered to hear her. Soon they had a procession following behind them – dozens of gemini all swaying and slithering.

They passed through crude stone chambers littered with bones. They climbed slopes so steep and slippery it was nearly impossible to keep their footing. At one point, they passed a warm cave the size of a gymnasium filled with snake eggs, their tops covered with a layer of silver filaments like slimy Christmas tinsel.

More and more snake people joined their procession. Slithering behind her, they sounded like an army of football players shuffling with sandpaper on their cleats.

It was not what Percy would call a comforting noise- and in the background Percy was starting to hear a noise- faint but getting louder and louder the deeper they went. It was almost like a heartbeat. And Percy was hyper aware of the fact that they were below ground. Hopefully Gaea wouldn't sense them at all but- well they were in her domain. It could be her heartbeat couldn't it? The noise was resonating through the stone and the air. And it felt familiar- it reminded her of Tartarus. Even when she'd not let herself focus on it she'd been able to feel it through the ground beneath her feet, in the rivers that were his veins. She remembered the heartbeat of Tartarus.

"I wake." the voice was as clear as Piper's singing. And Percy felt herself freeze. Felt her blood running cold. It felt terrifyingly like Tartarus. She closed her eyes, desperately trying to push back memories, to force herself to breathe.

"Oh that's not good." Annabeth breathed the words before pausing, mostly because Percy was stood still, rooted to the spot.

"Percy?" Rachel's voice was quiet, worried, "Percy-"

"At last." the voice of Gaea spoke again, and Percy pulled her hands free from Rachel and Annabeth's, curling them into fists and forcing herself to take deep shuddering breaths.

"I'm fine." Her voice was strained. "I just-" She swallowed hard, closing her eyes tightly. "It- it reminds me of- of him."

"Of who?" Rachel's voice was gentle. "Percy- Percy we need you. Annabeth and I need you right now please- please it scares me, seeing you like this-"

"Of- of T-" Percy shook her head, forcing herself to open her eyes, "I- it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter we're fine." she forced herself to keep breathing, pushing the painful memories away as hard as she could. They needed her. Annabeth and Rachel needed her.

And it was funny. If they'd said the world needed her she'd have felt that twisting bitterness but- but Annabeth and Rachel? Her girls? She could never let herself feel bitter about that.

"You sure?" Rachel's voice was gentle, and Percy gave a small nod.

And with that they kept moving. And Percy was impressed that the daughter of Aphrodite was still singing despite the fact that the voice had undoubtedly terrified her but her voice barely faltered.

And finally, after what felt like a lifeline but probably wasn't that long they reached the top of a steep slope, where the path ended in a curtain of green goo.

Kekrops faced the demigods. "Beyond this camouflage is the Acropolis. You must remain here. I will check that your way is clear."

"Wait." Piper turned to address the crowd of gemini. "There is only death above. You will be safer in the tunnels. Hurry back. Forget you saw us. Protect yourselves."

The fear in her voice channelled perfectly with the charmspeak. The snake people, even the guards, turned and slithered into the darkness, leaving only the king.

"Kekrops," Piper said, "you're planning to betray us as soon as you step through that goo."

"Yes," he agreed. "I will alert the giants. They will destroy you." Then he hissed. "Why did I tell you that?"

"Listen to the heartbeat of Gaia," Piper urged. "You can sense her rage, can't you?"

Kekrops wavered. The end of his staff glowed dimly. "I can, yes. She is angry."

"She'll destroy everything," Piper said. "She'll reduce the Acropolis to a smoking crater. Athens – your city – will be utterly destroyed, your people along with it. You believe me, don't you?"

"I – I do."

"Whatever hatred you have for humans, for demigods, for Athena, we are the only chance to stop Gaia. So you will not betray us. For your own sake, and your people, you will scout the territory and make sure the way is clear. You will say nothing to the giants. Then you will return."

"That is … what I'll do." Kekrops disappeared through the membrane of goo.

"Piper that was incredible." Annabeth's voice was very impressed, and Percy exhaled slowly as she watched Piper sit down on the stone floor- she looked drained- it must have taken some effort, singing for so long.

"We'lll see if it works."

"It will." Rachel's voice was confident, "I know it will."

"Here." Percy pulled a canteen of water out and she moved so that she was sat down too. She was surprised by how steady her hands were- she felt like she should be shaking right now. "Do you think the charm will last?"

"I'm not sure." Piper admitted as she took the water and sipped it. "If kekrops comes back in two minutes with an army of giants then no."

"That would certainly be a dead giveaway." Percy's laugh sounded weak and empty.

They lapsed into silence for several long moments before Rachel spoke up, grabbing Percy's hand and twining their fingers together.

"When this is over-" her voice was almost hesitant- and Percy could hear the silent 'if we survive this' "When it's over I want to go to the Hoover Dam."

"Why?" Piper sounded confused at that. "What's so special-"

"It's where we met." Percy could see the soft smile twitching across Annabeth's lips despite the darkness. "It would be nice to go back there. Just the three of us-"

"I dunno." Percy snickered, "I feel like Grover, Bianca and Thalia would want to come too- and maybe Zoe if we offered."

"How did you guys meet?" Piper tilted her head, "I did wonder- you know since you all thought Rachel was just a clear sighted mortal."

"It was a quest." Percy gave a wry smile, "We wound up at the Hoover Dam. Annabeth was being an adorable nerd-"

"I feel like I should be offended but it's true-"

"And I was visiting there too." Rachel spoke up, her green eyes glinting. "Those idiots-" she nodded towards Percy and Annabeth, "Were running away from some spartoi. My godly heritage must be really distant because the celestial bronze went straight through me."

"Wait-"

"I nearly sliced her in half." Percy blushed, "It was an accident in my defence."

"They were incredibly lucky." Rachel declared, "I managed to distract the spartoi and misdirect them and then they rushed off. Honestly I was half convinced I'd made it all up until I saw Percy again."

"She saved us that day and she saved me the next time we met." Percy smiled faintly at the memories. "My beautiful girls keep saving me."

"Always." Annabeth pressed her lips to Percy's cheeks, "We always will. You know that-" she paused, because at the top of the tunnel the green membrane rippled.

Percy was on her feet instantly- as were Piper, Annabeth and Rachel, all of them reaching for their weapons. Thankfully kekrops returned on his own- no sign of the giants.

"The way is clear. But hurry, the ceremony is almost complete."

They wasted no time at that- and Percy grimaced as they slid through the green membrane- it felt incredibly gross, though she was relieved that nothing stuck to her skin. And when they emerged they were in a cool damp pit that seemed to be the basement level of a temple. All around them, uneven ground stretched into darkness under a low ceiling of stone. Directly above their heads, a rectangular gap was open to the sky. There didn't seem to be any monsters, which was a relief.

What wasn't a relief was the fact that the camouflage membrane had closed behind them and blended into the ground. Piper pressed her hand against it. The area seemed to be solid rock. They wouldn't be leaving the way they'd come.

Annabeth seemed distracted though, crouching and running her hand along some marks on the ground, a jagged crow's-foot shape as long as a human body. The area was lumpy and white, like stone scar tissue. "This is the place," she said. "Percy, these are the trident marks of Poseidon."

"Huh." Percy muttered the word, "That's kind of cool."

"Is that-" Rachel looked startled and Annabeth nodded.

"This is where he struck the earth and made a saltwater spring appear when he had the contest with my mom to sponsor Athens."

"And so began the rivalry." Percy gave a slightly strained smile, "The reason your mom will never approve. Not that I care what she thinks."

"Neither do I." Annabeth's expression was soft as she silently grabbed Percy's hand. "I don't care what anyone thinks as long as I have you both."

"We don't need anyone elses approval." Rachel agreed, "Other than maybe Sally's-"

"Well that goes without saying." Percy snickered, letting her girlfriends both press close to her, letting go of their hands and sliding an arm around each of their waists and pulling them in close, allowing herself a small moment of weakness as she pressed her face into Annabeth's curls and they both wrapped their arms around her tightly.

She wished she could freeze time. Just stay like this, with them forever.

"Everything will be okay." Rachel murmured the words, "As long as we're together."

"Together," Percy echoed the word.

She just wished that tight feeling in her chest would disappear.