Alabaster "wants Percy Jackson to suffer for the death of his siblings" Torrington: I have no idea where Lamia got the every demigod will pay for the death of my children thing.

Hecate, who would pull down whole Olympus on the Olympians's heads if Alabaster wasn't spared: Such a mystery it is, hmm?

currently thanking my photography class for giving me the motivation to whip out my camera and actually use it

without the text, without the glow effects and the base photo v

Isn’t it kinda ironic how Chalice of the Gods is about embracing old age while Percy hasn’t aged in like a decade?

honestly every book/series in the riordanverse would be so much better with Alabaster in it

pjo? He’s an antagonist! Put him with Ethan and he’ll fit right in

Hoo? Put him in that one scene with Hecate and Hazel! Lamia already said Gaia wanted him dead so it’s perfect

Toa? He bullies Apollo in Dark prophecy, becomes best buddies with Lityerses, gets offered a place at the Waystation but ends up choosing to live with Claymore instead (character development opportunity!)

KC? He can do magic! Have him get adopted by Bast for a bit it’ll be great

Mcga? He can do magic! Have him bond with Hearth while they cry over their dead siblings!

Tsats? He literally has a spell that can send a monster to Tartarus and they cannot return after he uses it. It’s. Perfect. (He’s also 100% queer so he fits right in)

cotg? Make him an antagonist! He’s doing some shit for his mom and decides to fuck over Percy and co for shits and giggles

wottg? Richard Riordan. You have called this book ‘Wrath of the Triple Goddess.’ You have explicitly stated that Hecate will be in it. If you do not at least mention Alabaster I swear to every single deity…

As a Hellenist, I've recently noticed a trend among various PJO fanfictions which in the big scheme of things isn't a huge deal but something I wanted to set right. And it's to do with Poseidon.

(EDIT: By Hellenist, I am referring to my degree in Classical Studies and Ancient History. I am not referring to Hellenic Polytheism.)

@percabeth4life - ATLOP: Trial By Fire, c. May 2020

@izzymrdb - And I Will Swallow My Pride (In the hopes of a final goodbye), c. August 2020

visiblyuncomfortabl - My Soul Opposes Fate, c. December 2021

@mrthology - Long Ago, That Current Caught Us, c. April 2022

@ditesfavorite - Child Surprise, c. 2022

I couldn’t find any earlier examples, but starting with IzzyMRDB’s fic, several fics make reference to Poseidon possessing a gift of prophecy or, in the case of percabeth4life’s fic, suggest that there was some sort of abundant connection between oracles and the sea. And it’s simply not true.

Poseidon has variously been associated with or considered a god of: the sea (Hom. Il. xv. 184), earthquakes (Hom. Il. xv. 190), and horses (Hom. Il. xxiii. 307), along with being referred to by various epithets connecting him to springs (Κρηνούχος), seaweed (Φύκιος) and bulls (Tαύρειος). He has never, in any primary text, been referred to as having any connection to prophecy himself.

He has, however, been attributed as the father of beings with various connections to prophecy. In some traditions the Greek sea-god Proteus, described as tending Poseidon’s seal flock by Homer (Od. iv. 365), is instead described as a son of Poseidon and king of Egypt (Apollod. ii. 5). Further, the Delphic Sybil Herophile (a prophetess) ordinarily considered the daughter of Zeus and Lamia (Pausanias 10.12.2; which also describes Lamia as a daughter of Poseidon) has been conflated with a sea-nymph daughter of Poseidon and Aphrodite bearing the same name by Scholiast (on Pindar’s Pythian Ode 8.24) which was carried over by Riordan who subsequently conflated Herophile with the Erythraean Sibyl in the Trials of Apollo series.

So, yeah. Obviously, fanfic writers don’t have to stick to historical/mythological accuracy in their works, but something I found equally strange and hilarious while reading these fics was how this particular connection between Poseidon and prophecy kept popping up. I have no idea how it’s happened, but if any of the authors (or others in the fandom) do have an interest in accuracy, keep in mind in the future that there is no direct evidence of Poseidon himself having any connection to prophecy. Even taking Proteus (and arguably Herophile) into account, that’s only one or two children of well over 30 attributed offspring who have been described with any connection to prophecy at all, which statistically doesn’t point to their existence being evidence of their prophetic gift having anything to do with their father.

I had a thought after reading your Child of Hera demigod hcs, I feel like Hebe would take her demigod half-sibling to the Garden of Hesperides to protect them from Lamia, what do you think?

Aforementioned Child of Hera Headcanons: [LINK]

I think it could work but there are a few things to consider if you want this to work within the PJO universe and ‘canon’ plotline: 

PRE-(SECOND) TITAN WAR: I don’t think it would work as well as you might think in this timeline as the canon plot of the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympian series starts. This is because in the 3rd book “The Titan’s Curse”, we see the Garden of Hesperides; where Zoe Nightshade and Percy have to get past the garden and the Hesperides and Ladon to get to Annabeth, Artemis, and fight Atlas. I could see it being a plot point where if Hebe did indeed take Hera-Demigod to the Garden, where its all good for a bit, but until the wars begins to form and either the Hera-demigod is threatened by the Titans and Luke; either manipulated to join them against the gods, kidnapped and held hostage, and etc. It could be another plot point adding in that Luke would notice the Hera-demigod when he went to pick the golden apples from the quest by Hermes. He would be surprised like anyone that Hera would have a demigod but also furious/jealous that why does the Hera-demigod get to be taken by their godly sibling and sheltered in the Garden of Hesperides from the monsters while everyone other demigod is forgotten and left to fight/die by the monsters. I can also see this being used as fuel for Luke to convince the unclaimed demigods about how unfair the gods are and potentially, make the other children angry at the gods and the Hera-demigod for the clear favouritism. The children of Hebe, those who were unclaimed then and those later would still feel bitter at Hebe and Hera-demigod even more-so. If the Hera-demigod hasn’t run-away due to the dangers and Lamia hot on her heels after learning after her location from the war, I can see the child of Hera either being a quest to be rescued and escorted to camp or where they have to fight their way to safety to either camps. The Hesperides would’ve been forced to let go the child of Hera from their protection and care either by Atlas, Luke, the Titan army, etc, either way. 

POST TITAN WAR: The part where the children of Hebe being bitter at Hebe and the Hera-demigod would still be relevant; regardless Hebe brought her mortal sibling on her own accord or on the command of Hera. Cause, regardless of the time it takes place, the animosity would still apply. There’s also the addition that while the child of Hera may not be officially part of the “Big Three”, they’re still around that level and just as dangerous and powerful. So there’s a big plot point of why the Hera-demigod is allowed to be sheltered at the Garden and being the exception and everyone’s emotions to it. However long they may be there for, they can’t stay there forever. Whether it’s because of the age and the Garden unable to protect them much longer, the Titans, or what have you, they still have to get to Camp to properly learn, be safe, and most importantly, be able to live. Even Lupa couldn’t/wouldn’t keep any of the child Demigods in their care for that long before they have to set foot outside. So again with the Quest thing where certain heroes have to rescue/escort the Hera-demigod to Camp, facing Lamia, and etc. There’s also the whole thing to consider where they were for the whole Second Giant War; especially with the whole involvement of Hera/Juno with Percy and Jason, Frank Zhang and his life tied to the stick of wood, etc etc.

Overall, it’s a good premise and opens up to a lot of fanfic if people ever so desired to write it. If I was in a position to write a long fanfic about it, I would go about it either way. The Hera-demigod would still function as a hero that Hera would have to use in her quests and stuff, so I don’t think keeping them in the Garden could be a long term thing anyways. There’s also the addition that the child of Hera won’t be alone in either pre- or post-titan war; because if Zoe Nightshade is added in as one of the Hesperides, then I don’t see why not have another Hesperides around that goes on to accompany/protect the Hera-demigod because they got attached. There are a whole lists of variations of the named Hesperides and how many they are, so you have your pick of names.

Thanks for the lovely idea and the ask!

I'm so confused- do monsters exist in the AB universe? or do they not chase demigods (namely percy lol)? or do they sense her butPoseidon's aura protects her? also sorry if this is wonky, my space key has pretty much stopped working :'<

they do but they don't go after percy

i explained it in an earlier chapter but the reason monsters in pjo go after demigods is because of lamia. she casted a spell that "allow all the monsters in the world to sense the taint of half-bloods, so that they could always be found. Lamia did it out of spite so that Hera would finally understand her pain of losing her children after so many demigods have been killed"

(naturally, that spell was pointless because hera never cared for demigods in any way so demigods are suffering for nothing 😐)

lamia's curse only works on the monsters of the pjo universe, not ror

Who is Alabaster? I'm not new to pjo, he just popped up on my dash once and I've never been able to escape. WHO IS HE?!

-Confused anon

Alabaster, or full name Alabaster C. Torrington, is a son of Hecate (her best), a nerd and a soldier smushed into one. He is the protagonist of Son of Magic, a oneshot by Haley Riordan (Rick's son) in the Demigod Diaries book. The story takes place after The Last Olympian and before Heroes of Olympus, following Alabaster and Claymore - a mortal professor - through their fight against Lamia, another monster (sort of) child of Hecate who's quite hellbent on murdering Alabaster.

He was actually a commander in the Titan Army. So you can tell that the potentials are limitless if you're interested in something other than, well, heroes. The story is also kinda more mature than the mainstream books, i'm talking guns and massacres and stuff... It's a good read though, if you don't mind a different narrative.

But again maybe don't try if you're a loyal fan of Percy because Alabaster hates Percy's guts LMAO.

I am intrigued by Hecate, can you tell us more about her (the Hecate of the books) as a parent and character?

Well, Hecate is a fairly minor character in the series, but sure!

The thing about Hecate is that she's important enough to have a Giant that opposes her, but not important enough to be considered more than a minor goddess. This, obviously pisses her off, and she sided with the Titans during PJO.

Yet, it doesn't feel that selfish compared to other gods asking for recognition, because part of her motivation in getting recognized is that her children get recognized too. In Son of Magic, she's shown mourning her children who died in the war, and she refuses to let Alabaster and Lamia kill each other because both are her children. In a way, she didn't side with Kronos, she sided with Luke, if that makes sense.

When we meet her again in House of Hades, we see that she's very into letting people choose their path. She's the goddess of Crossroads, and she takes on a mentor role to Hazel as she awakens to her magic. She's a huge believer in Power having good and bad applications, she's there to teach others how to use it, but it's up to them to use it responsibly (it was her who taught Marie Levesque how to summon Pluto).

We see very little of her, but what we see shows us a rebel, a loving parent, and a Neutral Good mentor figure, and that's such a rare treat.

PJO Headcanon: Ciel Ambrose Silverstein Foes List

Gods:

Ares

Zeus

Apollo

Demigods:

Alabaster C. Torrington (Son of Hecate)

Silen Vasilka (Son of Herakles)

Mortals:

The Corybin Family

Monsters:

Lamia

The St. Augustine Butcher (Chimera)

Miss Crow (Lycanthrope)

Nidhogg

Paddie the Recruiting Cheerleader(Empousa)

Riordan Characters That Deserve More Attention

 - Alabaster C. Torrington. Do ANY OF Y’ALL remember this child? Son of Hecate that fought for Kronos? Introduced by Haley, Ricks’s SON?? From Son of Magic in the Demigod Diaries???? I need to know what happened to him! Actually, I need to know what happened to EVERY character in Son of Magic because I haven’t seen it addressed ANYWHERE. How are he and Claymore doing??? Claymore DIED and hangs out with the kid now what are they up to? Who even was Hecate praying to? Gaia? Some other deity? Did Al here ever find peace and return to Camp? Did he decide to become a neutral party that acts for what he thinks is right like some kind of vigilante? Is he ALIVE??? What about mistforms? We don’t hear much about them later. Burly Black too.

- Halcyon Green. On the subject of the Demigod Diaries, why doesn’t anyone talk about Hal? The cursed son of Apollo doomed to live in his childhood home with voice emulating monsters for the crime of trying to help a girl? His story is literally the one that introduced Annabeth to Thalia and Luke! What about Zeus’s magic nursing goat Amaltheia??? Did Luke and Thalia ever talk about Hal when Luke would try to bring her to Kronos’s side???

-The ENTIRETY OF KANE CHRONICLES. Y’all are SLEEPING on this series. Rick’s first really racially diverse book series and y’all SLEEP on it. Do y’all remember Jaz? Cleo? Felix? Bes?

-Gleeson Hedge?? I don’t see people talking about him much. Especially his FAMILY. Mellie? Chuck? Who are they?? Fandom doesn’t seem to know

-Tristan McLean. Yeah people add him in fics and stuff to explain why Piper knows certain people or whatever, but does anyone actually talk about what happened to him in The Lost Hero? Or the literal conspiracy against him by his whole company that made the circumstances for him and Piper to have to leave?

- Buford the Wondertable! Leo’s lovely little mechanical table that ran away because he wasn’t treated to his favorite cleaner! What an amazing little thing but you don’t see him in fanart and I feel sad for him so sue me.

-Leo. I know I know the fandom is OBSESSED with this wonderful science child but HEAR ME OUT. Y’all focus too much on how sad and traumatized he is and make the joke about him being slow in situations. Don’t get me wrong his trauma shouldn’t be minimized and it’s important but that is NOT his whole character. He could solve COLLEGE-LEVEL equations in like third grade. He pranked a nurse by making something to scare her out of the display at the doctor’s office. He stopped Camp-Half Blood from blowing up. He repaired Festus. He BUILT the ARGO II. He created it from a DRAWING of a ship he made when he was stull in Primary School. It isn’t fair to his character to reduce him to making fun of Frank, playing pranks and being sad.

- The Zhangs. Come ON guys the Zhang family history is literally so interesting if anyone bothered to look. Frank’s descended from Periclymenus, the Prince of Pylos who joined the Argonauts as their resident shapeshifter! That’s like, pretty huge dude. Also the Kane siblings were descended from Narmer, the first Pharaoh of Unified Egypt; and Ramses II. Again, HUGE DEAL. They have some of the most important ancestry EVER. The Chases are descended from Swedish Kings. No, I’m not going to get over the fact that these histories are ignored.

- Meg’s other siblings. Look at these KIDS! They’ve been manipulated, controlled and abused their ENTIRE LIVES. I sincerely want more love for them. I want to adopt them. They deserve a loving home. I like the “Gardening with Meg” thing. They deserve to have their lives returned to them.

This is all I can think of at the moment but feel free to add more. I know I missed a bunch.

au where gaea revives ethan perhaps could also be an au where lamia kills al bc god knows those two arent allowed to be together rip

Ok ok but imagine

Ethan is just out of the Underworld and he is trying to find Al. He comes as close as Keeseville. People are panicking. A cafe was burned down along with it's owner. A famous author, who is a suspect for the arson at the cafe mind you, is missing. Ethan finds the cul-de-sac Al lives in.

The door of the last house is broken. There's lightning marks on the ground. Everything in the house is torn down. There's a middle aged man slashed open on the stairs.

Ethan finds Alabaster in his bedroom, clutching a burnt spellbook, barely conscious and has claw marks all over his body. He dies right in front of Ethan's eyes.

i love how lamia was literally trying to kill alabaster and he was absolutely done with her shit

"Unfortunately, my mistress doesn’t trust you. She doesn’t want you alive to interfere.” “You and your mistress can go to Tartarus for all I care!”

“I don’t bother reading about worthless monsters like you!”

Lamia: I will make you sorry you were ever born!

Alabaster: For your information, I’m already sorry I was ever born!

Alabaster getting introduced in the Disney+ show < Alabaster getting introduced in the Disney+ show to the theme song of Wizards of Waverly place while he's doing mist tricks.

okay so lamia’s whole magic spell shit makes it so that children of the gods have a distinct smell that monsters can identify and track even over large distances. but. hecate isn’t technically a goddess. she’s a titaness. sooooo basically what i’m saying is hecate children don’t get tracked as easily by monsters and also they get internet privileges and nobody else does lol rekt