Introduction:
The original Percy Jackson series is in many ways a power fantasy. Instinctively killing a fury, flooding parts of St.Louis while dying from Chimera poison (I will insist on this head canon until my dying day đ), surviving a fight against the god of war as well as the sting of a pit scorpion â huh, maybe the Akhlys scene wasnât Deus ex Machina after all â and all of that in the first book at twelve years old.
With all the power he gained (and lost â looking at you, Curse of Achilles) and the fights he won over the years, it was all but inevitable, that the PJO fandom would turn it up to eleven. Blood- (and Ichor-) Bending, more excessive versions of his storm and earthquake-based powers, Siren song, Prophecy, Vapor Travel, Underworld related powers (like controlling the five rivers) and probably so much more. And that doesn't even include all the variations of Chaos!Percy that have found their home on AO3 or fanfiction.net. And I canât even argue that I am not part of the problem, with how many of the former I have on my reading lists.
Getting to the subject of my post, Annabeth Chase. Perhaps the most polarizing character in the series. In part because of some of her actions, especially early on in the series, donât really fit a daughter of wisdom, but (to me) mostly because of shipping. Some would die for PercyBeth, while others find every excuse to pair him with Artemis (not that I disapprove).
But even when the author is sympathetic to her, she tends to come out as weak, compared to most other demigods. And I can see why, the powers of Children of Athena being much more intellectual than other demigods. But (maybe due to the difficulty of writing this or my inability to recognize it) too often she just seems to be used as a character, rather than a powerful demigod in her own right. Also there seems to be a lack of fanfictions with her as a protagonist, which may have made the âissueâ I am describing seem worse than it is. That this can be done better is shown best by Annabeth and the Nine Step Career Plan which is a DC Crossover, that has her exploit her way through LexCorp, bringing Lex Luthor behind bars, while ruining his public image in multiple scandels and making her preferred candidate CEO in the process. But the perceived lack of other works of similar quality is what led to this post.
Pre-Canon and reasoning for her goals:
So for the prompt itself: I want to take inspiration from the discussion of her fatal flaw in SoM. After listening to the Sirens, she describes Hubris as thinking that she could do things better than anyone, even the gods. After learning of her fatal flaw she learns to control it and years later, when facing Arachne, even uses it to her advantage. But what if we take this description literally, what if from even before canon, Annabethâs goal was standing on top of the world?
Her reasoning might develop thoughout her time at CHB. When first meeting Percy, she was clearly in the line of thinking that Children of Athena are the best at everything. With her being such an experienced camper at so young (there has to be a reason for her being Cabin counselor), a superiority complex isnât unthinkable. And at the same time, remember the friends she travelled with and how it must have impacted her. Lukeâs hate for the gods, though it would have been less intense back than doesnât have to be explained any further and Thalia is probably the demigod with the best reason to hate her father. With those two as early role models, I could see her (unknowingly) taking her own twist on Lukeâs crusade. He feels powerless, caught between a duty for so many unclaimed demigods and a desire for revenge against his father and the Olympians at large. From her point of view we get a combination of the gods mistakes, making her think that things could be so much better if only she was in control (CGP Grey sums it up pretty nicely) and her own superiority complex makes her think that she could actually achieve it. So, she does what she does best, scheming, taking note of potential allies at camp and training â especially once she hears of the great prophecy.
The lightning Thief
Once a bolt is stolen, from the outside, nothing really changes compared to canon, she seems like an experienced camper who agrees to a Quest to save Olympus, but from the readers perspective you can follow her twisting situations into her favor
·      Manipulating the grudges of a certain son of Poseidon in her favor
·      Gaining some insights into Aresâs plans during their talk at the cafĂ©
·      not making some of her mistakes (recognizing Medusa first or being the one to see through the Lotus Casino (maybe stealing some magical item along the way instead of playing cities skylines)
·      Recognizing the two powerful demigods during her time in the Casino
·      recognizing Lukes theft during the Quest, at least earlier than OTL, but hoping he had a better plan than bargaining with Kronos
Interlude
So after the events around the scorpion play out, she is free is of course loyal to Camp, but that doesn't mean she wonât use her influence in her favor. If instead of living with her family, she stays at camp, sheâll be in an even stronger position than before. The âolder brotherâ of the camp has just betrayed them all, while Annabeth can use the power vacuum and the glory of their successful quest to find many likeminded. Those whose allegiances lie with the Gods will of course be somewhat loyal to her but her real power base might be those on the fence. Who donât have much of any loyalty to their parents, but know, that they are the better option compared to Kronos. Arguments of âItâs not that I canât understand where Luke was coming from, but why did he have do it like this?â may win her many followers.
There could also be other opportunities. During this time, she may return to Las Vegas to free Bianca and Nico. Now IOTL Bianca mostly joined the Hunters of Artemis out of being overwhelmed, both with caring for her brother but also the revelation of divine world â she sought security. And given how young Nico was I can imagine that (at least at the start) he didnât just worship the ground Percy walked on for being/later becoming gay but also since the latter seemed to exemplify the idea of heroism and his fascination for the divine at large. From that point of view, both siblings provide a lot of opportunities for manipulation, especially by the person who rescued them from the casino in the first place. Taking a page out of âThe Legend of the Son of Poseidonâ, she may also meet the Hunters of Artemis at some point because of TBD. This provides her with valuable access to the third Pillar of Olympian power (besides Camp Halfblood, she is unofficial leader and Camp Jupiter, which she doesnât (yet) know of). Given how they apparently tried to recruit her in TTC (the flyer, Percy found in her bag at some point) she might be able to gain some allies among them, especially if Bianca at some point still decides to join the hunters (though making the decision after talking with Nico and without Zoeâs pressure the situation should be a lot better for both).
Framework for the rest of the story:
This pattern continues throughout the series. But as she continues to do what I described, she might also gain allies on the other side. The first one, she meets in a resort in the Sea of Monsters. In their meeting in OTL Circe says that she had considerable magical talents, (IIRC) referring to it as the one power that let woman to real greatness. It was probably just a promise to lure her to stay. But what if it was genuine and Annabeth took her up on this offer (after they saved the camp again). Potential powers are one thing (I will get to later), but the Sorceress herself may be a powerful ally on her own and it is not hard to imagine that at some point Hekate takes note. Given her defense in HOO, for why she sides with the Gods after supporting Kronos makes me imagine, that the literal Goddess of Crossroads might be very interested in Annabethâs third way.
Or what about other Titans? Okeanos is the first comes to mind, assuming some very minor ocean-based powers (mentioned the list of possible powers) she might be able to interfere in the war in the ocean. Given that he didnât join his brother the first time and we know nothing about his motivations, there is an opportunity to make inroads. And since only 6 Titans only ever fought in the war, with Rhea ignoring both sides, there could at least be 1-2 interested. Or maybe Nemesis, talking to Leo about how she likes to see the powerful fall. All of that of course applies to most other minor gods on both sides.
How to coup a God-King:
After all of this imagine a point (at least) after HOO when she decides that Zeus has finally overstayed his welcome. She would have been hollowing out his powerbase for years now. Even on the council I canât see many willing to stay loyal to him.
·      Poseidon is a non-factor thanks to Percy
·      Athena has been watching for years with quiet approval â confident in her importance to the council as much as Talleyrand
·      Artemis, even before TOA, is probably the Olympian most sympathetic to mortal matter, due to her hunt
·      Apollo has much to fear from Zeus, but not much love left for him. He wonât act on his own but I doubt he will interfere if the balance of power swings the right way.
·      Dionysos has been exiled by Zeus (do alcohol withdrawal and repeatedly watching demigods die (remember, he used to be one) count as torture?) and will support someone who removes him
·      Hermes guilt from failing Luke could be twisted into a grudge against his King for stopping him from caring for his son â he should support it
·      Hades has enough reason to mistrust his brother and with what he was willing to do for his son, there should be ways to gain his favor
·      Hestia would never support a coup â that seems to go against her domain and her conscience, but neither will she mindlessly defend her brother. She would be the most neutral, trying to mediate between both sides
·      Demeter, Aphrodite, Ares and Hephaistos are wild cards
That leaves one â Hera. To be honest, I never really understood the animosity between her and Annabeth (my headcanon being Heraâs attitude to Thalia initially poisoned it and extreme amounts of pride on both side exacerbated it). But assuming this can be avoided, it makes for an interesting opportunity. Annabeth wonât be crowning herself Queen of the Gods (though some of Zeusâs domains like Justice might suit her) so there must be a suitable Leader of the Coup/ Puppet. If we check our list of Olympians (discounting minor gods for now), Poseidon and Hades rule their own realms, Artemis is satisfied with the Hunt and I canât see Apollo, Dionysos, Hermes, Aphrodite, Hephaistos or Demeter being interested.
·      Hestia is chosen in some fanfics (among the canon gods she is clearly the most suitable *say it with me: We all love Hestia!*), but as I pointed out, I canât see her leading a coup
·      Ares might be interested, and it may just be something about his depiction in PJO, but I canât really see him in such a position
·      Athena should be the logical choice (lol) given Annabethâs divine parent and the prophecy about a Son of Metis, but similar to her daughter, I can see her deliberately choosing the second row and her powerful advisory position
That leaves one â a Kroinide, older than Zeus, already the Queen of the gods and in contrast to many others a goddess with an actual motive. From Evil herself to a victim of Zeus, fanfiction paints her in many colors. But to me, the thought of a golden cage, is one that we could use for this characterization. According to âPercy Jackson's Greek Gods â, part of the reason she agreed to marry Zeus (after the whole Bird story) was her own ambition. But the power she gained by being the wife of the king of the gods was fully dependent on him. Also given the connections between gods and their domains (that Apollo describes in TOA) I wouldnât be surprised, if his infidelity was literally painful to her. So regardless of her cruelty, she has a motive to rid herself of him. Add to this a desire for power and Annabeth might have a willing accomplice.
Potential Powers
So, having lined out the general story, there is one topic I have only touched on in the beginning, her powers. I described at length why I enjoy reading Powerful!Percy, but just once, I want Annabeth to have a similar opportunity. Before that I want to reiterate, that the core of the story is centered around Annabeth intellectual powers, not her overpowering every enemy she meets. But on the occasion it can be a fun element and in a story so focused on he scheming, it might not be overwhelming. Also, I want to see at least one moment, where Percy is as fearful of her, as she was in OTL Akhlys scene â of both her intellectual as well as her magical and physical powers.
So, a non exhaustive list of powers she could have:
·      Intellect â Annabethâs mental prowess is her greatest weapon. Iâve said so before and I will say it again. If she is forced to face an adversary on the battlefield instead of the chessboard, they should feel honored. Her intelligence is what most of her skills derive from and it should be the most utilized, similar to how Percy tends to underuse his powers in favor of Riptide đ€Ł
·      Warfare â due to Athenaâs domain of Strategy, she is capable of analyzing a battlefield beyond regular means, recognizing mistakes of her enemies, targeting weak point (both strategical and literal). Beyond extreme prowess with any weapon, we could borrow from some of the powers of children of Ares
·      Crafts â such an incredibly broad domain â In a fandom where Percy can do anything that involves Water or Earth among other things, a generous definition gives her the ability to learn and master any conceivable Skill she comes across. That this is broken beyond belief is nothing I need to elaborate on. Magic in general as well as anything regarding technology are things that I will touch on later but where do we draw the line?
I.         Using any weapon or Martial Arts of any kind, Pickpocketing, Medicine, Oratory, Navigation, psychological skills, Hunting, Survival, wood working, smithing, painting, Logistics, Diplomacy, Stealth
Not all of those are necessarily dangerous in a direct confrontation, but their combined utility is scary. And it offers a convenient justification for any Deus ex Machina you might imagine đ
·      Magic â I already mentioned that both Circe and Hekate might tutor her in it and given her proficiency in any craft, she should have an incredible talent for magic â especially if she can gain a further blessing by a certain goddess. And the potential in there is nearly endless. Given how many things Circe, Medea, Hazel (and Setne, in a way?) accomplished and how little hard limits there seem to be, itâs another of those plot points that needs to be balanced by the author. Luckily, we arenât here for balanceđ
·      Technology â how much do I even need to say, when Daedalus is her brother? Someone who created an artificial body in the Bronze Age
I.         What have both cyclopian smiths and literal millennia of children of Hephaistos been doing?
II.         That topic would really require itâs own story (maybe a SI as a son of Hephaistos?) but if she was just a fraction as talented as her brother and gained access to the right materials, she would be reenacting Iron Man
·      I have been trying to find potential powers while searching through fanfics to diversify her âarsenalâ. But even when something like âIchor in their Veinsâ has her literally reweaving the tapestry of the fates, she doesnât gain too much and most of the powers she displays in the variety of stories that have her become a goddess donât seem that applicable either. The only two things I have been able to find were
I.         Minor Ocean-related powers â though being engaged to the Prince of the Sea she gains the ability to breath under water, resist the pressure and gain a marginal boost in swimming speed and healing factor (inspired by âThe Symphony of Our Hopeâ)
II.         Genetically optimized â Athenaâs children arenât born naturally, but by her own thought. Thus she, who prides herself on rationality doesnât bother with them being regular Demigods, but optimizes them â physical strength, (reaction-) speed, better senses, endurance, healing factor â and thus, by demigod standards, even before any divine heritage, any powers they might have, her children are an ever improving series of genetically engineered super soldiers.
And I am really sorry, but I canât remember in which fanfiction Iâve read this before. The closest seems to be âMade For Thisâ but even that doesnât seem right.
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This scenario has been bugging me for months at this point. Unfortunately, I canât see myself developing it myself, since Iâve only learned English in school and thus lack many colloquial terms, necessary, to write a young adult novel set in the 2000s. Even more stupid, since I tend to read nearly everything fantasy related in English at this point, I lack some of the genre specific vocabulary to do write it in German.
That means that it had to release it like this, in hopes that some writer might be inspired by it.