The Trade AU
is a series of fanfics based on Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023) with elements from The Camp Half-Blood Series by Triscribe.
Sally Jackson is gone, but Thalia Grace is alive. Percy Jackson arrives at Camp Half-Blood five years early. For better or for worse, things are going to change.
Tropes
- Adaptational Badass: Percy to an extent, since he starts training at seven years old instead of twelve.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul:
- Instead of the Vitriolic Best Buds relationship they had in canon, because they first meet when Percy is seven and Thalia is twelve, she's more of a Cool Big Sis to the younger demigod.
- The relationship between Zeus and Poseidon is even more strained than in canon due to Zeus' (attempted) killing of Sally.
- While Thalia and Zeus were not close in canon, she is shown more than once to appreciate his praise. Because of the changed circumstances, and because he killed Percy's mother, she outright despises him and refuses to sleep in his cabin.
- While Percy and Poseidon are mostly on positive terms with each other in canon, they have a far stronger bond here. This is due to both Percy meeting his father when he was much younger and Poseidon interceding much more directly to help his son.
- In canon, Thalia and Hera both disliked each other. Hera took Jason away, and Thalia is the byproduct of one of Zeus' numerous infidelities. While they're still not exactly on friendly terms, because of Thalia's continued defiance of Zeus Hera's taken an interest in Thalia and offers her (and Percy) her protection which Thalia accepts.
- While it can be assumed Luke and Beckendorf knew each other in canon, here he is a close enough friend to be invited on Luke's quest for the golden apple, something never suggested in canon.
- Age Lift: Because she was turned into a tree and then later became a Huntress of Artemis, Thalia will always be one day away from turning sixteen. Here she turns sixteen without incident.
- Big Brother Instinct: While she would protest being called their sister, she insists she's only Jason's sister, Thalia is very driven to protect Annabeth and Percy.
- Closest Thing We Got: Sally wanted Percy to have a normal upbringing for as long as possible. Unfortunately, Zeus killed her and Percy had a close encounter with a monster years earlier than he did in canon. Living at Camp Half-Blood isn't a normal upbringing, but considering the alternatives are leaving him to be killed by Zeus or a monster or taking him to his palace under the sea and raising him there it's the best Poseidon can do.
- Everyone Has Standards: Thalia despises her father, but this is not enough for her to turn on Olympus as a whole. There are Olympians she's on good terms with after all and trying to burn them and the world down with Zeus would be way too far to her.
- Good Parents: Because events force him to intervene much more directly, it is even more apparent that Poseidon is this. Thalia is continually surprised by just how much care he shows for Percy.
- In Spite of a Nail:
- Despite Thalia living Luke will still ultimately join Kronos. Justified because not only did he still experience the same traumatic childhood as in canon, he spent a month thinking she had died in the ocean after Poseidon had vowed that if they got safely to camp, neither she, Luke himself, Annabeth, or Grover would ever need fear the seas again, and it looked like he had broken his promise.
- Hades still saves Sally from dying by abducting her soul when it's on the brink of death, even though it was because of a lightning strike. He had intended to return her to the world of the living almost immediately, but things spiraled out of control and she was with him so long that returning her for no reason would cause too much of a stir.
- Keeping Secrets Sucks: Poseidon feels that way while Thalia is hiding out Ogygia. The gods know she's alive, but are keeping her hidden there for her own safety. His son is hurting because Thalia is missing and presumed dead, and while he believes his father kept his promise and saved her - in fairness he's right - no one will believe him.
- Point of Divergence: Percy runs away from his mom at the diner where she tries to convince him he has to go to Yancy Academy. Sally and Poseidon go looking for him, but unfortunately this draws Zeus' attention and he attempts to kill Sally with lightning. This means Percy will have to go to Camp Half-Blood despite Sally's wishes, and as such Poseidon asks Thalia (Luke, Grover, and Annabeth are mostly a side bonus) to get him safely to camp, knowing that Zeus won't target his son as long as he's with Thalia.
- Because Poseidon is able to give them better directions, they're able to make it to Camp Half-Blood safely and Thalia lives.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Thalia lives because Poseidon helps them get to camp more easily.
- You Remind Me of X: The way Sally was killed by Zeus' lightning bolt reminds Hades of Maria di Angelo and how she died.
