Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1820614-20150708171935

In media, Zeus is usually portrayed as a prideful, selfish, hypocritical jerk. Yet usually is shown having a bit of a sympathetic side and is smart enough to recognize direct threats to his rule and take action.

Why is it then that the Riodan version of Zeus comes across as so....stupid? Incompetent to the point of suicidal? You have the first books where he ignores the Titan threat until it is too late. You have the second book series where he ignores the giant threat until it is too late. Yeah, Khione was whispering in his ear, but she admitted all she was doing was giving him a push into doing what he was already strongly considering.

Pretty much every scene with him or mention of him is was almost a contest on how he could possibly be made to look worse than the last mention. He is a failure in every way possible. He is wrong on every major issue. No one has any true respect for him outside of fear. And his few fatherly type moments are ruined by either his actions behind them or reverting to his butthole behavior the moment things do not go his way.

Did Riordan have to make him that incompenent due to storytelling necessity or do you think it was something else?  