Board Thread:Percy Jackson & the Olympians/@comment-32674683-20170726163746/@comment-5896827-20170804222008

Keep in mind how Percy acted when he lost Annabeth in the Titan's Curse. Percy nearly has a panic attack and was going to be physically sick at the thought of Annabeth leaving him in that book to join the hunters. They share a dance and he has butterflies in his stomach. all he thinks about is rescueing her. He feels jealously towards her affections for Luke. Aphrodite explicitly states it's romantic. The relationship was not out of the left field.

Rachel, for him, while he had a crush on her, he did not like her as much as Annabeth. He really just liked her because she was a break from his demigod life. He hates being a demigod (pretty much stated in the very first paragraph of the first book). Rachel represents more of an escape from his hectic life than a real romantic partner. And for Rachel, Percy represented a doorway into the mythological world more than a romantic partner. She states as much.

Calypso... well, Percy might have been starting to get a crush on her. Though it seems small in comparison to the other two mentioned. Also, keep in mind the curse forces the people to fall in love. So, how legitimate is it?