Hi everyone! I know there’s not much to analyze on Drew, but I actually have a couple thoughts and opinions on her, and am curious to see what you guys think!
This is just my opinion, and if you have a different one, I would love to hear/read it in the comments :) Not pressure if you disagree, and I hope you enjoy this post!
Drew: Drew is a jerk. I’m not trying to defend her in this, because it’s a well-known fact that her character is a pretty one dimensional popular-girl-bully-type. But why? To make Piper feel like she didn’t belong the Aphrodite cabin? Probably. So Piper could explain how makeup and femininity make a person shallow? Probably. I just didn’t think that is was very beneficial to the story. I mean it was a great opportunity to have Piper meet a pretty, feminine half sister of her’s who was kind, welcoming, and shattered any generalizations of girls like that Piper might have had. Especially since she didn’t spend much time at CHB (unlike the Clarisse and Percy dynamic), Drew become sort of a grating reminder that being feminine and girly make you vain, and shallow, opposed to a more masculine, tomboy Piper, who proved herself to be “more than a pretty face”, or a daughter of Aphrodite. But of course Piper is also naturally beautiful, and very powerful for a daughter of Aphrodite. I can understand where this might have just been a device for showing Piper’s growth through TLH, or maybe how down-to-Earth she was for a child of a movie star and Aphrodite, but it just seemed like a big jumble of stereotypes to me. Drew is pretty and wears a lot of makeup, so obviously she’s the mean girl, Piper “isn’t like other girls”, so of course, she’s the sane one with the right idea. Not to mention how Drew is basically what everyone would expect from the Aphrodite cabin. I was annoyed when Piper figured feminine clothes and interests (as someone who likes those myself) immediately made you shallow and vain, and quickly judged all of her half-siblings to be so. But I was also annoyed when Drew seemingly proved her right. And ok, if Drew was necessary to the plot, couldn’t some of the other Aphrodite kids (other than Lacey and Micheal), be introduced? It sort of gave off the vibe that the cabin was nothing more than a bunch of Drews with only a few good kids. And the scene at the end of TLH where Piper threatens her? Did that make anyone else facepalm? I mean, sure Drew was a bully and should have been replaced, but the whole knife to the throat thing and protectiveness over Jason? Uh, hello Piper? You realize it’s not up to you what Jason wants, right?
Silena and Lacey: Silena is exactly who I would have wanted Piper to meet if she hadn’t been killed :( She sort of encompassed the good of the Aphrodite cabin. (This being said, it’s been a few years since I’ve read PJO... so if I’m remembering Silena a little differently than she was written, please let me know!) Although originally “charmed” by Luke and a spy for Kronos, Silena attempted to right her wrong, and was killed fighting for a cause she believed in. I’m sure she wasn’t taken seriously by Luke because of her looks and parentage, but she certainly enforced that she had strong willpower and sense of morality, as she ultimately gave up doing what was easier, and sacrificed her credibility to help out the right cause. Lacey, as I’m sure you can imagine, is not so complex. As one of the only girls in the cabin to befriend Piper, she showed a different side of the Aphrodite cabin, an insecure, quiet, and friendly side. I really don’t have any complaints about her. Although she isn’t really the same caliber as Drew and Silena (meaning confident, very girly, and “popular”). Not that there is anything wrong with that, because I know there are certainly people like Lacey out there. But both Silena and Drew (especially Drew) were/are flawed side characters. Silena, despite coming to her sense later, was easily taken advantage of, and Drew, is simply a stereotype.
Thats all for this post :) I’m so sorry, I feel like I come across as very rude in these posts, and honestly I mean no disrespect to Mr. Riordan (because he is a fantastic author), or any of you who might disagree! I’m just sharing what think of these characters. Thanks for reading :) Also, happy Canada Day to any fellow Canadians (including Frank Zhang) on the fandom!
