Lately I’ve noticed that a lot of Taylor Swift songs remind me of things or characters from the Percy Jackson universe. Is this just my Percy-Jackson-obsessed Swiftie brain making random connections? …Maybe. Read on to find out!
10. “the lakes”
Percy imagines a peaceful life for himself and Annabeth in New Rome after all the trauma they’ve experienced. He knows that the wounds they’ve accumulated will never go away, but they will begin to heal once the two settle down together. This dream may never come to fruition, but it keeps him going in his darkest hours.
9. “the last great american dynasty”
Percy was destined to destroy Olympus. Instead, he reformed it and garnered glory for defeating the Titans. The gods were bitter, especially about Percy forcing them to take responsibility for their demigod children. Basically, he “had a marvelous time ruining everything.”
8. “Castles Crumbling”
I see this song being from the point of view of Luke Castellan and Silena Beauregard after betraying Camp Half-Blood (no hate to my girl Silena). It’s a retrospect on the damage caused by their actions, especially to those they care about. Both of them were well-respected counselors who a lot of younger kids looked up to. I think this song is pretty much their inner monologues, as they sacrificed themselves to make up for their crimes. “I held that grudge ‘till it tore me apart” is Luke realizing his hatred for his father led him to destroy both the world and himself.
7. “The Archer”
Demigods are often both the “archers” and the “prey.” They’re constantly switching between these roles as they watch friends die and are raised on stories of heroes falling to tragic ends. They cling to each other to avoid the fates of their role models. The lyric, “All of my enemies started out friends, help me hold onto you” reminds me of Percy setting out to save other half-bloods from Kronos’s control after being betrayed by his own tragic role model, Luke.
6. “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
Dare I say the Annabeth Chase song. The first verse is her falling in love with Luke, having him not return those feelings (let’s not talk about his deathbed confession), and then betraying her. The second verse is about her desire to be recognized as a hero. She spent five years trying to prove herself worthy of a quest. Her fatal flaw, her pride, often causes her to refuse help when needed. The bridge is about how through the years she loses friends and siblings and experiences many traumas, but also makes new life-long friends, establishes herself as a leader, and builds an unbreakable romance. I like to think of this song as Annabeth reflecting on her life — as she possibly approaches her death — before venturing on her own to retrieve the Athena Parthenos.
5. “Long Live”
This one’s just about how all demigods are permanently trauma bonded and also about their tendency to persevere when they’re told something’s impossible.
4. “The Great War”
Percy and Annabeth always “reach for” each other, whether it be during the The Titan War or in Tartarus or every other life-or-death situation they’ve been in.
3. “State of Grace”
I put the acoustic version because it’s superior and you can’t tell me otherwise. This is the most Percabeth song to ever Percabeth. There are too many lyrics to pull because this whole song is just so them. They “never saw each other coming” and they “will never be the same.” They “learned to live with the pain…but this love is brave and wild.” Though, the most Percabeth lyric of them all is, “You’re my Achilles heel.” Percy literally thought of Annabeth while getting the Curse of Achilles. His fatal flaw is that he will do anything to protect the people he cares about. They’re each other’s greatest strength and greatest weakness.
2. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
Everyone. Everyone is afraid of Percy. This song highlights his frustration at being treated like a ticking time bomb because of the prophecy. He spent four years being targeted by the gods for being the possible downfall of Olympus. All that time, he was scared himself, doomed to die at only 16. He grew hardened over years of fighting for his life and the world. He’s still funny and compassionate but he also knows how to mess someone up. He fights on behalf of the gods yet he doesn’t hesitate to put them in their place. Percy is the most powerful, fearsome demigod alive because he’s been through a whole lot of sh*t. Don’t mess with Percy Jackson.
1. The Prophecy
The first time I heard this song, I immediately thought of PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians). I can see it being from any one of the character’s points of view. Percy was an outcast his whole life before coming to camp. All he wanted was to be accepted. Then, when he finally found a home and community, he learned that he’s destined to either save or destroy it. On top of that, he has only four years to enjoy it before his prophesied death, assuming he even lives that long.
Annabeth grew up playing second fiddle to her step-family. Treated like a freak in her own family, she set out on her own at just seven years old. She found family with Luke and Thalia, only for Thalia to fall in battle and Luke to betray her. Later, when she finally allows herself to become close to someone again, he’s fated to die in the near future. She literally wants someone “to change the prophecy.”
The main person I associate this song with, however, is Calypso. I’m only talking about the character of Calypso in PJO, not in the Odyssey or other Greek myths. She lives in forced solitude for centuries, sent a companion every once in a while just for them to leave shortly after. She’s destined to fall in love and be heartbroken over. And over. And over. She doesn’t want power or luxury or respect from the gods, she just wants someone to choose her, to “let it once be her.”