Leo stood before his friends, holding up a manga cover with a grin.
Leo: "So, have you guys heard of this manga?"
Annabeth glanced at the cover, her expression unreadable.
Annabeth: "Depends."
Leo flipped the cover to reveal the title: Record of Ragnarok.
Leo: "This one."
Before anyone could respond, the entire camp seemed to materialize around them, each camper donning armor and forming a shield wall.
Leo: "Wait, why is everyone wearing armor?"
Suddenly, a surge of divine energy from every god struck Leo simultaneously. He collapsed but quickly recovered, groaning.
Percy: "Leo, the one thing the gods can agree on is that they all hate Record of Ragnarok."
Leo, still dazed, looked around at the armored campers.
Leo: "I guess I should've done more research before bringing it up."
Leo, still recovering from the divine onslaught, picked himself up off the ground with a groan. His usual energy was a little more subdued as he glanced around at the scattered armor-wearing campers. Everyone was staring at him, waiting for an explanation.
Leo: "Okay, okay, I get it. Bad idea. But seriously, why do the gods hate Record of Ragnarok so much?"
Percy, standing with his arms crossed, sighed. He looked at Annabeth, who had already closed her eyes, as if bracing for a lecture. Then, he turned back to Leo.
Percy: "It's not just the gods. It's like, everyone who knows about it. It... It kind of portrays the gods as these huge, egotistical jerks."
Annabeth: "And that's being polite. Have you seen how they're all drawn? They're supposed to be these grand, perfect deities, but in Record of Ragnarok, they're like glorified villains."
Leo: "But... it's so cool. The battles between gods and humans are insane! How do you not like it?"
Percy: "We like it, but the gods? They're not thrilled about it. Imagine a manga where you're constantly portrayed as some overpowered show-off who can't even get a basic fight without looking like a drama queen."
Annabeth: "And the whole 'humans vs gods' thing? That's just... well, the gods don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to being fair, do they?"
Leo: sighing "Alright, alright, I get it. I just wanted to bring something cool to camp, but apparently, that was a mistake."
Annabeth gave him an amused look before pulling out a scroll from her bag.
Annabeth: "Well, since you're so curious, here's a fun fact for you: the gods didn't just get mad about their portrayal in that manga. They also hate that it shows them fighting for nothing... they don't want to be seen like they're... competing for anything."
Leo: "Oh, so they don't like their godly egos being poked at? Got it. So... are we talking Zeus-level temper tantrum or just regular divine annoyance?"
Percy: "It's a mix of both. Let's just say... we're not really on the gods' good side right now."
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the air, and the sky darkened momentarily as if something... or someone was about to strike again. The campers all immediately braced, looking skyward.
Zeus' voice echoed from above.
Zeus: "LEO VALDEZ, YOU DARE MOCK THE GODS WITH THIS... 'MANGA'?!"
Leo: groaning "Oh come on! I didn't mean it! I thought it was just a fun read!"
There was a tense silence for a few moments. Then, from behind, a few campers chuckled softly, and the storm cloud above them dissipated, leaving the air clear once again.
Annabeth: smirking "Looks like you've made your point, Leo."
Leo: sighing dramatically "Yeah, yeah... maybe next time I'll just stick to something simple, like DIY fireworks."
Percy: "Now you're talking. At least the gods don't hate your fireworks... right?"
Leo: grinning mischievously "Give it time."
Nico, crossing his arms and leaning against a pillar, gave a dry, unimpressed look.
Nico: "As my dad, Hades, put it... no god will ever want to destroy humanity. The gods may have egos, but even the gods that supposedly love humanity in this story hate humanity. All gods are stupid. They need humanity to exist in the first place."
He paused for a moment, looking around at the others who were listening intently.
Nico: "And let's talk about the sheer amount of mythological mistakes made in Record of Ragnarok. If a god were to actually read that, they'd have a heart attack. The story is a mess, with characters who are supposed to be iconic figures getting twisted into... whatever that is."
Leo, who was now leaning on a nearby workbench, raised an eyebrow.
Leo: "Yeah, but it's fun. The fights are pretty epic."
Nico: "Fun doesn't mean it makes sense, Leo. You can't just ignore centuries of mythology and slap whatever fits into a story for the sake of drama."
Percy, who had been quietly listening, chimed in, trying to lighten the mood.
Percy: "He's got a point, though. If the gods were ever really that pissed off at humanity, we'd be dealing with a civil war, not a tournament."
Annabeth, who had been thoughtfully listening, nodded in agreement.
Annabeth: "Exactly. That's the one thing I can't stand about that manga—the lack of logical consequence. If the gods really were mad enough to want to annihilate humanity, they'd be fighting each other over how to do it, not putting on some grandiose tournament. Zeus and the others have a history of short tempers and squabbling over the smallest things."
Nico, slightly pleased by their agreement, shrugged nonchalantly.
Nico: "Exactly. It would be a civil war. The gods can't even agree on basic things, and now they're supposed to have one united cause? Please. It's an insult to every single piece of mythology I've ever learned."
Leo: "I get it. It's like... they just took what sounded cool and ran with it. No research, no consistency, just 'let's throw gods and humans into a ring and see what happens.'"
Percy, nudging Leo with a grin: "As much as we all enjoy an epic fight, it's hard to ignore the glaring plot holes. You know, like how humanity is supposed to be the bad guy, but in reality, the gods are kind of the ones who keep messing everything up."
Nico, finally uncrossing his arms, shook his head with a sigh.
Nico: "That's exactly it. It's like everyone forgot that the gods need humanity to exist. Without us, they're just... well, glorified statues. They can fight and argue all they want, but if humanity ever just stopped existing, they'd be out of a job."
Annabeth, clearly amused by the sudden rant, gave Nico a small smile.
Annabeth: "You know, Nico, you should really be careful. If the gods ever hear you say that, they might just throw you into the next 'tournament.'"
Nico, smirking slightly, responded dryly.
Nico: "Please. I've been through worse. I'll be fine."
Leo, chuckling under his breath: "I think we all would be, if the gods stopped trying to outdo each other for once."
Percy: "Yeah, but until that happens, we'll just keep pointing out how absurd Record of Ragnarok is. It's kind of like a game at this point."
Nico: "Well, I guess there's one thing it's good for... entertainment. Just don't ask me to ever defend it. I've got better things to do with my time."
Leo: "Yeah, like building something that might actually survive a godly temper tantrum, right?"
Nico: "Exactly. Keep your explosions to the practical side, Leo."
Annabeth, shaking her head but smiling, added: "I think that's a good note to end on. No more Record of Ragnarok discussions for now."
Nico, with a final shrug, turned to leave the group.
Nico: "I'm going to go shadow travel somewhere. Preferably somewhere where I won't get dragged into another ridiculous argument about gods and their egos."
Percy: "Take care, Nico. And don't end up in another random universe this time, alright?"
Nico, grinning slightly, vanished into a shadow with a quiet "No promises."
The End of Story 10