Rai (is hard to please) > Recent Status Updates

“I had a monster for a half-brother.”

Ok. Ow.

“They’re . . . mistakes, Percy. Children of nature spirits and gods . . . Well, one god in particular, usually . . . and they don’t always come out right. No one wants them. They get tossed aside.”

JC. Rick really captured how brutal preteens can be, didn’t he?

“A steely look of anger flared in my mother’s eyes, and I thought, just maybe, I was leaving her in good hands after all. Her own.”

“One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena’s temple, which is hugely disrespectful.”

I get that Uncle Rick didn’t want to drop the rape bomb in a middle grade book, but… it makes me nauseous to recontextualize Medusa’s SA in this way.

“Aphrodite’s sons and daughters I wasn’t too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped.”

Pay close attention, students… THIS is how bitches get smote up the ass like a corn dog cooked from the inside out.

“Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren’t very fond of Rome, either—America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here.”

… yep. Nope. Not gonna even try to unpack that one.

“We set out on this voyage with thirty-four. Now there are twenty-two. It is plenty to sail us home and plenty to shred my heart.”

“The sirens’ way of life is a beautiful, carefree existence, spent constantly in the presence of loved ones. Had I never lived as a human, I’m sure I would think it perfect. (…) I’ve seen more than perfection. (…) I cannot live my life without the human experiences I cherish so much.”

(…) “the realization that whether or not I call it what it is, that relationship between us is there. I only need to choose whether or not I want it.”

“That’s twice I’ve been honest with you, Alosa. Twice I’ve made myself vulnerable to you. That’s supposed to go both ways.”

“You”—deep breath—“you are a monster.”
“And you’ve made the monster angry. Start talking.”

“The siren is a strong creature. Stronger than any single man. When she finds her prey, she grips him by the shoulders and forces him down to the ocean’s bottom, where she has her way with him.”
Riden swallows. “How romantic.”
I cock my head. “Would you say it is any more terrible than the intentions of the men who started for them in the first place?”

“I’m afraid I don’t believe in luck. Just skill.”
“Sometimes I think they’re the same thing.”

1. Hmm… yes. Use dwindling siren powers to search for the map instead of killing your enemies AND THEN searching for the map. Genius.
2. Why did Theris not grab Riden? Hello, leverage?

“It’s a strange thing realizing all you need is to eat and drink and you will go on living. You don’t need to interact with others. You don’t need to move, run, walk. You really don’t even need to sleep. I can be trapped forever and go on living.”

“Turn out your pockets.”

Or… jump overboard? Miss half-siren.

“‘I’m going to show you something more magical than the stars.’
Oh yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. I can’t do this. I can’t stand to hear him talk anymore. He needs to shut his mouth.”

Me @ most men

“But they are all recent finds. Within the last five years or so.”

So you’re telling me Alosa was 12 and captaining a ship…. Ffs, why did we not age her up

“Sometimes I think him a coward. But not a coward by fear. A coward by choice. Which is worse?”

“He’s an ugly drunk because it takes away the pain. He has no desire to live, yet no desire to die, either. It’s a tough spot to be in.”

“Do you only pretend to be a superstitious fool so the crew will remain unsuspecting?”
“Oh no. I’m as superstitious as you can get.”
“And the part about being a fool?”
“I may overdo that one just a bit.”

“There are different kinds of fathers. Those who love unconditionally, those who love on condition, and those who never love at all.”

“Theris’s is to provide my father with information about this ship and its captain. Mine is to play the role of thief. We shouldn’t need to help each other.”

Sounds like the perfect person to team up with… but ok. Sure. Independent woman things.

“And what would you do, Alosa, if you had to fend off a man who wasn’t despicable and persistent?”
“I’ll let you know when I meet one.”

“For looking at her like she was the beginning and end of his every thought.”

“Can you change your name, cauterize your fingertips, enter the witness protection program, and disappear?”

So when are we getting Sarah Helen’s book?

(…) “Or a poorly written young adult novel. That will not sell well.”

Not the self-deprecation 💀💀

“Because I’m starting to wonder if this is what being in love is. Being okay with ripping yourself to shreds, so the other person can stay whole.”

“Who needs to know how to say ‘I love you’ in every language? People barely need it in one. Sometimes not even in one.”

I came here for a good time……

18+
“May I?”

“This might take a while,” she said apologetically, hating how thin her voice sounded.
“Fuck, yes.” His tongue swiped the entirety of her, a long, broad stroke. “Please.”

Dear GOD.
I’m fine.
I’m totally fine.