Chapter Text
Medea is a very interesting character in Greek mythology and the way Euripides deals with her is vastly different compared to the rest of the Greek world at the time. There is an odd difference between her and other female characters, primarily noted in the fact that she escapes the wrath of the gods, remaining one of the only(if we must take PJO as part of an extended fictional Greek canon) characters who is forgiven despite having "dishonoured" her father and having killed her own sons.
The way Euripides writes her in the play draws this very interesting diorama of her character in front of the reader. If you've read the scene where the women standing outside Medea's home remind her that the death of her children will hurt her(Medea) too, she hesitates before ultimately, steeling her heart.
In contrast, when a depiction/interpretation of her character appears in The Lost Hero, her position feels like an odd contrast to that of Piper McLean. Note that I am not blaming the author; it is their work and they have full creative freedom over said text, and it's a beautiful story nonetheless. However, Piper, in what appears(in subtext) to be an attempt to break the "Drew Tanaka" stereotype of being the crazily hot, dumb bully(?) and showcasing that Aphrodite is truly about love(all forms of love etc.,) ends up reinforcing that same patriarchal Greek pantheon centric narrative onto Medea. Piper definitely has valid points and I understand that she was a teenager at the time, however, I find the subtext of any character, especially in relation to Greek mythology very interesting.
In my understanding, Piper McLean and Medea could have been the best of friends. One character has been betrayed by one she loved most and gave all for, and the other has craved love their whole life and sought some sort of attention from her father, via the use of charmspeak, tantrums etc., only to suddenly find out that her mother is quite literally the goddess of love. These two have been through the same sacrifices(Medea perhaps more literal at the time of their first meeting) and yet, Piper almost subconsciously, through implied subtext, pushes an age old narrative onto Medea. This is why I find that scenario oddly unfaithful and in perhaps, direct contrast to Piper's character, or whatever little I was able to draw up in her character study.
Sidenote : There is an interesting essay on JStor titled "Fate and Freedom in Greek Tragedy" by Walter R. Agard. Please do check it out. I read it and spiraled into a loop thinking about PJO's treatment of the character Medea. Please let me know if you have differing/similar opinions on this interaction.