Profile Picture: I am a HUGE fan of Christina Grimmie. This is her picture from one of her songs. She writes and sings her original songs as well as singing other songs, like Demons by Imagine Dragons, Feelin' Good (which has been re-sung so many times that I forget who it was originally sung by), Set Fire to the Rain by Adele, and quite a few others.

First off:

I am well aware of how long it has been since I have written on here. Actually, no, I'm not. I know it's somewhere around a year. Beyond that, I honestly don't know.

I write primarily for Percy Jackson—if you are one of my old, faithful writers, then you know this. If you aren't, well, now you know. You probably noticed my last update, in October of last year (I had to look this up, I didn't tell you a lie in the fourth sentence—that was truth when I wrote it). That was when I got the House of Hades.

To be honest, it was a big letdown for me. I understand that this is a kid's series and kids really don't need to be reading about teens or adults (that's what Percy and Annabeth are by now—they've gone through a couple of wars now, that definitely makes kids into adults real quick) being tortured, but Riordan could've made it realistic. I'm hoping that there will be repercussions to their trip into Tartarus in the Blood of Olympus, to make it at least a bit more realistic.

Another thing. I've been writing a bunch this past year, and my skills have greatly improved. Then I went back and tried to read my first published fanfiction, Clashing Tides. I will tell you: I'm still not sure if I should be ashamed or laughing my head off at the feeble attempt of the rather delicate art of writing that I still have not mastered. I didn't even bother reading the rest of my 'book'. My OCs are overpowered and underdeveloped and I seem to be all dialogue. Some of my grammar is wrong, commas are in the wrong place, and if my computer had been a person I would've been throttling it in frustration of my younger self.

So I'm revamping at least my Clashing Tides series. And I need a new series title. 'The Clashing Tides series' is not going to go over like that again.

I'm waiting until the Blood of Olympus comes out, to see if I can stay true to the books or if I need to deviate as necessary. Then I'll get to writing. You can expect an Author Alert to a new book on November 1st.

See you then.

Lex Fowler

PS—I'm thinking of changing my username—a new name for a new leaf. I'll come up with a couple different ones and put up a poll on November 1st as well as the new story. The name with the most votes seven days after I post it is my new username.

Believe in the power of words. This actually happened to me.

When I was seven, I got my first slap-in-the-face of reality because of Hurricane Katrina. When I was twelve, I promised myself that I would protect the innocence of children as long as I can. Maybe she wasn't a child, but at the time I had no idea what my input would later do.

One time, I reviewed a story. The story was gramactically correct, the spelling was excellent, and the punctuation was in the right places. It was enthralling, but I thought it was a bit too dark for my taste. I have to agree with Annabeth, reading people is a survival skill. Because of my experience with depression, I thought I recognized some of the signs in her story, right here, on Fanfiction dot net. The story and the username will go unsaid.

So I told her my thoughts: the good ones and the bad. I told her in the last one, 'I will not say goodbye, that implies I will never come across your writings again.'

Roughly four months later, I get a review on one of my stories, pointing out some mistakes, just as constructive critism. By now, the story that I had reviewed I had almost forgotten.

I PMed her my thanks. In response, I got the biggest bombshell of my life, even bigger than a natural disaster, or, aka, Hurricane Katrina.

She told me that she wanted to thank me personally, and I was confused. Then as I read on, I started crying.

She told me in her PM, while writing that story, she was stuck in a very deep pit of depression that she refused to acknowledge or beat. When I pointed out the gratuitous violence and solemnity in the writing, she was immediately angry. She saw it as unnecessary, cruel, and utterly uncalled for. At the the time, she bit back a string of scathing remarks, and the only reason she didn't send them to me was because she told herself that she was the "bigger person."

She admitted to me that she was a fool. I was one of the first people to openly admit her insecurities, and yes, it stung. It hurt like salt and lemon juice squeezed onto a freshly opened wound, and she hated me passionately for it. As time passed, she descended farther into her depression, until finally only the imminent threat of suicide scared her away from it.

She discontinued her story.

Her writing style is simply darker and more vivid than a lot of people. That doesn't change. But the core of death and hopelessness is falling away. Bit by bit, she's recovering. And it was my review that catalyzed it.

When she first read my story, she saw me as nothing more than a capable writer. She didn't even pay attention to the author's name. But then she PM'ed me, and she recognized the user. So she checked the reviews on her story. And there I was, writing the coldest and yet most heart-warming review she's ever received.

"So really, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I know you probably do not remember me, as I was just another author in the multitude on this site, but I remember you. And I probably will for the rest of my life."

I cried and paced around my kitchen for a good twenty minutes after I sent her a reply. Thankfully, my grandma, of whom I live with, was out shopping, so I didn't have to explain my predicament.

I can't explain how much it tilted my world, to know what it feels like to practically save someone's life and not know about it. When I went back to look at my review, I was surprised that she held back from bombarding me with hurtful words, because honestly, I was practically begging for it.

I found it ironic and amusing that my last words on what sounded like a hateful review were, "I will not say goodbye, that implies I will never come across your writings again," when, in reality, she was the one who found my writings.

I went back to my laptop, read the PM again, and wrote this with tears in my eyes.

Later, I asked her for permission to post this, and she consented.

Never underestimate the power of your words. I learned that the hard way today, and it shocked me to the core.

Please pass this on. Maybe our story will help some flamers to dump a bucket of ice water on their heads. They probably don't know how much their words can mean. And if they do, may God help them change their ways.

The Percy Jackson pledge:

I promise to remember Percy
Whenever I'm at sea
I promise to remember Annabeth
Whenever a spider comes at me
I promise to protect nature
For Grover's sake of course
I promise to remember Luke
When my heart fills with remorse
I promise to remember Chiron
Whenever I see a sign that says ''Free Pony Ride''
I promise to remember Tyson
Whenever a friend says they'll stick by my side
I promise to remember Thalia
Whenever a friend is scared of heights
I promise to remember Clarisse
Whenever I see someone that gives me a fright
I promise to remember Bianca
Whenever I see a sister scold her younger brother
I promise to remember Nico
Whenever I see someone who doesn't get along with others
I promise to remember Rachel
Whenever a limo passes my car.
I promise to remember Zoe
Whenever I watch the stars
I promise to remember The Stolls
when my home is beginning to unsettle.
I promise to remember Bekendorf
whenever I see someone working metal.
I promise to remember Silena
whenever a friend takes one for the team
I promise to remember Michael Yew
whenever I see a smile that gleams.
I promise to remember Briares
whenever I see someone playing hand games.
I promise to remember those lost in the Battle of the Labyrinth
whenever I see a cloth in flames.
I promise to remember those campers who fought against Kronos
whenever I see someone go against the odds.
Yes I promise to remember PJO
Wherever I may go