The second book wasn’t overly Bellamy/Octavia, but that has more to do with Octavia getting kidnapped at the very end of the first book so she’s missing for most of the second, and Bellamy starting a relationship with Clarke. Bellamy’s relationship with Clarke only seems to highlight Octavia’s place in Bellamy’s life though. Clarke gets bitten by a snake while they are looking for Octavia and Bellamy carries her back to camp then sticks by her side as she gets better. He’s worried, but it’s nothing like what he feels when he thinks of his sister. He freaks out when he thinks of her, getting restless and angry, and at one point desperate to the point of tears. With Clarke he frowns in worry and sits by her side. He even talks about leaving Clarke behind, but it had rained and he knows the trail they were following is gone.
Twice he talks about how Octavia and Clarke are all that’s keeping him around. This could have been a moment to establish the differences in how he feels about his sister compared to his girlfriend, but instead it just serves to show us how much more Octavia means to him. He goes on about how she’s the only thing he cares about, and then tacks on “somehow Clarke has added herself to that list,” and at one point talks about how Octavia is his everything, but Clarke’s important too. There is a brief mention of leaving, although he dismisses it almost immediately because of the threat of the Earthborns trying to hurt the 100. It’s still noteworthy though because he’s sad about having to leave Clarke behind, which once more shows how much he puts Octavia above everything else.
They have a wonderful physical moment when they are reunited. Bellamy, whose been established as only outwardly showing charm or anger, runs to Octavia and grabs her up in hug and just holds her while he cries and laughs. It’s told from Clarke’s point of view and there’s a line where she doesn’t fully explain what she feels watching them. It’s not made completely clear, but she’s both happy and unsure. It’s never touched on again, but naturally I’ve decided that she’s picking up on a little something more there.
In the books, Octavia is 14, Bellamy 20, and because of this and how Bellamy didn’t recognize her as an adult until part way through the first book, I find Bellamy’s relationship with Clarke less of threat, and more of a “filler” romance. He loves Octavia, thinks she’s beautiful and has just started to see her as an equal. Add to that him threatening to hit Graham for playfully flirting with her and I have no issue imagining this is before they get together.
The second book is sadly missing on a lot of moments between the Blake siblings, but there are a few worth mentioning.
First is that at the end of the 2nd book, Bellamy and Wells realize they are half-brothers. It doesn’t really do much except to end their fighting (and let Clarke make comments on how apparently she fell for brothers), it also serves as a back drop to see the differences in how Bellamy treats/thinks about Octavia vs Wells. Since he grew up with Octavia, it’s understandable he’s closer to her than Wells, but the two boys take to being brothers pretty quickly. Becoming protective of each other and noting their similarities. With Octavia he searches her out whenever he comes back to camp from hunting, feels pride and praises her (in his head) whenever she takes over taking car of the small children and then has a debate with himself on if he can take her from camp.
The last two are tied into the main plot of the 3rd book. The Colony collapsed and the survivors have come down to Earth. Since there wasn’t enough dropships on the Colony, only roughly four hundred out of several thousands got off the ship. Octavia takes care of the young orphans. But the Vice Chancellor came down and revealed the Chancellor (Well’s, and now known to be Bellamy’s, father) didn’t make it. Bellamy is forced to hide in the woods as the rest of the 100 gather the survivors (each dropship held 300 people, there were 6 dropships, and total of 400-500 people to survive the dropships crashing into the Earth). He debates whether he can just leave, but he doesn’t want to take Octavia away from what makes her happy and refuses to leave without here. Again, he’s sad to be leaving Clarke and now Wells behind, but he’s willing to do it. But he’s not willing to leave Octavia behind. This never changes.
Eventually he’s caught and shot in the shoulder in the process. The VC declares him a prisoner and puts him under guard while Clarke treats him. Well’s best friend Glass, overhears that the VC has already decided that he’s going to execute Bellamy and just hold a trial for show and warns Wells. He and Clarke hatch a plan and break Bellamy out. They all go to the nice Earthborns’ camp, who Wells is dating the daughter of the leader of. There’s discussion of staying there. Bellamy doesn’t say anything, but he’s already decided he can’t. He refuses to live there without Octavia and he can’t take her away from the orphans, something she loves doing. Eventually the VC attacks and Bellamy surrenders when he threatens Octavia. They also recapture Wells and Clarke, but by then Bellamy has already decided to surrender.He’s set to executed at dawn.
The next morning, Bellamy is set against a tree. They blindfolded him but he demands to be able to see and searches out Octavia first thing. She’s struggling to get to him and crying hysterically. He gets angry when he sees how roughly the guards are holding her back. But Graham (who is no longer an evil bastard in my mind) takes her himself and gentle turns her away. Bellamy is grateful that she he won’t let her watch, not wanting her to see him like this. He spends quite a bit of time thinking about how he doesn’t want his sister to remember him like this, how it will haunt her and how he wants her to only have good memories of him. He doesn’t have the same worry with Clarke when he catches her looking at him. And he looks for Octavia first, so that makes me happy.
Before they can kill him, the violent Earthborns attack. The book fizzles after that. The battle happens, everyone fights, the Colonists win, they have funerals for those they lost (including Sascha, Well’s girlfriend from the peaceful Earthborns) and Wells takes back his position as leader, with an advice counsel to help that Bellamy becomes part of. The VC apparently has a change of heart/sees that the 100 know what they are talking about and the power hungry, child murderer that the Vice Chancellor has been since book one, is suddenly replaced with a humble man after one little battle. Bellamy worries about Octavia during the battle, but beyond that, the book ends roughly a day after the battle.
Overall, the first book was my favorite for Bellamy/Octavia. The second and third, while having lots of nice indirect moments, didn’t have a whole lot in the way of direct ones. I do love that both are still alive and their relationship is strong. And with the age gap and the way that his little sister is still the most important person ever, makes me think of what their future can be like.
As cute as they are on the show, it sounds like they are even cuter in the books! I think Octavia is 16 on the show, but given how old Bellamy is when Octavia is born, I think the age difference is the same.
I really appreciate you writing all of that out. It’s very help to know what happens in the books! I would love to read them someday.
shipcestuous3 