¹Pocket Full of Posies, p. jackson

v. Furies Greyhound Rage

chapter five
❛ furies greyhound rage ❜

━━━━━ JOSEPHINE DIDN'T NEED to be "gifted" with foresight to predict what her brother would do — try and convince her not to go on the quest to retrieve Zeus's stolen Master Bolt.

        It seemed Lee didn't need any sort of foresight to know that there was no changing Josephine's mind, either. He stood at the end of her bed, with arms crossed and a deeply etched crease between his brows. Everyone else in Cabin Seven was avoiding the two — even Michael, knowing better than to talk to an upset Lee Fletcher. Maybe Lee was as laid-back as Apollo, but Lee also had Apollo's scorching anger.

        Josephine stuffed her extra change of pants further into the bag, zipping it closed quickly. "Lee, you've been trying since I got back — I haven't changed my mind! And it's a little late to back out now, we leave in — like — an hour."

        Truly, she hadn't changed her mind — her mind saying, I don't want to go on this quest! But no matter how much of a fit she pitched to Chiron, he only told her that dreams sent messages. Her dreams were sending a message that she had some involvement. The messages said to her that Zeus and Poseidon were fighting, not that she would be of any use on this quest. (Admittedly, she also had no idea how to take the whole sand-splitting-in-half-and-her-falling-in ordeal ...)

        But one thing was for certain: Josephine never wanted to rip her brain out more.

        Lee's fingers tensed over his tanned arm, as if he were drawing back a bowstring. "You're twelve, Josephine" — that's when she knew he was definitely agitated; he never called her Josephine — "you shouldn't be going on a quest. Michael or I should be going! Hell, even Preston or Darcy — and they're not even campers anymore."

        The daughter of Apollo sighed. Her eyes danced nervously around the cabin as she tried to find the right words. "Look ... Chiron thinks I have some role to play in this quest. I — I don't know how," (that was a small lie, the answer was nightmares), "but he says I do. Take it up with him."

        Lee looked convinced, but now his expression turned into apprehension. "You? You specifically? Josephine Pascual? My Posie?"

        She shrugged, tucking her dark hair behind her ears. "That's what he says."

        "Well — that's even worse!" her brother argued, nearly stomping his foot on the floor. "I don't want you to go on this quest!"

        "You think I do?" She gave her brother a hard look, her voice taking on a harsher tone than she originally intended. She slid off her bottom bunk, grabbing her bag by the shoulder strap and slinging it on her back. "But I don't have a choice. Either I go and play whatever role I have or they — you know, Annabeth, Percy, Grover? — die. Or worse."

        Much, much worse than them just dying, added that cruel voice. Gods, it sounded so brittle and distant, almost to a comical degree. End of the world as we know it. Nature fighting a war against itself.

        Shut up, she snapped at the voice.

        Ah ... starting to talk back now?

        I just want you out of my head, Josephine replied. I already have enough problems, I don't need to hear voices that aren't real on top of it.

        But I am not just a voice, and I am —

        Before the voice (which was starting to become louder and more prominent as the days passed) could talk any longer, she shoved the voice out of her mind for the time being. She didn't need any more problems than the ones she already had — being a half-blood, having the "gift" of foresight, and for that "gift" being forced to go on a quest to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's Master Bolt with Poseidon's son (who wasn't supposed to exist, mind you!) Frankly, it was all too much. And Josephine didn't know how foresight and two measly daggers were supposed to help. (She really didn't think she was that good with daggers anyway — no matter what Annabeth said.)