¹POCKET FULL OF POSIES. p. jackson

𝐈𝐈. monster-hunting etiquette

pocket full of posies
❛ ii. monster-hunting etiquette ❜

━━━━━ POSIE HAD TO admit—she didn't understand what could be so special about Bar Harbor, Maine. It didn't seem like a hub for monstrous activity, and it didn't seem like a place for many demigods to hide out—unknowingly or not. But Hades insisted; this would be a key to her answers, and Posie had a hard time finding a way to tell the Lord of Death "No".

              ( You find yourself face-to-face with Hades, God of Death, and try to tell him "No". See how easy it is, then! )

              But Bar Harbor, Maine seemed to want to prove Posie wrong. There were monsters here ( see in: a monster ), and demigods were hiding out here ( see in: two demigods, and they were seemingly full-blooded siblings, which was rare for gods ).

              Grover also struggled to see why Posie would want to go with him, but he didn't tell her no—so now, Posie was stuck in Maine, cold as a popsicle ( she hated the cold, if she hadn't told you that already ), and waiting for her so-called "answers" to show up. She didn't know what those answers would be—hopefully a book titled Posie's Go-to Guide for Preventing the Sickly—but she had her doubts. And it wasn't like the mission was a total bust—Grover still had found two siblings named Bianca and Nico di Angelo, and he was certain they were half-blood. He had also found a monster named Dr. Thorn, but Grover didn't want to claim that find.

              Posie was tasked with finding the others sent out to help with the expedition—Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia. She left the gymnasium, heading for the entrance of the school. The school, Westover Hall, looked like an evil knight's castle—built with all black stone, with towers and slit windows, and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the grey churning ocean on the other. And the inside wasn't any better—the inside walls of the entrance were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battleaxes, and a bunch of other stuff. Westover Hall was a military school, but this just felt like overkill.

              She heard talking from the entrance and hurried, worrying the worst ( and the worst was unfortunately Posie's normal ). From the large set of oak doors, Posie saw her friends, along with Mrs. Gottschalk and Dr. Thorn. That wasn't good. The others couldn't even make it five feet inside before having teachers on their trail.

              Mrs. Gottschalk had short grey hair and a black military-style uniform with red trim. The woman had a wispy moustache, and she walked stiffly like she had broomsticks taped to her spine. She blinked at the half-blood owlishly. "I ... Yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at them. "Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"

              Posie skidded to a stop behind Mrs. Gottschalk and Dr. Thorn. "You guys made it!"

              The teachers turned around and frowned at her. Posie winced when Dr. Thorn narrowed his two-toned eyes on her. He looked similar to Mrs. Gottschalk—cropped grey hair, a black military-style uniform, and a rigid posture. However, Dr. Thorn was clean-shaven, had a hawkish face, and had two-toned eyes—one brown and one blue eye, like an alley cat's.

              "Um, Mrs. Gottschalk, Dr. Thorn—"

              "What is it, Miss Easton?" Dr. Thorn sneered, his tone admitting how he felt about her: absolute hate. "What do you mean they made it? These students live here?"