¹Pocket Full of Posies, p. jackson

viii. Makings of a Glowstick

chapter eight
❛ makings of a glowstick ❜

━━━━━  THE TWO FRIENDS only carved separate paths once they reached the half-circle of twelve cabins, following the path carved by hundreds of feet over countless years of use — packed dirt, now with a hint of snow, as if even the ground was trying to find festivities for the month of December. Neither of them spoke during their trek toward the cabins; truthfully, neither of them wanted to continue a conversation. Posie didn't want to prod the topic of Wyatt and Ethan any further (and that included whether or not Rose was going to inform Chiron of more campers going missing), and Rose obviously didn't want to speak on the topic either — she kept her eyes downward, oddly quiet for a daughter of Hermes who did love to chatter.

        Posie didn't want to push her friend. Besides, some of the best medicines she knew when it came to bad feelings were letting the person just ... feel. Some problems didn't need to be solved immediately — if Rose wanted to stay quiet, then Posie would, too. And the daughter of Apollo wasn't quite sure how she felt, yet, either. She, too, needed time to feel, but instead of working through upset feelings, she needed to figure out what she was feeling. And so, the two walked in silence, finishing the trek toward the twelve cabins — the twelve cabins that were nestled near the woods, in the shape of a large U, with two at the base and five on either side. For some sense of cohesion for such an odd collection of cabins, every building faced a common area, which was roughly the size of a soccer field, that was dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and areas for small games of basketball. And in the center of the field — a huge stone-lined fire pit, a hearth modeled after Hestia's, all the way up on Olympus.

        The two made it to where Cabin Eleven and Cabin Twelve faced each other. Giving Posie a fleeting glance and a half-baked exit, Rose darted up to her cabin, the one for her father, Hermes, the God of Thieves. It was so unlike Rose, but Posie didn't push it — she really didn't want to find anything under the blanket in her bunk, knowing that was a common tactic for a Rose Ashford who had been pushed too far. For a moment longer, the daughter of Apollo watched as Rose pushed her way inside the run-down cabin; then, as the wooden door shut behind her friend, Posie turned on her heels, marching her way further, toward Cabin Seven, only a few cabins down. However, as she made her way toward the glowing cabin, she spotted something — in front of Cabin Six, Thalia and Percy were standing together, conversing.

        Admittedly, Posie froze in an instant, realizing what she was seeing, as her feet became implanted to the ground. For a moment, she worried the two had found themselves in another round of squabbling, as it was something both Thalia and Percy found themselves in often, much like their fathers. Then, however, before she could even decide between forcing herself into the middle or just letting it all play out — Thalia gave Percy a taut nod, her lips pursed (not out of anger, but clearly from heightened nerves), and she turned toward one of the basketball hoops set nearby, where some Hunters and Ellis Wakefield of Cabin Five were clashing. Unfortunately, before Posie had time to turn away, loosening the tension in her shoulders as there wasn't another round of arguments unfolding — Percy turned his back to Thalia, spotting the daughter of Apollo.

        If Posie had been any smarter, she would've continued her path toward Cabin Seven, acting as if she hadn't seen the son of Poseidon. However, Apollo was the God of Music, not the God of Wisdom — her eyes widened, as she froze, as if she were nothing but a deer caught in some headlights barreling toward her. And the barreling part felt quite fitting as Percy gave her a tight-lipped smile, crossing the field from Cabin Six over to where Posie stood in front of Cabin Nine. He had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat, greeting, "Hey, you remember what Chiron said, right? 'Bout that Capture the —?"