pocket full of posies
❛ o. grave mistakes ❜

━━━━━ HER GREATEST FEAR was making a mistake. Josephine's eyes burned with tears every time she did something wrong; she would have to swallow back sobs and whimpers, trying her best to nod along as whoever reprimanded her. It was unfortunate for her that she seemed incapable of doing anything right.

The only thing she seemed to do right was have horrific dreams. Dreams of things she thought she had left behind.

The man, Beau, shivered in front of her. He clutched his head, his dark hair sticking on end as if he had just experienced an electric shock. He pulled at the shirt on his back, like it was burning his skin.

Josephine shuddered, knowing what was about to happen. She had lived through this, many nights.

"Dad ...?" she said hesitantly, stepping closer.

The cold tile floor of their apartment sent shockwaves up her body. Josephine pressed forward, swallowing heavily as her father shivered and cradled his head. It was like he had been driven mad, but only during the night. Whatever was infecting him only came out at night, driven away during the day by the sunlight.

"Dad," she repeated. "You need to get back to bed."

"Nine," Beau croaked.

"It's not nine o'clock, Dad," Josephine corrected. "It's eleven. I have school tomorrow. You have work. C'mon—"

"The ground." Beau rocked back on forth on bare feet. Josephine stepped away hesitantly. "Sun. Madness. Darkness. Plagues."

"Dad—" Josephine's voice broke. "Dad, come on, you need to sleep."

Beau's calloused hands grabbed her wrist. His dark eyes were wild, like a cornered animal. Josephine's eyes filled with tears—from terror and pain. Beau squeezed her wrist tightly, the moonlight streaming inside making his face look gaunt with death.

"Plagues," he insisted. "Sickness. Madness. It will infect. You must stay wary. Do not let your guard down. You will suffer! It's prophecied—it is a part of her bigger plan!"

He squeezed her wrist tighter. Josephine started pleading, her tears streaking her face. It felt like his fingers were burning her skin. She wasn't sure how long it was until she was torn out of her dream with people leaning over her. They were all yelling—something about brightness.

"Josephine!" a blond boy shouted to her. "Hey—Josephine! C'mon, wake up!"

It was Luke Castellan, Cabin Eleven's counselor.

"What the hell, Josephine?" one of the Stoll brothers demanded.

Josephine sat up in her sleeping bag, rubbing her watery eyes. "What is it?" she croaked, her voice raw with emotions.

She hadn't been imagining it while waking up. It was incredibly—almost stupidly—bright inside the cabin. That shouldn't have been possible. It was the dead of night. A month into Josephine's stay at Camp Half-Blood. Still, shadows danced around the room—it was almost like the sun was hovering above them all in the cabin, as if it was in the room with them.

The door to Cabin Eleven slammed open. An upset voice demanded, "Luke, it was your idea for the no-lights rule! Turn that light out!"

"Lee," Luke said calmly, "you'll want to see this."

"Lee" huffed and asked, "What for? So you can blind me?"

"No," said Luke. "You have a new cabin mate. A sister."

Josephine stood up, tripping over her sleeping bag. "Where are the lights coming from?"

Luke pointed to above her head. The burning blaze wasn't coming from her or from the dark sky—it was coming from above her head. Like the sun. Floating above her head, following her as she stood up was the blazing symbol of a sun and a lyre.

"You've been claimed," Luke started, but the Lee guy hushed him. Lee's mood had shifted dramatically in a matter of seconds.

"You've been claimed," Lee said excitedly, bouncing on his feet. "You know what that means, right?"

Josephine glanced around Cabin Eleven nervously. During her one-month stay there, she'd learned a lot—about herself and the world around her. "Um ... yeah, I know what that means."

Lee's grin widened. He hurried toward Josephine and draped an arm over her shoulder. "Hail Josephine Easton. Daughter of Apollo. God of the Sun, Light, Archery, Poetry, Music, and Prophecy."

Josephine shivered, feeling a wave of coldness wash over her. Archery? Poetry? Music? All things she was terrible at? Her father was the god of all of those things? It was a mistake. This couldn't be right. How could her father be the god of things she was horrible at?

He squeezed Josephine's shoulder, giving her a blinding smile. "I'll take you to Cabin Seven, little sis."

"Lee," she spoke up hesitantly, "that can't be right ..." Her voice broke. She didn't want to admit it. "There must've been a mistake. I can't be Apollo's daughter."

The son of Apollo gave her a stupefied look. "What do you mean? This can't be a mistake!"

"Apollo's the God of Archery," she pointed out. "You saw me at archery practice. An-and at Arts & Crafts. I can't make poetry for the life of me!"

Lee tried for a smile. "Well, maybe your more the music type."

Josephine knew she wasn't, but decided against making any more protests. But ... Lee said Apollo was the God of Prophecy. She knew it was crazy to think this way, but her dreams—

She had learned a lot over her month stay at Camp Half-Blood. A very vital thing she learned about demigods was that dreams would often send messages of the future—warnings. But to dream of the past? Of things that had already transpired? Josephine wasn't sure what that meant, for her or of what she was dreaming about.

Beau told her that she would suffer, that it was a part of the bigger plans, and that it was prophecied. Josephine was horrible at everything else her father represented; horrible at archery, poetry, and music, but maybe—just maybe—this is where she would shine.

✿ JUNE 1ST/SEPT. 17TH, 2023 / sorry for the false update lol

i accidentally deleted the prologue and didn't realize until now

annoyed but whatever. (it is not whatever but i'm trying not to cry !)

at least i can go back and edit

anyways, posie my lil baby <33

my girl is about to see some shit alright? i'm not sorry for any of it btw

just for some info; this is a couple of years before tlt (so posie is around ten-ish)

anyways,, thoughts? opinions??