| “ | It’s okay if you don’t get it. But I want you to know, Emmie didn’t give up your divine gift lightly. After sixty-odd years together with the Hunters, we discovered something. It’s not how long you live that matters. It’s what you live for. | ” |
–Josephine to Apollo in The Dark Prophecy. | ||
Josephine is a Greek demigod daughter of Hecate and a retired Hunter of Artemis, along with her wife, Hemithea. Both of them, together with their adopted daughter Georgina, are the current caretakers of the Waystation, a safe haven for refugee demigods, satyrs, and all sorts of immortals.
History
Early Life
Josephine was born to Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic and crossroads, and an unknown mortal man.
In the 1920s, Josephine disguised herself as a man and encountered several gangsters such as Al Capone. She functioned as the in between between the aforementioned gangsters and various African American bootleggers.
Time with the Hunters and Meeting her Wife
Sometime after this, she joined the Hunters of Artemis. During her service there, Josephine met and fell in love with her fellow Huntress, Hemithea. Both decided to part their ways with Artemis on good terms in 1987, and live their regained mortal life together.
Operating the Waystation
At an unknown point after leaving the hunters, Josephine and Emmie married and found the Waystation, a safe haven for demigods and nature spirits in Indianapolis, Indiana, and become its caretakers under the supervision of Britomartis, the goddess of traps and nets, and aid those passing their either with a safe haven for the night or helping demigods have a normal life in the mortal world.
Adopting Georgina
Seven years before the events of The Dark Prophecy, a ghost named Agamethus arrived at the Waystation with an infant girl that the wives adopted and named Georgina that they raised as their own daughter.
The Trials of Apollo
The Dark Prophecy
Josephine first appears in one of the Waystation's workshops. She shows Leo Valdez and Apollo how the Waystation works and shows them to their rooms after dinner. When Apollo and Calypso return after liberating Heloise and Abelard from the Indianapolis Zoo, she helps the now mortal sorceress to the infirmary.
The Tower of Nero
She is seen teaching mechanic skills to Georgina when Apollo visits after regaining his godhood. She tussles Leo’s hair when the son of Hephaestus calls her a good teacher and mom.
Appearance
Josephine is described as a African American woman in her sixties with umber skin, a square-jawed face, and buzz-cut gray hair that shimmered like frost. She was muscular with broad shoulders and dark, well-sculpted arms. Jo often wears a wielding mask.
Personality
Josephine is overly friendly and enthusiastic with a love of machines. She deeply cares for her wife Hemithea and daughter Georgina. She also treats all the residents at the Waystation as part of her extended family.
Abilities
- ADHD: Like most demigods, Josephine possesses inborn supernatural battle reflexes and senses that she uses to analyze the fighting style of her opponent.
- Dyslexia: Her brain is 'hardwired' for Ancient Greek.
- Mechanical talent: Josephine is very skilled at building and analyzing complex mechanical systems. In fact, she set up a system of weapons around the Waystation that helped Emmie drive the Blemmyae away when they first attacked Apollo, Leo Valdez and Calypso.
- Fighting: Being a former gangster, Jo is a fairly accomplished fighter.
As a Hunter of Artemis
- Immortality due to being one of Artemis' hunters (except if she falls in battle or breaks her oath).
- Expert archer and skilled with hunting knives.
- Highly skilled hunter.
- Can make a bow appear or disappear at any given time.
- Highly skilled at tracking.
- Highly skilled healer.
- She has silver colored aura.
- She is naturally stronger and faster than a regular mortal, demigod, or nymph.
- She usually has the upper hand in battle because of her fighting powers.
- She can talk to wild animals.
Trivia
- Josephine is the fifth canon LGBTQ+ demigod (After Nico di Angelo, Will Solace, Alex Fierro, and Emmie herself) in one of Riordan's series and the second Lesbian demigod seen.