Where Myths Tread [SUDS]

[Winter]

Name: Ava Clearwater
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Patron God(dess): Athena
Appearance: Ava is what one might think of when they think "the girl next door"--5'7" and sporting a runner's body, it's clear she gets out, but seeing her in her typical partially frilly and often pink clothes can make one ask where she goes. This is answered as soon as she trades the girly clothes for dirt-stained t shirts and athletic shorts when any sporting activity comes up. Wavy, dirty blonde hair falls to her upper back, and can be found loose just as often as it can be found tied back in a ponytail or makeshift bun. Despite the fact Cloud's Cross lacks an actual sun, Ava's olive toned skin gives the (rather correct) impression she is outside all the time, and makes her eyes, which seem to alternate between gray and green in color, stand out. She's also rarely ever seen without a friendly smile on her lips, and half a dozen pieces of homemade accessories, most often bracelets, on each arm and in her hair.
Personality: First and foremost, Ava is a girl both known for her friendliness and kindness, as well as a strong dislike for those who would make fun of or bully others. She's the kind of girl who would likely go up to a complete stranger and try to cheer them up if they looked sad, and she's always trying to get people to see the good in themselves and others, regardless of how little there may actually be. Despite this, Ava's also been playing sports for almost as long as she's been able to walk, and has made herself a good reputation as a team leader. As such, a number of kids who play team sports under her respect her, not that she lets it get to her head. When not on the sports field or otherwise out, Ava can often be found at home with her twin brother, reading every book she can, or making all manners of handcrafted accessories from odds and ends while Colin disassembles and reworks broken electronics. Speaking of her brother, picking on the fact Colin has a bad leg is a fast way to get yourself hit. Ava has no patience for those who make fun of her brother.
History: Ava and Colin were born twins to a loving couple who would have given their two newborns the world if only they could...but they could not. Problems arose when it was discovered that of their two children, Colin was sickly, and doctors claimed it would be a miracle if the boy lived to see his first birthday. Their parents were distraught, however that was when they were paid a visit by a pair of scientists who told them that they could ensure that Colin would live, however they would never be able to see their son again. As much as they loved their children, however, they could not bear to see their twins separated more than they could not bear to let them go. Unsure of the nature of what would happen to their children, their parents asked if it were possible for their two children to be kept together, a request the scientists were more than happy to fulfill, and the twins were taken in.

Ava and Colin both reacted well to the procedure that gave them powers, the scientists that took them on as their children loved them, and for a time, all was good. They could not, however, stay perfect forever. As the pair grew, is slowly became apparent that there was a problem with Colin’s right leg--it became stiff, and lost muscle mass quickly, however the boy otherwise appeared completely healthy. It was baffling for the scientists until one of their number reminded them that the Greek God Hephaestus was often cited as having a leg injury. It was this that made Colin the first child with a verified connection to a God, and with no way to reverse the development, all that could be done was to try and keep the boy as healthy as possible despite this.

Meanwhile Ava and Colin grew up to be as closely knit as a pair of siblings could be. Ava had no qualms about watching out for her brother or trying to adapt playtime to better suit him. When other kids tried to pick on him, it was Ava who often came to the rescue and shut them up. They both developed a love for books and crafting things, though their book choices and crafting choices often varied widely. When Ava got into sports, Colin didn’t mind supporting her from the sidelines, and she didn’t mind taking time away from sports to hang out with her brother. They both have formed pretty good relationships with their neighbors, especially Beau Sanders.

Over the years, however, both have come to believe that their little town is not normal. They don’t quite understand what is going on, but they get the sense that something is wrong, and have stumbled across their fair share of conversations they probably shouldn’t have heard. They are currently trying to figure out how to look into things in light of Beau’s disappearance.
Other: NA

Name: Colin Clearwater
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Patron God(dess): Hephaestus
Appearance: Standing next to his twin sister, it's hard to imagine Colin and Ava Clearwater are even fraternal twins. Colin matches Ava's 5'7" height, naturally olive toned skin, and keeps his own dirty blonde hair cut neatly and short enough that it doesn't touch his ears or get in his face, however it's style can range anywhere from neatly combed to looking like a small bird's nest. Unlike Ava's, Colin's eyes are definitively green, and it's fairly obvious he doesn't exercise as much as his sister,.though to say that he looks unfit would be a horrible lie. This, however, makes sense when you look down and see a carefully carved wooden walking stick resting beneath his hands and that he has a noticeable limp when he walks as a result of a bad leg. This doesn't mean he lets his leg get in the way more than possible, and can often be found with a near-infectious smile on his lips, even when he's lagging behind. Often, Colin can be found wearing jeans in various states of disrepair along with various thin, loose, long sleeve shirts layered over neutral colored tank tops, and usually has a pair of leather work gloves poking out of one of his pants pockets. When working on mechanical objects, the sleeves of his outer layer are often pushed back to his elbows, or sometimes he removes the first shirt completely.
Personality: Much like his twin sister, Colin is most often friendly and kind, however he tends to be soft spoken and much less outgoing, barring when Ava takes to the field. Where Ava has a passion for sports, Colin has a passion for taking things apart and putting them back together, possibly with a few...improvements. He's been referred to as a "McGuyver" by a few of the adults, and while he doesn't know what it means, he takes great pride in his ability to figure out how things work and improve upon them. While he isn't the most popular kid in Cloud's Cross, Colin is incredibly loyal and supportive of those he calls friends, and would do anything for them.
History: See Ava’s History
Other: (Anything we need to know that hasn't been covered yet? That goes here.)

Name: Norman Reid
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Patron God(dess): Hades
Appearance: Norman doesn't really cut an impressive figure, standing in at 5'5" and looking rail thin. Actually, with his pale skin and messy pale blond hair, he looks almost sickly, while his small size and the impressive amount of freckles scattered across his skin often have people convinced he's younger than he really is. It's rare that Norman speaks, let alone smiles, and his brown eyes often appear guarded. He can often be found in beaten jeans, dark shirts, and a black hooded jacket that appears at least a size or two too big.
Personality: As stated before, it's rare Norman speaks, let alone smiles--and when he does speak, it becomes apparent he's good at dodging questions and finding excuses to slip out of conversation. He is known to isolate himself, get as get as far away from others as possible. If you could had enough persistence to break him out of his shell, you'd find Norman is a young man that has been beaten down in every way other than physically. He deals with verbal and emotional abuse from his parents on a regular basis, and speaks nothing of the fact he sees dead people... Which have a tendency to inadvertently torment him because he doesn't know how to deal with them. It's difficult for anyone to gain his trust, even if they manage to get him to talk, but if you manage it, you have won yourself over someone who is kindhearted and willing to listen. Regardless, of there's anything you want to avoid with Norman, it's making him mad. The boy has the patience of a saint, but once you've worn through it...things begin to happen, and it's difficult to stop once they start.
History: Norman Reid's life looks more like the plot of one of those once-popular teenage angst novels than reality, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. He was among the first children to join the project after one of the younger scientists found him on the way to work...crying in a dumpster. He was only a few hours old, and at the time it was considered a miracle the tiny baby was still alive. When no one, much to no one's surprise, came looking for him, a married pair amongst the scientists offered to adopt him and volunteer him for the project, unfortunately their motives were far from pure. Instead of wanting to take the infant in out of the goodness of their hearts, they secretly hoped to exploit the boy, whom they named Norman, when he grew into his powers. When it appeared he, nor any of the other kids would grow into their powers quickly after a few years behind the door that sealed Cloud's Cross from the rest of the world, Angeline and Warren Reid began treating their young adopted son as more of a nuisance than a child worthy of attention. This led to Norman withdrawing from everyone almost completely by age six--he shied away from other adults, and hid from the rest of the children, expecting them to treat him as his "parents" did. Of course, as soon as he managed to isolate himself from the living, that was when he began to see the dead--people who were falling apart or ripped open, some even missing parts he knew they should have had, and who all wanted his attention.

Despite the fact they terrified him, Norman refused to tell his so-called parents or anyone else that he saw many more people in the town than others did. Instead, he further made it a point to isolate himself, that way no one else would find out, and his parents wouldn't have more ammo to add to their stash of insults. On top of dealing with the dead he doesn't know how to handle, . After all, his parents had since graduated from treating him like a nuisance to telling him how much of a nuisance he was and otherwise verbally abusing him at home, but acting nothing but sweet in public. He became better at hiding, both himself and his emotions, from people, didn't talk about how hard it was to sleep when people who bodies and faces no longer looked human hung around him constantly or how his parents liked to insult him. Instead, he bottled everything up and let it eat away at him. His isolation was beginning to hit hard as he reached sixteen, and things were taking a turn for the worst.

But then she started appearing--the golden woman. He began noticing her appearances in his bedroom shortly after his sixteenth birthday, where she had a tendency to stand among the dead crowding his room in silence for hours before leaving quietly and taking the crowd of dead that had accumulated around him with her. Her visits increased in frequency slowly, and thinking he was finally losing it, Norman spoke to her one night. He was highly surprised to find the woman he thought was an illusion could open her mouth and speak...and that she was kind. Or, at least she seemed kind. Deep down, Norman believed that for all her kindness, the woman was just like everyone else and hiding her true nature, or that she was a complex figment of his imagination. Leaning towards the theory that the woman wasn't real, Norman allowed himself to open up to her, and it's likely that this saved his sanity. Eventually, Norman learned his only friend called herself Persephone, and that her loneliness rivaled his. She told him that not all those in Cloud's Cross were like his parents, and she took away the crowds of dead. She told him about the outside world that had existed before Cloud's Cross was built, and she listened to him. Often, she stayed long enough ease Norman into a comfortable enough state that allowed him fall asleep. And slowly things have gotten better for him. Norman still has no trust in people, but Persephone is trying to help him as much as she can. She insists that many of the children who inhabit Cloud's Cross and a number of the adults are not in fact like his parents, however it is a reassurance Norman is unwilling to put to the test just yet. As such, he remains a pro at finding places in Cloud's Cross to hide in until he has to go home and avoiding everyone who isn't Persephone.
Other: NA

Name: Persephone (Palmer Grant)
Age: Unknown
Gender: Female
Patron God(dess): Persephone is a full-fledged goddess, and has taken up full duties as head of the Underworld in her late husband's stead
Appearance: Despite her now permanent residence in the Underworld and impressive age, Persephone looks as though she hasn't aged a day over twenty. Tall and willowy, the goddess in her usual human form stands in at an impressive 5'11" and with her sun-kissed skin, wavy golden hair that tumbles to her lower back, and warm smile, she looks for all the world like a healthy old-world runway model. Stunning emerald eyes seem to catch minute details most would miss, and aid her in giving off a distinct air of kindness. Oftentimes, Persephone can be found wearing a crown of magically preserved flowers (an old gift from her mother, Demeter) and a number of Grecian-styled floor length dresses, or loose, flowy tops with jeans and lace-up sandals or no shoes at all.
Personality: Unlike most of her remaining relatives and others like her, Persephone is a kind, nurturing soul at heart. She is at her best when she has something to take care of, be it plants, animals, living, dead, or anything else, really. This presents itself most clearly where Norman Reid is concerned, as Persephone has spent the majority of her recent time outside the Underworld with him, and has devoted herself to helping him, though this behavior isn't restricted to him. In fact, Persephone tends to act motherly towards anything and anyone that will let her...and heaven help you if you threaten someone she's become attached to. Her sweet outward attitude, however, is often used to hide the fact that she is an incredibly lonely and grief-filled individual. She still mourns the loss of the majority of her family, and finds it difficult to address the loss of her husband in particular. Her current feelings in regards to the children of the project tapping into Olympian power are jumbled at best, and her feelings towards Norman Reid are even more indecipherable, despite clearly coming to care for the boy. Her feelings towards the adults, however, range from indifference to sheer hate, and she hides these feelings poorly.
History:
Be forwarned this thing is huge...

Spoiler:

By now, many of us know the story in some way or another--Persephone was born a goddess, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. Growing up, she was a free spirited and kind child whose mother loved her, perhaps a bit too much. Where Demeter went, young Persephone could often be found hanging close behind, playing in fields and among flowers with an assortment of friendly life in the area. Things went on like this for ages--nothing changed, Persephone did not know any different from the life she knew, and so she was happy.

And then her father gave her uncle, Hades, the okay to marry her...without telling her, or her mother. In fact, her father knew her mother would be so opposed to the marriage that in order to carry the plan out, Persephone had to be kidnapped. So naturally, when Hades showed up, snatched her, and spirited her away from the field where she had been playing into the underworld, she was a little angry. Well, maybe more than a little angry.

But slowly she began to warm up to him. Hades was a lonely soul, stuck for the most part in the Underworld, kept away from many of those who could possibly relate to him. He was kind to the residents of the Underworld for the most part, and he was kind to her. He apologized for taking her against her will, and asked for her to listen, and she did. Afterwards, he asked for her forgiveness, and she granted it to him. Slowly, slowly, Persephone came to love Hades for who he was--the kind, lonely God who was eager to please those who stayed near him. When he asked her to marry him, Persephone consented. And then her mother showed up.

Furious about the entire ordeal, Demeter demanded Hades return Persephone to her. Unfortunately for Demeter, her daughter was no longer willing to stay at her mother's side forever, and fought to stay with Hades...a fight she lost. In typical Mother Knows Best fashion, Demeter forced Persephone to return to the world's above with her. Hades, however, gave his wife a single parting gift--a pomegranate from the Underworld, telling her that if she ate part of the fruit, Demeter would be forced to return her to her husband. From that pomegranate, she ate six seeds, and eventually it was revealed that she had eaten food from the Underworld, she would have to return to it. Livid, Demeter continued to fight for her daughter, and eventually a deal was struck; a third of the year, Persephone would reside with her husband, the other two thirds would be spent with her mother and her other relatives.

While not entirely pleased with the deal, Persephone allowed life to continue on. The time she spent with her husband was among the happiest times of her long life--sure, she and Hades occasionally hit their roadblocks, but never for long, and she enjoyed not being treated like a child. Everything seemed nearly perfect in her life, but it was a pity it couldn't last. Humans began to lose faith in the power of Persephone and her family, and their powers weakened as a result. Then what humans call the Apocalypse happened, destroying many of the gods' sources of power--some even ceased to exist. Persephone grieved for the loss of family members, but she and Hades remained untouched until shortly after, when Hades' ability to expand and build in the Underworld faltered. He was too weak to continue expanding, and the too-crowded realm needed places for its citizens to stay...and so he sacrificed himself to give the Underworld the energy it needed, naming his wife his successor when he did.

It was this loss Persephone took hardest. She grieved for years, and her husband's name still brings back painful memories. Without family to console her, and lack of friends to encourage her, as well as a lack of those to make friends with (in fact, her only “friend” to speak of her her late husband;s dog, Cerberus), the Underworld's queen spiraled into depression. It was in this state that she wandered out of the Underworld and into the realm of the living one night, and that was when she discovered that she felt something almost...pulling at her. She followed the pull into a surprising location--an odd underground bunker that resembled a town in the days long before the end of the world. It was there that she discovered children who radiated energy that she recognized as feeling like those of her family members, and some that felt similar, but not quite the same. It was here that she was lead to a single boy in particular--a smaller boy who radiated a very familiar energy--one almost identical to her late husband’s. She noticed quickly that he tended to keep to himself, speak very little, and was almost constantly surrounded by spirits of those who had not found their way into the Underworld. Unsure of how she felt about the boy and his connection to Hades, Persephone continued to observe him for some time, only to discover the boy, named Norman, lived with parents who seemed to live to beat him down verbally and didn’t care for their son in the slightest, and that he seemed to have trouble sleeping as well. She continued to observe him, however she also began to diminish the crowd of dead that always surrounded the boy, and found herself observing him from shorter and shorter distances away, eventually taking to standing in the same room as him, though making sure to keep herself hidden from view by sticking to the same plane in which the earthbound spirits reside.

This, however, was not enough to keep her hidden from Norman. She slowly became aware that the boy was more than capable of seeing, her, however he didn’t say anything for months...and then finally, he spoke to her, thinking she was a figment of his imagination. He was clearly surprised when she started speaking back, however he seemed to get over this fairly quickly, and the two became unlikely friends. They have now known each other two years, and Persephone spends a large deal of her time in the town known as Cloud’s Cross, either hanging near Norman or spending time watching over the other kids and trying to figure out how to best help undo the damage Norman’s parents have dealt him. She’s noticed changes among many of the kids, but has yet to reveal herself to anyone other than Norman.

Other: Her only friend to speak of outside of Cloud’s Cross is Cerberus, her late husband’s guard dog. While the two maintain a decent relationship, they are rarely seen together, as Cerberus still maintains his job guarding the entrance to the Underworld… He is, however, bound by orders from Hades to protect Persephone with his life, and will come to her aid in times of great need.