An Entirely Different Universe

Tired from sword practice, Evangeline crept into her now quiet and moonlit cabin, treading carefully so as not to wake any of the other campers. Midnight had been quick to come tonight. It seemed like only a few minutes had passed since Evangeline escaped dinner at seven and started sparring with one of her acquaintances then, when he had decided to call it a night, trained with a practice mannequin. "Beginner's luck!" her partner spat out when Evangeline had landed a few lucky hits with her wooden sword, surprised that she had actually managed to swing the weapon with good precision. Truly enough, it had only been her third time to spar with someone with as much experience as he did, and even he agreed that Evangeline learned surprisingly fast. "It just feels... natural." she said, lending her sparring partner a hand to help him up. "Yeah. It feels that way for all of us. But, mind you, you're pretty darn good-- even for a demigod beginner."
She smiled and shook her head at the memory of the comment before kicking her shoes off and sprawling on her bunk bed. "Beginner's luck..." Evangeline snorted out silently, running a numb hand through her hair. She was about to doze off in her dirty, and rather damp, clothes when she felt something poking at her back. Sighing, Evangeline stretched an arm out beneath her and felt blindly for whatever object she lay on. After a few seconds of the aggravating search, her hands locked upon a folded piece of paper, or something that felt a lot like it. She pulled it out from under her and inspected it with what little light filtered through a nearby window. Well, it's definitely a paper, she thought sarcastically, complete with a role of her eyes. Evangeline unfolded it and, from what she could see, it was multi-colored and shaped like an arch. There was something written on it as well. Curious to read what it said despite being dyslexic, Evangeline squinted her eyes and mouthed the words soundlessly. Evangeline, meet me by Zephyros' Creek. Preferably now, it said in neat cursive. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, thinking it must be an effect of dyslexia. Reading it again, however, proved it wasn't. Evangeline groaned. Who would want to meet up with her in the middle of the night? She sat up and pushed herself off her bed, hesitant to even go. There was no name citing who the note came from, but something in Evangeline kept nagging her to meet up with this mystery person. She slipped her sneakers on and headed out into the cool night, wondering if this was the right choice.
It took Evangeline a few minutes to navigate where she was going. The moonlight was strong enough to illuminate most things but, considering she was significantly new, it was hard for her to identify the name of a structure or a place. After a few minutes of-- literally-- wandering about, she heard the sound of streaming water. For the most part, Evangeline knew a stream would be in a forest. So her guess had been right, after all. Relief flooding through her, she followed the sound of lapping water and found herself standing a few meters away from a woman wearing a very elegant white business suit. Evangeline stared, open-mouthed and extremely bewildered. Why was someone dressed like that in a place like this? Probably a grown Aphrodite camper who decided to visit and got lost? That wouldn't explain the note, though. Balling her fists and deciding to push through, Evangeline cleared her throat and asked, "Excuse me, umm, I'm Evangeline... You sent me a note?" She couldn't believe how stupid she sounded.
The woman turned to face the camper, a smile playing on her lips. She had dark hair up in a bun, olive skin, and looked, well, somewhat like Evangeline-- yet, in many ways, their resemblance was far. "Hello, Eva." the woman said, holding out a hand for Evangeline to shake. Heck, they even sounded alike. Evangeline gave the stranger's hand one brisk shake, extremely uncomfortable with what was unfolding. Eva was the pet name her father gave. How did this woman know it... and why did she resemble Evangeline? "You've grown so much! Look at you!" the woman said, taking in Evangeline up and down. "And, my, aren't you the exquisite-looking one?" A bit shakily, Evangeline stepped back and gave the woman a confused look. Grown so much? "I'm sorry... but who are you exactly?" The stranger merely laughed, a bell of a laugh, really, that resounded throughout the trees. Evangeline, however, grew more irritated by the second. She crossed her arms and waited for a reply. Between peels of laughter, the woman finally replied and said, "Oh, sweetie, please forgive me. I'm Iris and I had to pull a number of strings just to be here and tell you that, well, I'm your mother."

Mortal Family:
Orion Macabee (Father)

Mr. Macabee was born in Richmond, Virginia to a lower middle class family. His parents had rented an apartment from a friend and could not provide more than the necessities. The Macabees would eat sparingly thrice, or twice, a day, keeping the leftovers in the fridge to snack on in case they grew hungry anytime during the morning, noon, or night. Whatever Mr. Macabee's parents managed to salvage from their jobs would go to rent, electricity, water, and other needed resources. Orion had a very limited allowance and would have to work part-time to afford anything more than a full set of school supplies and second-hand clothes. Because of this, he grew up to be a very practical young man. Getting a scholarship, acceptance into a good college, and becoming successful were his main priorities in life. He thrived in school, practically lived in the library, and joined the school's football team. The number of his friends never really reached the standards of popularity, but he was happy with them anyway. It was his nature to be thankful for what little blessings he received daily, and never to complain about the "lemons" thrown at him.
Orion graduated high school with a whopping list of extra-curricular activities and managed to snag the title 'Valedictorian'. His parents threw him a small graduation party after months-worth of saving and sent him off to Harvard Business School, thankful that Orion was on a full scholarship and didn't need to pay for anything other than dorm fees, food, and what not. Much to everyone's expectations, he excelled in most subjects and graduated HBS as the Summa Cum Laude of his class, with a few part-time jobs and after school activities under his belt. There was no denying that Orion's great sense of business acumen took him this far in life, so far, in fact, that big companies were willing to fund his graduate school as long as he decided to work for them in the future. Seeing an opportunity and weighing the stakes, Orion quickly grabbed at the offer of a prestigious company and took up his master's degree in the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
When his program was completed, the said company allotted Orion a paid leave which could only last a total of three months before he'd report in. It was clear that he was favored among most scholars the company funded. Orion, despite wanting to repay his debts, decided that it was high time he learned how to unwind and slow down. After signing the contract, he took the first flight available to Virginia and, from there, visited his parents.
During those three months, Orion re-visited his roots. He was invited to give a talk about career-planning in his old high school, and even helped flip burgers at the Wendy's branch he used to work for. Regardless of all awards and achievements, Mr. Macabee remained humble, simple, and down-to-earth. But, most of all, he was a man who decided his fate and made his own path.
Though, other than reminiscing about his hometown and beginnings, Orion fell head-over-heels in love with a woman who introduced herself as 'Iris'. The two met in an annual business conference held in a nearby state. She was very vague about her business and her credits, only referring to herself as the abnormally young vice president of a rather large industry that worked on, as she stated, "making communication easier". Orion enjoyed talking to her; Iris was charming, blunt, humorous, yet mature in most ways. Her eyes looked like they had seen more than twenty-three years, which was the age she claimed to be. And, though he would not admit, Orion had fallen in love with Iris the moment he laid eyes on her. When he had introduced her to his parents, even they agreed that she was quite a catch.
Three months passed in a flash and Orion started his job, as written and sworn upon. Iris admitted that she needed to take a year off to "refresh and relax". She rented the penthouse floor of an apartment in Mountain View, California, a few blocks away from Orion's newly-purchased home. When he had time to spare, the two would go on dates, like they did before the move. Sometimes they would go out for ice cream, watch a movie, and even attend socialite gatherings just for the sake of it. Once, when Orion had collected quite an amount of cash and established many connections, he took an unpaid month-long leave and they decided to spend Christmas and New Year in Hawaii. "If I had a daughter," Iris had said as they watched the fireworks fly up into the air and paint and night sky with colorful, exploding lights. "I would name her Callysta, meaning 'beautiful', and Evangeline, which stands for 'good news'. Callysta Evangeline. My beautiful, good news." Orion glanced at Iris, who was resting her head against his shoulder, their hands interlocked. The sparks lit up her face and made her eyes look youthful, hopeful, and happy. Iris had been his lucky charm, he wouldn't know what he would've done without her. In many ways, she was his 'good news'. "My daughter would be born on New Year's Day and she'd be... the luckiest girl in the world." she finished up, smiling from ear to ear as the bright colors danced across the horizon.
A few months after that vacation, Iris just vanished. Her numbers were disconnected, and her apartment was vacant, as if no one had lived there. From May to December, Orion went through the motions, feeling empty and confused. He didn't understand what had happened. Yes, it had been a year, but, surely, Iris would have left word before she left for work. He became so lost that the company threatened to let him go until he fixed himself up. And Orion did so.
On January 1, 1997, at exactly two in the morning, Mr. Macabee opened his door to something peculiar. There, on his doorstep, lay a box, and atop that box lay a brown basket. These things weren't out of the ordinary, considering the strange packages and gifts he always received from co-workers and other acquaintances. What made Orion stop was the rainbow-shaped notecard attached to the handle of the little weave basket. Iris adored rainbows. They had once spent countless minutes gazing at one in a park, right after their first picnic. The thought had struck him cold. Iris had brought the very same basket to that picnic, or, at least, the basket in front of him had looked a lot like it. Without a doubt that this was from his beloved, Orion grabbed the notecard and scanned through the cursive script. " Inside is this basket is a letter explaining the truth, and our beautiful, good news. You know what to name her. Please, take good care of my daughter. I love you, Orion. I always will." it said. And, just like that, Mr. Macabee's luck was returned.

Anabel Macabee (née Lawson) (Grandmother)

In place of Iris, this woman became Evangeline's mother figure. She's extremely spunky and enjoys keeping up with the times. When her husband, Harrold Macabee, died, Orion took her in. He didn't want her to end up in a retirement home, family-less and alone. Anabel would only cause trouble with the other tenants anyway, with her outgoing, loud, and fun-spirited demeanor. She definitely lacks the maturity a normal sixty-two-year-old has, or fails to show it if she does have a sense of it. Evangeline looks up to her grandma and fondly calls her 'Nanna'. As a child, she grew up listening to Anabel's wild stories. They varied from her countless jobs, to all the men she had-- make believe or not. Once or twice a month, Evangeline sends her grandmother an Iris Message just to see how she's doing. Or ask if she has any other crazy tales to share.

Brief History:
Early off, the doctors diagnosed Evangeline with both Dyslexia and ADHD. Being the doting father he was, Mr. Macabee quickly withdrew her from the preschool she was attending and hired a tutor, thinking Evangeline needed special attention. He showered her with gifts of all kinds: clothes, toys, books, and practically everything he grew up without. Whatever Evangeline asked for was automatically hers. When she turned five, her grandmother came to live in their modern stately-looking home, and her arrival had been perfectly timed. Much to Anabel's dismay, her granddaughter became a spoiled little princess who couldn't even get her own glass of water or walk two feet without being pampered like a brat. Orion was completely oblivious to this, and saw absolutely nothing wrong with treating Evangeline the way he did. Anabel told her son to focus on work because, in her terms, he was "utterly hopeless when it came to raising kids". And that was that. Her decision had always been final, even in her son's own home.
With her grandma around, Evangeline became much more independent and headstrong. She learned how to operate a washing machine, bake chocolate chip cookies, and also came to love reading in the midst of Dyslexia. Realizing his daughter was growing up so well, Orion chose to take a chance and enrolled Evangeline in a nearby private school. She was ten then, and was thoroughly excited at the thought of not having to tutor for the first time in her life. The amazement, however, died down after a few weeks. Evangeline had met people and made friends, but was barely able to keep up with her academics. Lecture just didn't work for her. The idea of having to sit down and be quiet for countless hours had been agitating. Her written marks were relatively good, but, when it came to lecture, she was all too rowdy. Her classmates eventually bore her, too. They were all the same, lacking diversity and self-expression. Snobs who thought and talked alike. When Evangeline told her father that she'd much rather tutor than spend another day in that school, Anabel broke out into laughter and said, "She's just like her ol' granny!"
Mr. Macabee required a lot of convincing until he agreed to getting Evangeline another tutor. This time, however, he decided he would teach Evangeline himself. Of course, his daughter wasn't up for it. Evangeline loved her father, but he had a way of getting too technical with the details. She didn't have a say in the matter, though, so she grudgingly agreed.
By the time Evangeline turned fourteen, her knowledge spanned slightly farther off than most girls her age, even if she dozed off most of the time during her father's discussions. She remembered only the interesting things, then automatically shut down when Mr. Macabee began talking about his philosophical ideas on business. Evangeline couldn't care less about marketing, resources, accounting, charting, and all that professional lingo. If you could get things done, quickly, easily, and on your own, why bother with complexities?
A number of months after Evangeline's fourteenth birthday, the strangest thing occurred. Her father was tapped to manage a branch in New York because of low-income rates. Realizing that this was opportune time, Mr. Macabee bought a spacious apartment in Upper East Side and coaxed his family into moving. Anabel was against it at first, but decided to give up the argument. Evangeline was all too eager for the move and the change in scenery, so she didn't cross her father's decision. In just a month's span, they were out of California and living it up in the Big Apple. Evangeline easily adapted the city life and savored every moment of it. If she wasn't being tutored by her father, she'd be out, window shopping or hoarding things that Mr. Macabee allowed her to buy. In a few weeks' time, Evangeline could weave her way through the crowded city with ease. She never realized the dangers of this, though-- until one snowy Saturday night, when she had been walking home after a long day of grocery shopping.
"What happened, sweetie?" Anabel exclaimed as her granddaughter walked in and slammed the apartment door shut. Evangeline looked worn and ragged; nasty-looking bruises were beginning to make their appearance on her face, and on the exposed part of her forearm. "I... don't know.” The fourteen-year-old stood there, near the doorway, extremely bewildered and confused. Anabel half-jumped, half-stood from her seat and brisk-walked to her granddaughter, arms outstretched. "Hush now, hush. Do you remember anything?" she stroked Evangeline's now-scruffy hair, as the latter cried into her grandmother's shoulder. "There was a group of people. Two men, and one woman. I- I thought they were going to mug me. But they didn't... I can't explain." Evangeline said, voice muffled and barely audible. "So they didn't mug you? How did you get those bruises?" Anabel tried to keep her voice from rising with concern. It was important to stay calm in these situations. "No, they didn't. But the woman... she isn't human, Nanna. She morphed into this creature with flaming hair and weird legs-- I know it sounds stupid, but I almost died tonight. I almost died-" Evangeline broke into a fit of tears, shaking. "And I fought them, Nanna. Something instinctual took over me and I began to fight. I must be going crazy..." she hiccuped and wiped at her face furiously. "No, no. You're not crazy. Listen to me," Anabel gently took hold of her granddaughter's shoulders, pushing slightly until they were eye-to-eye. "There's something your father needs to tell you. About your mother. Come, I'll go make some hot chocolate while we wait for him to get home. It's going to be a long night."
A week after the Empousa incident, Mr. Macabee dropped Evangeline off near the perimeters of Camp Half-Blood, telling his daughter that her mother would reveal herself soon. He promised to keep in touch and apologized for not giving Evangeline the safety she needed. His daughter thought differently. Evangeline believed he was the best father in the world, and reminded him of that. They parted with a hug. And, for once, Evangeline understood who she really was.

Physical Appearance:
Evangeline, at five foot seven, stands on the lower cusp of the 'tall scale'. She carries no complaints about her height, seeing as she's not too tall, or too short. . Her arm and hand-length combined stretch just a few inches beyond her hips and, due to a preference to sword wield, her arm muscles are leanly toned and firm. Evangeline has long, slender fingers that easily wrap around sword hilts, making too-thick grips possible to carry. Though, her upper body proves to be far stronger than the lower half, which is built more for endurance and balance with well-developed leg muscles and feet that are a size bigger than average female feet.
Funny that Evangeline looks nothing like her father, Orion Macabee, or her grandmother, for that matter. They both have golden blonde hair, while Evangeline, who probably took after a distant relative, was tricked by genetics to express wavy-straight, not to mention oh-so-uncommon and oh-so-untamable, pale blonde hair. From time to time, the morning frizz her hair gets itself into overnight annoys the heck out of her. If Evangeline is too lazy to think up a hairstyle, she bunches it all up into a top bun. But, most of the time, she brushes it out and applies a curl enhancer/protection serum which she bribes Aphrodite kids to enchant, so the effects last at least a week long. Evangeline also has a crazed passion, which rivals Eros and Aphrodite campers, for dressing up and looking her best. Ever since she moved to New York, she's been following all the latest fashion trends, and has been obsessed with keeping her figure lean, yet healthy-looking. So far, her eat-all-you-want-but-exercise-like-hell diet has been working well for her; it's pretty easy to get her into most clothes. Unless, of course, they're size zero.
People describe Evangeline to be an English Rose, minus being British and the demure attitude. Her beauty, disregarding the trendy clothes, is simple, and rather natural. Despite lips that are only moderately full (her upper lip has more shape than its counterpart), she's got a winning smile, and possesses a charming way of carrying herself. When embarrassed, Evangeline easily turns beet red because, unlike her immediate relatives and their pale complexions, she has fair skin with pink-undertones and a generous spread of freckles. Also opposite from her family, she has very soft features: a rounded face, high cheek bones softened by full cheeks, and a subtly angular small-sized nose. The first thing you'll notice about Evangeline, however, are her almond-shaped eyes that are mildly cat-like in angularity, and are framed by thick lashes. They're a very dreamy sea green with light flecks and, when hit by sunlight, turn a different shade that seem to give her eyes a certain mischievous sparkle to them.
Obviously, Evangeline tries to play her features up by using make up. Permanent make up, to be exact-- the ones that last a month long (not really so permanent then). She can go from a natural pallet, to something dark and smokey. It depends on how she feels during that particular month.

Personality:
The first impression people get from Evangeline is that she's extremely sassy and quirky. No one really knows what goes on in that head of hers. She has this perpetual look of judging people and, to be honest, she really is very judgmental and temperamental. Sure, she's an amusing conversationalist because of her witty comments and mild sarcasm, but, once people strike the wrong chord, Evangeline instantly blows her top off. She gets into fights effortlessly because of her horrid attention span when she's disinterested, and her ever-blunt remarks. There are tendencies when she can become bratty, but she hates brats and being hypocritical.
Evangeline is also very reckless and freewheeling. The books she reads during her free time, and the books she read during her childhood, taught her how to crave for adventure. She once believed she could be a pirate and sail the seven seas, looking for treasure. Or fly around the galaxy in a rocket-ship-box, living on stardust and bits of moon. That magical part of childhood still clings to her. Due to this, and the strong influence of her grandmother, Evangeline continues to be an avid dreamer, albeit not showing it to others. Once she sets her mind on something, she relentlessly pursues it with determination and sheer willpower, a trait she inherited from her father. Being a child of Iris, she understands that life can be as diverse as the colors of the rainbow, so Evangeline faces challenges head on, ruled more by guts than by logical thinking, much to her father's dismay. She always chooses to take the unknown path, and, simply put, does whatever the heck she wants-- with consent or not. God bless the soul who tries to get in her way because she is as stubborn as a bull, and won't think clearly unless an influential person in her life tries to stop her.
Like Anabel, Evangeline is independent and doesn't enjoy thriving off people. She hates feeling helpless and weak. If placed in an uncomfortable situation, she becomes irritable. Evangeline wants to be in control of her own choices, and doesn't care if she mistakes along the way. When people try to give Evangeline advice, she tunes them out and reassures them, in a not-so-reassuring way, that she can handle things on her own, without anyone's help. She is rather brash when it comes to decision making, so she may be making countless mistakes in the years to come.
Though, despite her hard outside, Evangeline can become very caring, loyal, and kind-hearted to her friends. If someone were to hang around her long enough, she'd warm up to him/her and start showing a more sensitive and open-minded Evangeline. Just as she doesn't like feeling helpless, she absolutely despises it when people gang up on others who don't stand a chance. She's very sympathetic when it comes to instances like the aforementioned; call it a soft spot. Although, Evangeline tends to let her emotions take over, and will rush in to help without a plan in mind.

Fatal Flaw/s:
This girl is an unbelievably gutsy person. She's brave, and will recklessly jump into the fray. This is her downfall; it doesn't come naturally for Evangeline to think before acting. She's also a notorious strategy rule breaker, and will not stick to battle plans unless viewed befitting.

Pets:
None

Powers/Abilities:
Virtuakinesis- As a child of the goddess of rainbows, Evangeline has control over the light spectrum. After her first year in Camp, she noticed that, mixed with mist, light had infinite possibilities. She quickly adapted to this realization and grasped the basics of creating illusions using light and mist. Even if Evangeline has spent several months perfecting the art, it still requires immense concentration and, unfortunately, the rare presence of mist.
Mental Telegrams- Evangeline has this nifty ability to send people short messages or a string of images telepathically, regardless of distance. It's a minor power, but it's extremely helpful.

Hobbies:
When she feels like it, Evangeline likes to read and sketch sceneries. She usually goes to a secluded area, carrying her colored pencils or oil pastels along with her, and illustrates the surroundings. Sometimes she sketches sceneries from books. No one gets to see her works, though. Evangeline guards her portfolio with her life.

Weapons:
Evangeline is adept in hand-to-hand combat and sword-wielding. She could use improvement in some forms, but she can definitely hold her own in the battlefield. Her weapon is a large, and very heavy, broadsword named 'μοίρα' or 'Fate'. It's part Celestial Bronze and part steel, blessed by Iris to look like a fragile glass sword when, in fact, it could cut diamonds. There are magical inscriptions running along the blade and hilt, but they look more like intricate designs.

Year-Round or Summer:
Year-round, but Evangeline goes out a lot. With or without permission.

Years In Camp:
Three, roughly. Or almost three.

Other:
None