Lydia Hawthorne
biography
Lydia's father was a graveyard keeper in New Orleans, with a gift for communing with the dead through seances. She never knew her mother--and had never really bothered to ask the story of how her parents met--but had been informed that she had been given to her father early in life. Lydia grew up toddling through graveyards and making friends with tombstones.
A lonely child, Lydia struggled to make friends with the other kids. Often alone when at school. It came as no surprise to her father when she developed imaginary friends to compensate for the lack of social interaction with her peers. What did surprise him was the day he walked into the room and saw a fully manifest spirit of a child playing dolls with his daughter. Edgar, in all his years, had never managed to manifest an embodied spirit and knew his daughter must be a special child, indeed.
From then on, Edgar would often invite his daughter to the seances when a high paying client would come, or around Halloween. Lydia, not realizing that her father was letting his greed get the better of him and using the gifts from her mother for profit--trusting the only caring adult she had ever known--would oblige and summon the spirits of those called forth. Of course, most of the mortals thought that it was a trick of some kind. But those who believed in her gift were often terrified. Further alienating her from society. Lydia's father realized in time what he was doing, but it was too late. Too many children were afraid of Lydia in their neighborhood, and the bullying began.
Lydia would walk home from school, and her peers would throw things at her, call her terrible names, and try to humiliate her. She took it all in stride, but it was clear that it was wearing on her. Eventually Edgar decided to homeschool her and hired a tutor to teach her.
The tutor, Spruce, and Lydia became fast friends because he, also, knew what it was like to be different. Spruce taught her a lot about Greek mythology and history during her lessons.
One night, when Lydia was 10 years old, well after she should have been asleep she heard her father in a heated conversation with Spruce. Wondering what her tutor was doing there so late at night, Lydia crept up and overheard the argument.
"She needs to go to camp, Edgar."
"I'm not abandoning her and hurting her again. It's my fault she's so lonely."
"There are others like her there."
"Like her? Really?"
"Well... not exactly." Spruce confessed. "I've never met any demigods that are exactly like her. But there are other demigods."
At that point Lydia stepped out. "Like Heracles?" She tilted her head to the side. "And Achilles?"
"You don't need to go dear." Her father assured her. "I'll... I'll keep you safe." He swore. Poor foolish mortal. He couldn't have known the lie he was telling her.
Spruce left. But not three weeks later an attack on their home occurred. A terrible creature, something that Lydia couldn't even identify in her fear, trashed their home. In her father's efforts to save her life, he sacrificed himself. Seeing the dead body of her father, Lydia dissociated. Hundreds of ghosts rose to her aid and the creature was fended off--not defeated, but gone. When Lydia finally came to, only one spirit remained. The small ghost of the little girl she had played with as a child. "Your father is gone. Go find the Satyr, Spruce. He'll take you somewhere safe." And then she dissipated.
Spruce had never really gone far, and was easy enough to find. A devastated Lydia followed the advice of her former imaginary friend, and let Spruce guide her to her new home Camp Half-Blood. Just before her 13th birthday, Lydia was claimed by her mother, Melinoë.
It's been 5 years since that tragedy. Lydia's never managed to call the spirit of her father, despite her best efforts to try. She has spent her time learning to defend herself, but has no motivation to ever leave camp again. She is content to speak with the dead, and continue her studies. Hoping that one day she'll be able to call her father's spirit to her, and see him one last time.
Personality
Upon first getting to know Lydia, on the surface she seems like an airhead. Often seeming to be spaced out or daydreaming--well day-nightmaring?--she can be hard to get to know. For those willing to put in a bit of effort, however, they will discover that she's quite intelligent and a brilliant artist, if a bit macabre in her choice of subjects. Lydia can be a bit melancholic and wistful, but she has a heart of gold and is happy to support and help anyone who is willing to accept her eccentric attempts at support.
Lydia finds joy in things most people would find off-putting. Perhaps a side-effect of being the daughter of the Goddess of Nightmares. She prefers solitude or a small group of friends over crowds, and the company of ghosts over the living more often than not. Lydia feels most at home in a graveyard, but has learned to make due at Camp.
About Me
Birthdate: October 15, 2006
Likes: Graveyards, Ghost Stories, the Macabre, Horror Movies, and Rainbows
Dislikes: Those who dishonor the dead, direct sunlight (she burns easily), most sports, tropical fruits, and assholes
Family:
Mom:
Melinoë
Dad:
Edgar Hawthorne
Siblings:
None
Other:
--
Happy Thoughts: Graveyards cleaning with her father.
Nightmares: She's afraid of being completely abandoned.
Fatal Flaw: Jealousy. When jealous, she gets tunnel vision and rarely stops to gather all the details before making a decision which causes irreparable damage to relationships. It can also make her irrationally angry and cause her to jump into arguments/fights unprepared.
PLAYED BY: Lilythe
FACE CLAIM: Kerli Koiv
