Approved Axel Gauthier

[Axel Gauthier]

Axel Gauthier

biography

Axel's life has always been one of competition. It started, he supposed, with his stepfather. Mr. Rainer - as he called the man - had entered the boy's life at the ripe old age of four. He was a master at chess. In fact, one of Axel's earliest memories of Mr. Rainer was helping him move all of the shiny game trophies into the new home. At first this had proved a way for them to bond. The man taught Axel to play, and the two would spend evenings in friendly competition. But over time the mood began to shift. There had always been a small issue with Axel being a sore loser, but it was generally excused due to his young age. The real problems started when he started winning. His first victory came at age 6. A fluke, Mr. Rainer said. Obviously, the champion had let the child win. And yet there was an inexplicable hint of surprise at the moment of triumph.

By 8 the kid was winning consistently, and each victory seemed to build on the tension. Mr. Rainer began treating him differently. Less like a son and more like an annoyance. Suddenly every childhood mistake was a malicious crime worthy of punishment. Axel could do nothing right in his stepfather's eyes. Nothing except for winning - to win was the ultimate way to prove oneself right, so how could that be seen as wrong? Yet every win just seemed to make the problems worse. His father stepped in where he could at first, but he was often busy with work and rarely home to witness his husband's controlling nature.

Things came to a breaking point when his younger step-brother - Mr. Rainer's biological child - became old enough to join in their games. This child, Elliot, was supposed to be the prodigy. After all, he had champions blood running though his veins. Yet at 6, he did not find the same victory that Axel had. At 8, he could barely contend with the Junior Chess Club, much less with his father. Axel, who had been forbidden from joining the club himself, tried to help his little brother and give him advice at first, but this only further enraged Mr. Rainer. He accused the child of trying to make his brother look bad. And while this wasn't true, it wasn't exactly unfathomable either. Axel was still a terrible loser. So while he would offer advice and help, he never once let Elliot win. As the two boys grew, the favoritism grew with them.  Elliot got the first pick of everything, the most attention, the best rewards. Nothing Axel did could measure up to his brother simply existing, no matter how many times he "won" in life. He had better grades, was better at sports, would prove himself again and again and yet it was never enough. He became bitter and resentful toward Mr. Rainer, and in turn the man turned from snide and neglectful to angry and abusive.

His father, by this point, had fallen ill. He spent much of his time in treatment or too exhausted to interact with the rest of the family. But not to worry, right? Mr. Rainer would watch the kids. He would take care of everything. He was a hero in her eyes, and a villain in Axel's. His father was in no position to defend him, so he began to defend himself. He'd get into screaming matches with the man, and eventually into physical altercations. These he would not win. But every time he tried to bring it up, his father would simply lament about how he wished all his boys could get along.

At school he would often get into fights, and he wasn't always sure why. Sometimes he knew he had started it, as anyone who dared to bully or mess with him would quickly be challenged and defeated in a schoolyard scrap. But sometimes... he wasn't quite sure. He'd be joking around or just hanging out, and people just grew unreasonably angry at something he said. So angry that they would challenge him, even though that never ended well for them. Then again, was there truly anything "unreasonable" for which to attack Axel? Mr. Rainer sure didn't seem to think so.

Then one fateful day, a 12-year-old Axel was suspended from school. Fighting again. This was it - a real loss. A real solid reason for Mr. Rainer to scream at him, an actual event that would disappoint his father again. Going home would bring so much pain for him - so he didn't. Instead he went to a local park. The place was in an unpopular neighborhood and was usually abandoned, but today an old man sat there playing a game of chess. Eager for a taste of victory after such  defeating day, Axel sat down across from him.

"Wanna play?" the man inquired, a wry smile crossing his face. Axel nodded, too weary from his own thoughts to notice that something was off. The man's face suddenly began to contort. He revealed long, sharp teeth and eyes black as night. "Funny-" his voice sounded stranger now, almost otherworldly. "It's not often a godling falls right into my lap!" Then he lunged.

Axel's mind was shaken, but his reflexes weren't. He grabbed the chessboard and threw it upward, creating a makeshift shield as  he tumbles out of the creature's reach.

"Ahhhh..." it hissed. "Thissss one has skillssss..."

What one looked like legs began slithering under the table, preparing another attack. Axel scrambled around looking for something, anything to use as a weapon. He managed to snatch up a fallen tree branch just as the thing began its assault. Normally such a thing would be too heavy for a twelve-year-old to lift, but perhaps due to the adrenaline of the moment it was posing him no issue. He brandished it in front of him as the snake-man advanced.

But it never came within striking distance. As the creature reared its head, an arrow came flying through the foliage. It pierced the thing's left ear, protruding from its head as it crumpled to the ground. Before Axel could so much as react, a horned man emerged from the bushes, mumbling incoherently and holding a longbow in one hand.

"Geezus kid," the man spoke. "You good?"

"A-are you a demon?" Axel asked suspiciously, hand still clasped around his tree branch.

"What? Of course not! What exactly are you accusing me of-"

"You have horns."

"Aw, crap! My hat!" The man grasped at his matted hair with a look of utter panic before rummaging around in the bush he had emerged from. "Where is it? Where is it? Ah! That was close. He pulled out a battered cap and placed it atop his head. It looked lopsided and strange upon the horns, and Axel couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Whoever this guy was, he didn't seem to be a threat. Not that h would lower his impromptu weapon anytime soon. It still had a bow.

"Okayyy..." the kid said slowly. "So what, are you then?"

"You really don't know? I figured you'd had training and all since you fight okay. I'm a Satyr. Say-tur. Not a demon, got it? And if you don't know that, you'd better stick with me. I'll take you home and we can talk to your parents about-"

"No!" Axel exclaimed, tightening his fists once more. "I'm not going home!"

The Satyr looked puzzled. Well I can't just take ya to camp without letting them know. And if you stay out here well-" he motioned to the crumpled body of snake-man. "There's more where that guy came from."

"I dunno where this camp is or what's going on here, but I'm not going back."

The seriousness in his voice must have had an effect, since the man's face softened. "Easy kid, I ain't lookin to fight ya. I dunno what's going on at home, but I can't just leave you out here to the monsters. Come with me, and we'll call your folks on the way, deal?"

Axel looked at him suspiciously. He didn't know anything about a camp, or monsters, or Satyrs, or anything going on really. But he knew he didn't want to go home, and if this guy tried anything he was pretty confident he could take him down before he got far enough away to viably use that fancy bow of his. (Of course, he may have just been overconfident - that was something young Axel was prone to.)

"Okay... where are we going?"

"Camp Half-Blood. It's actually only about a 2 hour walk from here. Faster if we take the car but I assume you ain't gettin in a car with a stranger?"

"You assume correctly. Besides, everybody walks in New York"

"Fine then, but take this." He held out a small dagger. "It's nothing fancy, but better than a tree branch. And you'll need something if we run into monsters on the way."

Axel took the weapon. It was nothing impressive, but something about having a blade in his hand felt right. He gave it a few test swings, then nodded. "Off to - what'd you call it?"

"Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood."

Personality

Axel has a tactical mind and a powerful sense of justice. He is by no means dumb, but could certainly be considered brash at times. He is not one to stay silent in the face of unfairness, even if staying quiet might earn him a better outcome. He thrives on competition and is very capable at most things he puts his mind to. He loves to win, and most often he does. He relies heavily on his mind and physical skills to carry him trough situations, and is very slow to rely on others for help. He is not unkind in general, but friendship never appears high on his list of priorities. While he doesn't pretend to be the best at everything, he does strive to be.

He is, however, a terrible loser. He takes every loss to heart, beating himself up far more than is reasonable. He often becomes obsessive over challenges, trying again and again until he succeeds. He is also not the easiest person to get along with. The value he places on self-reliance can sometimes become a mistrust of others, and simple mistakes can be taken for personal attacks. Axel sometimes without realizing, pushes all the wrong buttons and creating rivals out of potential friends when interacting with people.

About Me

Birthdate: September 29th, 2009
Likes: Winning, Chess, Strategy Games, Weapons, Spicy Food, Classic Rock Music, History, Fantasy Books, Comfortable/Breathable Clothing, Video Games
Dislikes: Losing, Socializing, Romance Novels, Chocolate, Crowds, Being Ignored
Family:

• Mom:
• Unknown
• Dad:
• Austin Gauthier (35)
• Step-Dad:
• Ethan Rainer (35)
• Siblings:
• Elliot Rainer (8)

Happy Thoughts: A crowd cheering for him after an impressive victory
Nightmares: Being humiliated and defeated in from of people he cares about
Fatal Flaw: Inability to accept defeat with grace
 

PLAYED BY: 

FACE CLAIM: Art by Tpiola

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