Charlie Kuo
As First Officer on the cruise ship, Grace Kuo liked to set an example for her fellow crewmates. She made every effort to keep her activity professional and courteous while onboard, even during downtime and especially around the passengers, but once her contract was up, she had no problem letting loose. In fact, she made a point to do so, since it was a great opportunity to de-stress and get to know her crewmates a bit better.
Usually she went back to her hotel alone after such outings, but she was just drunk enough and the man had been just charming enough that she'd made an exception. She didn't think much of it the next morning when she woke alone, and she put the night out of her mind for several weeks. Then she missed her period, and the morning sickness hit, and it occurred to her it was probably time to take a pregnancy test.
Grace was by no means surprised when she saw two lines on the test, but she was stumped for a few days on how to fit a child into her life. She was no stranger to having to think on her feet or adjust plans on a moment's notice, but a kid was a bit out of her scope. After a consult with a calendar, her superiors, and an OBGYN, she opted to take a shorter contract than she typically would, take a year or two after off from work, and then reassess.
At 3:33 AM the 31st of March 2003, Charlie Kuo was born in Alaska Regional Hospital. Charlie lived with her grandfather, Steven, for the next three years. Grace went back to work soon after Charlie's first birthday, accepting a promotion and a raise from a luxury experience cruise line once she completed their training program.
It was clear Charlie loved being near the ocean and Steven made it a point to bring her along on his near-daily bike rides along the coast, installing a baby carrier on his bike to keep her safe. If she was cooped up inside for too long, she'd become fussy and irritable until he made time for a quick trip.
Once Grace mentioned bringing Charlie to stay on the ship with her was an option, Steven made it a point to convince her to do it. He adored having his granddaughter stay with him, but he also knew she'd love to be out on the open ocean. Grace did cave - after months of her father bringing it up every time she called - and she began bringing Charlie along.
As expected, Charlie did enjoy being on the open ocean. She became a permanent fixture on the ship, living onboard with her mom and "attending" homeschool with the ship's doctor's son. He was a few years older, but he was good company anyway. Since Grace worked with the "Pirate Experience" program, Charlie was able to participate in some of the passenger activities, such as swordfighting lessons onboard and treasure hunts.
She spent a lot of time with the crew while they were off-duty as well. The crew was made up of a mix of younger actors-turned-sailors and older, more experienced sailors the company had poached from other cruise lines, the navy, and merchant ships, and everyone had stories to share and plenty of superstition to go around.
The company Grace worked for owned a number of small islands that they used as part of the immersive experiences they offered, and many of these islands could not be approached by the ship, so the ship had to be anchored and small boats taken to shore. On 7 June 2014, Charlie had accompanied the passengers to one such island - initially to join in on the treasure hunt because she'd heard from the crew this was a new hunt and not one she'd participated in before, but she found exploring the island much more interesting and parted from the group fairly quickly.
Charlie wanted to hike up to the cliffs, but getting there required struggling through the jungled section of the island. She could hear movement around her and just assumed it was regular island wildlife; the sounds weren't too close, so she didn't pay them any mind. As she approached the cliff though, the sounds became louder, and when she turned behind her to look, she could see what seemed to be a dog-sized ant headed in her direction. She could only see the one, but she could hear more and she had no desire to stick around and find out how many exactly. She started running the only direction she could: toward the edge of the island.
The cliff face was sheer, the drop about sixty feet - no issue for a professional cliff diver, sure, but Charlie was only an eleven year old. She was a strong swimmer though, and she'd been learning how to dive from one of the crewmates who was on his college diving team, so...she reasoned she had a better chance surviving the jump than the ants. She didn't hesitate at all as she approached the edge and launched herself off. A spray of acid from one of the ants caught the back of her leg and turned her attempt at a graceful dive into an undignified fall into the ocean below.
When she opened her eyes after what felt like an eternity, she was alive, and underwater, and...breathing, as well? She wasn't so sure about that last part. Her calf felt like it was on fire, so maybe the ant had some kind of special poison that was affecting her brain. She started swimming toward the ship only to be met halfway by a crewmember in the emergency liferaft. Someone had seen her jump.
The island visit was cut short on reports of "aggressive wild dogs," and everyone made it back to the ship in one piece. Only the most seasoned crewmembers believed her story as she told it; her mother and the ship's doctor put it down to her age and the stress of the situation.
Charlie was never quite convinced, and that was only the first in a series of odd and life-threatening occurrences over the next few years. There were other attacks that she was able to survive by being quick on her feet or in the company of crewmates with weapons that seemed to come out of nowhere. Those particular crewmates were demigods or legacies, though Charlie didn't know that at the time.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, 2019, the ship was rocked by an impact from below. Charlie was no stranger to rough seas, but this was clearly something else. She could hear orders being shouted and passengers being directed back to their rooms. She poked her head out of the captain's suite just in time to see a crewmate run by with - a harpoon gun? And someone was yelling about loading the cannons. She knew she should stay put, but curiosity got the best of her and she headed up to the main deck to get a better look at what was happening.
It was quite dark and difficult to make anything out, but she could see something huge moving just under the water not a hundred meters from the ship. Charlie fully believed in sea serpents, but she didn't think she'd ever encounter one, but whatever was out there couldn't be anything else. She didn't need experience with the beasts to know it was winding up to hit them again, so she grabbed tight to the ship's railing just in time for impact.
There were six demigods on board, not including Charlie, and that's why the sea serpent attacked the ship. All six of the demigods pushed their way past the crew to the main deck so they could get a view of the beast, and they all had weapons, so the crew diverted their attention elsewhere. The ship was taking on water and they needed to evacuate.
Charlie was thrown into the main mast with the next hit, hitting her head and breaking a few ribs on impact. That was an awful position to be in for several reasons, but at the top of the list was the great view she had of the sea serpent having a few people for dinner. It went for Grace, still at the helm of the ship, but it dropped her when one of the demigods managed to put their spear through its eye. One of the other demigods used the brief moment as it recoiled with its jaws wide open to thrust their spear through the roof of its mouth, and - seemingly just as quick as it had started, it was over.
Except the ship was still sinking.
Most of the passengers and crew survived and were able to make it safely to lifeboats, and they were later picked up by the Coast Guard. The injured, including Charlie and her mom, were swiftly taken to the closest hospital.
Charlie and Grace went back to live with Steven in Alaska. Charlie had planned to complete the rest of her senior year at East Anchorage High School until the pandemic hit and everything went to distance learning. After graduation, Charlie started working at a McDonald's, where she was found by a satyr who was kind enough to explain the whole demigod situation. For Charlie, the truth explained a lot, and her grandpa took it in stride and agreed to drive them to Long Island. Grace was skeptical but not enough so to say no, so Charlie packed a bag, grabbed her cat, Hamburglar, and off they went.
Usually she went back to her hotel alone after such outings, but she was just drunk enough and the man had been just charming enough that she'd made an exception. She didn't think much of it the next morning when she woke alone, and she put the night out of her mind for several weeks. Then she missed her period, and the morning sickness hit, and it occurred to her it was probably time to take a pregnancy test.
Grace was by no means surprised when she saw two lines on the test, but she was stumped for a few days on how to fit a child into her life. She was no stranger to having to think on her feet or adjust plans on a moment's notice, but a kid was a bit out of her scope. After a consult with a calendar, her superiors, and an OBGYN, she opted to take a shorter contract than she typically would, take a year or two after off from work, and then reassess.
At 3:33 AM the 31st of March 2003, Charlie Kuo was born in Alaska Regional Hospital. Charlie lived with her grandfather, Steven, for the next three years. Grace went back to work soon after Charlie's first birthday, accepting a promotion and a raise from a luxury experience cruise line once she completed their training program.
It was clear Charlie loved being near the ocean and Steven made it a point to bring her along on his near-daily bike rides along the coast, installing a baby carrier on his bike to keep her safe. If she was cooped up inside for too long, she'd become fussy and irritable until he made time for a quick trip.
Once Grace mentioned bringing Charlie to stay on the ship with her was an option, Steven made it a point to convince her to do it. He adored having his granddaughter stay with him, but he also knew she'd love to be out on the open ocean. Grace did cave - after months of her father bringing it up every time she called - and she began bringing Charlie along.
As expected, Charlie did enjoy being on the open ocean. She became a permanent fixture on the ship, living onboard with her mom and "attending" homeschool with the ship's doctor's son. He was a few years older, but he was good company anyway. Since Grace worked with the "Pirate Experience" program, Charlie was able to participate in some of the passenger activities, such as swordfighting lessons onboard and treasure hunts.
She spent a lot of time with the crew while they were off-duty as well. The crew was made up of a mix of younger actors-turned-sailors and older, more experienced sailors the company had poached from other cruise lines, the navy, and merchant ships, and everyone had stories to share and plenty of superstition to go around.
The company Grace worked for owned a number of small islands that they used as part of the immersive experiences they offered, and many of these islands could not be approached by the ship, so the ship had to be anchored and small boats taken to shore. On 7 June 2014, Charlie had accompanied the passengers to one such island - initially to join in on the treasure hunt because she'd heard from the crew this was a new hunt and not one she'd participated in before, but she found exploring the island much more interesting and parted from the group fairly quickly.
Charlie wanted to hike up to the cliffs, but getting there required struggling through the jungled section of the island. She could hear movement around her and just assumed it was regular island wildlife; the sounds weren't too close, so she didn't pay them any mind. As she approached the cliff though, the sounds became louder, and when she turned behind her to look, she could see what seemed to be a dog-sized ant headed in her direction. She could only see the one, but she could hear more and she had no desire to stick around and find out how many exactly. She started running the only direction she could: toward the edge of the island.
The cliff face was sheer, the drop about sixty feet - no issue for a professional cliff diver, sure, but Charlie was only an eleven year old. She was a strong swimmer though, and she'd been learning how to dive from one of the crewmates who was on his college diving team, so...she reasoned she had a better chance surviving the jump than the ants. She didn't hesitate at all as she approached the edge and launched herself off. A spray of acid from one of the ants caught the back of her leg and turned her attempt at a graceful dive into an undignified fall into the ocean below.
When she opened her eyes after what felt like an eternity, she was alive, and underwater, and...breathing, as well? She wasn't so sure about that last part. Her calf felt like it was on fire, so maybe the ant had some kind of special poison that was affecting her brain. She started swimming toward the ship only to be met halfway by a crewmember in the emergency liferaft. Someone had seen her jump.
The island visit was cut short on reports of "aggressive wild dogs," and everyone made it back to the ship in one piece. Only the most seasoned crewmembers believed her story as she told it; her mother and the ship's doctor put it down to her age and the stress of the situation.
Charlie was never quite convinced, and that was only the first in a series of odd and life-threatening occurrences over the next few years. There were other attacks that she was able to survive by being quick on her feet or in the company of crewmates with weapons that seemed to come out of nowhere. Those particular crewmates were demigods or legacies, though Charlie didn't know that at the time.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, 2019, the ship was rocked by an impact from below. Charlie was no stranger to rough seas, but this was clearly something else. She could hear orders being shouted and passengers being directed back to their rooms. She poked her head out of the captain's suite just in time to see a crewmate run by with - a harpoon gun? And someone was yelling about loading the cannons. She knew she should stay put, but curiosity got the best of her and she headed up to the main deck to get a better look at what was happening.
It was quite dark and difficult to make anything out, but she could see something huge moving just under the water not a hundred meters from the ship. Charlie fully believed in sea serpents, but she didn't think she'd ever encounter one, but whatever was out there couldn't be anything else. She didn't need experience with the beasts to know it was winding up to hit them again, so she grabbed tight to the ship's railing just in time for impact.
There were six demigods on board, not including Charlie, and that's why the sea serpent attacked the ship. All six of the demigods pushed their way past the crew to the main deck so they could get a view of the beast, and they all had weapons, so the crew diverted their attention elsewhere. The ship was taking on water and they needed to evacuate.
Charlie was thrown into the main mast with the next hit, hitting her head and breaking a few ribs on impact. That was an awful position to be in for several reasons, but at the top of the list was the great view she had of the sea serpent having a few people for dinner. It went for Grace, still at the helm of the ship, but it dropped her when one of the demigods managed to put their spear through its eye. One of the other demigods used the brief moment as it recoiled with its jaws wide open to thrust their spear through the roof of its mouth, and - seemingly just as quick as it had started, it was over.
Except the ship was still sinking.
Most of the passengers and crew survived and were able to make it safely to lifeboats, and they were later picked up by the Coast Guard. The injured, including Charlie and her mom, were swiftly taken to the closest hospital.
Charlie and Grace went back to live with Steven in Alaska. Charlie had planned to complete the rest of her senior year at East Anchorage High School until the pandemic hit and everything went to distance learning. After graduation, Charlie started working at a McDonald's, where she was found by a satyr who was kind enough to explain the whole demigod situation. For Charlie, the truth explained a lot, and her grandpa took it in stride and agreed to drive them to Long Island. Grace was skeptical but not enough so to say no, so Charlie packed a bag, grabbed her cat, Hamburglar, and off they went.
Charlie has a very one-track mind, but she's able to use it to her favor most of the time. That's how she almost always gets all her work done efficiently so that she can do what she likes after. That said, she also switches tracks on short notice, so in order to focus for extended periods of time she has to deliberately block out distractions. Think horse blinders, but for humans.
Like any self-respecting child of Poseidon, Charlie loves the ocean, but after the attack on the ship in 2019, it is extremely difficult for her to venture too far from the shore, much less set foot on a boat. Grace, now working as a trainer for the cruise line rather than a captain at sea, brought Charlie along to one of the seminars she was running in July 2020. Once onboard the still-docked ship, Charlie was frozen in place, her heart racing, and all could think about was the sea serpent.
So. No boats.
She does, however, make a point to go to aquariums or aquatic pet stores to have conversations with the critters. This is by far her favorite hobby and she became well-known in her graduating class because she helped people have conversations with their fish and turtles.
Like any self-respecting child of Poseidon, Charlie loves the ocean, but after the attack on the ship in 2019, it is extremely difficult for her to venture too far from the shore, much less set foot on a boat. Grace, now working as a trainer for the cruise line rather than a captain at sea, brought Charlie along to one of the seminars she was running in July 2020. Once onboard the still-docked ship, Charlie was frozen in place, her heart racing, and all could think about was the sea serpent.
So. No boats.
She does, however, make a point to go to aquariums or aquatic pet stores to have conversations with the critters. This is by far her favorite hobby and she became well-known in her graduating class because she helped people have conversations with their fish and turtles.
─ MODEL
Amber Liu
─ HEIGHT
5'6"
─ HAIR COLOR
variable, usually black or blonde
─ HAIR SYTLE
short & neat
─ EYE COLOR
brown
─ GLASSES
None
─ SCARS
─ Left calf: faint scar from myrmex acid
─ TATTOOS
─ Charlie grew up around sailors from all kinds of backgrounds, and the one thing most of them had in common was a love for tattoos. She has extensive plans for tattoos she'd like in the future, though now that she's at camp she'll have to find a new artist.
─ FORMAL WEAR
─ WORK WEAR
─ CASUAL WEAR
─ PAJAMA WEAR
─ FULL NAME
Charlie Kuo
─ NICKNAMES
None
─ GENDER
Female, but more in a "if I had to pick a gender" kind of way
─ PRONOUNS
She/her, exploring they/them
─ SEXUALITY
bi
─ RELATIONSHIP STATUS
Single
─ BIRTHPLACE
Anchorage, Alaska
─ CURRENT RESIDENCE
Poseidon's Cabin, CHB
─ NATIONALITY
American
─ LANGUAGES SPOKEN
English, Mandarin, Spanish
─ ACCENT
Neutral American
─ OCCUPATION
Camper
─ SPECIES
Demigod
─ GOD PARENT
Poseidon
─ BLOOD TYPE
O+
─ AGE
18
─ BIRTHDATE
31 March 2003
─ ZODIAC
Aries
─ WEAPON OF CHOICE
─ Cutlass & dagger, recovered from a shipwreck and restored with the help of her grandfather
─ OTHER COMBAT SKILLS
─ Running very fast in the other direction
─ OFFENSIVE
─ Children of Poseidon can fire a powerful blast of water from their hands, equivalent to that of a fire hose, which evaporates after a short time.
─ Children of Poseidon have the ability to conjure and freeze small amounts of water into durable ice weapons, which can be used for combat; however, only one weapon can be conjured at a time and it cannot be bigger than the one who conjured it. They can also make small non-combative objects out of ice.
─ DEFENSIVE
─ Children of Poseidon can create an area around themselves that inflicts others with intense seasickness, making them dizzy and nauseous for as long as they remain inside. The user must keep their focus on maintaining the effect for the duration.
─ Children of Poseidon can turn their body to water for a very short time, letting an attack pass harmlessly through them. This can cause extreme dehydration with repeated use.
─ PASSIVE
─ Children of Poseidon can breathe, are swifter and more powerful, and can heal slightly faster while underwater.
─ Children of Poseidon can keep themselves and everything they touch dry in the water, unless they choose to become wet.
─ Children of Poseidon can survive falling from any altitude as long as they land in water, and can go as deep into the ocean as they desire without any effects from the cold or water pressure.
─ Children of Poseidon can communicate with and command equestrian animals, as well as all creatures that dwell in the sea.
─ Children of Poseidon are innately less inhibited by severe wind and precipitation.
─ SUPPLEMENTARY
─ Children of Poseidon have the ability to create minor earthquakes, large enough to knock anyone nearby off their feet, for a few seconds.
─ Children of Poseidon are able to telekinetically move water at a high rate. The larger amount of water used, the more energy it drains. This can be used on ice, but is much more difficult and draining.
─ Children of Poseidon are are able summon a specific horse, pegasus, or sea creature directly to their position, regardless of distance. This only works on creatures that they have a strong personal bond with.
─ Children of Poseidon can calm, strengthen or influence the direction of the winds, though to a much lesser extent than children of Zeus or the anemoi.
─ 3 MONTH locked until 23 june 2021
─ Children of Poseidon have the ability to create a torrential rainstorm overhead, which will downpour and cause high winds over a large area. The storm will gradually clear over time, and afterward the user would be substantially drained.
─ 6 MONTH locked until 23 september 2021
─ Children of Poseidon are able to shape a semi-living construct out of water, no larger than 3 to 4 times the size of the user, that fights for them for a short time. The user is weakened while the construct is active, and the longer they maintain the it, the more energy it drains.
─ 9 MONTH locked until 23 december 2021
─ Children of Poseidon are able to transform their bodies into a state of pure water for a short time, becoming immune to most attacks. The hydrokinetic abilities they already possess are enhanced by this state, and they are capable of covering great distances in an instant while underwater. The user will be extremely drained once the transformation ends, and could possibly faint.
─ TRAITS
─ Children of Poseidon always know their exact coordinates when in water and are able to innately feel the difference between freshwater and saltwater.
─ Children of Poseidon normally have a love for water, and generally excel at water sports.
─ Children of Poseidon tend to be favored by animals of the sea.
─ Children of Poseidon often have a natural affinity for horses and many grow up to become equestrians.
