minotaurs, sirens, furies, gods—all of which were myths to the young girl who grew up without a father, nor the protection he could have offered. since she was a little child, lalisa faced prejudice in the small town she grew up in, not only for being the single asian in her school, but as the only kid who was unable to read and write as well as others. grades suffered, and so followed several parent-teacher conferences. consequently, her mother blamed her, because this little girl preferred to doodle or spend countless hours playing outside with the few friends she did have, rather than focusing on her studies.

the times that she did try to sit down and read a book was headache-inducing. words didn't look right. letters were flipped around, rearranged, and even hidden behind the other. a sentence was distorted, while an entire book was a three-dimensional block of incoherent scribbles. in school, while her classmates easily finished their work, she sat at her table in silence, refusing to even so much as spare a glance at the lines of black on white paper. but of course, this was after countless times of trying. several efforts made in order to appease her mom, to avoid the angered lectures spat at her whenever she had to call out of work for a parent-teacher conference.

it was incessant torture. but it wasn't because of her mother. no, it was self-blame. self-doubt. it was the constant insults towards herself whenever she couldn't read out loud in front of the class, whenever she would humiliate herself because she would spell her own name wrong. the poor girl thought of herself as worthless and stupid at a young age for her inability to stay still and do well in class, just like everyone else. fellow classmates and their parents thought it was because she's an immigrant, a child who wasn't "smart enough" to know english well (though it was quite the questionable assumption, since she spoke without a trace of an accent). only when her mother found out that she was constantly bullied that she decided to invest her hard-earned money in psychological testing. 

dyslexia and adhd. that's what it was. yet another reason for eight-year-old lalisa to doubt herself. the doctor sounded reassuring enough when he stated that it's "normal" and many kids have it, to which she refuted with the fact that she was the only kid in her school with enough bad luck. or so she thought. 

the years following her fairly difficult childhood have eased for the fatherless child. upon conquering her reading disability, the girl has dedicated the rest of her life in studies, seldom taking any educational opportunity for granted. if anything, she reveled in her educational success, as the improvement in her grades were by far her largest accomplishment. each percentage increase naturally encouraged her to accomplish more, even enrolling in academic clubs in hopes that her resumé would attract even the most prestigious of colleges.

however, her dedication to her studies indeed affected her social life. though she was once jealous of her more well-liked classmates, she soon outgrew such resentment to focus on her books, as well as the one friend she kept in her corner since elementary. 

though leo was disabled and had to walk with crutches, the young girl did not view him any differently than everyone else. in truth, she liked the fact that he was imperfect. imperfect like her, the small child who, for years, was crippled by her disorder. it made it easy for the two of them to connect, for them to stick with one another for years, with no thought of branching off to another set of friends. no, he was enough. while his struggles lied in his physical disability, hers was a constant battle with her own mind. while others lived normal lives, they consistently had to jump hurdles to attain an otherwise uncomplicated goal. but it made it all the more bearable with him by her side.

in the events of a harpy attack during a seemingly harmless hike in the mountains, leo proved to be much more than just a person in her corner. when her trail guide popped out wings and a pair of talons in place of feet, her best friend had come to her rescue, commanding the winged she-beast to drop her with the raise of a bronze katana. frightened, the half-woman half-bird creature dropped the then-unconscious lalisa, except with a delayed response, as the girl was subsequently dropped in the continental shelf, just a few meters off the coastline. 

enveloped in darkness, subject to sink beneath the surface and drown in the water. it only took a few moments for her awake in panic, thrashing in pitch-black waters. a second passes before she could realize that she could breathe even when engulfed by water. a bright halo of light appeared above her head that next second, to which she got a small glimpse of before returning to the surface, the trident hologram vanishing before her companion could see. 

so then sequences their journey into the woods to encounter a camp hidden from prying eyes, to then receive information that would change her life forever.

four quests, three successes, two grave encounters, and one near-death experience. she is a champion indeed, but at what cost? several lacerations, at least two or three sprained ankles, and a fractured wrist. and for what? pride? her fatal flaw is hubris, and this is exemplified in the sheer fact that she refuses to back down from quests no matter how dire her injury may be. if she could walk, she could fight; if she could fight, she could definitely continue until they finish. several visits to the infirmary earns a couple of scoldings from chiron, for even the famed trainer of even more famous greek champions thought her actions were reckless. and while she admires and respects him greatly for raising her to be the fearless warrior she is today, lalisa consistently brushes off his consistent berating with a simple: "i'm home, aren't i?" (paired with a pretty bat of her lashes). 

five, nearly six years of living at camp-half blood with four quests under her belt. and while the previous few are considered traumatic for others, she only saw them as encouragement to do better, and perhaps to add more to her repertoire. plus, she saw herself as one of the best (if not the best) that camp half-blood could possibly send. 

when she isn't embarking on exciting, life-threatening missions, she's either visiting her mother at home (albeit for small periods to avoid exposure), swimming with dolphins (her favorite gossipping sea creatures), or training at camp, while helping others refine their skills. not a day goes by when she isn't wielding her celestial bronze weapon, training dummies struck endlessly by either her trident (just like her father's) or katana whilst she waits for another quest.

every once in a while, her father pays her a visit, mostly to check up on his "little squirt" or to give her the annual birthday present, though it usually ends up being a far too-large hawaiian shirt or a dress she'll never wear. regardless, she adores her dad, and although he seemingly neglected her for years, she doesn't mind having him in her corner, especially after knowing the reasons for his disappearance. he has proved to be a loving parent, never missing a beat on giving her reasonable advice. well, unless he's trying to pair her up with a boy. she'd much rather block out his messages then.