Lady Athena

Helena Atalanta Cynthius (born April 22nd, 1989) known as Lady Athena is a Greek superheroine.

She is an unaffiliated free agent hero, who does occasionally do work for UNITY, UNTIL, and other organizations against Argent, Viper, and DEMON. She is currently single.

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=History=

A Somewhat Humble Beginning
Hercules, the hero of many Greek fables, including his very famous “labors” had started to slow down in his exploits, for he always felt somewhat bored with the challenges that always laid in front of him. But if there was anyone...anyone who was a challenge to him, in any way, shape form or aspect, it was his half brother, Ares. The two always competed, whether it was in a test of battle, or other events, they were rivals in every sense of the word. So it was odd, when one day Ares brought up a wager, very confident that he would succeed. There was an amazon warrior, by the name of Antianara, who had caught both of their eyes, but neither went after her, because they knew the other would move also. But when the wager was brought up, it was simple. Both men would try to wow the warrior, in hopes that she would fall in love with them, without telling her who they really were. Whoever won, got the girl.

The contest was on, over the affection of the muscular, feminine, but fierce woman, each hoping that it would work in their favor. The days turned to weeks, and when three months had gone by, Antianara had made her choice. She chose Hercules. As much as she respected and felt somewhat a kindred spirit about Ares, she couldn't shake the darkness about him... and the fact that Herc was a ladies man did make it a bit easier. Several months later, the two were married, and roughly a year later, the two had consummated their relationship. Young Helena was born 10 months later. Born with her mother's hair color, but her fathers eyes and some form of both of their strength, Helena was a unique child of her own sorts.

She was slightly taller than a lot of the kids she hung out with and was raised with, as she was raised for the most part on a small town in Greece, nearby Mount Olympus. Life for her was somewhat extraordinary considering her abilities. At the age of three, her eyes had turned from their natural green, to a glowing white, while her hair once black, turned to a bright blue. As the years went on, her body started to put muscular mass at a higher rate, not only due to her amazon genes, but her father's traits also. But even though she had been trained to fight, hunt and do many things like an amazon, she always felt alone due to how she was different compared to other girls she was with. Through the years, her father, being his normal self, did try to teach Helena things, but he also showed off... thinking if he did so, he could spur the girl on to become better than he was, but he didn't realize, in actuality, he was discouraging her, and making her feel inferior. In his usual fashion, he was bored with home life, and without warning, left off to find a new adventure, leaving Helena alone with her mother.

The Black Heart From Across the Street
That...was until she met her younger cousin, Persephone.

Helena was 15, while Persephone was 13, when the two had first met. If anything Helena though Persephone was older, since she was taller, and literally larger than her physically. Helena tried to be friends with the girl...but all she gained out of it, was nearly getting killed by the teen, as she effortlessly manhandled her, powering through everything she did to defend herself. It seemed no matter how hard Helena tried to be friends, Persephone's intense hatred just made her attack her harder, and far more fiercer every single time. She only hoped one day she could help quell the girls rage, but she knew it couldn’t happen any time soon. After the first 2 attacks by the girl, Antianara felt that it was time they had left Greece, so Helena could actually grow into the hero that her father, and herself wanted for the girl. Unluckily for her, no matter where she went, Persephone was there, smirking and more than ready to continue her beat down. Towns, city blocks, many places would be reduced to rubble, as the young woman always had a penchant for finding her and beating her within an inch of her life.

She had been home schooled as they traveled, Helena facing many similar feats that her father did, although they weren’t as intense, for she wasn’t as strong as he was. Occasionally in her travels, she would come across her cousin, and once again try to talk to her...and once again get beaten to paste. Helena felt if she distanced herself from anything that could draw her back into Persephone's line of fire, she could really do something and make a name for herself. To be a hero, much like her father was.

Becoming Lady Athena
Helena began training with her mother, honing her fighting skills, while building her body also, to the best of her ability. Compared to the training she was doing before, this was far more grueling, and demanding physically. Helena had spent days in palaces made of fire to test her endurance, and durability. She was required to lift massive objects and hold them for extremely extended periods of time, but then also shortly afterward get into a power lifting and almost iron man training routine to not only strengthen her mind and body. She spent 4 years doing so, so when the 16 year old emerged at the age of 20, Helena was ready for whatever she felt came her way.

Helena and her mother were drawn to Millennium City several days before the crisis which the Qulaar attacked, and devastated the city. Helena couldn’t decide on a moniker, since so many others she had seen had used names. Rushed in her thought, she called herself Lady Athena, in honor of her aunt, and also for she thought it sounded cool for the time, and she'd end up changing it later. (She totally stuck with it.) Opponents like Psimon, Mindslayer, Gigaton, Rahkasa, and organizations like Viper, and Argent, brought challenges which Helena enjoyed and thrived off of. Although she was very introverted, she ended up meeting a young woman who called herself Max, but went by the hero name Benchpress. Being around the woman slowly let out a side in Helena she didnt really knew she had...and probably would have made her father proud. After a few excursions, Athena was introduced to a young woman by the name of Annor, but her alter ego was Titan Lass. She was probably more introverted than Helena was, but she was very stubborn.

The trio had faced many villains, like Bench's nemesis Crush Hour, and many other villains, but a day visiting the Museum in Millennium City brought Helena's past, crashing into her present.

Return of the Red Devil and a Revelation
There was a heist going on, and when the three eventually reached the main room, she had seen, standing at the other end, the now 18 year old, Persephone, far larger than when she last saw her, her eyes showing an even stronger hatred than before. Luckily for her, she had support this time, and for once, Persephone had to back off, and retreat, bringing a small smile upon Helena's face, thinking she had the opportunity to help her. They had clashed many times, the trio facing off against the raging demi goddess, in brawls that caused incredible collateral damage. But although at this point, Helena was in a relationship with Maxine, Maxine had also clashed with Persephone on a few occasions, some of them ending up to be deadlocked, or Perse forced to run.

Helena only learned of these things, when Maxine had told her in confidence on the side. She had also revealed something she was hiding from her for a while. That she herself, was actually Crush Hour. She had been hiding and using an alias...and the one they had defeated was a poser. Helena had a natural reaction she would have to someone who had lied to her, and she was very tempted to hurt her, but when she just honestly came out and said it, she felt better, and decided if she was willing to open up about it, then she was willing to accept it, and if anything it made her bond with Sarah that much stronger. Although she felt completely betrayed, the trust eventually was built back up to the point that it once was at.

The battles against Persephone started to take a severe toll on Helena's body, but she usually would try to keep her thoughts, and her own personal injuries to herself. She had realized that this wasn't going to be over just soon. This was years of hiding, and ducking that would finally manifest, and come to a head.

The Enemy is my Friend
The campaigns against Persephone started to somewhat stretch out, but Helena took notice to one thing, every time they crossed paths. With each battle, the hate was starting to subside...and it was more like excitement. Every time they faught, it was like Persephone was just hoping for something more out of each of the fights. It finally came to a meeting between herself, Sarah, and Persephone, which originated with Perse trying to get a fight out of Helena. But after some “persuasion” from Sarah, Persephone agreed to give heroing a shot...although she revealed why she had been at odds with her since the Lemurian Antique theft, and it was because she was fulfilling her fathers end of a bargain with their uncle Hades, which Ares had refused to adhere to. Helena understood, but only hoped that she was serious about the turning a new leaf.

The final clash against Persephone, Helena wasn't with her usual cohorts, but with a young man she had met recently, who went by the alter ego, Smokin Mirrors. The two had stormed the base, and the long campaign ended with a final clash in a room near a rocket. Helena and Persephone fought on near even ground, Helena's experience versus Persephone's raw abilities. In the end, Persephone faltered, her heart not fully into the battle, and had lost, being arrested, and was cleared after signing a plea deal. The two had decided to move in together in hopes to become closer. Antianara seeing how her daughter had grown into a respected hero was happy to see how well Helena was doing. With Persephone now with their growing group and circle, also including a powerhouse by the name of Valda who went by the name “Fraulein Panzer”, Helena had prepared to go head to head with Nariko Yagami, a teen who idolized Persephone, and was a child of one of Persephone's former henchmen.

Megami, Antianara's Death, and Isis' Trap
Nariko originally had made a deal for part of her soul with a Japanese oni, in hopes of gaining the power to defeat Helena, but she was easily outclassed. She had then in desperation, went to Hera, the two young women's grandmother in hopes that she would help her gain the power necessary, since Hera had an intense dislike for both Helena and Persephone, especially with the two reaching two new pinnacles of power, Helena becoming an avatar of battle, and Persephone becoming an avatar of war. Nariko now had strength nearly rivaling Persephone, but she ended up playing a role that nearly earned Helena's eternal ire. It was unknown who had started the feud...but the greek and the Egyptian Pantheons had started to make their way to war. After cleaning up most of Vibora Bay unknown to Helena, Nariko, now known as Megami, was approached by Isis, an Egyptian goddess to be her bodyguard and also personal help to keep her hidden.

Isis used her hidden status to place a curse on Antianara...feeling that the way she could hurt Hercules the most, was hurting those who were close to him. The Greek and Egyptian pantheons were nearing war over an incident that still hadn't quite come to light. Isis's son was killed, and it had looked like he was beaten to death, a few strands of Hercules' hair was at the scene. Then to add insult to injury, the body was nearly completely charred, either by Apollo's flames or Zeus' lightning. It had droven Isis insane... grief ridden, and incredibly vengeful, almost completely fixated on bringing pain to the house of Zeus. The worst part, was that she was able to quickly turn her family to her side and cause.

Antianara was quickly weakened by the curse, and was sick to a degree that she was borderline dying. That, Helena took to heart personally, and aimed to do what she could to find Isis, and hurt her. Badly. It was after she defeated Megami, that she had learned that Isis was awaiting in Therakiel's temple, seeking sanctuary there. Before she could move onto the temple, Isis allowed her curse to take full circle...and Antianara's life was ended. Feeling they had a chance to keep her alive, Zeus had taken Antianara's soul and had kept it sealed within a lightning bolt, while they worked on a way of reversing the effects on her body. Knowing Helena was not in the proper position to make a logical decision, Persephone volunteered to go on the lead they gained, but after much relenting from Helena, backed off, and allowed Helena to go into Vibora, aiming to go to war with the Egyptian Goddess. With a strike team, they had gone in, with hopes to stop Isis and bring her to her knees, Helena using her recently unlocked Avatar of Battle state. With Panzer, Titan Lass, Smokin Mirrors, and Crush Hour, they had defeated the fallen angel, and the others had left, while Helena stayed behind to try and find Isis...only to have a trap sprung on her.

The gate, that allowed Therakiel passage, was kept open by the souls of people they would kill in Vibora, to keep it open...adding onto the missing persons immensely. Isis made a deal with him...using only Helena's body and soul to keep the gate open, for she knew it was far more powerful to do so. As she banged on the doors of the church, she was bound by chains, and she was tortured mentally, physically, and emotionally. To add insult to injury, while she was bound, Isis sent out a doppelganger who had taken Helena's place amongst her friends, and she had to watch as it lied, pretending it was her. It hurt...it tore at her...and it made her feel like she had not only failed her mother, but she had failed her friends also. But a ray of light came to pass, as she saw the Doppelganger was defeated by a few friends, and they had forced out of the doppelganger where Helena was.

The Rescue, Role Reversal and Seeing Persephone's Inner Demon
Another team, led by a driven, and clearly pissed Persephone this time, had downed Therakiel, and had freed Helena. She had looked different than as she did when she went in there, her eyes now glowing blue, and her hair a different shade, while it had black streaks to mix in with it. They had the victory that day...but Isis...had somewhat won the war. Helena was broken... a shell of her former self, afraid, depressed, she had felt like she was raped both physically and spiritually. Being around her friends didn't help as much as Persephone hoped it would, so she felt she had to remove her from everything, and they had gone to Greece. It was some sorts of a reunion, for the whole pantheon was there, Persephone's mother and even Hercules was there. It felt odd being around her father who she heard little from since he left them, and it being the first time they had seen each other since what had happened to Antianara...it allowed her to open her eyes.

Being around family helped. Training with her father, seeing many other things occur and manifest, despite the tension for the slight infighting the family had...they had a common enemy...so they weren’t biting each others heads off. Helena had grown in strength and technique while there, and while everything went smoothly, one person went and gone messed it up. Ares. Persephone had done her best to keep her cool, despite the fact she was currently doing battle with her mother off of Olympus grounds. It took the whole trip, but Persephone finally snapped... and got “angry”, inciting a form that she had only used once before...and Ares considered his “true daughter”. It was a state that Persephone became a living, breathing version of chaos out of war, her body had gotten slightly larger, far more defined and vascular, and her strength seemed to continue to raise indefinitely, while she seemed in an insane, berzerker state. It took the combined strength of Hera and Hercules to pin her down after she had beaten Ares within a shred of his life, and although they could only hold her a moment, it took several lightning strikes from Zeus to snap her out of it. Although she had no recollection of what happened, everyone else did...and the fear Helena felt when seeing Persephone like that radiated within her, so she quickly agreed with the others to not tell Perse about what had happened.

The two returned to Millenium, and moved downtown, both with a renewed mindset. Helena wasn't quite 100% again...she doubts she ever will be, but she was in high spirits like before. Nariko, who had turned a new leaf, had turned to the duo for guidance, as she had been keeping her distance ever since Helena was freed. Feeling ready, she guns after Isis, in hopes that she can stop the woman from realizing her hopes and dreams of returning all to ashes. With a renewed vigor and conscious, Helena prepares for battle.

=Personal Info=

Personality
Helena is a rather friendly person who rather enjoys her job. She can be very easy to get along with, and despite her skill in battle, she can be reluctant to jump in. She can be very fun to talk to if need be, she will do whatever she can to help someone out. If angered, or pushed to a certain point, she can get nearly obsessive, and will do whatever she can and has to ensure that its taken care of. One quick way to get under her skin, is through deception...she thoroughly hates that, and its probably her quickest button to push. Shes much like other amazon in the regard that she basically can gauge her attraction to someone from their skill in battle, no matter whether they’re male or female.

Character Relationships
Persephone - Her blood cousin, rival, and roommate. Despite all thats happened, Helena had always tried to be somewhat of a close figure or an older sister type to Persephone. Their relationship isn't hostile like when the two were younger, and its a very friendly mutual one. Both are willing to do whatever it takes to look out, or protect the other, and although they aren't enemies, the two still have a rivalry. She's easily one of the very select few Helena said she would be willing to die for.

Smokin' Mirrors - Helena had met him in Carlos's gym, and had somewhat grown to be friends with him. The two seem to usually agree with things, and she respects Max highly, one of the main reasons being his gentlemanly demeanor. Another major one would be his realization of how she was missing... much like how Persephone noticed. She usually is impressed with his thought process, and usually feels like her back is covered in the rare occasion she cannot defend herself when he is there.

Giga Gal - Someone that she had met also around the same time she did meet Max. Helena has a bit of respect for the woman, but if anything the majority of it comes from the immense power she can see from her. She only hopes one day she could be a friend on a much closer level, than the somewhat acquaintance point they are at now.

Crush Hour - The hero Helena first met in Millennium City was Crush. Its through their friendship and endeavors, that Helena eventually opened up, and the two currently date. Helena has a lot of respect for what Sarah tries to do, especially with bettering herself, and her deeds, despite her personal quirks. She is easily one of the people Helena says is a driving force in her life.

Titan Lass - One of the people Helena would call a close friend, Ann is someone Helena has known most of her career in Millennium. Although she was a bit distant after she returned from the instance with Isis, Helena's sure that now she's better, she can do her best to resume the good friendship where it left off.

Protector - Helena's relationship with Steve is very straight forward. Shes good friends with him. Shes noticed his interest in her, but she politely declines. She does find his situation depressing, and his demeanor a little creepy, but she knows he has a good heart inside, and shes willing to help him if he asks for it.

Nemeses

 * Isis Current Nemesis
 * Megami Somewhat Reformed, Second Nemesis.
 * Persephone "Reformed", First Nemesis.