Characters

Iole, currently going by the name of Isle Mere, is a naiad (or water nymph) gifted with unusual intelligence. She is attempting to distance herself from the lifestyle of a fertility spirit and currently makes her living as a writer, assisted by the muse Calliope. She's also "dating" the Greek god Apollo, even though she'd rather not be. Isle has somehow attracted the attention of the Sibyl, but they have only a vague idea of what the ensuing prophecies could mean. Isle is frightened of what arousing Apollo's ire might entail, but has been encouraged by Gil and Calliope to assert herself rather than roll over when confronted by him. Unfortunately for her, Apollo has a temper...

Calliope is one of the nine muses, specifically the muse of epic poetry. She was assigned to watch over Isle, and delights in teasing her about it. Still, Calliope seems quite fond of Isle, in her way -- even when Isle is at odds with her own brother. Calliope revealed not only the technicalities of Apollo's bet with with Aphrodite, but that Apollo had once killed her lover. She has been seen to flirt with Gil in a somewhat disturbing manner until he finally agreed to a date. Though often smiling, she has a harsh outlook regarding interpersonal relationships. Gil has consequently developed a theory about her particular brand of responses.

Finn is a slightly put-upon college student with a sardonic sense of humor and the terrible suspicion that the joke is always on him. While searching for an apartment he encountered Isle, and his morbid curiosity got the better of him despite several slight mishaps involving a giant snake. He seems to have a history of pissing people off, although Isle has informed him that similar problems will not be tolerated -- at least, not under her roof. Despite his Issues, he has risked possible brain damage in order to help others, and was the only one to reach the Sibyl when she was caught in a prophetic loop. Whether this altruism is inherent or a byproduct of being charged with Isle's safety by Apollo is unknown. Finn generally confides in his friend Jake, although he has not told him the details of his current living situation. He appears to have a good relationship with Jake's family.

Ophelia is an oread, a nymph of the mountains. She is a typical woodland spirit, which means she has a tendency to be a little giggly. She also tends to be somewhat scatterbrained, but, if you can believe it, is on the smart side for a nymph. She has an unfortunate inclination toward pleather, but we can forgive her because she's so gosh-darn cute. Ophelia acts as a benign mole for Apollo, but she and Isle go way back. She makes special effort to cheer up Isle when she perceives her friend to be troubled, which Calliope encourages.

Chas, Finn's drinking buddy and theoretical friend, is a pre-med student and major annoyance. He has all the tact of a doorstop, but makes up for it by having three times the libido of a normal man. Although generally considered a callous idiot, Chas has expressed remorse about running over his roommate Jake's seeing eye dog, which almost makes up for getting Finn drunk and using this as an excuse to drop by Finn's new home and check out Isle. Despite the fact that he has seen the grotto, he was either too apathetic or too distracted by the naked chick to question the whereabouts of the living room. Surprisingly, he has demonstrated a slightly deeper understanding of Finn's personal issues than one might expect.

Jake is one of Finn's more normal friends, and the unfortunate roommate of Chas. He generally ends up serving as the cool voice of reason, much to his dismay. Chas accidentally ran over his seeing eye dog, Fenrir, around Halloween, and he's been a little irritated ever since. Although (or maybe because) Jake isn't the avid pub-goer that Chas is, Finn finds him much easier to talk to. Both Jake and his family are fond of Finn, and occasionally become concerned about his state of mind.

Gil is Isle's psychologist, and has quite a level head on his shoulders despite the fact that he is the recipient of one of Dionysus' "gifts" . . . ie, the tendency to turn into a fish for two hours out of every seven. Nonetheless, he's still one of the saner people in the cast, and has moved into Isle's home until he comes to grips with his curse (although he still maintains his own apartment for sanity's sake). Unfortunately, he also suffers from mild ophidiophobia, or fear of snakes -- which is unfortunate given Isle's resident "guardian". He is very observant, although he generally chooses not to voice his conclusions. He is somewhat leery of Calliope, perhaps with good reason, and has realized that he has a problem looking at his new roommates as friends rather than clients. After much misgivings, Gil eventually agreed to taking Calliope out to dinner. Eventually, he was forced to confess he does have some affection for Calliope.

Eve is Finn's age, but her cynicism has lapped his own by several decades -- which is perhaps why she's pursuing a career in journalism. Although they attend the same college, they're more likely to see each other at the pub where she works as a waitress. Eve and Finn are supposedly friends, although their relationship is mainly one of mutual abuse. She has been seen chatting up a man named Kris, who she not only met through her second job but insists she is not dating.

The God of Light, Truth, and, most will add, "Really Bad Breakups." Apollo is Isle's "boyfriend," and consequently the source of most of her neuroses. He carries a silver bow that kills men with shafts of pestilence, but has been known to be even more creative when it comes to punishment of his former lovers. Although he's generally quite a rational god, he can be prone to fits of rage -- especially when goaded on by Isle. He most often chooses to look older and bulkier than he actually is, which his sisters often ridicule him about. So far the only people he hasn't been defensive toward are the Sibyl (who has displayed no fear of him) and her assistant, Glenn (who is the reincarnation of an old friend's son). Apollo has tried to exert control over Isle's life in numerous ways (such as giving her the Python, which will obey her only rarely, and "suggesting" Finn move out of Isle's place), but things aren't going as smoothly as he would like. Calliope revealed Apollo was once close to Hermes, but the latter has since disappeared.

The Sibyl is a young psychic who doubles as an oracle, seeing into the past and future as well as displaying some characteristics of a medium. Since her predictions often happen randomly they are either recorded by her attendant, Glenn, or scribbled on whatever's handy, which is why the most of the events of the next few decades are written on napkins and post-it notes. The Sibyl approached Isle & Co because she sensed that they, especially Isle, will be important somehow. However, upon attempting to read the group she was overwhelmed by what she saw, and can't seem to manage anything more specific than cryptic one-liners when pushed for an explanation. She has also attempted to initiate a friendship with Apollo, and, even though she was rebuked, seems to respect him.

Glenn is young, English, and looks a lot like someone Apollo once knew. As the Sibyl's attendant he seems to be a fairly laid-back young man, well-used to strange occurrences, and the one who records many of her visions. He does, however, appear to have a considerable problem with bullies, and suffers from altophobia (fear of heights). Glenn automatically takes issue with Apollo, perhaps because he is actually the reincarnation of a Trojan prince named Scamandrius (dubbed Astyanax by hopeful Trojans). His reaction to Apollo has prompted him to question just what is causing his hostility, but the Sibyl isn't letting on. According to the Sibyl, Glenn is unusually fast and strong, which can probably be blamed on Apollo's promise to Hector despite the god's foreknowledge of the boy's impending death.

Jared is the proprietor of the local pub, the White Cross, and consequently Eve's boss. He's one of those guys who just seems to come with the establishment. Jared is fairly pleasant, but he doesn't put up with any shit in his pub. He also seems to be remarkably mellow, since he was unfazed when Apollo pulled an arrow on him after being denied alcohol. Of all the cast, he's known Finn the longest, and evinces no surprise regarding Finn's violent side.

Herman's the mailman for Isle's neighborhood, and his route includes the pub. He may seem short, scrawny and kind of dopey, but he's tougher than he looks despite sounding like a man who has learned to curse from an Archie comic. Recently he seems to have gravitated towards Calliope, much to her amusement.

Artemis is goddess of the moon and hunt, and Apollo's twin sister. Like all sisters she likes to give him a hard time, but he can still count on her for help in the little things . . . like revenge. She, like her brother, has a silver bow, which slays only women. Artemis has currently washed her hands of her brother, disgusted with his behavior and acceptance of Aphrodite's wager. Apollo believes that she lacks the background to criticize his bet, since she has only been in love once.

Dirk is a centaur who seems to have been held captive by gypsies at some point. He was liberated by Isle and a troup of mythos, and apparently went on to earn four degrees in various areas of academia. He was once undoubtably involved with Isle, but is currently being rebuffed for his own safety. He can frequently be found in the grotto and the adjoining house, much to the dismay of Isle's roommates. Though curt towards others, he has a deep devotion to Isle.

Gottson is a professor at Finn's college, and the one who teaches the majority of the school's mythology courses. He appears to be very genial, and was first seen talking to Dirk about finding the centaur an adjunct position in Finn's college.

During a tutoring session, another student asked out Finn. Suspecting mythology, Finn enlisted the aid of the Sibyl to vet her only to to be told she was perfectly normal. There's a first time for everything.

The Tramps are three homeless people who appear to Glenn and the Sibyl during The Bloody Prince, the most relevant of which is the Bloody Prince himself. Though he's called "Dodie" by one of his caretakers, Micky, his real name is unknown. He is a seer so far gone that the Sibyl can find nothing in his mind but prophecy, and so numb to the world that he can claw his own face bloody without realizing it. Strangely, he is collected enough to play a small recorder when Micky hands it to him. Micky and Zeke appear to take care of him, and have no interest in sharing the responsibility.