Rachel's dad Gordon was a demigod. His mother was Ariadne, goddess of Labyrinths, paths, and passion. He ran away from his abusive dad young and lived on the streets. After he was attacked many times he was found by a satyr and taken to camp. He was 15. When he was about 18 or 19 he decided that he wanted to travel. He was attacked a few times but always managed to kill them or flee.
He traveled for a while (about three years), he decided that he liked Japan the best, so he decided to get a job there and settle down. Maybe get a girl friend. He applied for a job as a secretary because that was one of the job openings that paid well. After about 6 months, he decided to date. He dated a few girls, but none of them was the "girl".
Then he met a girl named Marie. He met her one day while standing in line at a coffee shop. They started talking then they started dating. Things led to things and she became pregnant. Rachel was born and Marie stayed for a few months. But, before she left, she told Gordon who she really was, Mnemosyne. He took this as a truth because he was a demigod. And with that, Mnemosyne left. Gordon knew that one day Rachel would go to camp, and he also knew that there would be monster attacks, but he also knew that the sooner he told her, she would be attacked sooner.
As Rachel grew up, she learned English, then Japanese. When Rachel was 5 she was writing better than any kindergartner in her class, she was also reading better than any. In fact, she was better at everything. The teacher called Gordon and asked if he would mind her being moved up a grade or two. Gordon said she could, so when she was 6, and supposed to be in first grade, she was in third.
She made a lot of friends and she also made "enemies." Kids made fun of her just because they could. They made fun of her for not having a mom, for being too smart and they said she was a show-off. Eventually, she developed a sense of sarcasm and loved to use it. She could also insult them, in another language.
When she was 8 she really got into Japanese history and weapons and fighting. She begged her dad to let her join martial arts. He decided that it would be a good idea so he signed her up. She excelled, but it was hard for her. She kept at it and before she knew it, she was a gold belt.
Gordon grew concerned. There hadn't been a monster attack since before Rachel was born. Rachel grew stronger and she also became more and more interested in Japanese weapons. She wanted a Katana and a Japanese war fan at the age of 10 and begged Gordon for half a year. He gave in and prayed to Mnemosyne that she send Rachel the weapons she wanted, in Celestial Bronze. She did and Rachel, not even knowing where they were from was delighted. She practiced every moment she got.
He knew it was rare for her to no be attacked by 12, and even more rare to not be attacked with him there. He decided that his mom or Mnemosyne was protecting them. Even so, he told her who her mom was, and what she was. He told her about Camp Half-Blood and how it was a safe haven for demigods. He wanted to send her there, but Rachel protested, saying she wanted to stay. So they decided that the first time she was attacked, she would go to camp.
At 12 and a half, she was attacked. It was in the park in the middle of the day. No one was around and she was taking the short way home from her friend's house. Rachel had gotten into the habit of carrying her war fan around with her just in case she was attacked. She heard a noise in front of her in the bushes and she decided to check it out. Then she heard a little girls voice calling for help. She ran to do just that.
When she got to the point of where she had heard the voice, no one was there, then suddenly there was a cyclops in front of her. She screamed and backed away, taking out her fan, shaking. The cyclops walked toward her, still mimicking the little girl's voice. Rachel turned and ran and the cyclops ran after her.
She was fast, but he was faster. He caught up to her in less than a minute. She turned to look at him and he reached out to grab her. She took that time to jump back and slice his arm off at the elbow. He howled in pain and ran at her again, reaching forward to grab her with his other hand. She dodged and ran behind him. He turned and tried again, and again she ran around him, going the same direction that she had before. Eventually, the cyclops got dizzy and grew angry.
She used his dizziness to her advantage and slashed at his eye. Her fan hit its mark and the cyclops wailed in pain. Rachel ran and didn't stop until she made it home. She told her dad and they decided that she had to go to Camp. So they traveled by boat to California and then to New York by plane. He dropped her off at camp then told her that he had to go back home because of his job, but he would stay in touch. She's been at camp for a few months.
