Esperanza Vasquez

Esperanza Vasquez is a seventeen year old daughter of Vulcan and Emilia Vasquez, and twin to Oscar. She came to camp at 13 years old

## Basic Stuff

### Alias

Anza, Espie, Essie, Pelancha, Pera, Rani, Ranza, Zaza, Fire Girl, Ms. Vulcan

### Affiliation

* Camp Olympia
* The Olympians
* The Roman Gods

### Residence

Camp Olympia (Curently)Orange County, California (Formerly)

## Family

### Biological Family

* Vulcan (Father)
* Emilia (Mother)
* Oscar (Twin brother)
* Philammon, Cecrops, Erichthonius, Corynetes, Cercyon, Philottus, and Spinther (Mythos half-siblings)
* Ryan Anderson and Violet Anderson (Half-siblings)
* Mars, Bellona, Discordia, Juventas, Lucina (Uncles and Aunts)
* Mars/Ares, Bellona/Enyo, Discordia/Eris, Juventas/Hebe, Lucina/Eilethyia Cabins (Cousins)

## Appearance

### Outfit

* Usually orange, gray and blue
* Gray tank top
* Jeans
* Gray Boots

OR

* Pink, white and light blue striped tee shirt
* Jean shorts
* Brown boots

**TW: Mentions of abuse and other dark themes**

## History

### Early Life

Oscar and Esperanza Vasquez (twins) were born to Emilia Vasquez, a mortal woman and Vulcan, roman god of forges, fire, technology, craftsmen, sculptors, volcanoes, and blacksmiths in Orange County, California on December 27, 2004. Emilia Vasquez was an art student at Chapman University She mostly worked with clay, the love of her existence. She created many beautiful works, and knew the clay inside and out. While at the University, she met a man named Stan Walter, a professor of modern literature. She thought she was in love, and became engaged to the older man a day after meeting him. They had their wedding two weeks after. She soon found out Stan was not the perfect man. While a genius, it seemed he suffered from alcoholism, and a day after the end of their honeymoon, he began to beat her. Emilia suffered three years of sexual, mental, and physical abuse, a victim of domestic violence. She quit school and became a housewife, making her clay art in secret. Finally, she began working up the courage to ask for a divorce. At around this time, she met a man named Vincent (AKA Vulcan), one of the many employees at the place where she bought art things in secret.

They talked, and one thing leading to another, they spent the night together. Two months later, Anne realized she was pregnant. When she sought out Vincent, he was nowhere to be found. This left her with little options. She was a girl with no degree, who would also be called out as a whore. What job would she have? What kind of support would she provide her kid? Either way, she would have to whore herself out, with one providing a better future for her kid. So, she lied to Stan about the babies parentage. He believed her. It came a painful surprise when Emilia realized she was having twins, instead of one kid. Even more painful? One was a girl. Who knew what kind of things Stan might be capable of doing to her. When the babies were born, as a little vengeance for herself, Emilia named the boy Oscar, after her father, who she always admired. As for the girl, she named her Esperanza, meaning hope.

### Childhood

Growing up, the two kids witnessed their step father beat their mother. They knew, instinctively, that what she was doing was for them. They also knew that what he was doing was wrong. They didn’t trust their father, not really. In school, they didn’t relate to many of the kids. Most were loud and noisy, begging for attention. They had a sense of who to stay clear of. Instead, they focused on school work. ADHD and dyslexia made it tough to learn, but they were persistent. After school, if Emilia was well enough, she would take them secretly to learn Xilam, a martial art based on the combat methods by the Aztecs, Mayans and Zapotecs, is gaining force in Mexico and how to use a dagger, all in case they needed extra protection from their supposed father. Afterwards, she would share her love of art and creating things with them, moments they cherished above all. They didn’t know what it was about the work, only that they felt at home, and at peace with it. It was the family stress reliever, so to speak. On one fine day, one the twins 7th birthday, they both got a gift in the form of a bracelet that could turn into a sword (For Oscar) and a dagger (for Esperanza)

### First monster attack

The Twins fought their first mythological monster at age ten. They’d been walking home from Xilam lessons with their mother, when a giant beast (hell hound) rushed at them. A paw raked across Emilia's ace, the other barely missing Oscar's calf. Luckily, with knowledge of Xilam, Esperanza had been able to move away quick enough. The twins double teamed against the hellish dog, Oscar going to lock it’s head, and Esperanza struck at its weaker hind legs. It yelped, but was not deterred. It threw off Oscar, and swiped at Esperanza. She danced away just in time. The situation was desperate. That at least, is what the twins credit to coming up with the idea to grasp their bracelets. With the same thought. at the same moment, the true twins tugged off their bracelets for the first time since they’d received them. A sword and a dagger appeared in their hands, and they stabbed the beast with deadly accuracy. It disintegrated to dust, and they were glad of their victory. It was short lived, however, as the twins realized their mother was injured. Touching a button at the hilt of the swords, the blades retracted and the matching bracelets appeared again. They put them on, and rushed their mother to the ER. Officials were suspicious of how Emilia's condition came to be. After all, saying a giant dog from hell had attacked them was not the most convincing of stories. Especially for kids their age. Some officials believed, even, that the twins had been involved in the attack against their mother. This would prove to be crucial later on.

### Times grow worse and a mother's death

Stan's condition became worse after he was fired. Emilia received beatings at least thrice a day, and, as much as the twins wanted to something, they could do nothing. People respected Stan, and would never believe he was capable of such violence. Also, gossip about the twins possible mistreatment of their mother had spread, and officials were more likely to believe they were the ones abusing. If they attacked Stan, similar scrutiny and danger would befall them. The game changed when Emilia died, the day of the twin’s second monster attack. By then they were eleven, a fragile age for growth. They were heading towards a friend’s house when a myrmeke attacked. Now knowing they had a weapon at hand, the twins tugged and slashed. The monster hardly knew what hit it before it was gone. The real monster, in all honesty, was the one waiting at home. When the twins arrived, they found their mother on the floor, bleeding from everywhere, her face like ground meat. What could it be that could drive Stan to the point of beating their mother to death? The answer was quite simple. “You!” he growled. “You falsehoods! You are not my children! Your slut of a mother has been sleeping around.” In truth, Emilia had only slept with Vincent all those years ago. But he wasn’t one to listen. Oscar punched Stan in the face. “Stop,” he yelled, a bloody grin on his face. “Don’t you know? No one will believe that I would kill my wife. And now you’ve punched me.” His grin becomes more evil. “It seems thats what I get, for trying to protect my poor dead wife.” The words send ice down the twins shoulders. Oscar gave in, the only thing he could do. Esperanza knew, soon enough, her “father” would be looking for some ass, and he had them trapped. They needed to escape, and fast.

### Escaping

That night, the twins stayed up untill their "father" fell asleep. 2:00 Am. The twins had packed their things and were about to leave when their father had woken up and found them trying to leave. Stan grabbed Esperanza by the wrist, trying to keep her, but Esperanza was quick. he broke his neck and ran. This would be the day of their great escape. They ran outside and hopped on a bus that was headed to the airport. Once they got to the airport, they snuck on a plane, which happened to be heading to New York. Once they made it their, they had one mission. They needed to get away from their past life, as soon as possible. Not only did they have *no* money, but Esperanza had killed a man. They would also assume the twins had killed their mother. On their run to get away, they came across a pair of interestingly cladded women. At first, they thought the women were officers sent to find them, but they were much worse. Scythian Dracnae. The ladies attacked, and the twins dodged to the sides. Oscar tugged his necklace and sliced the one on the right. Esperanza tugged on her necklace and sliced the one on the left. What then lay in the middle was dust.

Getting used to the streets was tough. They’d become very street smart, but it didn't help that many people were very cruel. What they did find, however, was the lovely soup kitchen. Sure, they only served dinner time meals, but it was something. Oscar made money working at a McDonalds. He was under the working age, sure, but he looked older than he was. Esperanza made money gambling on the street. Her being a female made her opponents underestimate her, and she had enough decisiveness to win. She also, was tough enough to take care of guys who thought she deserved to pay for winning. Life went on, but not without it’s ghosts, or hardships. Esperanza had nightmares of the ghost of Stan following her around, mocking her that she would never escape. Oscar was haunted by dreams of their mother, who cried to him and asked why he did nothing to Stan sooner, why he didn’t save her. Sometimes, they would even alternate between dreams.

### Second Attack and Coming to Camp

At twelve, the twins faced yet another mythological monster. They’d been sleeping in some trees in central park, near a little lake. Esperanza noticed a little fin shape in the water. Curious, she alerted Oscar, and they went to see what was up. As they neared the bank, three slimy seal like beings (telkhines) emerged from the water, gnashing their teeth in hungry wait. The twins jumped back, in their normal Xilam combat stances, hands near their necks so they could grab their weapons easily. The telkhines were slower out of water, but still powerful. Two bit at Oscar's feet and legs, and he swiped at them once he’d pulled to get his sword. Esperanza , on the other hand, only had one telkhine. She easily sliced open the mutt, and it was down for the count. Oscar managed to get one too, and together, they stabbed the third. More to the kill list. Though they did like they city, they felt it was too crowded, and were afraid monsters or their ghosts would continue to attack with more vehemence. So, they packed up what little they had and moved to long island. Unfortunately, this plan was a failure. When the twins were 13 they were taking residence in an abandoned house that Oscar had found that was in ok fashion. They got there food by scavenging for it or by taking it from gullible merchants. Shortly after, another set of dracanae had set their sights on them. As they approached the residence, Oscar could feel something was wrong. Using the techniques he had learned previously, Oscar whirled around and started kicking at the dracanae with amazing speed and while they were dazed he got his sword out and stabbed them turning them into dust as Esperanza burst in and did the same. He then turned to his sister and and ran away with her. As they ran, they came across a hill of strawberries. sure, there was a sign saying not to pick, but they were hungry. what they discovered, was something entirely different. A home. The twins were found by an older camper and were placed in the Hermes cabin and were soon claimed by Vulcan and moved to the Hephaestus cabin.

## Personality

Esperanza is a bit more serious than her half-brother, probably due to being Roman, but she is still a joker. She is super sarcastic and sassy, and can also turn intimidating when needed. She has intimidating glare with her eyes looking like they're flames. Esperanza is bold and cheerful. She is always ready for an adventure, but doesn't like staying in one place for too long. It's easy to gain her and her brother’s trust, but if you break it it's very hard to gain back. Esperanza is an extrovert, she enjoys other people's company and likes to make friends. When walking through camp she is most likely going to try and make friends with you. Esperanza is a warm-hearted young woman who will do anything in her power to help others. For being kind, she is exceptionally sassy. She tries to be patient with others, even with the children of Ares. However, once angered, it can be difficult to calm her down. She is very forgiving, able to forgive a serial killer if she believes they are trying to become a better person. Don't make her regret forgiving you. Lying has never been her strong suit because she believes that "honesty is the best policy." Though she is gentle in nature, she can be a fierce opponent when she needs to be. Esperanza is often underestimated in fights due to her passive nature, but she will make you wish you hadn't underestimated her. She is extremely protective of the people she cares about, to the point where she is willing to sacrifice herself in order to save them. Loves to read and often uses the books she reads as inspiration for the things she forges. She is a strong willed young woman who cares for her half-siblings and is willing to step up if she is needed in a leadership role. She is phlegmatic & sassy personality, she is calm but it has some sparks to create anything with any things, this girl is unstoppable when creating weapons ,she is defined as "pretty rude", don't let her fall in her "nice appearance" this girl has the character of her father when it's time to get angry, because of that, she's very tomboy in that,however agatha is sympathetic, loyal, gentle, ironic, kind, friendly, caring, sweet, but if bold like a heavy metal. So don't make her to be "girly", because if they receive from her a hammering in the head or any part of the body. She and her brother unfortunately have some pretty bad trauma from their step-father, their childhood in general, and their mother's death, but they are cooping and learning to heal with the help of their friends. Over all, Esperanza is a very good person with some emotional baggage.

### Fatal flaw

Like her brother, Esperanza's fatal flaw is Loyalty. She would do anything to keep her brother safe from their step-father and continues to hold those feelings, but also for her friends as well.

## Appearance

Like her Twin, Esperanza is described as a Hispanic (Mexican) American, with tanned skin, freckles, and slightly wavy black hair which is often tied in a braid, though some hair fall in her face. Her eyes are also orange, that darken when she’s angry or light up when happy. Esperanza is often seen to wear a grau tank top and blue jeans, with gray boots or often a pink, light blue and white striped tee shirt, jean shorts and brown boots

## Powers and Abilities

### Vulcan Kid Powers

* She has the power of technokinesis, or the ability to manipulate technology and metal.
* She has the ability of pyrokinesis, or fire manipulation.
* She has the ability of heat resistance.
* She has the ability to influence and control lava, magma, and volcanic activity
* She has the power of magnetism
* She has the ability to create anything out of any kind of material.
* She can create enhanced traps with get prey for someone during a fight.
* She has the ability of Fire Blasts.
* She can manipulate and create gigantic waves of fire rolled up into a ball and she can even create an extremely strong firewall to use as defensive and can only destroy it if hse commands it to.
* She can teleport through fire
* She can walk through flames and stand through them because of her fire immunity.
* She has the ability of Geokinesis, meaning she can manipulate and control magma and lava rocks.
* She has intense Magmakinesis. It is very hot and the color is white because of the burning power and heat.
* She is extremely strong and can lift up 2 tons worth of weight.
* She has the ability of Ferrokinesis. She can summon and manipulate jewels and metal to add to his black-smithing. She partially got this from her great uncle Hades but mainly from her father because of his enhanced black-smithing and forging.
* She can increase the heat of fire to the point it turns white.
* She can sense heat, flames, lighting and metal, akin to thermal vision.

### General Abilities

* ADHD: Like most demigods, Esperanza possesses inborn supernatural battle reflexes and senses that she uses to analyze the fighting style of her opponent.
* Dyslexia: Esperanza's brain is hard-wired for reading Ancient Greek instead of modern languages.
* Morse Code: Esperanza's mother taught her Morse code, a skill she has retained
* Trilingual: Esperanza can speak Spanish, Greek, and English fluently, having learned both English and Spanish from her mother as a child, and knowing Greek naturally because of being a demigod
* Genius Intellect: Esperanza is very intelligent. She had learned to think three-dimensionally, and solve mechanical problems in her head. Even at the age of eight, she can do math better than most adults. She is very clever and witty, and is good at adapting, letting her build at any circumstance. She had used her wits, which helped him survived in tough schools and is a master problem-solver.
* Superhuman Strength: Being a demigod, Esperanza is stronger than a regular mortal.
* Superhuman Agility: Being a demigod, Esperanza is more agile than a regular mortal
* Superhuman Durability: Being a demigod, Esperanza is more durable than a regular mortal
* Superhuman Reflexes: Being a demigod, Esperanza's reflexes are faster than a regular human.
* Fighting Skills: Esperanza is known to be a fearless fighter
* Swordsmanship: Esperanza is good with using a sword

## Relationships

### Friends

#### Ryan Anderson (Half-brother)

Esperanza is pretty close with Ryan and so is her brother. The three like building things to each other, and creating things together

### Family

#### Vulcan (Father)

Esperanza doesn't have the best relationship with her father and it's rather distant as a Vulcan is a god, but they have a mutual liking of each other. But Esperanza dose resent her for helping them through that hell of a childhood

#### Emilia (Mother)

Esperanza was really close to her mother. She says she "died for a secret" but she still loved her. Though she still has nightmares of her mother crying and asking why she couldn't save her. Esperanza misses her mother a lot

#### Oscar (Twin brother)

Esperanza shows to be close with Oscar, both of them being protective of each other. They are very close with each other and they often are seen together.

## Etymology

Esperanza is a Spanish feminine given name, meaning **"hope" or "expectation"**

Vasquez means **"[son] of Vasco**" and Vasco comes from the pre-Roman latinized name "Velascus"—a name of uncertain origin and meaning, but probably meaning Basque or Iberian.

## Trivia

1. Her middle name is Eyna, a variant of her aunt's Enyo's/Bellona's name
2. Esperanza is the younger twin
3. Oscar and Esperanza are my third pair of twins next to The Reynolds Twins and The Kasumi Twins
	1. Selena and Helios are some what an exception as they were born on the same day
4. Esperanza's name was *going* to be Esmerelda
5. Her favorite song is Sugar Cloud from Ride The Cyclone
6. Esperanza loves the book *'Esperanza Rising'* since it has her name
7. Her favorite holiday is Halloween
8. Esperanza likes playing soccer with her friends