Genius; noun. From the Latin, ‘attendant spirit present from one's birth, innate ability or inclination,’ with the religious connotation referring to the individual instance of a general divine nature that is present in every individual person, place, or thing. A concept that defines many elements of ancient Roman belief, and one that, in truth, can be tracked to a very specific, and unusual, source: Thalia Ioannou.

Thalia, or at least the being that would become Thalia, was "born" at some point three-thousand years ago in the Mediterranean. There is no record of where exactly, or when, as Thalia's first conscious thoughts were a jumble of emotion and confusion. She coalesced from seemingly nothing, a miraculous conception of intellect and feeling created from a perfect intermingling of ley lines, mystically imbued rare Earth materials, and an even rarer, now extinct form of organic life. The entirely unique blend birthed a being of pure energy, a mind without a body, a soul without focus.

At some point after her "birth", the being experienced a formative experience that would forever change how it interacted with the world. It spent years after creation wandering aimlessly, seeping up to the surface from deep, dark rifts and chasms stretching across the whole of ancient Greece and the surrounding regions, but it was when the consciousness came to the surface and inadvertently seeped into the body of an unsuspecting fisherman's daughter on the shore of the Mediterranean sea...That was when the being known as Thalia came to exist as a true individual. After a fashion, at least.

Her host, Thalia, was little more than a simple child, but something strange happened when the fusion of the strange entity and the mortal girl came to be. The child became...Clever. More than clever, though; creative. A genius. An artist, in nature. Crafting driftwood sculptures, painting with flower dyes, exploring the world as she knew it...And in doing so, helping the entity that had fused with her being mature.

It took years for the being and her host to truly become aware of each other in any real way. It was because of a side effect that the girl came to believe there was something different about herself. As she aged, and as the entity remained with her, she began to slowly degrade mentally. Perhaps the voices she heard were real, the attempts of her "passenger" to make itself known, or perhaps it was just her own failing mental state. The energy of the being was detrimental to living things, and too long of a time spent bonded with a host guaranteed the loss of sanity and eventually death.

Such was how Thalia's first host was lost, leaving the energy being adrift and infused with elements of her previous host's essence. Along with that, she gained a surprising benefit: Empathy, and understanding of mortality. She took on the name of that first host, and identified as a female from that point on. She also swore an oath to never willfully harm another host. She sought out bodies as needed, but never stuck with them for more than a few years. Sometimes her hosts were more fragile, and harm couldn't be avoided, but Thalia needed to a body to survive.

Every time she departed a host she left a bit of her energy behind, granting them a lasting boon. Inspiration, brilliance, creativity...With time, her gifts spread, and the concept of "inborn knowledge" became part of the cultural fabric of the ancient world. Thalia was, in her own way, the original Muse. She realized that, regardless of her need for a body she couldn't continue harming others in the meantime. She needed the aid of her hosts, many of which she made herself known to, in finding a permanent solution.

The solution was an unorthodox one, provided by an artist during the Renaissance period: A simulacra, a body of artificial materials that, through a mixture of mysticism and craftsmanship, could support her essence safely. And so, over a century and a half of labor, and with the aid of many hosts, Thalia's inorganic form was constructed.

Carved of fine, smooth marble, with hair of an alloyed golden thread and eyes of alabaster inset with sapphires, she passes well enough for a living being even at close range, unless one were to touch her. Bones of bronze provide support, while a line of Grecian glyphs run down the length of her spine to imbue her inanimate form with life. Whenever she possesses the body (as opposed to a willing host's form) the body grows supple, soft and life-like. She lacks breath, and her body is cold to the touch, but she can move and live her own life as she wishes. To all outward appearances, Thalia is a pale woman with long hair, fine features, a pleasing figure and the modest height of five feet, even.

She has learned seemingly endless secrets in her long and unusual life, and in bonding with her hosts she has left some part of herself with each of them in return for their knowledge and life experiences. These "gifts" have not always left the host the better for her presence, and there have been cases where the energy left behind has...Warped...A spirit or a body into something quite different from its original state. She holds secrets, not the least of which being the fate of some of her hosts, though she feels a great deal of remorse and regret for these past errors. It is because of this past that she left the Mediterranean long ago, wandering the world and gaining new experiences before finding herself settled in the Felton region.

Thalia is a loving individual; good natured and sweet in spirit. She adores people, and has no wish to cause harm to any living being. She's soft spoken, playful and cheerful, an intelligent and upbeat presence in the Felton area that can often be found in the Underground, assisting with local charities and businesses where she can. On the Felton surface, she works at Makos Art, run by one of her latest organic hosts, David Makos. She mostly specializes in mixing paints, matching colors perfectly as a customer may need, but also runs a workshop teaching classical painting and sculpting techniques. Of course, she has to dial back her own capabilities from time to time...Seeing as how she actually knows numerous techniques that have been lost to history.

She considers herself female, and pansexual when the interest or desire for company takes her. She has a preference for using her own inorganic body rather than fusing with a host for those activities, and currently considers herself "taken" by David, but not exclusive. She has several friends in the Underground that she can frequently be found in the company of, particularly a group of quite classical ladies that frequent The Lion's Den. Though she takes no pleasure in alcohol consumption, she still likes to have a drink with her friends from time to time.

Art by  Horrified, with Thalia being one of my mate's characters over at  Feltonirregulars. I'm helping her with world building, and fleshing out her cast somewhat. I also just think it's lovely art of a lovely lady from our shared universe.