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Awkward is telling your rabbi that Daniella Bernstein is going to be your date for your bat mitzvah party. Or telling your dad that the only dancing you want to do is tap, so you're not going to carry on the Asimov family tradition. I know all about awkward.

–Lavinia talking to Apollo during a senate meeting in The Tyrant's Tomb.

Lavinia Asimov is a Roman demigod, the daughter of Terpsichore and Sergei Asimov. After the Battle of San Francisco Bay, she became the centurion of the Fifth Cohort. She is currently in a relationship with Poison Oak, a dryad.

History[]

Early Life[]

Terpsichore

Terpsichore, her mother.

Lavinia was born to Sergei Asimov, a well known Russian ballet dancer, and Terpsichore, the Muse of dancing and choral songs. She was raised in a religious Jewish home.

When she had her bat mitzvah, Lavinia took a girl named Daniella Bernstein as her date, much to the confusion of her rabbi.

She also wanted to study tap dancing rather than ballet, much to her father's dismay.

Joining the Twelfth[]

At one point Lavinia was sent to the Wolf House to be trained with Lupa and survived, then making her way south to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area and enlisted into the Legion. She was placed in the Fifth Cohort.

She would sneak away from the camp from time to time to explore and familiarize herself with the surrounding area or spend time with the local nature spirits. This habit lead her to learn about multiple secret passageways in and out of camp.

The Trials of Apollo[]

The Tyrant's Tomb[]

After Apollo and Meg McCaffrey crash their hearse when being chased by a Eurynomos, she and some nature spirits go over to help. She manages to kill the monster with a shot to the chest. She introduces herself and is shocked to learn that Jason Grace is dead. They hear a screech in the distance and she leads them to Camp Jupiter. The nature spirits quickly vanish, but she manages to get Don to help carry the coffin as an apology for giving her false information that Poison Oak, a dryad she likes, was going to be there. She says her sentry partner and centurion let her go to the lake and that she would cover for her. They reach a tunnel that leads to Camp Jupiter and meets up with Lavinia‘s centurion, Hazel Levesque, and are attacked by two more eurynomos. She loads and readies her manubalista as the others kill their pursuers. After informing Hazel of what happened, they somberly move the son of Jupiter's body to camp.

When they arrive and meet with the praetors, she begins to tell what Hazel told her to say until she is silenced by Reyna.

Two days later, she is aided in feeding the unicorns by Meg. During Jason's funeral, she and the rest of the Fifth Cohort act as the honor guard. She and the rest of the legion stand in respect when Lupa arrives.

The following day, she saves seats for Meg and Apollo at the Senate House. She asks him about her mother Terpsichore, the muse of dance. He says he does not know much but tells her what he can. She then asks what is going on between him and Reyna, saying multiple people have noticed before the daughter of Bellona reprimands her for talking during the meeting and chewing gum. When Ella reads the prophecy, she deduces that Tarquin's tomb is under a merry-go-round in Tilden Park on Wildcat Drive and inadvertently volunteers herself when she pops her gum. She takes the others to her thinking spot for lunch, the bell tower at New Rome University, and complains that she was unfairly chosen for the quest. The four agree to go their separate ways and meet up at the Field of Mars at sundown. She, Meg, and Hazel arrive to see Apollo talking with Frank before they set out.

Tyrant's Tomb Quest

Lavinia and the others in Tarquin's Tomb.

Along the way she and Meg talk and when they reach Tilden Park, she and the others find and enter the tomb. When they reach the throne room she sees that Bobby has been turned into a zombie and nearly cries. Tarquin reveals his plans to attack along the emperors and turns his attention to her and her companions. She tearfully fires a projectile at Bobby, destroying what was left of her friend. After Hazel crushes Tarquin under a wall, she and Meg help support Apollo as they retreat. When Hazel senses enemy forces coming at them, she points them to camp and goes to hold them off and returns shortly after her quest mates.

Two days later. she calls Apollo over to the Fifth Cohort's table and is annoyed that he won't tell her about her mother's shoes on one of the Julia Drusilla Yachts. She also chastises Thomas for his lackluster response. She and the rest of the fifth are shocked that Triumvirate Holdings will use Greek Fire in the upcoming attack. After lunch, she and Don are seen arguing and told to stop by Hazel, who they ignore and keep fighting. She participates in the archery lesson, but gets frustrated and uses her Manubalista. Apollo asks why she relies on it as her main weapon and she says it has to do with personal reasons. Later, she and Don drag Apollo away from camp. They take him to People's Park in Berkeley to explain what happened in Southern California to a group of fauns and dryads. After he does, they start to panic and think of fleeing. She escorts Apollo back to camp, saying she is going to desert and that she was never happy at the legion. She leaves him outside Bombilo's Coffee Shop.

The following night, she arrives in the target parking lot where Apollo, Meg, and Reyna crashed. She pretends to be a first responder to get the crowd of mortals to leave and moves them to the woods by the parking lot. She reveals she has a plan and knocks Reyna out before the praetor can scold her more. They leave to carry it out.

After the battle, she reveals she and the nature spirits destroyed the Julia Drusilla Yachts on Reyna's orders, which the daughter of Bellona confirms. She also obtained her mother’s shoes. She denies Diana’s offer to join the hunters. She stays at Don's bedside until he dies and reincarnates as a laurel tree. During the senate meeting after the battle, the daughter of Terpsichore is promoted to centurion after Hazel Levesque is promoted to praetor.

After the party, she sneaks out of the camp to spend some time with Poison Oak, receiving rashes on her face that she tried to conceal with makeup. In the morning, she says goodbye to Meg and Apollo.

The Tower of Nero[]

Apollo mentions the daughter of Terpsichore when remembering the damage she prevented to the Bay Area by sabotaging the catapults on Caligula's yachts as he learns of the even greater supply of Greek Fire Nero possesses.

When Apollo visits Camp Jupiter after regaining his goodhood, it is mentioned that Lavinia has taught the whole Fifth Cohort how to tap dance and they are now a real threat in War Games thanks to her.

Appearance[]

Lavinia is described as a gangly teenage girl with dark hair that she dyes pink- along with her eyebrows- and brown eyes. She has long limbs and neck that, according to Apollo, make her look like a baby giraffe. She wears a Star of David pendant around her neck.

Personality[]

Lavinia is shown to be laid back and easily distracted by personal thoughts when on duty, however, she is clear-headed when she needs to be.

Lavinia is also shown to be nervous in combat, but when Caligula and Commodus attacked New Rome, she becomes more leader-like and leads the Dryads and Fauns in the attack.

Abilities[]

  • ADHD: Like most demigods, Lavinia is shown to be anxious when sitting still for too long.
  • Marksmanship: Lavinia is able to use a manubalista, albeit with minor difficulty.
  • Deduction Skills: Lavinia has good deduction skills, being able to quickly unravel a prophecy after hearing it once.
  • Leadership: Lavinia is shown to be a capable leader, commanding the nature spirits during times of emergency. She would later be promoted to centurion of the Fifth Cohort, and while teaching them all tap dancing was unconventional, Apollo noted they had become a force to be reckoned with.

  • Dancing Skills: As a daughter of Terpsichore, Lavinia has an inborn talent for dancing. Her chosen style of dance is tap.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Lavinia has a large reserve of stamina, being able to hike for an hour, fight a hoard of the undead, and distract enemy forces on the way back to camp without losing steam, a likely ability gained from her mother Terpsichore, the goddess of dance.

  • Magical Items[]

    Relationships[]

    Love Interests[]

    Lavinia is attracted to the dryad and takes any opportunity to be around her. After the Battle of San Francisco Bay, the two officially form a relationship.

    Lavinia took her as her date to her bat mitzvah.

    Family[]

    Lavinia and her father have somewhat of a neutral relationship, she does not want to continue the family tradition of ballet dancing and instead wants to focus on tap, something that disappointed her eager father.

    Lavinia has never met her mother and takes any opportunity to know her better.

    Friends[]

    Lester Viria

    Apollo, who she confided her displeasure with legion life in.

    Apollo and Meg meet Lavinia at the Caldecott tunnel, where Lavinia helps them get to Camp Jupiter. Apollo thinks that Lavinia reminds him of a baby giraffe, and that she is VERY ADHD. Apollo also connects the dots and realizes quickly that she is attracted to women.

    At the Senate Meeting, she asked Apollo about her mother, but he doesn’t remember much about Terpsichore. Lavinia tells him about her father, Sergei Asimov, and Apollo is excited and almost calls him “smoking hot”. Later, Apollo and Lavinia go to Tarquin’s tomb, and Lavinia is concerned when Apollo slowly turns into a Zombie.

    Lavinia and Apollo grow close during the duration of his stay, and they eat lunch and hang out together. Lavinia and Don sneak Apollo out and show him to the nature spirits, and tells him to sing to them. Apollo is very scared when he finds out that Lavinia is deserting, but relieved when she helps save Reyna Ramírez-Arellano.

    When Apollo learns that Lavinia blew up Caligula’s yachts, Apollo is very impressed with her, and is happy when she is promoted to Centurion. Lavinia later says goodbye to Apollo and Meg, and he is supportive of her relationship with Poison Oak.

    Meg McCaffrey RRII

    Meg McCaffrey, a Greek demigod she bounded with.

    During the daughter of Demeter‘s brief stay at Camp Jupiter, the daughter of Terpsichore became close to her. They worked together to care for the unicorns and looked out for each other during the Quest to Tarquin's Tomb.

    As Meg and her companions crashed in a parking lot after the Quest to Sutro Tower, Lavinia came to there aid with a group of nature spirits.

    Hazel Levesque

    Hazel Levesque, her former centurion.

    Hazel was her Centurion in the Fifth Cohort, and Lavinia respected Hazel's position as centurion. In The Tyrant's Tomb, Hazel and Lavinia are on sentry duty and Hazel lets her go for a while. The two later fight the Eurynomos with Apollo and Meg McCaffrey, and Lavinia trusts Hazel to fight, telling Apollo that Hazel had got this. Hazel later covers for Lavinia to Reyna Ramírez-Arellano and Frank Zhang, telling her to tell the praetors that she went to Temescal on her orders.

    Later, Lavinia, Hazel, Meg, and Apollo sit together on the roof of New Rome University for a picnic, and gives half of her veggie wrap to Lavinia when an eagle takes her sandwich. The four plan for the quest to Tarquin's Tomb and Lavinia mouths "adorable" to Apollo when Hazel talks about how she loves Frank. She also tells her to not chew gum on the quest. The four meet on the Field of Mars and go to the tomb. They help Apollo when he gets injured and carry him back to Camp Jupiter. Hazel lets Lavinia go in the woods and drive the eurynomos away with her Manubalista. Hazel tells Apollo that she doesn't think Lavinia is being wise, but she says that she trusts her because whatever she does, she comes back unscathed.

    Soon after, Hazel sees Lavinia arguing with Don, and yells her name, reminding Apollo of a mother annoyed by her toddler child. Lavinia tells Hazel that she needs a minute and Hazel wonders if she is too young to get ulcers.

    After the Battle of San Francisco Bay, Lavinia comes back and tells Hazel about how she and Reyna blew up the Julia Drusilla Yachts. Hazel is shocked and wonders how she did it. Hazel tells her what she did was amazing but tells her that she deserted her post and that she didn't give her permission, but Lavinia tells her she got orders from Reyna. Reyna backs up this statement.

    At the next meeting at the Senate House, when Frank asks who should become praetor next, Lavinia starts chanting Hazel's name for her to become praetor. When they need a replacement for Centurion, Hazel planned to promote her to Centurion but the Fifth Cohort started chanting her name before Hazel could promote her. Hazel smiles at Lavinia after and promotes her to Centurion in her place, praising her for her heroism. She also tells her that the Fifth Cohort read her mind when they started chanting her name.

    Hazel doesn't judge Lavinia for being attracted to Poison Oak and being lesbian, even letting her sneak out to see her, impressive since she was born in 1928.

    Reyna Viria

    Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, her former praetor.

    Reyna is very annoyed with the daughter of Terpsichore at first, being annoyed when she abandons her post and chews gum, and Lavinia thinks she is too strict. When Lavinia tries to tell Reyna what happened when they were attacked by Eurynomos, Reyna silences her, having Apollo tell the story instead. At the Senate meeting two days later, Reyna reprimands her for talking too loud to Apollo and chewing gum. When Reyna asks for volunteers to find Tarquin's Tomb, Lavinia pops her gum too loud, causing Reyna to have her volunteer. Lavinia is angry at Reyna after that, saying that she thinks chewing gum is a crime.

    Later, when Apollo, Meg, and Reyna return from Sutro Tower, Reyna sprains her ankle in a Target Parking Lot, Lavinia pretends to be a first responder and helps Reyna, moving her to the woods. Reyna scolds her for deserting, but Lavinia tells Reyna that she has a plan, then knocks her out. It is revealed later that Lavinia and Reyna blew up the Julia Drusilla Yachts, which Reyna confirms that was part of her orders to Lavinia, and lies saying that she never deserted, defending her.

    Don the Faun-RR

    Don, a faun at camp that she befriended.

    Lavinia and Don had a close bond, the daughter of Tersichore often snuck away from camp to spend time with him and the other nature spirits of the Bay Area. However she would scold him whenever he lied about Poison Oak being somewhere. She was saddened when he died and sat by the faun’s side until the end.

    Lavinia and Bobby were close friends. When she saw that he was now a zombie, she apologized through tears to him as she fired an arrow at his reanimated corpse.

    Etymology[]

    • Lavinia is the name of a figure in Roman mythology, being the daughter of King Latinus of the Latins and his wife Queen Amata. She was also the last wife of Aeneas.
    • Asimov is a Jewish surname of Russian origin derived from Ozymyj Klheb, Russian for "water grain", such as rye.
      • However, since East Slavic surnames are gendered with masculine and feminine forms, 'Asimova' would likely be a more accurate rendering of Lavinia's surname.

    Trivia[]

    • Lavinia is the second known Roman demigod or legacy to use a ranged weapon as their primary weapon, the first being Frank Zhang.
    • Lavinia is the third known demigod or legacy of Jewish descent, the first two being Cecil Markowitz and Julia Feingold. She is also the first known Roman demigod or legacy of Jewish descent.
    • Lavinia is the third known lesbian in the series, the first two being Hemithea and Josephine
    • Lavinia is the only known demigod to be a child of a god or goddess that is part of a group.  
    • She is the fourth known demigod to dye her hair after Kayla Knowles, Billie Ng, and Alex Fierro
    • Lavinia is the first known demigod to form a relationship with a nature spirit. 
    • Lavinia is the first major character to have an unseen love interest. 
    • Lavinia is the first character to be a daughter of one of the Nine Muses.
    • She has a habit of chewing bubblegum. 
    The Trials of Apollo
    Core Series: The Hidden Oracle | The Dark Prophecy | The Burning Maze | The Tyrant's Tomb | The Tower of Nero
    Main Characters: Apollo/Lester Papadopolous | Meg McCaffrey | Percy Jackson | Peaches | Leo Valdez | Calypso | Grover Underwood | Piper McLean | Jason Grace | Reyna Ramírez-Arellano | Frank Zhang | Hazel Levesque | Lavinia Asimov | Nico di Angelo | Will Solace | Rachel Elizabeth Dare
    Secondary Characters: Chiron | Austin Lake | Kayla Knowles | Hemithea | Josephine | Georgina | Lityerses | Trophonius | Gleeson Hedge | Mellie | Chuck Hedge | Medea | Herophile | Crest | Don | Tyson | Ella | Tarquin | Luguselwa | Claudia | Janice | Blaise
    Minor Characters: Sally Jackson | Thalia Grace | Mrs. O'Leary | Festus | Cade | Mikey | Harley | Connor Stoll | Miranda Gardiner | Cecil Markowitz | Ellis Wakefield | Sherman Yang | Damien White | Malcolm Pace | Paolo Montes | Valentina Diaz | Germani | Agamethus | Olujime | Phillip McCaffrey | Hunter Kowalski | Sssssarah | Prickly Pear | Aloe Vera | Joshua | Naevius Sutorius Macro | Incitatus | Tristan McLean | Bombilo | Aurum | Argentum | Julia | Jacob | Dakota | Poison Oak | Screech-Bling | Annabeth Chase | Elon | Mamurius Veturius | Mimi
    Olympian Gods (Greek & Roman): Zeus/Jupiter | Hera/Juno | Poseidon/Neptune | Demeter/Ceres | Ares/Mars | Athena/Minerva | Apollo/Apollo (Roman) | Artemis/Diana | Hephaestus/Vulcan | Aphrodite/Venus | Hermes/Mercury | Dionysus/Bacchus | Hades/Pluto
    Minor Gods: Nero | Commodus | Caligula | Iris | Britomartis | Styx | Terminus | Lupa | Terpsichore | Harpocrates | Cardea
    Titans: Rhea | Leto | Mnemosyne | Helios
    Monsters and Magical Creatures: Python | Nosoi | Karpos | Palikos | Myrmekes | Colossus Neronis | Blemmyae | Gryphon | Carthaginian Serpent | Scythian Dracaena | Cynocephali | Centaur | Cyclops | Yale | Satyr/Faun | Strix | Dryad | Dragon | Pandai | Eurynomos | Skeleton Warriors | Vrykolakai | Khromandae | Amphisbaena | Troglodyte | Tauri Sylvestres
    Related Content: Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | The Heroes of Olympus | Demigods & Magicians | Camp Half-Blood Confidential | Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal | Percy Jackson Demigod Collection | Un Natale Mezzosangue | The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
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