Everyone close to me knows I love the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series.

For my final in a class called Photographic Visions, we had to create a narrative composed of 12 images, and I chose to photograph a half-blood on the run.

From jump, I knew I wanted a Black protagonist. I am an advocate for Black and POC representation in sci-fi and fantasy spaces. Though I love Percy and crew, my first year of undergrad at Spelman College exposed the chasm-deep racial disparities in practically all facets of life, including literature.

This shoot is an ode to my inner child, my younger self who didn’t see herself often in that genre.