Charlotte's new English teacher Mr. Metos looks a lot like a vampire to Charlotte. Charlotte's very concerned he might suck her blood, but perhaps she should be more interested in his encyclopedic knowledge of Greek myths? Just a thought.

A shadow. I've got one, Charlotte's got one, you've got one...
...you do, don't you? No one's taken it, have they? Because that would be really unfortunate. I'd check if I were you. You have to be extra careful these days, with shadow thieves about.

Charon is the ferryman of the Underworld. He's happy to carry you across the River Styx--for a price.

Philonecron, a half-god, half-demon, is a denizen of the Underworld and an evil genius--or so he'll tell you. He has a lust for power and a plan. An evil plan. Enjoys the finer things, like good music, fine clothes, and condemning humanity to an eternity of torment.

Hades is the Lord of the Underworld, King of the Dead, The Unseen One, The Illustrious, The All-Knowing, The Receiver of Many. You might call him excessively fond of his wife, but you wouldn't do it to his face.

Persephone is the Queen of the Dead. She doesn't seem to spend a lot of time in the Palace though. Where does she go, anyway?

The Footmen are Philonecron's servants, crafted of Stygian clay, an Unburied spirit, and some fresh blood from an evil genius. There are twelve of them--a good number, an Olympian number. They have dark powers and impeccable manners. Their tuxedoes are perfectly tailored, of course--Philonecron wouldn't have it any other way.

Grandmother Winter lives in Exeter in the southwest of England, and Zee visits her every summer. She promises to keep an eye on Zee, even when it might seem impossible--and Grandmother Winter always keeps her promises.

Mew is a stray kitten Charlotte takes home with her one day. Full name, Bartholomew, because Bartholomew is an excellent name for a cat, even if the cat is a girl cat and Bartholomew is a boy's name. Because cats need names. Because you can shorten it to 'Mew' which is really the most fabulous nickname for a cat ever. Mew is smart. Some might say unusually smart...

Zee is Charlotte's cousin. He likes music, soccer, and his home in London--until all of his friends begin to come down with a strange illness, an illness that seems to be following Zee. His parents send him to America to live with the Mielswetzskis, because surely the illness won't follow him there. Right?

Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Mielswetzski is not one of those redheaded heroines who bemoan her fiery locks. She has no desire to fake blond highlights or, as her mother's stylist suggested, "tone her color down with some nutmeg shades." If you were to ask Charlotte for one adjective with which she would describe herself, she would say, "redhead." And that's that.