Joey Kelly is 16 years old. He has brown hair and lively brown eyes. For his age, Joey is of average height and weight. No matter how much trouble he finds himself in, Joey has an incredible smile that sneaks onto his face. He can run faster than most boys his age and has lightning-fast reflexes. Joey has a photographic memory, but only about ancient artifacts. He is well-trained in martial arts. Joey likes rock and mountain climbing but isn’t as good as Gianna.

Although two of his best friends are girls, Joey has always been shy around girls his age. That is, until he meets Ella. Now, he can’t get the petite blue-eyed blonde out of his thoughts.

Joey’s parents and most of his relatives are archaeologists. He has a younger sister named Lucianna. Most people call her Little Lucy, but Joey just calls her Brat. Still, Lucy wants to follow in her brother's footsteps.

Joey loves vintage cars, boats, and planes. He’s always wanted to fly a vintage World War II fighter plane but hasn’t had the chance yet. Joey also loves the 1956 Jafco Seamaster that Madison restored to sail on their first expedition. He is self-taught on the guitar and likes older rock and roll music. Joey’s favorite band is Steely Dan. Joey also loves dogs and horses and has a dog named Spartacus, whom he rescued from a shelter. 

Joey is an excellent marksman with a bow, arrow, and rifle, but the bullwhip is his weapon of choice. He doesn’t feel it’s justified to kill a creature when he is the one invading its habitat. Joey’s hero: Indiana Jones, of course.

Gianna Santi is the youngest member of the team. She is fifteen and a half years old and an only child. Gianna is petite. The first time Joey saw her rock climb, he thought she must have hollow bones like a bird. Gianna has long, silky blonde hair and enchanting blue eyes. Her dad is an anthropologist, and her mom is an archaeologist. Gianna learned to climb when her parents worked at a site at Dinosaur Ridge at the base of the Rocky Mountains. An Ute Native American boy named Elu, who lives near that dig site, taught her how to climb, ride horses, handle a rifle and the bow and arrow, and defend herself. Elu also taught Gianna how to toss a lasso with incredible accuracy. The lasso is her weapon of choice.

Gianna misses Elu. She remembers his penetrating black eyes, black hair, and incredible smile. Although Gianna was only twelve when her parents left to work at a dig site in the Middle East, she can’t wait for her annual trip back to Colorado so she can spend some time with him. She is passionate about archaeology and hopes to someday discover and work on the Garden of Eden site.

Gianna loves to sing and dance. She joined a local community theater group and performs there whenever time permits. Gianna is an adrenaline seeker who takes more chances than she should when mountain climbing. She is also passionate about photography and may teach it someday if she retires. Gianna loves horses and seems to connect with them. She hopes they explore Pegasus Island someday and ride one of the winged steeds. Gianna’s favorite movie is LORD OF THE RINGS. Celebrity crush: Jimmy Stewart. Favorite musician: Harry Stiles. Gianna’s hero: St. Gianna Beretta Molla, whom she was named after.

Madison Apperson is also sixteen, only a month older than Gabriel. She is taller than average and just an inch shorter than Joey. Madison has strawberry blonde hair, a big, beautiful smile, and bright blue eyes. Madison takes archaeology seriously, but her sense of humor is quirky. Madison’s parents are marine archaeologists. Growing up around water, Madison became an excellent swimmer and diver who feels just as comfortable below the water as above it. She is a good marksman, but her weapon of choice is the speargun.

At this time in her life, Madison has no time for relationships. She is busy learning the guitar, illustrating the monsters she imagines she will meet on her adventures, and drawing anime. Madison is also an avid reader. If you’re walking along the shore of Holden Beach, you just might see her sitting under a cabana with a book in her hand.

Madison met fellow archaeologist Gianna for the first time just a few days before they left North Carolina and departed for Veiled Lake. In fact, she saved Gianna’s life the day they met. Gianna hopes that she will be able to repay the favor.

Madison loves sports, in particular, baseball. Any chance she has to play, she takes it. Much to the dismay of her North Carolina friends, Madison is a New York Yankees fan. Madison also likes working with her hands and is mechanically inclined. She can repair almost anything with an engine. She worked on the Jafco Seamaster before they departed on their first adventure. Madison loves animals, particularly Egyptian hairless cats. Madison’s hero: Rod Serling.

Gabriel is 16 years old, almost a year younger than Joey. He is about the same height as Joey but has brown hair and sensitive blue eyes. Gabriel has a shy smile and a fantastic singing voice which is why he likes musical theater. He loves archaeology and working with AI on the computer. His parents are retired anthropologists who now teach courses at Oxford. While sitting in some computer courses at Oxford, this young teen discovered he had an incredible ability to use AI to solve the most challenging problems he and his fellow archaeologists would face. Gabriel was also born with an astonishing ability to speak and translate modern and ancient languages. He has a much older brother who is also an archaeologist.

Gabriel doesn’t have a girlfriend yet, but he would be surprised to learn that girls are very interested in getting to know him. He likes to read comic books and is fascinated with Batman. Gabriel is a gifted artist and enjoys drawing his own superheroes and villains. He also loves Star Wars movies and J.R.R. Tolkien books.

Gabriel is the best marksman on the team. He spent many years in Africa, where he learned to shoot for fun and protection. He is also well-trained in martial arts.

Gabriel is very athletic. He is almost as good at mountain climbing as Gianna. He also likes mountain biking and snowboarding but never has the time to enjoy them.

Self-taught on the guitar, Gabriel has just started playing duets with Madison and Gianna. His favorite band is The Beetles. He loves dogs and cats, except hairless Egyptian cats. Gabriel loves pretzels. He is a little envious of Madison because he loves oceanography but is deathly afraid of sharks. Gabriel’s hero: Robert Ballard.