Cassandra of the House of Zuris. Cassandra is a side character in the sci fi fantasy novel, Helio Tropez. She is one of the Elders from the House of Zuris and grandmother to the main character, Tia. In the subterranean city of Helio Tropez people don't age. They are technically and spiritually advanced and live in a higher-dimensional reality, where they are trying to help surface humanity evolve. Their main villain is a rogue sentient AI known as SIM. Everyone in Helio Tropez has a Jenio, or animal companion that helps them navigate the instinctual realms. Cassandra's is a black bird named Lival who can fly through walls. She is one of five Pentada, a group of females who carry the genetic blueprint for their people. Pentada must reunite to help save humanity from SIM.