Travis Atelta is a seventeen year old Roman Demigod son of Mercury and Juniper Atleta. He came to camp at twelve years old
"Keep dreaming kid"
History[]
Early Life[]
Travis Atleta was born to Juniper Atleta, a clear sighted mortal and Mercury, roman god of roads, travel, loads, gymnasiums, athletes, diplomacy, orators, thieves, commerce, trade, invitations, travelers, messengers, and merchants on January 23, 2004. Juniper Atleta was a kind, firm third-grade teacher with an interest in traveling and sightseeing. So, during the spring break, she decided to go on a road trip across the USA. While in a coffee shop, taking a pit stop after driving for three hours, she took a seat at the counter near the cash register. In the next seat over was a man, Mercury, who looked a bit world-weary and in need of company. Glancing over at Mercury, Juniper ordered two coffees, one for herself, and one for the tired guy. Then, she started up a conversation about the simple, passing things. Just a friendly, meandering conversation. By the time the two looked up from their dialog, the diner was already closing. She offered split the cost of a room for the nearest hotel, and he agreed. This was the start of a romance between mortal and god. The two decided to travel together for the remainder of the summer, and eventually fell in love. Towards the end of their journey together, Mercury said he lived very close to where she did . This let them continue their committed relationship, close together. However, when Juniper had to take a pregnancy leave from school, her husband, though Hermes and her were never officially married, disappeared suddenly on a 'business trip'. He left behind a considerable amount of money and a promise to visit when he could. Nine months later, into the world, sounded the shrieks of a freshly born baby.
Childhood[]
Travis Atleta had a moderately good early childhood if at times odd. Though his mother seemed distantly sad often, she did her best as a mother. She took a leave of absence for about a year and a half, using the money her husband had given her, to care for Travis and herself. After that, she returned to her place of work to continue teaching. However, because Juniper was always busy with teaching, Travis had many babysitters from ages 2-7. His babysitters were standard, they cared for him in the allotted time they were paid and performed all the necessary babysitter duties. None of them lasted long because of Travis' wondering fingers often resulted in a smorgasbord missing property. The resigning was usually also due to the fact Travis was a fussy baby and toddler, who fussed even louder when touched. Later, he began to get a hang of pranking people causing all of his babysitters to be with water when opening an ajar door or perhaps being shocked when shaking Travis hand at one point or another. They also learned not to drink anything with a straw around him, for fear of swallowing some packeted condiment. By age 8, he had had more than 23 babysitters, and his latest caretaker had quit. So, it was at this time, his mom, exasperated, decided he was smart enough to stay home alone. Travis and his mom had a good relationship though sometimes she hugged him too hard, and his wit was a bit too sharp.
First Monster Encounter[]
It was also at the age of 8 that Travis had his first monster encounter. While walking home one day, an unusually large dog started sniffing on the sidewalk opposite to the one he was walking on. For some reason, the dog made time feel like it was slowing down, and spikes of adrenaline prickled his nerves. Fear gripped his heart, and he made his presence as small as possible and slinked in the shadows of the fences as quiet as possible. The dog stopped sniffing after a while, but just in case, Tim stuck to the safety of the shadows.
School Life and More monsters[]
At school, Travis had had one friend since about age 10, a year after the dog incident. Previously, he hadn't had any friends period. Sure, he knew the names of most of his classmates and people laughed at his pranks. However, his pranks also made him disliked, in addition to his habit of taking small things like pencils and erasers, his seeming inattention to everything, and his prickly demeanor. It was a wonder he hadn't been kicked out of his school several times over, but his mom was very persuasive, and so she managed to convince them to let him stay. It also helped that she was had some pull in the school district. His singular friend was one Amanda Terran, a girl with an odd job to her walk and a bleating quality to her laugh. One day she had just arrived at school and sat with him at lunch. It was enjoyable to have a friend though she seemed to wince at his pranks and sarcasm, so Tim tried to tone those traits of his around her. She had a stable, reliable quality to her, which was pleasant.
After school, when they were in 5th grade, they decided to hang out at the park and talked. After chatting for a time, Travis got the acute feeling that they were being watched by the small lady with feathery hair and a shawl sitting on a nearby brick wall. He told Amanda as much, and her eyes grew wide as she looked over at the woman. She had gripped his wrist and said feverishly that they had to go now. Her hand was hot and sweaty. Travis stood up with her and walked with her. However, it was then that the lady decided to whip out some crazy wolverine claws and lunged at them. Her shawl billowed behind her like a pair of wings. The two kids started running, but the lady was fast. As in 'her feet didn't look like they're even touching the ground' fast. They ran for what seemed like hours until they lost her. Then they had to call Juniper because they got lost running from the weird wolverine-bird woman. This event was his first monster actual attack.
Second Attack[]
The second attack came about a year later at his eleventh birthday. Just as he was about to blow out the candles on his cake with his mom and Amanda singing happy birthday, a bulldozer rammed itself through the wall opposite of the table. The cake, of course, was utterly ruined by plaster and other debris. Amanda and Juniper had pushed Travis to the side, smothering him. The bulldozer's image flickered into a giant scorpion. This caused Travis to shout something along the lines of 'we are being attacked by a giant chitinous creature' to which Amanda nodded,and his mom paid no mind to because she was busy phoning 911 like a responsible parent. Amanda then gave Travis a stick of foil covered gum to which Travis replied 'this is not the time for gum!'. However, when Travis just unwrapped the gum because hey maybe something to chew his intense panic on would be nice, it suddenly turned into a golden spear It was also at this point the scorpion decided that 'ooh that sack of bones seems like a perfect snack' and skittered for him. This action galvanized Travis, who stabbed the scorpion in between the chitin on its chest. After that, there was a lot of screeching, red, bleating, and mom panicking. Travis moved purely instinctively in a frenzy of survival, dodging and stabbing. Immediately after the scorpion disappeared into a golden, sulfurous dust, Travis collapsed, last thought being 'who brought the goat?'.
Travis regained consciousness to the sound of his mom and some police officers talking about things like a rogue bulldozer and insurance and other confusing things. Another thing he noticed was that he was a bed and not his own. Finally, he opened his eyes to a painfully white hospital room with Amanda sat next to his bed. Amanda explained that he was a demigod and other essential survival information that comes with being a demigod, like how friendly scorpion visits were likely not going to be a one time occurence. Amanda also stated that she told his mom already all this and that he was going to a summer camp for 'demigods'. It became apparent that he was on painkillers when he looked down on his right arm to see a giant, blood spotted bandage and the dizziness that came with them. Under the bandage was a deep 'shrapnel cut', aka a scratch from the aforementioned friendly scorpion, which was going to scar, according to the doctor. After these events, Travis finished school at home and packed a suitcase. Juniper drove Travis and Amanda down to the air port (despite Amanda's protests that a camp van could pick up) and flying to New York for camp. He stayed for the summer only. However, the year after, the number of monster attacks and happenstances of nearly dying spiked significantly. So, on advice of his mom and Amanda, he is now trying out being a full-time camper.
Personality[]
Travis is an extremely brave, loyal, and selfless person who possesses tremendous strength of character. He would go to great lengths and take great risks in order to help others, particularly his loved ones. Travis was also very strong-willed and unafraid to stand up for himself. He's clever, and funny, but not really arrogant. He can get along with just about anyone. When it comes to protecting those he loves, and fighting, Travis can be more serious than a politician at a funeral. He is extremely mischievous, and you should check your pockets when around him. Even though he isn't a child of Nike, he LOVES competition. He's not necessarily matured, but he's definitely more serious than before, or at least is more prone to showing it. Otherwise, he's still the thieving clown that puts smiles on peoples faces, and equally as clumsy. Travis is a very laid-back and "cool" person. He was always the troublemaker of his old schools and he loves to pull pranks on people, as well as make people laugh. Many of his friends (at his old schools) have described him as "one of the funniest kids". Travis is a calm, and peaceful person, not wanting to lower anyone's spirits. He is the time to amuse and humor people, and laugh at the bickering of others. He can also be determined and when threatened he will become very serious. Travis is cool and calm. He’s fun loving, laid back and even willing to pull an occasional prank. But he knows not to take a prank too far. He does have a sense of justice as well. He mostly does what he’s told. Travis has a great sense of humor like his half-brother. He's not the talky kind of person at first but, once you get to know him, he's more open. He has a short temper and doesn't like being insulted. He loves playing sports to put off steam when he gets angry. Sometimes, he can be flirty without knowing but, other than that he's enjoyable. Travis is competitive and quick-witted in nature. This personality causes him to only be loyal to those who earn his respect, as seen with his interactions with Jaxson. Travis is very loyal to his friends and family. He is rather flirty and can get a bit cheesy. He cracks up cheesy, cliché pickup lines as well as some original lines. He is rather competitive and gets annoyed/frustrated whenever he loses. He can also get a bit hubris, but he also loves pulling pranks on people. Travis is a cheerful young man, who almost always has a grin on his face. He's always got a kind word to say, and loves to screw around with his friends. He's incredibly clever, but has quite a few of his "blonde" moments. Many people have noted he comes off as a bit of a ditz at first glance. Travis all in all, Travis is an interesting character.
Fatal Flaw[]
Travis' fatal flaw is hubris. He tends to think he's better than most people, but he's trying to control this
Appearance[]
Travis is often described as a young looking seventeen year old boy of Dominican descent. He is described as having the same mischievous smile, a sharp nose, upturned eyebrows that his brothers have. He is said to have messy and curly brown hair, light tanned skin, and expressive hazel colored eyes. He is often seen wearing a white shirt with dark blue sleeves, black jeans, and brown boots
Powers and Abilities[]
Mercury Kid Powers[]
- He has he ability to control locks, as their father is the god of thieves.
- He has the ability to control money, as their father is the god of merchants.
- He is able to run at superhuman speeds, as his father is the god of speed.
- He has the ability to teleport, as their father is the god of travelers.
- He can sense traps and curses on locks, as his father is the god of thieves.
- He has minor prophecy powers, as his father was gifted with prophecy
- He is able to easily persaude people, as his father is the god of orators
- He can put someone to sleep, as his father is the god of sleep.
- He can steal anything, as his father is the god of thieves.
- He has minor control over victory, as his father is the patron of sports.
- He can summon wings on his shoes.
- He can talk to snakes, as snakes are part of the cadeucus.
- He can control/manipulate chemicals and other substances used in alchemy.
- He can see and talk to ghosts as his father was a psychopomp (Guide for/of the dead.)
- He can have powers similar to Hypnos or Morpheus cabins as his father was also a god of sleep, although, this is to a lesser degree.
- He can create boundaries that no one can cross without permission, unless it is another child of Hermes that is of equal or greater strength in boundary making.
- He can shapeshift/disguise himself to trick people. Sometimes he will literally shapeshift but sometimes he will just create an illusion instead.
General Abilities[]
- ADHD: Like all demigods, Travis possessed inborn supernatural battle reflexes and senses that he used to analyze the fighting style of his opponent.
- Dyslexia: His brain was "hardwired" for Ancient Greek instead of modern languages.
- Superhuman strength: As a demigod, Travis is stronger than the average mortal.
- Superhuman durability: Being a demigod, Travis is more durable than a regular mortal
- Superhuman Agility: Being a demigod, Travis is more agile than a regular mortal
- Superhuman Reflexes: Being a demigod, Travis' reflexes are faster than a regular human.
- Will power: Hector has an immense will-power
- Thieving skills: Travis, as the son of The God of Thieves, Travis is good at taking things with out being caught, t
- Spanish: Being from The Dominican Republic, Travis was taught Spanish by his mother
- Superhuman Speed: As a Mercury kid, Travis is faster than the regular mortal or demigod
- Archery: Travis is a skilled archer
- Spear usage: Travis is good at using a spear
Relationships[]
Friends[]
- Hector Pineda: Now, Travis never expected to have any forms of siblings. He grew up as an only child and was just finding out his father was a god, so he didn't know about his father's Greek form. When he met Hector, he just thought they had the same style of pranking their friends. When Travis discovered Hector was also a Hermes kid, Travis was over joyed to have a brother. The two often play pranks on their friends and they have a positive relationship with each other
Family[]
- Mercury: Travis is shown to have a great relationship with his father. While he does resent him for leaving him, he still loves his father. He respects him as a god and as his father. Travis held a grudge against him since he left, but soon got over it. The two now have a good relation ship
- Juniper: Travis' mother is a woman named Juniper. The two have a good relationship with each other and Travis often writes to his mother while at Camp
Etymology[]
Travis is a boy’s name of French origins, meaning “toll collector.” Travis was initially a surname deriving from the French words traverser, which translates to “to cross.”
The last name Atleta is Portuguese for Athlete
Trivia[]
- Travis' last name is Atleta, which is Spanish for Athlete. This could be because Hermes/Mercury is the god of athletes
- Travis was born in San Francisco de Macoris in The Dominican Republic
- Travis' favorite song is the Miles from Tomorrowland theme song