Damian Mendoza

Damian Mendoza is a 17-year-old Greek demigod, the son of Athena and Arrio Mendoza. He came to camp at seven years old

## Basic Stuff

### Alias

Wise-Boy, Dee, Owl Face, Gray eyes, War-boy the 2nd, Athena, Washington Wannabe, D-Money, DAM,

### Residence

Camp Olympia (Currently)Richmond, Virginia (Formerly)

## Family

### Adoptive/Step Family

Klarity (Step-mother)Travis and Matthew (Mortal Step bros)

### Biological Family

* Athena (Mother)
* Arrio (Father)
* Daedalus (Older half-brother)
* Gianna Washington, Skye O'Connell Rosenberg, and Athanasia Ithaca (Half-sisters)
* Natalie and Caroline (Paternal aunts)
* Randolph (Paternal uncle)
* Madeline Mendoza, Ava, and Kate (Paternal cousin)

## Items

### Other Items

* Phone
* Mythology books
* Architect books

## Appearance

### Outfit

* Usually Gray
* Black sweater
* Dark blue shirt with an owl on it
* Black jeans
* Black and gray sneakers

**TW:** **Mentions of Emotional Abuse**

## History

### Early Life

Arrio Mendoza met Athena, the goddess of wisdom, battle, and handicrafts, while he was studying History at Harvard. She helped him get through his studies; consequently, they fell in love. Shortly after, in 2004, on January 28, Athena sent him their son, a boy named Damian, as a gift. He was considered a "brainchild" like his half-brother, Daedalus which means that they were born from the thoughts of the goddess. Damian appeared on Arrio’s doorstep in a golden cradle carried down from Olympus by Zephyros, the West Wind. His father asked his mother to take him back to Olympus and raise him there as he didn't see Damian as a gift the way Athena did because he didn't know their relationship would result in a child and wasn't prepared to take care of him. Athena refused and told Arrio that heroes were supposed to be raised by their mortal parents and not their godly ones. In the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly take Damian and care for him the best he could

### Childhood

Damian took the last name of his father. When he was five his father got married to a woman named Klarity and had two sons with his step-mother, the twins Matthew and Travis. Since he was a demigod, Damian was a target for monsters which caused constant fighting between him and his parents who felt that he was constantly putting everyone in danger. When Damian was seven years old, he and his father visited their family for Thanksgiving at the Mendoza Mansion in Boston. This included his oldest uncle, Randolph, and his aunt Natalie and her daughter Madeline Mendoza who was unbeknownst to Damian, a demigod daughter of Frey. Madeline and Damian played at an upper level of the house while the parents argued. Damian, while constructing a pantheon out of a set of Randolph's rune stones, told Madeline to be careful, and that he was going to run away. A few moments later, Damian and Arrio left. Natalie also appeared to take Madeline away, and Damian would not see his cousin for years after that.

As revealed in a conversation with Caspian, one of Damian's friends, Damian was assaulted by a flood of spiders sent by Arachne at night for three days. His skin was freckled with bites and cobwebs covered his eyes, mouth, and nose. He would subsequently scream for his father who was always away for work, so his stepmother would see him. Whenever his stepmother came into his bedroom the spiders would hide, so his stepmother thought Damian was making it up to scare his stepbrothers and refused to call Arrio. By the time he got dressed each morning, the marks of the painful bites inflicted on him had already faded, leaving the cobwebs, which didn't make for convincing proof. As a result, Damian ran away from home at the young age of seven, thinking his family hated him, then fought monsters under the guidance of his immortal mother for a few months, using only a hammer.

### Traveling Alone

Unlike Melody and Ryan, who had people with them, Damian wandered the streets of Richmond alone. He often tried to make friends but they just made fun of him for being weird. During his time on the streets, he stole from shops to survive, often taking chips or food, books from libraries to read, and often he would pick-pocket people, making him very cunning and sneaky, very fast from all the running he did. After a week of wandering around in Richmond he decided to leave all of Virginia, he couldn’t bear to keep staying in the same place he had so many terrible memories. For five days he walked from Richmond to North Carolina. Once he got there he continued to adventure the streets of the state. One day after he stole twenty-two dollars from a random woman’s purse he was found by an old woman who was Tisiphone, he ran for a few hours till he found himself at The Raleigh–Durham International Airport. After running inside the building, he decided to hide in the bathroom.

After five minutes of Tisiphone searching for the Son of Athena, she left and Damian came out of hiding. Damian wandered around the Airport until he bumped into a woman named Rose and her husband Mark. Rose had asked the seven-year-old where his parents were and Damian had lied saying that dad abandoned him there. Mark said that they had one extra ticket to Los Angeles and the three boarded the plane. While Rose did want Damian to stay with her and Mark, Damian politely declined, saying that he would figure things out himself. Rose and Mark smiled and Rose gave the seven-year-old her number in case he needed them. Damian gave a small smile and ran off. It was said in another conversation that Damian heard his mother’s voice giving him directions to Camp Olympia. He traveled around California for three days when he found the woods leading to Camp. After walking for a few more he made it to the camp borders where he passed due to exhaustion. While he’s laying on the ground a random camper found him where he was brought to the Infirmary. Later when he woke up he saw a girl with brown skin and golden eyes humming while she was healing him. She introduced herself as Melody, daughter of Apollo.

### Early Life at Camp

During the next two years, Damian would talk to his father via letters, as phones were too dangerous for a demigod. He would occasionally ask his son to return home, but he always refused. His father then sent him his Harvard college ring, in hopes that he would remember him by it and be convinced to come home. Damian was ten years old when he heard the Great Prophecy. He had constant nightmares about it because Chiron told him that he would have a part to play. Every time a new camper came to Camp Olympia Damian wondered if they were "the one," even if none of them were children of the Big Three. Shortly afterward, Damian returned home at his father's request, but promptly called Chiron and returned to Camp Olympia before the end of the winter holidays since monsters continued attacking him and nothing had changed in his family. While talking at a conceal meeting, it is mentioned that several years before Damian had met Caspian, Hector had placed a tarantula in his bed a prank for which he nearly killed him At some point around this time, Clover taught Damian a wilderness survival course, which while he considered "silly" at the time, would come in handy to him years later. Damian also mentioned that when he visits his father, Arrio emotionally abuses him and his step mom would belittle him.

## Personality

Like his mother, Damian is an intellectual genius, wise, and very witty. He is also very hyperactive and can get excited over small things. His eyes look calculating like he is analyzing whoever he is looking at during a first meeting as if thinking of the best way to take the person down in a fight. He loves architecture and spends his free time designing new buildings or visiting national monuments. Damian is very strong-minded and stubborn, showing to be incredibly determined and daring. Though he is very kind-hearted, Damian can be very harsh and judgmental during first meetings, but he is very loyal to those who later had won his approval and he isn't quick to give up on those who he cares about. He also tends to be impulsive most of the time but knows when it’s time to be serious. Damian is prone to start shouting in Spanish when overwhelmed. Damian is also very adventurous and loyal to his friends.However, every hero has a flaw. Damian's fatal flaw is hubris, otherwise known as excessive pride: he thinks he can do anything and do it well, even building a world better than the gods he believes that he could get his parents back together, build great monuments. However, Damian knows it is a really dangerous fatal flaw, which shows that he can recognize and acknowledges his mistakes. Damian can be extremely prideful and stern, having a "bad" side as many people do. Most of the time, he is only active around his friends and much more quite around new people. According to Sadie Torres, Damian is the most level-headed demigod she has met in a long time. He hardly ever shows his true feelings, often hiding worry or upsetness with raw or teasing anger. He is often pegged as sarcastic and fun-loving

### Fatal flaw

As stated before, Damian's fatal flaw is hubris, otherwise known as excessive pride: he thinks he can do anything and do it well, even building a world better than the gods he believes that he could get his parents back together, build great monuments. However, Damian knows it is a really dangerous fatal flaw, which shows that he can recognize and acknowledges his mistakes

## Appearance

Damian is described as being a young boy of Latino decent and he is noted to be very short, around 5’2, with puffy brown hair and the bangs pushed up, storm-grey eyes, smooth lightly tanned skin, he normally wears a black sweater, dark blue shirt with an owl on it, black jeans, and black and grey covers.

## Powers and Abilities

### Athena Kid Powers

* He has great battle strategies due to his mother being the Goddess of wisdom and strategy.
* Like Sadie, he was also blessed with Enhanced Hearing, he can hear with amazing clarity, distance, and even frequencies outside the normal range. His ears can pick up every single sound, can decipher layer upon layer of differing sounds/conversations, locate the source of noise or pick up a sound from a mile away in a busy city. However, unlike Sadie who hears everything, he can tune in on one sound, but he can also tune out to hear everything
* He is extremely wise like his mother, He has divine wisdom have even have knowledge of cosmic things.
* He is excellent in battle since his mother is and the goddess of defensive warfare and skill.
* He is very persuasive and can get people to do his bidding easily.
* He never forgets what he heard just like their mother.
* He can summon weapons and can weave weapons since his mother is the Goddess of weaving.
* He has minor audiokinesis. He can memorize others with singing. He also can hear quiet things.
* He can conjure weapons. He can summon weapons like offspring's of Ares too. He can curse weapons and disarm other's weapons.
* He has minor mystiokinesis. He can curse objects and he is kind of like Children of Hecate but dimmed down a bit. He can't do all spells and big spells need to be done with multiple offspring's of Athena
* He has minor chlorokinesis. Since their aunt is Demeter and Athena was able to control (to a degree) over flora, meaning me can make flowers and small plants grow or wilt with his emotions
* He has control over Owls and Serpents just like his mother.

### General Abilities

* ADHD: Damian's supernatural alertness and keen senses that keep him ready for, and alive, in battle.
* Dyslexia: Damian's brain is "hard-wired" for divine Ancient Greek instead of mortal languages.
* Fighting Skills: As the son of Athena, Damian is a highly proficient combatant
* Weapon proficiency: he can instinctively know how to use any weapon
* Superhuman agility: Being the son of a war goddess, Damian has shown countless times his amazing agility.
* Superhuman strength: Being the son of a war goddess, Damian is stronger than the average mortal. Even when battered and exhausted.
* Superhuman durability: Being the son of a war goddess, Damian is more durable than a regular human
* Strategic skill: Like his mother, Damian is a master tactician herself. His analytical skills are extremely sharp, which helps him to try to outsmart his opponents through creative plans
* Craftsmen ship: Because his mother is the goddess of crafts, Damian inherited her skill.
* Architecture: Damian often studies ancient buildings and designs her own works, such as a temple for the gods. He can calculate the respective weights of several construction materials with few glances.
* Spanish: Since Damian is of Latino descent, Damian's father taught him how to speak Spanish fluently

## Relationships

### Love Interests

#### Caspian Portal

Though it was short, Damian did have a *minor* crush on Caspian. The two had gotten close to each other after their first quest, and Damian mentions how Caspian impressed him during their adventures. Damian did kiss Caspian once on their third quest, though he played it off as a sibling-like kiss. Damian's crush soon faded and the two stayed friends.

#### Isaac Reynoso

Damian and Isaac had an interesting relationship. The two met when Isaac was first brought to camp. While Isaac was a child of The Big Three, he wasn't the one destined to take him on a quest. Isaac and Damian often argued with each other and it would sometimes turn physical. Over the years, they have gotten closer and the two have learned to get along with one another, but they still sometimes argue. Damian soon developed a crush on the Son of Zeus, and Isaac developed a crush on Damian. After the second war, the two began to date.

### Friends

#### The Jr. Olympians

The Jr. Olympians, or The JO, are some of Damian's Originally, it was made up consisting of the ten sons and four daughters of The Fourteen Olympians, but it later included some of the minor Olympians as well, (ex, Eris, Enyo, Hecate, Thanatos etc). They're a close tight group of friends and they are respected a lot by the camp

### Family

#### Athena (Mother)

Damian has a close relationship with his mother despite meeting her very little, perhaps attributed to his poor relationships with father and step family. Damian holds her mother in very high regard, often trying to follow her example. He would often carry out her actions in accordance to what she thinks Athena would do, stating "Athena always has a plan". Likewise, his mother trusts and sees her son as "her pride and joy". They seem to discuss many things and have a set of plans in preparation for any catastrophe.

#### Arrio (Father)

Damian has several issues with her father. Because of his status as a demigod attracting monsters and knowing that he had been reluctant to take him in as a baby, Damian felt that he, along with the rest of her mortal family, hated him. While in Greece, Damian still lives with him mortal family, his father, verbally abuses him and belittles him, so you could rattle their relationship off as negative for now. Damian also has issues with his step brothers, Matthew and Travis, who make his life worse and his step mother, Annie, who also belittles him a lot

#### Daedalus (Half-Brother)

Daedalus was Damian's older (half) brother. While the two clashed with each other in a fashion that one might expect from siblings, Damian looked up to Daedalus immensely, admiring his leadership, and considered him one of his best friends. During most of Dae's life, Damian was his disciple and second in command. Under Daedalus, Damian learned to be loyal to The Olympians and it was Daedalus' teaching that help Damian conquer the quest with his friends. Things changed when the First War grew closer. Due to Daedalus' declining mental state, their relationship grew strained, and Damian was forced to reconsider his idolization of his brother. He began losing his trust in him, and his attempts to dissuade him from executing the TNT plot all fell short. At the end of the Battle of Olympia believed that he was coming back around, and initially attempted to reinstate him as head counselor of the Athena Cabin - but he was quickly proven wrong when Daedalus blew up Olympus, right in front of him. During death, Dae discovered that he can travel to and from Camp Olympia as a ghost, but he only stays in the Athena Cabin. The two often have arguments and they haven't fully reconciled.

## Etymology

Damian is a historic name that means “to tame” or “subdue.” It is derived from the Greek word “Damianos” which can mean “master,” “overcome,” or “conquer.” The name Damian has also been linked to the Greek goddess of fertility, Damia

Mendoza is a Basque surname, also occurring as a place name. The name Mendoza means "cold mountain", derived from the Basque words mendi (mountain) and (h)otz (cold) + definite article '-a' (Mendoza being mendi+(h)otza).

## Trivia

1. He is one of the only known demigods to have a family with connections to the other pantheons, as his cousin Madeline Mendoza is the daughter of Norse god Frey
2. He is incredibly touchy about people messing with his stuff. Isaac made a joke that he has his spear reserved for two uses: monsters, and people who touch his things Coincidentally:
	* He is one of the few people in camp who secretly carry their cell phones.
	* He carries a teddy bear in his camp bag with the caption, "Don't tell anyone!"
3. He is one of many demigods to have a family member who either died or have a mental break down/go insane
	* Like said before, Loretta gave her life during a quest to save other members
	* Melody’s little sister Rhea, after Loretta died, suffered a mental breakdown that left Rhea in a state described as "eternal childhood"
	* For Andrew James, his father went insane after trying to become the oracle
	* In his situation, Daedalus had begun to descend into paranoia and resentment toward their mother, saying if they can’t be happy, why should the gods. Daedalus, with the help of Hippolyta, planted TNT in a part of Olympus, which was connected to a button that he pressed after the Battle of Olympia. Daedalus, who had a feeling of overwhelming guilt, begged Athena to kill him, which she did. Damian saw all this and fainted due to shock
	* For Isaac, his older sister, Zamaya died due to heat stroke
	* For Octavia, her older brother died due to a heart attack
	* For Evan, his sister was crushed by an automatons, Talos
4. Damian is a skilled weaver and makes very good pottery
5. Damian often gets asked if he has a belly button as he’s a “brainchild” (he does have one)
6. He claims Daedalus is annoying but actually, he really looked up to his older brother and was extremely devastated when he died
7. His middle name is Angel
8. According to Madeline, Damian has Swedish ancestry on his father's side