Nika Backstory: a DoW short story
Nika was born to a loving father in the suburbs of Chicago. Her father, a former
Marine, worked with scientists at the nearby bio lab. He had done well in the
Marines before settling down. 6’3 and built like a tight end, Kyle Burns was an
intimating man. Not only was he strong and fast, he was crazy smart. Top of his
class, he had a bright future ahead of him. He had Served 7 years before
moving to Chicago. He had worked at the lab when he met Nika’s mom. She was
working at the lab with him for a short time and somehow they had fallen in
love. A year later, Nika came along. But what Kyle didnt know until after Nika
was born was at Nika’s mom wasn’t just anybody. She was the Greek goddess
Athena. She had explained that she couldnt stay and that he would have to look
after their infant daughter. No matter how hard he pleaded, she wouldnt stay.
So, he raised Nika by himself. Nika grew up thinking her mom had died after she
was born. Nika’s father tried his best to raise the rambunctious girl who was
super smart. She was also not afraid of anything. She would come home from
school with bruises and sometimes a bloody nose from fights she would get in.
She wouldn’t let anyone belittle her. Her dad admired that in her but he tried to
show her that she needed to keep her cool. She tried her best, for her dad. The
days she would come home battered and bruised became less and less. At this
time, her dad met a woman through mutual friends. She was nice enough and,
like Nika’s dad, had lost her spouse. Except hers had really died. Nika was 8
when her dad married the woman, Shannon. Shannon had moved in with them.
Nika liked her but preferred her dad. Shannon also had a kid. A boy who was
thirteen, Walter. The first time he and Nika had met, they kept their distance.
But gradually, they became best friends. Nika loved having someone to hang out
with who would play games she liked. They would spend hours together. It was
unusual for a thirteen year old to spend that much time with a 8 year old. But
nevertheless, Walter always made time for Nika. They would play catch,
poker(not for real money obviously), and even watch sports together. Nika grew
up with a built in best friend. But, life people must learn that all good things
come to an end. Nika’s stepmom fell ill with cancer when she was ten and passed
away. Walter took this hard. Nika still had her dad but Walter may as well have
been a orphan. He slumped into a depression and started to be morE distant.
Nika took this hard. But her dad took this especially hard. He had lost two
spouses. He too sunk into depression but unlike Walter, he turned to acholol
Instead of isolation. He would be out a lot, leaving ten year old Nika alone at
home with Walter who would shut himself in his room. Nika got into more fights
but started to keep to herself more. A year passed and things only worsened.
Her dad would come home drunk and angry. She would have to wait till morning
to talk to her dad, the one person who had been with her the whole time. The
one she could always talk to and trust. The one that would take her in his
strong arms and hold her close and whisper to her that it would be ok. She
soon learned that she had to rely on her smarts, quick thinking, and smart
mouth to survive. She developed a system over the next half year. She would go
to school and use her quick mouth to avoid bullies and fights, then use her
smarts to make it through school, then run home and convince Walter to help
her with her homework to slowly work him out of his shell. Then she would hide
in her room and wait for her dad to calm down then help him. Little Nika soon
grew up. As her 12th birthday approached, things were slightly better. Her dad
had eased off the drinking a bit but he still did. Walter had started to come out
of his shell and even agreed to play catch with Nika again after school even
though he was more reserved. She was waLking home one day, her 12th
birthday that day. She looked forward to her dad having a she ready and
waiting for her and Walter with his goofy smile ready to sing happy birthday.
Nika smiled at the thought and walked up to her house. She hesitated.
Something felt… off. The house seemed to be deserted. She walked in. The
house was pitch black. Walter should be back by now. She thinks. Walter? Dad?
Are you guys home? She asks into the empty house. She heard a faint shuffling
and froze. We didnt have a dog. She thought. She looked around for a weapon
of some sort and grabbed a nearby pen. Out of the darkness came, her dad?
Dad? She asked as he shuffled toward her. She backed up, fearing he was in one
of his moods. But he looked fine, in fact, more alive. He pulled her into a hug.
Hey a baby. Happy Birthday. He says. Nika was shocked. She hugged her dad
back. Thanks Dad. Where’s Walter? She asked with hope growing in her. He
sighed. Walter… he.. he got into decieded that he wanted to be alone. He says.
Ok, but its my birthday so Ill go get him. She says but her dad doesnt let her
go. No baby, he’s not here. Nobody can find him. He’s just…gone. He says. Her
heart stopped. W-what do you mean goNe? I ask him. He shakes his head. He…
had to go somewhere to clear his head. He hasn’t been himself since Shannon…
He stopped. His voice hitching. Dad. Dad look at me. She says and he looks her
in her eyes. Where. Is. Walter? She asks. I dont know. He disappeared with a
note that didnt give me any details. He sighed and handed me the note. I
already filed a missing persons report And some of my Marine friends are
looking for him but theres been no sign of him. He says. Tears were streaming
down her face. Her best friend, gone. Can I see the note? She asks. He nods and
hands it to her. She opens the crumpled piece of printer paper. She reads the
scribbled note, concentrating on every letter.
Dear Dad and Nika,
Im sorry that I have to leave. I just need to get away and think. I dont know
when Ill be back. Thanks for looking after me. And happy birthday Nika sorry I
wasn’t there for you. Love,
Walter
She crumpled the note up and tears ran down her face. Her dad reached for
her to give her another hug but she punched him away. No. He can’t be gone. HE
JUST CANT BE! She said, her voice rising. Nik- wait! Her dad yelled as she ran
out of the house and to the garage. She grabbed her helmet and bike and
pedaled away as fast as she could. Her dad yelled after her for her to come
back but she ignored him and kept going. She rode and rode until she couldnt
anymore. She stopped under a bridge and cried. Not only for her brother, but
for Her best friend. She guessed they were the same thing but… it was just
too painful. Even to breathe. She sobbed until she couldnt anymore. She just sat
there as The cars went over the bridge causing the bridge to rumble. Nika
didn’t know what time it was but it was dark by the time something moved
nearby causing her to jump. She looked around and grabbed a nearby branch.
It’ll have to do. She thinks and faces the unknown foe. It walks out of the
bushes and Nika attacks with her stick. It grunts as she attacked. Nika stop! The
voice says. She stopped. Walter?! He said as her brother brushed splinters off
his sweatshirt. He grimaced at the new bruises. Yep its me. He says. Nika ran
and wrapped in a hug. Woah woah. Easy there. He said and hugged her back. I
missed you. Nika says. Me too sis. He says. She pushes him and punches him in
the gut. He doubles over. What was that for?! He asks. You left me! Alone!
Without anyway to talk to you! And on my birthday! Jerk! Nika yelled at him.
Fair enough but I had to. He says and stumbles to his feet. Why? She asks,
Anger taking over. He hesitated. Why Walter?! She yells. Because monsters are
after me ok?! I was trying to protect you! He yells finally. Monsters?! You got to
be joking. That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard. She tells him with mad grin.
He looks at her. Its true! I swear on my Babe Ruth rookie card. He says and
Nika pauseS. He loved that card more than anything, maybe even more then
Nika. Ok. She says and looks at him with her arms folded. Why are there
monsters after you? Nika asks. I know this sounds weird but I’m a demigod. A
Greek one. And monsters love to hunt me down and Try to kill me! He sayS. A
demigod?! I know it should’ve sounded absurd but somewhere, deep inside of me,
it made sense. I hated that. So wait, like you mean to tell me that you are
related to a Greek god? And their real? she asks. He nods. She laughed
hysterically. Your kidding right? This is all some joke that you made up to prank
me on my birthday? Very funny Walter. She says. It’s not a joke Nika, especially
you. Your a halfblood like me. That’s why I needed to find you. He says. The
monsters Are after you too. Youve come of age. They’re going to come for you
and there’s only one place you can go to be safe. That’s where I was going. He
says trying to convince me. That same cord of seeing that as truth deep in me
came up and I tried to squash it. Nika, there is oNly one place where we can
both be safe. And that’s camp halfblood. He says and looks me in the eye. wait,
your telling me that a Greek goddesses is my mother?! I ask him. Yes. He says
bluntly. All the new information in my head ran through over and over. But
pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together. My dad had always told me
that my real mother had died when I was born which in theory was the perfect
cover up. But one thing still puzzled me. Why wouldnt he tell me? If its that
dangerous then why keep it from me and not send me to this supposed safe
place? She askS. He shrugs. I dont know. But you were too young to go so maybe
that’s why. He said. Ok….. so, where is this camp? She asks. Long Island New
York. He says. I gaped at him. That’s like 789 miles away! I tell him. He sighed in
frustration. I know! Why do you think I’ve been saving up? I have more than
enough to get me to New York by train. He says. I do have enough to get both
of us to New York but we’ll have to walk or hitch hike to camp from there. he
says and thinks. Ok, then lets go. She tell him. Really? Your taking this
surprisingly well. He said. Yeah, I mean it does and doesnt make logical sense at
the same time but if you swear on your Babe Ruth card than I have to take
Your word for it. She tells him. He smiles. Thanks sis. Now, lets get going before
something finds us. He says. We both run to the Chicago train station and bought
the tickets. The ticket master was suspicious of us but after we explained our
clever well thought out lie he let us through. we boarded the train and set off.
It was pretty uneventful on the train ride. We hardly talked. Though he did tell
me that he had figured out that he was a halfblood right before Shannon died.
She had told him on her death bed and he had researched all he could on it. He
was lucky no monsters had gotten him which was unusual apparently. He didnt
know who was his dad but he had some theories. I think Apollo or Hermes but
im not sure. He says. (I changed pov to Nika’s head so it doesnt get confusing). I
kinda zoned out a bit, still trying to figure everything out. I too wondered who
my godly parent was. It was obliviously a goddess since I was 100% sure my dad
was my real dad. It was still dark outside when we got to New York. The city
was busy even though it was like 1 in the morning. We avoiding people as much
as we could and kept going. I was so tired. We kept walking though. Walter had
his phone that gave us directions. It took us about an hour to just Get out of
the city. We still had like a three hour walk/run to the forest near the camp.
We took a break after getting out of the city and I instantly collapsed. Maybe
we should stay here for a bit. Walter says and looks around. Okay, sounds good.
I say and I pass out. I was shaken awake by Walter, the sun was setting and I
started up. Why did you let me sleep for so long?! I ask him, angry at him and
myself. He holds a hand over my mouth and I was tempted to bite him. He put a
finger to his mouth signaling for silence. He points to massive figures about a
mile away. Huge mishappen shapes. Cyclops, how’d they find us? Walter asks
himslef. Wait those are cyclops? I ask him and try to get a better look at the
things. They were each 10-12 feet tall and had either dreads or no hair. They
had arms and legs as think as trees and had one massive ugly eye. Two had
horns on their head. We need to move, we can try to hitch hike soon. He says
and we start off at a jog. We run as far as we could before I needed to catch
my breath. Walter was a lot more athletic than I was so he could go farther. I
mean, if you call being the best baseball player on the team and a track star
super athletic then that was Walter. I tried to breath. When I had caught my
breath enough we continued on. We ran until Walter explained that we could find
a car once we got to the next rode. We ran until we came upon the road and
Waited for a car to pass by. It took almost an hour for a car to finally stop and
ask if we needed a ride. It was a man in his late 40s with a kind face. Yes that
would be wonderful! Walter tells him and we hop in the back of his truck. So
where are yall of to? He asks in a southern accent. I guessed he was from out
of state. Can you drop us off near here? Its near our camp we’re staying at for
the summer. Walter says with a smile and shows him the GPS location. The man
nods. Sure, that’s on the way to where I’m going. Buckle up! He says and we
smile at our luck and buckle. The mans name was Jack and he was on his way to
meet his sister who lived up here. He asked where we were from and I almost
blew our cover. We’re from downstate, we are going to this camp but our
grandparents dropped us off at the wrong place and had already left when we
realized it. Walter says. Huh, then why didnt you just call them? He asks. Walter
paused, not knowing what to say. Our grandparents leave their phones at their
house sometimes and we figrured that was why they weren’t answering. I say
and Walter sighs in relief. Jack nodded. Well, im glad I found yall then. We drive
for the next 20 minutes engaged in a friendly conversation with Jack. He had
country music on in the background and I started to like it. Jack was from
Mississppi and was visiting his sister who was having her third child. We’ll this is
your stop. He says and pulls over. Thank you Jack, we would’ve been in big
trouble without you. Walter says. No problem, thank you for keeping this trip
exciting. He says and pulls out with a smile and a wave. Once he was out of
sight we head the last mile to camp. We should be close now. Walter says and
we both start to get excited to have finally made it. We crest a small hill and I
point out tiny pinpricks of light in the forest. That’s it! We did it Nika! Walter
says and we start down the hill. We were halfway down when the ground
rumbled. What’s happening? I ask Walter. he turns around and turns ghost white.
I look back to see the cyclops from earlier running toward us with clubs raised
and bellowing for our blood. RUN!!! Walter yells at me and force my tired legs
into a dead sprint. The beasts were right behind us. Run for the camp! We’ll be
safe there! He yells and we sprint through the forest toward the light. Every
second seemed to bring the brutes closer. I did the calculations in my head. We
weren’t gonna make it. The monsters were too fast. WE HAVE TO LOSE THEM IN
THE TREES THEN CIRCLE BACK! Walter yells and we weave in and out of trees.
The cyclops seemed to get farther away and we felt we could circle back. We
Ran toward the light again but crashed into something. It was a cyclops. Its
beady eye locked on me and Walter and it raised it club to kill us. I was frozen
in place. I tried to move but my brain didnt work. In slow motion, the club came
down. Just before it hit me, I felt something ram me out of the way. black
dotted my vision as I hit a tree. I groaned and looked to see Walter with a sad
smile on his face in the place I was not a millisecond ago. NO! I yelled as the
club smashed into him and he fell to the ground, limp and lifeless. WALTER!!! I
yelled in greif and sobbed. The cyclops yelled in triumph and turned to me. Just
when it was going to charge me, a spear blurred past me and buried itself in
the things beefy shoulder. It roared in angry and pain and crumpled to golden
dust. Over here! I heard someone yell and a group of people in armor rushed
over with swords and spear glinting in torch light. Someone pointed at me but
the grief and exhaustion kicked in and I passed out. I don’t remember anything
till the next morning. I woke up in a white tent where a blonde haired girl and
a guy in a white doctors robe stood. She’s awake! The guy said and they both
walked over. I didnt want people. My only friend in the whole world was gone,
really gone this time. The girl, who had striking grey eyes looked at me. She put
a hand on my arm. Hey, that was very brave of you last night. She says. I felt
tears brim my eyes. Hey hey its ok. Everything will be ok. Your here now ok? She
says and sits down on the cot next to me. Annabeth, they need you over at the
Big House for a meeting. The guy said. She rolled her eyes. can you tell them
that im in the middle of something. She asks. He nods and runs off. What’s your
name kid? She asks. Nika. I croak out. Nika, i like that name. She says. Im
Annabeth, daughter of Athena. She says. Annabeth. The daughter of Athena part
struck that deep cord in me again and an owl screeched out of nowhere. A grey
glow shone above and an owl hovered over me. Annabeth gasped and muttered
under her breath. What is that? I ask. She laughes. That means your my little
sister. She says. Me? A daughter of Athena? I mean it made sense now and all
but still. Come on, its time to show you around camp. She says and helps me up.
Two weeks later
I had adjusted to camp life and learned who Annabeth really was. Apparently
she was different to me than the rest of the camp besides her boyfriend Percy.
Being an Athena kid was nice. They had a service for Walter. It was one of the
hardest things ever. After that I really settled in. I thought it was going to be
A nice uneventful summer. Boy was I wrong. Sure it was fun and awesome
but… crazy and heart wrenching. And it all started with a girl like me who
stumbled into campe just like me. She was quiet and traumatized but
Annabeth treated her like she did me. Her name was Lura. Hey! I told her
and wrapped her in a hug as she climbed the stair to our cabin. She
flinched but then retuned my hug. I’m Nika and I just know we’re gonna be
best friends! I tell her and she smiled. I bet this is the start of something.
I think as I show her our room
The end! U all know the rest! Sorry its so ling but yk me! Dedicated to
@cabin3!