My name is Natalie Kovak and I am a demigod.
I have seen a lot in my Seventeen years.
And when I got to school I am in twelfth grade.
My Mortal Parent, Erik Kovak , raised me from birth.
Though my other parent, turns out to be Eris!
What led to my discovery of all this? Well you see...
When most parents hear that they are going to have a child, they are elated. Excited. Overjoyed.
Such was not the case with Natalie's parents.
Erik Kovak and Laura Maharr were a young couple who were having a great deal of troubles with their relationship, and looking to end it. Erik had not quite found a way to express these feelings, but they both knew that it was basically over; Laura was sleeping with other people, and lots of them, and Erik was...well, Erik was less than happy about it. But, he didn't want to yell at her, or freak out. That aside, it was the only reaction his volatile temper would supply him as an option, so he avoided Laura for quite some time.
It was during this period of time that he met Nat's mother. Exotic, beautiful, dark and tempting, the goddess lead Erik along paths that he had never traveled before. She opened up parts of him that had remained hidden for years, from everyone.
And then, just as quickly as she had appeared, she vanished from his life.
It took about a week for Laura to approach Erik again, informing him that she was pregnant, and it had to be his. He wasn't one hundred percent sure how, all things considered, but he went along with it. They could always get a paternity test once the child was born, after all. So, once again, he fell into it with Laura, and over the course of nine months, he began to remember why he loved her. She was colourful and exciting, bright, and inventive. And, being pregnant, she couldn't run off and remind him why he hated her.
The child was born, and Laura named her Natalie. Little did she know, the pregnancy was a trick of the mist, thickly enveloping Erik's mind as well. He still swears that he remembers Laura being pregnant, despite knowing the truth of Natalie's mother. However, I digress.
They lived together happily for a few years; until Nat was about two, actually. Then, things began to go south.
Erik had to take a job at the local factory, working long hours and missing out on much at home. Laura didn't like the lack of attention, and the overwhelming addition of responsibility that came from having a child. She resented Natalie, and in the back of her mind, always believed that the child did not really belong to her. She didn't want her, and quite frankly never had. She cared for the girl out of obligation, and nothing more.
As Natalie grew old enough to walk, and talk, and entertain herself, Laura slowly began to claw back some of her freedom. Quietly, and without telling Erik. She would often bring Natalie out with her, to many different places. Hotels, houses, restaurants. Always with a form of self-entertainment, a sweet smile, and a promise that they would get ice cream later. Nat saw these as special trips; her mother would be busy for the beginning of them, but afterwards, she lavished the young girl with attention. Natalie, largely neglected, sought this attention, and this contact with her mother. So, when Laura said that Erik would make the outings stop if he found out...well, Natalie didn't hesitate to keep them a secret.
As she grew older, she began to notice things that she didn't quite understand. There were always men at the beginning of the outings, men who looked at her mother funny and who went off with Laura behind closed doors. Some men who complained about Natalie being there, then went into a room with Laura to, as far as Nat could tell, complain some more. She assumed the noises coming from the rooms was her mother either beating them up, or having a very weird conversation with them.
She learned to ignore it.
Even as she grew older and began to feel as if something very wrong was happening, Natalie ignored it.
As a child, Natalie adored her father. When he was home, he was a doting dad, trying his best to give his child everything she needed. When he wasn't, she missed him terribly, and waited excitedly for him to return. Moments spent with her father were special, and not to be taken for granted. Natalie knew this, and she never did.
She never took any time with her parents for granted; especially after her mother stopped taking her out, quite so much. As Natalie grew older, her mother began leaving her at the house with a box of crackers and instructions on how to get food out of the fridge for herself. Natalie was told not to use the stove, how to use the microwave and the TV, and left on her own. The days that she had school weren't so bad, as she had other children to entertain her. Weekends, however...well, weekends sucked.
None of the other children's parents wanted their kids going to that house. Natalie lived in a fairly rough area of town, and they knew of her mother's activities. They knew that Laura left Natalie alone, and they didn't want to entrust their children to her. When she wasn't at school, and her parents were both gone?
Natalie was very much alone.
One Friday, Natalie heard some of her friends from school talking about going to the park. A seven year old with very little sense, Natalie quickly decided that it must have been the only park she knew about, a new one that had been built a few blocks from her house. Saturday came, and with her stuffed doll in hand, a lunch in her backpack, and her favourite shoes tied haphazardly to her feet, Natalie set off to the park.
When she got there, she realized that her friends were not there, and she didn't know when they would get there. She was a patient child, though not one to sit still, so she decided she would play and wait for them. It wasn't as if she'd never been to the park on her own, before. Staying at home all day was boring, and Natalie had always been impulsive. She had made the journey many times before, so sitting on the grass and having a tea party with her stuffed toys was not unusual for her. What was unusual, however, was the two strange men who approached her.
Truth be told, Natalie doesn't remember much about the incident. She was found amid the playground equipment, which had been warped, cracked, and ruined beyond recognition, bleeding from her head all over what looked like part of the monkey bars. Witnesses reported seeing two strange men with strange guns, one of whom had melted the slide and plastic equipment with a flamethrower. They didn't know how else to explain the strange events that had happened, that day.
Natalie was rushed to the hospital, where doctors informed Erik that she had injured several areas of her brain that controlled her memory. She had stitches in multiple places, the worst of which being at the back of her head.
Erik was furious with Laura for leaving Natalie alone. This was the beginning of the end, for them, but he had bigger things to worry about.
Natalie needed near constant care after she was released from the hospital, her memory short and inconsistent. She cried often and got frustrated easily, and eventually Erik didn't know what to do. The doctors told him that patience was the only solution; so, he waited.
Sure enough, as time passed, Natalie improved. She still had problems remembering some things, but it was nowhere near as bad as it was. She was able to return to school, believing her life back to normal.
But for Erik, normal was never the same again.
Things with he and Laura grew steadily worse over the years, but Natalie tried her best to ignore it. She was enrolled in dance, and had switched schools since the incident, to one where she had more friends. Erik had also realized his wife could not be trusted to care for their child, and asked some friends of the family to watch his daughter after school. Natalie gained friends in their children, and her life improved. Any further mythical incidents were trivial, and too small for her to notice.
Mortal incidents, however...well, those were hard to ignore.
Her mother (the one she knew about, anyways) wasn't picky with who she slept with, so long as it wasn't Erik. Parents of Natalie's friends, teachers at Natalie's school; and she wasn't subtle about it anymore, either. Even the other children began to notice, and as Natalie grew to an age at which she could appreciate the opposite gender, she found that some of the other girls around her grew catty, and cruel. They taunted her for her mother, and as they grew ever older, they taunted her for being like her mother, Laura.
Considering she very much wasn't, Natalie was pissed.
She was no longer too young to understand what was happening with her mother. She knew that she was an unfaithful slut, and hated her for it. She knew that her mother didn't want or like her, and she knew that if given the chance, her mother would abandon them in a heartbeat.
She knew that she never wanted to be her mother, never wanted to be like her, or even slightly compared to her. Being called her mother? It didn't sit well with the young girl.
School was no longer a haven for her; she was as miserable there as she was at home, taunted by two faced bitches who smiled at her in public, then stabbed her in the back. At home, she was forced to sit through world war three, nightly; her parents were very unhappy, and since Natalie was no longer an impressionable infant, they didn't hide it. Dishes were thrown, names were called, and it all culminated in an explosion of rage.
Since school and home were both nightmares, Natalie sought refuge elsewhere. She stayed at friend's houses as much as she could, and got a 'job' at the local library as a page. Job being very loosely used; it was an apprenticeship offered through advanced courses at school. It worked like a co-op - she earned credits for it toward her highschool diploma. Regardless; She returned home sporadically, and one night when she went to get clothing, she was pushed out of the way by Laura. A plate followed her mother out the door, followed by cusses and swears from her father.
It was the last time she ever saw her.
Unable to leave her father like her mother had, Natalie made an attempt to return home. But, the damage was already done. Her father began to drink heavily, and Natalie knew that she didn't want to be home if he happened to have a fit. Enough furniture had been destroyed for her to be frightened, and she didn't want to be the only thing left standing when the last chair was thrown against the wall. She was sure that her father wouldn't hurt her; not sober, at least. Drunk? She really didn't know.
This would perhaps have been bearable had incidents not been arising as well. She had recently begun to read the Iliad in her spare time at 'work', and in doing so, she began to learn about her heritage. Even if she didn't know, exactly, her scent began to strengthen, and the monsters began to come. Thankfully, they weren't the only things that came.
A satyr caught wind of Natalie and caught up to her around the same time as a hellhound. He was able to defeat it, and afterward, explained to Natalie what was going on. She couldn't believe it, and didn't want to believe it. She wanted to speak to Erik first, to see what he thought, or said.
So, Natalie returned home, hoping to ask her father some questions about her mother. Her real mother. But, he was in no condition to answer any questions. He was drunk, and very much so. He'd been waiting for her to return, and when she did...well, it wasn't pretty.
Accusations were thrown. Names were called. And very quickly, Nat realized that her father was doing the same as her classmates. He was comparing her to her mother. He accused her of whoring herself out, whenever she was out all night. He accused her of shaming herself, and the family.
He told her that if she wanted to be like her whore mother, she wasn't going to do it in his house. He also told her that she'd get plenty of practice with it on a street corner, which was where she could sleep, for all he cared. Then, he kicked her out and onto the streets.
The satyr gathered the shocked and distraught young woman and told her that she was welcome at camp; and that is where they went.
And that's when I arrived at Camp Half Blood.
Since then, I have been at camp for four years.
And I have obtained the following beads:
(Beads - leave this blank unless otherwise instructed)
I usually am told I act like A word to describe Natalie would be complicated. Hard to pin down and hard to control, it's difficult to pinpoint her exact traits; and that's just how she likes it. Natalie likes being one step ahead of everyone else, likes to keep them guessing. She radiates chaos, radiates 'trouble'. And she likes it that way.
Most of all, Natalie likes to be in control. Not only of herself, but the situations around her; she knows that she has a tendency to create encourage chaos with her very presence, and so she desires to be in complete control, at...well, almost all times. Doing this is tiring, though, and like any person, Nat does yearn for opportunities to let go. She wishes that she didn't have to have such a tight leash on herself, so she could relax, and have fun, without worrying about her powers getting out of hand.
Deep down? What Nat really wants is to be normal. But that's one thing that she's probably never going to get.
In her desire to control things, Natalie often attempts (and often succeeds) in controlling people. She is as manipulative as she is petty and vindictive, a mix that bodes ill for most people; particularly, the ones that piss her off. Natalie has always had a skill for getting people into troubling situations and getting away with it scot-free; after all, how can she be blamed, if the culprit themselves chose to do it? How can it be her fault if she wasn't even there when it happened?
She is well practiced in looking and seeming innocent, and it is a fact that most would do well to keep in mind. Most do not get the chance to realize this, though, as Natalie will rarely show herself to them. Sure, she's social. Sure, she loves attention, and people, and being around large crowds. But that's an entirely different thing than opening your heart up to someone, and showing them your flaws. She hates to be looked down upon or pitied, and especially hates to be insulted. Very few people will ever see Nat for what she truly is, or who she truly is. She is a very guarded, and oddly private person, all things considered. She has a lot of secrets, and knows how to keep them.
Secrets or no secrets, Nat still loves attention. She loves to be spoiled or surrounded by admirers; and therein lies the key words. Natalie's desire for attention is purely a desire for positive attention, and not the negative kind. She wants people to think well of her, to like her. She wants to know that people want to be around her. You could say, if you want to be cliche, that Natalie wants to be loved.
And, corny as it may be, you would be right. Rejected and abandoned by her father, ignored and shunned by both of her mothers, Natalie yearns for some sort of familial comfort, some sort of recognition. And if that has to come from strangers, then so be it.
Natalie has deep seated familial issues, but only one aspect of it has developed into an obvious symptom. Her daddy issues have taken an...interesting turn, some would say. Others would say disturbing, but Nat would say nothing. She ignores the obvious, and prefers not to speak of it, getting angry or upset if anyone points it out. Natalie sees recognition in more than one way, and from specific types of people. Older men, father figures, people who can protect and care for her; Natalie is drawn to them, emotionally, and sexually. She has had multiple relationships with older men, and although this is far from healthy, she doesn't seem to care. She ignores her issues, and doesn't seek help or a 'cure' for them.
Natalie is a very stubborn, headstrong person. Once she gets an idea into her head, it is nearly impossible to deter her from it, even if it's a terrible idea. She operates on impulse, too, thinking with her emotions more than with her head. This is a terrible combination on it's own, and never mind when it's combined with her vindictive, petty, temperamental personality. It often results in situations that are less than brilliant, but that Natalie got herself into. She often has no one to blame but herself, and hates when this happens. She hates to be told she's wrong, and hates to lose. She hates admitting that these things happened even more, though, and when they do happen, she simply sniffs and looks the other way.
Natalie also has a slight issue with controlling her mouth. She speaks before she thinks and this often gets her into trouble, but she doesn't think that it's anything that she can't handle.
Natalie is a very proud person. She does not stand for insults, and gets very angry when she is insulted. Taunted when she was younger for being a slut, 'just like her mother', Natalie reacts badly when any similar thing is said, whether it is to her face or behind her back. Violence is her first choice in situations like these, followed by painful public humiliation as a second choice for vengeance.
Impulsive as she is, Natalie is also passionate. She throws herself whole heartedly into everything she chooses to do, and a few things she doesn't choose to do. She doesn't do anything by halves, and hates to do shoddy work.
She also hates being alone. Or, to be more specific; Natalie hates to be left by people. She fears abandonment more than anything else in the world; except, perhaps, bugs. She's not sure which one wins out in that fight. The fear of abandonment has been with her far longer, though; she doesn't want to have any more people spit in her face and tell her to leave.
She doesn't want to feel like nothing, anymore.
Something that always made Nat feel the attention she so desired was dancing. She'd always been good at it, extraordinarily so. Up on stage, with a room full of people watching her, the music guiding her, Natalie thrived. All eyes were on her, and at the end she received the recognition she craved; applause, and lots of it. She felt special, and good about herself. Dancing is the one thing that nobody will ever be able to take away from Nat.
Aside from dancing, Nat loves to read. She has always found comfort behind the covers of a book, and was always able to shut everything out by losing herself between the pages. It's a comfortable and familiar retreat for her. She can and will read anything she can get her hands on, from car manuals to encyclopedias, to Charles Dickens, to Stephanie Meyer. Some of it she doesn't exactly enjoy, but she's too stubborn to stop halfway through.
Natalie plays free and easy with the word 'hate', but there really is only one man that it comes close to applying to; her father. Kicked out of his house for things she did not do, and things that weren't her fault, Natalie feels (and is correct in the feeling) that her father abandoned her. Not only that, but he insulted her, and shunned her when she needed help instead of extending the hand she hoped for and expected from him. Despite these feelings, however, if he apologized, Nat would rush back gladly. She misses her father, how he used to be, and desperately wants him back. She wants some part of her family back, to pay attention to and appreciate her; and sadly, if it can't be her father, or her mother, then she can and will seek it from multiple other sources. Whether this is healthy or not, she does not seem to care.
I really like dancing, reading, attention, boy watching, teasing people, praise, manipulating people, older men, unexpected situations
But I hate apologizing, losing, being told 'no', being ignored, slut-shaming, 'wimpy' boys, overly sweet foods
And Please don't bring in bugs, abandonment,
But no matter what one day I want
- her father to accept her, and contact her
- fame
In case I have to fight I have a war scythe, and a set of neko-te
I'm really good at manipulation, dancing, extremely flexible, reading
But I'm horrible at impulsive, headstrong, vindictive, temperamental
