The DemiGod & the Dancer

Chapter 2: Discovery

I found it hard to stay calm.  Me-Nicklaus Thorson-a father?

I drove my rented Hummer down the expressway and turned off where my navigator instructed. I heard nothing but that voice because the memory of the video my friend and manager Kenneth brought to my attention kept playing back in my head:

A little girl stood in her denim jumper. Her two toned hair was in a high ponytail. She was smiling up at the person recording. "Why you wanna record me?"

"Because it'll be fun." The voice belonged to a boy, an older one out of camera view. "What's your name?"

She laughed, turning around and round. "Rei! You know that!"

"That's not your full name."

She stopped and rolled her eyes. "Reina Thorson."

"How old are you?"

"Four." She put up that many fingers for emphasis.

"Who is your mom?"

"Mommy!"

There was a chuckle offscreen. "What do other people call her?"

"Tatiana." She began doing hopscotch jumps.

"Who is your dad?"

"That's a secret!" she burst into giggles.

"Come on, tell me--one more time?"

"Why?" She wasn't looking at the camera anymore.

"'Cause we're friends."

"No, I'm friends with your sister! You're a jerk!"

"Aw, I'm your friend. Didn't I give you that candy?"

Reina pulled a mini candy bar out of her pocket. She pursed her lips together. "Yeah."

"You're a famous person I paid for an interview on my camera." He paused. "Like your daddy?"

Reina blinked. "My dad is Thorson."

"On Demigods?"

"Yeah."

"Show me the mark."

She extended her hand and the camera closed in on it.

"Why isn't he here?"

"'Cause they loved a lifetime ago and her life ended and people don't like him."

I had already done the math in my head. The private investigator had tracked them and the girl's birth information. When I found out who little Reina's mother was, I found myself filled with so many emotions. I was willing to bet my life that Reina was mine. The signs were all there. The birthmark hedged the bet. And the woman I thought loved me at one time kept her from me.

I looked down at my hands on the steering wheel. I was squeezing it so hard they hurt. I took a deep breath to calm myself just as my phone chimed. I clicked the earpiece.

"Slow down!"

I rolled my eyes at Ken's voice and glanced at the rear view mirror to the car behind me. "Sorry, Ken."

"We've got to figure out what to do here," Ken said. "The lawyer said--"

"The girl is my daughter, I know it," I grated out. "And I will handle it."

"Nik, listen, let me take care of this--"

"No." I made a turn and parked the car at the gentlemen's club. "You're lucky I let you come along. I have my own plans. I'm humoring you now."