Acheron frowned. “That’s biologically impossible.”
“No. You forget, boy, we’re gods. Bath isn’t human in any way, nor was she born of a mother’s womb. She was a gift to me from the Source to teach me compassion for others. As the Mavromino allowed the birth of the first Malachai to calm your mother, the Kalosum created her to keep me from turning my back on what I’d been born to do. It’s why she was never supposed to know the love of any man. Her duty was to stay pure and remain the order to my chaos. She was justice. Cold and unyielding, without any personal interests or the ability to play favorites. Aricles changed all that. When her heart broke in half over his death, her tears are what transformed her into ruthless, uncaring vengeance. She lost all balance and nothing mattered except to make the world pay for the wrong it’d done her and Aricles. Ironically, it was that more than anything that showed me why I needed to keep a handle on my own powers. As bad as she was, I would be much worse should I ever let the Mavromino control me.”
Styxx glanced back to Bethany. “So how do I wake her?”
“You have to return her heart to her.”
“And that is where?”
Set sighed. “Last I heard it was given to Epithymia. The ugly side of desire is covetous jealousy. Epithymia wanted Apollo and thought that if she stole that part of the Bet he once loved, it would help her to seduce him.”
Artemis scoffed. “Didn’t work. She was too big a slut for my brother. He does have some standards.”
Not that Urian had ever heard of. Apollo was about as fickle as they came. He cared for no one and nothing.
“Then she’s the one we use the necklace on first.” After kissing Bethany’s hand, Styxx pulled the covers up over her. He stepped back and swept them with a determined grimace. “Let’s do this.”
Urian nodded. They’d all suffered enough. It was time to take back their lives and make the gods pay.
You know this isn’t going to work, right?” Styxx asked Acheron as they teleported to Ash’s bedroom in Katateros.
“I’ve had worse odds.”
“So have I, but most didn’t work out well for me.”
Urian didn’t comment on that. He’d been there too many times himself. Most of which, lately, had come from Ash throwing his ass to the wolves, gallu, dragons, and just about every other demonic entity the gods had ever created.
So it was a good thing he was suicidal.
Bitterly amused, Urian glanced around the room that had changed about as much over the years as he had. Before Acheron’s marriage, the room had been sparsely decorated in black and brown. Now it was powder-puff blue with dancing circus animals on the walls and a canopied crib within easy reach of the large bed … a holdover from Acheron’s paranoia and guilt about his nephew Apollodorus, who’d been killed by the soldiers Urian’s grandmother had unleashed on him, thus causing the original curse against all Apollites.
Acheron’s son, Sebastos, was never left to sleep alone. The baby had been almost a year old before Acheron had allowed him to sleep anywhere other than his father’s chest.
But Urian couldn’t fault him for that. He’d been almost as bad with his own children.
Can you hear me?
He frowned as Acheron’s thoughts intruded on his, then nodded.
Good. I think it best if we communicate like this for a while.
Styxx nodded again.
Ash turned toward Urian. You hang back.
He saluted him to let him know he’d heard him.
Styxx went to the door and listened for the others. Seth’s “bird” spirit had shown them that the gods were all gathered in the throne room, where they bragged about what they intended to do once they had Apostolos or Ash, rather, in their custody.
None of it was pretty and it made Urian glad he wasn’t his boss and even gladder that they’d reconsidered sending Styxx in as his double.
Acheron joined Styxx at the door while Urian stayed by the windows. They’ve sensed our powers.
Something they wanted the Atlanteans to do since it would throw them off.
Ready? Styxx asked.
Absolutely not.
Urian bit back a snort at Acheron’s sick humor.
Locking gazes, Acheron held his hand up in offering to Styxx. Styxx glanced to the crib and Urian could only imagine the thoughts in his mind. The two of them had been through so much betrayal. Ash was as likely to throw him to his enemies as he was to fight for him.
But this was his friend’s best chance to get Bethany back. Like it or not, he had to trust Acheron. Urian inclined his head to him to let him know it’d be okay. He was here and he wasn’t about to let anything happen on his watch.
With a deep breath for strength, Styxx took Acheron’s hand and let his brother teleport them into the throne room.
Urian went to the door so that he could listen and watch through the crack.
Styxx let go of Acheron and took position at his back. He faced Archon, Apollo, and Epithymia while Acheron faced the rest.
Archon rose to his feet. “Well, isn’t this unexpected.” He smirked at Apollo. “We don’t have to play chase for your pet after all. How kind of them to save us time.” He glared at Styxx. “Which of you is Apostolos?”
“I am,” they said simultaneously.
Urian grinned at something that had to piss off the old god. Choke on that, old man.
Archon growled low in his throat.
“Their eyes,” Apollo said quickly. “Styxx’s are blue.”
Leave it to the weasel to out them. Gah, he hoped Apollo got his due one day.
Acheron turned to stand beside his brother. When they spoke, it was as one. “Not anymore.”
Archon narrowed his gaze on them. “Then we’ll kill you both.”
“No,” Apollo snarled. “That wasn’t the agreement.”
Epithymia made a sound of supreme disgust. “Stand down, both of you. There’s an easy way to get to the truth.”
Urian didn’t like the sound of that. He moved to open the portal to let the others through.
His heart stopped. The portal wouldn’t open. Closing his eyes, he used all his strength to try to breach the realms.
Seriously? Nothing was happening. How could this be?
Yet nothing. Not even a spark.
What the hell?
Epithymia pulled at the black cord around her neck to show them a small crystal vial. She pulled it over her head and placed it on the arm of Archon’s chair, then manifested a hammer. “This is the heart of Bathymaas. If the real Styxx doesn’t step forward, I’ll destroy her. Forever.”
Urian fought harder to open the portal. Come on!
“So you don’t love her?” She hovered the hammer over the vial. “Really?”
Urian tried even harder.
Nothing! Damn it!
What was going on? How could he be locked down so tightly?
Styxx spoke in Acheron’s voice. “You do that and you lose all leverage over both of us. Her life is the only thing keeping you alive right now.”
A light flashed suddenly.
Urian knew they were expecting him with the others, but that wasn’t him …
Instead, Artemis flashed in beside Apollo. “Oh my!” she exclaimed as she looked at them. “Am I interrupting?”
Apollo seized her arm. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see Acheron. This is his house where he lives. I’m allowed to visit.”
Urian almost burst out laughing at that lie, and he was amazed Acheron withheld his. Artemis was the first person he’d banned from here. He’d have sooner awakened Archon than let her come into his home.
Archon bellowed in outrage. “This is not his home!”
Acheron and Styxx exchanged a puzzled frown. Neither of them had a clue what Artemis was doing here. She was not part of the plan.
But she’d found Archon’s underbelly. Too bad he hadn’t learned the first rule of warfare that Stryker had branded into Urian’s psyche.
Never, ever expose your underbelly.
Blinking her eyes, Artemis gave the older Atlantean an innocent look. “No? Then why are you sitting on his throne? That’s not yours, you know. I was with Acheron when he picked it out and brought it here.”
No, she wasn’t.
That mental shout was so loud, Urian was amazed everyone hadn’t heard it. Yeah, Ash wasn’t real fond of his ex.
Go, Artemis. Apparently, she was here to whip their emotions and frazzle them. And judging by the mottled color on Archon’s face, she was doing an excellent job.
“Why is she here, Apollo?” Archon asked through clenched teeth.
“I have no idea.”
Epithymia went rigid. “Something’s not right …”
“That’s because she’s not my daughter.”
Urian went cold at those words. What?
Styxx and Acheron turned to see Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, entering from a side door. Urian’s stomach hit the floor.
If that wasn’t Artemis …
Ah, shit, it would be Kat.
“Mom,” Apollo said irritably. “What are you doing?”
Ignoring Apollo’s question, Leto smirked as she approached them. “Really, Katra? I’m so disappointed in you. But that’s all right.” She looked at Archon. “We don’t need the twins now. Katra is the daughter of Artemis and Acheron. She has the Destroyer’s bloodline and is actually stronger than her parents.” She grabbed Kat and held a dagger to her throat. “So, Acheron, whom do we kill? You or your daughter?”
Urian tried to blast open the doors to save her.
They didn’t budge.
What the …
He hit them. Still they held.
Furious, he tried everything to get through them to join the fight. This was bullshit! He couldn’t stay in here and let Kat be harmed.
Suddenly, a sonic blast went through the room. One so fierce, it knocked everyone off their feet and slammed Leto against the wall.
Even Urian was knocked down in the bedroom.
Artemis appeared instantly and pulled Kat to safety. “How dare you.” She enunciated each word slowly as she faced her mother. “No one threatens my baby ever! You cow!” She attacked her mother so ferociously, Kat had to pull Artemis away to keep her from killing Leto.
Acheron took advantage of the distraction to use his powers to jerk the vial from Epithymia’s hand.
He sent it to Styxx as Urian continued to fight against the doors.
With a mutual nod, they attacked the Atlanteans closest to them. And Acheron quickly learned why pantheons didn’t like to war within themselves. Since all of them pulled their powers from a mutual source, they were fighting in a weakened position and their powers weren’t working properly.
“Katra!” Styxx called as Epithymia went for her back.
Urian’s arm turned blue as he tried to send his own powers to them to bolster theirs.
Kat turned. Instead of backing away, Kat pulled the goddess close and sucked her powers into her own body. “You won’t be needing those, bitch.”
Urian laughed. She must have gotten over her guilt about leaving gods powerless.
But something weird happened as she pulled Epithymia’s powers into her body. Her teeth elongated and her eyes turned that same demonic red that Apollymi’s did at times. Her skin began to swirl like Acheron’s.
“Acheron!” Artemis screamed. “The demon’s taking over Katra. Help!”
His face turning white, Acheron met Styxx’s gaze.
“She’s more important than I am. Get her out of here.” Covertly, he handed Acheron the vial with Bethany’s heart. Free Beth even if I don’t make it back.
Urian saw the hesitation in Acheron’s eyes as he debated whether to leave him to fight without Acheron’s help. But in the end, he knew he had no choice.
He ran to his daughter to get her to safety.
Styxx manifested his shield and used it to deflect their god-bolts as he covered Acheron’s and Katra’s retreat.
They teleported out with Artemis, leaving him alone to face the others.
A thousand nightmares ripped through Urian as he remembered the times in battle when he’d watched his brothers die. Screaming out, he blasted the doors and blasted them again. He couldn’t watch someone else he love die.
Damn it!
A slow, lecherous smile curled Archon’s lips. “It’s like old times, isn’t it, Prince? And I have to say you’re looking mighty tasty.”
“Don’t kill him,” Apollo growled.
“Oh, we’re not going to kill our pet. Have no fear. But we are going to have our fun with him again.”
Styxx manifested his armor and sword. Lowering his chin, he smiled at them. “Come get some, bitches.”
Furious, Urian teleported to the only place he could.
Acheron handed his unconscious daughter off to Sin. “Something from the demon bite interacted with Epithymia’s powers,” he explained. “I drained her, but she needs to feed.”
Sin nodded grimly as he took her and vanished.
Acheron was aghast at the others who were supposed to have been there to help them fight. “What happened?”
Set growled. “We’re locked out. If you’re not Greek or Atlantean, forget it. Only Katra had the ability to get to you.”
Urian glared as he joined them. “I couldn’t get in either. I tried everything I could. You’re all he’s got. And they’re beating the hell out of him. You can’t leave him there.”
“Simi, return to me.”
She immediately laid herself over Acheron’s heart as a dragon-shaped tattoo.
Xirena bit her lip. “Me, too, akri?”
“Absolutely.”
That would get the demons in. Urian’s arm was neon now as his heart pounded furiously. He couldn’t stand the thoughts of what they might be doing to Styxx.
Acheron glanced around. “I’m weakened and the weapons Artemis brought might work on Apollo, but they’re shite on the Atlanteans. Who wants to try to go in with me?”
They all stepped forward.
“All right. Here goes nothing.” Closing his eyes, Acheron summoned everything he could and teleported them back to Katateros.
It didn’t work.
Not until Urian closed his eyes and wrapped his arm around Acheron’s waist. He felt the surge through his own body an instant before he shot his own powers into Acheron.
Only then were they able to break through whatever Archon had done to shield the temple.
Unprepared for the sight that awaited them, Urian staggered away from Acheron. Blood was everywhere. It looked like some kind of zombie movie. Yet what terrified him the most was the fact that Styxx’s phoenix shield lay twisted and bent out of shape in the middle of the largest pool of blood. Blood that was smeared to the doors as if a body had been dragged out, through them.
Demonbrean and Ilios lay moaning on the ground near Apollo.
Dikastis, true to Styxx’s prediction, hadn’t joined in with the others. He was standing calmly in the shadows of the hall as if he couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed.
Urian wanted his throat.
He started for him, but Acheron reached him first.
“Where’s my brother?”
Raw anger flared in the old god’s eyes. “They took him to the temple arena.”
Urian curled his lip. “Why aren’t you with them?”
“I’m a god of justice. I will not participate in something that’s so wrong and undeserved.”
That alone saved his ass from Urian’s wrath.
Acheron inclined his head to the god. “Will you fight with us?”
Dikastis nodded without hesitation.
His breathing ragged, Styxx was so battered and bruised at this point, he wasn’t sure why he was still conscious. He’d managed to knock out three of them and weaken the rest, but in the end, he’d been outnumbered and was no match for a dozen gods.
Archon and Asteros had dragged him to the temple Acheron had confined him in years ago … to the arena where they’d once made his life utter hell. Against his best efforts, they’d secured him to the rack they’d used for his beatings and other things he didn’t want to think about.
Damn them.
Laughing, Archon fisted his hand in Styxx’s hair and jerked his head back. “You’re not defeated so soon, are you, Prince?”
“Fuck you.”
“How I wish, but unfortunately, we’re making you a sacrifice.” Archon gagged him, then looked over to Leto. “Summon our lady vengeance.”
Leto laughed as she neared Styxx. “You didn’t really think Epithymia had Bathymaas’s heart, did you? Trust me, I kept that for myself. Now I’m going to finish what I started fourteen thousand years ago.”
And when I’m done destroying what’s left of the Greeks, I’m going to tear apart the Atlanteans as I did the Sumerians and Egyptians.
Styxx’s eyes widened as he heard her thoughts loud and clear.
Leto pulled out a knife and sliced open Styxx’s cheek so that she could fill a vial with his blood. She mumbled words he didn’t understand as she blended his blood with another compound. And as she did so, his head began to spin.
Suddenly, he remembered being Aricles …
He saw Bethany at his side as she held on to his biceps. Only she wasn’t Bethany. She was Bathymaas. “Do not fight Apollo for my honor. It’s not worth a single drop of your blood. Run with me, Ari. Let’s leave all this behind and never look back.”
“I can’t, and neither can you, my goddess. We have too many responsibilities. Too many to protect. We cannot leave this world in their hands.”
“I no longer care about them. You’re all that matters to me.”
His blood racing with fury and pain, Aricles had pressed his head to hers and held her close. “And you’re all that matters to me. I won’t have your reputation tarnished by that pig. You’ve done nothing wrong and I will beat that bastard down for you. Have no fear.”
She buried her hand in his hair. “I can’t live without you, Ari. You are the heart they claim I was born without. It’s why I can’t be the soul of justice anymore. Because of you, I feel for the first time in my life. You’ve changed me forever … You can’t leave me now. Not like this.”
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