Authors: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Ignoring him, Styxx approached Acheron, slowly and steadily.
Acheron’s eyes narrowed with warning. “Stand down, Styxx. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. I won’t let you release her.”
His brother didn’t want to hurt him? Since when? Acheron had spent the whole of their human lives doing him harm. Wishing the worst sorts of ills on him.
Why would that change now? Or was it nothing more than empty words used so that Acheron’s precious Dark-Hunters wouldn’t learn how cruel their leader could truly be?
Styxx’s gaze went to Talon who kept turning his head from him to Acheron and back again. He laughed bitterly at a reaction that had once been quite common. “It’s like some bad soap opera, isn’t it? Good twin, bad twin.” He returned his glare to his brother. “But then, we’re not really twins, are we, Acheron? We just happened to have shared the same womb for a while.” He paused behind Acheron, who tensed noticeably as if he knew what Styxx intended.
He was so close to his brother now that barely a hand separated them. They didn’t touch. They didn’t have to.
Grief racked Styxx at the memory of their childhood together. At how they would lie, back to back, united against the world. United against everyone.
Brothers, forever and always …
Now they were enemies.
Forever and always.
How he wished things were different. That Acheron could have found the compassion for him that he’d given to everyone else.
Even Artemis.
But Styxx was too tired now. Too used and too battered. And Acheron had made it abundantly clear that, unlike Styxx, he held no love or memory of them as brothers. That Styxx meant absolutely nothing to him.
He wasn’t even worth a passing thought.
Angry and heartbroken, Styxx leaned forward to speak in a low tone near Acheron’s ear. “Shall we tell him who the good one is, Acheron? Should I tell him which of us lived his life with dignity? Which of us was respected by the Greeks and Atlanteans and who was laughed at?”
Yeah, it was a harsh lie, but Acheron believed it, and Styxx needed to keep his brother upset and unbalanced so that he could finish this. Acheron was the god. He was not. And while Styxx was stronger than most, he was still just a human man with human strength.
And they were about to unleash Acheron’s real mother into the world. She would rip him apart for this. But hopefully he’d die before she completely gutted him.
Expelling a deep breath, Styxx reached his hand around Acheron’s throat and placed it to the exact spot Apollo had used when he’d held his brother to the floor of Ryssa’s room.
Acheron whimpered and Styxx hated himself for causing that sound. But war had taught him well that the best way to win against a stronger opponent was to demoralize them. Put them mentally into a weakened position.
Styxx pulled Acheron back against him so he could whisper in their language into Acheron’s ear and no one else would understand the cruelty of what he was about to say. It was bad enough to kill his brother.He refused to publicly shame him first.
If only Acheron had been so kind to him in Atlantis.
“You told me once that you would pay to see me fucked in my throat, little brother. But I wasn’t the one who willingly whored myself for other men. The one who sold myself into eternal slavery to a bitch-goddess. I was the one who tried to help you, and instead of taking my hand, you lopped it off and fucked me worse than anyone. You laughed at my pain. And you laid up drunk while my sister and nephew were slaughtered just a few feet from you. First you stole her from me emotionally and then you let her brutally die, calling your name. Just as you would let me take your beatings for you when we were little and never utter a single word in my defense. You’ve never been anything but a worthless piece of shit.”
Acheron panted as if in the throes of a nightmare. His eyes were haunted and glazed. He didn’t even bother to fight him, which let Styxx know that his brother was ready for him to finally end this.
“That’s it, Acheron,” he said between clenched teeth, switching back to English. “Remember the past. Remember what you were. I want you to relive it all. Relive every foul thing you ever said or did. Every tear you made my parents weep for you. Every time I had to look at you and feel ashamed that you bore my face.”
Tears filled his brother’s eyes and they wrung his heart. He wanted to hate Acheron. He did.
No, he needed to hate him.
Yet he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried. All he could see was the two of them as boys. Feel Acheron’s hand in his as his brother sought to comfort him when no one else would.
You have to do this.…
Acheron doesn’t love you. He never loved you.
No more than his parents had.
“Let him go,” Talon ordered.
Ignoring him, Styxx tightened his grip on Acheron’s throat and pressed his brother one more time. “Do you remember when Estes died? The way my father and I found you? I have never been able to forget it. Every time I have ever thought of you, it’s the image I have. You’re repulsive. Disgusting.”
“Kill him,” Dionysus ordered, “and open the portal.”
Camulus started for them with a dagger. Talon rushed him and they fought for the weapon.
“Kill him, Styxx,” Dionysus ordered again. “Or we’ll miss the portal.”
Styxx pressed his forehead against Acheron’s cheek, aching over the tragic enemies they’d become. “Good-bye, Acheron. May we both finally sleep in peace.” He pulled the dagger out from underneath his coat then sent it straight into Acheron’s heart, burying it in all the way to its hilt.
Just as his brother had done to him in Didymos while he slumbered.
Acheron gasped and arched his back as if something had possessed him. The dagger shot through the air, bouncing off a wall above Dionysus’s head. Light poured out of the wound then seared it closed.
In the next instant some sort of shock wave went through the room, knocking everyone off their feet. Styxx was hurled to a far corner while the gods were pinned to the ground.
Acheron rose from the floor, to hover spread-eagle several inches above it.
No one could stand. Not even the gods.
Lightning bolts shot through Acheron’s body, blowing out the windows and the lights. Electrical energy snapped and hissed all around them. Acheron laid his head back as bolts of lightning pierced his eyes and mouth. They seemed to shoot through him and then out into the room giving bright flashes of light.
The Daimons and the demons exploded in one bright flash.
Suddenly, some kind of winged dragon came out from under Acheron’s sleeve and wrapped itself around him as if it were protecting him.
It was a Charonte.… Styxx remembered those from his time in Atlantis.
“What the hell is that?” Camulus asked. “Styxx, what did you do?”
He had no idea. “Nothing. Is this from the portal opening?”
Dionysus shook his head. “This is something else entirely. Something no one told me about.” He looked up at the ceiling and shouted, “Artemis!”
Artemis appeared and was immediately pinned to the floor with the rest of them. She took one look at Acheron and her face went flush with anger. “Who’s the idiot who pissed off Acheron?” she demanded.
The two gods pointed to Styxx, hurling his ass right under the bus.
“You fools!” she snarled. “What were you thinking?”
Dionysus glared at her. “We needed to kill an Atlantean to raise the Destroyer, and Acheron’s the only one left.”
Artemis growled at him. “Oh, you are so stupid! I knew your plan had to be a bad one. You can’t just kill him with a dagger. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s not human. Where was your bone-head?”
Dionysus curled his lips at her. “How was I to know your pet was a god-killer? What kind of idiot ties herself down to one of his kind?”
“Well, gee, what was I supposed to do? Hook up with Mr. All-Powerful God-killer, or get myself a Mardi Gras float and hang out with him.” She pointed to Camulus, who looked extremely offended by her comment. She sneered at Dionysus. “You’re such a moron. No wonder you’re the patron god of drunken frat boys.”
“Excuse me,” Talon snapped at them. “Could you gods focus for a sec? We have a bit of a situation here.”
“Oh shut up,” Dionysus snarled. “I knew I should have backed up when I ran you over.”
Talon’s jaw went slack at his words. “That was you who hit me with the float?”
“Yes.”
“Damn, boy,” Camulus laughed at Dionysus. “You’ve fallen a long way down. Yesterday Greek god … today incompetent float driver. Sheez, and I hooked up with you? What was I thinking? Artemis is right, what kind of idiot picks a float to mow a guy down so that he can go home with his dead wife? You’re lucky you didn’t kill him then, and blow the entire plan.”
“Hey, have you ever tried to drive one of those things? It’s not exactly easy. Besides, he’s a Dark-Hunter. I knew it wouldn’t kill him. I just needed something that would hurt him enough to make her take him home, and need I remind you it did work.”
Artemis curled her lip. “You’re so pathetic. I can’t believe we share a common gene between us.” Shooting one nasty glare at her brother, she struggled against the invisible force that held them down.
But like the rest of them, she couldn’t reach Acheron. “Acheron!” she called. “Can you hear me?”
Disembodied laughter filled the room.
Styxx clenched his teeth at the sound.
What have I done?
Besides screwed myself again.
Acheron wouldn’t die tonight. And neither would he.
Great … just great.
He could only imagine how he’d pay for this.
Acheron leaned his head forward and more lightning flowed through him. The Charonte tightened its grip around him and hissed a fiery breath at the goddess.
Artemis tried to climb up Acheron’s leg, but she was forced back, away from him.
“You know, folks,” Camulus shouted. “The idea was to kill Acheron, free Apollymi, and reclaim our god status. Not piss him off and end the world. Personally, I don’t want to be ruler of nothing. But if someone doesn’t stop this guy, that chant he’s making is going to undo life as we know it and un-create the world.”
“What are we going to do?” Sunshine asked Talon.
Talon kissed her lips then moved away from her. Against all odds, he rose slowly to his feet.
Acheron shot a lightning bolt at him.
Talon deflected it. He moved slowly through the maelstrom until he reached Acheron’s side. “Let it go, T-Rex.”
Acheron spoke to him in Atlantean. By the expression on Talon’s face, it was obvious he didn’t understand.
“He says to back off or die,” Styxx translated. “He’s summoning the Destroyer.”
Talon shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.”
Evil laughter echoed again.
Talon rushed him. He caught Acheron about the middle and knocked him to the floor. The Charonte arched up, shrieking.
The Celt ignored it as he slugged Acheron. Hard. Which woke his brother up, and the two of them started pounding each other even worse than the fight they’d had when Styxx had found Ryssa dead.
The floor beneath them shook.
Zarek came through the door, bleeding, and was immediately thrown backward, against a wall.
Artemis tried again to reach Acheron and again he tossed her back while he fought with Talon.
“I’ll give the boy credit,” Camulus said. “He always was a fighter.”
Talon stopped fighting as he heard those words.
Styxx scowled as he heard Talon’s thoughts in his own head.
You never could learn your place, Speirr. You never knew when you should just lay down the sword and play nice.You’re right, Camulus. I’ve never known when to fight and when to withdraw. It’s what got me cursed.
I have to be calm now.
The next words in Talon’s head stunned Styxx, as they had come from Acheron.
“I can show you how to bury that pain so deep inside you that it will prick you no more. But be warned that nothing is given freely and nothing lasts forever. One day something will come along to make you feel again, and with it, it will bring the pain of the ages upon you. All you have hidden will come out and it could destroy not only you, but anyone near you.”
Talon looked up at Acheron and saw the fury of the man who was attacking him.
Acheron rushed him again.
This time instead of fighting, Talon embraced him like a brother then he cupped Acheron’s face in his hands and tried to make his old friend see him.
Acheron’s features were no longer human. They were those of the twisted demon that had haunted Styxx’s nightmares. The demon he fought in battle. His brother’s eyes were bloodred and yellow, and there was no mercy in them. They were cold. Vicious.
The colors in his eyes swirled and danced like fire.
They were actually similar to what Apollo’s eyes did right before his worst attacks on Styxx. Archon’s, too.
“Acheron,” Talon said calmly, slowly. “Enough.”
At first Styxx didn’t think Acheron had heard Talon. Not until his brother turned his head to see Sunshine on the floor.
“Talon,” he rasped hoarsely. Acheron’s eyes flickered then he looked back at Talon.
Suddenly, another shock wave shot through the room, this one in the reverse direction from the first. It was as if the unleashed power was drawing back into Acheron’s body.
Still in dragon form, the Charonte shot up toward the ceiling then vanished.
Acheron’s features transformed from a demon’s back into those of a man. His brother blinked his now swirling silver eyes, and looked around as if he were waking up from a nightmare. Without a single comment, Acheron stepped away from Talon, wrapped his arms around his chest, and walked across the room as if nothing had happened.
As Acheron passed by Artemis, she reached for him, but he dodged her touch and kept walking.
Artemis turned on her own brother with a snarl. “Just you wait till Dad gets his hands on you.”
“Me? He knew what I had planned tonight. Wait until I tell him about Acheron!”
Artemis curled her lip. “Oh shut up, whiney-boy.” She held her hand out and zapped him out of the room.