December 21, 2012

"Simi ... are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Absolutely." Simi grinned at her sister Xirena as they entered the basement of akri's temple on Katateros. "Now where's a light switch."

"There's not one." Xirena breathed fire onto an old spider web-covered torch. As soon as one lit, it spread light to all the others in the dark marble room. The flames danced along the wall, adding creepy shadows to the already creepy environment.

Simi stepped back at the number of statues that were housed here. While she'd known they'd been placed here centuries and centuries ago, she'd never actually visited them, especially since they made her akri very unhappy. "The Simi didn't remember there being so many ... Akra really broke bad on all these nonquality peoples."

"I remember." Xirena's tone was low and breathless. "It was not a pretty day."

Simi arched a brow. "You were there, Big Sissy?"

Xirena nodded. "Xedrix, too." Xedrix was their brother, who'd been Apollymi's most favored Charonte after their mother's death. But Xed had deflected ... no, defected when akri-Styxx opened the portal in New Orleans and let him out. Now he owned a club in New Orleans where the Simi got to eats lots of good seafood.

"Ooo, so what happened, Big Sissy?"

"The bitch-goddess Apollymi was furious. They all died screaming. Except for two."

"Who two?"

"Dikastis and Bet'anya. She tried to keep the bitch-goddess from killing her baby, but the bitch-goddess didn't listen. She yanked it right out of her belly, and then turned her into one of these."

Simi touched her own stomach in sympathetic pain. "Why was akra so mean?"

Xirena shrugged. "The bitch-goddess was always mean. She only likes you and her son ... and akra-Kat and Mia-Mia."

Simi climbed up on the woman closest to her and poked at her stone eyeball. "Which one is she?"

Xirena spat on the ground at the statue's feet. "Epithymia. She an even bigger bitch-goddess. She used to pull the wings off Charonte who made her mad."

Simi cringed then poked harder in the goddess's eye, hoping she could feel it. "Who the one who lost her baby? She's the one the Simi needs."

Xirena walked around them, looking at them, up and down, until she found one in the back. "This is Bet'anya."

Simi headed over then gasped. "She look just likes akri-Styxx's drawings. She the one he loved so much." Biting her lip, she met her sister's gaze. "Was she nice?"

Nodding, Xirena touched Bet'anya's hand. "She was always very sad though. Even when she was happy, she looked so sad. Like something wasn't quite right in her heart. Chara goddess used to say it's because they took something from her long ago they shouldn't have."

Simi gave her sister a knowing look. "That's cause she didn't have her akri-Styxx. He loves her and so this is the Simi's Christmas present to him. I told him on his birthday that wishes come true and his wish is for his akra to come home to him."

"Yeah, but Xiamara, this..." Xirena shook her head. "I don't think we should."

"We gots to, Big Sissy. This the only time them portals things open. If we don't do it now, akri-Styxx will have to wait a long, long time and he already waited a long, long time. The Simi don't like to see him so sad. He don't get prezzies and the Simi wants to get him the best prezzie ever."

The ground beneath their feet rumbled. Simi's eyes widened. "What's that?"

Bug-eyed, Xirena shrugged.

Simi's watch tingled, letting her know it was time. She had less than one minute to free the goddess. Using her wings, she hovered and placed the sacred anti-aima to the goddess's lips. When akri had been frozen that time in New Orleans, she and akra-Kat had used this to free him so she was hoping it would work on Styxx's akra, too.

Hmmm ...

Another rumble went through the room. Something akin to a dark shadow shot out and flew past Simi's head.

Suddenly the other bitch-goddess Xirena didn't like opened her eyes. And so did Archon ...

Uh-oh.

Simi ran to her sister. "Go get help. The Simi will hold them off!"

December 23, 2012

Savitar paused as he watched Styxx, silhouetted by the setting sun, on top of a small dune. He'd stripped down to nothing but his loose pants and boots while he played Frisbee with his dog. Over and over, Styxx would laughingly take the Frisbee, praise the animal then wait for the dog to run out again so that he could toss it for the dog to jump, catch it, and return.

It was the first time he'd ever seen Styxx at ease. Unguarded. For that matter, it was the only time he'd known the prince to play.

Or laugh.

And as he watched Styxx with the dog, he didn't see the feral military commander who'd terrified a pantheon and nation, or the rigid prince who had to ooze decorum at all times. He didn't even see a man. He saw the boy who had never been given a chance to live. One who'd been cut down in the height of his youth and deprived of a normal, mortal life.

Because of the way Styxx and Acheron acted, the maturity, responsibility, and pain they held that went far beyond their years, it was easy to forget how young they'd been when they died. But Savitar saw it now.

And the injustice of it burned inside his heart.

I have no right to ask this of him.

None of them did. Remorse gutted him as he felt for the childhood and life Styxx would have had had they not interfered. Styxx would have been that beloved, cherished and spoiled prince that everyone thought he was.

And he would have been a proud Chthonian guardian for the world ...

To save and protect Acheron, they all had taken a turn at ruining Styxx. Athena has said it best at their births. When Apollymi had joined their lives, she ordained that whatever ills were committed against Acheron would be done to Styxx. Only for Styxx, it would be so much worse.... Savitar knew he should go and leave the boy in peace. Styxx wanted only to be alone and he'd certainly earned the right to it.

But he couldn't. Acheron was too important to the world.

Most of all, he was too important to Savitar personally.

Savitar waited until Styxx had poured water into a bowl for the dog before he appeared beside him.

Faster than he could blink, Styxx had a knife in one hand and gun in the other. Both angled at Savitar's head.

"Impressive." Savitar hadn't even known Styxx was armed.

Gone was any hint of the boy who'd been playing with his dog just moments before. This was the rigid general who had led armies, and fought gods and fiercely trained warriors in an arena with such strength and cunning that his enemies had been forced to resort to tricks and traps to defeat him.

Styxx glared his hatred. "What do you want?"

"You to point those somewhere else."

He lowered them to Savitar's groin.

"Cute."

Smirking, Styxx tucked the gun into the holster at his back and returned the knife to the sheath on his forearm. "Whatever it is you want, it has nothing to do with me."

"Some of the Atlantean gods have returned."

"As I said, it has nothing to do with me."

"They want vengeance."

Styxx bent down to pull his water out from under his aba. "So?"

"On Acheron."

Styxx took a swig of his bottled water before he capped it. "Nothing to do with me."

"So that's it then? You're just going to let your brother die? And he will.... There's no way for him to survive this."

Styxx swallowed the pain inside him. "Are you deaf? The gods know, Acheron has said it enough. I don't have a brother."

"The world as you know it will end."

He laughed bitterly at that. "The world as I knew it ended the moment my wife was killed. And anything remotely related to the life I once lived ended while I was held in solitary confinement for over eleven thousand years. I know nothing of this place and I have no dog in this fight. It has nothing to do with me," he repeated. He headed toward his horse and camel.

"Tory's pregnant again."

Styxx froze as those words cut him to the quick. "Good for her ... and Acheron."

"Are you really going to condemn an innocent woman and her two children to live without their husband and father?"

"That's not fair!" he growled, glowering at the Chthonian he wanted to shoot.

"Life, like war, isn't fair. It just is. Isn't that what Galen taught you?"

Styxx winced at the reminder of all he'd lost ... because of his brother and the gods he'd hated since the moment of his birth. "You're not helping your case by reminding me of Apollo's treachery, Chthonian."

"Fine then. Stay here in your desert. At least you'll have the comfort of knowing Acheron's widow and fatherless children will be able to commiserate with your pain."

Whirling about in fury, Styxx threw the water bottle at him.

Savitar ducked. Had that hit him, it would have counted.

"I hate all of you!" Styxx growled deep in his throat. A throat that was still damaged because of Acheron and the gods who could never leave him alone.

Damn it all ...

No, damn them all.

None of them had ever taken pity on him. He was thrown aside and forgotten like garbage.

Until they needed him.

All he'd ever wanted was a family. One person who treated him like he mattered to them. And all he'd gotten was disappointment.

Slapped in the face and stabbed in the heart.

By all of them. It'd taken him centuries to come to terms with the one single fact that no one could or would ever love him.

What the fuck does it matter? Really? He didn't have a life. He never had.

And he damn sure didn't have a wife or a child....

Never mind two kids.

Go ahead and die already. There was no one to mourn his passing.

Angry, hurt, and aching over a fact he'd never been able to change, Styxx pulled his aba on then jerked his backpack up from the ground. His breathing ragged, he glared his hatred at Savitar. "Can you make sure my animals and gear go to someone who needs them and that my dog doesn't get eaten by his new caretaker?"

Savitar was stunned. "You agree?"

Styxx averted his gaze as a thousand emotions pile-drived him to the point he didn't really know what he felt. Other than hurt and alone.

But that was nothing new for him.

He met Savitar's stoic lavender gaze. "I've never been quite the bastard all of you labeled me. You knew I couldn't let him die, otherwise you wouldn't have come here."

"Thank you, Styxx."

"For what?"

"Being the man I knew you were."

"Go fuck yourself, Savitar. Just take me wherever I need to go and stop with the sentimental bullshit you don't mean before I give in to my desire to punch the shit out of you."

* * *

Tory wanted to beat her husband into the ground. "I would give anything to have enough god powers for five minutes to Force choke you with. You can't do this."

"Sota-"

A bright flash in the corner cut his words off.

Tory sucked her breath in sharply as Savitar and Styxx appeared in the room on Savitar's island home where he'd taken them for safety until this latest threat was resolved. Alexion and Danger were in the back of the house, tending Sebastos while she'd tried to argue sanity with her obstinate husband.

Her jaw went slack as the two men joined them. The last time she'd seen Styxx had been very brief on the night he'd saved her from Satara. Then he'd been identical to Acheron.

Now ...

Dressed all in black Bedouin clothing, he looked like something out of a Mummy movie. His wavy, short blond hair was faded by sunlight and his skin a deep, dark olive. While Acheron had never been pale, he appeared so in comparison to his twin. And with Styxx's eyes ringed in kohl, they were a vibrant, haunting blue like the deepest part of the Aegean. Shirtless beneath the aba, he was covered by horrifying scars that testified to how brutal a past he'd survived. The sight of them made her stomach clench in sympathy.

Ash growled at their unexpected appearance. "This has nothing to do with him."

Savitar snorted. "Ye gods, I don't know why you two fight all the time. You're just alike and not only in looks. You know what it tells me? You can't stand yourself and you both know what an asshole you are to deal with ... that's why you don't get along."

Simultaneously, they gave him a matching droll stare that caused her to laugh.

Until they turned it to her.

That made her laugh harder. "They are like matching, moving bookends, aren't they?"

A tic started in Acheron's jaw. "You're not funny, Sota."

"I'm pleading Savitar on this."

Styxx's gaze fell to her distended belly. The utter grief and misery those eyes betrayed tightened her chest. To see that kind of agony on a face that was identical to the one person who meant everything to her ...

She wanted to soothe him, but knew better than to try. Neither her husband nor Styxx would appreciate it.

Blinking, he blanked out his eyes and looked to Acheron. "Stop being stupid. Tell me what I need to do."

"Go home."

"Fine." Styxx shrugged. "I'll be more than happy to comfort your wife and raise your children in your absence. I'm sure after one night in my bed, Soteria will never remember you exist."

Bellowing in rage, Ash attacked him. He threw Styxx to the ground and started banging his head against the floor. Styxx rolled and slugged him then kicked Acheron back.

"Stop it!" Savitar roared, putting himself between them as Ash went in for more. He passed a peeved, almost fatherly expression to Tory. "Have you ever?" he asked her.

"No. Do they always do this?"

"Yes," the three men said simultaneously.

Styxx cursed as his nose started bleeding. He pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket and used it to pinch his nostrils closed.

"Lean your head back," Tory instructed.

Styxx sighed. "Forward's better."

"You sure?"

"I've been getting them since birth."

And he'd ruined several of his sister's gowns with them. Something Ryssa had held against him the whole of her life. Tory wanted to cry for him. "Can I get you anything?"

"Where's the bathroom?"

She pointed to the door right outside the room.

"Excuse me." He left them to tend it.

The moment he was gone, Tory stalked her husband. "What is wrong with you?"

Ash glared after his brother. "He always knows exactly what to say to thoroughly piss me off."

Tory folded her arms over her chest. "You know, my father had an old saying-the sharpest knives cut both ways."

"You're defending him?"

"No, baby. I would never defend anyone over you. I love you with every part of me. But I also know you better than anyone and this isn't about saving Styxx. It's about punishing yourself. Whenever you feel guilty, you lash out. And if you go to them and die, you won't be punishing yourself or helping Styxx. You'll be punishing me and Bas and this one." She took his hand and held it to her stomach so that he could feel their son moving inside her. "Is that really what you want to do?"

Ash looked past her as Styxx returned. The haunted, tormented look in Styxx's eyes as he stared at Ash's hand on Tory's stomach was heart-wrenching.

He locked gazes with Acheron. "You know, a long time ago, my mentor taught me that there's only one reason to go to war. To protect the ones you love. But life has taught me that sometimes protecting isn't about leaving them. It's about being here when they need you. It doesn't take courage to die, Acheron. It takes courage to live and to fight."

"And it takes a lot more to forgive." Ash left her to approach Styxx. He held his hand out to him. "Brothers?"

Styxx hesitated. Then he slowly shook his head. "I'm not going to let you do this to me."

"Do what?"

"Send me out to die in your stead with regret. How dare you. Don't you even try to be a brother to me now when it no longer matters. I needed my brother eleven thousand years ago. I begged for a brother then and in '07 and again even in '08, and you turned your back on me and walked away without a second thought. Every time. I have no forgiveness inside me for you. Not anymore." Styxx paused then laughed. "You're right, Acheron. I am a selfish bastard. I had to be, because no one else ever gave a single shit about me except me."

Acheron winced. "You can hear my thoughts.... I forgot you could do that."

"You forgot a lot of things I wish I could." He looked over at Savitar. "What do I need to do?"

"I need to take you to Apollymi so that you can fully pass for Acheron."

He went rigid as if he couldn't breathe. After a minute, he expelled a bitter sigh. "Of course you do. 'Cause my life just isn't miserable enough."

A tic worked in his jaw before he returned those cold blue eyes to his brother. "And yes, Acheron, I do know how much you would give to have your mother embrace you. The same amount I'd have given to have mine hold me. Not stab me in my heart because she birthed you." He pulled the aba tighter around his body. "Take me to her. Get it over with before I change my mind."

"Styxx-"

He held his hand up to silence Acheron. "If you thank me for this, I swear to the gods I loathe that I will put my fist through your face, and I don't care how much it hurts me when I do it."

Savitar took them out of the room.

Tory rubbed Ash's back. "You okay, baby?"

"Not really. I'm seriously hating myself right now as I remember things I'd forgotten on purpose. Things I should have never allowed myself to bury."

"Such as?"

Tears filled his eyes. "All the times when we were little and Styxx would try to protect me. There was this one time when we were playing and running around and I accidentally knocked over the bust of Styxx's grandfather. As his father came storming into the room, Styxx shoved me under a table and told him he was the one who'd bumped into it. He had the hell beat out of him for being reckless and thoughtless. And after he'd been sent to his room with no dinner, I snuck in to check on him. He was bruised from the middle of his back to the backs of his knees. Horrible welts that were four inches thick from the cane they'd used on him. I asked him why he hadn't told his father the truth. Do you know what he said to me?"

She shook her head.

"It's what big brothers do."

She pulled him into her arms as his silent tears fell. "Shh, baby, it's okay."

"It's not okay, Sota. I've seriously wronged him and I don't know how to make it right. How can I let him do this for me?"

"I don't know. And honestly, I'm too selfish for you to ask me.... I don't want Styxx hurt, I don't. But I can't live without you. So my vote is to sacrifice him to save your life."

"Yeah, but I'm the big brother now...."

* * *

Styxx paused inside the courtyard doorway as he caught sight of Apollymi sitting on a stone bench that overlooked a dark fountain. The hair on the back of his neck rose as the old Didymosian adage went through him. A silent man is a thinking man. A silent woman is an angry one ...

And silent women had a nasty habit of stabbing him when he wasn't looking.

But this one didn't need a knife to stab him through the heart. Not to mention, Apollymi had never been that merciful to him.

The last time they'd met had been brief and with an audience who had intently watched their every move. Then he hadn't dared to allow himself to focus on her then for fear of what he might do that would get Urian killed.

This was the first time he'd ever actually looked at the woman who had taken his wife and son.

The woman who had taken everything from him.

And all to save the life of her own son.

He should probably hate her for that alone, but given the fact that he'd have sold his soul to have a mother who would just acknowledge his existence with something other than profound hatred, how could he? In spite of what Acheron thought, Apollymi's unconditional and unreasoning love for her son was the only thing Styxx had ever coveted.

That and Ryssa's.

Styxx swallowed hard as that old wound ripped open and flooded him with pain. Ryssa's last words to him had been so harsh and cutting-in more ways than one. He'd done everything he could to make his sister love him, but her unwarranted jealousy and love of Acheron had kept her from seeing him as anything other than worthless, spoiled, and selfish. An unwanted nuisance. While he'd done his absolute best to protect and shield Acheron, Ryssa had ruthlessly blamed him for things he had no control over.

For things he hadn't done.

But he wouldn't think about that. The past was ancient history. Literally.

This was the present, and once again, Acheron needed him. What the hell? Not like I have anything to live for anyway....

Wasima and Jabar couldn't care less who fed them. Dog either, for that matter.

Taking a deep breath, Styxx studied the goddess who despised him even more than his own mother and sister had.

Her pale blond hair was a stark contrast to her black gown, both of which flowed around her perfect body. Ironically, the Atlantean goddess of ultimate pain and destruction had to be the most beautiful woman who had ever lived.

The splashing water made a soothing sound in spite of the fact that they were both currently in Atlantean hell. Her isolation struck him hard as the memory of his own slammed into him and reawakened a horror he did his best every waking minute to forever bury. There was nothing worse than to exist in a tight hole where the only company you had was the sight of your own face in a cold reflection that showed you just how much you hated yourself.

But unlike him, Apollymi didn't sit alone in her prison.

His gaze went to the two Charonte who stood on opposite sides of her. While they didn't speak, they were at least another life form nearby. Not to mention, she had an entire Daimon army to serve her and keep her company.

He winced as he remembered all the centuries he'd screamed out for someone, anyone, to have mercy on him and just speak so that he could hear them. They didn't even have to talk to him. Just speak.

Eleven thousand years was hard to live through.

Eleven thousand years of utter solitude ...

"So you're not a coward, after all."

He narrowed his gaze on Apollymi as his hatred rose to swallow every last remnant of his pain. "I've been many things in my life, but never a coward."

She rose with the same slow, graceful movements he was now trying to duplicate. As she turned to face him, her eyes flashed from swirling silver to a deep, vibrant red-another thing she shared with her son. "You don't fool me, dog. I see you for what you really are."

Styxx caught his bitter laughter out of habit. As a human, that kind of response would have caused his father to knock him through a wall. But then Apollymi couldn't kill him.

Only Acheron could, and the bastard had never been that merciful.

"I find that hard to believe." Not once in his entire existence had anyone other than Galen or Bethany ever seen the truth in him. And that was okay. He'd long ago grown used to being misjudged and despised.

Before he could blink, she vanished then reappeared right beside him.... Just like Apollo used to do to him. She sank her hand deep into his short blond hair and wrenched it hard. "But for my son, I'd have your heart in my fist right now."

He didn't flinch or react to the pain at all. "But for my brother, I'd gut you where you stand."

She laughed at his threat then tightened the grip in his hair. "You are nothing but a second-rate copy of my Apostolos. A mere shadow of the man he has become. No one will ever mistake you for him. How could they?"

Strange to hear his own doubtful litany coming out of someone else's mouth. She might as well be his father, telling him how he'd never be good enough to rule. How he should have drowned him the moment he was born.

Or bashed in his head.

When he didn't respond, she hissed at him, baring her fangs. "I hate you."

Styxx smirked. "The feeling is entirely mutual."

She yanked his hair so hard, he was amazed she didn't draw out a fistful of bloody strands. Her eyes flashing again, she jerked him against her and sank her fangs into his neck.

He gasped at the raw, unrelenting pain of her bite. A pain she took pleasure in giving him. It was the same way Apollo used to do him, over and over again.

For the love of the gods, please rip out my throat. Maybe then, for a few minutes at least, he might actually be at peace.

But as she drank from him, her hold started to gentle and the pain lessened. Within a few seconds, it almost felt like a mother's embrace. Not that he remembered the sensation of being hugged. In fact, he could count on one hand how many times in his entire existence he'd been held by anyone.

And none of those had ever come from his own mother.

Apollymi pulled back to look up at him with a stern frown. His blood stained her lips. To his complete shock, she brushed a tender hand over the wound she'd left in his neck. "I had no idea," she said in a tight voice.

Styxx shrugged her arms away. He didn't want or need anyone's kindness or pity, and especially not hers. "Yeah, well, we all have shit to deal with, don't we?"

She reached out to him, but he stepped back. He wasn't a boy anymore begging for a modicum of kindness from someone. He'd learned as a toddler that he was alone in this world. And honestly, he now preferred it that way.

"Is it done?" he asked.

Apollymi gave a subtle nod.

Good. Now he could move into his next prison and be done with it ... or, best of all, die. He wiped the blood off his neck and turned to leave.

"Styxx?"

He paused, but didn't speak. Ironically, it was the first time she'd ever called him by name and not an insult.

"Thank you for doing this for Apostolos," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "And for what it's worth, I am so sorry for what happened to you because of my actions."

Sorry ... That one word caused his lip to curl.

This time he gave free rein to his disdainful snort. "Everyone's sorry for something." He pinned her with a heated glare. "And there are some things, my lady, that sorry doesn't fix."

"Wait!"

He started to ignore her, but stopped for some unknown reason.

Before he could say a word, Apollymi appeared at his back. Placing her hand on his forehead, she pulled his head against her shoulder and again sank her fangs deep into his jugular.

Styxx gasped as his head spun, not with pain but with an unbelievable surge of power. Everything became more vibrant, more vivid. He'd always been able to hear voices, but they were louder now.

Clearer.

Panting and weak, he couldn't breathe as she lifted her lips from his neck and held him in her arms. "What have you done to me?"

She stroked his hair as if he was the son she loved. "I have given you my powers. It's only temporary. But I don't want you hurt."

"I don't understand."

She kissed his cheek and tightened her hold on him. "You agreed to do this and you don't even know what it is we're asking you for. All you knew was that your brother would die if you didn't. That my grandchildren would be fatherless..." Her words broke off into a sob. "Come back from this, Styxx. Survive and I promise you, you will have what you crave most."

"I don't believe you."

He felt her hot tears on his cheek while she continued to hold on to him. "I know, baby. But I'm an Atlantean god. I have to keep my promises or I'll die. You can trust in that." She kissed his cheek one more time then released him.

Still dizzy, Styxx was afraid to move. He felt so strange ... both weak and strong at the same time.

"You should know that it's Apollo who started this by awakening my pantheon with his mother's blood. His intent is to kill Apostolos, bring back the entire Atlantean pantheon, and then come for you. I originally marked you just enough that he would know it was you and leave my son alone. But as of right now, you are as much my son as Apostolos is. You draw the same powers he does. Apollo will never know the difference unless you tell him. No one will." Her eyes sad and tormented, she cupped his cheek in her hand. "Your courage and heart are duly noted, m'gios. And they will never be forgotten."

"Is he ready?"

Unsure of what to say to Apollymi, Styxx turned as Savitar rejoined them.

The instant the Chthonian looked at him, Savitar stepped back. "That's eerie as hell."

Styxx scowled at him. "What?"

Savitar manifested a mirror and held it up so that Styxx could see his wavy black hair that fell just past his jaw and swirling silver eyes. Yeah, that was eerie. His clothes had also been replaced with black jeans and a T-shirt and black leather jacket-the same exact outfit Acheron had been wearing at Savitar's. No wonder Apollymi had been so kind to him. Like this, he really was absolutely identical to Acheron. It must have touched her maternal instincts.

"Remember, it's only temporary," Apollymi repeated. "The more of my power you use, the quicker it will leave you exposed as to who you really are. So please, save it for when you absolutely need it."

Styxx inclined his head to her then spoke to Savitar. "Where are we going?"

"Katateros."

"Wait!"

Styxx arched a brow at the sound of Urian's fierce shout as he came running toward them with a blond man in tow.

Savitar growled. "We don't have time for this."

Urian snorted nonchalantly. "Take it up with the bossman. He's the one who sent me in with a time-out. Acheron has called a team huddle before we make our final play."

Savitar let out an exasperated sigh. "Remind me to cancel your ESPN subscription." He glanced to Styxx with an odd glimmer in his eyes that Styxx couldn't begin to define. "Fine."

The next thing Styxx knew, the four of them were back on Savitar's island with Acheron, and Tory who was feeding crackers to their son. Danger and Alexion, along with Simi, Xirena, and Acheron's daughter Katra and her husband Sin.

So his brother had decided to hold a family reunion while sending him off to die in his stead....

Really nice touch.

"They're not going to wait all day," Savitar warned Acheron.

"I know, but as I was reviewing the situation with everyone and trying to come up with an alternate plan that didn't leave Styxx hacked into little bloody pieces Urian reminded me that we were missing a most vital member of the team." Acheron pinned his gaze on Styxx. "The quarterback who actually went up against the Atlantean gods and beat the shit out of them."

Styxx scowled as all heads turned to him. Honestly, it scared him. He wasn't used to this many people looking at him like that unless they were about to throw him onto a live subway track.

He shrugged at the group. "Since no one has bothered to tell me what I'm heading into, I've got nothing."

Ash looked at Simi who blushed and grinned sheepishly.

"Well, see, akri-Styxx, it all started when the Simi decided she was gonna give you the promise for your birthday for Christmas. See?"

"Clear as a two-hundred-mile-an-hour sandstorm."

Ash gave a low, sinister laugh. "Simi decided to wake up the Atlantean gods for you."

Styxx frowned. "Why?"

Simi sighed heavily. "Well see, it wan't supposed to be all them gods. Is only supposed to be the one. But she won't get up. Lots of them others got up and got ugly, fast, and the Simi still don't know why the only one I tried to wake keeps sleeping when it's so important she get up and talk. It's so confusing."