"Swear to us, Artemis," Clotho demanded.
"I swear. Now tell me what's going on." And most important, why it involved her.
Atropos spoke in a whisper as if afraid someone outside the temple might hear her. "Our father is Archon-the king of the Atlantean gods. He had an affair with our mother, Themis, and we were born of it. Our mother sent us to Atlantis to live and our father took us in. Apollymi is our stepmother and we unknowingly cursed our half-brother when we learned of his coming birth."
"It was an accident," Clotho blurted out. "We didn't mean to curse him."
Lachesis nodded. "We were just children and didn't understand our powers yet. We never meant to curse our brother. We didn't, we swear!"
Artemis went cold inside. "Acheron? Acheron is your brother?"
Clotho nodded. "Apollymi barely tolerated us while we lived with them. We were a reminder of our father's infidelity and she hated us for it."
That didn't make sense, any more than their fear did. Artemis tried to sort through what they were telling her. "But everyone knows that Archon has never been unfaithful to his wife."
Lachesis snorted. "That's a lie the Atlantean gods keep so that Apollymi won't harm them. You don't understand just how powerful she is. She can kill us without even blinking. All the gods fear her power. Even Archon. He's as faithless as most men and so here we are."
"She wants us dead," Clotho interjected.
Still Artemis was piecing the story together. "How exactly did you curse Acheron?"
"We were so stupid," Atropos said. "When Apollymi began to show her pregnancy, we spoke out of turn and gave Apostolos the power of final fate. We said he'd be the death of us all and it seems today we are about to see our demise met."
Artemis was even more confused. "But it's not him who threatens us. It's his mother."
Clotho nodded. "And she will kill all of us for our part in his curse. Including you."
"I did nothing!"
Atropos scoffed at her as the young women encircled her. "We know what you've done, Artemis. We see all. You hurt him even more than we did. You turned your back on him while Apollo gutted him on the floor and Apollymi knows it."
Fear tore through her. If what they said was correct, there would be no mercy from Apollymi. Truthfully, she didn't deserve any, but on the other hand, Artemis really didn't want to die. "What can we do? How do we defeat her?"
Atropos sighed heavily. "You can't. She's all-powerful. The only one who can check her powers is her son."
In that case, they were in serious trouble since Acheron was now dead. Couldn't someone have told her this before she'd left him to Apollo? This information was just a little late in coming and would have been much more beneficial earlier in the day.
"We're dead," Artemis breathed as images of her being gutted by Acheron's mother went through her head.
"No," Clotho said firmly, shaking her arm. "You can bring him back."
Artemis scowled at the woman. "Are you insane? I can't bring him back from the dead."
"Yes, you can. You're the only one who has the power."
"No, I don't."
Atropos growled at her. "You drank of his blood, Artemis. You absorbed some of his powers."
Clotho nodded. "He's the final fate. He can resurrect the dead, which means you can too."
Artemis swallowed. "Are you sure?"
They nodded in unison.
Still, Artemis was uncertain. Granted she'd tasted Acheron's powers, but that particular one was reserved for only a very select group of gods and if they failed to bring him back . . .
It could only get worse.
Atropos took her by the arm. "The Atlantean gods used their combined powers to bind Apollymi. So long as Apostolos is alive in the human realm, she's locked in Kalosis."
Lachesis took her other arm and nodded. "We bring him back and she's interred again."
"We'll be safe," Clotho offered. "All of us."
"You will be the savior of the pantheon!" they said in unison.
Did she really have a choice? Drawing in a deep breath for courage, Artemis nodded. "What do I have to do?"
"You will have to get him to drink your blood," Atropos said as if it would be the easiest thing in the world to accomplish.
"And just how do I do that?"
"With our help."
Acheron lay on the floor in calm serenity, finally numb to everything from his past and present. He was at peace in a way he'd never been before. The walls of his cave shielded him from the voices of others. Not even the gods were in his head.
For the first time in his life, he had total silence.
There was no aching in his body, no grief. Nothing. And he loved this feeling of tranquility.
"Acheron?"
He tensed at Artemis's voice. Of course the bitch was going to disturb his haven. She could never leave him in peace.
Damn her.
He tried to tell her to go away, but nothing other than a hoarse croak left his lips. Coughing, he tried to clear his throat to speak.
Still no words would come. What was going on? What had taken his voice?
Artemis gave him a tender, concerned look as she appeared before him. "We need to talk."
He shoved her back, but she refused to go.
"Please," she begged with a look that would have weakened his resolve only a few days ago. But that concern for her was now long gone. "Just a few words and I'll leave you. Forever if you wish."
How could they talk when he couldn't speak?
She held a cup out to him. "Drink this and I'll be able to talk to you."
Furious with her and wanting to vent his anger at her, he grabbed the cup and downed the contents without tasting them. "Go to Tartarus and rot," he snarled at her, grateful that this time she could hear the venom in his voice.
Then something happened. Pain and fire ripped through his body as if something was setting his internal organs aflame. Panting, he looked up at Artemis. "What have you done to me now?"