Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

"Acheron," he coughed and wheezed, trying to dislodge his brother's iron grip from his throat that reminded him of how Apollo often did him.

And as he stared up at his brother, Acheron's eyes turned to a bright, burning bloodred. His hair darkened as his skin became a marbled blue. His lips turned black.

"You say you know my pain," Acheron snarled, showing a set of fangs that caused Styxx's anger to mount as he involuntarily felt Apollo biting him in places that made his stomach heave. "You know nothing of my pain. No one has ever defiled you, prince. Never held you down and made you beg for a cock you'd rather be dead than taste or feel."

Rage and pain darkened Styxx's sight at those words. Worse, he heard what Acheron had said to him in Atlantis.

"Tell me how it feels to have your royal hole stuffed tight, Highness. Just wait till they flip you over, it gets even better.

"Welcome to my pain, brother...."

Acheron's mocking laughter as others raped him rang in his head.

Roaring, Styxx punched Acheron's blue arm as hard as he could, breaking his hold. Styxx cried out as his own arm hurt. But he didn't care. Too many memories of his own were mixing with his brother's.

And they were all brutal.

He kicked Acheron's demonic form back and rolled to his feet. Terror filled him as he saw Acheron return to a human appearance. His brother lay on his side now, panting and weak.

"What are we?" Styxx breathed.

Acheron's eyes were still red. "Damned." Then he started laughing hysterically.

Shaken and terrified by all that had happened, Styxx left him there and headed for his own room. He looked down at his hands and turned them over. Would his skin become blue, too? Would his eyes and lips do that?

Did Ryssa know about Acheron's alternate form? Was that why she was so protective of him?

And as he leaned against his bedroom door to block it, he could just imagine what their father would do if he ever saw that.

They would both be confined to the Dionysion.

Forever.

Raking his hands through his hair, Styxx felt some of his sanity slip at the mere thought of returning to that nightmare.

And this time there would be no Estes to intervene.

Because I killed him.

January 28, 9528 BC

Completely drunk and high on Atlantean herbs, Styxx sat in the banquet hall with his father, Apollo, and his sister as the night wore on interminably. He feigned laughter, even though he wasn't really sure what Apollo had said. Not that it mattered. Apollo wasn't here for conversation, he merely wanted them to fawn over him, and since Styxx was used to being ignored, he followed his father's cues.

And drank heavily.

So much so, that he'd passed extremely drunk probably a good day ago. How he was still conscious, he wasn't sure. At this point, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been sober.

Which was good. Because whenever he sobered, his mind went to places he wanted to avoid. And focused on the fact that Bethany, like everyone else in his life, had abandoned him.

His head spinning, Styxx held his red clay kylix out for a servant to refill. He sat on Apollo's left while Ryssa sat on the right and his father on the other side of his sister, which was how Apollo had wanted it.

This way, the god could lean across Ryssa to speak to the king while he covertly fondled Styxx out of their sight. Although Styxx had finally found a way to deal with it. Every time Apollo groped him, he drank another cupful.

It was becoming quite a game and making him all the drunker, all the faster.

"Is that not right, Styxx?"

Frowning, he blinked at Apollo. "What?"

Apollo laughed then picked up a slice of cheese. "I fear we're boring your heir, Xerxes." He took a bite of it.

"Styxx? Where's your head, boy? Pay attention! You're with a god! Give him his due."

Styxx lifted his cup to hide the snarl of his lips over his father's comment.

Smirking in satisfaction that he had the king's blessing for their twisted relationship, Apollo held the cheese out to Styxx for him to finish off.

He hated this game. If they were alone, he'd knock Apollo's hand aside, but the god knew he didn't dare do that in front of his father. Cringing, Styxx opened his mouth and let Apollo place the cheese on his tongue.

Apollo caressed Styxx's chin. "My compliments to you, Xerxes. You made two beautiful children."

Styxx jerked as Apollo's hand drifted a little too far south on his body while Apollo kissed Ryssa's cheek.

"Excuse me," Ryssa said. "I'll be right back."

Styxx watched as she went to meet Hestia off in a corner. While his father was distracted by her actions, Apollo took Styxx's hand and led it to his hard cock.

Grimacing, Styxx snatched his hand back to his own chair and glared at the Olympian who laughed as he gave Styxx a lecherous smile that promised him retribution later tonight when the god came for him.

"I know not, Your Highness." Hestia's loud whisper made Apollo arch his brow. "I haven't seen him in days. I leave food and when I return it's untouched. No one's slept in his bed."

"What?" His father's roar made all of them jump. "Guards! Follow me." He stormed out and headed in the direction of Ryssa's rooms.

Shrieking in protest, Ryssa ran after him.

Styxx groaned as he realized his father was about to go beat the shit out of his brother. Needing to head it off, he went after them with Apollo following him while trying to shove his hand into parts of Styxx's body he didn't want touched.

Was Apollo trying to get caught?

But then what did Apollo care? Not like his father would hate him for it. Styxx, on the other hand, wouldn't be so lucky. Either his father would beat him down over their twisted relationship, or box him up like a gift for the Olympian.

Either way, Styxx would be screwed.

In more ways than one.

"What's going on?" Apollo asked in his ear, pressing his groin against Styxx's hip.

Making a sound of disgust deep in the hollow of his throat, he moved away from Apollo. "It's Acheron," he said before his drunk mind could think better of it.

Apollo arched a curious brow with a speculative light in his eyes Styxx knew all too well. There's another prince? Apollo's thought almost sobered him. In that one heartbeat, Styxx saw his future and it was nauseating.

You know, Estes, you should bring him to Atlantis. I'd pay you a fortune for a go at him and his brother at the same time.

No, better yet, to watch the two of them have a go at each other.

Yeah, Apollo with his greed would want the full matched set....

And his father was just sick and greedy enough to agree to it. Styxx almost threw up at the mere thought. But how could he stop it from happening?

The god's ego.

It was the fact that Styxx was a renowned prince and Apollo had power over him that appealed to the bastard. The only way to keep Acheron out of their repugnant relationship was to make his twin appalling to the Olympian....