Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

But then the gods who'd been searching for Apostolos had been looking for a single child. Not twins. How ironic that Acheron had spent much of his life right under their noses while they tore the world apart trying to find him.

"I smell divinity on you, Greek. Whose byblow are you?" Archon's angry words as the god had tried to beat information out of him that Styxx hadn't been given still caused a shiver to run down his spine.

I should have recognized their voices when I met them. But then he'd heard so many different ones over the years that it was hard to break them apart and identify them when he didn't have a personal relationship with the thinker. Like the Atlantean gods, Styxx had assumed himself born of an Olympian. Why else would Athena and Apollo have taken an interest in him? He'd attributed it to nepotism.

Now, he suspected they had sensed whatever had attracted Archon and Asteros to him. Whatever Apollymi had done to protect her son must have lured them to him, too.

However, none of that mattered now. He had an Egyptian demigoddess to worry over and meet up with.

Closing the lid, he practically ran up to his room to collect his things and go. It'd already taken him longer to pack than he'd meant for it to.

It wouldn't be that long until nightfall. But he'd travel through it. They'd done many marches at night so as to hide their numbers and protect their troops. Plus it saved water not to travel during the heat of the day. The soldiers and horses had a lot less exhaustion.

Styxx turned to leave then froze as Apollo appeared in his room. He cursed under his breath at the god's inconvenient timing. "What?"

Apollo let out a bitter laugh. "Tone, prince. You still haven't learned the proper tone."

Grinding his teeth, Styxx really wanted to punch the bastard. "Aren't you bored with me yet?"

Apollo gave him a lopsided grin. "If you were your mewling, obsequious sister, yes. I'd be bored with you. But it's the fact that you continue to fight me even after all I've done to punish you for it that fascinates me. Most humans learn their lessons.... You don't. Why is that?"

Styxx reached for his saddlebags. "I'm dumber than most."

Moving faster than Styxx was prepared for, Apollo grabbed him and turned him around so that Styxx could see himself in the mirror with Apollo standing behind him. The Olympian didn't touch Styxx. Rather he locked gazes in the mirror. "If only you were, I could forgive you. But it's knowing how intelligent you are that fascinates me." Apollo touched his cheek.

Styxx jerked away, but Apollo refused to let him leave their reflection. He yanked Styxx back to the mirror.

"See what I mean? Why do you continue to fight me?"

"I have no stomach for men in general and you in particular. Your touch reviles me." How many times did he have to say it before Apollo got the message?

Apollo jerked Styxx against him. "And yet you're so beautiful ... even scarred as you are, I crave you."

Styxx cringed. "You gave your word to all that I was free."

"And I've never regretted anything more. Yield to me once ... just once.... Come to me as you would your betrothed, and bend to my will, and then I will leave you in peace. Forever."

Sure he would.

"I don't believe you."

Apollo tried to grab him, but Styxx caught his hand and jerked it away. It didn't deter the Olympian at all. He wrapped his arms around him and tried to kiss him. "I can't get you out of my mind. How many more people do I have to take from you before you bend to me?"

Styxx fought hard for his freedom. "You killed Galen?"

"Not personally, but yes. And I'll kill the rest if you don't give me what I want."

Styxx cried out as Apollo sank his fangs deep into his neck to feed.

The door to his room opened.

A sharp, feminine gasp froze him instantly. Eyes wide, Ryssa stared at them with horror etched into her fragile features. Styxx could only imagine the sight they made with Apollo's hand still pressed against his slave's brand on his groin and the god feeding from this neck.

Completely unperturbed, Apollo laughed and lifted his head then kissed Styxx's cheek while he cupped him in plain sight of his sister. "Would you care to join us, Ryssa?"

That set her off into one of her legendary shrieking fits as she began grabbing things in the room and hurling them at him and Apollo. Ducking the first clay vase, Styxx broke away from Apollo and glared at him.

Apollo sneered at Ryssa. "I am not putting up with this. I'll be back when you calm down." He flashed out of the room, leaving Styxx alone with the termagant.

She continued to scream out in a tone that rendered her words unintelligible as she sought to strip his room bare of projectiles.

"What in the name of Zeus is going on in here?" his father roared as he snatched the clay wine jug from her hand before it became another pile of broken fragments on the floor.

Sobbing in hysteria and ignoring the question, Ryssa kept her fury concentrated solely on Styxx. "How dare you! You disgust me! I wish you were dead!" She whirled about and stormed from the room.

His father returned the jug to the table as Styxx pushed himself up from the floor. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, Father. I didn't do anything to her at all."

His father moved to go after her. But Ryssa met him at the door. Without a word to their father, she crossed the room with a tranquility that concerned him. Expecting her slap, Styxx caught her left hand as she tried to deliver it. But the moment he did, he felt something sink painfully into his abdomen.

Stunned, he stumbled back to see the large bloody knife she'd hidden in the folds of her gown.

She lunged to stab him again.

Styxx grabbed her wrist and held it tight as his father finally realized what was going on.

Instead of calling for the guards, his father pulled Ryssa back and took the knife out of her hand. "What have you done, daughter?"

Styxx's knees buckled as the room spun around. While it never felt good to be stabbed, gut wounds had to be the worst. Breathing raggedly, he lay down and tried to focus.

"He's sleeping with Apollo! Selfish bastard! He's taken everything from me! Everything!"

Flat on his back, Styxx felt a tear slide from the corner of his eye as pain racked him while his father comforted Ryssa on the other side of the room. In spite of the agony, he laughed in bitter amusement.

Every member of his family, except his father and Bethany, had stabbed him.

But I'm young still. There's plenty of time for that to change.

Blood rushed between his fingers as he applied as much pressure as he could to the wound. Yet it was hard. His hands were shaking and he felt like he was about to vomit.

Still his father ignored him while the king dealt with Ryssa's hysterics.

"Father?" he breathed.

"Oh dear gods ... Guards!" His father finally left Ryssa to check on him. "Fetch the physician!" Swallowing hard, his father started to touch Styxx's blood-covered hands then refrained. "Does it hurt much?"

No, it feels fucking wonderful. I live for my family to stab me.

Was the man insane? Of course it hurt. His sister had just tried to gut him.

"However much it hurts, it doesn't hurt enough for what he's done. He's humiliated me for the last time! I wish you could die like a normal person, you bastard! You've been nothing but misery to everyone since the day you were born. If you died tomorrow no one would miss you except that Egyptian whore you found. And even she wouldn't care for long. You're nothing!" She ran for him.

His father stood up to catch her before she reached Styxx again. As his father pulled her back, she spat in Styxx's face.

He wiped it away with the back of his scarred, bloodied hand.

Why didn't I leave here sooner?

He shouldn't have wasted five seconds of time on his brother. The gods knew Acheron wouldn't waste it on him. I should have left that damned crown in my room and been on my way to Egypt.

Maybe he could still ride later tonight. He just needed someone to stitch the wound. As Ryssa had pointed out, it wasn't like he could physically die from it. Though to be honest, he died a little inside every time they attacked him.

The physician gasped as he saw him on the floor. "Highness?"

Styxx opened his eyes. He moved his hands aside for the man to examine the gaping hole. The physician pulled Styxx's chiton up so that he could tend it.