Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

He swallowed hard at the eternal pain that never lessened. "So how's Davyn?" he asked, switching the topic to Urian's best friend.

"Insane. I seem to attract that personality type for some reason."

Styxx smirked. "Ae?? koloi??s para koloioi hizanei."

Urian scowled at the old Greek saying. "A jackdaw is always with a jackdaw?"

"Birds of a feather."

Urian laughed. "Hey now, I resemble that remark."

Styxx leaned back so that he could peep through the crack in the tent flap to see that it was now completely dark outside. He set his cup aside. "If you really want to know why I love it here, follow me."

Skylos lifted his head, but since Styxx didn't call him outside with them, he went back to sleep.

As soon as they were out of the tent, Styxx looked up at the sky and started opening the sides of the tent so that they could take advantage of the much cooler night air. "You don't have a view like that in New York."

Urian gaped at the sight of the vivid night sky. "I'd forgotten how beautiful and bright they are."

"Yeah. When I was a kid, I'd sit out on my balcony for hours staring at them." He and Acheron would make up stories about the heroes whose constellations they could identify. "Most of the time, I don't pitch the tent. I sleep out here on the sands, watching them. It was one of the things I missed over the centuries. They don't exist on the Vanishing Isle or Katateros."

"Again, I never think about the fact Katateros only has a moon. Alexion said the stars faded when Apollymi killed Astors, I think his name was."

"Asteros."

Urian cocked a brow at his answer. "I'm amazed you remember any of their names."

Honestly, Asteros was one he'd like to forget. But some memories were just too brutal to die no matter how much time passed.

"Are you hungry?" Styxx asked. "I have dried scorpion, nuts, figs, dates, and apples."

Urian twisted his face up in distaste. "I really hope the scorpion offer is just to screw with me."

"No, it's actually quite good. Tastes like chicken."

"Ar, ar, ar." Urian feigned laughter. "I'd rather live on blood ... or my shoes."

Styxx tsked. "I might have some beef jerky left."

"That I could be talked into."

Styxx went back inside. "It's good to have you here, Urian. I'd forgotten what it was like to actually carry on a real conversation with someone outside of my head."

"Well, now that I know where you are, I might occasionally bother you. As long as you don't feed me grasshoppers, ants, scorpions, or other nasty multi-legged things the gods never intended us to eat."

"Stop being a baby. Eat your meat or you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?"

Urian laughed. "I am stunned you know Pink Floyd."

Styxx shrugged as he opened Skylos's dinner first and poured it into a small metal bowl. "Modern music is the only thing I miss about your world."

"Next time I come, I'll bring you a solar battery charger for your phone. Not like you don't have an abundant supply of sunlight here."

"That I do have. Definitely." Styxx paused as his gaze fell to his small chest near his rifle that had reappeared one day while he'd been in Katateros. He'd thrown out all the herbs long ago, but there were still four things in it that had belonged to him as a man.

Opening it, he pulled out the oiled cloth and handed it to Urian. "My gift to you, little brother."

Urian frowned. "Thank you." He unwrapped the cloth to find Styxx's black and bronze vambraces. "Wow ... how old are these?"

"They were mine back in the day. Galan gave them to me, and I wore them into every battle I fought."

Urian's jaw went slack then he shook his head. "I can't take these."

Styxx pushed them back toward him. "I have no use for them anymore. They're just something else I have to pack and carry, or worry about losing."

Urian let out a long, appreciative breath. "These are incredible. I can't believe how pristine they are. Thank you. I'll cherish them always."

His gratitude made Styxx extremely uncomfortable. "I know how much you like to collect antiques. And they don't get much older than those." He went to start the campfire so that he could cook their dinner.

Urian carefully wrapped the vambraces back into their cloth and tucked them into his backpack as he watched Styxx. His heart broke for his friend who'd felt so out of place in the world that he'd had to come to the remotest place on it to find some sense of belonging. Urian hadn't been joking when he said that he'd go insane with this kind of isolation. This was truly a desolate, hard way to live.

But sadly, it was all Styxx knew.

All he'd ever known.

May 14, 2012

Acheron brushed his hand through his son's blond hair while Sebastos napped on his chest. There was nothing in the world more soothing to him, and the older Bas got, the less Ash was able to understand how his family could have turned their backs on him the way they had. He'd rather have his arm cut off than hit his son.

And the other acts of cruelty against him ...

Never. He wouldn't be able to put his worst enemy through the things they'd forced him to endure.

Closing his eyes, Ash listened to Tory complaining in Greek as she graded papers in her green armchair across from him.

"I'm sure they're paying attention in class, love."

"Really?" She looked up with a peeved grimace. "'Cause I never knew either of the Thebes was in Yugoslavia."

He cringed at that mistake. "Ouch."