Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

Father hasn't even noticed. He's just so glad to have him back, he couldn't care less how shameful Styxx behaves.

Since I received the servant's letter asking me to Atlantis, I think I shall go, too. After all. If Styxx can have fun there, so can I.

Yes, that's what I'll do. I'll show Father. I'll visit Acheron and Estes and have my own adventure. Then I can see how Acheron is and make sure he's happy.

Acheron's head reeled as he read that. "I have no memory of Styxx ever being there with me."

"For two months?"

Ash shut the journal and pushed it aside. From what Ryssa described, and what his sister claimed Estes had written, he could only imagine what had been done to Styxx. Estes had loved his double entendres. Entendres he used to publicly humiliate and hurt his victims. And Ash had received more than his fair share of that cruelty when he lived with his uncle.

And as Ash sat there, he remembered some of the things Styxx had mentioned to him in anger and in passing, but never elaborated on.

The night Styxx had tried to free him after his father had ordered him returned to Atlantis ...

Styxx hadn't been lying when he'd buried the dagger in the ground. He must have gone to Atlantis on his own to free him. And somehow he'd been captured, too.

Damn you, Estes. You sick bastard. It would be just like his twisted uncle to take those memories from Ash and leave them with Styxx to torture him with. There was nothing Estes loved more than playing with people's heads and scrambling their thoughts.

Turning and using them against each other.

Estes had done that with Ryssa. He'd convinced Ash that she hated him and wanted nothing to do with him at all, while telling his sister that Ash was fine and happy. If Styxx had cared enough to go after Ash to free him, Estes would have definitely kept Ash from remembering it so that he wouldn't ever try to leave, and he would have made sure Styxx was punished severely enough that he never tried to free him again.

Tears filled his eyes as he stared at the closed journals and pulled Tory into his arms for comfort.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Tory, if I've done what I think I have, I don't know how I'll live with it."

June 23, 2012

Styxx froze as he entered his tent to find a Charonte demon sitting on his bedroll, staring at him with big red eyes. The last time he'd seen Simi, she'd shredded him and left him ... dead.

Moving as slowly as he could, he put his hand on the .38 he kept in a holster at the base of his spine. It wouldn't kill her, but it would give him time to get away from her should she attack again. He also made sure to keep Skylos outside where the demon couldn't hurt him either.

To his complete shock, she smiled warmly. "Hello, akri-copy."

Wary as hell, Styxx eyed her. "What do you want?"

She sighed heavily. "The Simi come to say she sorry for what she did to you. But see, you hurt my akri and the Simi loves her akri so anyone who attacks her akri gets eat, even those who look like akri, see?"

Not really.

She stood up.

Tightening his grip on the gun, Styxx immediately backed away.

The demon cocked her head and frowned. "You look so strange like that. Why you wear eye makeup, akri-copy?"

He shrugged. "Protects my eyes from the sun."

"That's why yous gets sunglasses, silly. Don't nobody tell you that?" She bent down and picked up her red heart-shaped backpack that had black demon wings spanning out from it. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Itn't it cute? Akra-Danger gived it to me at Christmas. Now less see..." She rummaged around until she pulled out a bottle of barbecue sauce with a ribbon tied around it. "Happy birthday, akri-copy!"

When he didn't move to take it, her smile faded. She stepped toward him and he quickly took two steps back.

Her shoulders and wings dropped as she pouted. "Why you so skittish of the Simi?"

"I don't know. Call me stupid, but the last time we met, you killed me."

Her wings drooped even more. "I know. It was wrong to do that to you. But that was before you saved akri and akra-Tory and gave Baby Bas his horse he loves to play with. So the Simi glad you didn't stay dead, and I promise I won't kill you again. Friends?"

Styxx wasn't sure what to make of his brother's demon daughter. He knew from Acheron's memories that she was hopelessly devoted to his brother. Unlike a human, she wasn't devious or conniving or even complicated. Simi was very black-and-white. She either hated or she loved.

Letting go of the gun, he reached for the barbecue sauce. "Thank you, Simi."

Her wings shot back up as a smile curved her lips. "It the Simi's favorite that she only give to special quality people. See..." She pointed to the label. "Hot, hot ... though it hot here, you might not need it. But it's good on everything." She beamed a giant smile at him.

He inclined his head to her. "I appreciate it. Thank you very much."

She cocked her head again and frowned. "Why you so sad, akri-copy? You got aches in your heart?"

"I'm fine, Simi."

Her frown deepening, she glanced around the tent. "Who you gots coming to celebrates with you?"

Styxx sighed. "I don't celebrate birthdays."

Eyes wide, she gaped. "No! Birthdays are always special cause they's the days when you were welcomed to the world and people be all happy when babies are born."

Yeah ... not in his experience.

Styxx set the barbecue sauce down next to his pack. "You should probably go back to Acheron before he misses you."

Instead, she sat down on his bedroll.