Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

He had the hardest time understanding her. "Moused you out?"

"Ratted ... you out," Acheron corrected in a pain-filled tone.

She sighed. "Whatever. I just don't understand modern idiots."

Styxx bit back a laugh as he silently agreed.

Acheron cleared his throat. "I think she means idioms."

She turned a peeved glare at Acheron. "No, this time, I got it right. Modern idiots. Anyway, my mother hated her because she coveted Bathymaas's powers and because Bathymaas didn't stop Hera from being such a bitch to us and leaving us with the blood-sucking curse I really want to claw Hera's eyes out over ... and when Apollo fell in love with Bathymaas and she refused to have anything to do with him, he was furious. He couldn't stand it. So when he found out she was not only in love with the Atlantean Aricles, but sleeping with him, he went crackers."

"Nuts."

"Whatever." She growled at Acheron and his continued corrections. "Apollo's the one who tricked her into killing you, just like he did me with Orion. Bastard bitch that he is. It destroyed her. But you swore to her if it took you ten thousand lifetimes, you'd find your way back. And I'm glad you did, but Apollo won't be so happy once he realizes you're you."

Styxx was starting to get one of his "better" migraines. "I'm completely lost again. Bethany isn't Bathymaas. Bathymaas was born of the primal source."

"Yes. Set."

"Set?" Styxx repeated.

Artemis nodded. "She went..." she passed an evil grimace toward Acheron, "insane. Rather similar to what Apollymi did when Apollo killed Acheron. But her off knob-"

"Button or switch?" Acheron really didn't seem capable of stopping himself from correcting her. Styxx was beginning to think his brother did it just to get under her skin.

She wrinkled her nose and kept talking. "Off-switch was a lot harder than Apollymi's. The only way to stop Bathymaas was to have her reborn without the memory of Aricles. It's why her mother is Symfora-sorrow-and why Bethany wouldn't marry or really dabble much with men. But weirdly, she'd always go fishing where the two of you used to meet all those centuries before. Like she was waiting for you to come back to her, even though she had no memory of you or him."

Styxx had always wondered why Beth had chosen that fishing spot and why she'd been so loyal to it. Now it made sense. "In Didymos?"

"It wasn't called Didymos then, but yes. Aricles was born in a small stone cottage almost identical to the one you bought for Bet'anya, and it was where they first met when she went to recruit him for her Ēperon. Anyway, she set up their headquarters on the matching island where you, as Styxx, were raised. Bathymaas always wanted to stay close to Aricles, and she would often spy on him whenever he had free time. Even though he was the best warrior who ever held a sword in his hand, Aricles remained more farmer than soldier. Anytime he could, he'd seclude himself from his brethren and fish quietly by the same stream where you met her. Because she was a goddess, she'd never seen anyone do that before and was curious about it. As he taught her how to fish and they spent more time together, they fell in love."

"And that's why I didn't throw a fit the day we met."

Styxx turned toward Set who'd joined them in the room.

"As soon as I laid eyes on you, I knew you were Aricles. That somehow, you'd managed to keep your word and find her again, and I'm pretty sure it's what drew Apollo to you, too. Why he was so hellbent on making you suffer."

"No. That was my idiot other brother who pointed Styxx out to him. You give Apollo too much credit. He's like a spoiled toddler ... pretty ... shiny ... gimme. Kind of like Acheron's demon." Artemis met Styxx's gaze. "Bathymaas was my brother's first love and her rejection crushed him-at least that's what he claims. Because of that, my mother cursed the two of you to never be together."

"Is that why Bethany can't wake up?"

"In part," Set said. "But mostly it's because she only has half her heart. To bring her back and allow her to be sane and not the soul of vengeance she'd became after Aricles died, I had to remove the part of her heart that had you in it and wipe all knowledge of you from her memory."

Acheron frowned. "That's biologically impossible."

"No. Bath wasn't human in any way, nor was she born of a womb. She was a gift to me to teach me compassion for others. Since the Mavromino had birthed the first Malachai, the Kalosum created her to keep me from turning my back on what I'd been born to do. It's why she was never supposed to know the love of any man. Her duty was to stay pure and remain the order to my chaos. She was justice. Cold and unyielding, without any personal interests or the ability to play favorites. Aricles changed all of that. When her heart broke in half over his death, her tears are what transformed her into ruthless, uncaring vengeance. She lost all balance and nothing mattered except to make the world pay for the wrong it'd done her and Aricles. Ironically, it was that more than anything that showed me why I needed to keep a handle on my own powers. As bad as she was, I would be much worse should I ever let the Mavromino control me."

Styxx glanced back to Bethany. "So how do I wake her?"

"You have to return her heart to her."

"And that is where?"

Set sighed. "Last I heard it was given to Epithymia. The ugly side of desire is covetous jealousy. Epithymia wanted Apollo and thought that if she stole that part of Bet, it would help her seduce him."

Artemis scoffed. "Didn't work. She was too big a slut for my brother. He does have some standards."

"Then she's the one we use the necklace on." After kissing Bethany's hand, Styxx pulled the covers over her. He brushed the back of his fingers across her soft cheek. I will not fail you, Beth.

Whatever it took, he would reawaken her. Even if he had to die to do it.

He stepped back and swept them with a determined grimace. "Let's finish this."

December 23, 2012

"You know this isn't going to work, right?" Styxx asked Acheron.

"I've had worse odds."

"So have I, but most didn't work out well for me." Dreading the fact he was about to be an ant under a magnifying glass, Styxx allowed Acheron to teleport them to his brother's bedroom in Katateros.

Before Acheron's marriage, the room had been sparsely decorated in black and brown. Now it was powder-puff blue with dancing circus animals on the walls and a canopied crib within easy reach of the large bed ... a holdover from Acheron's paranoia and guilt about Apollodorus.

Acheron's son, Sebastos, was never left to sleep alone. The baby had been almost a year old before Acheron had allowed him to sleep anywhere other than his father's chest.

But Styxx couldn't fault him for that. He'd be as bad, if not worse with his own.

Styxx froze at that thought.

It was the first time in centuries that he'd thought about the prospect of having a child again. That it was suddenly a real possibility ...

Yet he refused to be happy. Not until Beth was back in his arms and it was a done deal. Between now and then, anything could happen and he wasn't about to jinx himself.

Can you hear me?

He frowned as Acheron's thoughts intruded on his then nodded.

Good. I think it best if we communicate like this for a while.

Styxx nodded again. He went to the door and listened for the others. Seth's "bird" spirit had shown them that the gods were all gathered in the throne room, where they bragged about what they intended to do once they had Apostolos in their custody.

None of it was pretty and it made him rather glad that Acheron had reconsidered sending him in as his double.

Acheron joined him at the door. "They've sensed our powers." Something they wanted the Atlanteans to do since it would throw them off.

Ready? Styxx asked.

Absolutely not.