Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

Laughing, he kissed her hand again then used the Egyptian word for the brightest star in the sky that soldiers and sailors used to navigate with at night to guide them to safety and home. "Thuban. On the worst day of my life, when I was lost and beyond hope or redemption, you came out of the darkest tempest unexpectedly. I was but an empty shell wandering the banks of the Phlegethon, trapped between Tartarus and the Fields of Punishment with nothing but reasons to die, and yet your kiss alone breathed life into my deadened heart and darkened soul. Until that moment when you first laid your gentle hand to my cheek, I knew nothing of kindness. Nothing of happiness. And absolutely nothing of love. That soft, tender touch that meant nothing to you, as it is in your nature to be thus, went far deeper than just my skin. It reached into the deadest part of me and set beating a heart I had never known existed. I can count every happy year of my life on one hand and all of them I owe to you. Without you, my precious Bethany, I have nothing. I am nothing. And all I ask is that you never send me back to the stygian hell you pulled me from. It was hard enough to suffer it before I knew you existed, but now that I know the face of Theia, I cannot go back to dwell in darkness alone. I need you, my love. Always."

He kissed her forehead. "You are not just my wife. You are what sustains me, and my only prayer is that I never bring even a shadow of hurt to your beautiful eyes or heart."

Bethany frowned as he placed a ring on her finger. "What is this?"

When he spoke, his voice was thick with pain. "It's the wedding ring Galen and I picked out for you right before he died."

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she smiled proudly. "And it will never leave my finger."

"And you will never leave my heart."

She pulled him into her arms and held him close. "How do you expect me to go when you speak to me like this? When I know how much pain you're in without me?"

He cupped her cheek. "Because you are taking the most important parts of me with you, Bethany.... My heart." He kissed her lips. "And my soul." He kissed her belly then he kissed away her tears. "Please, for my sanity. Every time in my life when things were going well, something horrific happened. I've already lost Galen. I cannot lose you and our son."

"All right. I will go. But not happily."

"And I will be counting down every beat of my heart until we're together."

Reluctantly, she left the bed and started dressing and packing.

His heart aching, Styxx helped her. In truth, he wanted to keep her by his side. But Thanatos was stalking him. He could feel the bastard's breath on his neck, and he knew if she stayed, she'd be caught in whatever storm was coming.

Too soon and not soon enough, he had her surrounded by men and on her way to Egypt. "I will leave tomorrow. I promise."

Bethany nodded. "I will be waiting for you. Do not tarry."

Styxx kissed her lips then held her hand to his heart while he kept his other hand on the area of her stomach where his son kicked. He was terrified of letting her go. Terrified he'd never see her again. But worse was the fear of her staying behind and being harmed because of his selfishness.

Smiling sadly, she breathed an Egyptian blessing in his ear. "May Ra be between you and harm in all the empty places where you walk."

He pressed her hand to his lips. "And I'd rather your grandfather walk with you and keep you safe every step of this journey."

She leaned down from her chariot to kiss his cheek. "Tomorrow."

"I will be hot on your heels. I swear." Styxx nodded to the driver, but he held her hand until they rolled too fast for him to keep pace.

As he watched her leave, it felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest. But he knew she had to go. It was the only hope they had.

June 24, 9527 BC

Styxx paused in his packing to glance around the palace he'd assumed would one day be his. In just a few hours, he'd be long gone from here and would hopefully never see it again.

Let Acheron or Ryssa have it, or share it happily for the rest of their lives.

I should feel something other than relief.

But he didn't. In truth, he couldn't get away from here fast enough.

As he was taking his laurel crown down to his father's office to leave it there, the front door opened and Acheron strode in with a confidence his brother had never before exhibited. Acheron normally skulked about like a beaten dog that didn't want to be seen by anyone.

Styxx frowned at the change, wondering what had caused it. Was his brother drunk?

Boldly, Acheron approached him with his chest puffed out. It was the kind of posturing soldiers had sometimes used when they wanted to dare Styxx to fight them. But those who had held that kind of stupidity had been quickly schooled that Styxx didn't play well with others, and most importantly ...

He didn't lose.

"Are you ill, brother?"

Acheron curled his lip. "Just sick of you, and the way you parade around like you own the world."

Styxx sighed heavily. If I only lived the life other people think I do. "I don't do that."

"Yes. You do. I see it every time I look at you."

His frown deepened as Styxx realized that he couldn't hear Acheron's thoughts anymore. How strange.

Not that it mattered. He had other things on his mind. Like getting the Hades out of here.

Styxx started for his father's study, but Acheron grabbed his arm.

"You fear me, don't you?"

Styxx bit back laughter at the ludicrous question. "No."

Acheron grabbed him again.

"Are you herbal, little brother?"

Laughing, Acheron shoved Styxx against the wall in the same manner as Apollo often did. Then he leaned to whisper in Styxx's ear. "I know you can't die, brother. Not unless I do. That means I can hold you down and cut out your heart over and over again and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

There, Acheron was wrong. The one thing Atlantis had taught him was how to fight against gods. But he wasn't in the mood to fight with his brother.

Not today.

"Is that really what you want to do?"

Acheron's hand tightened around his throat. "You're no better than me."

No shit. He'd never thought otherwise. "And you're no better than I am."

The hatred in those silver eyes seared him. But that wasn't what Styxx really saw. He saw the same bloodlust Acheron had held for him in Atlantis when his brother had helped Estes sell and torture him. Acheron had delighted in seeing him humiliated.

"You deserve it!"

His brother's angry voice still rang in his ears as his vision darkened.

"I have reached my majority, Styxx. Do you know what that means?"

"You can own property? Join the senate?"

Acheron's teeth elongated.

Styxx went cold as he finally understood all the bits and pieces of what had happened to him in Atlantis. Why he had held so much fascination for Archon who'd suspected this, but he'd held the wrong twin in custody....

"You're Apostolos."

Shock stole the hatred from Acheron's eyes. "How do you know that name?"

The two years he'd warred in Atlantis and the year he'd been with their gods passing him around had well schooled him on the knowledge of Apollymi's hidden son.

The Atlantean gods would give him anything for this information....

Anything.

Acheron's hand all but crushed his windpipe. "You tell anyone and I will kill you!"

Styxx laughed at the threat. "I don't want anything from you, brother. Except to be left the fuck alone." He broke Acheron's hold and ignored the pain it caused him. "I don't care what powers you think you hold, I can still beat you down."

"Acheron!" Ryssa gasped as she ran to his brother. "What are you doing?"

"We were talking. Right, Styxx?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sure."

Ryssa glared at Styxx then gently pulled Acheron away from him. "You know what Father would do if he caught you with him."

For the first time in his life, Styxx didn't begrudge his brother Ryssa's love. It made it easier for him to walk away from the entire family knowing Ryssa and Acheron had an unbreakable bond. "You two look after each other."

Ryssa paused on the stairs to give him a suspicious glower. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Could her tone be any more accusatory? "Nothing, Ryssa. Absolutely nothing."

Unwilling to deal with either of them, Styxx went to his father's study and placed his crown in the chest where his father kept his own. Intricately carved with images of the Fates, the gold chest was ancient in age. When he'd been a boy, he'd sometimes sneak into it to look at his father's ornate crown and imagine if he'd look so dignified wearing it as a man.

How long ago that seemed, and at the same time, it was yesterday. But sadly, neither crown would be a part of his future. And for that, he hated his brother and the Atlantean gods all the more.

To protect Acheron, Apollymi had thoroughly screwed up Styxx's life.

Damn them all!