Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

Chapter Forty-Four

"Completely human. She's being held by my aunt Satara, who is unstable at best. Viciously brutal at worst." Since Satara was the daughter of Apollo, Styxx could well imagine her cruelty.

Don't do it. Acheron wouldn't do it for you....

"You're going in with him, aren't you?"

Urian nodded.

Grandson of Apollo. One of Apollymi's former chief Daimons. Acheron's right-hand. Styxx should hate the man in front of him with everything he had. But Urian had been kind to him and something about the boy brought out the protector in Styxx. It made no sense whatsoever. And no matter how hard he tried to fight it, he couldn't send Urian on a suicide mission alone.

Damn it.

Styxx sighed at the most obvious reason why Urian would be here. "You want me to pretend to be Acheron?"

"You did it once to help an enemy. Would you do it again to help a friend?"

Styxx laughed bitterly. "How would I know? I've only had two friends in my life and both were brutally murdered."

"You don't consider me a friend?"

"No, I consider you a hemorrhoid."

Urian grinned, flashing his fangs at Styxx. "Ah now, that's just mean."

"Yeah, yeah ... Fine. But I am doing this for you and the innocent woman, not Acheron."

"Well, on behalf of myself and Tory, I can't thank you enough. By the way, how are your battle skills?"

Styxx snorted. "According to my father, I never had any. I shoved my men out in front of me, and hid behind their fallen bodies for cover."

Scowling, Urian didn't comment as he teleported Styxx to a small room.

Styxx froze as he saw Acheron beside a huge Chthonian named Savitar. This had been the man who'd trained his brother after death on how to use his god powers. In short, Savitar was Acheron's Galen ... only Savitar was immortal and bloodthirsty.

Every bit as tall as they were, Savitar had dark hair and a perfect goatee. His eyes were an iridescent lavender and strangely reminded Styxx of something ...

He couldn't put his finger on it, but in the back of his mind was some hidden message his brain was trying to give him.

His jaw slack, Savitar looked back and forth between Acheron and Styxx. "Holy Were-shit. This messes with my head."

Acheron glared at Styxx. "What is he doing here?"

"You can't go in," Urian reminded him. "Styxx can."

"No." Acheron was emphatic.

"Stop," Savitar snapped. "The kid has a point. Think about it. You can get Tory out of there and not end the world. Win-win."

The hatred in Acheron's eyes was searing. "I'm not leaving him alone with Tory. I don't trust him with her."

Styxx was aghast. "What do you think I'm going to do?"

"Rape her, kill her ... with you there's no telling."

Now that infuriated him. He'd never done anything for Acheron to hold those suspicions about his character. "With me? Really?" He shoved Acheron.

Acheron ran at Styxx, but Savitar caught him and pushed him back a step. "Stop thinking with your emotions. Calm down." Then Savitar turned to glare at Styxx. "And you, punk, lay off him or I'll fry your greasy ass where it stands. I know I can kill you and not kill Acheron. So don't push me."

Styxx snorted in derision. "That is not the way to motivate me to leave him alone, Chthonian. But it's a hell of a one to make me attack." He met Acheron's swirling silver gaze. Gods, he wanted to bury a dagger right between his brother's traitorous eyes. He really, really did.

Instead, he snatched his sleeve back to show his brother his forearm. "I know what it's like to lose the only thing you love, and to be forced to live without her for eternity. As bad as I want to cut your throat and watch you bleed out at my feet for the insult you just dealt me, I won't see your woman dead for it. Unlike your fucking whore mother, I don't kill innocents."

Both Savitar and Acheron blasted him for that comment. Styxx hit the wall behind him so hard, he broke through part of it. The air left his lungs while pain temporarily paralyzed him. Blood ran from his lips, ears, and nose.

Before Styxx could breathe again, Urian was by his side. His face was a mask of rage as he glared at Acheron. "What are you doing? I asked him here to help you and you kill him? Good job. Both of you. Congrats, you stupid assholes."

"He insulted my mother," Acheron roared.

"No offense, boss, your mother killed his wife and his son. Instead of putting him through a wall, I want you both to take one second and imagine his loss. I have buried almost every member of my family. And the one thing that truly tore my heart out was losing Phoebe. You mourn your sister, Ash? So did I. Trust me, it ain't shit till you lose your wife, especially when you know you should have been at home protecting her, and not leaving her to die brutally by the hand of your enemies." He turned and helped Styxx extricate himself from the wall.

Styxx stumbled then caught himself. It was so hard to breathe. Every rib felt broken.

"I'm sorry," Urian said. "I shouldn't have asked you to come."

Styxx spat the blood in his mouth on the floor. "Trust me, they're pussies compared to the real Atlanteans I fought."

They went to blast him again.

Holding his arms out, Urian shielded Styxx with his body.

Styxx stepped around Urian then patted him on the shoulder. "I'm not afraid of them. Hits, I can take. After all, I was slapped on the ass the minute I was born, and not a damn thing has changed since."

Acheron curled his lip. "Don't listen to him, Urian. He's a liar and a thief. He was never married. He was only engaged, and he never had a son."

Bitterness choked Styxx as those words infuriated him all the more. "You know nothing about me, brother. After all, I'm just a liar and a thief to you."

Styxx paused as the harsh reality of Acheron's misconceptions slapped him hard. "By the way, tell Artie thanks for the memories. 'Cause now I not only know everything about what really happened to you, I know what you honestly think of me. I would say that one day I would love to return the favor, but truthfully the only person I hate that much is your putrid mother."

Still bleeding inside and out, Styxx wiped his hand across his face and spoke the words to his brother that he used to say to Apollo to drive the god into a murderous fury. "Now either use me, or send me home. I'm in no mood to play."

Savitar took a deep breath as he faced Acheron. "Urian's right. Styxx is the best shot we have at getting her out alive. We don't know what going into Kalosis will do to you, Ash. It could rip out your human soul and leave you nothing but your mother's tool for destruction. If that happens, you're as likely to kill Tory as they are."

Acheron shook his head. "It'll never work. His voice is hoarser than mine. And no one's going to believe I cut my hair off and bleached it blond."

Savitar snapped his fingers. Instantly, Styxx's hair was an exact copy of Acheron's. Long and black. He even had fangs and matching clothes. "I can't mess with his voice. But they can assume you've been screaming insults at them. It would account for the difference."

"That is creepy," Urian said, running his gaze up and down Styxx's body and then Acheron's. "Really creepy."

"He still doesn't move like me."

Styxx scoffed. "People aren't that observant. As you saw in New Orleans."

Savitar inclined his head to Urian and Styxx. "Let's do this, ladies. And Styxx ... for the record, you let anything happen to Tory and I will hand-deliver you to Apollymi for her eternal enjoyment."

Styxx laughed out loud at the impotent threat, which made both Acheron and Savitar scowl at him. "What's she going to do, Savitar? Drag me out into an arena butt-ass naked, make me fight elite Atlantean champions until I can barely stand, set her starving dogs or leopards on me, and then have me publicly fucked for her entertainment? Or better yet, gut me on the floor ... or how about this ... murder my wife and child, and make me live with that for eternity in a dark hole by myself? Sure ... threaten me. Go ahead and make me live in total fear and terror." Flipping Savitar off, he turned to Urian. "Get me out of here."

Urian scowled at him. "You're really not sane, are you?"

"No, Urian. I'm not. A sane man would have told you to go to hell and meant it."

Shaking his head, Urian opened something that appeared to be a giant swirling gold ball. "Walk this way." He stepped into it and vanished.

Without so much as glancing at Savitar or Acheron, Styxx followed. Then wished he hadn't as he fell and was twisted through a bright, pulsing light.

When he finally stopped falling, he was inside a main room that was filled with Daimons and demons.

Beautiful.

Styxx let out a severely annoyed groan. "Great location, Uri," he said under his breath. "Think one of them is willing to sell us a summer home here?"