In the beginning, she'd pitied him and she'd even loved him as a son.
But he wasn't her Apostolos, and the more he was around her, the more she wanted to have her own child with her no matter the cost. She admitted it was her own fault that she'd put a wall between her and Strykerius. And the two of them had used each other to get back at the people they hated.
Now it all had come to this....
The death of his beloved sister.
"I'm so sorry, Strykerius."
He looked up at her, his silver eyes swirling in pain. "Are you? Or are you gloating?"
"I never gloat over death. I may relish it, from time to time, when it's justified. But I never gloat."
"And I don't let challenges like this go unanswered. There will be payback."
"But you owe it to Styxx and Nick, not my Apostolos or his Soteria. Remember that."
* * *
Styxx caught himself against a wall as they reappeared in a large room he didn't recognize. One filled with a huge group of ex-Dark-Hunters and friends of his brother's. A couple he remembered from his brief time in New Orleans. Others he knew only from Acheron's memories.
Acheron launched himself at Soteria and gathered her into his arms. Ironically, it was identical to the way Styxx had once embraced Bethany. Like she was the air he needed to live, and if he loosened his hold even a little bit, he would breathe no more.
But he had foolishly let his Beth go....
Unable to stand the sight and the memories that butchered him, Styxx turned away from them.
"Are you all right?" Acheron asked her.
"I'm fine. Really."
"But we're not," Urian said drily from the other side of the room. "Nick killed Satara while they held Tory."
"He did it to protect me," Tory interjected.
Urian snorted. "We'll put that on the headstone for you. In the meantime Stryker's going to want blood for this. A lot of blood."
Nick scoffed at his dire tone. "No offense, your father doesn't scare me, especially given how bad I want a piece of his hide. Come get some."
Urian looked less than impressed. "I know you think you share powers with him, Nick, but trust me, he didn't give you anything but the leftovers. Not to mention one small thing. No one gets a piece of him until after I do."
Acheron let out a shrill whistle. "Down, children. We have more important things to focus on right now. Save your machismo."
Styxx had to bite back his sarcasm at Acheron's hypocrisy. Funny how his brother didn't see that when it was the two of them fighting.
But then it was always easier to see other people's sins than it was to see your own.
Acheron leveled his glare at Nick. "We have a battle to prepare for. I'm not letting Stryker take Nick."
Nick laughed bitterly. "I don't need your fucking help. I can fight on my own."
Acheron didn't flinch at the hatred in his tone. "I know why you hate me, Nick. I get it. But your mother wouldn't want you to kill yourself again. Hate me tomorrow. Tonight, tolerate me as a necessary evil." His brother slid his gaze to him to let Styxx know that that was all he was to Acheron, too.
A necessary evil he tolerated.
So be it.
Nick shoved Acheron away from him. "This doesn't make us friends."
Acheron held his hands up. "I know." He turned back to Tory and took her hand in a tight grip. Indecision hung there before he spoke and shocked Styxx to the core of his being. "Styxx, take her out of here. Keep her safe."
His jaw went slack. Who are you and where's my psychotic brother?
Tory gaped, too, as she skimmed Styxx with a horrified expression and her thoughts blasted him. You! You're the one I read about who tortured and castrated my Acheron. You're an animal. I hate you!
Styxx couldn't believe they still blamed him for that. Unlike Acheron, he'd die before he ever willingly touched another man's junk. Even to castrate him.
Damn you, Apollo!
But then why damn him for it? Styxx had told the god to do his worst. Apollo had only obliged him. While Estes had begun the hatred Acheron had for him, Apollo had cemented it.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light blinded them. And out of it stepped dozens of Daimons. All of them open for business as they fell into an ancient Greek phalanx.
Stryker came through and his gaze went straight to Urian. "You've betrayed me for the last time." Flicking his wrist, he sent a leaf-shaped dagger right at Urian's heart.
Before it could reach its target, Acheron caught it in his hand. "Take your girls, scream, and run away now, Stryker. It'll save you time later. Believe me, you don't want a taste of me in the mood I'm in."
Stryker took that the same way Styxx would have. With flippant disregard. He ran his tongue over his fangs as if he was savoring the idea of feeding on Acheron. "There's nothing I crave more than the taste of blood." He looked around at the men who stood with Acheron and laughed in derision. "Tonight we feast, Spathi. Attack!"
Urian pulled Tory behind their group as the Daimons swarmed them. Unlike the rest of the men in the room, Styxx was at a serious disadvantage as their enemies attacked with god bolts and psychic powers. His head splitting with pain from all of their thoughts hitting him at once, he shrugged off the heavy overcoat he wore and picked up the nearest blade.
"Stab them in the heart," Urian said to Styxx before he demonstrated how to kill the Daimons.
Another blast of light in the room left them with a huge group of enemy reinforcements. Styxx stabbed the first one to reach him. Only he didn't explode into dust like the Daimon had. "Urian? A little instruction please."
"Demons ... eyes." Urian stabbed a demon between the eyes before he turned and ducked the fangs of a Daimon. "And whatever you do, don't let the demons bite you or they can control you."
See Acheron, it's so much easier when you give me a few important guidelines.
Styxx disarmed a Daimon who held a sword then he spun around and caught him with his dagger. The Daimon exploded all over Styxx.
Stryker went for Nick, but Acheron caught him and the two of them went to the ground, punching with a fury Styxx knew all too well. Glad I'm not the only one you hate that much.
More men arrived. Since they were neither Daimons nor demons, Styxx pulled back until he could determine if they were friends or foes.
A demon launched itself at Soteria. She tried to kick him back, but failed epically. Just as it would have reached her, Julian of Macedon, a longtime friend of Acheron's, was there with a xiphos. He severed the demon's head with one well-placed swing.
Balancing the leaf-shaped blade on his shoulder, Julian turned to face her. "Can you handle a sword?"
"Yes."
"Kyrian!" Julian shouted to his best friend, another blond Greek. "My kingdom for a sword."
Kyrian tossed what appeared to be only a hilt. In one fluid move, Julian caught it and pressed a button on the cross hilt. The blade shot out to just under three feet in length. He handed it over to Soteria. "Daimons have to be stabbed through their hearts. Demons between their eyes, and if you cut the heads off any of us, we all die."
"How do I tell the difference?"
"Most of the Daimons are blond and they explode into dust when you pierce their hearts. Hit the heart and if that doesn't work, try the eyes. If you stab someone who whimpers then hits the ground, you attacked a good guy. Just FYI."
Styxx snorted. The girl gets a tutorial. The one who could actually fight them off was just fodder.
Lovely.
Styxx kept fighting, but the numbers against them were gruesome and the sound of swords clashing brought back horrific images in his mind. Even though they were indoors, he could feel the sticky ground that was saturated with blood. The blood-soaked mud caked in his toes.... The heat of the sun as it mercilessly beat down on his armor to the point that it burned his skin whenever he accidentally brushed against it.
Another flash of light heralded an even larger group of demons and Daimons.
Styxx sighed at the familiar sight. The Atlanteans would drop numbers on them like this. Just when you thought you were thinning them, a thousand more who weren't exhausted from the fight magically appeared.
All he could do was stay focused on the ones who were coming for him-both in front and behind-and make sure they didn't get away to attack someone else.
One of the demons made for Urian's back. Styxx pulled a smaller knife out of the demon body closest to him and used it to pin the new demon between his eyes.
Urian turned to fight as it fell to his feet. He met Styxx's gaze and inclined his head to him.
Styxx whirled and, forgetting he didn't have a hoplon, raised his arm to catch a sword down across it. Hissing, he stumbled back then lunged with the sword in his right hand. His opponent spun and came back immediately with another blow. Styxx narrowly jerked his head away in time. The blade came so close, he felt its breath over his Adam's apple.
He kicked the Daimon back then used his sword to pierce his heart. As he pulled away, he caught a glimpse of Stryker, and the expression on his face was one of controlled fury. He was locked on his target, and in his hand was the one weapon that could kill Acheron.
An Atlantean dagger imbued with the blood of Apollymi and with poisonous ypnsi sap from the darkest trees grown in the forests of Kalosis.