Styxx (Dark-Hunter 22)

Lifting his head, Styxx saw the broken ieb shard on Leto's wrist that matched the one Bethany had given him. While his half had held Bethany's bow and arrow emblem, the one Leto wore had the phoenix symbol of Aricles. Two halves of one whole. It was so obvious now, but unless you knew what an Egyptian heart looked like, you'd never guess its origins.

Or its significance.

Leto poured the blood from the vial onto her fingers and waved the ieb over it. Then she wiped it down his other cheek. "History always repeats itself. Poor you to die twice by the hand of the woman you love. And once you're dead, she'll destroy the gods for me." Stepping back, she let out a sharp, piercing ololuge ... a sound used in his time to summon a god's presence when a sacrifice was being offered to them.

All of a sudden, a fierce wind came tearing through the arena. It blew open doors and ripped at his body. Leto stumbled against it.

A baleful howl sounded an instant before a swirling specter joined them. Inhumanly large, it floated on the wind wearing a bloodred cloak. And when it neared Styxx, he realized this was the vengeful spirit of Bethany that had been born after Apollo had tricked her into killing her beloved.

With his gag in place, he couldn't say a word of warning to her. Just as they'd done fourteen thousand years ago, Apollo and Leto had set Bethany up to fall. And to suffer.

Leto pointed to him as she spoke to Bethany. "Behold the bastard son of your enemy who cost your prince his life and existence. Take your vengeance on them both! Rip out the heart of Apostolos!"

Bethany screamed in furious agony.

Styxx's eyes widened as he realized she was going to kill him and there was nothing he could do to stop her.

* * *

Acheron paused at the temple's entrance. It was the same one he'd confined Styxx to when he'd brought him here. "What is this place?"

"It's our arena," Dikastis answered. "It's where we held games and competitions, and where we brought those who needed to be punished and taught humility."

Ash winced as images from Styxx's memories mingled with his.

And I left him here to rot....

For that alone, I deserve to have my name engraved in the lowest pit of hell.

How could he have allowed his own pain to blind him to Styxx's so completely? The knowledge that Styxx had tried to help him when Acheron had been held, and that he had never once reached out to his brother when Styxx had been in captivity, made him ill. How could he have been so cold? So callous?

What spoke highest of Styxx's character was that he'd never sought credit for his actions whenever he'd done something for Acheron or even Ryssa. He'd given simply because it'd been the right thing to do, and personal glory had never mattered to him. Not once.

Meanwhile both Acheron and Ryssa had slapped him for it. Repeatedly. No wonder Styxx had been so eager to kill him in New Orleans. He'd more than earned Styxx's hatred.

But he wouldn't fail Styxx this time.

Ash swept his gaze over Urian, Davyn, Dikastis, Seth, Set, Maahes, Ma'at, Zakar, and the demons. "I don't know what we're about to walk into, but let's move forward with Styxx's original plan. And whatever we do, save my brother."

They nodded in agreement, except Dikastis.

"What do you want from me?" the Atlantean asked.

"Help us any way you can."

But what concerned Ash the most was the fact that none of the Atlanteans had come out to challenge them on their arrival. They had to know they were here. So why were they so quiet while they had this many foreign gods in their domain?

His heart pounding in fear of what awaited them, he entered the building. Inside the dark hall, a feral wind howled and plastered their clothes against their bodies.

It took them several minutes to make it to the arena, and to fight the wind so that they could see what was happening. The Atlanteans were all pinned down.

The moment Ash located Styxx, his stomach hit the floor. A ghostly image dressed in red was wrapped around him and held a dagger over his heart.

"Bathymaas! No!" Set shouted.

Without the slightest hesitation, she sank the dagger deep into Styxx's chest, all the way to the hilt then threw her head back and roared in satisfaction. When she spoke, she used Atlantean only. "Take your bastard back, Apollymi. Now come and face me, you wretched bitch, so that I can bathe in your putrid blood! Taste my vengeance, whore, and choke on it!"

Horrified, Ash looked to Set whose expression was every bit as pain-filled as his own.

They were too late.

Again. Styxx was dead and it was final. The coating on that dagger would kill anything with a heartbeat. Even Styxx. It didn't matter that their life forces were joined. It didn't matter that Styxx held Apollymi's powers. The sap of the ypnsi didn't discriminate. It was absolute.

Tears filled Acheron's eyes as he failed his brother for the last time. Now he would never be able to make amends and show Styxx just how sorry he truly was for the things he'd done to him. And it wasn't until this moment that he realized just how much he had loved his brother, after all. Styxx had been right. They were two halves of a single whole, and the pain of Styxx's loss slammed into him harder than he would have ever imagined possible.

Wishing with all the powers he had that he could bring his brother back, Ash felt a single tear slide down his cheek. I'm so sorry, adelphos. I should have been the brother to you that you were to me.

An image of his mother appeared. It was the same ethereal shade form she used whenever she visited Acheron. "What have you done?"

Bathymaas ran at her and then through her. "Are you afraid to face me?"

Her expression one of deep sadness, Apollymi shook her head. "You did not kill Apostolos." Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Styxx's body. "I am still trapped in Kalosis. The man you killed is Styxx of Didymos."

"No," Bathymaas breathed. Disbelief widened her eyes as she turned back toward Styxx and paled. "You lie!"

Blood dripped from the wound she'd given him and as it did so, it drained Apollymi's powers from Styxx. His hair returned to blond, his skin darkened, and the scars that had been hidden reappeared on his body.

Leto's laughter filled the room. "Poor Bathymaas ... you are damned again by your own hand." She materialized behind Bathymaas and ripped the necklace from where Styxx had placed it before he sent her to Egypt to wait for him.

Set ran for them, but before he could close the distance, Leto put the two pieces together.

"Now I will be the soul of justice and you'll..." Leto frowned as the amulet refused to reunite. "What? Why isn't this working?"

Ash met Urian's gaze and jerked his chin toward the pinned gods.

Urian nodded in understanding and made his way toward them with Davyn in tow.

Ash had just started for Styxx when all of a sudden, Styxx gasped and arched his back as if something possessed him. The knife Bathymaas had buried in his chest shot through the air and landed harmlessly on the ground. Light streamed out of the wound, sealing it closed. In the next heartbeat, a shock wave went through the room, knocking everyone off their feet, except Ash, who'd seen this twice before.