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October 23, 2012

“ Y ou know this isn’t going to work, right?” Styxx asked akri as they were getting ready to attack the Atlantean gods.

“I’ve had worse odds.”

Simi had seen them, too. Some, she’d barely survived.

“So have I, but most didn’t work out well for me.”

Simi went with them as they teleported to akri’s bedroom in Katateros.

Way back before akra-Tory, 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 king bed. That was because of akri’s paranoia over the awful Apollites killing akri’s sister in Greece.

To this day, akri hadn’t gotten over it. And because he was terrified of losing baby Bas, akri never let Bas sleep alone. In fact, Bas had been almost a year old before akri had allowed him to sleep anywhere other than akri’s chest.

Which was funny but also made Simi very sad. It wasn’t until Bas was born that she realized exactly how paranoid her akri was, and it made her regret all the times in her life that she’d vanished and scared him.

Can you hear me?

Simi nodded at akri so that he’d know she could hear him while he spoke to her and Styxx with his thoughts.

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

That made sense given that if they spoke the Atlantean gods might hear them.

Styxx went to the door and listened. Seth’s “bird” spirit that he normally wore as a tattoo on his chest 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 her akri in their custody.

Simi would eat them all if they dared harm him. It infuriated her to listen to them. They were horrible gods, and Simi was glad that akri and Savitar had reconsidered sending Styxx in as his double.

Akri let out a sigh. They’ve sensed our powers.

Ready? Styxx asked.

Absolutely not.

Styxx rolled his eyes at akri’s humor.

Locking gazes, akri held his hand up in offering to Styxx.

Styxx took akri’s hand and let his brother teleport them into the throne room.

Once inside, Styxx let go of akri’s hand and took his position at his back. He faced Archon, Apollo, and Epithymia while Acheron faced the rest.

Archon rose to his feet. “Well, isn’t this unexpected?” He smirked at Apollo. “We don’t have to play chase, after all. How kind of them to save us time.” He glared at Styxx. “Which of you is Apostolos?”

“I am,” they said simultaneously.

Simi giggled.

Archon growled low in his throat.

“Their eyes,” Apollo said quickly. “Styxx’s are blue.”

Akri turned to stand beside his brother. When they spoke, it was as one. “Not anymore.”

Archon narrowed his gaze on them. “Then we’ll kill you both.”

“No,” Apollo snarled. “That wasn’t the agreement.”

Epithymia made a sound of supreme disgust. “Stand down, both of you. There’s an easy way to get to the truth.” She tugged at the black cord around her neck to show them a small crystal vial. She pulled it over her head and placed it on the arm of Archon’s chair, then manifested a hammer. “This is the heart of Bethany. If the real Styxx doesn’t step forward, I’ll destroy her. Forever.”

Simi gasped as she saw panic spread over Styxx’s face. But somehow, he caught himself. It was only a flash and then he was calm again.

“So, you don’t love her?” Epithymia hovered the hammer over the vial. “Really?”

“You do that, and you lose all leverage over both of us. Her life is the only thing keeping you alive right now.” That had to be Styxx, even though he sounded just like akri.

A light flashed in the room.

Simi expected Urian to show up.

Instead, it was Artemis who popped in beside her brother.

“Oh my!” Artemis exclaimed as she looked at them. “Am I interrupting?”

Apollo seized her arm. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see Acheron. This is his house where he lives. I’m allowed to visit.”

No, she wasn’t. Simi was baffled by the lie. Akri had never allowed the heifer in his home. She wasn’t supposed to be here.

More than that, Artemis wasn’t part of the plan.

At all.

Why was she here?

Archon bellowed in outrage. “This is not his home! This is our temple!”

Blinking her eyes, Artemis gave the older Atlantean an innocent look. “No? Then why are you sitting on his throne? That’s not yours, you know. I was with Acheron when he picked it out and brought it here.”

What? Simi was so confused. The heifer goddess had been nowhere near akri when that had happened.

What game was she playing?

“Why is she here, Apollo?” Archon asked through clenched teeth.

“I have no idea.”

Epithymia went rigid. “Something’s not right…”

“That’s because she’s not my daughter.”

Simi looked over to see Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, entering from a side door.

And as she watched her, a horrible thought entered the Simi’s mind. If that wasn’t Artemis …

There was only one person it could be. One person who looked enough like Artemis to pretend to be her.

Katra.

Covering her lips, Simi wished Thorn was here. He would know what to do.

“Mom,” Apollo said irritably. “What are you doing?”

Ignoring him, Leto smirked as she approached their group. “Really, Katra? I’m so disappointed in you for this ridiculous charade. But that’s all right.” She looked at Archon. “We don’t need the twins now. Katra is the daughter of Artemis and Acheron. She has the Destroyer’s bloodline and is actually stronger than her parents.”

Leto grabbed Kat and held a dagger to her throat. “So, Acheron, who do we kill? You or your daughter?”

Simi started for the goddess, but before she could take a step, a sonic blast went through the room. One so fierce, it knocked everyone off their feet and slammed Leto against the wall.

Artemis appeared instantly and pulled Kat to safety. “How dare you,” she enunciated each word slowly as she faced her mother. “No one threatens my baby ever! You cow!” She attacked her mother so ferociously, Kat and Simi had to pull Artemis away to keep her from killing Leto.

Akri took advantage of the distraction to use his powers to jerk the vial from Epithymia’s hand. Using his powers, he sent it to Styxx.

Styxx carefully tucked it in his glove.

With a mutual nod, they attacked the Atlanteans closest to them.

The moment they started fighting, Simi realized why she was so important and why pantheons didn’t like to war among themselves. Since the gods pulled their powers from a mutual source, they were fighting in a weakened position, and their powers weren’t working properly.

It was why gods who belonged to more than one pantheon were stronger. They could call on these additional powers and not be weakened.

Being a Charonte, Simi had an advantage as her powers had nothing to do with theirs at all.

“Katra!” Styxx called as he saw Epithymia going for her back.

She turned the instant Epithymia went to touch her.

Instead of retreating, Kat pulled her close and sucked her powers out of her. “You won’t be needing those anymore.”

And as she pulled Epithymia’s powers, her teeth elongated, and her eyes turned demonic red. Her skin began to swirl like Simi’s.

“Acheron!” Artemis screamed. “The demon’s taking over Katra. Help!”

His face turning white, akri met Styxx’s gaze.

“She’s more important than I am,” Styxx said. “Get her out of here.”

Simi ran cover as akri ran to his daughter to get her to safety.

“Follow us, Simi.”

Unsure, Simi looked back at Styxx who’d manifested a hoplon to deflect their god-bolts as he covered their retreat.

“Shouldn’t I stay, akri?”

“No.”

Still not sure if this was the right thing to do, Simi teleported with them back to Savitar’s island.

Akri handed Katra off to Sin. “Something from the old demon bite interacted with Epithymia’s powers. I drained her, but she needs to feed.”

Sin nodded grimly as he took her and vanished.

Breathless from the fighting, Simi looked at the others in the room who were supposed to have been there with them, protecting Styxx.

“What happened?” akri asked.

Set growled. “We’re locked out. If you’re not Greek or Atlantean, forget it. Only Katra had the ability to get to you. And even then, it wasn’t easy for her to teleport in.”

Oh … that explained it. Since the Charonte served the Atlanteans, Simi had been able to go.

“I couldn’t get in either,” Urian said. “You’re all he’s got, boss.”

“Simi, return to me.”

She immediately laid herself over akri’s heart as a dragon-shaped tattoo.

Xirena bit her lip. “Me, too, akri?”

“Absolutely.”

Akri glanced around at his allies. “I’m weakened. Every time I strike them, it drains a portion of my god powers—and the weapons Artemis brought might work on Apollo, but they’re shite on the Atlanteans. We are in over our heads, and I won’t lie, it’s ugly. So, who wants to try to go in with me and save my brother’s life?”

They all stepped forward.

“All right. Here goes nothing.” Closing his eyes, akri summoned all the powers he could and teleported them back to Katateros.

As soon as they returned, Simi peeled herself from akri’s body and flew above the blood-soaked floor. It looked like the Malachai and his army had been here.

But what concerned her the most was the sight of Styxx’s phoenix shield. Twisted and bent out of shape, it was in the middle of the largest pool of blood.

Had they killed him?

Blood was smeared to the doors as if a struggling body had been dragged through them.

Simi’s heart pounded as she feared for her akri-copy.

Two of them ugly Atlanteans, Demonbrean and Ilios, lay moaning on the ground near Apollo who wasn’t in any better shape. Simi hoped Styxx had beat the crap out of the Greek god before they’d overpowered him.

And he better be okay, or the Simi would eat all of their heads …

Without barbecue sauce! That was how angry she was.

Off to the side, Epithymia sobbed uncontrollably and hadn’t moved from her spot where she’d fallen after Kat had drained her powers.

As Styxx had predicted in Savitar’s kitchen, Dikastis stood calmly in the shadows and appeared to have not fought at all.

Akri went to him first. “Where’s my brother?”

Raw anger flared in the god’s eyes. “They took him to the temple arena.”

Akri glared at him. “Why aren’t you with them?”

The Atlantean shrugged. “I’m a god of justice. I will not participate in something that’s wrong and undeserved.”

Akri took a moment to consider that. “Will you fight with us then?”

Dikastis nodded without hesitation.

Simi paused at the entrance of a temple she’d never been inside before. But she knew it.

This was where akri had confined Styxx when he’d brought him to Katateros. The temple that Styxx had hated.

“What is this place?” akri asked.

Dikastis let out a long breath. “It’s our arena where we held games and competitions, and where we brought those who needed to be punished and taught humility.”

Simi wanted to cry. That meant that this was where akri-Styxx had been held when he was a human. How awful for him to be back here with the ones who’d abused him.

Akri swept his gaze over Simi, Urian, Dikastis, Seth, Set, Maahes, Cam, Zakar, and Xirena. “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.”

Simi couldn’t agree more, especially because she knew how important Styxx and Bethany were.

One day in the future, their daughter, Nekoda, would come back in time to help save Nick Gautier from becoming the scary Malachai. This was more important than any of them knew.

“What do you want from me?” the Atlantean god asked.

Akri sighed. “Help us any way you can.”

Simi looked around, wondering where the other gods were. How strange that none of them Atlanteans had come out to challenge them on their arrival. They should have been out here, tossing a fit and screaming.

Yet it was eerily quiet as they entered the building.

Inside the dark hall, a feral wind howled and plastered their clothes against their bodies. It was so fierce that it forced Simi to tuck in her wings.

Her sissy too.

Where was the wind coming from? It made no sense and because it was so intense it took them several minutes to make it to the arena.

Once there, Simi understood the ugly wind. It had pinned down all the gods. No one was standing.

No other than Styxx. He was held up while a ghosty woman dressed in red wrapped around him and held a dagger over his heart.

She sort of looked like Bethany, and yet Simi wasn’t sure.

Set moved forward, through their group. “Bathymaas! No!”

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 finally spoke, she used Atlantean only. “Take your bastard back, Apollymi. Now come and face me, you wretched dog, so that I can bathe in your putrid blood! Taste my vengeance and choke on it!”

Simi couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Akri-Styxx’s love was stabbing him?

How was this possible?

But Bethany didn’t see Styxx. She only saw akri.

And for once, Apollymi answered Bethany’s summoning. In the same ethereal shade form she used whenever she visited akri or Simi, she stood over Bethany. “What have you done?”

Bethany 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 my precious 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.”

Recognition darkened Bethany’s eyes. She turned back toward Styxx’s body and paled. “You lie!”

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

There was no denying the fact that Bethany had killed Styxx.

Leto’s laughter filled the room. “Poor Bathymaas … you are damned again by your own hand.”

The angry Greek goddess materialized behind Bethany and ripped a necklace from her neck.

Set ran for them, but before he could close the distance, Leto joined the necklace with another piece she had.

Cocking her head, Simi tried to understand what the goddess was trying to do.

“Now I will be the soul of justice, and you’ll … You’ll…” Leto frowned as the two pieces fought against each other like two magnets that were repelling. “What? Why isn’t this working?”

Akri met Urian’s gaze and jerked his chin toward the pinned gods.

Urian nodded in understanding and made his way toward them.

Akri had just started for Styxx when all of a sudden, Styxx gasped and arched his back as if something possessed him.

The knife Bethany had buried in his chest shot through the air and landed harmlessly on the ground near Leto’s feet. Light streamed out of the wound, sealing it closed.

In the next heartbeat, a shockwave went through the room, knocking everyone off their feet, except akri.

Gaping, Simi hovered over the floor as she realized that this was just like the time in New Orleans when Styxx had tried to kill her akri. Only then, Simi had wrapped around her akri to protect him.

This was what happened when a god tried to kill a Chthonian. It was a freaky rebirth they had that would bring them back from death.

The chains that held Styxx in place shattered, sending shrapnel in all directions. Simi ducked, grateful they missed her as they struck the wall right beside her and shattered glass.

Styxx rose to hover over the floor.

“What’s happening?” Archon roared.

No one answered as lightning bolts shot from Styxx’s body, blowing out the windows and ripping the doors from their hinges. Bolts of light pierced Styxx’s eyes and mouth. They exploded through his body like a beautiful light show.

Simi started to go to Styxx to help him like she’d done her akri, but akri held her back.

“No, Simi. He might hurt you.”

She had a hard time believing that. Styxx would never hurt his Simi.

Instead, akri teleported himself to where Styxx hovered.

Simi cringed, praying her akri didn’t get hurt.

Or worse, dead.

The moment Bethany saw what akri was doing, her nostrils flared with anger. “You!”

But akri caught her with his powers and held her in place. “Kill me and Styxx dies, too. Is that what you want?”

“Kill them both!” Leto shouted, still trying to put the two halves of the Egyptian heart together.

Bethany rose up as if she’d obey Leto, but then her gaze went to Styxx, and she calmed instantly. “What do I do to save him?” she asked akri in an anguished tone.

“You have to ground him. Make him aware of who and what he really is outside of his powers.”

“How?”

Akri shook his head. “I have no idea. I’ll try and hold him, but you have got to reach him, or those powers will rip him apart and destroy us all.”

Simi wanted to help but had no idea how to do so.

Bethany stepped back and cleared the way for akri to launch himself at Styxx. When his brother went to hit him, akri embraced Styxx with everything he had.

Styxx bellowed furiously as he tried to break free.

Bethany appeared in front of Styxx and cupped his face in her hands. “Styxx? Can you hear me?”

A hurricane blast went through the room with enough force that it knocked Bethany back and sent Simi careening into a wall.

Akri held on to Styxx and grabbed Bethany by the hand before the mean wind carried her away.

Styxx shoved akri way and turned on her with a murderous glint in his blue eyes.

Simi held her breath, expecting the worse.

Instead, Bethany kissed him.

Styxx pulled back to look down at the woman in his arms. “Beth?”

She smiled warmly up at her long-lost husband. “Are you with me, akribos!”

“I’m not sure. Am I dead?”

Bethany laughed. “I don’t know. Am I?”

“No!” Leto screamed as she ran for them.

Without hesitating, akri intercepted her. But as soon as he neared her, she stabbed him through his stomach with the same Atlantean dagger laced with ypnsi sap that Bethany had used to kill Styxx.

Fury went through Simi as she saw that goddess dare to do what should never have been dared. She stabbed her akri.

While the poison was fatal to mortal beings, it was a potent miasma for the gods, and it was the same serum Apollymi had used on the evil Atlantean gods to lock them in their deathlike limbo.

Akri staggered back and fell to his knees.

The Simi and Styxx ran to him.

“Acheron?” Styxx said, cradling his head.

“Simi!” akri called, ignoring his brother.

She knew instantly what he wanted and why he called her. What she needed to do to save him. “Simi on it, akri!”

Teleporting to Kalosis, she went to Sarraxyn so that she could get the three leaves from the Tree of Life once more. But while she did so, akra-Apollymi remained strangely quiet and reserved.

Simi paid it no attention as she quickly gathered what she needed and returned to poor akri who was completely gray and frozed on the ground. He looked terrible!

Not wanting to think about that, Simi handed the leaves to Styxx.

“What do I do with these?” he asked her.

Apollymi’s ghosty form moved to stand over them so that she could make sure her son wasn’t harmed. “Twist them until they’re moist. Then drip nine drops into Apostolos’s mouth.”

Styxx hesitated. “What happens if I do ten by mistake?”

“Let’s not find out.”

Simi couldn’t agree more. Holding her breath, she watched as akri-Styxx carefully put nine drops in akri’s mouth.

As soon as the ninth one hit his lips, the color slowly returned to the whole of his body.

Simi smiled in relief.

Groaning, akri opened his eyes, then grimaced. “Next time, add peppermint flavoring somebody. That is the nastiest-tasting crap on the planet.”

Simi laughed.

“You’re not seriously complaining that I brought you back. Are you?” Styxx asked.

“Yes, and no. Taste it for yourself. It’s worse than eating one of Urian’s shoes.”

Snorting, Styxx held his hand out to his brother. Akri took it and allowed him to pull him to his feet.

Simi was thrilled. This was the first time she’d seen them as actual brothers.

Forever and always. It made her happy that akri and his copy were in the same room and not trying to kill each other.

Akri hugged Styxx close, then stepped back to leave him to his Bethany.

Styxx turned and wrapped his arms around her. “I told you I’d come back for you, my goddess. That nothing would stop me.”

“Yes, but did you have to drag your feet? Seriously?”

Styxx laughed. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to get used to living with me right here. I will never again let you go. Just consider me a large exterior growth on your body.”

Bethany nodded. “I am so glad to have you back. I just wish we had our son with us.”

“I know, precious,” he breathed.

“Uh … about that.”

Simi looked at Apollymi. Never in her life had she heard such a tone from the goddess. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear akra-Apollymi was anxious about something.

Styxx stepped back to glare at her. “What?”

“Remember my promise to you, Styxx?”

“That you’d make everything right if I survived? Yes. I remember that.”

Apollymi glanced at Simi, then akri before she spoke again. “I didn’t kill your son. I wanted to. Desperately. But as I looked down at that tiny, beautiful baby, I saw my Apostolos and I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him.”

Bethany gasped. “He lives? Where is he?”

Apollymi’s gaze went to Urian who turned around to look behind him.

Simi’s jaw dropped in understanding. That was why the goddess had always been so fond of Urian.

“Urian is Galen?” Styxx asked.

Urian shook his head. “It’s not possible. I was born before they died.”

“No, you weren’t.” Apollymi smiled sadly. “Strykerius told you that because he didn’t want you to know that you and your brother were the first Apollites born cursed. And that was my fault. I intentionally chose Strykerius’s wife because I thought it the perfect revenge that Apollo should look after Styxx’s child given what he’d done to him … in both lifetimes. I had no idea Apollo would curse all of you over the death of a woman he really couldn’t stand. Like Apostolos and Styxx, your blood mingled with that of Strykerius’s real son, and that made you a part of Strykerius, too. You, child, are the only being alive who is part human, Atlantean, and Apollite … and you carry in your veins the blood of three pantheons and gods.”

Urian was as aghast as Simi was to hear that. “Does Stryker know?”

The goddess nodded. “I told him long ago—after you were grown, and he wondered about some of your heightened abilities—that you were very special to this world, but not who your real parents were. Your unique bloodline was why the evil souls you once lived on didn’t infect you at all. Why you could go longer between feedings than others of your kind. It’s also why Strykerius cut your throat instead of stabbing you in the heart. Unlike other Daimons, you wouldn’t have died from a heart wound. Only blood loss could kill you.”

Urian looked at akri. “Did you know this?”

“I knew it was odd that Stryker cut your throat instead of stabbing you, but no. I had no clue you were my nephew. My mother”—he passed a peeved glare at her—“never mentioned it to me.”

Urian scowled. “Man, I’m messed up right now. My best friend is my father? The man I idolized as a kid … whose tattoo is on my arm … And he’s younger than me. Yeah, I don’t think I can handle this. Mind-wipe me, somebody … please! Where’s that dragon from Sanctuary? Simi, go get Max. I need him.”

Simi laughed at his order. Though honestly, she couldn’t blame him. It was hard to believe Apollymi had done something so mean.

Bethany approached Urian tentatively so that she could study him. His hair was lighter than Styxx’s. He wasn’t quite as tall as his father, but he had the same expression now that Styxx wore whenever he was irritated or confused. She placed a gentle hand on his cheek as she stared up at him. “I see your father in you. My baby’s beautiful. Just like I knew you’d be.” She pulled him into her arms and held him tight.

Simi felt for the goddess who hadn’t been alive to raise her son. Urian was a good man and one Simi called friend. He was good quality people, and she was glad that he now had his real parents.

“I hate that I missed seeing you grow, but I do love you … Urian.”

In spite of what Urian had said, he held on to his mother as if she’d raised him.

Styxx wrapped his arms around both of them.

Simi looked over at her sissy and smiled. She was glad that Styxx had found his family and even gladder that akri had his brother again.

Just like she had hers.

They had saved Styxx and Bethany. She was so glad to know that they’d kept the future intact.

Because one day, Simi wanted to see Nekoda again.

Most of all, she wanted Nick to be the Malachai who saved the world. Not the one who destroyed it.