He gripped Simi's hand as they walked around, searching for a marketplace. In human form, she'd taken on an appearance very similar to his. They both had long black hair and while his eyes were the same swirling silver, hers were a light blue. She looked like any small girl out with her father.
"Hey, Simi. I have something for you to eat."
Acheron jerked around at the deep masculine voice that called out to them. There was a tall, dark-haired man whose beard was thick. His skin was dark like a Sumerian and yet he spoke flawless Greek. Acheron held Simi back to keep her from running to him. "Who are you?"
The man stepped around a fallen column to kneel before Simi. He set a basket down at her feet and uncovered loaves of bread, fish and cheese. "I know you're hungry, sweet. Dig in."
Simi let out a squeal of delight before she set on the food with a vengeance.
The man stood up and offered his arm to Acheron. "My name is Savitar."
Acheron frowned at the tattoo of a bird that marked his forearm before he shook it. "How do you know Simi?"
One corner of his mouth lifted. "I know lots of things, Acheron. And I've come to help you learn your powers and to understand your simi demon. She's too young still to be left to callous care and the last thing I want is to see either one of you hurt because of it."
"I would never hurt her."
"I know, but the Charonte have special needs you must understand. Otherwise she could die . . . as could you."
Acheron felt the brush of hackles rise and he wasn't sure why. There was something about this being that rubbed against his god-hood and made him wary. "Are you threatening me?"
Savitar laughed. "I never threaten. I just kill whatever annoys me. Stand down, Atlantean. I'm here as your friend."
Once Simi had devoured every crumb, Savitar picked her up in his arms to carry her while he walked through the crumbled streets. "She's impressive, isn't she?"
"My mother or Simi?"
Savitar laughed. "Both, but I was speaking of your mother."
Acheron looked around and sighed at the destruction his mother had wrought. "Yes, she is." And as they walked Acheron realized something. "I can't hear your thoughts."
"No, you can't. And you never will. You'll find that many of the higher beings of the universe will be silent to you. Some gods, demons, and other special creatures. We all have our secrets, but the comfort to you is that most won't be able to hear yours either."
That was comforting. "Can you hear them?"
"The answer you seek is no, but the truth is, I hear you, Acheron, and yes, I know all about your past."
He cursed at what he didn't want to hear. "What of the others? Will they know my past too?"
"Some will." Savitar shifted Simi in his arms, then paused to look at him. "I don't care about your past, Acheron. It's your future that matters to me. I want to make sure that you have one and that you comprehend how important you are to the balance of power."
Balance of power? "I don't understand."
"Apollo cursed his Apollites."
"And my mother killed them all."
Savitar shook his head. "Many died with Atlantis, but there are thousands of them who have spread over the Mediterranean and who live in many other countries now, including Apollo's own son, Strykerius. All of them have been cursed to die on their twenty-seventh birthday. All of them."
"Then how are they a problem? If they all die in a few years, they'll be extinct."
Savitar stroked Simi's head before he started walking again. "They're not going to die, Acheron. They will live and they will procreate many times over."
"How?"
Savitar sighed before he answered. "A goddess will lead them and show them how to prey on human souls to circumvent Apollo's curse."
Acheron was appalled. "I don't understand. Why would anyone do such a thing?"
"Because the universe is complicated and there's a delicate balance in all things that must be maintained."
"Yes, but if you know these people will die, can't you stop the goddess from teaching them?"
"I could. But it could unravel the very essence of the universe."
Frustration ran deep through Acheron. He didn't understand. Why would someone fail to help another if they had the power to?
Savitar picked up a random stone from the ground and held it in his hand. "Tell me what happens if I throw this with all my power."
Acheron frowned until he saw an image in his head. It was the stone traveling through the air . . . it sped until it hit a man in his shoulder, wounding him. No, not any man. A soldier. His arm now lame, the stone's wound forced him to become a beggar . . .
Eight score people would then die because the soldier could no longer protect them in battles that wouldn't even be fought for years to come. But out of those people who died . . .
"It goes on and on and on," Savitar said. "One tiny decision: Do I throw the rock or do I drop it? And a thousand lives are changed by one innocuous decision." He let the rock fall to the ground.