Gus looked extremely irritated. "I thought you were omniscient. Can't you get it yourself?"
"I come with some restrictions and unfortunately Dimitri is one of those exceptions."
Rubbing his eyes, Gus yawned. "Come in and I'll pull the record for you."
"Gus? Is something wrong?"
Ash closed the door as Olympia came into the room. Tiny and petite, she had long black hair and big brown eyes. "Sorry I woke you."
She smiled as she saw him. "It's all right, Acheron. I know you two probably need me to leave you alone. I'll go back to bed."
"Good night." He followed Gus into his office. "It's a boy, by the way."
Gus grinned proudly. "Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem." He waited quietly while Gus signed onto his work account on the computer.
After Gus jotted down the address, he handed it off to Ash. "I hope this helps."
"It does. Thanks."
Grateful that at least one person was being helpful to him, Ash flashed himself from Gus's house to Dimitri's apartment across town. He took a deep breath as he tried to think of the best way to handle this. He could either teleport into the house and search it while the man slept or he could wake him and ask him where it was . . .
Better to find it while he slept.
Ash entered the small, cluttered flat and paused. At first he thought Dimitri was asleep on the bed, but he didn't hear a heartbeat. Walking closer, he saw the man lying dead, face down in a pool of blood.
"Not good," he breathed, looking around at the chaos that had been left behind as someone tore the place apart during a search.
Ash took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping this time his powers worked. Just as it should have done at Tory's house, he saw everything in sudden crystal clarity.
Three large men dressed in black had barged in on Dimitri, wanting the book. Dimitri had fought and told them nothing, even while they tortured him.
His loyalty to Tory had ended with a silenced gunshot two hours ago.
Ash knelt down beside the body and closed the man's eyes. "Sleep in peace, little brother. The ones who did this will pay. I promise."
The men had left here in frustration after tearing the flat apart. But if they didn't have the journal, who did?
"Matera?"
Are you going to yell at me again, Apostolos?
I'm sorry. A wave of guilt sliced through him as he regretted being short with her. In all his life, his mother and Simi had been the only ones who'd really loved him. Because of that, he hated losing patience with them. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you, but will you please answer me one question?
The book isn't here, pratio. Dimitri gave it to someone else.
Who?
An image of his mother appeared before him. Her swirling silver eyes held sadness and regret. "I would give my life for you and you know that. But I can't answer that question. Its existence is tied too tightly to your own. You are a father yourself. You know that you can't always give your children what they want. I'm sorry, Apostolos."
He wanted so badly to take her hand in his. To feel her touch, just once in his life. "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."
She took a deep breath before she spoke again in a voice that was filled with conviction. "I know what Savitar told you. But he was wrong about one of those outcomes. I won't let anyone kill you. Not again. If anyone comes near you, I will schism the realms and unleash my army for your protection. I am the goddess of destruction and I don't care what happens to this world of man. You are the only thing I love, and I will kill whatever and whoever I have to to save your life."
That wasn't overly comforting. Honestly, he'd rather be dead than suffer any more humiliation. But her love and devotion meant everything to him.
"I love you, Matera."
"Then release me."
He shook his head at the one request he could never fulfill. And it broke his heart. "You will destroy the world if I do."
To her credit, she didn't bother to lie to him. She would omit things and keep vital secrets such as the existence of his daughter from him and the fact that while Simi was the last of her line from Xiamara and the last of the Charontes in the human realm, she wasn't the last Charonte left alive, but his mother had never outright lied.
His mother swallowed. "In anger, I swore to kill Artemis and Apollo for what they did to you should I ever be free of Kalosis again. We both know that if I fail to keep my word, I would perish. So you're right. I would have no choice except to end the world on my release."
"And I have no choice except to keep you there."