’Cause face it, for thousands of years, Alexion had been the only person Ash had allowed in his home besides Simi. Of course, that had been out of profound guilt since Alexion had been one of the first Dark-Hunters Artemis created. And when Ash had tried to make Alexion human again to return him to his family, Ash had royally fucked it up.
To spare Alexion an eternity of extreme pain and torture, the best Acheron could do for him was an eternity spent in a quasi-ghost existence by using his own blood to bind Alexion here.
Too bad Savitar hadn’t explained those powers to Ash sooner. It would have saved both of them a lot of grief.
But at least Alexion wasn’t in constant pain and misery. And now he had Danger here for company.
Yet that wasn’t what Urian found disturbing.
Oh no … Not by a long shot.
In all the centuries he had lived, the most terrifying thing ever was the fact that the leader of the Dark-Hunters—the head badass, son of the Destroyer, was sitting there playing …
“‘Push’?” By Matchbox Twenty? Seriously?
Urian stared aghast at Alexion. “What’s the deal with the bossman?”
Alexion shrugged. “I don’t know. He came in last night with a book, went to his room to read, I suppose, and then he came out here this morning and has been playing … those songs ever since.”
Urian was stunned. Those songs were ballads, which Acheron never played.
Godsmack, Sex Pistols, T.S.O.L., Judas Priest, but not …
“Is that…” Urian physically cringed before he spat out the name, “Julio Iglesias?”
“Enrique.”
Urian grimaced in horror. Both at the fact that Acheron was playing it and that Alexion knew it. “I didn’t even know he knew any mellow shit. Dear gods … is he ill?” Was the world coming to an end?
’Cause if it was, he had some stuff he needed to pack and e-mails and Internet history to delete.
“I don’t know. In nine thousand years, I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Urian shuddered. “I’m beginning to get scared. This has to be a sign of the apocalypse. If he breaks out into Air Supply, I say we sneak up on him, drag him outside, and beat the holy shit out of him.”
Alexion snorted. “I’ll let you and the demons do that. I personally like my semiliving state too much to jeopardize it.”
Ash looked up and pierced them both with a malevolent glare. “Don’t you two girls have something better to do, like pick toe lint?”
Urian gave him a taunting grin. “Not really.”
Ash growled a low warning, and just as he appeared ready to tear into them, his phone rang. Leaning his head back, he sighed in frustration.
Urian smirked at Alexion. “Five dollars it’s Artemis.”
Alexei checked his watch. “This time of day, it’s a Hunter. You’re on.”
Urian frowned as they watched him closely. “Well, he’s not getting pissed, so it’s definitely not Aunt Artie.”
“Yeah, and the tic hasn’t started in his jaw, so I don’t think it’s a Hunter … what the hell?”
Acheron ignored them. “What time?”
They both exchanged an exaggerated gape at his unorthodox question.
“Say what?” Urian asked.
“I’ll be there.” Acheron hung up, started to slide the phone into his pocket, and then pulled it out again and dialed it. “I just realized I don’t have your address.”
Now, Urian really was floored. He turned back to Alexion. “Oh yeah, total Armageddon coming. We better duck and cover.”
“I shall see you later then.” Acheron hung up and glared at both of them. “Mind your own business.” Then he vanished.
Alexion let out a nervous laugh. “You know, I would say that Acheron has a girlfriend, but that makes my sphincter clinch.”
“Hey, anything’s possible.”
He laughed nervously. “No, Urian. It’s not. And this definitely isn’t. Trust me. No one wants Acheron dating.”
Maybe, but if Acheron was happy, then maybe he could reconcile him with Styxx and get Acheron to stop paying attention long enough for him to kill his father. Because a morose Ash was a focused Ash. If Urian had learned anything over the last few years, it was that he couldn’t get anything past that bastard. Acheron seemed to be everywhere.
And he watched Urian like a hawk.
But love made men and gods stupid.
It was what had gotten Urian’s entire race cursed. If Ash had a girlfriend, then Urian had a chance for vengeance.
November 1, 2008
Urian woke up to the most glorious smell of bacon. Now that alone almost made living worthwhile. At least it made the fact he was no longer a Daimon worthwhile.
Getting up, he quickly dressed and headed for the kitchen, where Danger and Alexion were in the middle of some heated discussion over something.
“What are we talking about?” Urian asked as he joined them. “Do I smell bacon?”
She sighed irritably. “Teach a Daimon to eat real food and he’s impossible.” She went to make more for him. “We were talking about your houseguest you didn’t mention feeding.”
Urian’s eyes widened as he realized he’d been caught. “Um…”
“Don’t worry. You’re not in trouble. I was just telling Alexion that I think there’s a lot more to him than we’ve been told.”
Grateful that she was being reasonable where Styxx was concerned, Urian nodded. “No shit, right? You know who he is?” he asked Alexion.
He gave Urian a droll stare. “Acheron’s brother.”
Urian returned the stare full force. “You ever heard of the Stygian Omada?”
“I’m Groesian. Of course I’ve heard of them. Who hasn’t?”
Danger looked up from the frying bacon. “Well, I’m French and confused. What’s the Stygian Armada—”
“Stygian Omada,” Urian repeated.
“They were a legendary army that waged war against Atlantis,” Alexion explained. “In all of Greek history, it was the only army that ever fought on Atlantean soil and won. They were practically on the main steps of the palace when they were called back to Greece for peace talks.”
“Yeah.” Urian jerked his chin in the direction of the temple where Styxx was staying. “And brother Styxx was their general the army was named for.”
“Bullshit!” Alexion roared in denial.
“No. Real. I saw the battle scars on him myself. Ash has always said he was from Atlantis. He’s never mentioned the Greek city-state he was born in so I didn’t know.… But Styxx is Styxx of Didymos.”
Alexion gaped. “You’re shitting me.”
Urian shook his head sarcastically.
“Again, French Revolution here. Les Mis, I get. This…” She wagged the spatula. “My extent of Greek history is Troy with Brad Pitt and”—she looked over at Alexion—“Mr. Luscious in his armor.”
Alexion went bug-eyed. “Please don’t call me that in front of Urian.”
Urian laughed, then sobered and explained it to her. “Didymos was the Athens of its day, and Athens was not much more than a big village back then. The largest and strongest of the Greek city-states, Didymos was two border islands that buffered the rest of Greece from Atlantis. And Styxx was the greatest, most successful general in their long and prestigious military history. His battle tactics and the way he ran his army were studied extensively by the soldiers of my time. We all wanted to grow up and be him. In fact, the way he trained and the principles his mentor taught him were the foundation of the Spartans and their military ethics. That’s how good he was. But in all my readings about Didymos and Styxx, I never saw more than one prince mentioned.… Him. And nothing of a princess in anything, not that that was unusual.” He held his hand up to Danger to stop her before she spoke. “And don’t lecture me on ancient stupidity and their treatment of women.… I am not personally responsible for misogynistic ancient writers just because I happen to be male.”
He looked back at Alexion and resumed their discussion. “Because of that, and the fact that he and Ash were babies when they died, I never made the connection that Acheron’s brother Styxx was the leader of the famed Stygian League.” But now that he thought about it, he should have realized that Styxx’s sister was Ryssa. That had been really dense on his part not to put that together.
Alexion snorted. “That explains his arrogance.”
“But he’s not arrogant,” Urian and Danger said simultaneously.
“Yeah,” Urian said, grabbing a slice of bacon, “what she said.”