“Am I reading this wrong? Or in every play does Styxx end up dead?”
Acheron sighed. “I know. I’m trying, Urian. I don’t want him dead, either, but I can’t think of anything else. Really, I’m open to any suggestion. I guess if there’s any consolation, it is what Styxx wants.”
Well, he was glad his boss was feeling so cavalier about his brother’s life. However …
“Not really what I want for him, seeing how he’s my best friend.”
“Excuse me?” Davyn gave him an offended glare.
“You’re my brother. Shut up.” Urian kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair.
“Rather be a friend. Your friends, you don’t abuse.”
“Stop your whining.”
Ash rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I agree with you, Urian. I’d really rather not do Styxx any more harm either. I’ve racked my brains every which I can, but—”
“I think I know the problem.”
Ash arched a brow at Urian. “Please illuminate me.”
“We’re missing our star quarterback.”
*
“Wait!” Urian shouted as he teleported in and saw that Savitar was about to haul Styxx off to fight. Damn, that was close. Another few seconds, and it would have been too late to stop them.
Panting from his mad dash to get there with Davyn in tow, he doubled over to catch his breath.
Savitar growled. “We don’t have time for this.”
Urian snorted nonchalantly. “Take it up with the bossman. He’s the one who sent me in with a time-out. Acheron has called a team huddle before we make our final play.”
Shaking his head, Savitar let out an exasperated sigh. “Remind me to cancel your ESPN subscription…” He glanced to Styxx with an odd glimmer in his lavender eyes. “Fine.”
The next thing Urian knew, the four of them were back on Savitar’s island with Acheron and Tory, who was feeding crackers to their son. Danger and Alexion were trying to ride herd on Simi and Xirena as they plotted to take Bas’s crackers. And Katra and Sin finished off their cozy little End of the World club.
“They’re not going to wait all day on us,” Savitar warned Acheron. “You know the gods are marching and not waiting.”
“I know, but as I was reviewing the situation with everyone and trying to come up with an alternate plan that didn’t cost Styxx his life, Urian reminded me that we were missing a most vital member of the team.” Acheron pinned his gaze on Styxx. “The quarterback who actually went up against the Atlantean gods and beat the shit out of them.”
Styxx scowled as all heads turned to him. “Since no one has bothered to tell me what I’m heading into, I’ve got nothing.”
Ash looked at Simi, who blushed and grinned sheepishly.
“Well, see, akri-Styxx, it all started when the Simi decided she was gonna give you the promise for your birthday for Christmas. See?”
“Clear as a two-hundred-mile-an-hour sandstorm.”
Ash gave a low, sinister laugh. “Simi decided to wake up the Atlantean gods for you. Wasn’t that considerate?”
Urian bit back a laugh. Ash better be glad Simi was slow to catch that sarcasm or else akri or not, he could have ended up as Charonte barbecue.
Styxx frowned. “Why?”
With an adorable pout, Simi sighed heavily. “Well yous sees, it wan’t s’pposed to be all them gods. Is only s’pposed to be the one. But she won’t get up. Lots of them others gots up and gots ugly, fast. And I means theys as ugly as a gullu in the morning with no barbecue sauce. And the Simi still don’t know why’s the only one I tries to wakes keeps sleeping when it’s so important she gets ups and talks. It’s so confusing.”
Yes, yes, it was. And she was there when it happened.
Sin turned to Savitar. “Hey, I have two gods and a demigod requesting permission to enter your home and join our powwow.”
Yeah, there was a look on the mighty Savitar’s face that said the Sumerian god was about to end up on his menu. “Who?”
“My brother, Seth, and your least favorite god of all time.”
“Noir?”
“Second least favorite,” Sin quickly amended.
Savitar growled low and deep in his stomach—like he was about to give birth to a space alien. “I thought that bastard was dead.”
“Apparently not.”
A tic started in Savitar’s jaw. “Why?”
“Why is he not dead?” Urian asked sarcastically.
Savitar glared at him. “Why are they here?”
Ignoring Urian’s question, Sin shrugged. “They say they can help with this.”
Hands on his hips, Savitar glared at Acheron and then Kat. “Apollymi owes me. Big. And so do you.” Then he looked back at Sin and gave a curt nod.
Urian heard Davyn gasp as he saw Zakar, Sin’s twin brother, appear next to him. But at least they were easy to tell apart since Zakar had longer hair.
The Egyptian god Set had always been a peculiar beast, far different from the rest of his pantheon. One thing being, his dark red hair. Which made sense, Urian supposed, as red was the color that represented evil for them, and Set was the god of evil, darkness, and chaos.
All that bad shit, really.
Tall and muscular, he had an aura of power around him that set Urian’s nerves on edge.
Yet the oddest part was when Zakar nudged Set to look at Styxx. “Now there’s a photo-op expression if ever there was one.”
Urian glanced to the baffled look on Styxx’s face.
They weren’t wrong.
For whatever reason, Set and Zakar transformed into an odd-looking couple, then quickly returned to their immortal appearances.
Okay, then …
Obviously there was some weird inside joke the rest of them weren’t in on.
Set glanced around at them. “Over four thousand years ago, Apollo and his whore mother used my son Seth”—he indicated the red-haired man at his side who had a mop of curls—“to trap me in the desert without his knowledge of what was being done to him and why, and restricted my powers so that the Greeks could take over my pantheon and hand my son over to my bitterest enemy.”
Ah …
Damn, his grandfather just screwed over everyone he came into contact with. Urian passed a disgusted sneer to Davyn. Really, was there any person who didn’t want to jack-slap Apollo into oblivion at this point?
Set clapped his hand on Styxx’s shoulder. “But for Styxx, I’d still be there, chained in the desert, fighting off vultures.” He glanced to his son and his gaze softened instantly. “And my son would still be hating me for something I tried my best to spare him.”
Styxx’s scowl deepened. “Why didn’t you tell me it was you when I freed you?”
“You were in enough pain over Bet. I didn’t want to make it worse on you when I didn’t think I could do anything to fix it or help you. After you did me such a massive favor, the last thing I wanted was to repay you with more pain.”
Set inclined his head to Sin’s brother. “Zakar and I were allies back in the day, which was why I had you take me to his place to recuperate. Since you left, we’ve been trying to find a way to revive my daughter without awakening the other Atlanteans. Ironic as hell that they woke up and she didn’t.”
Styxx scowled. “But Bethany was Egyptian, not Atlantean.”
“From me, yes. Her mother’s Symfora.”
Bug-eyed, Urian exchanged a gaping stare with Davyn at a name they both knew. Symfora was the Atlantean goddess of death, sorrow, and woe.
Styxx let out a long tired breath. “Bethany’s Bet’anya Agriosa?”
Set nodded. “For an obvious reason, she was scared to tell you the truth.”
“I wouldn’t have cared.”
“Good. Because if you want her back, you’re going to have to bleed Apollo and battle the worst of the Atlantean gods for her.”