“What is this place?” Acheron asked. Since none of the gods had been around to identify the buildings, he hadn’t known the names of them.
Now that Dikastis, the Atlantean god of justice, was fighting on their team, they were able to get a few answers.
“This is the arena where we held games and competitions. It’s where we brought those who needed to be punished and taught humility.”
Urian cut a vicious glare to Ash. And this was where you put Styxx to rot. Good job, boss. In that moment, Urian could have slapped him for his callousness.
With a guilty glimmer in his silver eyes, Ash swept his gaze over Urian, Davyn, Dikastis, Seth, Set, Maahes, Ma’at, Zakar, and the demons who were with them to fight. “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.”
Yeah, no shit. Urian had lost enough people in his life he cared about. He had no intention of losing anyone else. Not today. And not in the name of Apollo.
Over and over, he couldn’t get the sight of Styxx going up against them out of his mind. That couldn’t be the last image he had of his friend. It couldn’t.
Not after all the other nightmares that haunted him.
So help him, he intended to nail Apollo’s head to the temple walls. And yes, that was plural, because he wanted to cleave it into pieces first.
The others nodded in agreement, except Dikastis.
“What do you want from me?” the god of justice asked.
“Help us any way you can.”
That was all well and good, but what Urian found odd was that none of the Atlanteans had come out to challenge them for being in Katateros. They had to know they were here. It wasn’t like they were, you know … gods, or anything.
So why were they so quiet while they had this many foreign gods in their domain?
The silence was eerie and wrong.
His heart pounding in fear of what they’d find, Urian entered the building behind Ash. Inside the dark hall, a feral wind howled and plastered their clothes against their bodies. He kept his sword at the ready, watchful of where and when an attack might come.
It took them several minutes to make it to the arena, and to fight the wind so that they could see what was happening. The Atlanteans were all pinned down.
What the . .?
Then Urian saw what was going on and his stomach drew tight. A ghostly image was wrapped around Styxx, holding a dagger over his heart.
“Bathymaas! No!” Set shouted.
It was too late. 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 spoke, she used Atlantean only. “Take your bastard back, Apollymi. Now come and face me, you wretched bitch, so that I can bathe in your putrid blood!”
Horrified, Urian looked to Set, whose expression was every bit as pain-filled as his own.
They were too late.
In that moment, Urian felt as useless and helpless as he had the day Phoebe died. When Sheba had gone down beside him.
When Xyn hadn’t shown up.
What good am I?
Suddenly, Apollymi appeared. It was the same ethereal shade form she used whenever she was angry. “What have you done?”
Bathymaas ran at her and then through her. “Are you afraid to face me?”
Apollymi shook her head. “You did not kill my 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.”
“No,” Bathymaas breathed. Disbelief widened her eyes as she turned back toward Styxx and paled. “You lie!”
Blood dripped from the wound Bathymaas had given him and as it did so, it drained Apollymi’s powers out of Styxx. His hair returned to blond, his skin darkened, and the scars that had been hidden reappeared on his body.
Urian felt his eyes water as pain racked him. Another friend gone. For no good reason.
Leto’s laughter filled the room. “Poor Bathymaas … you are damned again by your own hand.” She materialized behind Bathymaas and ripped the necklace from her throat.
Set ran for them, but before he could close the distance, Leto put the two pieces together.
“Now I will be the soul of justice and you’ll…” Leto frowned as the amulet refused to reunite. “What? Why isn’t this working?”
Ash met Urian’s gaze and jerked his chin toward the pinned gods.
Because of the pain, it took Urian a second to catch on. Then he nodded in understanding and made his way toward them with Davyn in tow.
Ash had just started for Styxx when all of a sudden, Styxx gasped and arched his back as if something possessed him.
Urian froze with a frown.
The knife Bathymaas had buried in his chest shot through the air and landed harmlessly on the ground. Light streamed out of the wound, sealing it closed. In the next heartbeat, a shock wave went through the room, knocking everyone off their feet, except Ash.
A slow smile spread across his face.
The chains that held Styxx in place shattered, sending shrapnel out in all directions. Urian drove for Davyn to protect him. Styxx rose to hover over the floor as all the gods were pinned down.
“What’s happening?” Archon roared.
No one answered as lightning bolts shot through Styxx’s body, blowing out the windows and ripping the doors from their hinges. Bolts of light pierced Styxx’s eyes and mouth. They shot through his body.
Simi started to go to Styxx, but Ash held her back.
“No, Sim. He might kill you.” Ash teleported himself to where Styxx hovered.
The moment Bathymaas saw him, her nostrils flared with anger. “You!”
When she moved to attack him, Ash caught her with his powers. “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 heart together.
Urian would laugh if it weren’t so pathetic. He let go of Davyn.
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?”
“You have to ground him. Make him aware of who and what he really is outside of his powers.”
“How?”
Ash shook his head. “Damned if I know. I’ll try to hold him, but you have got to reach him or those powers will rip him apart and destroy all of us.”
Nodding, she stepped back and cleared the way for Ash to launch himself at Styxx. When his brother went to hit him, Ash embraced him with everything he had.
Styxx bellowed furiously as he tried to break free.
In her Bethany form, his wife appeared in front of Styxx and cupped his face in her hands. “Styxx? Can you hear me?”
Another blast went through the room as something like a hurricane swept through it. Ash held on to Styxx and Bethany.
Urian tried to anchor himself and protect Davyn.
Styxx shoved Acheron away and turned on her with a murderous glint in his blue eyes.
Urian saw the fear and uncertainty in Bethany’s eyes. Then she did the most unexpected thing of all.
She kissed him.
Styxx froze for a full minute. Urian held his breath, terrified it wouldn’t work.
Then Styxx pulled back. “Beth?”
She smiled at him. “Are you with me, akribos?”
“I’m not sure. Am I dead?”
She laughed. “I don’t know. Am I?”
“No!” Leto screamed as she ran for them.
Without hesitating, Ash intercepted her. But as soon as he neared her, she stabbed him through his stomach with an Atlantean dagger laced with ypnsi sap. While the poison was fatal to mortal beings, it was a potent toxin for the gods, and it was what Apollymi had used on her family to lock them in limbo when she’d confronted them over her son’s death.
Ash staggered back and fell to his knees.
Styxx ran to him. “Acheron?”
“Simi!” he called, ignoring his brother.
“Simi on it, akri!” She vanished.
Acheron’s body was quickly turning gray as the poison spread from the wound to the rest of him. His eyes flared red as he cupped Styxx’s cheek and pulled him closer.
Before anyone realized what Acheron intended, Ash sank his fangs into Styxx’s neck and handed over his powers for Styxx’s use. He pulled back and locked gazes with Styxx. “Kick their fucking asses, brother.”
Urian applauded him, then moved to finish off Phanen.