Styxx (DH #33) (63 page)

So she settled on a lesser reason. “That’s before you brought him to our shores. Now it
is
my business. I am the goddess of retribution and I know when someone deserves to be punished. He conducted himself honorably toward my people. I will not have him debased on Atlantean soil.”

“Fine, send him home. I’ll debase him here.”

Oh yeah, that was what she was after.…

Not even a little.

Bethany wanted to curse at the trap she’d stumbled into. But she couldn’t allow Styxx to be hurt anymore. Not after this. “I want him left alone.”

“What I do in Greece is none of
your
business.”

“And what I do to your Apollites in Atlantis is none of yours … oh, and that list includes those Apollites who are in Greece … such as your son, Strykerius, and his children.”

The color faded from his cheeks. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Please, try me.”

Apollo growled at her. “I still own Styxx.”

“And I want you to release him.”

“No.”

“No?” she asked incredulously.

“He has thrice defied me. Blatantly and without remorse. I will not have a human do that any more than you’d tolerate it. I told him when I started this that I wouldn’t stop until he begged me to. Which he hasn’t. Just three days ago, he laughed in my face and refused to heel. He told me he was enjoying himself immensely and had no intention of begging me for shit, and so let him have his bellyful of fun, I say.” Apollo glared at her as if she was the one who’d laughed at him. “I will not stop until he begs me like a putrid human should!”

Bethany growled at both their obstinacy. Begging wasn’t in Styxx’s nature, and it shouldn’t be. He was a prince and a hero.

“Have you not punished him enough?”

“He told me to do my worst to him. I’m only giving him what he asked for.”

At that moment, she wanted to choke Styxx herself for being so very stubborn. But his defiance and strength were part of what she loved most about him.

Just not today. Today she wanted to murder both Apollo and Styxx.

She glared at the Greek god who really pissed her off. “You are such an asshole.”

“And you’re not? Tell me, Bet’anya, when have you ever taken pity on someone your pantheon sent you out to punish?”

“For your information, I have. I don’t blindly follow anyone’s dictates.”

“Bully for you, and it changes nothing. I have marked him and he stays marked.”

“Fine. Now consider your son and grandsons marked …
By me.”
She turned to go home.

“What!” Apollo roared.

She smiled back at him. “When you’re ready to trade, let me know.”

“Careful what you’re setting into motion, girl.”

“You’re the one who needs to tread carefully,
boy
.” She closed the distance between them so that he could clearly see just how serious she was on this matter. “And remember who my father is. You claim Isis as your mother. I know better. Set
is
my father, uncontested, and unlike your weenie pantheon, he
has
killed and mutilated gods. I not only inherited his powers, but I happen to be the baby girl he adores. His
only
child. When I was born and Archon refused to allow him access to me, he singlehandedly went to war with the Atlanteans and beat the shit out of them until Archon himself agreed to allow my father full visitation rights to me anytime he wanted them. And while I don’t make it a habit of running to my daddy with my problems, I will for this. Are you ready for
that,
Greek?”

The light in Apollo’s eyes said he wanted to put her through a wall. “Fine, you want him free? Get him on his knees and have him beg me for it. Only then will I grant it.”

“Swear to me.”

“I swear by the River Styx that if he gets on his knees and begs me for forgiveness, I will renounce my ownership to him.”

She inclined her head to him then left to return to the barracks where Galen had gone to sharpen his sword. This time, she wore the guise of Athena.

He immediately genuflected to her. “My lady.”

Hating her deception, Bethany took his hand and pulled him to his feet. “There is someone we both love who needs us, Galen.”

“Styxx?”

She nodded. “The man you’ve seen here for the last year wasn’t him. But rather an imposter sent by the gods to play havoc with his life.”

“I knew it … I knew my prince wouldn’t be so rude and harsh.” His nostrils flared. “Apollo, you bastard.”

“You know?”

“I suspected. He has plagued the prince since the day Styxx killed his grandson in battle.”

“And he has exacted a very nasty vengeance upon him. Since Styxx hasn’t been home and no one other than the three of us know it, I don’t want to put him right back into the palace. He needs to be someplace with someone I can trust to help him adjust to being free again. And he needs time to physically heal from what has been done to him.”

“I would do anything for my prince.”

Grateful to the old man, she inclined her head to him. “I will bring him to you tomorrow, but be warned, he is much changed.”

“Thank you, my goddess.”

Patting his arm, she left to return to her temple.

As she started into her bedroom, she caught her true reflection in the black marble of her walls. Styxx hadn’t handled seeing her as Bethany very well and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him more. Swallowing, she changed forms again to a blond Apollite then she opened the door.

At first she didn’t see him. It wasn’t until she realized her balcony door was open that she knew where he’d gone.

She pushed the door farther ajar to see him sitting in a corner with his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. Appearing more vulnerable than she’d ever seen him, he stared out across the valley and was so still he looked more like a statue than a fierce warrior prince.

“Styxx?”

He said nothing, but he glanced over to her. She walked slowly toward him.

Unmoving, he watched her warily.

“On your behalf, I’ve made a deal with Apollo for your release.” She knelt by his side. “He wants you to beg him for it. On your knees. Can you do that?”

He scoffed bitterly as if he didn’t believe her at all. “Sure. Why not? What does it matter now?”

She reached to brush his hair back.

He caught her hand in his and stopped her from touching him. The self-loathing and shame in his eyes burned her soul deep. “What fee do I owe you for your services, goddess? You want to fuck me, too? Publicly or privately? Or would you rather I pay you in blood? I would offer you my soul, but it’s already damned.”

None of that was what she wanted. What she missed. “What of your heart?”

He glanced down to the necklace wrapped around his wrist and winced. “I gave it away a long time ago and it was crushed and broken. I have nothing else to offer you.”

“Would you give me your friendship?”

Styxx blinked slowly before he looked away. “I have no understanding of that word.”

“None?”

He shook his head.

“Tell me of this woman who has your heart. Could you ever forgive her for hurting you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

That was so not true. It mattered greatly to her. “Why?”

He withdrew back into himself.

Bethany wanted to touch him, but she knew he wouldn’t welcome it. Not the way they’d all used him. “Will you not answer me?”

“What do you want me to say,
akra
?”

She flinched at the Atlantean term that meant “lady and master.” It was a slave’s term they used for their owners.

“I’m just a whore and a dog. I matter to no one and I have no feelings.” His emotionless tone ripped out her heart.

You matter to me.…

Her gaze fell to the scars that crisscrossed his entire body. To the brand marks that lined his left side from armpit to thigh. Then she glanced to the jagged one above his heart that she used to always make a point of kissing. The stab wound his mother had given him when he’d taken his gift to her.

How many times had she told him that she’d never hurt him and yet she had done as much damage or more than they had. She’d walked away and abandoned him when she knew he had no one else to love and comfort him.

I have no right to ask for your forgiveness.

She’d been too careless with a most precious gift. His heart.

A tear fell down her cheek as she remembered the first time he’d told her that he loved her.

Sitting by her stream, she’d been leaning against him in the circle of his arms. He’d taken her hand in his and drawn an Egyptian heart shape over the center of his chest.

“Hector, what are you doing?”

“I’m giving you my heart, my lady, but please be gentle with it. It’s brand new and unused.”

“You’re so silly … Precious, but silly.”

“As long as I make you smile, I will always be a fool for the woman I love.”

“You love me?”

“Like the full moon loves the night. I might always be around, but I only shine in your presence. And no matter where you go, I will follow you, even if I’m a million miles away.” He’d held her hand to his chest for her to feel his heart beating. “And this part of me will never belong to anyone else. I don’t give gifts lightly and I never take them back.”

That day seemed like a century ago to her and she could only imagine how much worse it was for him.

“Is there anything I can get for you, Highness?”

He frowned as if he didn’t understand the question.

“If I brought you food, would you eat it?”

Again no response. So she conjured him a bowl of apples and set them beside him. Bittersweet memories tugged at her heart as she remembered how often he’d bring apples when they met. He’d use his dagger to cut them into slices then gallantly feed them to her.

“Why do you like apples so?”

At first she didn’t think he’d answer then he whispered, “Easy to carry.”

“Is that the only reason?”

He swallowed, but still didn’t meet her gaze. “When I was a child, my father would send me to bed without dinner whenever I disappointed him. Which was a lot. So my brother would sneak apples to me before he went to sleep. They remind me what it’s like to have someone who loves me.”

Those words wrung a sob from her. “But you never talk about your brother.”

He laughed bitterly. “There’s no need to. He hates me now.”

“Why?”

“Acheron thinks that just because he has it bad, I have it good.”

“Does your brother not see the truth?”

“People make their own reality, goddess. We hate and we love for reasons that are known only to us.”

And this was what she’d missed most about him. His heart and his intelligence. They’d spent countless hours talking about ideas and human nature. Philosophy. He could speak to her in numerous languages and whenever there was a Greek word she struggled with, she could use the Egyptian or Atlantean and he’d translate it for her.

“You still haven’t told me your price, goddess.”

She conjured him a platter of meat, fruit, and bread with a kylix of wine. “Eat for me.”

Even though she could hear how hungry he was, he hesitated. Dear gods, what had they done to his food that he was so afraid to take any?

A sad shadow of resignation darkened his eyes. He picked up a slice of venison and ate it. Once he was sure it was safe, he forgot all manners and dug in to the rest of the food. She winced at the sight of her refined, dignified prince eating like a rabid animal.

And he cleared the whole platter. There wasn’t even a crumb left.

“Would you like more?”

He shook his head then licked his fingers.

“Are you sure?”

Suddenly aware of his lack of decorum, he reached for the napkin and wiped his hands and mouth. He looked so tired and defeated. She ached to hold him and soothe his pain.

When he yawned a second later, she frowned as she caught a strange light of something.… “What’s that?”

He returned her scowl. “What?”

“Open your mouth again.”

He did and her heart wrenched. Someone had pierced a row of small silver balls down the center of his tongue. Her vision turned dark at the sight. It was a common practice in Atlantis to do that to sex slaves.

“Who did that to you?”

The shame in his eyes made her own tear up. “Apollo when he took me to Olympus.”

She’d felt them earlier when they kissed and he’d licked her breast, but hadn’t realized at the time what it was. Now that she knew, she wanted blood. “Would you like me to remove them?”

“Your will is my will,
akra
.”

Bethany touched his lips with her fingers and used her powers to dissolve them.

Styxx took her hand in his and held her wrist to his nose. “You smell so much like my Beth.”

“I am your Bethany.”

He shook his head and released her.

Sighing, she stood up and held her hand out to him. “Come, Highness. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

He rose without touching her and followed her back to bed. She tucked him in and started humming.

Styxx pressed his hand to his ear. “Why do you mock me?”

“Mock you? How?”

“Please put me back in the arena. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

She was flabbergasted. “You’d rather be chained like an animal than rest in my bed?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

“I don’t want to be reminded of what’s forever lost to me. It hurts enough without your making it worse.” The ragged tears in his voice made her ache as she realized that anything she did that reminded him of her cut him more.

“Very well. I won’t sing. I’ll leave you to sleep in peace.” But that was something much easier said than done. Because he didn’t sleep peacefully. Rather, he tossed and turned as nightmares tortured him. They were even worse now than they’d been whenever he’d napped in their cottage.

And as bad as it hurt for her to see that pain, it was the number of times he called for her in his sleep that sliced deepest. Unable to stand it, she sat on the bed beside him while he fitfully slept and mumbled a heartrending “Bethany.”