Styxx (DH #33) (68 page)

Frowning up at his father, Styxx wiped the blood from his lips.

“I know what you did last night. Damn you for it!”

Baffled, Styxx tried to think what about
that
would have his father so enraged. He’d spent the entire night with Bethany in their cottage.

Just the two of them.

“The next words out of your mouth had better be the names of your coconspirators.”

I’m missing something here.…

“What—”

His father backhanded him again. “Their names! Now!”

“Whose?” Styxx held both hands up as his father went to hit him again. “Please, Father. I don’t know what you’re asking about. What do you think I’ve done?”

Tears glistened in the king’s eyes. “You betrayed me!”

“How?”

“You were seen! Last night. Overheard plotting
my
death with your friends!”

Styxx was aghast. While the thought of killing the old bastard had occurred to him on multiple occasions, he’d
never
be stupid enough to mention it out loud. Was his father insane?

Never mind the fact that his list of friends was only two.

Galen and Bethany.

“And you believe that?”

This time when his father went to hit him, Styxx dropped him to the floor and pinned him there.

The guards moved in to attack. With the skills he’d honed this past year while battling Atlanteans in the arena, Styxx grabbed the first one to reach him and disarmed him before knocking him out then he kicked the second one into the wall. He pulled the dagger off the guard’s belt, twirled with it, and buried it in the stones less than an inch from his father’s shocked face.

Not even breathing heavily, Styxx rose to his feet and glared down at his father. “If I wanted you dead,
Majesty
 … you would be dead already. By
my
hand. While I know you don’t think much of me, I
am
your
protostratelates
. And I am the sole Greek commander who led an army into Atlantis and would have had them on their fucking knees in tribute to you and Greece had
you
not recalled me.
I
did that, Father. Alone. Pray to the gods you adore and that I spit on that you
never
face my full skill set when it comes to taking a life. Believe me, I don’t need help killing you. But I don’t want your fucking useless crown. If I did, I’d have taken it the day I rode home leading
my
army through the gates of Didymos.”

Styxx stepped back and held his arms out to the sides of his body while his father pushed himself to his feet. “But I’m not going to argue this. I’m done begging for your love or anything else from you. If you truly think me guilty, execute me. I’ll gladly walk to the block and lay down my head for the executioner’s axe. Right now.”

His breathing labored, his father looked from the dagger in the floor to Styxx and back again. “How did you…? That’s stone.”

Styxx laughed bitterly. “I’ve cracked skulls through iron and bronze helms, struck off limbs with a single blow, and shattered shields a lot stronger than that.”

“But in the practice ring—”

“I was sparring against an old veteran I love and adore. A man I would
never
harm.” Styxx gestured to the dagger then to the humongous guard who was just now rousing himself. “And now you know why King Kreon and the others are so generous to you. It’s not that they’re afraid of
you,
Father. They’re terrified of facing
me
on the battlefield because I don’t fear death and I damn sure don’t fear you.
That’s
the hubris Apollo punishes me for. And I am done being hit and threatened by you or anyone else. Kill me or release me. Decide now and be done with it.”

Incredulous, his father shook his head. “Who
are
you?”

“Fuck if I know most days.” Styxx took a deep breath. “As for last night, I was with my lady, Bethany, from midday two days ago until I rode home and was dragged in here this morning, and I will not have her awakened to be questioned by you or anyone else. You either believe
me
or you don’t. If you can’t accept my word then be done with me forever.” He glanced around at the guards who were gaping as they rubbed the bruises he’d given them. “So what’s it to be, Majesty? Am I heading to bed or to death?”

“You were
seen
.”

Styxx snorted. “And I’m not the only one with my face, am I?”

No sooner were the words out than Styxx cringed.

Aw shit … Why did I say that?

His father roared with anger as he ordered six guards to fetch Acheron to the throne room and stormed out the doors.

What have I done?
Too tired to think straight, he hadn’t even considered how his father would react to Acheron’s possible guilt.

Please be guilty. Please be guilty.…

The litany ran through his head as he followed after his father. His fury tangible, the king took his throne to wait for the arrival of the son he
really
couldn’t stand.

Sick to his stomach, Styxx sat down as guilt tore him apart. What were the odds that Acheron was actually conspiring against the king?

He could be. He had a much bigger reason to hate their father than even Styxx did.

But the moment he saw Acheron’s panicked face and heard his brother’s confused thoughts, he knew better.

Fuck me.…

He’d just thrown an innocent man into the fire. Acheron had been shackled. The guards forced him down on his knees in front of their father’s throne while Ryssa came tearing into the room with her face flushed bright red to defend the only brother she loved.

Ever defiant, Acheron glared at them. “Why am I here?”

Their father came off his throne with a bellow of rage. “You do not ask questions of me, traitor!”

Styxx ground his teeth in anger.

Stunned, Acheron couldn’t even blink for a full minute.

“Father!” Ryssa snapped. “Have you lost your reason?”

His answer was to backhand Acheron. “Where were you last night?”

Styxx forced himself not to react to a blow that exploded through his cheek and eye.

Acheron panted in pain.
I was with Artemis.…

Styxx froze as he heard his brother’s thoughts.
Triple shit.
Acheron and Artemis? No wonder Apollo had such a hard-on for his brother. Now Styxx fully understood the god’s fury and Apollo’s incoherent rants that had preceded some of his more vicious attacks against Styxx in the past.

That, more than Styxx’s defiance, was what had set Apollo off on his lunacy.

Acheron, you dumb shit. You’re screwing Apollo’s “virgin” sister? Really?
Was Acheron out of his mind?

And it explained
the
groin pain that had hurt so badly there were times Styxx still ached from it.

Styxx had been in Atlantean custody, in the ring, when it’d felt like someone had gelded him. Literally. He would have sworn someone had cut him open and torn him apart.

Either Apollo or one of the others must have gelded Acheron.

How could you be so stupid, brother?

Acheron locked gazes with Styxx and the accusation there scorched him. “I was in my room.”

His father struck Acheron again. “Liar. I have witnesses who saw you in a stew, plotting my murder.”

Terrified of anyone discovering that he felt Acheron’s blows, Styxx covered his face with his hand to shield the blood on his lips.

“I’ve done no such thing.” Acheron’s voice trembled with his fear.

His father hit him again before he turned to the guards. “Torture him until he decides to tell us the truth.”

Acheron cried out loud the same internal denial Styxx shouted in his head. His brother fought the guards holding him.

“Father, no!” Ryssa moved forward.

The king turned on her with a feral snarl. “You’re not going to save him this time. He’s committed treason and I will not allow
that
to go unanswered.”

Styxx growled silently in his throat as utter agony filled him.
Why didn’t I keep my mouth shut?

Because he’d been tired and hadn’t thought it through.

When will I learn?

His breathing ragged, Acheron, who was being restrained by the guards, met and held Styxx’s gaze.
How could you plot the death of a man who worships the ground you walk on? I would sell my worthless soul to have just a portion of the love you spurn.

Damn you, Styxx. Damn you!

Styxx winced at Acheron’s thoughts. If he only knew the truth.…

But Acheron would never believe it. Like everyone else, he thought Styxx had the beautiful, perfect life. But no one lived that.

No one. No life was spared grief or agony. The gods weren’t that kind to anyone. Ever. Everything looked so beautiful from the outside. But the interior view was never the same. Just like all the times as a small child Styxx had envied Acheron for living with Estes in Atlantis.

Yeah.…

Acheron was hauled out of the throne room and taken to the prison below.

What have you done, Styxx?

He flinched at Ryssa’s silent condemnation in his head. Like Acheron, she believed he was the traitor and that he’d framed his brother for it.

I’m as innocent as Acheron.
Not that she’d ever believe him, any more than their father would believe his brother. What a messed up family they had.

But that wasn’t the biggest concern. If neither he nor Acheron had done it, someone had lied to his father. Someone who wanted them all dead. Raw anger filled him as he looked about the room. It
had
to be one of the senators who stood back in silence. No one else would have a reason to come after him and lie like this.

Except Apollo. Was this what the bastard had meant when he said that he intended to screw with him?

Styxx almost came off his throne when he felt the first lash cut across Acheron’s chest. Thankfully his father was preoccupied with Ryssa’s tantrum.

She stormed to Styxx and glared at him. “I will call down the wrath of every god on Olympus for you,
brother.
And I intend to laugh when they chain you to a rock and have your traitorous heart cut out.”

“Love you, too, lamb-head.”

If looks were lethal, he’d be as dead as she wished him.

His body ached as more blows were given to Acheron. He glanced to his father who looked older than he ever had before. And that right there was why Styxx didn’t covet his father’s crown. Even now, his father wasn’t sure if Styxx was lying or not.

The king would always be suspicious.

And there was nothing he could do to alleviate it.

Tired and aching, Styxx bit back a groan as another lash was given. “Father? May I have time to wash and change?”

The king nodded.

Styxx flinched as more pain hit him. Determined not to show it, he went over to his father before he left the room. “Who is our accuser?”

“I’ll tell you once I get to the bottom of this.”

Styxx ground his teeth in anger.
You don’t trust us, your own children, but you trust a liar.

Why was he even surprised?

Because he expected better from his father. He always had. But his father had never ceased to disappoint him.

Fine. There was nothing he could do about it. Disgusted, Styxx went to his room, and with every foul pain, he cursed himself more. How could he have been so stupid as to incriminate Acheron? But then he’d been caught off guard with no sleep.

How do I get you out of this, brother?

Determined to try, Styxx went to his bedroom door to leave so that he could find the one who’d accused them.

It was locked.

What the…?

He pounded on it as hard as he could.

No one answered. Worse, he was suddenly so sleepy that he couldn’t stand. Yawning, he tried to focus his fuzzy gaze. But it was useless. One minute he was standing, the next, he was lying on the floor.

*   *   *

S
itting in his
Olympian temple, Apollo nodded to Poena and Eris, who had pleased him well with their wonderful cruelty against Styxx and his siblings. But then that was what they excelled at.

Tearing families apart.

“Good work…” Apollo said with a smile. “Now finish it.”

They took off immediately.

Dionysus waited until they were alone. “Question, brother. Why do you hate the Didymosian princes so badly?”

Apollo ground his teeth. “Styxx has been a thorn in my ass since the day you introduced us. What mortal dares to turn away the affections of a god?”

“Not a bright one, that’s for sure. And the other one you torture?”

Apollo hesitated. While he mostly trusted his brother, he wasn’t about to tell anyone about Artemis’s “pet.” As much as he wanted to hurt Styxx for spurning him, he wanted Acheron’s heart in his fist for daring to touch Artemis and contaminate her with his filth. But unfortunately, he couldn’t kill one twin without killing the other and starting a war with his sister he wasn’t ready to fight. Unfortunately, he needed that bitch to live.… So he settled on a lesser explanation. “Collateral damage.”

Dionysus arched a brow at that. “You gelded the boy for collateral damage? Damn, remind me not to piss you off.”

Apollo gave him a droll stare. “I wasn’t about to geld the one I’m sleeping with. I enjoy him too much for that.”

Dionysus shook his head. “Harsh, brother.
Very
harsh.”

“This from the one who sends madness out as punishment?
I
haven’t made them slaughter their own children or eat their own body parts.”

“As you would say, it is our moral obligation to keep the humans in line.”

Yes, it was. And he wasn’t through with the Didymosian twins … not yet. Not until Acheron learned to leave his sister alone and Styxx learned to bend to Apollo’s whims and presence with a smile.

*   *   *

R
yssa was terrified
as she returned to her room and handed her crying son over to his nurse. What was she going to do?