The Dark-Hunters (571 page)

He knocked lightly on the door so as not to scare Gus’s wife, Olympia, who had no idea about the paranormal world her husband was involved with. Not to mention the fact it was two o’clock in the morning here.

He heard footsteps on the other side of the door before a light came on.

Gus opened the door with a scowl on his face. “This better be important, Acheron.”

“Would I wake you for any other reason?”

“Yes.”

Ash laughed at his surliness when they both knew he would never bother Gus needlessly. “This is important. Remember the group of people you helped out?”

“The archaeologists?”

“Yes. There was one named Dimitri. I need his address.”

Gus looked extremely irritated. “I thought you were omniscient. Can’t you get it yourself?”

“I come with some restrictions and unfortunately, Dimitri is one of those exceptions.”

Rubbing his eyes, Gus yawned. “Come in and I’ll pull the record for you.”

“Gus? Is something wrong?”

Ash closed the door as Olympia came into the room. Tiny and petite, she had long black hair and big brown eyes. “Sorry I woke you.”

She smiled as she saw him. “It’s all right, Acheron. I know you two probably need me to leave you alone. I’ll go back to bed.”

“Good night.” He followed Gus into his office. “It’s a boy, by the way.”

Gus grinned proudly. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem.” He waited quietly while Gus signed onto his work account on the computer.

After Gus jotted down the address, he handed it off to Ash. “I hope this helps.”

“It does. Thanks.”

Grateful that at least one person was being helpful to him, Ash flashed himself from Gus’s house to Dimitri’s apartment across town. He took a deep breath as he tried to think of the best way to handle this. He could either teleport into the house and search it while the man slept or he could wake him and ask him where it was …

Better to find it while he slept.

Ash entered the small, cluttered flat and paused. At first he thought Dimitri was asleep on the bed, but he didn’t hear a heartbeat. Walking closer, he saw the man lying dead, face down in a pool of blood.

“Not good,” he breathed, looking around at the chaos that had been left behind as someone tore the place apart during a search.

Ash took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping this time his powers worked. Just as it should have happened at Tory’s house, he saw everything in sudden crystal clarity.

Three large men dressed in black had barged in on Dimitri, wanting the book. Dimitri had fought and told them nothing, even while they tortured him.

His loyalty to Tory had ended with a silenced gunshot two hours ago.

Ash knelt down beside the body and closed the man’s eyes. “Sleep in peace, little brother. The ones who did this will pay. I promise.”

The men had left here in frustration after tearing the flat apart. But if they didn’t have the journal, who did?

“Matera?”

Are you going to yell at me again, Apostolos?

I’m sorry.
A wave of guilt sliced through him as he regretted being short with her. In all his life, his mother and Simi had been the only ones who’d really loved him. Because of that, he hated losing patience with them.
I didn’t mean to take my anger out on you, but will you please answer me one question?

The book isn’t here, pratio. Dimitri gave it to someone else.

Who?

An image of his mother appeared before him. Her swirling silver eyes held sadness and regret. “I would give my life for you and you know that. But I can’t answer that question. Its existence is tied too tightly to your own. You are a father yourself. You know that you can’t always give your children what they want. I’m sorry, Apostolos.”

He wanted so badly to take her hand in his. To feel her touch, just once in his life. “I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

She took a deep breath before she spoke again in a voice that was filled with conviction. “I know what Savitar told you. But he was wrong about one of those outcomes. I won’t let anyone kill you. Not again. If anyone comes near you, I will schism the realms and unleash my army for your protection. I am the goddess of destruction and I don’t care what happens to this world of man. You are the only thing I love, and I will kill whatever and whoever I have to to save your life.”

That wasn’t overly comforting. Honestly, he’d rather be dead than suffer any more humiliation. But her love and devotion meant everything to him.

“I love you, Matera.”

“Then release me.”

He shook his head at the one request he could never fulfill. And it broke his heart. “You will destroy the world if I do.”

To her credit, she didn’t bother to lie to him. She would omit things and keep vital secrets such as the existence of his daughter from him and the fact that while Simi was the last of her line from Xiamara and the last of the Charontes in the human realm, she wasn’t the last Charonte left alive, but his mother had never outright lied.

His mother swallowed. “In anger, I swore to kill Artemis and Apollo for what they did to you should I ever be free of Kalosis again. We both know that if I fail to keep my word, I would perish. So you’re right. I would have no choice except to end the world on my release.”

“And I have no choice except to keep you there.”

She shook her head. “I’ll never understand how you can bring me so much pride and pain at the same time. I don’t agree with your loyalty to a race that betrayed you … no, they did worse than that—they tortured and abused you in a way that deserves no compassion or leniency. But I respect your convictions even when they violently collide with my own. No mother could be prouder of her son, Apostolos. Go find your book and know that I’m here to help you in any way I can.”

He held his hand up to her so that she could place hers against his. It was the closest they could come to touching. Part of him wanted to release her at any cost.

But having suffered the way he had, he couldn’t live knowing he’d hurt someone else like that. At least not unless they deserved it.

“Go with my love, Apostolos. Do us both proud.”

Fading back to New Orleans, he stood on the balcony of his apartment at 622 Pirates Alley that overlooked the courtyard of the St. Louis Cathedral. It was dark, but he could hear the music drifting up from the Old Absinthe House below, as well as laughter and chattering from people on the street. There were Daimons in the alley stalking victims, but before he could even worry about it, Janice was there. He watched the Trini Dark-Hunter follow them toward Royal Street where he knew she’d dispose of them.

Tonight he had bigger concerns than the Daimons who trolled from victims. Someone had a journal Ryssa should never have written. He could go back in time and seize it, but he didn’t know how that would disrupt the present. What changes it could incur. It could all work out well.

Or the earth could end.

He leaned against the railing, considering his options. Had he already sown his own destruction? He’d given Tory a key that had seemed harmless and now she was the greatest threat he could think of.

Protect the girl, Apostolos. Keep her safe
 …

He cocked his head at his mother’s voice inside his head. “What are you saying, Matera?”

I shouldn’t tell you this, but the survival of the world hinges on hers. Keep her safe.

Ash laughed as he was struck by a line from the TV show
Heroes. Save the cheerleader. Save the world.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.

Because I love you. Now go.

Ash hesitated, but at the end of the day he knew the truth. His mother wouldn’t have told him that unless it was truly important.

Fine, he’d protect Soteria.

And he would protect himself.

*   *   *

“What are you doing, Apollymi?”

Apollymi turned away from her fountain to find Savitar standing in her garden looking angry at her. “Get out, you bastard.”

He refused to move. “You shouldn’t have told him that.”

She lifted her chin in defiance of the Chthonian. For all his power, he was no match for her and he knew it. “Who are you to lecture me on what should and shouldn’t be done?”

His eyes flashed from lavender to silver and then turned a dark vibrant blue. “You are tampering with fate.”

She snarled at him. “I am protecting my son. If that’s a crime, then punish me. Oh, wait, I’m already being punished for protecting him. So be it.”

Savitar narrowed his eyes on her. “This isn’t a game.”

“No, it isn’t. I don’t play those. I never have.” She started past him, but he caught her arm and stopped her.

“I didn’t have to contain the powers of the gods you destroyed on Atlantis the way I did when you went wild on them. But for me, the other Chthonians would have torn you apart for that.”

Apollymi refused to be intimidated by him or anyone else. “So what? You want me to thank you?” She snatched her arm free of his grip. “The only thanks I owe you is for helping Apostolos learn his powers. For that, I will always be grateful to you. But that’s as far as my gratitude goes. If you really think I fear you or those other mortal gods you run with, think again. In this universe, only the primal source outpowers me. There is nothing I fear.”

His expression turned cold, brutal. “Not true. You fear the loss of your son and so long as you fear that, you’re as controllable as the rest of us.”

She hated the fact that he was right. “Don’t push me, Savitar.”

“And don’t push me. You may be a goddess by birth, but I’m a lot more than just a Chthonian and you know that. I survived a hell you can’t even imagine and its fires forged a core of steel within me. You want a battle, pick your sword. But remember the number of gods before you who sought to kill me and failed.”

She raked him with a heated glower. “In turn, you’d do well to remember that I destroyed not only my entire pantheon, but my very family to protect my child. Don’t get in my way, or we will find out once and for all which of us wields the most powerful sword.”

Savitar wanted to choke her for her obstinacy. But then she’d always been this way. Stubborn to the core of her being. “Fine, but consider what happened the last time you tried to protect him. The suffering your tampering caused Apostolos. Is that really what you want?”

Her eyes teared up and he hated himself for giving her that pain. “Damn you.”

He scoffed. “I was damned long before this. Let fate unfold as it should, Apollymi. I beg you to stay out of this. For all our sakes.”

Her crystal tears glittered like diamonds on her dark blond lashes. “Keep him alive for me, Savitar. Otherwise you know what will happen.”

He inclined his head. “I will do what I can but in the end we both know that only Apostolos can make the fate we want for him.”

Because if Acheron screwed this up, he wouldn’t be alone in his suffering.

The entire world would be destroyed.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ash knocked on Tory’s front door. He heard the women giggling like girls in the living room before Kim snatched the door open and gave him a devilish grin that made him nervous.

“You like black, don’t you, Ash?”

Not sure if he should answer, he frowned. “It’s okay.”

“But what’s your favorite color?” she asked, stepping back so that he could enter the house.

He walked in and wondered if maybe he shouldn’t be running in the other direction. What were they up to? “I’ve never thought about it.”

Pam cleared her throat. “But if you had to pick one, what would it be?”

He flexed his hand on the strap of his backpack. “Anything not white.” That was Artemis’s favorite color and the thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

Tory huffed at his evasive answer. “Could you narrow that down a bit?”

Pam tsked. “She’s not going to let you have peace until you answer.”

Still apprehensive over what they had planned, he shrugged. “Uh, okay. Red I guess. Why?”

Something came flying at his head. Without flinching Ash caught it and it squeaked. Scowling, he opened his hand to find a small red demon duck that had black horns … it strangely reminded him of Simi in her demon form.

He scowled at the women. “Uh … thank you?”

They burst out laughing.

Ash glanced around at them as Kim moved to sit beside Pam. “You ever feel like you’ve just walked into the middle of a movie and they forgot to tell you what it’s about?”

Kim waved her hand in dismissal. “Happens to me all the time at work. I just go with it.”

Pam laughed. “Which is really bad when you consider she’s a labor and delivery nurse.”

“Oh, shush,” Kim said, playfully hitting at her friend on the arm.

Pam and Kim grabbed their jackets from the couch. Pam shrugged hers on. “Well, since Ash is back, we’ll leave the two of you alone. Ash, if she throws another hammer at you, let us know and we’ll take her to task for you.”

Baffled, he didn’t move or speak again until after they’d left. “You have interesting friends.”

Tory locked the door as she smiled in pride. “No, I have the best friends in the world. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

Ash felt his heart sink as he thought of Nick. “Yeah, I had one of those once.”

She turned to him with a frown. “What happened?”

He slept with Simi and I killed him for it.
Well, not in actuality. He’d only cursed Nick to die, which was the same thing as having pulled the trigger that ended Nick’s life. “We don’t talk anymore.”

They only fought and tried to kill each other. And it was all
his
fault. In one fit of anger, Ash had destroyed their friendship.

She placed a comforting hand on his arm. He was sure she thought nothing of it and yet it touched him deep inside that she would even bother to reach out to him at all. “I’m so sorry, Ash. I can’t imagine what I’d do without my girls. It’s so comforting to know that I can call on them anytime of day or night and they’d be here as soon as they could. Everyone should have friends like that.”