Suddenly, he remembered being Aricles …
He saw Bethany at his side as she held on to his biceps. Only she wasn’t Bethany. She was Bathymaas. “Do not fight Apollo for my honor. It’s not worth a single drop of your blood. Run with me, Ari. Let’s leave all this behind and never look back.”
“I can’t, and neither can you, my goddess. We have too many responsibilities. Too many to protect. We cannot leave this world in their hands.”
“I no longer care about them. You’re all that matters to me.”
His blood racing with fury and pain, Aricles had pressed his head to hers and held her close. “And you’re all that matters to me. I won’t have your reputation tarnished by that pig. You’ve done nothing wrong and I will beat that bastard down for you. Have no fear.”
She buried her hand in his hair. “I can’t live without you, Ari. You are the heart they claim I was born without. It’s why I can’t be the soul of justice anymore. Because of you, I feel for the first time in my life. You’ve changed me forever … You can’t leave me now. Not like this.”
He kissed her forehead. “Let me win your honor and then we can leave and never look back.”
“Swear it to me.”
“On my eternal soul. I will always be with you, Bathymaas. Nothing will take me from you, ever. Not even the gods.” He lifted the Egyptian ieb amulet from her chest and kissed it, then tucked it back between her breasts.
Styxx gasped as he fully understood what Set had told him. Bathymaas had been created by the Source, not born of a mother …
The Egyptian jug-shaped amulet was the heart Set had given her as a girl when she’d asked her father why she didn’t have a heartbeat like others.
“This holds my love for you, child, and while you can’t understand it, know that so long as you wear it, you carry a piece of me with you. My heart has great power and it will keep you safe and warm in my absence.”
That was how Leto had destroyed the Egyptian pantheon and trapped Set in the desert. She had weakened him with that half of Bathymaas’s heart that held her father’s DNA and Seth’s blood to trap the primal god.
Lifting his head, he saw the broken ieb shard on Leto’s wrist that matched the one Bethany had worn as a bracelet. It was so obvious now, but unless you knew what an Egyptian heart looked like, you’d never guess its origins.
Or its significance.
Leto poured the blood from the vial onto her fingers and waved the ieb over it. Then she wiped it down his other cheek. “History always repeats itself. Poor you to die twice by the hands of the woman you love. And once you’re dead, she’ll destroy the gods for me.” Stepping back, she let out a sharp, piercing ololuge … a sound used in his time to summon a god’s presence when a sacrifice was being offered to them.
All of a sudden, a fierce wind came tearing through the arena. It blew open doors and ripped at his body. Leto stumbled against it.
A baleful howl sounded an instant before a swirling specter joined them. Inhumanly large, it floated on the wind wearing a white cloak. And when it neared Styxx, he realized this was the vengeful spirit of Bethany.
With his gag in place, he couldn’t say a word to her.
Leto pointed to him as she spoke to Bethany. “Behold the bastard son of your enemy who cost your prince his life and existence. Take your vengeance on them both! Rip out the heart of Apostolos!”
Bethany screamed in furious agony.
Styxx’s eyes widened as he realized she was going to kill him and there was nothing he could do to stop her.
Urian paused ashe recognized this temple. It was the same one Acheron had confined Styxx to when he’d first brought him here to Katateros to live. The one Styxx had left behind so that he could sneak into the temple next door to Acheron’s where he’d been living the night Urian had first met him.
It was beautiful in a cold, sterile way.
“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.
