No one answered as lightning bolts shot from Styxx’s body, blowing out the windows and ripping the doors from their hinges. Bolts of light pierced Styxx’s eyes and mouth. They exploded through his body like a beautiful light show.
Simi started to go to Styxx to help him like she’d done her akri, but akri held her back.
“No, Simi. He might hurt you.”
She had a hard time believing that. Styxx would never hurt his Simi.
Instead, akri teleported himself to where Styxx hovered.
Simi cringed, praying her akri didn’t get hurt.
Or worse, dead.
The moment Bethany saw what akri was doing, her nostrils flared with anger. “You!”
But akri caught her with his powers and held her in place. “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 Egyptian heart together.
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?” she asked akri in an anguished tone.
“You have to ground him. Make him aware of who and what he really is outside of his powers.”
“How?”
Akri shook his head. “I have no idea. I’ll try and hold him, but you have got to reach him, or those powers will rip him apart and destroy us all.”
Simi wanted to help but had no idea how to do so.
Bethany stepped back and cleared the way for akri to launch himself at Styxx. When his brother went to hit him, akri embraced Styxx with everything he had.
Styxx bellowed furiously as he tried to break free.
Bethany appeared in front of Styxx and cupped his face in her hands. “Styxx? Can you hear me?”
A hurricane blast went through the room with enough force that it knocked Bethany back and sent Simi careening into a wall.
Akri held on to Styxx and grabbed Bethany by the hand before the mean wind carried her away.
Styxx shoved akri way and turned on her with a murderous glint in his blue eyes.
Simi held her breath, expecting the worse.
Instead, Bethany kissed him.
Styxx pulled back to look down at the woman in his arms. “Beth?”
She smiled warmly up at her long-lost husband. “Are you with me, akribos!”
“I’m not sure. Am I dead?”
Bethany laughed. “I don’t know. Am I?”
“No!” Leto screamed as she ran for them.
Without hesitating, akri intercepted her. But as soon as he neared her, she stabbed him through his stomach with the same Atlantean dagger laced with ypnsi sap that Bethany had used to kill Styxx.
Fury went through Simi as she saw that goddess dare to do what should never have been dared. She stabbed her akri.
