Xirena shrugged. “The bitch goddess was always mean. She only likes you and her son … and akra-Kat and Mia-Mia.” Kat was akri’s other daughter he’d had with Artemis. Akra-Mia was Kat’s daughter and akri’s grandbaby Simi loved to play with.
While the Simi didn’t like change per se, the Simi did love the fact that her family had grown a lot over the last few years.
It was why she wanted it to grow some more with akri-Styxx and his goddess.
Simi climbed up on the woman closest to her and poked at her stone eyeball. She’d called her meanie witch. But she wondered what her real name was. “Which one is she?”
Xirena spat on the ground at the statue’s feet. “Epithymia. She an even bigger bitch goddess. She used to pull the wings off Charonte who made her mad.”
Simi cringed, then poked harder in the goddess’s eye, hoping she could feel it. “Who the one who lost her baby? She’s the one the Simi needs.”
Xirena walked around them, looking at them, up and down, until she found one in the back. “This is Bet’anya.”
Or Bethany as akri-Styxx called her.
Simi headed over, then gasped. “She look just likes akri-Styxx’s drawings. She the one he loved so much.”
Biting her lip, she met her sister’s gaze. “Was she nice?”
Nodding, Xirena touched Bet’anya’s hand. “She was always very sad though. Even when she was happy, she looked so sad. Like something wasn’t quite right in her heart. Chara goddess used to say it’s because they took something from her long ago they shouldn’t have.”
Simi gave her sister a knowing look. “That’s ’cause she didn’t have her akri-Styxx. He loves her and so this is the Simi’s Christmas present to him. I told him on his birthday that wishes come true and his wish is for his akra to come home to him.”
“Yeah, but Xiamara, this …” Xirena shook her head. “I don’t think we should.”
“We gots to, Big Sissy. This the only time them portals things open. If we don’t do it now, akri-Styxx will have to wait a long, long time, and he already waited a long, long time. The Simi don’t like to see him so sad. He don’t get prezzies, and the Simi wants to get him the best prezzie ever.”
The ground beneath their feet rumbled. Simi’s eyes widened. “What’s that?”
Bug-eyed, Xirena shrugged.
Simi’s watch tingled, letting her know it was time. She had less than one minute to free the goddess. Using her wings, she hovered and placed the sacred anti-aima to the goddess’s lips. When akri had been frozen that time in New Orleans, she and akra-Kat had used this to free him so she was hoping it would work on Styxx’s akra, too.
Hmm …
Another rumble went through the room. Something akin to a dark shadow shot out and flew past Simi’s head.
Suddenly the other bitch goddess Xirena didn’t like opened her eyes.
And so did Archon …
Uh-oh.
Simi ran to her sister. “Go get help. The Simi will hold them off!”
Sissy left and Simi realized that it wasn’t that easy.
Them gods were waking, and they were angry.
Most of all, they didn’t like Charonte.
Simi tried her best to fight them off, but quickly learned one Charonte against a pantheon was just a bad idea.
Archon glared at her. “Xiamara! Where’s Apollymi?”
Uh-oh. He thought she was her matera. Simi let loose her leathery battle wings.
She wanted to fight but knew better. There was only one thing to be done.
