Part I Chapter 15
But there was no choice.
He caught the infant to his chest as the mother fell. Reaching out to save herself, she grabbed his cloak and jerked it free.
Acheron winced as all attention turned to him. He'd always hated this attention and if he could, he'd make himself invisible. But there was no escaping this.
Roaring in anger, his father shot to his feet.
Sick to his stomach, Acheron helped the woman up and returned the baby to her.
She was sobbing in relief. "Thank you so much for your kindness. Bless you for saving my son."
"Take him!" his father ordered the guards.
Acheron met Ryssa's gaze and saw his own horror mirrored in his sister's face as the guards grabbed his arms and hauled him to their king. The thought of fighting crossed his mind, but what was the use? They were only doing what they were told. Besides the crowd around them was tight and innocent people would be hurt if he did.
He met his father's fury without flinching.
"How dare you defile this temple!" He turned to the guards. "Lock him in his quarters until I'm finished here."
Acheron smirked. Such a sweet promise from the lips of his father. He couldn't wait until nightfall.
For the first time, Acheron looked at Apollo whose derision for him was tangible. If the god only knew the truth . . .
Drawing a ragged breath, he watched the priests remove his offering from the altar as he was hauled from the temple.
Artemis looked up from her kithara as Apollo manifested in her greeting room. She'd been trying to play it the way Acheron did, but she had no talent for music. Her frustration was already taut and her brother's presence did little to alleviate that. "What are you doing here?"
He smirked. "Why weren't you at Didymos today?"
"You said you were going in my stead. I didn't see the point in both of us being there." But the truth was she didn't want to be around Acheron's family. They all disgusted her. Had she gone, Styxx would have had a lot more than just a stomach illness visited on him. Of course that might alert her brother about her feelings for Acheron so she thought it best that she just stay away from them. "Why? Did I miss something?"
He threw a beautiful strand of pearls at her. They were covered in white rose petals. Artemis frowned as she reached for them. "What is this?"
"The Prince Whore brought those to you."
Her heart ceased beating. "Excuse me?"
"It was entertaining really. He came in with the rest of the filth and after he handed those over by saying he asked nothing of you in return for his gift, he was exposed. Last I heard, they were going to make him pay for defiling you."
It took every piece of control she had not to betray their relationship. But in truth, her throat burned with tears for her Acheron . . . and bitter anger that they would hurt him again. She wanted to kiss the pearls that he'd given her because she knew that unlike the other tributes, his had truly come from his heart. More than that, she wanted to go to Acheron and help him.
If only she could.
Steadying herself, she threw the pearls down. "Why would you bring these to me?"
"I thought you should know that a whore breached your temple. Zeus knows, I wouldn't tolerate such a person in mine. Shall we go exact our own revenge on the whore?"
She returned to strumming her kithara. "He's not worth my time."
"Since when do you not have time for vengeance?"
"Since I'd rather stay here and play. Now go and visit one of your pets. I can't be bothered with you."
"Suit yourself."
Artemis didn't move until after he'd left her. The moment he did, she held her hand out for the pearls. They flew into her hand. Rubbing them against her heart, she went to see if she could help Acheron.
Acheron stood in the courtyard with his hands tied above his head. His lips and nose were already bleeding from the hits Styxx had gleefully rained down on him.
He spat blood on the ground before he narrowed a murderous glare at his brother. "Shouldn't you be at the temple still?"
Styxx backhanded him so hard his ears rang.
Acheron laughed at the pathetic slap. "You hit like an old woman."
Styxx stepped forward but was stopped by their father who entered through the doors. The look on his face was one of supreme disgust.
Acheron sighed. "I know I shouldn't have gone. Could we just start the beating, finish it and let me go back to my room?"
His father narrowed his eyes. "Why are so eager to be beaten?"
"It's the only attention I get from you, Father. As with Estes. So let the blows commence."
His father dug his fingers into his face as hatred blazed in his blue eyes. "I've told you not to mention my brother's name from your foul mouth." His gaze dipped down to the necklace Acheron wore.
Acheron held his breath as he realized he'd forgotten to remove Artemis's gift before he went to her temple. His heart stilled and for the first time he tasted fear as his father released his face and plucked it up to examine it.
"What's this?"
Acheron forced himself to remain calm and nonchalant. "A trinket I bought."
Styxx peered at it over his father's shoulder. "It's the same ring Artemis's priests wear to summon her." His features hardened. "You stole it!"
His father snatched it from his neck, causing the chain to cut into his skin before it broke. "Do you think the gods give a damn about you?"
Not as a rule, but Artemis did.
Styxx took the ring and grabbed a ladle of water. "We should teach the thief a lesson." Before Acheron could move, Styxx shoved the ring into Acheron's mouth and poured water into it, forcing him to swallow it.
Tears gathered in Acheron's eyes as the ring scraped his throat and burned. He choked on it and the water, but Styxx didn't let up until he was satisfied the ring was completely swallowed.
Acheron coughed and sputtered, trying to catch his breath.
Styxx wrenched his hair. "A whore has dishonored our beloved virgin goddess on her feast day. I think he should be publicly gelded."
Acheron's eyes widened at the punishment.
His father laughed approvingly before he cut him down. "It would please Artemis I think."
Acheron tried to run, but his father caught him and knocked him to the ground.
"Tell me why you came to the temple," his father demanded.
Acheron pushed himself up to find Ryssa joining them. His father struck him again and spun him around so that he could pin Acheron to the wall with his forearm held across Acheron's throat.
"Explain yourself, whore. What made you venture to the temple?"
Ryssa ran to Acheron. "Tell them. You must."
Fear gripped him as he shook his head at her.