Part I Chapter 16
As bad as it was for the rest of the world to hate him, he could imagine nothing worse than to see his child despising him. To have his own child deny him.
Of course, if he had one, he would never give it cause to hate him. He'd hold it and love it no matter what.
Go to sleep, Acheron. Just forget everything.
Closing his eyes, he let out a tired breath and tried to sleep again.
"What are you doing?"
He opened his eyes to find Artemis in his bed, beside him. "I was trying to sleep."
"Ah . . . Did you hear about our nephew?"
"I did. Ryssa was just here with him."
She wrinkled her face up. "Don't you find babies nasty and disgusting?"
"No. I thought him beautiful."
She scoffed. "You would. I think they're smelly and fussing. Never content. Always demanding. Yuck, I can't imagine going through all that to have something so nasty clinging to me."
Acheron rolled his eyes as he imagined all the poor infants that were given to Artemis. Obviously she gave their care over to someone much more maternal. "I'm thinking the Greeks should have learned this about you before they declared you the goddess of childbirth."
"Well, that's because I helped my mother give birth to Apollo. That was different." She reached down to cup him softly in her hand. "What have I here?"
"If you don't know by now, Artie, no amount of explaining is going to help."
She laughed deep in her throat as his cock hardened even more. "I was hoping to find you still awake."
Acheron didn't comment as she dipped her head down to take him into her mouth. He stared up at the ceiling while she tongued him. It would probably be more pleasurable if he didn't have to make sure to keep himself in check. But he knew better than to come with her like this. She liked the taste of him, but she didn't like it when he released anywhere except inside her.
Even then she only tolerated it.
He jerked as she nipped him hard enough to hurt. She curled her fingers in the hair around his cock. Sighing, Acheron wished he could go back to the beginning of their relationship. Back to when this had meant so much more than just her sucking on him.
She gave one long lick before she pulled back. He expected her to return to his lips. Instead she sank her teeth into his upper thigh, barely two inches from his sac.
Yelping from the pain, he had to force himself not to push her away and hurt himself even more.
The pain quickly passed into a wave of extreme pleasure. But she didn't allow him to come yet. "I want you deep inside me, Acheron."
Rolling her over onto her stomach, he propped her hips up on his pillows and obliged her request. He held her hips in his hands and buried himself deep inside her. He thrust against her until she'd had enough orgasms that she begged him to stop. Rolling over onto her back, she laughed in satisfaction.
Artemis sighed contentedly until she realized he was still hard. "Why didn't you finish?"
Acheron shrugged. "You were done."
"But you weren't."
"I'll live."
She let out a sound of disgust. "Acheron? What is wrong with you lately?"
Acheron clenched his teeth, knowing better than to answer her question. She didn't want to hear anything other than how wonderful she was. "I don't want to fight, Artemis. What difference does it make? You were pleased, weren't you?"
"Yes."
"Then all is right in the world."
She propped herself up on one arm to stare down at him as he lay beside her. "I really don't understand you."
"I'm really not complicated." All he asked for was the two things she couldn't give him.
Love and respect.
She dragged one long nail around his neck. "Where's my ring that I gave you?"
Acheron flinched at the memory of being forced to swallow it. "It was lost."
"How could you be so callous?"
Him callous? At least he hadn't thrown her gift back in her face and then had her beaten for it. "Where are the pearls I gave you?"
Her face turned red. "Fine. I'll get you another one."
"Don't. I don't need one."
Her eyes darkened angrily. "Are you shunning my gift?"
As if he'd ever take another gift like that from her. He'd had enough abuse. "I'm not shunning anything. I just don't want to take a chance on shaming you. Given everything that has happened, I really don't think it's wise I have something that is so clearly yours."
"That's a good point." She smiled at him. "You are ever loyal to me, aren't you?"
"Yes."
She kissed his cheek. "I'd best go now. Goodnight."
After she was gone, Acheron rolled over onto his back. Closing his eyes, he let his thoughts drift. In his mind he pictured a woman with kind eyes. One who held his hand in public, who was proud to be with him.
He imagined how her hair might smell, how her eyes would light up every time she glanced at him. The smiles they would share. Then he imagined her kissing her way down his body, imagined her looking up at him as she went down on him.
His breathing ragged, he thrust himself against his hand, pretending it was her he made love to.
"I love you, Acheron . . ." He could hear her voice so sweet and calm . . . most of all, it would be sincere.
He gasped as his warm seed coated his hand and seeped between his fingers and not inside a woman who loved him.
Shuddering and only partially sated, he opened his eyes to the harsh reality of his life.
He was alone.
And no woman, mortal or otherwise, would ever willingly claim him.
October 23, 9528 BC
Acheron rolled over in bed, trying to sleep. Apollodorus was screaming so loudly that it echoed all the way down to his room. For hours the baby had cried.
He wasn't supposed to go near the infant, yet he couldn't stand the sound of so much anger and unhappiness. Unable to tolerate another minute of it, he got out of bed and dressed.
Quietly, he walked down the hallway to Ryssa's room, making sure no one saw him. He cracked open the door to find Ryssa and her nurse in the room, swapping the baby between them.
"Why is he doing this?" Ryssa asked in a voice that sounded as if she were about to cry herself.
"I don't know, Highness. Sometimes babies cry for no reason."
Ryssa shook her head at the baby the nurse was rocking in her arms. "Please, child, have mercy on your mother and rest. I can't take much more of it."