Page 68 of Acheron (Dark-Hunter 14)
Still there was no mercy for him. They left him tied before the altar where the crowd could add their own blows to him in defense of their beloved goddess.
For three days, Acheron hung there with no food or comfort. The closest he had was to see Merus approach him.
The boy stopped before him with a frown. "I thought you were a nobleman. You lied to us." His eyes angry, he picked up a rock from the floor and threw it at Acheron. It caught him on the chest.
Leaning his head back, Acheron stared up at the gilded ceiling. "Why!" he shouted at the gods. Why had they done this to him? Why was this his fate?
He'd been born a prince. He should be honored as such and instead, he was nothing. Surely he must be cursed. There was no other reason for this life. No reason for his suffering. And in that instant he hated everything on this planet. Everyone.
With a battle cry born of desperation and torment, he fought against his chains. But there was no one to care and no way to break free. All he succeeded in doing was reopening the wounds on his back and making new ones on his wrists. In the end, it only hurt him more.
So he stayed until the evening of the third day. The guards returned to free him, but before they did, his head was shaved and Artemis's double bow symbol was branded into his skull.
Acheron laughed at the irony. Her name had been branded into his heart before this and now he publicly wore the symbol of a goddess who would never again acknowledge him. The cruelty of it was unbearable.
Once they were finished, he was taken out to the street where a horse waited. His hands were tied in front of him so that the horse could drag him all the back to the palace. By the time he reached it, there was little to no skin left on his body.
Barely conscious, he was taken to his room and thrown inside it. Acheron took one step and fell to his knees. Too weak to move, he sprawled across the floor. But at least the stone was cool against his wounds, even though it made them throb.
There would be no Artemis to help him this time. No goddess to offer him succor or refuge.
"You are nothing to me, human." Those words would be forever etched in his heart.
So be it.
Closing his eyes, he had no hope for the future. No will to ever recover or move forward. His sister and his lover had shattered him for the last time. There were some betrayals no amount of apology could rectify and this time, Acheron had hit his limit.
There was nothing more they could do to hurt him. Soul sick, he crawled deep inside himself and swore that he'd never again open himself up to anyone.
September 2, 9528 BC
Artemis sat alone on her chaise, wanting to weep. Apollo had told every god on Olympus about Acheron and his claim to be her consort.
They'd all been laughing at her ever since.
"You should gut him on the floor of your temple," Zeus had said to her last night while she was visiting his hall.
Apollo had scoffed. "Can't. His life is tied to his twin brother and they both die which would ruin my fun for a while. But it's hysterical what lies these humans tell."
Aphrodite had rolled her eyes. "I can't imagine a whore thinking he could claim a relationship with Artemis of all the gods. Has anyone checked his mental state?"
"He's definitely insane," Apollo had said. "I knew it the first time I saw him."
After that, Artemis hadn't gone near any of the others. But even worse than their laughter was the sick lump in her stomach over the pain she knew Acheron was in.
He deserves it.
It was true. His betrayal deserved a painful death and yet all she wanted to do was hold him. She missed the way he made her feel. The taste of his lips . . .
When he was with her, she smiled all the time. There was something about him that made her happy. Nothing else really mattered except the two of them.
He betrayed you.
That was something she couldn't forgive. He'd made her a laughingstock. The only saving grace was the fact that none of the others believed his claims.
Yet even so, all she wanted was to go to him . . .
Artemis, I summon you to human form." Ryssa held her breath inside Artemis's temple, afraid the goddess would ignore her. She glanced about, making sure again that she was all alone. "Goddess, please hear my call and come to me. I need to see you."
A shimmery haze appeared to the right of the altar. Ryssa smiled as the mist thickened to form an incredibly beautiful redhead. Artemis's features were very similar to Apollo's, except the goddess's face was more finely boned.
"What do you want, human?"
"I'm here on behalf of Acheron."
Artemis's eyes flamed with anger. "I know no one by that name." She began to fade.
"No please . . . It wasn't his fault. He didn't tell anyone. I did."
Artemis rematerialized as those words ripped through her. She glared at the petite blond beauty who carried her brother's child. "What?"
Ryssa took a step forward, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Acheron has never once breathed a word about you to anyone, not even me. I saw the bite wound on his neck and I knew it had to be you. Please, if I was wrong, then forgive me. But if I'm right, I didn't want you to be angry at him for something he didn't do."
Artemis glared at her swollen stomach. "You better be glad you carry my brother's son. It's the only reason you're still alive. You ever link my name to Acheron's again and by the River Styx I will have your hide mounted on my temple wall."
Artemis flashed herself away, but she stopped herself before she returned to Olympus. In truth, her heart was singing over the fact that he hadn't betrayed her. Her Acheron had been true . . .
Relieved, she went to see him.
Naked, he was lying on the floor of his room in front of his bed. She frowned at the sight of his bald head and the savage wounds that were still carved all over his body. But the one that appeared most painful was her own symbol that was still raw on the back of his skull.
"Acheron?"
He opened his eyes, but didn't speak.
She reached to heal him. Before she could touch him, he caught her wrist in his hand. His grip surprised her. She wouldn't have thought he'd have such strength in this condition. "I want nothing from you."
"I thought you'd betrayed me."
"I don't break my word, Artemis. Ever."
"How was I to know?"
He laughed bitterly. "What? You think a few lashes are enough to break me? You're a goddess. How can you know so little?"
"You have no idea how hard it is to be a god. The sniveling voices that are always crying out for help for the smallest things. 'I want a new pair of shoes. I want more grain at harvest.' You learn to turn it off."
"Those things may be petty to you, but to some humans even something as innocuous as one moment of peace can make all the difference in a life. One smile. One tiny act of kindness. That's all it takes for us."
"Well, I'm here with my kindness."
Acheron scoffed. "I'm tired of being your pet, Artemis. I've nothing left inside to give you."
His anger ignited her own. "You are a human. You don't order me about."
Acheron sighed. She was right. Who was he, a worthless maggot, to say anything to her? Besides, he was in no condition to argue with anyone. "Forgive me, akra. I forgot my place."
She smiled and brushed a hand over his bald head. "That's the Acheron I know."
No, it wasn't. This was the Acheron who was bought and sold. The hollowed out shell who performed for the amusement of others, but who felt nothing inside. How pathetic that his heart meant so little to anyone, that she couldn't even recognize the fact that it was missing.
Releasing her hand, he lay still as she healed him. For once he tolerated the pain.
Once done, she sat back to look at her handiwork and then grimaced. "Oh, this baldness has to go. I like your hair too much."
It grew in perfectly and still Acheron didn't move.
In a tiff, Artemis folded her arms over her chest. "Can you not at least say thank you to me for healing you?"
Given the fact that she was the reason he was beaten so badly, the mere thought of thanking her stuck in his throat. But then he was used to such things as this. "Thank you, akra."
Like a child who was unaware she'd broken her favorite toy, she smiled in satisfaction. "We should hunt today."
