"All alone?"

"Except for the dog," he repeated.

"Good." She punched him hard in the stomach.

"Ow! You didn't warn me to arm myself."

"You might want to take a moment and grab a hoplon."

"Why?"

"Why do you think? Prince Styxx."

He expelled an irritated breath. "I shouldn't have lied to you about that. But I didn't want to scare you the day we met. Had I told you who I was, you wouldn't have talked to me."

"How do you know?" she asked defensively.

"Because no one ever does."

The pain of his whispered reply sliced through her, but while the truth saddened her, his opinion of her pissed her off. "You don't give me a lot of credit, do you?"

"Really?" he growled. "I'm wrong? Look me in the eyes and tell..."

She glared in his direction.

"Sorry."

Bethany reached up and pulled him into her arms. "I hate you."

"Most people do."

"I don't."

"You just told me you did."

"That's because I do."

He sighed in her ear. "Should we make tablets or lead sheets for you to flash your mood at me? I don't want to fall behind as you change it."

She kissed him then pulled back and popped his buttocks.

"Ow!" Styxx barked, moving away from her. "I'm very confused."

"So am I. I want to hate you so much, and yet you break my heart."

"I'm not the one who left." The tremor in his voice made her choke on tears.

"I didn't know what to do, Styxx. I found out who you were and I panicked."

"You could have talked to me. Preferably without the hitting."

"You deserve the hitting."

"I promise you, I've been adequately beaten in your absence."

Bethany flinched as she remembered the sight of his bloodied and bruised body when she'd found him in his cell.

Even though she couldn't see him right now, she covered her eyes with her hands as frustration, anger, confusion, and love mixed inside her. "I've run this meeting over a million times in my mind. I've seen me falling into your arms and kissing you then taking a sword to you for not telling me who you really were. And now my emotions are all over the place. I don't know what to think, and I should, but I don't, and I hate that I don't. But I don't hate you, Styxx. I could never hate you."

Styxx pulled her against him and kissed her forehead as all of his own volatile emotions warred inside him. But the one that was most overwhelming and the only one he couldn't suppress was how much he loved her.

How much he'd die for her.

Just how damn grateful he was to see her again.

"And I want to be mad at you, Beth. In ways you cannot conceive. You are the only thing in my entire life that I have ever loved. The only thing I have ever looked forward to. And you abandoned me without a single reason why. One day, you were just gone. And when you left, you banished me to the darkest pit of Tartarus and I didn't know what I'd done to you to deserve it."

He ground his teeth as agony tore through him. "Your parents love you, Beth. Yes, your mother irritates you, and your cousins annoy you, but your father lives and breathes for your smile. Your mother would kill anyone who threatened you. And I have no concept of what any of that feels like. I never have."

Styxx laughed bitterly at the reality of his existence. "Dear gods, I never get a hot meal because I have to have someone taste my food for me before I eat it then wait to see if they die or are sickened from it. My bed has to be checked every night for poisoned sheets or lethal animals. My own family is as likely to poison me as a stranger. I went to give my mother a present and she stabbed me, multiple times. My father burst into my room and sliced my arm open in the middle of the night. My own brother and sister glare daggers through me anytime I happen into their presence. And my uncle..."

"What?"

"It doesn't matter." He lived in a world fraught with nightmares and torture. One he had no right to ask her to share. In fact, he'd gotten used to being alone in it. He didn't need another thing to worry about or the added hell of thinking she would run off and abandon him again for no reason.

He'd had enough. All he wanted now was peace. Solitude from those who wanted to hurt him.

"You know what ... go back to your family, Beth. I can't let myself be hurt any more. I'm done with it. I'm tired of reaching out to people and being slapped for it. Except for not telling you I was a prince, I was brutally honest with you. I let you into places in my heart and soul that no one has ever had access to. And you carved my heart out and shoved it down my throat. The one thing that I learned most this past year was exactly how unimportant I am. To everyone ... Even me."

Styxx turned to let himself out the door, but the stupid latch was stuck. Growling, he kicked it.

"Styxx..." Bethany wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Oh, Beth..." he breathed in a tortured whisper, "you didn't hurt me. You gutted me ... in my darkest hour, when I needed you most."

"I know, akribos. And I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. I'm not sure I could forgive me in your place. But I have missed you and I do want you back. I need you in my life."

Tears filled his eyes as he felt his resolve weakening. "I told you in the beginning to be gentle with my inexperienced heart. And that I would always be a fool for you."

"So you do forgive me?"

Taking her hand from his waist, he pressed it against his lips. "I don't know. I'm so messed up right now. It's even worse than when I came home from war. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I keep having nightmares that are so real I don't know if I'm awake or hallucinating. I'm paranoid of everyone around me. I've gotten to where I not only lock my door at night, I block it and I still don't feel safe."

Bethany flinched over the damage that had been done to him. And it's all my fault.

"If you will forgive me, Styxx, I promise I will never, ever do anything to hurt you again. Please. I beg you for one more chance." She started to kneel.

"No..." He turned around to face her and pulled her against his chest. "Don't you dare! I don't want to hear your pleas. I want your fire, Beth. It's what warms me."

"And I will keep you warm and safe from now on."

He tensed an instant before he kissed her.

Bethany melted the moment she tasted his lips. Then she squealed as he lifted the hem of her dress and ran his hands over her flesh. "What are you doing?"

"Galen gave us permission.... I might be a prince, but I do know how to change bedsheets."

Laughing, she didn't say a word as he carried her to the bed and laid her back against it. But her laughter died the minute he opened her and tasted her with a passion that was absolutely raw. She arched her back and widened her legs, giving him full access. Biting her lip, she reached down to sink her hand into his soft hair only to realize he'd cut it so short he was practically as bald as Galen. It was even shorter than it'd been when he was at war.

She would have asked him about it, but his tongue was doing the most wicked things to her. Things she had missed terribly.

Styxx growled at how good she tasted. While he'd known he was starving for her, he had no idea how much until now. He just wanted to wrap himself up in her and never leave. If he could, he'd spend the rest of his life with her like this.

And when she came a moment later, he smiled as he continued to lick and tease her until she begged him for mercy. Only then did he climb up her body and slide himself into her.

She kissed him fiercely then frowned. "You're still dressed."

"I couldn't wait to be inside you."

Laughing, she stripped his chlamys and chiton off.

"We both have our shoes..." His words ended in a sharp gasp as she lifted her hips so that she could remove hers and it drove him in even deeper into her body. "You've been hiding talents from me."

She nibbled his ear. "I can't reach yours, though."

"Do you really want me to stop and remove them?"

"No."

Styxx lifted himself up to stare down at her while he thrust against her hips. She ran her hands over his body, raising chills in her wake.

Biting his lip, he rolled with her, making sure to stay inside until she straddled him. He reached up and removed the pins from her dress then pulled it from her. His mouth watering, he cupped her breasts in his hands, but as she rode him, unbidden nightmares overwhelmed his pleasure.

Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Total panic swarmed him.

"Styxx?" Bethany frowned as he slid out from under her and rolled to his side. "Honey, what's wrong?"

He was absolutely trembling.

She brushed her hand against his arm.

"Don't touch me," he snarled, putting more distance between them.

Tears filled her eyes as she realized what had happened. He'd never liked the feeling of being physically restricted or tied down in any way. There were only a few positions that he could tolerate while having sex without them dredging up painful memories for him.

Her heart breaking, she cradled his head against her. "What happened to your hair, baby?"

He swallowed hard before he answered. "I grew tired of people using it to control and hurt me." Closing his eyes, Styxx allowed her to pull him to her so that she could hold him tight against her naked body. "I'm sorry, Beth. I told you I'm not the same as I was."

She kissed his cheek. "It's fine. You're always perfect to me."

Those words ravaged his heart. "I'm so broken, Beth. I don't know if I'll ever be whole again."

"You're not broken. You're wounded, and wounds can heal." She caressed his cheek before she laid a gentle kiss there. "The most beautiful heart of all is the one that can still love even while it bleeds, and especially after it's been shattered into thousands of pieces. You are the most courageous man I've ever known."

In that moment, he was glad that she'd run from him. Had she stayed, the imposter would have been with her. That would have been a blow he'd have never survived. Knowing someone else was lying with her like this ...

Perhaps the gods had given him a very small mercy, after all. And as the agony and humility of the last year washed over him, he felt the hot, silent tears slide from the corners of his eyes.

She brushed them away with her lips.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, Styxx. You're stronger than anyone I know."

But he didn't feel strong. He felt battered and beaten. A shell of what he'd been. Something that wasn't helped when she brushed her hand down the scars on his side. And yet her touch made it somehow all right.

No one loved him like his Beth did. She didn't look at him as if he was lacking. She teased instead of mocked.

And as he lay with her, she kissed her way down his body until she reached his feet. A smile tugged at the edges of his lips as she removed his sandals and said nothing about it.

Then she crawled up his body to lie against him so that she could place her hand to his cheek. "I have missed you so much."

He pulled her hand to his lips and nibbled her fingers. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you my real name. I just get tired of everyone hating me for who I am."

"I know nothing of that. Only that I love you because of who you are."

Closing his eyes, he breathed her in and let her touch erase the part of him that was still jagged and bleeding. And when she cupped him, he almost felt whole again. Within a few heartbeats, she had him even harder than before. He savored the sensation of her fingers teasing him while her breath fell against his skin.

She rolled to her back and guided him inside her. Styxx gladly followed, and this time when he began to thrust against her, there was no past haunting him. It was just the two of them. He stared down into her precious face and let her touch soothe his ragged emotions.

"I love you, akribos," she breathed.

Those words, along with the softness of her touch, sent him over the edge. He buried himself deep inside her and growled as his body released itself. He lay on top of her, panting and weak, but happy for the first time in over a year.

Bethany cradled him with her body and ran the bottoms of her feet over the short hairs on his legs. As she went to nip his chin, she realized he was sound asleep on top of her. She rocked her forehead against his cheek and sighed. "I should be highly offended." If it were anyone else, she would be. But in his case, this was the ultimate of compliments.

Kissing him, she grimaced at how short he'd cropped his hair. But her anger wasn't at him for it. It was at all the bastards who'd used it to brutalize him to the point he'd wanted his beautiful locks gone.

Aching for him, she wrapped her arms around his body and held him close against her. "I promise you, Styxx. I will make this up to you."

And a promise made by her bound her eternally. If she failed this time, it would mean her life.

February 18, 9527 BC

Styxx held his cloak to his nose and breathed in Bethany's scent. He still couldn't believe she was back. He kept waiting to wake up and find it all a dream. For once, he didn't even mind coming home. He was still smiling as he reached the palace door and the guards didn't open it.

Instead, they seized him and dragged him to his father's study then forced him to his knees in front of their furious king.

"Fath-"

He backhanded Styxx so hard, his face exploded with pain. "Don't you dare speak to me, traitor!"

Frowning up at his father, Styxx wiped the blood from his lips.

"I know what you did last night. Damn you for it!"

Baffled, Styxx tried to think what about that would have his father so enraged. He'd spent the entire night with Bethany in their cottage.

Just the two of them.

"The next words out of your mouth had better be the names of your coconspirators."

I'm missing something here....

"What-"

His father backhanded him again. "Their names! Now!"

"Whose?" Styxx held both hands up as his father went to hit him again. "Please, Father. I don't know what you're asking about. What do you think I've done?"

Tears glistened in the king's eyes. "You betrayed me!"

"How?"

"You were seen! Last night. Overheard plotting my death with your friends!"

Styxx was aghast. While the thought of killing the old bastard had occurred to him on multiple occasions, he'd never be stupid enough to mention it out loud. Was his father insane?

Never mind the fact that his list of friends was only two.

Galen and Bethany.

"And you believe that?"

This time when his father went to hit him, Styxx dropped him to the floor and pinned him there.

The guards moved in to attack. With the skills he'd honed this past year while battling Atlanteans in the arena, Styxx grabbed the first one to reach him and disarmed him before knocking him out then he kicked the second one into the wall. He pulled the dagger off the guard's belt, twirled with it, and buried it in the stones less than an inch from his father's shocked face.

Not even breathing heavily, Styxx rose to his feet and glared down at his father. "If I wanted you dead, Majesty ... you would be dead already. By my hand. While I know you don't think much of me, I am your protostratelates. And I am the sole Greek commander who led an army into Atlantis and would have had them on their fucking knees in tribute to you and Greece had you not recalled me. I did that, Father. Alone. Pray to the gods you adore and that I spit on that you never face my full skill set when it comes to taking a life. Believe me, I don't need help killing you. But I don't want your fucking useless crown. If I did, I'd have taken it the day I rode home leading my army through the gates of Didymos."

Styxx stepped back and held his arms out to the sides of his body while his father pushed himself to his feet. "But I'm not going to argue this. I'm done begging for your love or anything else from you. If you truly think me guilty, execute me. I'll gladly walk to the block and lay down my head for the executioner's axe. Right now."

His breathing labored, his father looked from the dagger in the floor to Styxx and back again. "How did you...? That's stone."

Styxx laughed bitterly. "I've cracked skulls through iron and bronze helms, struck off limbs with a single blow, and shattered shields a lot stronger than that."

"But in the practice ring-"

"I was sparring against an old veteran I love and adore. A man I would never harm." Styxx gestured to the dagger then to the humongous guard who was just now rousing himself. "And now you know why King Kreon and the others are so generous to you. It's not that they're afraid of you, Father. They're terrified of facing me on the battlefield because I don't fear death and I damn sure don't fear you. That's the hubris Apollo punishes me for. And I am done being hit and threatened by you or anyone else. Kill me or release me. Decide now and be done with it."

Incredulous, his father shook his head. "Who are you?"

"Fuck if I know most days." Styxx took a deep breath. "As for last night, I was with my lady, Bethany, from midday two days ago until I rode home and was dragged in here this morning, and I will not have her awakened to be questioned by you or anyone else. You either believe me or you don't. If you can't accept my word then be done with me forever." He glanced around at the guards who were gaping as they rubbed the bruises he'd given them. "So what's it to be, Majesty? Am I heading to bed or to death?"

"You were seen."

Styxx snorted. "And I'm not the only one with my face, am I?"

No sooner were the words out than Styxx cringed.

Aw shit ... Why did I say that?

His father roared with anger as he ordered six guards to fetch Acheron to the throne room and stormed out the doors.

What have I done? Too tired to think straight, he hadn't even considered how his father would react to Acheron's possible guilt.

Please be guilty. Please be guilty....

The litany ran through his head as he followed after his father. His fury tangible, the king took his throne to wait for the arrival of the son he really couldn't stand.

Sick to his stomach, Styxx sat down as guilt tore him apart. What were the odds that Acheron was actually conspiring against the king?

He could be. He had a much bigger reason to hate their father than even Styxx did.

But the moment he saw Acheron's panicked face and heard his brother's confused thoughts, he knew better.

Fuck me....

He'd just thrown an innocent man into the fire. Acheron had been shackled. The guards forced him down on his knees in front of their father's throne while Ryssa came tearing into the room with her face flushed bright red to defend the only brother she loved.

Ever defiant, Acheron glared at them. "Why am I here?"

Their father came off his throne with a bellow of rage. "You do not ask questions of me, traitor!"

Styxx ground his teeth in anger.

Stunned, Acheron couldn't even blink for a full minute.

"Father!" Ryssa snapped. "Have you lost your reason?"

His answer was to backhand Acheron. "Where were you last night?"

Styxx forced himself not to react to a blow that exploded through his cheek and eye.

Acheron panted in pain. I was with Artemis....

Styxx froze as he heard his brother's thoughts. Triple shit. Acheron and Artemis? No wonder Apollo had such a hard-on for his brother. Now Styxx fully understood the god's fury and Apollo's incoherent rants that had preceded some of his more vicious attacks against Styxx in the past.

That, more than Styxx's defiance, was what had set Apollo off on his lunacy.

Acheron, you dumb shit. You're screwing Apollo's "virgin" sister? Really? Was Acheron out of his mind?

And it explained the groin pain that had hurt so badly there were times Styxx still ached from it.

Styxx had been in Atlantean custody, in the ring, when it'd felt like someone had gelded him. Literally. He would have sworn someone had cut him open and torn him apart.

Either Apollo or one of the others must have gelded Acheron.

How could you be so stupid, brother?

Acheron locked gazes with Styxx and the accusation there scorched him. "I was in my room."

His father struck Acheron again. "Liar. I have witnesses who saw you in a stew, plotting my murder."

Terrified of anyone discovering that he felt Acheron's blows, Styxx covered his face with his hand to shield the blood on his lips.

"I've done no such thing." Acheron's voice trembled with his fear.

His father hit him again before he turned to the guards. "Torture him until he decides to tell us the truth."

Acheron cried out loud the same internal denial Styxx shouted in his head. His brother fought the guards holding him.

"Father, no!" Ryssa moved forward.

The king turned on her with a feral snarl. "You're not going to save him this time. He's committed treason and I will not allow that to go unanswered."

Styxx growled silently in his throat as utter agony filled him. Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?

Because he'd been tired and hadn't thought it through.

When will I learn?

His breathing ragged, Acheron, who was being restrained by the guards, met and held Styxx's gaze. How could you plot the death of a man who worships the ground you walk on? I would sell my worthless soul to have just a portion of the love you spurn.

Damn you, Styxx. Damn you!

Styxx winced at Acheron's thoughts. If he only knew the truth....

But Acheron would never believe it. Like everyone else, he thought Styxx had the beautiful, perfect life. But no one lived that.

No one. No life was spared grief or agony. The gods weren't that kind to anyone. Ever. Everything looked so beautiful from the outside. But the interior view was never the same. Just like all the times as a small child Styxx had envied Acheron for living with Estes in Atlantis.

Yeah....

Acheron was hauled out of the throne room and taken to the prison below.

What have you done, Styxx?

He flinched at Ryssa's silent condemnation in his head. Like Acheron, she believed he was the traitor and that he'd framed his brother for it.

I'm as innocent as Acheron. Not that she'd ever believe him, any more than their father would believe his brother. What a messed up family they had.

But that wasn't the biggest concern. If neither he nor Acheron had done it, someone had lied to his father. Someone who wanted them all dead. Raw anger filled him as he looked about the room. It had to be one of the senators who stood back in silence. No one else would have a reason to come after him and lie like this.

Except Apollo. Was this what the bastard had meant when he said that he intended to screw with him?

Styxx almost came off his throne when he felt the first lash cut across Acheron's chest. Thankfully his father was preoccupied with Ryssa's tantrum.

She stormed to Styxx and glared at him. "I will call down the wrath of every god on Olympus for you, brother. And I intend to laugh when they chain you to a rock and have your traitorous heart cut out."

"Love you, too, lamb-head."

If looks were lethal, he'd be as dead as she wished him.

His body ached as more blows were given to Acheron. He glanced to his father who looked older than he ever had before. And that right there was why Styxx didn't covet his father's crown. Even now, his father wasn't sure if Styxx was lying or not.

The king would always be suspicious.

And there was nothing he could do to alleviate it.

Tired and aching, Styxx bit back a groan as another lash was given. "Father? May I have time to wash and change?"

The king nodded.

Styxx flinched as more pain hit him. Determined not to show it, he went over to his father before he left the room. "Who is our accuser?"

"I'll tell you once I get to the bottom of this."

Styxx ground his teeth in anger. You don't trust us, your own children, but you trust a liar.

Why was he even surprised?

Because he expected better from his father. He always had. But his father had never ceased to disappoint him.

Fine. There was nothing he could do about it. Disgusted, Styxx went to his room, and with every foul pain, he cursed himself more. How could he have been so stupid as to incriminate Acheron? But then he'd been caught off guard with no sleep.

How do I get you out of this, brother?

Determined to try, Styxx went to his bedroom door to leave so that he could find the one who'd accused them.

It was locked.

What the...?

He pounded on it as hard as he could.

No one answered. Worse, he was suddenly so sleepy that he couldn't stand. Yawning, he tried to focus his fuzzy gaze. But it was useless. One minute he was standing, the next, he was lying on the floor.

* * *

Sitting in his Olympian temple, Apollo nodded to Poena and Eris, who had pleased him well with their wonderful cruelty against Styxx and his siblings. But then that was what they excelled at.

Tearing families apart.

"Good work..." Apollo said with a smile. "Now finish it."

They took off immediately.

Dionysus waited until they were alone. "Question, brother. Why do you hate the Didymosian princes so badly?"

Apollo ground his teeth. "Styxx has been a thorn in my ass since the day you introduced us. What mortal dares to turn away the affections of a god?"

"Not a bright one, that's for sure. And the other one you torture?"

Apollo hesitated. While he mostly trusted his brother, he wasn't about to tell anyone about Artemis's "pet." As much as he wanted to hurt Styxx for spurning him, he wanted Acheron's heart in his fist for daring to touch Artemis and contaminate her with his filth. But unfortunately, he couldn't kill one twin without killing the other and starting a war with his sister he wasn't ready to fight. Unfortunately, he needed that bitch to live.... So he settled on a lesser explanation. "Collateral damage."

Dionysus arched a brow at that. "You gelded the boy for collateral damage? Damn, remind me not to piss you off."

Apollo gave him a droll stare. "I wasn't about to geld the one I'm sleeping with. I enjoy him too much for that."

Dionysus shook his head. "Harsh, brother. Very harsh."

"This from the one who sends madness out as punishment? I haven't made them slaughter their own children or eat their own body parts."

"As you would say, it is our moral obligation to keep the humans in line."

Yes, it was. And he wasn't through with the Didymosian twins ... not yet. Not until Acheron learned to leave his sister alone and Styxx learned to bend to Apollo's whims and presence with a smile.

* * *

Ryssa was terrified as she returned to her room and handed her crying son over to his nurse. What was she going to do?

Unlike her father, she knew who the real traitor was. If witnesses saw someone tall, blond, and looking like Acheron, it was Styxx. It had to be. Acheron would have nothing to gain by killing the king, other than vengeance, and he wasn't the kind of person to go after vengeance for anything.

Not to mention Acheron would never have been in public uncovered, especially not a stew. Had he done so, he'd still be there, facedown, beating people off him.

"What have you done, Styxx?" she whispered through the tight lump in her throat.

Why would he plot against his own father? But then she knew. The history of mankind was written by sons and brothers wanting more, and willing to do anything to get it.

Even kill their own fathers.

"I have to find Artemis." There was no one else who could save Acheron from this madness.

Ryssa headed for her door to leave, but before she took three steps, the doors opened to admit the same guards who'd arrested Acheron.

"Your Highness, you're to be taken for questioning."

Her heart chilled at those words. "Questioning? This can't be."

But it was. Surrounding her with their muscle and terrifying visages, they took her to her father's study where he waited with Styxx. Never had she hated her brother more.

She gave them both the coldest look she could muster. "What is this, Father?"

He appeared so worn and exhausted that she felt awful for him. This was the worst sort of treachery. His handsome features were drawn tight with sadness. "Why would you betray me, daughter?"

She scowled at his question. "I've never done anything to betray you, Father.... Ever."

He shook his head. "I have a witness who just came forward and said that you were with Acheron last night as he plotted my death."

She leveled a killing glare at Styxx. He had to be the one who'd named them. There was no one else. "Then they are lying as they lied about Acheron. I was with Apollo last night. Summon him and see."

Styxx's face went white.

So, he'd thought to rid himself of her, too. She couldn't believe her father's stupidity where Styxx was concerned. How could he be so blind to such a selfish villain?

Relief etched itself across her father's brow as he approached her. "I'm glad they're mistaken, kitten." He laid a gentle hand to her face. "The thought of my beloved daughter turning on me..."

What of his beloved son?

She looked past her father to see Styxx staring at the floor. "Acheron is innocent."

"No, child. Not this time. I have too many witnesses who saw him there."

Why couldn't she make him see the truth? "Acheron would never be in a stew, Father."

"Of course he would. He worked in one. Where else would he go?"

Anywhere but there. Her brother had hated every minute of being trapped in those places and being forced to sell himself for food and shelter. "Please, Father. You've done enough to Acheron. Leave him be."

He shook his head. "There is a nest of vipers coiled around me, and until I uncover the name of everyone he spoke to, I won't stop."

Tears filled her eyes as she considered the nightmare they were going to put Acheron through. Again. Needlessly. Why could her father not see the truth? "The priests say that Hades reserves a special corner of Tartarus for betrayers. I'm sure the name of your real traitor is being carved there even as we speak."

Styxx refused to meet her gaze.

So she looked back at her father. "In all these years, Acheron has sought nothing but love from you, Father. One moment of your looking at him with something other than hatred burning in your eyes. Nothing more than a kind word, and at every turn you've denied him and hurt him. You have shattered the son who only wanted to love you. Let him go before you do irreparable harm, I beg you."

Still, her father refused. "He's betrayed me for the last time."

"Betrayed you?" she asked, aghast at his reasoning. "Father, you can't believe that. All he's tried to do is stay out of your sight. Away from your notice. He cringes any time your name is brought up, or Styxx's for that matter. If you'd stop being so blind for one minute, you'd see that he has never willingly mixed with people and he has never betrayed you."

"He was a prostitute!" he roared in her face.

"He was a boy who had to eat, Father. Thrown away by his own family. Betrayed by the ones who should have protected him from harm. I was there when he was born, and I remember how all of you turned away from him. Do you? Do you even recall when you broke his arm? He was only two years old and could barely speak. He reached for you to hug you, and you knocked him away so forcefully that you broke his arm like a twig. When he cried out, you slapped him for it, and walked away."

"And that's why he plots your murder, Father," Styxx spoke up finally in a whiny, nasal tone. "Don't let a woman sway you from what needs to be done. Women are our greatest weakness. They prey on our guilt and our love of them. How many times have you told me that? You can't listen to them. They think with their hearts and not their minds."