Acheron appeared in the outer courtyard of Artemis' temple on Olympus. He grinned inwardly as her koris scattered in the wake of his arrival. They'd always been taught never to look at him and to vanish from the temple as soon as he arrived. Now he knew why they had been taught that with the revelation that one of them had been his daughter. It amused him that they still scattered even though the secret was out in the open.

He found the goddess in her usual spot in the throne room of her temple, lounging about like nothing was amiss. "I was beginning to wonder when you would return. You are very late." She purred as she rose from the couch and stalked across the marble floor towards him.

"I had some things to take care of. You know I gave my word." He winced as she raked her nails across his suddenly bare back. She hated for him to be clothed while he was here and she was quite adept at flashing his clothing off as soon as he arrived. He could always undo what she did to him but she liked to be superior in her own territory so he allowed her to think she was.

"I've been thinking…" she continued circling him, eyeing him like a prize bull.

"Well, that's never a good sign."

"Very funny. Seriously Acheron, now that you know about your daughter I see no reason that you can't stay here with me all the time. After all we are a family now."

He batted her hand away and laughed at her, "Oh that's just hilarious Artie. And by the way it'll never happen."

She stamped her foot and clenched her fists at her sides acting like a petulant child, "Well why not?"

"Because you'd never allow me to go do what I needed to do, for one. I have a lot of things that need to be tended to and I can't do that when I'm being held prisoner here. You know that already."

"Oh those stupid hunters of yours can look after themselves!" He raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head once. "You don't love me anymore!"

Ash's laughter boomed out across the temple, echoing against the stone walls, "Oh that's funny! I hate to burst your bubble Artie but I haven't loved you in a very, very long time. You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise."

Her tone changed instantly from angry to sulky, "Why don't you love me anymore? You used to. We used to love each other so much. What happened?"

He shrugged at her and walked out to the balcony that overlooked a lush forest, "Times change. People change. You hurt me one too many times." He let his voice trail off before he said anything else to her.

"What else?" she asked as she draped herself over his side. "You're not telling me everything."

"No, I'm not and there's a good reason for it." She huffed at him and tapped her foot. "Fine, you asked for it. How much do you know about my life before you met me?"

She leaned against the railing and looked up at him with a cautious air, "I know that your uncle abused you terribly. Why?"

"Artie, there's a lot more to it than that. When I was human, before Estes took me away, I was happy. I met a girl that I fell deeply in love with. It's kind of complicated to explain it all so I'll just say that my mother killed her to spite me. What my mother didn't know is that she was Savitar's sister and she was put in my path for a reason." Artemis said nothing but her eyes were wide with surprise. "Well, Savitar has been reincarnating her ever since my mother killed her and we finally found each other again."

"I see," now the look on her face was more sadness than surprise.

"No you don't see Artie. She is the person I was destined to love. And I do. I married her a while back and we have a child now. That is why I won't sleep with you anymore." He took a deep breath before saying what he desperately needed to, "Artie, I finally have the love I've been looking for all this time. The love you never gave me. And I will never give it up."

A single crystal tear slid down Artemis cheek and she turned her head away from him so that he wouldn't see her loss of control. She felt the sadness threatening to overwhelm her so she flashed herself out of the temple leaving Acheron alone.

He was still sitting there alone several hours later when Katra arrived looking pissed. He chuckled at her expression and wandered over to where she stood, "What's the matter honey?"

"Oh don't talk to me now. I currently hate all members of the male species."

Knowing that if she really wanted to talk to him she'd come find him, he shrugged and returned to where he had been sitting on the railing of the balcony. Eventually she did come to him and they talked for a long time. She told him about how Sin had found out about how she had facilitated Artemis taking his powers from him and how she thought that he now hated her for it. Ash consoled her and explained to her that if Fate meant for them to be together that Sin would forgive her.

Eventually she smiled and nodded to let him know that she knew he was right. "Thank you dad. Where's mom at?"

He lowered his eyes to his chest and said, "I'm not sure. She got a little upset at me and left."

"Why'd she get upset at you?" Kat asked carefully. When her father looked up at her with a deep sadness in his eyes she knew the answer. "You told her about Phaedryn didn't you?" He nodded once and she sighed, "Well that's not good. I mean I know you had to tell her eventually but…well that's just asking for a headache for everyone." She sighed again and he followed her lead. "Well, she'll just have to get over it. Right now we've got bigger problems. Sin said that the gallu are massing for an all out assault on humanity. Some guy named Kessar is pulling their strings and he's really gunning for the Dimme to be released. Can you send Simi and her sister out to Vegas?"

"Not a problem. They will be there. And Kat, if you really need my help, call me. Your mother won't release me unless it's a very desperate situation and I think your being in trouble would fit that." He hugged her cautiously and kissed her on top of the head. "Be careful."