Acheron

I glared at him, pouting, "I don't have any power. Apart from being really, really, hard to kill, I'm pretty much human thanks to this stupid wrist band. And I bet you anything, that it won't come off until we get out of here."

He growled, "You better come with me then."

We headed east, through some doors, up some stairs and ended up in a sitting room. "I really admire you Ash."

"Ch, thanks."

"I'm serious," I snapped, then softening, "A lot of guys, leader or no, would have just left. After all, you can still walk about in the sun."

"So can you… why didn't you leave?"

"Well, for one," I flopped down on the sofa, "you told me to stay. Second of all, these men are my friends, even the ones who think I'm plotting something."

"I don't need the friendship of another goddess."

Ouch, that stung. Still, I reveled in the rudeness. Maybe even he didn't realize it, but the fact that he'd insult me meant he trusted me, even just a little, though he still flinched whenever he noticed he'd done it.

"I can understand where you're coming from…"

"No you can't." He cut me off. "You don't know… you couldn't."

I looked up into his uncertain and unnerved face, delighted again because he let me see it. "Shall I explain the way my job works? The fallen aren't just anyone. They're the truly good people who suffer extreme losses, or betrayals, or abuse, or painful deaths. They consist almost exclusively of the Dark Hunters, as well as a few scattered squires, Were Hunters, Dream Hunters, and the odd normal human. When I get a new charge, I am informed by a vision encompassing their entire lives, complete with empathic impressions on the most extreme places, not all of the Dark Hunters are part of the Fallen but….All of those men down there are the fallen."

"Then with the Dark Hunters…."

"I feel exactly what they do when they die. And it happens again once a year on the day they died."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, I know."

It was silent along time after my long speech, both of us lost in thought, before Ash realized something and a slight pink painted itself across his handsome face. "You mean…my death…you felt…but I thought you said you were younger than me."

"I am, by about a year." I smiled gently at him and chuckled a little, nervously, "You were my first. Scared me to death that I was seeing and feeling all of these things…"

"Tell me about the guy Apollo killed- sorry, I shouldn't have said that…"

I continued staring at him, debating. Finally I sighed. "Acheron…I was talking about you. I never knew any of the other poor guys Apollo killed."

"But we never met."

His face was completely red now.

"I saw your entire life at the moment before you died, Acheron…You didn't know me, but it was like I had known you since you were born. I'm not asking you to feel the same, or like me or anything. I just figured you deserved the truth."

A little unnerved and discouraged by his silence, I looked away from him. "I think I'll go check on Val…"

The winding halls of the castle-like building seemed to change with each step I took, as if to keep me from leaving. To make things worse, with this bracelet on, I couldn't sense any of the Dark Hunters. I ended up in the kitchen. "I don't remember going down any stairs…"

A creepy giggle sounded from behind me and I froze, a cold sweat starting to roll down the back of my neck.

"You should be careful in here. Sharp objects you know?"

Look, I love kids. My world revolves around kids, seeing as nearly all of the Dark Hunters are millennia younger than me. I send teddy bears to children's hospitals all over the world at Christmas time. But this little bugger really freaked me out. After all, just 'cause you like kids doesn't mean you have to like the dead ones.

The ghostly little boy was missing his head, a quick look around revealed that it was sitting in a mixing bowl.

"Sharp objects?"

"Yes…like the cooks meat cleaver, you could…loose your head over that one."

Ouch, bad pun. I didn't know where to look. The body, bloody and dressed in a poofy shirt and dark trousers that was circling me, or the head which was grinning this creepy little grin at me as it spoke.

Very suddenly, the floor was shaking. I braced myself on the counter, and hissed in pain. It was sharp. I cradled my bleeding hand to my chest and looked at the counter, which was suddenly made out of cleavers. Hundreds rained down on fragile strings, hanging just millimeters from my face. And several shot up through the floor to box me in.

"Be very still and maybe he won't cut you." The ghost cackled.

There was no one else in the room, I wanted to snap, but my maternal instincts wouldn't let me be too terribly angry at a poor deranged dead boy. Problem was, as the boy chanted 'loose your head, hahaha' over and over again, the strings attached to the hanging knives vibrated like his vocal cords. One nicked my face, dangerously close to my eye. I couldn't move for fear of incurring more cuts, and if I cut my legs, it would lead to a bad fall into sharp objects.

"Kallisto? Are you in here? What the hell?"

"Ash, be careful!"

"Kalli, stay still and don't move."

"Way ahead of you."

I could see, from the corner of my eye, Ash standing in the doorway, looking lost. I felt for him, because I could imagine what he was feeling. Confused about me randomly declaring my love for him, upset that he was confused, the worry over the rest of the Hunters being possessed, and now this. And his good nature wouldn't let him leave me there.

"Ash, don't worry about me, I'll figure a way out of this."

"Loose your head, loose your head, hahaha!" The boy laughed, "Another fool's come to loose his head!"

"Please be quiet now, kid, the adults are talking." I scolded him crossly.

A clanking sound reached my ears and with horror, I forgot myself and jerked my head to the side. A blade roughly scraped my shoulder, causing a large, shallow, gash to appear, and another smaller one on my right cheek. I didn't even notice the pain though, too focused on Acheron making his way quickly through the cleavers, bouncing them off of an energy shield. The boy screeched and faded away as Ash's hand made contact with mine. He took all the cleavers with him, the counter behind me made of stone once again. "Was that all an illusion?"

But then the pain in my shoulder and face told me that I'd asked a stupid question. Acheron peeked out the window, and seeming satisfied with what he saw, he started to drag me from the house.

"Ash! The sun!"

"It went down an hour ago."

"What?"

"I've been looking for you for hours, Kalli."

Funny how it seemed like just minutes. Time flies when you're trying not to die.

"Sorry, Ash, I should have stayed put."

He stared at me a while, then sighed as we walked out into the night to see that the rest of the gang had made it out. Satisfied that they were okay, Ash turned to me, tugging on the wristband. It came off easily now. He then flashed up a 1st aid kit and proceeded to clean the wound on my cheek as we sat down in the damp grass.

"Kalli…"

"What?"

I hadn't been making eye contact, so it surprised me when he kissed me. I won't deny being attracted to him, that would be lying, but I couldn't bring myself to let him feel like he had to do this because he thought he owed me something.

"Acheron… you don't…have to…"

"I know." He muttered against the cheek without the cut, "But what I don't understand is how you can be so kind all the time. You save lives, fix peoples problems…"

"You do the same thing." I tried to sound normal as he kissed my neck, eyes flashing red, "Ash, have you fed from Artemis recently?"

"No."

Again, stupid question. I hissed in pain as his lips passed over my shoulder. Instantly, his eyes we silver again. "Did I hurt you?"

Typical Ash.

"No, you didn't hurt me, I had a run in with a meat cleaver."

He tugged a little at my shirt, the loose neckline sliding to give him better access to the gash. He cleaned it, and bandaged it with medical gauze and tape. "Any others?"

"No you got them all. You know, you didn't have to do that. They'll heal pretty soon."

"Not before you get tetanus or something."

I smiled softly at him, and stroked his cheek, delighted yet again when he didn't flinch as he did with everyone else but Katra and Simi, "Worry wart."

I wasn't sure who did the kissing this time. All I know is, when I opened my eyes, we were in my temple. Sneaky, sneaky…

{Several Years Later}

I smoothed a hand over my night blue silk dress as Katra, my maid of honor, adjusted the Grecian back (AN: it's like a halter top, except the ties that hold it up twist like a rope in the back and then wrap around your waist before tying in the back). Since Ash had told me I looked good with my hair down, that's the way I'd left it, curling in golden waves down my back. Kat fiddled with that too.

"You sure you don't want make-up? There's still time."

"I don't need it."

"True enough." She lowered her pregnant (SPOILERS) self down into a fluffy chair in the middle of the room. "I have to thank you. I don't think anyone's made him so happy…ever."

"You do, in a different way. And your mother did, at one point in time. She's being oddly quiet lately…"

"Dad and I threatened to never speak to her again if she hurt you, or sent anyone to do so." The girl replied proudly, "I haven't known you that long, but Daddy's happy, and that's all that matters."

"I'm glad I make him happy, he makes me the happiest woman on earth or Olympus. I just wish…"

I trailed off, thinking about my father, Alcaeus. He would have loved to be here, but he had been mortal.

A knock broke me from my thoughts.

"If it Dad, you'll have to wait to see her!"

"It's Hades."

"Uncle Hades, come on in!" I smiled at the man who'd taught me to use my powers.

He cleared his throat. "You asked me to walk you down the aisle…"

"Yes…is everything okay?"

"Don't look so worried…I just thought of someone better…"

He stepped aside, smirking, and revealed the man who had haunted my thoughts moments before. I rushed forward to hug my father. "Daddy!"

"Kalli… It's been so long. You've grown into such a beautiful young woman. I've been talking to your groom."

"Do you like him?"

"Very much, since Hades had told me who he was as well…to think we were so close to him when we were human… anyway, you have my blessing….as long as I get grandchildren. In the plural."

"Is that in addition to the six that Mom demanded of me?"

"Yes."

I could have stood there and talked for hours, but we heard the wedding march. "Come on Kalli, we can talk after the honeymoon, I'll ask Hades for a day off."

"A day off?"

"I'm his secretary."

I grinned and we walked out.

Acheron looked good in a tux, let me tell you. He looks good in a lot of things…okay he looks good in everything, but I had to wonder if he looked good in nothing….

That's right, we hadn't done anything.

Yet.

"I do." I told him.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

He pulled me closer and set his lips chastely on mine. He was still afraid of embarrassing me. So I pulled him in again and gave him a real kiss….a reeeeaaaally long one.

The crowd applauded, clapping in time with my heart.

"I love you so much." He whispered in my ear, with a worshiping gaze.

I smiled deliriously at him. He might worship me, but I worshiped him too. He was my whole world, and he always would be.