Chapter 2 –

I wasn't sure how long it was that Dev and I sat there, but after a time, Aimee came out and got him saying that Nicolette needed him to watch the door. He looked at me with concern in his eyes. "You'll be okay, now, right, Kari?"

I dipped my head, shooing him back off to his job. I was left alone yet again. Gods, I hated my job.

I felt a pull. That was basically an ethereal bell pull that Apollymi had installed directly in my head. Yup. The only woman who could possibly make my night more miserable (or totally turn it around) was my boss and she was calling me to heel. I flashed to Kalosis.

Outside of the throne room I rapped sharply on the door. Like the good little pup I was, I came in quickly. I nodded at the demons before focusing my attention on my mistress. "You rang, m'lady?"

"How is your daughter?" The words were asked coolly, utter nonchalance evident in her inquiry. I knew better.

"I wouldn't know. Like my lady I am forbidden to see her, and unlike my lady I have no way of contacting her," I replied quietly. My even tone belied the devastation that ripped through my core at my own words. Gods, I wanted my Ria back.

Her angelic face watched my reaction carefully. A few moments later she seemed satisfied. My eyes stayed on a spot on the wall behind her head as I waited for her to say something. When she did not, something occurred to me. I had comtemplated what this might have been like, and steeling myself, I asked tentatively, "Akra? May I speak freely for a moment?" She inclined her head regally looking only vaguely interested. "The thought just occurred to me that had I been lucky enough to have been born to you, I might still have had my Ria. My bitch of a half-sister would have had no reason for taking her from me because she wouldn't have been able to be jealous of the attention I get from our mother . . . That and it's obvious you wouldn't have hidden me from the world unless you had to. I just thought you should know." I dropped my eyes only catching a glimpse of the shock that had passed over her features.

Apollymi made an interested sound. "Kharissa?" I looked at her. "You do not just feel my pain vicariously, do you? You feel a degree of it yourself, yes?" Had I voiced my answer instead of just locking my jaw and nodding, it would have cracked. I could barely swallow past the lump in my throat as my mistress continued, "Mmm. Even as the Great Destroyer, I wouldn't wish this pain on one such as you or I, Kharissa. And you are certainly right. Had you been born my daughter instead of the Greek Titan's, you would have lived out in the open, or like my son.

"I shall show you a kindness, Kharissa. If you can help my son, I shall help you get your daughter back. On one condition," she paused and I sucked in a breath. "You must transfer her service over from Artemis to myself. Like my Katra."

I thought for a moment. There had to be a catch. She already knew that I wanted to finally meet my half-brother. "I'd be able to see Sotiria? Whenever I pleased, save for when you have need of me," I inquired cautiously.

"Yes. And as long as I have no need of her, either . . . although, there is the question of payment," she mused. I nodded. There it was. Kindness, sure, but it always comes at a cost when in connection to Apollymi.

"What is it that you want of me?"

She smirked as if it were obvious as she retorted smoothly, "I want you to kill Strykerius." Ah. Yup. That was quite a big price considering I had been feeling his pain over the past few millennia. Yeah. This would be great. He wasn't an innocent and I'd just have to picture him as Artemis… Or maybe just visit my sister . . . Oh, who am I kidding? Killing only came easily if my victim was going to be my annoying half-siblings.

"Do you accept the terms?" Apollymi was staring at me. This was a test. This was in all likelihood a test. She'd carry out the terms and finally show what she really had in mind when this was all over. It was just how she worked. I swear, she could strike as hard a bargain as Di does with Ash and her dark hunters.

I grimaced and bobbed my head. "Yes. I do, my lady." I almost left before I turned back and asked carefully, "Mistress, what, pray tell me, is it that I must help Apostolos with?"

"Anything he needs of you. From this day forth, you are now in servitude of us both, Kharissa. You are dismissed."

Great. Isn't this just fabulous?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two weeks later, I'm sitting in my house, playing my guitar, and trying to think of a good way to introduce myself to Ash. Obviously, I couldn't just walk up to him, put out my hand and say "Hello, Acheron! I'm your goddess half-sister! I'm now you and your mother's eternal servant because I traded my freedom to get my daughter back from my bitch half-sister! Oh, who is it? Well, you know Artemis? Yeah, she stole my daughter from me and made her one of her koris, so I can't actually get her back without help from the Great Destroyer. Oh, and I also have to kill Styker. Want to help me?" Yeah. Not exactly something to entice a warm welcome.

Then, on the other hand, if I didn't tell him early on that I was related to him by blood, he would resent me for not being totally honest from the start. In other words, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Awesome. Now, I just had to find the crack in one of the two objects I was up against, and drill it all to hell. If only I could find the crack and my metaphorical drill . . .

I felt a surge of power and cursed silently. A tall blond haired man ambled into my bedroom like he owned the place. The polar opposite of who I wanted to see right now. He moved around picking up my knick knacks and eyeing my pictures. His distaste for my mundane decorations was practically tangible.

"Why don't you just find a temple or make one, Kharissa? Oh wait, I forgot! You don't have a pantheon. No temple for you, then," Apollo drawled in that annoyingly superior tone. Gods, did I hate him and his giant ass ego.

I replied in a bored tone, "Look, you talentless Helios wannabe, stop touching my stuff, gather up your ego, and get the hell out of my house. I don't have time for your bullshit."

Apollo's eyes narrowed and his face became inflamed in outrage. "Talentless? You little whore, who do you think you're talking to? I am the God of Music. I have the Muses under my command. How dare you think your art better than mine!"

I laughed loudly, obnoxiously, and totally in his face. "Yeah. Talk about insecurities. I make you and your Muses look mediocre and you know it. Besides, Mom always liked my singing, and playing, and painting, and drawing, and sculpting, and poetry and stories better anyway. Ha ha!"

"Your husband was right in what he did, Kharissa. Don't deny it. You are not worthy of any god."

I snorted, trying to hide the pain that tore through me at that. Damn emotions. "Yeah, uh huh, says the epitome of the term 'man-skank.' I'm sure he felt the same, since you were always giving him those lusty stares. I bet you were one of the sluts he was with when he was running around, weren't you, brother?"

Apollo drew back his hand to smack me for my insolence, but I caught it before it could crack against my cheek. I clucked my tongue at him and wagged the index finger on my other hand. "Naughty, naughty, brother mine. Didn't you learn not to strike me the last time I kicked your ass?"

Stealing his hand back he raged, "Don't lay a hand upon me with your filth, wench. That was pure luck. When you try to kill my bastard son, I'll enjoy watching you die."

"Yeah, like that pansy ass could scratch me. If he's anything like you, it won't even be a challenge. Like killing a stink bug: gross, but it is so easy, and satisfying to crush it beneath your boot."

With one last sneer, my disgusting lack-wit of a half-brother left in a flash of light. Apollo and his stupid ass theatrics. He shouldn't have been the god of art; he should have been the god of drama. I swear, that boy makes Shakespeare look like some macho he-man.

I yelled loudly through to him, "Yeah, you run back to Mom! She still loves me best, you coward!"

Two seconds later I felt another flash of power and then Mother waltzed into my bedroom. Couldn't I get more than a few moments alone, anymore? I had some serious thinking to do.

Mom was giving me a chiding glare. "Kari-bear," she patronized, "What did I say about antagonizing your brother and sister?" My eyes widened.

"The shit-head actually ran back home, Ma?"

"Kharissa," my mother squeaked indignantly. "Your brother is a good boy! Yes, he and your sister have not always been perfect but they are good on the inside."

"Mom, I hate to break it to you, but you've kind of failed in raising them. Just the fact that they were so jealous that they stole my daughter from me and have kept me from her for a few thousand years proves my point. You stood by and did nothing even when I begged you to help me."

She frowned disapprovingly. "Kari-bear they were only trying to protect her, not keep you from her."

Why the fuck did I have to have such a horrible family? They were totally incompetent. "Mother. They made her a kori, and haven't allowed me near Artemis's temple. You stood by and watched, listening to their total bullshit. You expect me to believe that those ass holes had actually been doing a good deed?"

My mother nodded then leveled a finger at me. "Kharissa Lysimache, don't you take that tone with me! And don't you think I'd like to see my granddaughter more often than I do? Of course, but I do not always get what I want, and neither can you."

"Get out. You hid me from the world, and now you're justifying the loss of my daughter."

My mother looked appalled. "I will do no such thing. I have come to tell you that you are forbidden to kill Strykerius."

I blinked. I couldn't believe it. She was actually siding with my disgusting half siblings. Friggin' first borns. I shook my head, revolted. I raked my mother with a sneer. "You aren't my master. You aren't my mistress. You don't dictate what I can and cannot do. The only thing you ever did for me was give birth. That and hide me from the world."

"I protected you from the wrath of that Atlantean bitch," she interrupted indignantly.

"Like hell you did! You only did that so she wouldn't come after you, too, for having been one of my father's mistresses! You didn't hide me for my welfare; you did it to save your own ass. You stood by and did nothing to help me while my ex-husband slept around, and you let your little bitch whore of a daughter still my baby from me and did nothing, yet again. Now, you expect me to do what you ask when the one way I can be the mother that you never were, is to kill the one ass hole you 'forbid' me to harm?" I shook my head in utter distaste.

My mother's eyes were wide and a little hurt. In all honesty, I was tired of dealing with her dumb ass antics for ten thousand years. Anger began to replace the hurt. "Kharissa, you are my daughter, and you will do what I say," she commanded with the force of her goddess powers. I just ignored it. "I did what I thought best, and as a goddess of humanity, you should be able to see my sincerity for what it is. I am your mother. Apollymi is only using you, Kharissa. Do not be fooled by her. I was the one that birthed you, fed you, clothed you, damn it, girl, I raised you. Your husband was a man. I expected him to do as much and thought it best that you see him for what he was. Your daughter wasn't safe with you. I didn't allow Artemis to take her. I ordered her to take her. You were unfit as a mother. I decided to put her in the hands of your sister where she would always be safe."

My head jerked back. No. No, this wasn't possible. She couldn't have hit me harder had she used a god-bolt. I shuddered, everything made sense now.

My mother hadn't done nothing because she was blind. It was because she had ordered it. Everything had gone according to plan. The woman who raised me and gave birth to me had thought me "unfit" as a mother and taken my daughter from me. The one thing good in my life, and she'd robbed me of her, leaving me thinking my sister had just been jealous. I couldn't believe it.

With fury and tears in my eyes I ordered quietly, "Get out of my house. Get out of my life, and never come back. Oh, and mother?" I had turned away, and now turned back to glance at her. I continued, "I hope you rot in hell, and some way, somehow, I'll figure out a way to kill your precious Artemis and Apollo if it's the last thing I do. I would just love for you to know what it's like to be robbed of your child and know that your own flesh and blood had done the deed." I turned away and quietly strummed my guitar. Goddess of motherhood my ass, I thought. If she was such a good fucking mother why the hell did she take my Ria from me? She broke my heart and shredded my souls all in one shot and then she had the gall to look down her nose at me like some superior being. Screw her. I didn't need my mother anymore. I was a grown woman and I had a boss who was better than my mother. At least she was somewhat fair and there was a reason for any of her bitchiness. She was supposed to bring about the end of the world and she'd had her child torn from her. I could understand that. My own mother, I didn't understand.

Bitch.

A hand touched my shoulder and turned me to face it's owner. "Why are you still—" I stopped mid-sentence when I saw who had turned me. How the hell did he get in here?