Out Of The Darkness
Chapter 33
"I can't believe you screwed this up! An infant could have followed my orders better!" Artemis screeched at her brother, Apollo who shakily got to his feet. While they still had their not so inconsiderable powers, they were weakened. The lack of sustenance had long since began affecting them, it couldn't kill them, nothing could. However, he would be surprised if there was a damnable god or goddess that couldn't hear the rumbling of their stomachs from here as loudly as they could hear Zeus' power of thunder trembling when he was pissed. Everyone gave Zeus a wide berth when that happened, he terrified them all.
Although, Zeus was nothing on Apollymi the destroyer. She was very aptly named.
"I did not screw this up," Apollo stated, giving his sister a look of cold calculating derision, "It appears as though your beloved Acheron has a soul mate." A mocking sneer of disgust spreading across his features and seeping into his voice, as he watched the metaphorical steam come out of Artemis' ears.
Artemis screamed as she stood on the spot, arms down, hands clenched into fists, "That…that…thing…is going to die a horrible painful death." Unable to say his name, she wasn't used to being humiliated, never mind in front of the entire pantheon. Luckily this time had been private – if you didn't include Acheron – so it wasn't too bad. The sting that once again her plans had failed made her so furious, it didn't help that she was so hungry, she needed to convince Acheron up here, to let her feed off him.
She would have to just upright threaten his little catamite. That would surely see him scurrying back just like he always did. So easily cowed, desire thrummed through her, knowing she held the reins of arguable one of the most powerful beings in the universe was a feeling like no other. She'd done everything to ensure she kept that power, and now it was unravelling before her with the likes she'd never experienced.
"Oh? And how are you going to do that?" Apollo commented icily, their previous two plans had – he thought – been rather well thought-out. Unfortunately, The Fates – Or Moirai as they actually preferred – were not falling things in their favor. Beautiful women they were, more beautiful and intelligent than Aphrodite or Athena. Not that he'd ever give voice to it, he was smarter than that. The goddesses were vindictive spiteful things when wronged, and he'd rather avoid their wrath if possible.
"I'll think of something," she hissed out, sounding like a feral cat, her mind reeling. She truly thought that the damnable cupids bow would work. She thought for sure she could cow Acheron back into her sphere of influence and regain control over the Dark Hunters which would allow her an iron grip on the god.
"It had better be quick, and good," Apollo warned, refusing to admit that the wizard absolutely terrified him. The obscene powers he had was just incredibly unfair. He was pretty sure he was more powerful than Acheron, but he couldn't say for sure. Gods were capable of cloaking their abilities, to appear less powerful, less intimidating. Acheron did that, his true powers were a frightful thing to see. That was with his humanity intact, his harbinger form? He didn't even want to imagine what he could do.
Apollo used to loathe Acheron, and was unafraid of the man, and he had gleefully ripped and torn into Acheron until he ceased breathing. His rage at the loss of Ryssa and his son Apollodorus (Acheron's sister and nephew) he took it out on Acheron – who had been drugged by Artemis – and unable to save them. Artemis had found out that Acheron was a Chthonian (god killers always born never a god with Acheron being the only exception due to him absorbing Styxx's powers whilst in the womb) supernatural police force that were created by the source to prevent pantheons from destroying each other. She intended to kill him fearing the destruction of her family's pantheon but found herself unable to do so. It just happened to be that night Artemis stood back and watched Apollo gut Acheron for his mistress and son's deaths.
Apollo hadn't been aware of what he was unleashing in doing so, but he learned very quickly. Artemis had cleaned up his mess before the annihilation of the Atlantean pantheon. In that moment, Apollo knew true fear, and he'd done his level best to ensure he never felt such a thing again.
Artemis had Acheron's blood running through her veins, his powers, and she tricked Acheron into drinking from her. Truth was, Acheron had no desire to live, his life had been just one constant misery after another, death had been…a welcoming experience for the god. Acheron had never forgiven her for drugging him and leading to his sister and nephews' death. He'd also never forgiven her for tricking him.
Artemis had used every trick in the book to bring Acheron to heel, proclaiming to love him but unable to bring herself to touch him in public. The disgust of him being a Tsoulus – a sex slave – too much to bear, she feared if the news got out, she'd be stripped of her powers and killed by her pantheon. She was after all, meant to be the goddess of chastity. To add further insult to injury, she bore him a daughter, and her existence was kept secret from him for thousands of years.
Artemis tiring of Acheron's silence and the power she got off keeping his daughter from him waned. Then she got the idea of creating the Dark Hunters, and oh, everything was suddenly on track again. after thousands of years, she finally had Acheron where she wanted him, and the power she felt could have powered the entire universe for a million years. Reminding him with relish of where he'd come from, as she forced sex and beatings as punishment to make herself feel better for how vulnerable Acheron made her feel.
She missed that, and worse she felt ten times more vulnerable with good reason. This catamite had removed every advantage she had over Acheron. She couldn't feed off him even if she wanted to, she literally was incapable, anything she tried was just negated. She hungered for blood but received no nourishment, now she just felt like she was walking on eggshells, just waiting for the day the rest of the Atlanteans decided she was a liability and kill her.
She didn't dare turn her back on her own brother, for she genuinely feared his temper. The last time she'd seen him like this, he gutted Acheron with speed that would have been impressive if it hadn't been terrifying. There was nobody she genuinely trusted, she was a goddess, she knew what happened to the others before her. You were only as strong as you were with your guard up. Acheron made her feel weak but so blessedly powerful with her ability to handle him.
His blood had made her feel so exuberantly powerful; she'd gone so long with it running through her body to be without it was exhausting. She felt very weakened, how it's written that humans felt when they were ill. Gods and goddesses did not get illnesses like frail humans. Naturally, she was refusing to show it, neither was Apollo despite them both knowing the other were incredibly weakened. They weren't going to be able to do this much longer, they would need to act soon otherwise they'd lose it.
When a god or goddess lost it, well, that was what the Chthonian were made for.
They dealt with any gods that went off the reservation so to speak.
Even Zeus – the most powerful of the Greek pantheon – would be wise to avoid crossing them.
Acheron wanted to groan in defeat when his cell phone rang, opening a single eye, he moved towards the phone. If for no other reason other than to keep it quiet so he didn't wake Harry. Harry had passed out within a few minutes after their status as 'soul-mates' had been revealed. Not out of malice or no desire for them to be co-joined thusly, but pure and utter exhaustion. Apparently even with his help healing the wound. Not that it was surprising, between the training and magic Harry was suffusing into sanctuary to make it safer, the wound was the straw that broke the camel's back (or Hippogriff as Harry liked to say). He was beyond exhausted, and Acheron remembered that feeling well, how many times had he went home and just slumped on his bed and slept for days after a session with Savitar?
"What?" Acheron answered curtly, but that was nothing new.
Harry shuffled himself further up, pressing himself against his partner sleepily before dozing.
"Where?" Acheron asked, his tone becoming less aggravated, his focus one hundred percent on the person on the phone. He pressed his face against the phone, keeping it trapped against his shoulder, as he reluctantly began to move Harry off him.
Harry roused the second Ash attempted to, moving his head so Ash's arm could be freed, green eyes watched as his partner slid out of bed – a quick hasty look at the mirror to make sure it was covered. It was – and with a blink of magic Acheron was dressed from head to toe in his usual clothes.
"Same as the day we met," Harry murmured, pouting a little over the fact he hadn't got to see his partner for longer, stupid magic, taking away his rather lovely view.
Acheron's brow furrowed in confusion before it was blinked away, he was in fact, actually wearing the exact same clothes as the day they met at the conference meeting.
Before Acheron had a chance to say anything, Harry spoke again, "Need my help?"
"He won't trust a stranger," Acheron replied, shaking his head, "I'll be back soon."
Harry blinked, but nodded his understanding, before Acheron teleported from the room. A twinge of pain baffled him for a moment, before everything that happened yesterday came roaring to the forefront. The rage he'd felt transcended to newer heights now that he actually had energy for it.
His eyes went from a sleepy happy glimmer to a deadly rage that the likes of only Voldemort had ever evoked from him. Artemis and Apollo had attacked again, and he knew from personal experience that they weren't going to stop. They had attempted to take the love of his life from him, and likely would have tried to kill him if things had gone their way. He couldn't wait around for them to try again, he had to end the threat before he lost Ash or he himself died.
He had something worth living for, he'd be damned if he let that go.
He knew how to end them, the ritual to kill them, but he knew Acheron wouldn't approve.
Still, he needed answers to a few pressing questions he had, and when he had those questions answered he'd have a far better understanding on what path to take.
To Apollymi it was.
Harry teleported to Kalosis, the Atlantean hell realm where Apollymi had been calling home. He wasn't used to teleporting, but at least, he had gotten the right place. He thought, as he absently looked around, remembering this place exactly as he had when he'd been here last. His simmering rage no better than it had been an hour ago, and all that was left of his injury was a twinge of pain. That little twinge would be away by tomorrow, leaving nothing behind to denote any sort of injury. If Ash had been aware of his pain, he'd have likely taken that twinge too.
Harry smiled, his overprotective god of man, it turned rueful as he thought on how they'd first met. Who knew it would have turned into this? Certainly not him, but antagonizing people was something he was an expert at without meaning it. Severus, Draco Malfoy, Voldemort, lately Apollo and Artemis, oh, the list was quite endless.
"What brings you down here?" Apollymi questioned, as she glided into the room, a gleam in her eye denoting her suspicion on his being here. She'd been alive too long to not understand people's motivations and glean their intentions. It was so few who were unafraid of her, that actually show how pissed off they were at her, and call her on her lies.
"When you vowed to kill Artemis and Apollo, how did you phrase it?" Harry demanded to know, his eyes blazing with a vengeance of a thousand suns.
Apollymi just gazed at her son's significant other with a look of reverence. He was powerful, resolutely powerful, and he held such steadfast restraint by the looks of it. Little wonder, he had the power of three gods surging through him, her mothers, Ash's through the blood they shared, Hecate herself had blessed this man. He was more powerful than her, and that was saying something. If she felt an ounce of anger he felt? Her magic would be wreaking destruction upon the world and those who had caused her ire. She had never been one for control anyway, but what little control she did have? Was solely steeped in her son's safety and happiness even if he caused her unending pain by refusing to free her.
"ACHERON! HERE! NOW!" Artemis commanded, her voice coming through loud and clear.
Acheron didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to Artemis' commands. He had become something of an expert in ignoring her. He'd done it for thousands of years at a time, until she got her claws into him again, he thought with bitterness. Instead, he focused on getting his Dark Hunter out of the hot seat he had gotten himself into.
He impatiently waited for the cell door to be opened, pleased to see the only window was a small one. It's likely what had saved Canon's life. The station was an ancient one, likely hadn't seen many updates in the past five decades, even the cars didn't have much recent hardware in it.
Canon eventually had to move into the light, hissing in pain, as he begun smoking, his strides quick but not too quick as to cause the deputy any alarm.
The deputy closed the cell door again, before glancing over his shoulder in befuddlement.
"Duck under," Acheron suggested, already putting his jacket over Canon's head and shoulders. Practically frog marching him through the front door. Nobody noticed the smoke from the smoldering Canon thanks to Acheron's quick piece of magic.
Canon hissed long and hard but luckily for him, five steps and he found himself all but shoved into a blacked-out limousine. The burning stopped right away, he was still smoking, and would likely be for a few more seconds. Canon patted at his clothes causing flumes of smoke to billow out, coughing he waved his hand absently, dispelling the smoke in front of him.
"Ash?" looking around, only to find that the fellow Dark Hunter was definitely not there. All that was there was a bag of his belongings that had been removed from him when he was 'caught and arrested'. Which likely included an empty battery cell phone.
"Are you alright?" came the voice of someone very familiar, from the front of the vehicle.
"Jeremy?" Canon croaked out, blinking blearily, as he hoisted himself onto the seat. "You managed to get word to Ash?" the relief he felt was almost too much, they'd taken his phone and given him one phone call, he'd called Jeremy but he'd completely forgotten his phone got smashed to pieces yesterday. He'd gotten pissed off at the incessant sound of it while he tried to sleep. He'd sent him away for a few days, to get the situation sorted whatever it was.
"I knew there was something wrong when you didn't come home," Jeremy proclaimed the relief still evident in his tone. Yes, he was pissed off, earlier but there was no way Canon wouldn't be home. He wasn't one for taking chances, he didn't stay over at anyone's houses, didn't have a girlfriend (or rather someone the let loose with) being what they were didn't exactly leave much room for trust. Especially considering they were betrayed at some point to end up Dark Hunters in the first place.
Canon chuckled out a laugh of relief and disbelief, he'd told the boy to leave but he'd came back to check on him. Thank goodness he had such a diligent squire, who went against his own orders at that. "Remind me to give you a pay rise."
Jeremy declared, his neck craning back to see the Dark Hunter, "I'll make sure to mention it in a few days, we'll be home in fifteen minutes, I've got a takeout waiting on us." Which really was a restaurant meal put into containers, he and Canon had saved the owner's daughter, and had become fast friends with a very grateful mother. Which included any meal at any time of the day, and he'd called one when he knew Ash would have everything in hand. He still honestly felt shaky over how close they could have come to losing Canon.
Canon just slumped in utter relief, that had been too close a call for comfort.
A/n – sorry if you feel this chapter was a little repetitive, but it's been such a long time since I wrote anything on this story, so I'm a little out of sorts with it. I know I wanted to show just how twisted Artemis actually is! Also, please remember that some of this story has been deleted, you'll remember the allusions to the Flamel's being the old sun and moon gods that's where I heavily lost the muse so I've gone an alternative way 😊 so some of the chapters were deleted to a point where I was comfortable continuing it! I hope you all still enjoy the story! Thank you for all the suggestions (the group chat) they really helped get the ideas cemented! R&R please