Disclaimer: I do not own BtVS, Angel, or the works of Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Unexpected Findings
"Talking"
"Thinking"
The higher ups of the Slayer's Council gathered around the table, their attention on the screen. It didn't take long for their missing member to appear. "Hey, boytoy," Faith called out. "How are things in the Big Easy?"
"Not exactly what they show you for Mardi Gras, Faith," Xander said, leaning back in his chair. "I could almost say I'm disappointed." He smiled and that's what got everyone's attention. Xander's smile might've fooled a stranger, but his friends noticed it's strained aspect.
"Xander, what happened?" asked Willow. They had sent him to New Orleans after he returned from Africa. It had been clear how exhausted he was, so they made him go on vacation.
He sighed, sounding very tired. "Apparently, there is such a thing as blond Greek vampires." He waited as they all understood what he had said before following up. "No, I'm not kidding."
Giles and Robin (and to a lesser extent, Andrew) shifted into business mode. "What's happening, Xander?" Giles asked.
"It's bad, Giles. Bad enough I'm declaring New Orleans Code A."
The ladies in the meeting room didn't know what that meant but they did notice how the men stiffened. "What are the details?" Robin asked. Andrew had taken out a notebook with a pen at the ready.
"First off, these vampires are called Daimons. Instead of going after blood, they eat a person's soul. If the soul is eaten, it's gone for good. And they have to keep doing this to keep living."
The wording caught Willow's attention. "They have to?" she repeated.
"Yeah, that's where things get weird. I'm stilling learn all the details, but it seems Daimons are originally known as Apollites. At some point in the past, they were cursed to die on their 27th birthday. The only way they can prolong their lives is if they eat a human soul. The problem is that only lasts a couple of weeks. You can bet some of these Daimons have been doing this for a long time."
"How long?" Dawn asked.
"Apparently, since the fall of Atlantis."
Giles heard the words, processed them, and rubbed his forehead. "Xander," he started.
"Hey, I'm just repeating what I've learned, G-man." His single eye was absolutely serious. "Atlantis wasn't just a city. It was a whole island system in the Aegean Sea. It falling and the Daimons appearing are tied, somehow. I'm still working out the details."
Okay, so there was a subset of vampires they hadn't known about and clearly had been around for a long time. While it was serious, Faith didn't see the big problem. "So what's got your panties in a twist, boytoy?" she asked. "We've got another set of vampires to worry about. Just add it to the pile."
Xander laughed. It put them on edge. This wasn't his usual laugh, goofy yet full of warmth. This was a laugh of a man who had seen a lot and didn't want to see more. "Oh, I wish, Faith. I wish. If it was these Daimons and Apollites, I'd be fine. But they are not why I'm declaring Code A."
There was that term again. Buffy was curious about it but focused on what had her Xander-shaped friend so concerned. "What is it?"
"There's a group that fights the Daimons, has been since it started. They're called Dark-Hunters."
Dawn chuckled. "And I thought Slayer could be a funny title." It was a small attempt to make the mood better.
And it worked. "Hey, what's wrong with Slayer?" Buffy protested.
"Have you considered how many ways it could be taken wrong? Dog Slayer, Puppet Slayer, Cabbage Slayer!"
"Cabbage Slayer?" Andrew repeated, unsure if he should be baffled or not.
Both Robin and Giles sighed in exasperation. "If we could focus, please?" Giles asked. How he wanted to start clearing his glasses right now. "Xander, who or what are these Dark-Hunters?"
"Men who are sworn to Artemis. She holds their souls, and they hunt down the Daimons, keeping them at bay."
Willow frowned. Again, she didn't like the wording. "What does that mean, holding their souls?"
"Just what it means, Wills. Artemis does something for the would-be Dark-Hunter and in return, she takes their soul so they can fight for her. Some of the Dark-Hunters I've talked to have been doing this just as long as the Daimons have been around. From what I've been told, the first one is the last Atlantean."
Andrew paused in his writing. "Really? Maybe he could tell us what it was like then? Oh man, how cool would that be? Would be something—"
"Andrew," said everyone in the room. They had all gotten used to him and knew when to stop him. Otherwise, he'd keep going.
Buffy considered what Xander said. It sounded like good news. "Seems like we've got people we could work with, Xander," she remarked. "Have you approached them? Let them know who we are?"
"They know that the Watcher's Council has changed over the past couple of years and I'm with them, but I haven't made any offers. I'm not really planning to."
"What? Why?" It would be stupid to give up this kind of aid.
"That's part of why I'm calling Code A."
"What is with that term already?" Dawn demanded. "What the hell's Code A?"
Xander's eye found the men in the room, and they were doing their best not to meet it. "They can explain it. Look, I managed to find out that a Dark-Hunter can get his soul back, if they manage to find true love. But if it turns out to be wrong, it could go bad for both sides."
"What does that mean?" Robin asked.
"I don't know," Xander replied. "I've been trying to find out more."
The information he was giving them seemed equal parts good and bad. As far Giles could tell, the good outweighed the bad. So long as these Dark-Hunters could be notified about vampires and other demons, they could adjust their strategies. After that, it was all about communication. "Xander, while it is intriguing to learn about a new group, none of what I've heard warrants a Code A," he remarked.
"That's because I haven't gotten to the worst part. Andrew, I sent an email to you with an attachment. Pull it up and show the others."
Once the laptop was running, Andrew did as he was told. "It seemed to be a photo gallery," he announced as he started looking through. "Of men. Quite a few men. Really good…" He trailed off as he stared at the latest picture. Robin took the laptop and set it in front of him while the rest gathered around.
Faith took one look at the picture and said, "Ooh, Mama like."
She wasn't the only one. The photos were about ten in total. Each one had a different man. And each of them seemed to be the epitome of sexy and deadly. It didn't matter that if the photos clearly hadn't been taken by a professional, or the fact they were fully clothed. Each of the men were clearly packing bodies that could put the best models to shame with eyes announcing they knew how dangerous they were, and they weren't afraid to prove it.
Needless to say, the ladies spent a long time staring at the photos. Even Willow, who was secured in her status as a proud lesbian, was wondering just how those men looked shirtless. There was only one conclusion in her mind. "Fantastic."
There were a couple of whines once Giles took the laptop and closed it. Ignoring the couple of puppy dog eyes from his side, he looked back at the screen. "Alright, Xander, we've seen the men. I take it those are some of the Dark-Hunters you've mentioned."
Xander looked through the screen, right at him. "Those are the married ones, Giles."
While the ladies were a little confused by his emphasis, the men in the room paled as recognition flashed through their eyes. "How many are there?" Robin asked.
"I don't know. I haven't been given a concrete answer. They're spread out all over the world."
"So it's not just New Orleans?" Andrew asked, already turning to a new page. "How many other cities are there?"
"Not sure." He did rattle off what few cities he did know had Dark-Hunters. After that, he leaned back and pushed the hair out of his eyes. No one could deny how tired he looked in that moment. Sunnydale hadn't left him entirely. "I've got another meeting with a Dark-Hunter in an hour, hopefully one of the friendlier ones. He should be able to tell me more."
That was good news. "Do you think you'll have more by the end of your vacation?" Giles asked. They had sent Xander to New Orleans for two weeks and they were already at the halfway point.
"That's the hope. At the very least, I'll have enough so we can enforce Code A." He reached for the camera and the laptop. "See you guys in a week."
After they all said the necessary goodbyes, Buffy looked at the Watchers in the room. "So, what exactly is this Code A?" she asked, trying to be upbeat in her curiosity. The dangerous undertones canceled it out. The resolute looks from Faith, Dawn, and Willow didn't help matters much.
There was no surprise to anyone when Andrew cracked first. "It's what we use to ensure that no Slayer will go to a designated area."
"Why?" asked Faith.
"Because at the area is someone, usually a male, who knows about the evil in the world and fights against it," Robin explained. "He would be good-looking, able to hold his own in a fight, has emotional baggage, and possibly has lived longer than he should've. If we ever found someone like that, we make sure that no Slayer ever goes near him. Because if he goes evil, or turns against her, we're not sure if she would survive."
It was more the solemn expressions on their faces rather than the explanation that made the girls snicker. "That's ridiculous," Willow said once she managed to stop laughing. "C'mon, you think a Slayer couldn't be able to handle herself against one of those guys? Give them some credit."
"Actually, that's why Xander came up with the code," he explained.
"Teenage girl coming across a good-looking man that knows what goes bump in the night who also might be secretive and has a hidden softer side," Andrew listed off. "I mean, I get it." His mouth snapped shut after he realized what he had said.
Giles sighed and looked right at Buffy. "It's not like we don't have experience in the matter," he told her. For a moment, she didn't know why he was looking right at her. Then Andrew's words repeated themselves in her mind and she thought about the code.
Code A.
Code Angel.
Embarrassment rode through her body first. Anger quickly followed and squashed it. "I'm gonna kill Xander when he gets back," she growled. A quick look at the others revealed they figured out what the code meant too.
"Buffy, Xander meant well," Giles said. "He didn't want another Slayer to go through another Angelus situation." And neither did he, for that matter. Those months had been horrible for everyone involved.
If she was less angry, she might've seen that. But Buffy was still focused on the implications. "He didn't have to call it that!"
"What was he supposed to call it?" Robin asked her. "Code Keep Slayer away from Brooding Badass?" That didn't quite roll off the tongue. Both Giles and Andrew nodded in agreement. So did Faith and Willow, after a moment.
Xander was able to pass on some cities where there were supposedly Dark-Hunters, one of them being London. After a call of notification to Angel, who (much to Buffy's surprise) agreed with Code A's existence, there was nothing the Council could do about the new situation until Xander returned.
Robin had gotten a brief call from Xander, announcing he wasn't returning alone. It had been a cryptic call and got everyone's attention. The second they had the announcement Xander was pulling up to the front door, everyone was fighting to get room to welcome him back.
The first person who walked through the door wasn't Xander but a tall blonde woman with a baby in her arms. She regarded them all with green eyes. "Sheesh, he wasn't kidding," she remarked. "There are a lot of you."
"And you are?" Giles asked. The Slayers were already betting that this was Xander's latest girlfriend.
She started to speak, only to stop and glance back. "That should wait until everyone's here." A man walked in and came to her side. His eyes shined like gems, but they were only focused on the woman and the baby. So, not Xander's new girlfriend.
Two more couples showed up. The women looked completely different from each other, one standing a little taller with brown hair while the other had black hair with a figure that showed she was a warrior. But the men that walked in afterwards were clearly twins. They had the same height, the same build. The main difference was the one on the left looked like a goth, complete with dyed black hair and green highlights, eyes hidden by his sunglasses. They scanned the room, looking for any possible threats.
Dawn was trying to find her breath again as she stared at the hotties. That was when Xander walked in. There was something different about him. Not just because he looked a little older. His eyes had a different light to them. Even though he was clearly the shortest male amongst the newcomers, he didn't cower at their height. He looked at the goth. "Y'know, we are inside now," he remarked. "You can take those off."
"But it's very bright in here." Every one of the Slayers (and the Watchers) shivered at his voice. It lingered at their ears with a promise of something. "All these shining faces, I think I could go blind."
His twin rolled his eyes. "You want some help with that?"
"No, you'd make a mess of it. I've got enough of those already."
Xander rolled his eye. "Take them off."
The goth sighed. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." The fingers raised up and pulled the shades off. Not a single person in the room was willing to admit they gasped, even though everyone did.
The goth was gorgeous. His twin was stunning, especially with his blue eyes and blond hair, not to mention a body that's seen action. But once everyone saw those silver eyes, eyes that seemed to swirl around and around, it just completed an image they didn't know was incomplete. This man just oozed seduction. When he looked at someone, it was if he was staring straight to their soul, stripping away any defenses they might have. He could move with a predator's grace and power, and they would be helpless to stop him. They weren't sure if they would want to stop him.
Xander looked at everyone's breathless expression and looked at the goth. "Is this going to be a regular thing with you?" he asked.
"Hey, I warned you."
"Well, knock it off." He punched the goth in the shoulder, just enough to get his attention. Somehow that broke the spell everyone was stuck in.
Giles coughed and cleaned his glasses. What had just happened was embarrassing and he didn't wish to think about it. He needed a distraction. "Xander, just who are your guests?" he asked, focusing on them. "Are they part of the Dark-Hunters?"
"Two of them are, yeah." He reached out and clasped the goth on the shoulder. "This is Acheron Parthenopeaus, the first Dark-Hunter and the last Atlantean god on Earth." Before anyone could say anything (or call bullshit), he kept going. "The blond lookalike is his twin brother, Styxx. The women standing beside are their wives, Tori and Bethany respectively, along with their sons, Sebastos and Aricles." He pointed at the first couple who entered. "That is Katra, Acheron's daughter, along with her husband Sin and their daughter Mia."
While everyone comprehended what he just said, Acheron gave him a long look. "What, is that all you're going to say?"
"Nope." There was something in that word that made people look again. And Xander's friends noticed how the hand clasping the shoulder seemed protective. "Guys, this is Acheron. He's my son."
If a cannon had exploded in the backyard or if the neighborhood had suddenly been invaded, the Slayer's Council wouldn't have noticed. That was how stunned they were at that revelation. "Son?" Willow squeaked out. "He's your son?" She looked at the others, connecting the dots to the relationships.
Xander nodded. "Yeah."
"But…you…he…how?" That last word was pretty much echoed by everyone.
"It's a bit complicated," he admitted with a sheepish expression.
Faith wasn't having any of it. "C'mon, Xand. You can do better than that. How the fuck did this happen?" she demanded.
"Basically? Time travel, reincarnation, and my usual luck with women."
"…Okay, no, you're going to have to explain." It was a sentiment shared by everyone.
The tale came out after everyone sat down. Xander had been doing research on the Dark-Hunters, going out with some hunting down Daimons, when he had been struck by something. He assumed it had been a spell, but he couldn't be sure.
Whatever it was, Xander had been sent into a place he later learned was called Kalosis, the Atlantean hell realm. There he met a woman called Apollymi, who he had thought was stuck like him. That was quickly debunked when she revealed herself to be the Atlantean goddess of life and death, and Kalosis was her realm.
Still, she didn't kill him outright and welcomed him as a guest. Xander wasn't sure how long he stayed in Kalosis but he grew to care for Apollymi. The strange thing was, he didn't know why. She just felt as if she was important to him and deserved to be cared for. There was also the faintest hint that he should know her.
When Xander had enough of these puzzling hints, he asked Apollymi directly about it. She did something with her power, probably looking through his soul or something. And what she found stunned her. As it turned out, Xander's past life had been a Sephiroth ("No, not the video game character," said Acheron and his family) called Kissare, who had fallen in love with Apollymi and fathered a child with her. When he died, he swore that he would return to her. And, due to Xander, he had.
Once Apollymi learned who Xander used to be, she took hold of him and refused to let him go. Xander didn't really remember the next couple of days, only that they redefined the phrase "Marathon sex," and he had to summon every ounce of experience he had to make sure he lasted. (Xander had been a bit embarrassed at that part. His guests remained nonplussed.)
While Xander would've been glad to stay by Apollymi's side, he couldn't stop thinking about his friends and the life he had been snatched from. He had wanted to go back and considered asking Apollymi to come with him. Just as he was about to ask her, she told him that she was pregnant, with his child.
Naturally, the universe had it out for Xander. Just as he was about to agree to stay with her and raise their child together, he was dragged out of Kalosis and back to New Orleans, barely an hour after he had disappeared. Wanting to get back, Xander managed to find the Dark-Hunter leader, Acheron, and started asking for information.
It took some doing and he had to reveal why he wanted to go back. The information stunned Acheron, leading him to reveal what happened to Apollymi had happen nearly 11,000 years ago. Xander hadn't been just sent to Kalosis. He had been sent back in time. Acheron knew what happened because he had been the baby Apollymi had been pregnant with.
Which meant the man who had learning all he could about the Dark-Hunters and their world, a man who had a goofy sense of humor yet was willing to fight evil without question, was Acheron's father.
Needless to say, the rest of the week had been spent getting to know each other, with Acheron introducing Xander to his family. It had been a surprise for everyone but once Xander had declared that since Styxx was Acheron's brother, that meant he was a son of his too, and apologized for not being there for him, they started to accept him. By the end of the week, they didn't want him to go back, and he agreed to bring them with him.
Which was why they were here now.
Once the explanations were over, the Slayers welcomed to the Dark-Hunters. They even took the introduction of Simi, who hadn't introduced off the bat because of her species, well. It didn't take long before she was introducing some of the younger Slayers to the wonders of barbeque sauce.
There were also some negotiations between the two organizations. It was pretty informal, just a simple agreement to be aware of each other and offer aide if it was needed. When Acheron learned of Code A, he took another look at the Slayers and said, "Yeah, that makes sense." It was quickly established that Xander would serve as the primary go-between for the groups. Then it turned into who would have him more. Slayers and Dark-Hunters were rather possessive.
Styxx leaned back in his chair, a little amused at how his brother and Buffy (and wasn't that a funny name?) haggled, when he noticed something. "Where did Xander go?"
The room paused and quickly looked around. After Xander had led his new-found family to a couch, he had chosen to stand so he wouldn't get in the way. But he wasn't at his spot. As they looked around, Willow paused. "Oh," she said in realization.
"What, Willow?" asked Buffy.
"Xander asked me if I had a spell that could take him to Mt. Olympus." It had been a passing question, he asked as they all walked into the parlor. She had been too distracted by the revelations, so she said yes without thinking about it.
The answer made the Dark-Hunters freeze. "Olympus?" Acheron asked again. "Any part of Olympus?"
"Uh, I think it'll take the user where he wants to go on Mt. Olympus." She hadn't really looked into it. She had no interest in going to the home of the Greek gods after all.
Acheron shared a look with his brother. "Oh shit," they said in unison. It was a sentiment shared by the entire family.
The first thing Artemis felt when she came to was how her arms were pulled over her head and her scalp felt like someone had pulled on it. The pain came next and so did the memories. Someone had burst into her temple, knocking her unconscious before she could do anything. The last thing she remembered was a hand pulling her hair.
She was in some sort of dungeon, her hands bound in manacles and her feet just touching the ground. There was some kind of tape over her mouth, preventing her from speaking. And she wasn't alone. Her twin was right beside her, bound in the same way. When she tried to summon her powers, nothing happened. She was as powerless as a human. She didn't like that.
"Oh good, you're both awake." The gods found a man standing before the door with a baseball bat on his shoulder. He only had one eye but there was something in that eye that made them nervous. "I was hoping you wouldn't take too long. Now, as you've probably imagined, you're not on Mt. Olympus anymore. Quite frankly, I don't know if you're ever gonna go back. Don't worry about Nick," he told Artemis. "I knocked him out and put him somewhere safe. I imagine we'll be having a talk soon."
He stepped forward, swinging the bat out so it pointed at them both. "The two of you have fucked things up big time for my boys," he declared. "Now, they can't do anything about it because of said fucking, but that doesn't mean I can't. As you can imagine, what's going to happen will be painful, for you."
The bat swung just enough towards Artemis. "Of course, I'm more inclined to just kill you and get it over with. The only reason I haven't is because my granddaughter still somehow cares about you." Then the bat swung over to Apollo. "You don't have that safety net. After I'm done taking my pound of flesh out of your hide, you're going to die."
Apollo shouted something through the tape. His words were muffled but there was no hiding the outrage and fear. "Yes, yes, I know all about if you die, so does the sun," the man said, still acting quite pleasant. "However, with all these sun gods out there, I don't think it'll die when you do. Maybe dim a little, but not die. Of course, if it does, what makes you think I care?"
The situation was becoming all too clear to Artemis. She and her twin weren't in control. They didn't have the power. This mortal did. But why was this happening? What had they done to him? This was the first time they had ever seen him! She wanted to ask the question, to demand (beg) his answer. But her mouth was still taped off.
Somehow, the mortal must've seen the question on her face. "Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself." The bat came down, its tip resting on the ground. His smile seemed welcoming, but it was anything but. "Well, in my past life, I was known as Kissare." The gods' eyes widened in realization. "Heard of him, have you? That was who I used to be. Nowadays, I'm called Xander Harris. And Acheron Parthenopeaus is my son."
Artemis paled as she realized what that meant. But wait, he had said boys. She glanced at Apollo with growing fear. Did that mean…
"It also means Styxx Anaxkolasi is my son too." The bat swung up into a ready position as he loomed over the captured gods. "And this is payback for everything both of you have done to them."
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
I found the Dark-Hunter series, along with its spinoff, a while back and always enjoyed them. And I figured that Xander would fit in quite well in that world. It was just a matter of how to do it. That's where Acheron came in. Technically speaking, no one knows who his father is. The mother certainly isn't telling.
Considering the history the Scoobies have with souled vampires, and the fact there would be plenty of books and shows about vampire romance, it would make complete sense for Code A. Like Giles said, they already went through it once. They don't want to go through it again. Plus, Xander looks out for the Slayers, and he doesn't want to lose one of them to something like that.
Acheron's appearance wasn't me trying to be fancy (for the most part). In his backstory, due to a goddess of desire holding him after he was born, he had been cursed with making people want to desire him, in every aspect of the word. It also doesn't help that he was sent away as a child and forced to become a sex slave (no, I'm not kidding).
The Nick Xander mentioned is Nicholas Gautier. While he is important to the Dark-Hunter world, and to the Dark-Hunters, he wasn't really needed here. Maybe I'll bring him back in another chapter, but I have my doubts.
Regarding Xander's beatdown on Artemis and Apollo, it's very well much deserved. Basically, everything that happened to the twins, including the fall of Atlantis, the destruction of their own kingdom, the creation of Daimons and Dark-Hunters, can be laid at their feet. The gods are assholes in this world, especially Apollo. Xander has a problem with that.
And that's only the gods. If Xander ever got his hands on Estes, Acheron's and Styxx's uncle, what happened to Apollo and Artemis would be considered playful. That man is so foul and disgusting (seriously, turning his own nephew into a sex slave is the least of his crimes), Xander would be willing to bring Angelus back from the dead just to ask if he wanted to help with the torture.
I'll see you all next chapter!
