"Okay, akri, I'll protect them." Simi vanished.
Artemis narrowed her green eyes at him. "I can't believe you sent it out on its own. It's worse than Zarek and Thanatos combined."
"I have no choice, Artie. Have you given any thought as to what will happen if Astrid dies? How do you think her sisters will react?"
"She can't die unless they will it."
"That's not true and you know it. There are some things that not even the Fates have control over. And I assure you that if your mad pet destroys their beloved baby sister, they will demand your head for it."
Ash didn't have to say anything more than that. Because if Artemis lost her head, then the world as all knew it would change into something truly frightening.
"I'll go talk to the Oracles."
"Yeah, you do that, Artie, and while you're at it, you better think about going after Thanatos yourself and bringing him home."
She curled her lip. "I'm a goddess, not a servant. I fetch for no one."
Ash moved to stand so close to her that barely a hand-breadth separated them. The air between them rippled with their warring powers, with the ferocity of their raw emotions. "Sooner or later, we all have to do things that are beneath us. Remember that, Artemis."
He moved away from her and turned his back.
"Just because you sold yourself so cheaply, Acheron, it doesn't mean I have to."
He froze, his back still to her, as her words ripped through him. They were cruel and harsh. It was on the tip of his tongue to curse her for that.
He didn't and she was damned lucky for his control.
Instead, he spoke calmly, and chose each deliberate word with care. "If I were you, Artie, I would pray that I never get what I truly deserve. But if Thanatos kills Astrid, not even I will be able to save you."
Zarek tossed the phone down and stared at Astrid sleeping on his coat. He needed to rest too, but couldn't quite manage it. He was too wound up to sleep.
After closing the trapdoor, he moved toward her pallet.
Memories surged through him.
He saw himself on a rampage. Saw faces and flames. Felt the rage of his anger sizzling through him. He had killed the very people he was supposed to protect.
Had killed...
Evil laughter echoed in his head. A flash of lightning filled the room.
And Ash...
Zarek struggled to remember. Why couldn't he remember what had happened in New Orleans?
What had happened in his village?
It was all fragmented and nothing made sense. It was like thousands of puzzle pieces that had been tossed on the floor and he couldn't figure out what went where.
He paced the tight quarters, doing his best to recall the past.
Hours went by slowly as he listened for any telltale sounds of Thanatos approaching. Sometime around noon exhaustion overtook him and he lay down beside Astrid.
Against his will, he found himself gathering her into his arms and inhaling the sweet, fragrant scent of her hair.
He snuggled against her, closed his eyes and prayed for a kind dream...
Zarek stumbled as he was jerked forward and secured to the whipping post in the old Roman courtyard. His tattered, threadbare peplos was ripped from him, leaving his entire body bare to the three people gathered there to punish him.