"Because there's a sophomore student at Ohio State University who's majoring in dance that I think you might want to meet." Ash opened his hand and showed him a picture of the girl. She was lovely, with long blond hair and big blue eyes, and stood in a circle of friends after class.
"Dirce," Callyx breathed, his voice breaking on her name.
"Actually, she's now Allison Grant. A human woman."
Callyx's eyes were tortured as he met Ash's gaze. "But I would be an Apollite, damned to die in just a few years."
He shook his head slightly. "If you choose to be with her, you'll be human, too. You won't remember anything about being Callyx or Thanatos. In your world there won't be any such thing as Daimons or Apollites. No Dark-Hunters or ancient gods. You'll be completely ignorant of all this."
"Then how will I find her if I don't remember who I am?"
Ash closed his hand so that Dirce was no longer visible. "I will make sure you find her. I swear it. You'll be a student there yourself."
"And family?"
"You'll be an orphan whose rich uncle Ash died and made you the sole heir to his estate. Neither one of you will ever want for anything as long as you live."
Callyx's lips trembled. "You would do that for me even though I killed one of your men?"
Ash's jaw flexed at the mention of Bjorn. "Forgiveness is the better part of valor."
"I always thought it was 'discretion.'"
Ash shook his head. "Discretion is easy. It's finding the courage to forgive yourself and others that is hard."
Callyx thought about that in silence for several minutes. "You're a wise man."
Ash gave a half-laugh at that. "Not really. So, have you decided?"
Callyx's gaze burned into his before he spoke the answer Ash knew he would. "There's no choice. How can I know paradise without Dirce? I want to go to Cincinnati."
"I thought you might feel that way."
Stepping back, Ash granted Callyx his wish.
Alone in Thanatos's cell, Ash glanced around the dark, dank walls and fought down his own demons. Artemis had had no right to condemn him to this.
One day she was going to get her comeuppance.
But first there was the matter of Dionysus to attend to. The next time the god of wine wanted to let loose one of Artemis's pets on Ash's men, he would think twice.
He also had a few other people to take care of. There was still the small matter of deleting from Jess, Syra, and the Squires the information about the bow-and-arrow mark.
No doubt he should delete it from Zarek as well, but he'd done enough damage to him.
Zarek wouldn't tell anyone and he had more important things to occupy himself with.
Besides, if everything turned out the way Ash knew it would, Zarek would learn a lot more interesting things about him and the Dark-Hunters than just the secret of their mark.
Artemis sat alone on her throne, toying with her pillows. Acheron had been gone a long time now and she was beginning to worry.
He couldn't leave Olympus, but he could do other things...
Things that could get her into a great deal of trouble if Zeus ever learned of them.
Maybe she had been foolish to let him have an afternoon of freedom on her mountain.
Just as she was ready to go find him, the doors of her temple opened.