Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon, now you can read online.
Vengeance.
Some say it's a poison that infiltrates the soul and strip s it bare.
That its path only destroys the one who treads it.
But to others, it's mother's milk. It nourishes and thrives-gives them a reason to survive when they have nothing more to hold them to this world.
This is the story of one such creature. Born a god in the time before mankind even recorded their meager history, Sin, also called Nana, was the one who ruled the known universe. His pantheon was supreme and all around him paid homage.
And then the day came when other gods rose to challenge him.
For centuries he fought the bloody war, and he would have been victorious had one act of treachery not robbed him of his godhood.
Stripped of his cabalistic powers, he was left to walk in the world of man as one of them and as something else. Something dark. Cold. Lethal.
But the game isn't over. Defeat does nothing but feed the part of the soul that demands a rematch. So long as there is life, there is hope. And so long as there is hope, there is determination.
And the need for vengeance that ever treads by the side of the defeated.
For centuries the ancient god has bided his time, knowing that his enemy's complacency and arrogance would bring her back into his circle.
Now the day of reckoning lies within his grasp...
"He needs to be destroyed. My preference is painfully and quietly, but any means that ultimately results in his death will work."
Acheron Parthenopaeus turned his head to see the Greek goddess Artemis approaching him. For centuries now the two of them had been tied together, and at times such as this the goddess actually believed she controlled him.
The truth, however, was very different.
Dressed only in black leather pants, he sat on the stone railing of her temple balcony with his back against one of the columns that lined it. The balcony was made of sparkling white marble that overlooked a breathtaking view of a rainbow waterfall and a perfect forest scene. But then one would expect no less on Mt. Olympus, where the Greek gods made their home.
If only the inhabitants were as perfect as the landscape... With flowing red hair, unblemished porcelain skin, and sharp green eyes, Artemis would be beautiful if Ash didn't begrudge her every breath she drew.
"Why do you have such a burr up your ass all of a sudden where Sin's concerned?"
She curled her lip at him. "I hate it when you talk like that."
Which was exactly why he did it. May the gods forbid he ever do anything she liked. He had enough problems with that already. "You're changing the subject."
She huffed before she answered. "I've always hated him. He was supposed to die. Remember? You intervened."
She was seriously oversimplifying that sequence of events. "He survived on his own. I merely gave the guy a job after you fucked him over."
"Yes, and now he's gone insane. Did you not see that he broke into a museum last night, knocked out three guards in the process, and stole a high-profile artifact? How is that not exposing your precious Dark-Hunters to public scrutiny? I swear he did it on purpose, hoping to get caught so that he could tell the humans about all of us. He's a threat to everyone."
Ash dismissed her anger even though he did agree it was a reckless move on Sin's part. Usually the ancient ex-god had more sense. "I'm sure he just wanted to touch a piece of home. Hell, whatever artifact he took probably belonged to him or some member of his family. I'm not going to kill anyone because he was homesick, Artie-kind of like killing someone when he's on the can. It's just wrong."
With her hands on her curvy hips, she glared at him. "So you're going to dismiss it as trivial?"
"If by that you mean I don't think it warrants his immediate execution. Call me crazy, but yeah, I'm dismissing it."
She narrowed her eyes on him. "You are going softball."
Ash frowned until he realized what she meant. "Soft, Artie. You meant to say I'm going soft."
"Whatever." She moved to stand beside him. "The Acheron I remember would have sizzled him for half the infraction."
He released an agitated breath before he responded. "Fried, Artie, damn, learn to speak. I've got a headache from trying to figure out what the hell you mean most of the time. And at no time in my life would I have ever fried anyone for something like this."