"Kill him," Dionysus ordered, "and open the portal."
Styxx didn't seem to hear him, his attention was fixed on Ash.
Camulus started toward them with a dagger. Talon rushed him and they fought for the weapon.
The demons attacked as Styxx continued to taunt and insult Ash.
"Kill him, Styxx," Dionysus ordered again. "Or we'll miss the portal."
Styxx pulled a dagger out from underneath his coat.
His fight with Camulus forgotten, Talon tried to reach them.
But he couldn't make it.
Styxx raised his hand and sent the dagger straight into Ash's heart. He buried it all the way to its hilt.
Ash gasped and arched his back as if something had possessed him. The dagger shot through the air, bouncing off a wall above Dionysus's head. Light poured out of the wound, then seared it closed.
In the next instant a shock wave went through the room, knocking everyone off their feet. Styxx was hurled to a far corner while the gods were pinned to the ground.
Acheron rose from the floor, to hover spread-eagled several inches above it.
Unable to stand upright against the unseen force, Talon crawled to Sunshine and held her close so that he could protect her from whatever was happening.
No one could stand. Not even the gods.
Lightning bolts shot through Acheron's body, blowing out the windows and the lights. Electrical energy snapped and hissed all around. Acheron laid his head back as bolts of light pierced his eyes and mouth. They seemed to shoot through him and then out, into the room, emitting bright flashes of light.
The Daimons and the demons exploded in one bright flash.
A winged dragon seemed to come out from under Acheron's sleeve and wrap itself around him as if it were protecting him.
Or perhaps devouring him.
In all his life, Talon had never seen anything like this.
"What the hell is that?" Camulus asked. "Styxx, what did you do?"
"Nothing. Is this from the portal opening?"
"No," Dionysus said. "This is something else entirely. Something no one told me about." He looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Artemis!"
Artemis appeared and was immediately pinned to the floor with the rest of them.
Talon tightened his grip on Sunshine, who clutched him fiercely as she trembled against him.
Artemis took one look at Acheron and her face went flush with anger. "Who's the idiot who pissed off Acheron?" she demanded.
The two gods pointed to Styxx.
"You fools!" she snarled. "What were you thinking?"
"We needed to kill an Atlantean to raise the Destroyer," Dionysus said. "Acheron's the only one left."
"Oh, you are so stupid!" Artemis snapped. "I knew your plan had to be a bad one. You can't just kill him with a dagger. In case you haven't noticed, he's not human. Where was your brain?"
Dionysus curled his lips at her. "How was I to know your pet was a god-killer? What kind of idiot ties herself down to one of his kind?"