The Dark-Hunters (868 page)

Again.

And again.

The Inner Ash

I swear, you’re even thinner than the last time I saw you.

—Cherise Gautier

Ash entered this world as a human baby, and died brutally as a human man. He was born a prince, son of King Icarion and Queen Aara of the Greek islands Didymos and Lygos. But even though he was born out of the human, he was never a human. He is a god who had been cursed to be born as a man. His mark is that of a sun with three lightning bolts piercing the center of it.

He was the first of twins. Second-born was Styxx (after the other river, you see). Styxx was the human twin. Unlike Styxx, Acheron was born with the silver eyes that mark him god-blessed—it’s why the king refused him. He said the baby was no son of his. He said it was a monster.

The king wasn’t wrong, as Ash’s real mother is Apollymi.

At Ash’s birth a wise woman said of Acheron:
“He will be a destroyer, this child. His touch will bring death to many. Not even the gods themselves will be safe from his wrath.”
Not exactly the prophecy you want to bring home to mama.

It was certainly not one that the gods particularly warmed to themselves.

The first death was Acheron’s beautiful sister Ryssa. And we all remember the infamous Ryssa and the curse of the Apollites. The details are not unimportant … but I will spare you the image that Ash is forced to live with every day of his never-ending life. Just know that he does.

That is enough.

Acheron Parthenopaeus is a god, and a god-killer. He can read thoughts and feel the presence of others. He can lift people up with his mind. He can disintegrate into nothing, and bend the physics of time and matter. The laws of science, you will have learned by now, are not the laws of the gods. Acheron can toss lightning bolts with the flick of a wrist.

Ash lives in Katoteros, the Atlantean term for “heaven,” and the place where all Daimons and Apollites dream their souls will one day again rest. With him in Katoteros are Simi (naturally), the pterygsauri, Alexion, and his companion, the former Dark-Huntress Dangereuse St. Richard. Also in Katoteros is a humongous television that, thanks to Simi, pretty much permanently stays on QVC.

He’s like a lion in the wild, beautiful to behold, but one that can never be touched or tamed. He is scarred by his past and trapped by his future. You’ll have noticed the handprint scar on Acheron’s neck—it comes and goes, just like the accent and random body piercings. His hair constantly changes colors because he hates the inescapable blond stamp of his Atlantean heritage. He doesn’t eat real food, so don’t offer it, or encourage your mother to fatten him up.

Cherise Gautier was doing that all the time, bless her heart.

In addition to the scar, which is said to visibly run from throat to navel while he is in residence in Katoteros, Acheron’s true skin color is iridescent blue, streaked and marbled. His silver eyes have been caught before burning with a bloodred flame. And according to Simi, Ash has black lips and horns … but if we saw them we’d certainly be dead soon after.

I’m going to give Simi the benefit of the doubt on that one.

Acheron will always stand at the back of the room, with the crowd in front of him—he never allows anyone the opportunity to have him at a disadvantage. Some call it paranoia, some call it protection.

Mostly, Ash doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.

Not that he’s got much to be paranoid about—one of the only substances ever known to incapacitate Ash is
Aima,
a poison available only from the Destroyer herself. Stryker was the clever one that dreamed that up. My guess is, his plan won’t work again anytime soon.

Ash is the total embodiment of perfect male beauty. At the height of his sexual prowess and attractiveness, he possesses a raw, unearthly magnetism. Omnipotent and omniscient, he is dangerous and lightning-fast, but at the same time he holds timeless wisdom and can be playful and caring. He protects those he loves and spoils the people who are close to his heart. He is the godfather (literally) of Marissa Hunter, and calls Simi his daughter. He will protect them with his life, and has done some pretty rough things to anyone who might endanger his girls. (Nick Gautier was the first to spring to your mind too, huh?)

Unfortunately, while he does have that pesky prophetic vision that’s so impossible to rid oneself of, Acheron is blind to the destinies of those he holds near and dear. Distance may not make hearts grow fonder, but in this case it does make visions clearer.

Ash and Artie

Unlike a normal woman, you’re cranky for twenty-eight days out of the month.

—Acheron

Many a Dark-Hunter has tried to get to the bottom of what secrets lie between Acheron and the goddess Artemis, and each has inevitably failed.

Twisted doesn’t even begin to describe this relationship. Yin and yang: They hate each other as much as they need each other. Without Artemis to feed on, Ash would become a soulless killer with no compassion. Without Acheron, Artemis would have no conscience. Beneficial for the fate of the world, perhaps, but … honestly … I worry about them.

It started with infatuation and a kiss, the way most wonderful stories end.

This is not a wonderful story.

Acheron kissed Artemis hoping for death, for freedom from his wretched life. He was not hoping she would fall for him.

At the age of twenty, Acheron was ordered beaten by his human father until Artemis showed herself … which she did, but not to the humans. She thought Ash deserved the beating for betraying her and publicizing their relationship. He hung for three days in her temple, naked and bleeding. The humans shaved his head and branded the back of his skull with Artemis’s symbol.

But he hadn’t betrayed her. He hadn’t told anyone about her and their relationship. Even to this day, he doesn’t mention it.

He was sterilized and could not father children, until his twenty-first birthday, when Simi’s mother came to him and unlocked his Atlantean god-powers.

Hello, Katra.

Acheron died at the hands of Apollo and was brought back by Artemis who couldn’t live without him (literally). Ash is Artemis’s dirty little secret. She hides him up there, you know, in her temple on Olympus whenever she forces him to visit. So he is forbidden to act out against her or use any magic there—the gods will notice. They always do. I’m sure Zeus wouldn’t be too pleased to know that daddy’s little girl is letting the riffraff in the back door.

Acheron and Artemis are blood-bonded, so to destroy Artemis would be to destroy himself. For Ash, there is no out clause. He wears his shackles with dignity and spends his life trying to help those who need it. Only the Fates know if he will ever be free of the goddess who possesses him, and they speak even less clearly than he does.

Hearsay

I know exactly who and what he is. I know exactly what he can do. And more to the point I know what he cannot do. Or what he dare not do.

—Menyara Chartier

There are many rumors spread about Acheron, by Daimons, Rogue Dark-Hunters, and plain-old stupid ignorant folk alike.

According to bitter, betrayed, confused, and complicated ex-Squire Nick Gautier, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is all Acheron’s fault. He believes that Ash could have prevented Katrina altogether. And if not, he could have at least used his incredible powers to help clean up the city in its aftermath.

Perhaps some of this is true, but you do have to keep in mind how tenuous a line is drawn between Acheron and the Fates. They are the final law when it comes to what happens when in the tapestry of life, and they don’t like it at all when someone tampers with their weaving. Which is to say, none of them harbors any small love for Acheron, who is the god of Final Fate.

As far as Katrina is concerned, I believe Acheron’s hands were tied. I base that hypothesis on the fact that Ash remained in New Orleans, saving the lives of as many people as he could. But he knows firsthand what happens when someone tries to circumvent fate. As Ash so often says, just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Ultimately, what you decide to believe is up to you. But, as Menyara says, “Don’t judge him by one bad act when he has done so many good ones.”

The Daimons view Ash as the Grim Reaper, the soulless bringer of death. (Note to self: Buy Ash a Holocaust cloak next Christmas. That ought to pay him back for that time he got me a … but I digress.)

The Reaper analogy is a valid one, since few Daimons have fought Acheron and lived to tell about it (and those who did didn’t exactly go around bragging, if you know what I mean). But the Daimons also say that Ash can control their thoughts and make them kill
each other.
True or not, that is very, very interesting indeed.

The rumor often perpetuated by Rogue Dark-Hunters is that Ash works in conjunction with Apollymi to essentially run a soul racket. They will say that Artemis is long dead, and that Ash uses some other woman to make your deal for vengeance in her name.

They say when you trade your soul, Ash actually eats it … and those devoured souls inside him are why he can walk safely through cemeteries and hallowed ground no sane Dark-Hunter would dare to tread.

They say that Apollymi keeps the souls in Kalosis, and when Ash wants one, he just breaks in and gets it. If you partake of the out clause, the soul that is returned to you is not necessarily the soul you traded for. It is
a
soul, but not
your
soul.

They say Acheron is a Daimon, with powers so strong that he can mask his presence from Dark-Hunters, which is why you will feel no draining of your powers around him.

Yeah. That’s what they say, anyway.

You buying any of this?

Me neither.

And if you ever do?

Well, you better start running now then. Just like many of his all-powerful brethren, Acheron does not suffer fools to live.

Habits

What can I say? This is one of the few places

I can take Simi where she doesn’t stand out.

Hell, she actually looks normal here.

—Acheron

Acheron (always with Simi in tow) can often be found at a local hospital. He visits one every few months, and sometimes more often around Christmas. (Simi in Christmas gear is truly a sight to behold.) While he is there, patients’ blood pressures drop, no one needs painkillers, and everyone sleeps soundly the night after he leaves. Cancer patients often go into remission after his visits.

Needless to say, the hospital staff encourages his presence.

While you may be able to reach him over the holidays, do yourself a favor and don’t try to get in touch with Ash over Labor Day weekend, because his phone will be turned off. That is the weekend of Dragon*Con, my friend, one of the biggest science fiction/fantasy conventions in the world. Thirty thousand or so people come from all over the globe to steep in book, comic, film, and television geekdom for four exquisitely sleepless days of revelry. If you can dream it, someone will come dressed as it.

It’s a family reunion of the oddest kind, and some of the most fun you’ll ever have.

Check out Dragon*Con on the Web: www.dragoncon.org.

All Greek to You

Insight into Being and Speaking Greek

We’re Greek. Family is family no matter what and we always take care of our own.

—Solin

It’s all about family, food, and bearing gifts.

The funny part is, I’m not kidding about any of that. Especially the food.

The importance of family is foisted upon a Greek child at birth. Even today, the name of the child is traditionally taken from the names of his or her immediate family—parents and grandparents. It’s why many Greek names such as John (Yannis), George (Yorgos), and Gus (Costa) are so incredibly common. Don’t believe me? Next time you’re at a Greek festival, yell “Hey, John!” and watch as half of the men there turn around.

Regardless of whether or not the Greek family decides to follow this tradition, their children must be named after saints. If they choose against this, then their child will have a different baptismal name from their birth name. That is the name under which the church will legally recognize them.

Most saints are associated with a day, and that day becomes the child’s name day. Greek name days are almost as important as birthdays, and sometimes more so. If a child is not given a saint’s name at birth, or their saint does not have a name day for any reason, the child will celebrate his or her name day on November first: All Saints’ Day.