Free Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Beginning by Unknown Page B

spectacular or beautiful here now. He saw only the selfish vanity and coldness of the Olympians.
    These new gods were very different from the gods Acheron had been reared with. All but one of the Atlantean gods had been full of compassion. Love. Kindness. Forgiveness.
    There was only one time when the Atlanteans had let their fear lead them—that mistake had cost all of them their immortal lives and had allowed the Olympian gods to replace them.
    It had been a sad day for the human world in more ways than one.
    Acheron forced himself across the bridge that led to Artemis’s temple. Two thousand years ago, he had left this place and sworn that he would never return to it.
    He should have known that sooner or later she would devise a scheme to bring him back.
    His gut tight with anger, Acheron used his telekinesis to open the oversized, gilded doors. He was instantly assailed with the sound of ear-piercing screams from Artemis’s female attendants. They were wholly unaccustomed to a man entering their goddess’ private domain.
    Artemis hissed at the shrill sound, then zapped every one of the women around her.
    “Did you just kill all eight of them?” Acheron asked.
    Artemis rubbed her ears. “I should have, but no, I merely tossed them into river outside.”
    Surprised, he stared at her. How unusual for the goddess he remembered. Perhaps she’d learned a degree of compassion and mercy over the last two thousand years.
    Knowing her, it was highly unlikely.
    Now that they were alone, she unfolded herself from her cushioned ivory throne and approached him. She wore a sheer, white peplos that hugged the curves of her voluptuous body and her dark auburn curls glistened in the light.
    Her green eyes glowed warmly in welcome.
    The look went through him like a lance. Hot. Piercing. Painful.
    He’d known seeing her again would be hard on him— it was one of the reasons why he’d always ignored her summons.
    But knowing something and experiencing it were two entirely different things.
    He’d been unprepared for the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him now that he saw her again.
    The hatred. The betrayal.
    Worst of all was the need.
    The hunger.
    The desire.
    There was still a part of him that loved her. A part of him that was willing to forgive her anything.
    Even his death…
    “You look good, Acheron. Every bit as handsome as you were the last time I saw you.” She reached to touch him.
    He stepped back, out of her reach. “I didn’t come here to chat, Artemis, I—”
    “You used to call me Artie.”
    “I used to do a lot of things I can’t do anymore.” He gave her a hard stare to remind her of everything she had taken from him.
    “You’re still angry at me.”
    “You think so?”
    Her eyes snapped emerald fire, reminding him of the demon who resided in her divine body. “I could have forced you to come to me, you know. I’ve been very tolerant of your defiance. More than I should have been.”
    He looked away, knowing she was right. She, alone, held possession of the food source he needed to function.
    When he went too long without food, he became an uncontrollable killer. A danger to anyone who came near him.
    Only Artemis held the key that kept him as he was. Sane. Whole.
    Compassionate.
    “Why didn’t you force me to your side?” he asked.
    “Because I know you. Had I tried, you would have made us both pay for it.”
    Again, she was right. His days of subjugation were long over. He’d had more than his share of it in his childhood and youth. Having tasted freedom and power, he’d decided he liked it too much to go back to being what he’d been before.
    “Tell me of these new Dark-Hunters,” he said. “Why would you create more of my kind?”
    “I told you, you need help.”
    “I need no such thing.”
    “I and the other Greek gods disagree.”
    “Artemis…” he growled her name, knowing she was lying about this. He was more than able to control and kill the Daimons who preyed on the