He was Apostolos, the son of Atlantean gods Apollymia Katstrafia Megola (Apollymi the Great Destroyer) and Archon, yet no one knew of him. Cursed by Fates while in his mother's womb, she forcibly removed him from her womb and sent him to the human realm, to be born as one of a pair of twins of the Greek kingdom of Didymos, so he may live and cherished as a royal prince. She hid his powers to keep him safe from other Atlantean gods who would kill him, so he became a human. She was then banished to the Atlantean hell, Katokalis, where she would remain until she revealed his whereabouts or if he died.
Though he was the firstborn, his unnatural swirly silver-coloured eyes caused them to fear him and believed him to have been sent from the gods hence cursed. He was only saved because a priestess convinced the king that killing him would kill his other son as well since their life forces were combined. The queen refused to nurse him and no one would touch him safe the priestess.
She proclaimed, "Then he will be called Acheron for the River of Woe. Like the river of the Underworld, his journey shall be dark, long and enduring. He will be able to give life and to take it. He will walk through his life alone and abandoned - ever seeking kindness and ever finding cruelty. May the gods have mercy on you, little one. No one else ever will." Indeed the simple truth of her last words would haunt him for the rest of his existence.
The only one to ever care about him was his sister, Ryssa, only seven years older, whose unrelenting love would grant him comfort until her untimely and brutal death, even as she unwittingly caused him more repeated harm. He was wrenched from Ryssa's arms at the tender age of seven, supposedly given into the care of the King's brother, Estes, ambassador to Atlantis. Instead he was subjugated and trained to be a tsoulus - a sexual slave to the noblility and wealthy of Atlantis. His life was one of untold pain, torture, abuse and depravity.
All this was hidden from Ryssa but she risked all to remove him from Atlantis when she found out. Alas he was eventually discovered and sent back to the same hell and only returned to Didymos after his uncle died. Even then, his father and brother, Styxx, refused to acknowledge him but kept him in captivity and constantly abused him beyond belief, with no mercy given. They would have killed him, of course, if not for the fact that Styxx would also perish. Only Ryssa comforted him.
He secretly became the human pet of Artemis, the virgin Greek goddess, whose twin, Apollo, was given Ryssa to be his consort as a sacrifice to prevent war with Atlantis. But goddess that she was, she constantly trifled with him and eventually betrayed him when she realised he was a god and merely stood by as Apollo killed him in rage after discovering Ryssa and their son's mutilated bodies.
His death freed Apollymi and so aggrieved was she by the injustice caused to him and his torturous death, she wrecked vengeance on the Atlantean gods, turning them all to stone. She wiped Atlantis from the face of the earth, and was on a path of destruction through Greece towards Mount Olympus destroying everyone that had ever neared him, when Fates convinced Artemis to bring Acheron back from Hades by binding him to her. With his revival Apollymi returned to her banishment.
Welcome to the world of Dark Hunters, warriors chosen to join Artemis's army to fight the Daimons - Apollites cursed by the Apollo, to feed on each other or risk dying on their 27th birthday unless they find ways to feed on human souls - in retaliation of them killing his consort and infant son. Artemis blackmailed Acheron to lead the Dark Hunters. With his compassion, humanity and reluctance to see them suffer a fate worse than death, how could he refuse.
I'd encountered Acheron in two earlier books I'd read from the series and he's always intrigued me . He seemed so nonchalant; unaffected by life and detached from his Dark Hunters, yet we could see that he cared for them and that there were layers to his personality.
So when it was time to return my Drake sisters books, on a whim I checked the Library's catalog to see if they had any Sherrilyn Kenyon books. I was surprised that they did though I reckon my gasp of pleasure could be clearly heard when I saw which one in particular was available at my branch! I even made a special trip to get this (and two others) even though I could have easily returned my books two days later - the temptation of having a branch so close by, I suppose! Of course I couldn't wait a moment longer than necessary to start reading it - despite already having seven other books to read and even as I was in the middle of reading two books.
This is only the fourth book I've read in Sherrilyn Kenyon's series where mythical creatures exist alongside mortals at the whims of gods and goddesses. Nonetheless, I can safely say that this will probably be my favourite even as I've yet to read the ones in between. So enthralled was I by the story, it took me only two days to finish his human story of 434 pages and by day three, I'd finished all 753 pages! I wept at his constant torment and heartbreak, and rejoiced at the little comfort and love showered by Ryssa and his nephew. I imagine even the hardest of hearts would be affected thus.
The story continued to the present day where Acheron attempted to dispute Dr Soteria Kafieri's claims that Atlantis existed so that his secrets would stay buried and he would not lose the respect he has garnered since leading the the Dark Hunters. And of course, this being the romance genre, he'll also finally find love without condition that he definitely deserves. Aaah... a true gem indeed!
