Unleash the Night (37 page)

Oneroi:
Dream-Hunters responsible for watching over human dreams and protecting them from Skoti. Often assigned to newly created Dark-Hunters to heal them mentally.

Oracle:
Anyone who communes with the gods.

Orasia:
The Atlantean goddess of sleep.

Ouisa:
Distinct from the body and the soul, the Ouisa is the personality—the part of a person that is left when a Dark-Hunter becomes a Shade.

 

Parthenopaeus, Acheron (Ash):
Ancient immortal Atlantean, leader of the Dark-Hunters. Born in 9548
B.C
. on the Greek isle of Didymos to King Acarion and Queen Aara. His promises and curses are binding and can have unintended consequences. Tall and naturally blond, he dyes his hair different colors and dresses like a Goth most of the time. He looks about twenty-one and makes his home in Katoteros.
      No one knows anything about him and he likes it that way. In reality, he is a god-killer and an Atlantean god with powers that no one knows the full extent of. He refuses to answer any personal questions and he must keep his word no matter what. The correct Atlantean/Greek pronunciation of his name is
Ack-uh-rahn Pahr-thin-oh-pay-us.
These days, only the older Dark-Hunters and Artemis pronounce it that way. The rest either call him Ash or
Ash-uh-rahn.
The exceptions to this are his demon, Simi, who calls him akri, and Talon, who calls him T-Rex.

Patria:
A family grouping of Were-Hunters of the same race and animal genus.

Peltier:
The family of bear Katagaria Were-Hunters who run the Sanctuary bar in New Orleans. Family members include Nicolette, Aubert, Dev, Kyle, Aimee, Remi, Quinn, Zar, Serre, Etienne, Alain, Cody, Griffe, and Cherif. Mama (Nicolette) and Papa (Aubert) Bear decided to found Sanctuary as a safe zone after their cubs Bastien and Gilbert were brutally killed by Arcadian Sentinels.

Peltier House:
Adjacent to the bar, Peltier House is the living quarters for Sanctuary's hidden animal population. There they can assume their animal forms without fear of discovery and their young cubs are protected. It has more alarms than Fort Knox and is always guarded by at least two Peltier family members.

Peters, Cassandra Elaine:
Half human and half Apollite, she is one of the last Apollites in the direct bloodline of Apollo. Daughter of Jefferson and sister to Phoebe and Nia. The Peters family is subject to a prophecy that if they all die, the Apollites will be free of their curse, so they are hunted by Spathi Daimons who want their freedom. The truth, however, is that if their bloodline dies out, so does the earth and all who live here. Heroine of
Kiss of the Night.

Peters, Jefferson T.:
Cassandra and Phoebe Peters's human father. Wealthy owner and founder of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical research and development companies.

Peters, Nia:
Cassandra's sister and Jefferson's half-Apollite daughter. One of the last direct descendants of Apollo. Died with her mother when Spathi Daimons blew up their car.

Peters, Phoebe:
Cassandra's sister and Jefferson's half-Apollite daughter. One of the last direct descendants of Apollo. She was rescued from the Spathi attack that killed her mother and sister Nia. After their deaths, Urian turned her Daimon. Lives in Elysia as Urian's wife.

Phantasos:
Greek god who creates nonsentient dream objects, father of some Dream-Hunters. His children tend to be more cerebral and they are most often the Oneroi who police the Dream-Hunters.

Phaser:
An Arcadian Sentinel weapon developed for use against the Katagaria. Stronger than a Taser, it sends a vicious jolt of electricity through the victims, causing their magic to go berserk. They are unable to hold either of their forms and a strong enough jolt will cause them to literally fall out of their bodies and become noncorporeal beings such as ghosts.

Phobetor:
God of animal shapes, father of some of the Dream-Hunters. Phobetor's children tend to make nightmares. They often take the shapes of demons, dragons, and other terrifying images.

Pontis:
A patria of Katagaria Were-Panthers. Includes Dante, Romeo, Michelangelo (Mike), Leonardo (Leo), Gabriel, Angel, Donatello, Bonita, Sal, and Tyla, among others.

Pontis, Dante:
A Katagari Panther who owns Dante's Inferno in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Though he technically owns one of the known Were-Hunter sanctuaries, he's not nearly as tolerant as other sanctuary owners. He is the head of his family and tends to take no crap from anyone. He first appears in
Kiss of the Night,
is the hero of “Winter Born (
Stroke of Midnight
),” and is mated to the Arcadian panther Pandora Kouti.

Priapus:
Greek and Roman sex god, half brother of Julian Alexander.

 

Regis:
Leader of a Were-Hunter pack who is essentially their king and representative.

Rogue Dark-Hunter:
One who has breached the Dark-Hunter Code and must die. Hunted by Blood Rite Squires or Thanatos.

Runningwolf, Sunshine:
Daughter of Starla and Daniel. A free spirit and an artist of tremendous talent who is easily distracted from the practical. Sells her art in Jackson Square and likes the color pink. Heroine of
Night Embrace
and now married to Talon Runningwolf.

Runningwolf, Talon:
An ancient Celtic Dark-Hunter known as Speirr (which meant “Talon” in his language) in his human life. He was the son of a Druid high priest and a Celtic queen, and was high chieftain of his clan. After the deaths of his aunt, uncle, wife, and son over a short period of time, he was told that his ancient gods had cursed him. To appease the gods, he allowed himself to be sacrificed. Once his clan had Talon secured to the altar, they killed his sister before his eyes and then turned on him. As a Dark-Hunter, Talon has the power of telekinesis. He walks between this realm and the next with the help of Spirit Guides, and loses power when he feels negative emotions. The hero of
Night Embrace
and married to Sunshine Runningwolf.

Runningwolf's:
A club on Canal Street in New Orleans run by Starla and Daniel Runningwolf.

Ryssa:
A Greek princess who was one of Apollo's favorite mistresses. She bore him a son, which led the Apollite queen to such jealousy that she sent a team of Apollites to kill them. They were ordered to make it look like an animal had done it. That act caused Apollo to curse all the Apollites.

Rytis:
An invisible stream of waves that move through everything. The waves echo, flow, and occasionally buckle. The Rytis is what Were- and Dream-Hunters use to move through space and time.

 

Saga:
The Norse goddess of poetry.

Sanctuary:
The premier New Orleans biker bar, owned by the Peltiers, a clan of Katagaria bears. It is a limani: a safe zone for all types of Hunters where natural rivalries are put aside and no fighting or killing is allowed.

Santana, Wayne:
Convicted and imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter while still young, Wayne lucked out when the Runningwolf family decided to hire him despite his record. They lucked out, too, in gaining a faithful friend and a good lookout for absentminded Sunshine.

Sasha:
Astrid's Katagari Were-Hunter companion in
Dance with the Devil.
He's a large white timber wolf in animal form and a lot of attitude in any form.

Savitar:
Even more mysterious than Acheron, he is rumored to have been the one to train Ash in his powers. He oversees the Omegrion even though none of the Were-Hunters are sure how this came about. He has a strong fascination for the beach and surfing, and is usually found dressed as a surfer or beach bum. No one, not even Acheron, knows anything at all about him. He is extremely powerful and deadly. Most of his body is covered with tattoos.

Sentinels:
Out of the Arcadian patrias are born the Sentinels—the Guardians of man- and were-kind. Only a select few are born to each patria. They are the strongest Were-Hunters and they pursue and execute Slayers. A colorful geometric design covers one side of an Arcadian Sentinel's face once they reach maturity, but the Sentinel can hide the design if he or she chooses.

Sfora:
A scrying globe that people in Katoteros can use to watch events in other realms, including the human realm. Sometimes those being viewed can sense that someone is watching.

Shade:
What a Dark-Hunter becomes when he is killed and does not immediately get invested with a soul. Shadedom is an existence of unrelenting hunger and thirst, but its worst aspect is that the Shade is invisible to all mortals and denied contact with everyone—so it quickly goes insane screaming for attention in its solitary confinement. There are rumors of an out clause for Shades.

Simi:
Acheron's Charonte demon, who can manifest as a human or a demon, and who rests as an ever-changing tattoo on Ash's body. Though she is thousands of years old, she is equivalent to a human eighteen-year-old. She is like a daughter to Acheron. Loves barbecue, movies, and QVC. Hates to be told no.
      Also, the Charonte term for “baby.”

Skoti:
Usually the children of Phobetor, but can be any Dream-Hunter who goes bad. Nightmare demons who infiltrate the dreams of humans to suck emotions and creativity from them, they are also incubi and succubi who derive sexual pleasure from their dream-hosts.

Slayer:
Katagaria Were-Hunters driven to madness at puberty when they come into their powers, but fail to find a way to control them. They become ruthless slayers who kill anything or anyone who cross them. Similar to rabies, it is an infection for which there is no cure. Hunted by Sentinels.

Smith, Janice:
An African-American Dark-Huntress with a Carribbean accent. Currently posted in New Orleans.

Spathi:
Warrior Daimons. Apollymi's guards and pets, who can be reincarnated after they die if someone cares enough; their essence remains intact. See also
Illuminati.

Squires:
To help the Dark-Hunters appear “normal,” Acheron set up a Squire's Council of humans who serve them. A Squire works with a Dark-Hunter, usually living in the same house, and—to the outside world—appearing to be the owner. It is a Squire's job to attend to all the day-to-day monotony of running the household so the Dark-Hunter can focus on killing Daimons. Squires are often at risk since the Daimons know a Squire is an emotional attachment for the Dark-Hunter.
      If a Dark-Hunter is in danger, it is the Squire's responsibility to pull him or her out, although the Squire doesn't have immortality or psychic abilities. Like the Dark-Hunters they serve, they are extremely well paid for their services. (See also
Dorian Squires, Blue Blood Squires.
)

Strati:
Term used for Katagaria soldiers who seek out Arcadians to fight. They are the Katagaria equivalent to Sentinels except they have no facial markings.

Strykerius (Stryker):
The leader and trainer of Apollymi's Spathi Daimons and leader of the elite Illuminati force. He is the son of Apollo and turned on his father after Apollo cursed him and his race. He is the adopted son of Apollymi and father to Urian. Holds a grudge against Acheron and plots the deaths of all whom Ash holds dear.

Styxx:
Acheron's human brother, and an identical twin. Styxx was born in 9548
B.C
. on the Greek isle of Didymos to King Acarion and Queen Aara. His and Acheron's life forces are connected, so he can't die until Acheron does. Styxx has spent centuries hating Ash.

Summoning, the:
A Daimon homing beacon the Dayslayer can use to summon Daimons and Apollites to conference or for war.

Sundown:
Sundown is a Dark-Hunter from the nineteenth-century American West. His real name is William Jessup “Jess” Brady. Jess was orphaned at age five and grew up under the harsh hand of a preacher man who owned the local orphanage. At eleven, he ran away and headed out West where he quickly learned life wasn't fair and it wasn't easy for a boy with no family. At sixteen, he was making his living as a gunslinger, train robber, and cardsharp. He lived his life hard and was ruthlessly shot in the back on his way to his wedding by his best man—the only man he'd ever trusted—who wanted to collect the bounty on his head. He is currently stationed in Reno, Nevada.

Swain:
Suffix for a male Were-Hunter, e.g., dragon-swain, pantherswain, bearswain, etc.

Swan:
Suffix for a female Were-Hunter, e.g., dragon-swan, pantherswan, bearswan, etc.

“Sweet Home Alabama”:
The Lynyrd Skynyrd song played to warn everyone in Sanctuary when Acheron comes into the bar.

Sword of Cronus:
Julian Alexander's sword. Only those with the blood of Cronus in their veins may touch it without being burned.

 

Talpinas:
At one time, a type of Squire whose sole purpose was to take care of Dark-Hunters' carnal needs. Long since banned by Artemis.

Tartarus:
Greek version of hell. The realm where humans are punished for the sins of their lifetimes.

Tessera:
A group of four Were-Hunters sent out to hunt others of their kind.

Thanatos:
The Greek word for “death.” Also, an Apollite to whom Artemis gives special powers and whom he sends to kill rogue Dark-Hunters. Known as the Dayslayer in Apollite mythology. There has been more than one Thanatos over the centuries. See also
Callyx.

Themis:
Redheaded Greek goddess of justice, mother of Astrid and the Fates.