Of Ambrosia and Stone: Pandora's Curse

6

Apollo was hardly down the hallway before another person entered my room.

From the looks of the stern woman, she was a palace guard. Her face is as serious as it was unreadable. Eyes watchful, taking in the entire room.

The guard watches me from the entrance of my room with crossed arms. The condescending look on her face said it all. She didn’t want to be here as much as I wanted to be babysat.

The silence makes my skin crawl. Growing up in my home, there was never quiet. Even at night people were on the streets. Trotting along on horse, driving their wagons, and being generally loud. Here was the opposite. These rooms are as silent as I imagine the realms of Hades.

Not even the hearth crackles.

No one dares make a sound or the Lord of Caelum will have words with them.

Though I”m not sure what would be worse, I don’t doubt Apollo’s creativity with punishments.

The halls and my rooms were beautiful. Painted marble columns held up the tall ceilings. Plants and hanging wall decorations wherever they could. No expenses were spared at any point with this. From the gold adorning the fireplace, the tops of columns and even the crown molding of my room. Well, rooms. Honestly, it’s better described as a suite. These rooms could have fit two or three of my townhomes in them.

There was a sitting room, a dining nook, a dressing area, a bathroom, a patio, and a separate bedroom. Though the furniture fits me, the ceilings and doorways made it feel like they were designed for giants.

The room felt so daunting.

Especially when it’s me living here.

All to myself.

For the first time ever.

“So…” Scrambling, I try to find words to make conversation with the guard. “What’s your name?”

The woman rolled her head in my direction. Although, I doubt that she ever lost sight of me. “What’s it to you?”

Rude.

Do gods hate people with violet eyes as much as those in the mortal lands?

Did I do something to offend her?

Her glare makes me wonder if my very presence bothers her.

Well, I hate to break it to you but I didn’t choose to come here. Your ruler in all of his arrogance drug me here.

Literally.

Had it been up to me, I would be home with Celeste. Maybe working at the apothecary with Agatha. Anything would’ve been better than being here.

Burying deep my feelings of annoyance, I force a smile on my lips.

I need to win her over. Being alone in Olympus is bad enough. But being alone without any allies is a far worse fate.

Charm the guard.

That should be easy.

“Well, since we’re spending what feels like will probably be a long time together, I figure that at least we should try to be out of the moody glowering looks phase of our friendship.” Smiling, I get up from my chair, walking across the room toward the guard. Her fingers clench harder around the guard’s sword as I extend my hand to the goddess. “I”m Pandora. My friends call me Pandy though.”

I mean, nobody but family called me that, but she doesn’t need to know that right?

Yeah, way to win the friend with a nickname.

The guard sneers from her position towering above me. She tucks one hand behind her back and the other on her spear. I”m probably only to her armpits making me feel like a squirrel staring up at an owl. “Who said I wanted to be friends with you?” Her words slice through me like her spear.

Ouch.

Don’t let her get to you, let”s try a different approach.

“You don’t seem like you’ve a lot of friends. This is the part where you shake my hand and introduce yourself to me.” Smiling up at the goddess, I”m determined to not let her sour attitude discourage me.

The stony eyed goddess stares down at me, “Has anyone told you that you”re like a squirrel? Perhaps a bird? Your constant chittering is getting on my nerves.”

Success. The charm always wins them over. “Oh yes! Most often I get called a mouse. But apparently, I like to talk so much I get compared to a babbling brook. You see, I get nervous whenever there’s silence. So, if others don’t fill the silence, I do—”

“—Do you ever shut up?” The guard groans as she rubs her temples.

“Nope, weren’t you listening?” I answered cheerfully. Not letting her words drag me down.

Now we’re on a roll, win her over with violent cheerfulness.

“Do you want me to start guessing names? That sounds like a wonderful game. Let’s see…” I narrow my eyes as I look her up and down for any clues. “I doubt you”re Aphrodite. I can’t imagine her wearing a spear and a sword—”

“Just shut up, my name is Lady Athena. Daughter of Zeus. Head of Apollo’s royal guard as his captain.”

“No captain stands guard.” I call her bluff. That would be incredibly odd. If she’s truly a captain of the palace guard, she must have pissed someone higher up off and that person has got to be Apollo. Who else could it be?

Her eyes narrow into the tiniest of slits. Her motions remind me of a snake. In fact, if she came up to me spitting venom, I wouldn’t even be shocked at this point.

That’s the kind of day that I’m having. Athena sneers, “Had there been a choice, I assure you that I wouldn’t be here. Apollo wanted only the best to stand guard over you.”

Odd. Why would he need the ‘best’ to stand watch? “Oh? Is there not a single soldier in the army who could be trusted? Or his personal guards? Am I that much of a threat—”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Chuckles Athena.

“—Or are you being punished, Athena?”

The goddess’s face turns a bright crimson. “Go sit down,” orders Athena in a short, clipped tone.

Feeling satisfied at the amount of frustration that I have inflicted on the goddess; I plop into the soft velvet chair with a loud sigh. Feeling malicious I start looking around while practicing bird calls and chipmunk chitters.

With the silence being filled by sounds of home, I can’t help but grin.

“How are you so annoying when you”re not even talking?” The glorified door guard stands stewing in annoyance.

Sounds like someone could do with learning more tolerance.

Though I want to snap back a feisty retort, I choose for the first time ever, to hold my tongue.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The loud noise is shocking after a long period of quiet chatter and sullen silence.

My eyes flick nervously at the door. Great, let”s add someone else to this pity party, looking at Athena I ask, “Do I need your permission to let them in?”

Athena sneers, broodily she opens the door.

A woman with the bobbed silvery hair and dark eyes smiles warmly at me. The stern form of Athena softens at the sight of the new guest.

“Athena, please stand guard in the hallway.” Her voice is soft, pleasant, and cheerful. A stark opposite to the goddess who has been instructed to keep watch over me.

Bowing slightly, Athena doesn’t argue. “Yes Mistress.”

Mistress? Who would a goddess call mistress?

Especially a goddess as prideful and stubborn as Athena.

My eyes widen in wonder at the woman before me. She must also be a goddess. I can’t see her being anything else. She was too perfect to be a human.

“Ah you”re curious about Athena, aren’t you?” she confirms, her voice filled with a touch of amusement.

“That and wondering why she listened to you.” I mutter under my breath.

She smiles softly at me. ”I”m Apollo’s sister, his twin. Disrespecting me is to disrespect him. You may call me Artemis.”

Gods, this whole day has felt like a thing of fevered dreams. This can’t be happening right now. As though I”ll wake up any moment.

“Nice to meet you… Artemis.” My voice feels a bit raspy and unsure.

How does someone address a goddess? Before today I have only ever seen one immortal and he wasn’t exactly the talking type. But Artemis feels so approachable and kind.

Which is unfortunate for her. How could someone be as kind as her and also be related to someone like her twin. I can’t imagine being related to him. “So what’s her deal?”

“Who? Theny?” Artemis furrows her eyebrows and cocks her head.

Theny? I want to snort at the nickname for the stern goddess. “Yes. She was so cold.”

The goddess shrugs.

“None of us were exactly blessed by an easy childhood. But Athena was all but isolated from everyone but Zeus.” Nibbling her bottom lip, Artemis continued, “Not even able to go to her mom. While she’s a Goddess of Wisdom, I believe that makes her past experiences weigh even more heavily on her.”

But why was she so isolated? Is her mom worse?

I furrow my brows. “Why wasn’t she able to spend time with her mom instead?”

Holding my breath, I watch as the goddess mulls over her words.

It must be bad for her to respond like this.

Bad feels like an understatement for the goddess’s reaction.

Artemis ponders how to respond. “Zeus… Ate her mother when she was pregnant with her.”

Horror fills inside me. Gnawing at my center. “That doesn’t make any sense. She’d be dead.”

That would fuck with someone’s mind.

Gods, who know the immortals were this fucked up.

Shaking her head, Artemis’s eyes fixed on the brightly woven rug. “For a mortal, yes. But not for an immortal. Goddesses don’t die.”

Somehow, that fact made everything much worse. “What do you mean?”

Artemis shakes her head. Eyes filled with a look of sadness. Pausing to clear her throat, she continued, “Before Zeus was married to Hera, he was married to a titaness named Metis. Shortly after Metis found out that she was pregnant, Zeus went to an oracle. The oracle saw that Metis would first have a daughter who’d be intelligent, with a mind like a dagger.

“But after Athena, Metis would later have a son. This son would overthrow Zeus just as Zeus did to his own father and as his father did to his own father. Fearing to be overcome in the cycle, he sought to break it. Zeus tricked Metis. He turned Metis into a fly before swallowing her whole.

“But he didn’t expect her to bind herself the confines of his skull until he gave her permission to leave. At some point, Metis gave birth to Athena, who grew, and grew inside the skull of the bastard.” Artemis shook. Out of terror or grief. “Imagine being trapped in his mind. Surrounded by his thoughts.”

People aren’t born cruel. Apparently, that may hold true for the gods. No wonder Apollo acts like he does if this is how his dad used to act.

Few spoke of what became of the old King of the Gods. Mortals knew that there was some upset in his power, but never knew what extent that was. Less and less we heard stories being passed down about Zeus. “Zeus. Why do you call him that? He’s your dad.”

Pressing her lips into a thin line, I watch as her brow furrows. “He was no dad of mine. Nor will he ever be. The fear he placed everyone in his house under… He doesn’t deserve the title or the respect.” Anger bleeds into Artemis’s voice. “Athena was the last child of Zeus who turned on him. Since we were young, she was fiercely loyal to him. If she were a mortal, she’d have died for him. The rest of our siblings cracked a long time before. Done with the torture he had put us all through.”

“But if life was so terrible… Why did it take her so long to change her mind?” Even if she was the favorite, wouldn’t Athena have known the fear that everyone was experiencing?

“I think she saw the writing on the wall. The House of Zeus was crumbling during our coup. Athena didn’t have the support to take the realm. Staying aligned with Zeus would mean a trip to Tartarus.” Artemis shuddered at the thought.

I question, now fully invested in the politics of the Olympians. “If she didn’t align with you early on, why is she here? How do you know that you can trust her?”

The goddess plays with her bobbed hair. “We can’t,” she states simply as she purses her lips. “Had the House of Hera taken the realm, she’d have been forced to flee. She couldn’t have sought support from Demeter’s court. Demeter, Hestia, and Hera are daughters of Rhea. The House of Poseidon would’ve also been a no go due to a long-standing conflict between Poseidon and Athena. Which left Caelum or Erebus and no one enters the Underworld of their free will.”

Hmm. With those options, I guess I can’t blame her for choosing to stick it out here. Even with the sourpuss God of the Sun.

If the God of the Daytime is this unbearable, I’m terrified to imagine how poor of a mood God of the Dead would have.

Walking across the room, the Moon Goddess watches through the tall arched glass which leads out to my patio. The goddess continued, “Apollo and I were her only option, in all actuality. She may be cold and distant most of the time, but her mind for strategy and tactics are genuinely without equal. She tolerates us and in turn we give her a position worthy of her skills.”

“Is that why she’s the head of the palace guard?” I shift nervously. Perhaps I’m being a bit too blunt. This is a goddess that I met who’d be more than capable of pulverizing me into tiny pieces… Even if she looks deceptively kind.

Coolly, Artemis nods. “Sometimes it’s easier knowing where your potential competition is and what they’re doing. She’s a Goddess of Wisdom and War. Giving her absolute control of the armies could mean the end of our rule.”

But giving her control over the castle guard, Apollo and Artemis could watch over Athena. Making sure that she doesn’t compromise their power in the realm. Keeping a potential enemy close enough to monitor but far enough to have limited freedoms.

As my brain spirals, I change topics. Looking for something happier. “It”s a good thing that you and Apollo have each other. Is your mom also in the palace?”

The goddess’s face droops as sadness creeps into her eyes.

Artemis drops her gaze as she replied softly, “My mom is healing after an injury she sustained while we were defending our throne. Other than Apollo, Ov is the only family we’ve left. Zeus has a knack for making the different lines feel how separate they are. I”m thankful that Zeus is locked in Tartarus. Never to see the light of day again. What about you?”

My firm smile dropped to a frown. it’s only fair, I remind myself. This is what it looks like to make friends. “My mom died a long time ago. For years, it was dad and I. Eventually, he thought that I needed a ‘maternal’ influence in my life, so he married my stepmom. Though she’d no motherly love for me. She saw my dad as a servant and me as her slave. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that we were together.

“At least, that was until this past Summer Solstice. My dad was taken by an immortal, and it was all my fault. I brought him into the woods. While picking the pomegranate tree. Dad hid me from the stranger. You know, for the past six months, I have been telling myself that the monster wasn’t a god but being here now, it feels normal.” Glancing up, I watch the Moon Goddess.

Raising an eyebrow, Artemis asks, “What god? Where’s your dad?”

“I have no clue. But he knew my dad.” I shake my head, but the image of those electric blue eyes won’t leave me. “My dad is stubborn… But up against a god, I don’t know how long he’d survive. The god kicked the shit out of him before they vanished… Part of me hopes that he is dead. so that I don’t need to think about him suffering or in pain. No one has heard from him since. I hope… I hope to see him in the Underworld someday.” Tears rolled down my cheeks.

Artemis pats my back as I cry. Something I have not let myself do since losing Dad. My stepmom hardly blinked when I came back without him.

I felt so alone but with the silver haired goddess, I felt at ease. Felt safe enough to cry.

“Maybe we can figure out what happened to him or identify his captor? Would you recognize him if you saw him?”

I nod.

Pausing, Artemis pulls me into an embrace and replies softly, “Then I”ll see what I can do about tracking down portraits of the Olympians. You deserve answers and closure.”