Ruins
RUINS
PANDORA
Pandora knew one thing for certain: she despised the desert.
The caverns opened to reveal a vast expanse of dunes. For miles on every side there was nothing but sand. The relentless sun beat down on her, far more piercing and agonizing than the sun in Elysium. From the moment she stepped out of the cave, the brilliant light assaulted her, bringing her to her knees with flashes of horror and trauma. Apollo’s light searing into her, scorching her blood, melting the flesh from her bones…
Only when Mona’s warm hand captured hers was she able to ground herself, returning to the present. She shot her sister a grateful look, and, hand-in-hand, they followed Farah across the dunes.
The heat was unbearable. Farah and the other witches used scarves to cover their faces, but Pandora was already sweating so much that the idea of covering more of her body suffocated her. And on the rare occasion when the wind blew, it stung Pandora’s eyes with grains of sand, embedding the tiny particles into every crevice of her body until she felt like she was caked in the substance.
Perhaps that’s why they cover their faces, she thought bitterly.
Her sandals kept sliding in the sand, slowing down their trek across the dunes. Sol kept shooting her scathing looks every time their party had to wait for her to right herself, but the other witches waited patiently for her.
Even Evander, who, moments ago, had had to be dragged on a bed of ivy, was moving with lithe grace and strength. Pandora tried not to feel irritated by this. After all, it was her fault he had almost died.
“I’m sorry,” Pandora muttered.
Mona, who still clasped her hand in hers, looked over in confusion. “What for?”
Pandora snorted. “Do you really need to ask?”
“I need to hear you say it.”
Pandora took a steadying breath, but her insides felt shaky. “I never apologized for any of it. And I need to. I’m sorry for what I did to Evander. I’m sorry for what I did to you . I’m sorry I didn’t look to you as a sister when I needed help. But I was never raised… I never had…” She blinked rapidly, unsure if it was the threat of tears or the stinging dust particles that made her do so. She swallowed hard. “I’ve never had sisters before. I’ve never been able to trust anyone . It’s a new concept for me. The only thing I can do is apologize to you and promise I will do better in the future.”
Mona nodded, her face solemn. She did not smile, but she did not have any ire in her expression, either. After a moment, she said, “It’s a start. And I appreciate your words. But I’m not the only one you need to apologize to.”
Pandora’s gaze fell on Evander, who walked a few paces ahead of them. She had no doubt he could hear their conversation, though he was too polite to say so. He seemed deeply curious about their surroundings, his head turning as he gazed in wonder at the dunes. Only then did Pandora remember he didn’t have much experience in the mortal realm. All of this was very new for him.
“Yes, Evander,” Mona murmured, following Pandora’s gaze. “But also Sol. Prue. Cyrus. There are many people you’ve wronged, Pandora.”
Pandora flinched at the reminder, but she forced herself to nod. “I do. There is much to atone for. And I’ll do the best I can.” Her eyes found Sol, and she stared hard at the place between his shoulder blades, trying not to admire his figure as he walked firmly though the sand.
“I’ve tried apologizing to him,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He doesn’t want to hear it.”
“Can you blame him?” Mona asked. “His mother just died. And he blames you. Apologies are necessary, but so is time. I’m not saying he will forgive you—he may not. But it’s not something that will happen overnight.”
Pandora wasn’t even sure why she cared. She still despised Sol. Or at least, she told herself she did. Even on his better days, he was loathsome and arrogant and…
And it was all a mask to keep people at a distance. He preferred the freedom of solitude, of no expectations or responsibilities. Pandora knew that now, because she had seen behind the mask. She had seen him come undone. For her.
“You’re right,” Pandora said in a tight voice. “I don’t think he will ever forgive me.” Because if their roles were reversed, she certainly wouldn’t have forgiven him.
When the crowd of witches and gods crested the tallest dune, Pandora, covered in sweat, took a moment to brace her hands on her legs and catch her breath. But when Mona jolted and gasped beside her, she found herself drawn to the scene below.
It had once been a town, but now, it was nothing more than ruins. Buildings had been reduced to hunks of concrete. Ash lined the streets. Stains of charcoal and blood coated the ground and the walls.
“What—What happened?” Mona asked, her hand pressed to her heart.
“Harpies,” Farah said gravely. “Ever since Pandora’s box was opened, the dark creatures have been roaming our realm, destroying everything in their path.”
Pandora’s head whipped to Farah. “The creatures are here ? But how? I’ve seen the darkness. I brought it to Elysium. It shouldn’t be here yet.”
“Do you think darkness has boundaries?” Farah’s eyes flashed as she pinned Pandora with a fierce stare. “Opening that box created cracks between the realms. These creatures slipped through those cracks. The openings will grow wider until there is no separation between our world and theirs.”
“Their world?” Mona asked. “What is their world?”
Pandora spoke at the same time as Romanos. “Tartarus.”
A chilled silence passed between them. Even Sol looked worried, his thick brows furrowing together. His eyes darted to Pandora and then flicked away just as quickly.
“With the Underworld destroyed, all the creatures bound by the wards of Tartarus were unleashed,” Romanos said, staring at the desolation before them. The wind tossed strands of his black and silver hair across his forehead, and a wrinkle formed along his brow. “And the longer this goes unchecked, the more creatures will continue to invade the Realm of Gaia. Not just from the Underworld, but from Elysium as well.”
“Elysium?” Evander said sharply. “What creatures could possibly have lived in Elysium?”
“You think Apollo didn’t have enemies?” Sol said with a derisive snort. “The Underworld isn’t the only place capable of monsters.”
“Kelpies were creations of Tethys and Neptune,” Farah said. “For all we know, there were other Elysium gods who created such abominations.”
Pandora stiffened, then glanced at Farah. “Tethys and Neptune?” She hadn’t heard those names in ages. In addition, if there were other gods that had dabbled in the same dangerous magic as the original Pandora, then perhaps they could help stave off the darkness unleashed from that box.
“Neptune is dead,” Romanos said, and his voice was filled with a savage pleasure that made the voices whisper louder in Pandora’s mind. She knew that thirst for blood quite well. “Courtesy of the Gorgon sisters.”
“And Tethys has fled,” Farah said. “We don’t know where she is, but she has no allies left.”
Pandora’s throat went dry. The Gorgon sisters were powerful enough to kill Neptune? Neptune had arguably been as powerful as Jupiter—whom Apollo had been too afraid to challenge head-on. He’d had to steal the throne through trickery and betrayal.
“Can the Gorgon sisters coerce Tethys into helping us?” Pandora asked.
Farah frowned. “Helping us do what?”
“Well, stopping this !” Pandora waved a hand at the ruins below them. “If we do nothing, the darkness will spread, and this realm will be destroyed like the others.”
“And how can Tethys help with that?”
“She’s familiar with the magic of the Titans,” Pandora said.
Sol sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes flaring wide. Evander went perfectly still, and Mona chewed on her lower lip, glancing in worry between Farah and Pandora.
Farah lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing. “You know of the Titans?”
“I’m Pandora,” Pandora said impatiently. “Of course I know.”
“Then you know that Titan magic isn’t to be trifled with.”
“So you’re just going to stand by and let this happen?” Pandora argued. “You’ll do nothing?”
“I will not risk my coven and my people by dabbling with the exact magic that started all this!” Farah said sharply, her eyes burning with fire. For a brief moment, her pupils turned into narrow slits.
“You’re risking them already by doing nothing!” Pandora cried, unfazed by this woman’s strength and authority. “If this Titan magic is so uncontrollable and unstoppable, then perhaps we need that same kind of magic to end it.”
“You are a fool ,” Sol hissed, baring his teeth at her. “You carry the soul of the woman who was torn apart for daring to do exactly what you suggest.”
Pandora turned to face him, prepared to argue her point. But when she saw the anguished devastation in his eyes, she stopped short, the words dying in her throat.
She couldn’t.
She couldn’t fight him on this, not when it was her fault this fresh agony was haunting him so violently.
Mona gave her hand a squeeze and shook her head slightly. Pandora knew it was a doomed cause.
No one would trust her on this. And even if they did, she couldn’t be sure this idea would work at all.
So, she clamped her mouth shut and ducked her head in submission, letting the subject drop.
The party continued their descent down the dune. As the sand gave way to cracked concrete, Pandora couldn’t help but cling to this idea of the Titans’ magic. Apollo and Aidoneus had used the essence of Pandora to close the box, only because she had dabbled in the power of the Titans.
This meant the only force strong enough to cage these dark powers… was the same magic that brought them to being.
The Titans’ magic was quite possibly the only power in all the realms that could stop this.