Chapter 30
An overwhelming sensation of pure, radiant joy pierced the gloom that had wrapped itself around them. It was akin to a sudden
burst of warm sunlight breaking through the darkest of clouds, infusing Aida with a lightness that banished Miseria’s oppressive
weight from her soul. Her heart swelled with an all-consuming love. The feeling lingered for a moment before a happy scream
pierced Aida’s euphoria, pulling her back to reality.
Disoriented, Aida stumbled and fell against a . . . couch? Luciano was nearby, pulling himself up off the floor.
“Aida!” Yumi rushed toward her, pulling her into a fervent embrace. “I wasn’t sure we’d ever see you again! You did it! You
really did it!”
Aida hugged her friend back, holding her tight. She knew her tears were wetting Yumi’s hair and shirt, but she didn’t care.
She was alive.
A gentle voice brought her back to the present. “We don’t have much time.” Aida looked up to see the goddess of happiness
and joy smiling at her. Effie wore a perfectly tailored white suit with a subtle shine that caught the light. Her hair cascaded
around her shoulders in a profusion of obsidian locks.
They were in Felix’s living room, which seemed like a sanctuary compared to the horrors of the catacombs.
Felix had collapsed into a nearby chair, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.
Effie went to him and took his hand. “I give you my aegis.” As soon as their hands touched, the tension drained from Felix’s body, replaced by a serene calm. A slow smile spread across his face.
Aida let Luciano pull her up from the couch. He put a protective arm around her, and she leaned into him, relieved they were
both in one piece.
“Now we go to Pandora,” Effie said. “Come close. You all need to be there.” She held out her hand, and each of them laid a
hand on hers.
In the blink of an eye, the five of them stood in the middle of Pandora’s kitchen. Muffled voices seeped in from the living
room. Effie put a finger on her lips.
“Helen, listen carefully. The idea of Pandora being real is a dangerous myth. Whoever fed you that story was manipulating
you, trying to take advantage of your good nature. They want your money, your identity. This is why you need to come with
me.”
Aida recognized Fran’s voice. Luciano recognized it too, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.
“I don’t know,” Pandora said in a wary voice. “Maybe it’s you who is trying to manipulate me.”
Fran sighed. “That’s not the case, Helen, and you know it. I’ve supported you every step of the way. I helped you build this
life—this apartment, your job. I found you when you were lost, with no memory. If I hadn’t helped, you might have been in
a far worse situation. Please, let’s not waste time. We need to leave now.”
Pandora’s voice was firm but calm. “While I appreciate your help, I’m choosing to stay here. I’m happy with my life.”
Fran gave a harrumph. “Of course you are. You are the happiest woman on earth.”
“I’m glad you agree,” Pandora said brightly.
“But happiness is delicate, Helen. I’m trying to tell you—these people will take it from you. That’s why they’re here. They’ve
found you and now they’ll try to drain you dry.”
A pause. Helen’s voice was small. “Drain me?”
“Yes,” Fran pressed. “Your job—the one you don’t even realize you’ve been doing—is to maintain all this happiness. But if they get to you, if they use you the way they plan to, it will be gone. Like a water main break. You’ll be left in darkness once more. Do you really want that?”
Pandora hesitated. “I—I don’t want to go back to the darkness.”
There was the creak of a chair as someone stood.
“I see how this is,” Mo’s voice said from a few feet behind Aida. “You fickle cow.”
Aida thought her heart might stop. Sophie’s aegis calmed her in the presence of all the gods, but it did not stop her internal
horror at the idea of the rest of MODA showing up and forcing Pandora’s hand.
“Who’s there?” Pandora’s voice spiked in alarm. “Someone’s in my kitchen!”
“Momus, you bastard,” Fran cursed under her breath.
A few seconds later, Pandora appeared in the doorway, her face tight with fear at the sight of so many people in her kitchen.
The tension hung thick for a moment, but then Pandora’s eyes landed on Luciano and Aida. Recognition flickered across her
face.
“How . . . how did all of you get in here?”
Effie held out her hand to the automaton, but the goddess of deceit pulled Pandora back. Her voice sharpened, full of fear
that sounded too practiced. “That’s the scam artist,” Fran cried. “They’ve come to deceive you—to take everything from you.
You have to trust me!”
Pandora shook Fran’s hands off her. “Don’t touch me!”
Aida caught the flicker of real panic on Fran’s face. She hadn’t expected that. If Pandora’s happiness made her powerful,
then her choices mattered. If she refused Fran’s influence, it could weaken her.
Fran held out her hands, trying to regain control. “Helen, you must believe me. They’re going to take everything. You need
to leave now.”
Pandora stood taller. “My name isn’t Helen.”
“Oh, you silly woman,” Mo said, striding toward her. “You should have gone with her while you could have because she’s right.
We’re going to take it all away from you.” He indicated Effie and the rest of them as though they were all part of some merry
band.
“He’s lying to you! He’s not with us. He’s with her.” Luciano indicated Fran. “They’ve been using you to steal all the happiness
from the world.”
Felix nudged Aida. “Show her the meander.”
Aida felt around in her pocket for her phone. “Oh dear god,” she breathed. “It’s in my pack.”
“In your pack?” Felix asked.
Aida nodded, picturing her pack at the doorway to the skeleton-filled room of black marble. “In the catacombs.” Tears came
to her eyes.
They had lost, after all. After the catacombs, after everything . . .
Fran straightened, her panic shifting to a look of resolve when she saw that Aida didn’t have the key. “Helen, think about
it. How did they get into your kitchen? Not by any normal means. Run! Come on!”
Pandora’s mouth fell open with this new revelation. She hesitated, then began to turn toward Fran.
“While we’re all being dramatic,” Yumi said, “Pandora, let me show you this.” She held out her phone toward the automaton.
Pandora’s expression changed. “You still have the key.”
“And we brought Euphrosyne,” Aida said, indicating the beautiful goddess beside her.
Pandora smiled at Aida and Luciano. “You fulfilled your promise.” She squinted at Fran. “Who are you? I mean, who are you
really?”
“She’s Fraus, or Apate to many. The goddess of deceit,” Aida said.
Fran scowled.
“I’ll give you a promise!” Mo threw something at Yumi. She went down with a scream, the phone flying across the kitchen floor, stopping at Fran’s feet.
Luciano surged forward in a sudden burst of motion, a blur of intent and desperation as he lunged for the phone. Aida’s heart
leaped with him, her hopes soaring on his momentum. His fingers stretched out, grazing the device in a brush of almost-there,
almost-success. But Fran was quicker, her divine reflexes snatching the phone away at the last possible instant.
Aida ran to her friend, who had sat up, cradling an arm. A toaster lay on its side next to her, the cord sprawling across
the linoleum. “I tried,” Yumi said in a weak voice.
“Oh, brother, throwing toasters at mortals? Stop being so pathetic.” Effie gave Mo a calm smile. “You’re acting like a child
who didn’t get his way.”
“You’re the one who won’t be getting their way.” Fran held Yumi’s phone up. “You won’t be needing this.” With a twist of her
wrist, it disappeared.
Aida let out a cry.
But Pandora’s eyes sparkled. “You’re right. I don’t need it. It was only important that I see it and choose to honor it.”
The goddess Euphrosyne extended her hand. Breath caught in Aida’s throat as Pandora moved forward. Their hands met, and a
surge of soft and warm light erupted.
The light enveloped Aida, filling her with a swell of joy so profound and pure she could scarcely believe it was real.
Memories flowed through her, a jumble of impressions across the years of her life: the first time her parents held her and looked into her eyes, their smiles bright and delirious with happiness; swimming at the lake with Erin; graduating from college with honors; her first kiss; the surprise birthday party Yumi threw her when she turned thirty; her parents celebrating her first writing award when she was thirteen; the triumph of learning to ride a bike; on the swings at the playground at the age of four, her parents photographing every laugh and squeal as she rose and fell.
It seeped into her, chasing away the remnants of fear and uncertainty.
Around her, even the gods seemed touched by it, their eternal facades cracking under the weight of genuine happiness.
Pandora stood at the center, the origin of this newfound joy, her being radiating the very essence of contentment that had
been locked away for decades. It was as if a dam had been broken, and all the happiness that had been hoarded, compressed,
and contained was now released in a flood of laughter, warmth, and a sense of well-being. Even the air seemed to shimmer with
the lightness of a long-lost hope.
Aida beamed, joy filling every part of her, and she sensed it mirrored in her friends. The happiness was tangible, a chorus
of silent music that filled the room, spilling over, unrestrained and beautiful.
It was a fleeting moment. A surge of light momentarily blinded them, and the world shifted, twisted, and reformed.
When Aida’s vision cleared, they were no longer in Pandora’s kitchen but in a wide grass field. Aida, Luciano, Yumi, and Felix
stood side-to-side in the center of a semicircle made by the gods: Euphrosyne, Sophrosyne, Aglaea, Oizys, Apate, Momus, and
Discordia. Above them an impossibly wide full moon filled the field with light.