Chapter 23 Purpose #2
Trivia swallowed hard. She hadn’t dared to try and reach the goddess that had inhabited her body for so long. She was too afraid of what she would find.
But she could avoid it no longer. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and searched within herself. She prodded that deep part of her soul where the goddess had once resided.
There was no answer.
She tried summoning her rage that often fueled Pandora’s fire.
Still no response.
Trivia’s eyes flew open. “She’s not there.” Her gaze flicked from Gaia to Sol and then to Midas as she searched for confirmation.
Neither of them looked at her with fear or pity or sorrow. There was nothing but relief and pride.
Pandora was gone.
This time, Trivia did laugh. It burst from her, and once it started, she couldn’t stop it.
The chuckles cascaded from her, building and building until her eyes were streaming, her stomach contracting with such deep laughter that her shoulders shook and her abdomen ached.
Sol laughed with her, and Gaia grinned widely. Even Midas managed a small smile.
Trivia couldn’t stop herself. She reached up and tugged on Sol’s collar, dragging him on top of her and kissing him fully on the mouth. He let out a small yelp, his arms flying out to catch himself before he crushed her.
But she didn’t care if he collided with her. She didn’t care if he knocked the breath out of her and smashed her to pieces.
She was alive.
Pandora was dead.
The box was empty.
And for the first time in her entire existence, Trivia felt whole.
She kissed Sol, clinging to him, relishing the feel of his skin against hers. Gods, she had yearned for this. She had truly believed she would never experience it again.
For several moments, they held each other, making up for lost time.
Trivia could have continued forever, memorizing his lips, tasting him again and again… but before long, Gaia cleared her throat.
“I’m grateful to you, daughter,” she said quietly as Sol and Trivia broke apart. “Thank you for your sacrifice, and for showing me what true selflessness is like.”
Trivia shifted in the grass, uncomfortable from her words. “I’m not selfless. I never have been.”
Gaia smiled. “We can all change. And it’s clear to me that you have. No one is perfect, of course, but you are becoming someone new. Someone admirable. And I’m so proud of you.”
Trivia’s face flushed, and she glanced down, unsure of how to respond to such praise. She didn’t feel worthy of it, but to contradict the kind words felt rude.
Gaia stood, smoothing her hands on her skirts. “What you do next is up to you. But you should know, the Titans have invaded my realm. And I can ignore it no longer.”
Trivia’s heart lurched, and she jumped to her feet. Dizziness rushed over her, and she teetered. Sol was in front of her in an instant, his hands on her shoulders to keep her steady.
“What?” she asked. “How? When?”
“I don’t know the particular details,” Gaia admitted. “All I know is that while you and I were trying to rebuild Elysium, Apollo was in the Underworld raising the Titans.”
At the sound of her wretched father’s name, Trivia’s blood boiled, and her hands curled into fists. “Apollo,” she seethed. “I want to choke the life from that bastard and watch the light leave his eyes.”
“Don’t we all,” Midas said darkly.
“But we can’t,” Gaia said solemnly. “Apollo is dead.”
“What?” Midas and Trivia said together.
“How do you know?” Sol asked.
“When your soul is as tethered to someone as mine was to his, you can sense these things,” Gaia said, her tone filled with part sorrow, part disgust. “If I had to wager a guess, I would say one of the Titans he summoned killed him. Apollo was always one who preferred giving orders rather than following them, and I’ll bet the Titans didn’t like that.
” She gave a cruel smile. “He got what was coming to him.”
“No, he didn’t,” Midas snarled. “Apollo deserved a slow and vicious death.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Gaia said. “But he’s gone, and that’s all that matters to me. My daughters are safe from his wrath for good.” Her eyes softened as she looked at Trivia.
A lump formed in Trivia’s throat, but she nodded. Once, her heart thirsted for revenge, and nothing was more important than making Apollo suffer.
But now, with Sol’s hands on her shoulders and her mother standing before her, she realized there were more important things than revenge. And they were right here in front of her.
Except… there were a few things missing.
“Prue and Mona,” Trivia said urgently. “Where are they?”
“The mortal realm,” Gaia said. “I need to go to them and do what I can to stop the Titans.”
Trivia exchanged a glance with Sol, and he nodded. “We’ll come with you,” Trivia said. “Just tell us how we can help.”
Gaia’s lips lifted with pride. “I figured you would want to, but I thought it best to give you a choice. Something you have not had much of in your life.”
Trivia’s heart constricted so much it was almost painful. Gods, it felt so unexpected, to be loved like this. She still felt undeserving—and perhaps that feeling would never leave—but it also filled her with a sense of purpose, a sense of fulfillment.
She wanted this feeling to last forever.
Trivia took Sol’s hand and laced her fingers in his. She looked at Midas, who was staring at his hands.
“Is it gone?” she asked him. “Your curse?”
“Yes.” He kept his gaze fixed on his fingers as he wiggled them. “I’ve touched all manner of things. Not a glimmer of gold.” He looked up at her, his eyes full of joy and wonder. “It’s… truly gone.”
“What will you do now?” she asked. “Will you fight with us? Or will you go on to live a free life?”
Midas’s face fell, his expression suddenly somber. His eyes turned distant as he considered her words.
She expected him to say farewell. He had sacrificed so much for freedom.
It was what she would have done, once upon a time.
Before Sol, before Pandora’s box… she would have taken that freedom in a heartbeat because she had fought so hard for it.
If she didn’t take advantage of it, then everything she had sacrificed would have been for nothing.
But things were different now. She found something else to fight for. Something more important.
She just wasn’t sure if Midas felt the same way.
“I—I don’t know,” Midas admitted. “I’m a mortal now. I could die before I’ve even lived.”
Trivia nodded. She understood that fear, too.
How often had she longed for a second chance she did not deserve? And now that she had it, she was willing to risk it all for those she loved.
“Well, then we wish you well,” Trivia said.
Sol stepped forward and extended his hand to Midas. Something within Trivia’s chest lurched at the sight. She wanted to scream, to jerk Sol away from Midas.
But when the king gripped Sol’s hand, nothing happened. They shook hands and exchanged smiles. Midas clapped Sol’s shoulder, then patted his cheek.
Gaia only glanced at Midas, her expression unreadable. She inclined her head but said nothing before turning away. Trivia could tell the earth goddess was not too fond of Midas, and she couldn’t blame her. Midas had betrayed everyone. In fact, Trivia had every right to hate him, too.
But she couldn’t. Were it not for him, she never would have accessed her true powers and defeated Pandora. In her eyes, Midas was forgiven.
They were even.
With one last smile at Midas, Trivia followed after Gaia and made her way toward the portal with Sol at her side.
Her story was not over yet. She had a battle to face.
And she was not afraid.