Page 20 of Salt & Blood (Ivy & Bone #4)
REBUILD
PANDORA
Pandora couldn’t keep her eyes off the Gorgon sisters. Even as soldiers and servants flitted about, repairing the throne room as best they could, she found her gaze drifting over to where the three sisters stood, conversing stoically with King Midas. They were almost identical—all three of them had pale skin, green eyes, and inky black hair, although one of them had the left side of her head completely shaved.
Pandora recognized the one who had healed Sol—Marina. She was the tallest of the three, her form slender and regal. She had a commanding air about her that made her stand out among the other sisters.
While Mona helped repair some of the earth tunnels that had collapsed during the attack, Pandora remained by Sol’s side in case he awoke. He had been moved to a small cot on the opposite side of the throne room. The witches had offered a private chamber for him, but Pandora had refused. She needed to be here with the others, not only to ask for the Gorgon sisters’ help, but also to accept her sentence. She refused to run and hide, even if it was alongside Sol.
Besides, she knew Sol would want to be here, too. He wouldn’t want to miss anything. The minute he awakened, he could join the conversation.
With the help of magic and the dozens of servants and guardsmen repairing the underground palace, it didn’t take long before the throne room was restored to its former glory. The golden statue of the hydra had been hauled away, and Pandora heard one of the servants mention a “vault” where other golden statues were stored. She vaguely wondered how many people Midas had turned to gold, and how many instances had been intentional.
Once the room had been cleared of debris and servants, Midas sank onto his throne. His hands were gloved once more as he rubbed his temples. Two of the Gorgon sisters stood next to him, whispering fervently to one another. The third sister—Marina—was locked in a romantic embrace with Romanos, heedless of any onlookers as their mouths claimed each other again and again. Pandora found herself entranced by the sight. So much passion and yearning. She wondered how long they had been apart. And gods, the way their bodies wrapped around one another with no restraint, holding nothing back…
“Trivia.”
Pandora jumped, whirling to find Mona beside her. With flaming cheeks, Pandora cleared her throat and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Then she frowned. “You… you called me Trivia.”
“Is that all right? I’m sorry. I thought you preferred it. Or was that a lie?”
Pandora flinched at the casual way Mona assumed she had been lying. But could she really blame her, after everything she had done? “No, that was the truth. I do prefer it. Thank you.”
Mona offered a tired smile, then gestured to Midas’s throne. Evander had joined the Gorgon sisters and was making polite conversation. Across the room, Romanos and Marina finally broke apart and made their way to the throne as well.
“I think they’re ready for us,” Mona said in a hushed, reverent tone.
Pandora’s heart lodged itself in her throat. Gods, she wasn’t ready for this. But she squared her shoulders and cast one remorseful look at Sowho still remained unconscious—before she followed her sister to the throne where Midas sat. She wrung her hands together, painfully aware of how every set of eyes fell on her, their gazes weighted with something heavy and final.
“We understand you were sent to us to be punished for your crimes,” Marina said in a somber tone.
Pandora nodded, her mouth turning dry. Marina opened her mouth to continue, but Pandora blurted, “Wait. Please.”
Marina’s eyes narrowed at the interruption, but she waved a hand for Pandora to continue.
“I—I think Sol should be present for this.” Pandora gestured to the figure lying on the opposite side of the room. “He—I—My actions brought about the death of his mother. I deceived him, more so than any other. He needs this closure.”
Marina’s keen eyes roved over Pandora, as if scanning her for any sign of deceit. After a moment, she offered a curt nod. “Very well. We will wait for the sun god to rise. In the meantime, we must discuss what is happening to the realms.”
“It’s the magic of Pandora,” said Pandora. “Not me, but the goddess who came before me. The one who dabbled in the power of the Titans and created these dark forces. Her box was opened, and now, the dark magic is devouring everything it can get its hands on.”
Marina nodded. “Yes, we were aware the box had been opened. We need to address two major issues: stopping the darkness from spreading, and repairing the realms that have been attacked.”
Attacked. Pandora frowned at this. Marina spoke as if the magic from the box had only wounded the realms, not destroyed them.
Mona seemed to share her confusion. “The Underworld and Elysium were completely destroyed,” she said slowly. “How?—”
“An entire realm cannot be destroyed,” Midas said. “There are fail-safes in place preventing them from being wiped from existence. The balance of our world hangs on it.”
Mona glanced at Evander, whose brows were furrowed. “B-But we saw it. The darkness devoured everything in its path. The Underworld was completely eaten away.”
“The basic enchantments surrounding the realm would have been destroyed, yes,” Midas said. “But the fabric that binds the realm together remains intact. I have seen it myself in the reflection bowl.”
Pandora’s heart lurched, and Mona uttered a soft gasp, her hands flying to her mouth. “You—You’ve seen the Underworld?” Mona breathed. “Were there survivors? Is my sister there?”
“Yes,” Romanos said. “Prue and Cyrus both survived. But Apollo is there as well. From what we can discern, he seeks the throne.”
Heat coiled in Pandora’s chest, a mixture of anger and indignation. What the hell was Apollo doing? He had no right to the crown. Did he believe Elysium was a lost cause? Was he so desperate for power that he would invade another kingdom to seize control?
“He can’t,” Pandora said, shaking her head. “Prue and Cyrus are too strong for him. And the citizens of the Underworld will follow their king and queen. Apollo has no chance.”
Her words were full of conviction, but Pandora wasn’t sure how much she believed them. Apollo was no fool; if he intended to take the throne, he likely had a scheme in place. He was not one to dive into a foolhardy plan on a whim unless he was certain he would prevail.
“The Underworld is not our greatest concern,” Marina said, cutting a sharp glance at Pandora. “With two contenders for the throne, the realm is in good hands. Whoever emerges as the victor will want to have a thriving kingdom to rule over, so they will almost certainly put forth the effort to rebuild the realm. No, our priority is protecting this realm from an attack, and rebuilding Elysium so the souls have a place to rest.”
“ Good hands ?” Pandora repeated, outraged. “Leaving my home at the mercy of Apollo is not what I would call good hands. Do you know the things he’s done?”
She didn’t realize how harsh her tone was until it echoed around them. Marina’s eyes darkened, her chin lifting. Pandora could have sworn the Gorgon rose a few inches in height to tower over her.
“Do not question me,” Marina hissed, her eyes changing to the color of flames, her pupils narrowing into slits. “Believe me when I say that Apollo will answer for his crimes as well.” She cast a quick glance at Midas, whose jaw was rigid, his gloved hand forming a tight fist on the arm of his throne. “But there are more pressing matters to attend to. Right now, we need to send someone to Elysium to rebuild it before the restless souls bleed into the mortal realm.”
“How do we do that?” Pandora asked. “My earth magic isn’t strong enough.” She glanced at Mona, who was frowning, her eyes distant. Pandora wondered what she was thinking.
“It is not just earth magic that’s required,” Midas said. “When Apollo designed the outer boundaries, he infused them with a fail-safe connected to both his and Gaia’s magic. Only with a combination of their magic can it be activated, and from there, the wards can be rebuilt.”
Pandora frowned. “We are daughters of Apollo and Gaia.” She waved a hand between herself and Mona. “Surely, we can do it.”
Before Midas could answer, Mona said, “No.”
Pandora blinked at her sister. “Mona, what’s wrong?”
Mona looked up, her gaze passing over each deity in turn. “I’m going to the Underworld to help my sister.”
Marina huffed in exasperation. “That’s not?—”
“Try and stop me,” Mona hissed, her eyes flashing. In this moment, she looked just as fierce as the Gorgon, her face hard and unyielding. Pandora had never seen her like this before.
“I’m going with her,” Evander said, sliding his arm around Mona’s waist. “My brother needs me as well.”
“Neither of you is going anywhere until we figure out how to save Elysium,” Marina barked.
“You have no authority over us,” Mona snapped. “We are not your subjects, and you are not our queen.”
“I am the vessel of Hestia, the fire goddess who gave her life for you!” Marina roared, and this time she did rise several feet in the air, her eyes burning amber and her hair floating around her as if it were underwater. Romanos suddenly grabbed Pandora’s arm, whirling her around with her back to the Gorgon.
“What are you—” Pandora muttered, struggling against his grip, but he held firm.
“Do not look directly into her eyes,” Romanos warned, and Pandora went still, the back of her neck prickling with awareness as a powerful energy flooded the room.
“Hestia dedicated her life to the protection of Elysium,” Marina went on, her voice resonating and echoing as if several people were speaking. “Now, it is in our hands. You would do well to remember that Elysium is the home of your ancestors. You are not a mortal anymore, Pomona. You are a goddess. And your duty is to protect the home of your birthright.”
A low hissing noise filled the air, and Pandora resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. Had Marina morphed into a snake?
“Marina,” Rom called, his voice full of warning. “Settle your serpent. If you turn us all to stone, there’s not much we can do for Elysium.”
A chill skittered down Pandora’s spine. “What is she?” she whispered.
“She has the soul of Medusa inside her,” Rom said.
Pandora stiffened. Medusa. She only knew the name from stories, but the woman had died ages ago. Cursed with the hair of serpents, she had the power to turn others to stone with a single look.
She’s like me, Pandora thought. Marina is just like me.
Except it seemed she had bonded with the soul, whereas Pandora was at war with hers. And she was losing.
Gradually, the powerful energies dispersed, leaving a chill in their wake. The hissing sounds vanished, and Romanos’s grip on Pandora’s arm loosened. Slowly, she turned back to the group to find Marina back to her normal height, her eyes returning to their usual green. She stared Mona down, and Mona glared in response.
“I will go,” Pandora said quickly. “I will help rebuild Elysium. I have the blood of Apollo and Gaia in my veins.” She wasn’t sure what possessed her to say it, but she didn’t want the Gorgon sisters attacking Mona.
Marina turned her steely gaze to Pandora before shaking her head. “You are not strong enough, and you do not possess sun magic.”
“But I do,” said a voice from across the room.
Pandora’s heart seized in her chest as she turned to find Sol on his feet. He still seemed pale, and he was cradling one hand to his chest, but his gaze was firm as it locked with hers.
“I’ll go with Trivia,” Sol said, striding toward them. “We can activate the fail-safe together.”
Pandora swallowed hard. How long had he been awake and listening? He called me Trivia, she thought. She wasn’t sure if he had overheard what she’d said to Mona, or if he somehow knew that was the name she preferred.
She found she couldn’t look away from him as his gaze held hers. Something intense stirred in those dark eyes, drawing her in, freezing her in place. It wasn’t the same loathing she was accustomed to, but it was just as powerful, just as volatile. She feared if she kept looking, it would destroy her completely.
Why did you push me out of the way when the hydra attacked? she desperately wanted to ask him. Why didn’t you just let it destroy me?
She couldn’t deny it. Something had changed between them. They had both shown they would sacrifice everything to save each other.
But the darkness of her past couldn’t be ignored. It wasn’t something they could just brush past. Even if Sol did not hold hatred for her like he did before, it was possible nothing had changed between them. She was still a villain who had wronged him.
“It is an acceptable alternative,” whispered one of the Gorgon sisters, jolting Pandora from her tangled thoughts.
“Perhaps,” Marina said softly. “But we need?—”
A deafening boom shook the ground and the walls, raining dust and dirt from above. For one horrible moment, Pandora thought another monster had come to attack. But a few servants darted forward, their eyes wide and full of excitement as they approached Midas and bowed deeply.
“What is it?” he demanded, glancing up at the ceiling with wary apprehension. “What has come?”
“My lord,” said the first servant, a smile tugging at his lips. “It is Gaia. Gaia has come.”