Pandora's Curse
Chapter 19

Stunned and a little confused, briefly forgetting the throbbing ache on my right shoulder as I follow Dionysus out into the crowd gathered in the middle of the room. Soldiers in armour along with other beings, satyrs and possibly other creatures that looked more human now were gathered around a smaller crowd of Harpies and Strix that were forced to their knees in the middle of the room and being chained up at Pan’s orders as he checked each bird. Dionysus snorted, gliding through the crowd that easily shifted apart at his approach. I could see other soldiers guiding a couple Chimera’s and whatever else had escaped from within those crates back into them so they may be returned back to where they belonged.

“It is over for now.” Dionysus muttered, eying the harpies that were kneeled in defeat but it didn’t stop a few of them from struggling against their bonds. “Was afraid I’d miss the fun, turns out to be an utter waste of time.”

“What?” I gap at him in outrage.

“You were doing quite well without us and they hardly put up a fight when the odds are evened out it seems.” Dionysus shrugged, casually eying the crowd before his eyes, green and formidable glimmered darkly ahead of us. “But I am glad I made it. Enough time to see these broken birds fall lower than they already can.” I don’t have time to say anything because the hair on my neck tingles and goosebumps rise upon my skin. I twitch nervously, glancing around-

Just as a terrible high pitched scream rattled around the large basement, my heart and my ears throbbing painfully as the scream shut the crowd around us. Through the crowd, I watched as a handful of bronze soldiers and Satyrs stormed and jumped the shrieking figure in white and red, golden eyes red and glistening as she screamed a fury and agony that felt somewhat familiar.

The Strix and the Harpies were dragged along in chains, snarling and glowering at all around them, but barely focused or tried not to on their leader, as Aello was dragged away in a struggle. Her wings were snapped down with chains and her wrists chained in front of her. But her eyes fell upon me and the fury burned me from several yards away.

“THA SE SKOTOSO! THIS ISN’T OVER! I SWEAR ON MY SISTER’S BLOOD!” Her throat was hoarse but she never stopped her shrieking at me, her struggles against the soldiers never faltering, I was almost prepared for her to break free but she was dragged through the tunnel, her eyes burning me from within the darkness but her screams were the last to leave me.

I finally breathed, my body trembling from cold, shock, pain, fear and maybe more. But my legs tremored until a hand on my back made me flinch in terror briefly. Dionysus eyed me with a faint brow raise and his hand on my back, he pushed me into the crowd, looking ahead again he murmured quietly to me.

“Do not falter, Pandora. You must be strong until you don’t have to be. Go and find your companion.” My turmoil of fear and mixture of feelings broke briefly. Warren! Oh Hera, is he okay? Looking up through the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of Warren anywhere but I couldn’t see much over the much larger crowd. Pulling away from Dionysus, pushing through the crowd, I couldn’t see a familiar face and my nerves heightened. Where is he? Is he okay?

“Pan.”

“Yes!”

“Yes.” I spun around at my name as the faun shot up from where he was kneeled helping one of his own and answered. We glared at each other in annoyance before turning to the caller and my heart leaped lightly and suddenly the pain in my shoulder was gone. He was okay. He was covered in slashes and cuts that tore through his jacket, shirt and jeans and was covered in sweat and stains of blood. But some his cuts were mostly healed already. His eyes had no violent crimson within but they were still darker than usual but as his eyes met mine, his shoulders dropped in relief and his face softened. My heart thumped evenly in my chest, and I felt warm with relief. I was alive! He was okay! It’s over! He stood a couple meters from me, watching me, his eyes tracing over me, leaving a warm trail in their wake and my skin flushing at the familiarity. He smiled faintly, his brows quirked in a response like he was saying ‘holy crap we did it’. I couldn’t help grinning in response, my eyes watering in relief until his arms reached out in offer and I froze.

Not at the offer of his hand reaching for me.

But what he held out to me. My very self tensed at the objects in his hands, instinct was fear of the unknown danger, like a rabbit that knew it was in front of a wolfs den. But relief. Relief that before my very eyes was the Box. That damn infernal box of ruin and horror. And glinting in the too bright lights overhead was the golden bronze key whose sheen was polished and perfect as though nothing could affect it. And both items were held out to me in waiting.

I was a stupid fool.

My heart loosened from the vice that froze it and my blood pumped evenly as I glanced at the items that Warren held in his hands, meeting his eyes evenly. Such an idiot. I quickly closed the distance and never taking my eyes from Warren, I pushed the items aside and flung my arms around his neck, practically jumping onto him as he stumbled back in surprise.

“Don’t ever blow yourself up again, vlákas! I mean it!” I gasp, my voice wobbling as my eyes burned hotly, pressing my face into his neck. I heard a clatter of something wooden dropping on the floor beside me and suddenly a pair of arms, warm, powerful and thick were wrapped around my back pulling me in closer than it seemed ever possible. One arm sliding up my back and I felt his hand twine into my loose bun, digging into my locks and his face turned to mine, his warm breath carressing my face as his mouth grazed over my jaw and cheek until he was just a breath away from my mouth.

“Never again.” I pressed my mouth against his, arms curling his head and neck and holding him tightly to me as our lips burned with heat that bloomed around us, taking it deep within us. Our mouths dancing and molding to each other desperately, gasping heatedly through the molten air that was both suffocating and left just us.

A loud whistle broke us out of our embrace and I found myself back in a basement, surrounded by both enemies and friends. Some that whistled and leered at us, including Cupid who winked at me, raising his thumbs at us. Hera help me. I sigh, shaking my head but Warren laughs, dropping me back down and I glance back up at him. He smiles lovingly at me, running a hand over the top of my head. He opens his mouth to say something but as he shifts, his foot knocks against something and glancing down, sitting between us was a plain, dark wooden box that sat innocently. The joy and warmth faded mostly as I froze in terror staring at it. I felt Warren’s gaze on me before he knelt down and picked up the box slowly with both hands and straightened, holding the box in front of him and before me. No words left me as I stared at this box like it was a giant spider ready to react.

Oh, I can remember it all so well. To think, I only knew this box for days and...Swallowing heavily, my body leaning back unawares, ready to step away it, even though a part of me, the part that made my fingers twitch nervously, eager to grab the box and hide it and shield it with my body as though it were some child. In response, I closed my fists so tightly against my sides, my arms trembled achingly.

Danger. Dangerous. Hell and all things evil within. I...I...

“Pandora.”

It was practically alive. And they responded in a way. They were eager for freedom but some...Holy Hera, this power...I’m not good enough to-

“Pandora.” A hand on my shoulder broke me out of my troubled musings and I met Warren’s gaze through my nervous ones. He leaned down til we were face to face and kept his gaze on mine unwavering through it all. “It’s a box. A box that has...horrible things within. But it’s still, just a box.”

Just a box. Just a box, unless I open it. So don’t open it. I swallow deeply and take a deep, shaky breath, my shoulders rising and falling deeply. And another shaky breath, my hands were trembling as I slowly lifted them up, fingers twitching nervously, curling in and out as I couldn’t decide whether or not to take it or not.

“One step at a time, Pandora.” Warren murmured. Licking my dried lips, my fingers unfurled, the tips of my finger grazing over the smooth exterior of the wooden box. A chill ran down my spine and then up again, the goosebumps running over my skin. My vision was frozen-stuck on this space before me as everything seemed to fade away and distant thump-thump-thump thrummed loudly around me, swallowing me whole. My fingers curled around the boxes exterior, trembling and in turn making the box rattle. A vicious cycle as I moved, the box moved. The box moved and I moved. Gripping the edge of the box in my palm, and then it settled into my palms, released from its previous grip and into my own and a cold chill swept down my spine.

Free us! Crave us...we crave...Freedom...Release us!

I didn’t hear words but more rather...felt the words forming in my head like reading a tone in someone’s voice. The thousands different hums in my head were not so easy to block out as I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the corner of the box dig into my palms-

“Don’t go away.”

Huh?

Breaking from my stupor, my eyes snapping open and suddenly it wasn’t dark and swallowed in nothing but terror and my thundering heart but I was staring up at Warren who met my gaze evenly but light smile on his face as he patted my hands on the box. “Don’t go fading away from me there. We got to get moving now.”

Confused and unsure, I glanced around the room, finding soldiers and harpies as nothing had changed in those mere seconds. I almost believed everything could change with just a touch. A trembling sigh left me as I turned back to Warren, meeting his gaze and I nod slowly, holding the box in front of me as though it were some vicious animal ready to strike if I wasn’t careful in its handle. “I want to go home.” I murmur, and feeling pathetic and soft I try to stop the burning wetness lingering now in my eyes.

“You got it.” Warren wrapped an arm around my shoulder and we both walked through the crowd and towards the exit.

“Pandora. Horseman.” I stop alongside Warren, glad to be breathing in the fresh air outside the museum. There was a lot activity as officers were gathered around coming and going. The immediate tension was not like it had been earlier but the formidable voice would freeze a wave with ease. Turning around to meet Dionysus who strode towards Warren and I calmly, his liquid emerald gaze flickering between us before landing on the item resting in my pale, bloodied hands. “You both did well and I thank you.” My eyes widened briefly at being thanked by a God and allowed myself easier preparations for the question I could ask.

“Efcharistó, Diónysos.” I bowed gratefully as did Warren who tilted his head respectfully. “Thank you for coming to help us. We could’ve had more trouble-”

“Possibly. But it is done. Aello and her sisters along with the rest of them inside will be taken to the Underworld. But Aello will most likely follow her sisters to be dragged into Tartarus.” A chill ran down my spine at the thought and a brief flicker of pity for anyone stuck down there. “Now the box is recovered,”

“Naí!” I piped up and held it towards him. “I am ready to give this back.” Dionysus eye’s lowered coolly to look at the box before landing his cool gaze on me.

“I cannot and will not take the box or whatever comes with it.” The surprise was stronger than I realized and I floundered for words unsure of what to say or think, glancing briefly up at Warren who also looked just as confused as I did.

“But, the Box and Key would be much safer in Olympus, especially back where it belongs-”

“Ochi!” I stiffened nervously at the sharpness of the God’s voice but he sighed, shoulders lowering calmly as he straightened, arms crossed behind his back. “The box does not belong to Olympus or any one of us. The box and key belong to you. And only you, Pandora. And the box is no safer on Olympus than it is here, on this plane.”

“But I-”

“I understand this must be difficult and while I could say I empathize, I do not because I am not nor have I ever been in your position. All I can say, and I mean every word, you are a trustworthy human who is capable of looking after such an item.” With a lingering look, a strange expression crossing his face as he started pass us. “Besides, you’ve grown and changed. Who’s to say the Box hasn’t alongside you?” With those final words, Dionysus strides pass Warren and I but not before giving us a slight tilt of his head, leaving me stunned and the box still suspended in my hands, ready to be carried off by air if I wasn’t careful.

The box is no safer on Olympus.

Won’t accept it. Won’t take back their...creation?

Oh, I just felt like a lot of things get sucked out of me. Relief, joy and hope. What the hell was I supposed to do with this infernal box? I feel my back hit the cold, followed by a sudden painful ache and I groan, pulling away from the chain-link fence. “Well, that’s...” I let out a shaken laugh, feeling myself settle on the edge of the sidewalk, still leaning back against the chain-link fence. The box wobbles loosely in my hands as I fight a magnitude of disappointment and frustration that could soon turn to anger. “What,” I stammer staring at nothing as I repeat the question. “What do I do now?” My eyes flicker to the box and remain attached, the fury simmering deep within my chest. My gaze heating as though I could turn the box to ashes in my hand and finally be freed of it. I guess, I never thought this far ahead. The priority was getting it back but now-

Warren moved next to me, crouching down until he was sitting next to me, arms resting over his knees as he eyes the crowd before us of officers in disguise and other people dressed sharply, blue and red lights flickering from cars all around. “I think...” Warren sighed beside me, “You need to take one step at a time.” I glance at Warren who smiles lightly as he meets my gaze. “Don’t, don’t be scared because we’ll figure it out.”

I look at the box in my hands, unsure and distrust pulling at me as though it was a snake that could snap at me at any second. It was so deceiving to look at. A smooth, clean cut box, nothing to double back on suspiciously. The infamous box. My legacy in my hands. My curse, an item of destruction and destruction.

But Dionysus’s words rung in my head.

“Besides, you’ve grown and changed. Who’s to say the Box hasn’t alongside you?”

What’s that meant to mean? That the box is alive? That it evolves? And if it has, have I really changed? I don’t know if I had changed but maybe...I’ve learnt more about me, as a person. What I like, what I want, well not quite. Bloody...this was just, confusing. “Okay, I think you need to come back for a minute-”

“Have I changed?” I cut him off quickly, not looking away from the box as I presented the question to him and myself aloud. “Am I growing, really?”

“I think,” Warren muttered sighing deeply and rolling his shoulders, grimacing suddenly before finishing his sentence. “You’re asking the same question I used to ask myself thousands of years ago.”

“Oh.” I blink stunned and look at him, willing him to finish. Warren meets my eyes, his expression steady, calm and giving nothing away but a light smile.

“And I think, I never stopped learning, changing with the world and everything that comes by, good and bad.” He fixed a solid gaze upon me. “Asking the question, means you’re learning and you’re growing Pan. And it’ll never stop.”

Oh.

His words...felt so freeing. I didn’t know why but his words made me feel less...stuck. But he was right. I was learning every day, new things, new experiences and...just me. I was learning about me. I had many, many years ahead of me to learn. And I...was going to learn it all myself.

Nodding silently at my thoughts, I finally stood up quickly, my gaze looking out at the crowd and a breath left me and my shoulders dropped, loosening. I turn facing Warren who remains seated on the edge of the curb still, staring up at me. I meet his gaze before looking at the box in my hand and the key that poked out of his fingers as he played with it mindlessly.

“I’ve got a lot to learn it seems. And I have you, I even have Daphne when she’s back. But, I can learn more and I have a long life ahead of me to...make up for lost time and find myself, I guess.”

“And, I’ve been dependent on you and others for your help but I have needed your help. And War,” I hesitated, struggling to get my words out. “I know things haven’t been easy, in the past and lately because of me but, thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Not just saving me but pushing me.” Meeting his gaze full on, I finally let a brief smile escape, pulling my cheeks apart as I grip the box in front of me. “And I’m just take this win for now.” With a final smile, I reach out a hand to him, palm and fingers stretched out to him which he eyes briefly, gaze flickering to me momentarily. He reaches out with his hand and our hands clasping and I help him up which he didn’t help with but I needed to reach out more. “Can we go home?” He smiles down at me and his arm wounds around the back of my shoulders, pulling me to him and he sighs into my hair.

“You were never dependent Pan. You just needed help. But let’s go back home.” I feel his lips on the top my head as he rests his cheek on my head and we stood like that together, ignoring the cool breeze and enjoying our peace together like this.

I woke up in a slight daze, sighing deeply as I shifted in my seat, my eyes bleary and a little sore much like most of my body that ached. Groaning, I stretched my arms in front of me, feeling my body protest and groan in relief at the movement.

“Well, hello sunshine.”

“Mm,” I grunted, wiping the sleep from my eyes and watching the darkened landscape before me blur by as we drove down the long stretch of road. “I’m sorry for falling asleep on you-”

“Hah, you didn’t last a minute before you conked right out. I gotta admit it was funny listening to you snore though.” I balked in horror, feeling my cheeks darken.

“I-I don’t snore-”

“Uh huh.” Warren muttered placidly, nodding his head slowly in response. “But it’s okay, Pan. You can’t drive anyway besides I’m used to being awake for lengths of time. And the drive is quiet and peaceful so it’s not a hassle.”

“Okay, but still sorry.” I murmur but I mulled over his words. “Hey War?”

“Yes Pan.”

“Would you teach me to drive?” Warren’s brows raised briefly.

“You want to learn?”

“Yes, I have to learn things. And I’m picking up. You drive an automatic but there is something called a manual. Manual is a little more complicated so maybe automatic then-”

“Okay, I’m impressed. Seriously, T.V. is for once useful in this regard. You catch up quicker than I realize and I got to work on that.” Warren nodded but there’s a look of pride on his face that makes my chest swell. “But first off, you want to learn to drive, you start with manual Because once you know to drive manual, auto is easy as pie.”

“But-”

“Nope. That’s the way it is. Once you do it the hard way, everything else falls into place. Then you can drive pretty much any car. Now tell me the pedals.”

“Um, you have a brake which is to stop the car or well slow it down. And axel-axcelator-”

“Close, it’s accelerator.”

“Right, accelerator. To gain speed and move the car.”

“Exactly. Those are the two pedals for an automatic and manual. But with manual you have a third gear called clutch. That’s what can be quite trippy but once I start teaching you, you’ll get the idea.” I smiled at the thought, listening to Warren. “You’ll enjoy driving. It’s...freeing. Able to get out there and go wherever you want. Listen to music, see the land differently while you drive. And no mistake, driving is not something to take lightly. But when I start, I’ll bring you back to my cabin because the roads are quieter and easier to learn the ropes.”

“Okay, good. Imagine me driving on the busy streets of the city.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to.” I stifle the laugh, not offended in the slightest but enjoying the joke as we settle in a comfortable silence, just the music drifting from the radio the clearer sounds to hear.

“This is a good song.” Warren hummed, reaching forward and turning the volume up a little more and letting the hums and soft tunes burst through like a colorful explosion of melodies. It was a good song and I could feel my head nodding along with it, a smile growing on my face. Warren was nodding his head along to the beat, eyes still carefully trained on the road but he was mouth along to the words, his voice a soft murmur which slowly grew in volume as the song progressed. I started humming along, grinning.

“It is a good song. What is it called?”

“It’s from a band called Coldplay, the song is Hymn for the Weekend. There’s a lot of things to introduce you to. Good stuff I mean.”

“Okay, so you’ll get me learning songs from a band called the Killers,” Warren nodded along as I ticked off my fingers. “Coldplay now and Hallelujah.”

“Ah, Hallelujah is the name of the song, the singer is Jeff Buckley. Don’t worry, you’ll catch on.” I eyed him warily, lips pursed.

“There’s a lot you’re gonna educate me on when it comes to music.”

“Baby, there’s a lot of things in this world I wanna introduce you too.” His eyes met mine briefly, a wicked gleam in those dark depths as he winked salaciously at me. Oh my. My heart did a thump-thump stutter and falter. Why did he hit me with that undertone and implication like that? My cheeks felt fire red as I swallowed heavily, glancing away bashfully.

Oh, so much to learn indeed.

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