Pandora would taste sweet, like aged whiskey and fresh honey. The thought tantalized him, and he shifted on his makeshift throne to readjust himself. His plan unfolded smoothly. He had secured the bargains, and they were about to blame the wrong person for everything. The next phase would begin after she fell. A savage smile pulled back his lips, sharp with the promise of ruination.  

His eight—soon to be seven—council members were busy with the moving pieces of his game. Enyo and Eris had played their parts, even if they had gone off script. He expected Eris’s mania. Enyo’s empathy was not. If she continued this path, punishment awaited her. He had no tolerance for weaklings. 

“Master,” Lilith cooed as she sauntered into the room. “I’ve gathered the soul you asked for, and the body is ready.” 

“Good,” he purred, and his fingers encircled her throat when she stopped before him. He kissed her roughly as images of a tortured Pandora lingered in his mind. “Now, be an obedient pet and kneel.” 

It had taken him ages to break Lilith, but the effort had been worth it. If he said jump, she wouldn’t question how high. He caught lingering defiance, but that excited him. He needed release before thoughts of his precious Pandora overfilled him. 

She kneeled before him and ran well-manicured nails over the leather of his pants. He fisted her chocolate tresses and jerked her head back. Luminous yellow irises met his pitch-black gaze, and a lazy smile filled his face. 

“I want you to wear her face,” he said as his grip tightened in her hair. “Let me destroy her.” 

She obeyed and shifted her visage to Pandora’s. He would enjoy this. 

***  

Time froze in the obscurity. There was no telling how long it had been since she had arrived. The trail of demon carcasses was no help either. They materialized randomly. Some groups were large; others were sparse. Unable to gauge the following wave, she didn’t dare stop. 

Centuries of training and divine endurance warred against a bone-deep exhaustion that consumed her. Athena forged her Champions to outlast armies, not to crumble beneath fatigue. Beside her, Hades didn’t fare any better. His chest heaved, but the sickly green sheen had faded. For him, she would continue on. 

His powers had flared three times but stuttered when another round of venom sputtered through him. Dozens of punctures marked him. Most quit oozing. Those that continued bleeding wept gold, and inky veins mottled the skin. He removed the tattered remains of his shirt and ripped it into strips. 

“Can you help me wrap the larger ones?” His voice cracked, gravelly from disuse. “The air stings.” 

“Yes.” She grabbed the fabric and wrapped it around a jagged cut along his biceps. It looked as if a beast’s fang had gotten stuck and torn out. The spiderweb of ebony banded his upper arm and headed toward his heart. The tendrils stopped at the column of his neck. “Will this cause lasting damage?” 

He smiled and stroked the crown of her hair. His lips pressed to her forehead. “As long as nothing happens to you, I couldn’t care less.” 

He hissed when she wrapped a trio of scratches on his torso. “I don’t know if silk is absorbent.” The joke was hollow, but he pretended it was funny. 

“But it is fashionable,” he winked, and the corner of his lip tipped into a half-grin. 

Her heart stuttered. She found Hades breathtaking, even caked in filth, gore, and cuts. If she weren’t so worn-out, she would pepper him with kisses and hope to heal him. Unfortunately, she couldn’t. 

Without warning, the lily on Hades’ skin sizzled. Fiery red outlined the petals and crackled. Burning firewood and the tang of a freshly cleaned weapon filled her nose. A layer of spring rain and sunshine softened the abrasiveness. Athena’s power blended with Persephone’s. 

“Gods below, that fucking hurts,” Hades groaned as he clutched his searing limb to his chest. 

The embers blazed through black tendrils, searing them from his skin. The silk ties turned to ash and blew on a phantom breeze. He collapsed to his knees, mouth agape, electric blue eyes rolling back. A sudden, violent blast of radiance crashed through him, and a scream of agony echoed throughout the void. 

“Find… the… tear…” he garbled. Rivulets of golden ichor poured to the ground from every wound. God-blades rose from the pool and encircled him, a cage of sharpened edges and immortal power. 

Howls sounded in the distance, and she spun toward them. A sickly green glow leaked from a ten-foot tear that hung in the empty space. Demons slipped out of it. Neon eyes were stark against gray fur as they stood to their full height. 

A burst of adrenaline coursed through her, carrying her legs forward before her mind caught up. Her spear was already there, and the wooden handle was a familiar weight. Six beasts formed a line. Talons lifted, and venom dripped from elongated fangs. 

She kept going. 

Her weapon sang through the air with a low, sharp whistle. The point drove into the nearest beast’s shoulder as it lunged and forced it backward. It collapsed. The shaft twisted in her grip and came free in the same motion. It carved a shallow arc that held the next two at bay. 

Only for a moment. 

Good. 

She stepped into them. 

A quick pivot and she hooked one demon’s leg. With a yank, she snapped it off balance into the other. Seconds slowed as they collided. Another thrust, sharper now, found the gap beneath the ribcage. Acidic ichor splattered her forearm. She did not flinch as it sizzled. 

Something struck from her blind side. 

Fangs grazed flesh but didn’t break through. Rapid claw strikes followed. 

She dropped low and swept in a brutal horizontal line that forced her attacker to recoil. A demon stumbled within her reach. 

Too close. 

She threw her spear, and the tip embedded in the last demon’s eye. With a quarter turn, she faced the new danger with a blade she pulled from her mark. Steel met claws, and a shower of sparks flew. The beast never expected the second knife as it sank to the hilt in its abdomen. Surprised grunts of pain echoed as both demons crashed down. 

Three remained. 

Hesitation halted them. Not from fear, but from recognition. She was stronger than they were. 

She tore through their defense. Each swing of her staff struck a new target. Corrosive ichor coated her as the last demon hit the ground. The acrid scent of burned flesh mixed with rotted meat. She fell to her hands and knees and gagged. She needed to get it together. The rift hung above her like a cursed beacon. 

She rolled over and glared at it. Dread dulled the pain that surged through her as a revelation seized her. 

Pandora could not close it. 

She was a warrior and battled demons for days. This type of task always went to Helen and Warin; she never considered watching. She stared up and swore aloud. 

“Hades, I can’t,” she croaked. She outstretched her arm. If she willed it closed, it would stitch shut. Right? No luck. Her limb dropped, and a sob bellowed out of her. 

Movement drew her attention, and she turned her head. Hades had approached. Wounds still oozed, and the radiance was blinding. The god-blades had migrated behind him and formed hovering sentinels. He looked ethereal. Delirious, she mourned not being talented enough to capture this moment on canvas. 

“Do you love me, Pandora?” he asked as he kneeled beside her. Sticky fingers brushed wayward strands from her face. 

“Of course I do,” she whispered. Her expression twisted into confusion. 

“Remember that after all is done.” His fingers trailed down her cheek before they settled on her neck. “I apologize, my little pixie.” 

His palm became a vise and blocked the flow of oxygen from her lungs. Her vision swam, but she lacked the strength to stop him. He was so gentle as he suffocated her. The hand against her throat maintained pressure, but the other brushed away tears as they ran down her cheeks. 

Her eyelids fluttered, and consciousness slipped from her. 

***  

Fury simmered beneath Hades’ skin as energy thrummed through him. He released her when she fell asleep and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. The thought of her being awake for this part was unbearable. Knocking her out was a betrayal of her trust, but this would hurt. 

This was her physical body, which meant she bled. His body slept beyond the sealed doors of this nightmare, and it rendered him useless. To close the dimensional rip required an emotionally charged life force. He sealed Hypnos’ dreamscape because he cared for the bastard. Hades had drained himself to the brink of death to sew it shut. 

Enyo emerged from the opening and drifted over them. “Can you handle cutting her open? I think you’re too soft.” 

“Fuck off,” he spat. Daggers shot at her. She slapped them away with a flick of her hand, and he snarled at her. A dagger appeared in his palm, and he sliced into Pandora’s sternum. He loathed dark magic, but it was intoxicating. The essence of Pandora’s love mixed with her life force, and Hades was drunk on it. “She’ll forgive me.” 

“You sound so sure.” Her laugh was bitter as she moved closer. “It’s beautiful to watch darkness seep from you. I feel the pulse of your emotions as if you’re caressing me.” 

He stilled. “If I were to touch you, it would be to hurt you.” 

“I enjoy it rough. Remember?” Masochistic pleasure lit up her charcoal irises. “Hurry. Master’s plans are coming together, and you don’t want to miss them.” 

A thick strand ripped out of Pandora and hovered over her, as Enyo curled two digits. The jagged cut split wider. Hades’ vision darkened, and more weapons flew at her. Laughing, she dodged them. Sanguine red wove around her as she did. It pierced through the rift, and Enyo made a few sutures. Then she handed the spool to Hades. 

“Let her accept the bargain. It’s the only way she won’t die.” The warning was clear. She disappeared in a puff of acrid smog. 

He completed the last stitch, and divine energy sealed it shut. It glowed gold. 

He returned his attention to Pandora. The laceration reached bone, its edges a ghastly purple hue. Enyo had staunched it before leaving, though he hadn’t noticed her do so. Did he trust the goddess? She was hiding something. 

His dreamscape door blinked into existence and swung open. Intense white light broke through the darkness, and Hades stumbled. Hypnos stood on the other side. 

“You did it,” his friend whispered. His face was ashen, and his expression glazed with unreadable emotion. 

Editor: Lucy Cafiero