Pandora was dancing. Music guided her across the marble floor of Zeus’s Grand Hall, her feet following a pattern she couldn’t remember learning. Her arms locked as though she held someone in her embrace. Only the air twirled with her.

An ache opened beneath her ribs, stealing the rhythm from her, and she stumbled. A gentle but firm grip caught her, pulling her flush to a hard body. His cadence was melodic, echoing the sound of chimes, but the words were indistinguishable.

Then his lips pressed to her cheek, and sensation rippled through her. His voice became clear, and a sob stuck in her throat.

“I am so sorry, my pixie.”

She drew back, desperate to glimpse his visage while her sensations sharpened. Nothing. Only darkness where his face should be. Harsh colors fractured the edges of the void, and he held her tighter.

“Who are you?”

“Just a dream. One you need to wake from.”

He shoved her.

She toppled through emptiness, screaming as a field of grass rushed toward her. She clawed at the air, desperate for something to catch.

Then she struck the ground, only for it to give way like liquid.

Frigid water seized her limbs as she struggled to breathe. Far above the surface, he stared down at her.

She gasped awake, cheeks wet with tears and voice hoarse from screaming.

She was alone.

Warin and Helen were on their date.

Athena hadn’t appeared.

And that faceless man haunted her every time her eyelids closed.

Akakios, the Mark on her forearm, vibrated, and she jolted upright. She needed the distraction. With a tap on the owl’s forehead, Helen’s words materialized above him.

Helen: Hey Pandie. Athena said you were sick. Are you okay?

Pandora: Yeah. Bad takeout…? 

Helen: Weird. Do you need me?

Yes. She did.

Pandora: No. Athena mentioned a date with Warin.

Several minutes passed before Helen responded.

Helen: Oh… Yep!

Pandora: What does that mean?  

Helen: Nothing! It’s just unexpected. That’s all.

After a few more texts, Pandora tossed her phone across the bed. She collapsed on the pillows. The silence pressed in almost immediately.

She opened a portal before she’d even decided where to go. She was too sore, and her mind was too messy to train. But hunting demons? That was what she needed.

If anyone could point Pandora toward a demon worth killing, it was Lucile. She stepped onto the concrete outside the Sinner’s Club, its familiar facade looming overhead.

Thalos stood in his usual spot. When he spotted her, he inclined his head at her and grinned.

“You fled pretty quick the other night. I worried about you.”

Pandora frowned. She hadn’t been to the Sinner’s Club in…

Another wave of agony stopped her thoughts. She redirected.

“You never need to worry about me.” She grimaced. “Is Lucile in? I need to talk to her.”

“Nah, mon amie. Cece and Carmela are, but the big boss is on a business trip.”

“Thanks, Thal. I’ll speak with Cecile.”

He opened the door. She ignored the throng of dancing bodies and slipped toward the back. Her favorite water nymph was nowhere to be seen, and the current bouncer lacked her charm. They let her through without a second glance.

Cecile perched against the railing overlooking the dance floor, her straight black hair falling over a shoulder. Beside her stood another vampire, her pale complexion contrasting with a bright pink sundress and an oversized sun hat.

Pandora found her presence inviting and wanted to learn more about her. She chalked it up to whatever was happening with her head; she had no idea what to trust.

“Oh, my gods!” The vibrant vampire squealed upon noticing Pandora. “You’re THE Golden Champion. The legend among legends!”

Pandora raised an eyebrow. “I’m not that well known, am I?”

Cecile shrugged. “Babe, people love a hot woman in leather that can kick demon ass on a random Tuesday. I’d say that’s pretty recognizable.”

“I… uh… thanks?” Pandora shook her head.

“I’m Carmela! You might call me your biggest fan, but I don’t mean to be creepy.” The faint color in her cheeks vanished. “Oh, no! Please don’t think I’m weird!”

Pandora smirked, trying to hide her amusement. “Not weird. Just energetic.”

“Very!” Carmela stuck out her hand. “Let’s be friends!”

“Only if you know where to find a demon nest. I’ve got some anger to exercise.”

Carmela gasped. “Does that mean we’ll hunt demons together?”

“That sounds like a horrible idea,” Cecile groaned. “My manicure could never, and Lucile would throw a fit.”

“Then don’t tell her!”

“I’d love the company,” Pandora added, earning a delighted grin from Carmela.

Cecile rolled her eyes and turned away. Pandora caught the ghost of a smile. The kind that suggested she wouldn’t get involved but didn’t oppose Carmela doing so.

Since waking, Pandora finally had something normal to look forward to.

Poor decisions. Questionable company. Soon-to-be dead demons.

As a smirk tugged at her lips, a stabbing pain tore through her abdomen. She winced, unwilling to let the vampires see her weakness. When the ache turned into a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach, she excused herself and fled to the bathroom.

The fluorescent lights buzzed as she checked the stalls. No one was in the room.

She approached the backlit mirror that hung over the sink, noting the bags under her eyes. Her hair curled at the ends, sticking up in awkward places. The pain swept through her again, and she doubled over.

“Fuck,” she groaned, knuckles blanching as she gripped the counter.

When the agony subsided, she lifted her shirt. Amber tendrils covered her stomach, reaching for her heart. When another wave struck, they glowed, pulsing before fading.

“What the fuck?”

As soon as it started, everything disappeared.

The pain.

The streaks.

And she felt empty in a way she hadn’t experienced this morning.

***

Athena dematerialized immediately after Pandora drifted to sleep. A knot of terror had formed in her chest, requiring action before it overwhelmed her. She reformed at the River Styx and boarded the ferry to the heart of the Underworld.

Hades sensed she was there, or she couldn’t leave that shoreline. He sat on his throne, holding court for the first time in ages.

Her spear embedded into the obsidian stone, mere inches from his ear. A chorus of chiming bells started as souls scattered. He lolled his head to meet her gaze. If he sensed the murderous intent rolling off her, he refrained from letting it show.

“What the fuck did you do, Hades?”

That was when his anger appeared.

“What did I do? I did what I fucking had to, Athena.” Hades snapped, reforming them in his office.

Hatred exuded from him, and the edges of the room felt frayed.

He fell into his chair, defeat choking the room.

“I don’t believe you fully understand.”

His laugh was devoid of humor. “Enlighten me.”

“She’s suffering, Hades.”

Irritation flickered behind his gaze.

“I know.”

“She doesn’t understand why. You left her to deal with it alone.”

“What would you have me do? Go to her? Explain what I’ve taken so she loses her mind trying to remember it?” His expression hardened. “You knew what was coming. Why aren’t you with her?”

Athena’s fingers curled into fists.

“This isn’t about me, Hades.”

“She would have died!”

The walls shuddered.

Athena didn’t flinch.

“And you think that makes everything you’ve done acceptable?”

“No.” His voice dropped. “It kept her alive.”

For a moment, neither spoke.

Athena studied him. The exhaustion beneath his anger. The way his fingers shook before he steepled them under his chin.

He was coming apart.

But Pandora was paying for it.

“There are consequences you haven’t considered,” she snapped.

Hades’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve thought about nothing else.”

“Not these.”

“Athena—”

The look on her face stopped him. His irritation turned to unease.

The room stilled.

He stared at her.

“No.”

“She’s pregnant.”

Blue flames flickered over him.

“That’s not possible. She’s—” The color drained from his face. “Fuck.”

A violent tremble tore through him, and his hand fell from his chin.

“She was in her mortal body. I never even considered the possibility.”

“Obviously,” Athena snapped.

“Fix this. I… I can’t.”

Athena wasn’t sure how to. She clenched her fists to stop her own hands from trembling.

“Could you return her memories?” she asked.

“No. You know what would happen.”

“Okay. What if we just told her she was pregnant? Nothing more.”

“You think she wouldn’t have several questions about that? As far as she remembers, she’s a virgin?”

Athena fell silent, her mind churning for another answer.

“Every answer would lead back to me.”

“Then we find somewhere safe for her to carry the child. Somewhere they can’t reach her. She can have the answers until the baby is here.”

“And afterwards?” Hades asked.

She couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I can’t survive taking her memories again. Neither can she.” He seemed so small as the words left him. “Even if I could, there is nowhere the Fates cannot reach.”

“Your realm—”

“Is not beyond them.” His voice cracked. “If it were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Athena paced.

“What if you took the child?”

Hades stared at her.

“You’re the god of the dead. Surely, you can preserve her soul until we find a solution.”

“Preserve it where?” he demanded. “A soul requires a vessel. I can shelter the dead, but I cannot make an unborn child live without a body.”

“Then another body.”

His expression hardened. “Whose?”

“I don’t know!” Her shout echoed through the room, and a stretch of silence followed.

“I’ve condemned them both,” he croaked.

Athena opened her mouth, but no reassurance followed.

The sound of a cord snapping taut filled the room. A low, strained creak followed, growing louder as though an unseen thread were being pulled to its breaking point.

The hairs on Athena’s arms rose.

Then a presence formed beside them, the noise made tangible.

“I can help.” Their attention snapped to the robed figure that stepped out of the shadows. “However, my sisters cannot find out.”

Atropos lowered her hood, a polished black beaked mask hiding her visage. A rush of hair tumbled down her back, and milky irises drifted between them. No good would come of this.

“How?” Hades and Athena asked in unison.

“Hades is to impregnate Persephone by nightfall. A simple transfer would do the trick. Clothos has not yet threaded her soul.”

“I have nothing left to give, Atropos.”

A smile lifted the mask a fraction.

“I am not asking for payment. Consider it retribution for my cruelty.”

Athena found herself taken aback. Retribution? Since when did Atropos beg forgiveness? This had to be a trick.

“Swear to me you shall not harm Pandora, Hades, Persephone, or the babies. My wrath will be swift if you do.”

“Always so protective.” She lifted her hands, rivulets of blood seeping from thin wounds. “Seal it, and I am bound.”

Athena did. She unsheathed the blade on her hip and sliced twin cuts. Their grasps connected with a thunderous echo. Their palms released, and the crimson disappeared from her skin.

A deal made. Never to be spoken of again.

With a wave of Atropos’ arm, an amber orb appeared. It hovered before she grabbed it.

“You have until nightfall, Hades. Place this against Persephone’s stomach as your pleasures crest.” She cradled the soul. “You may tell her, should that ease your conscience. But I would ensure her silence. One misplaced word, and all you’ve sacrificed will be for naught.”

The orb reappeared on the desk, rolling gently before coming to rest beside Hades’s hand. He stiffened.

Then she was gone.

Athena and Hades stared at the orb.

“There’s no way that just happened,” Athena said, unable to tear her gaze from the orb’s soothing glow.

“I think it did,” he muttered. “How do I live knowing that she’ll never learn about this, Athena?”

Athena had no answer.

Editor: Lucy Cafiero