“Hello, my darling pixie,” Hades said, but the man before Pandora wasn’t him. At least not in appearance.       Black and white hair had turned rain cloud purple, falling into unfamiliar heterochromia irises. One glowed electric blue, and the other sparkled emerald green. There were pupils in the irises, too. His sharply angled features reminded her of someone she’d forgotten. Leather ...

Upperworld, Twenty Years Later   Pandora had forgotten Hades’s visage. The fine details of his face were a blur. Two decades without him did that. Thoughts of him brought immeasurable pain, but she knew this path was inevitable. His fingers ghosted across the markings, reminding her that he was always with her. Then bitterness tainted the ache when the uncomfortable tingling traveled along ...

Memories flooded Marina’s brain as she pressed her palms against the glass. If only she could touch it, feel the gem under her fingers. The jewel in the storefront window mesmerized her. She knew that necklace. The light’s gleam made it shine teal.  Visions from her childhood danced in front of her as if she were reliving the memories. Marina ...

Pandora was limp in his arms, and blood seeped from unsealed wounds. He stumbled out of the nightmare. Hypnos caught him as his knees buckled and guided him to the ground. His friend’s lips were moving, but the world spun. All that registered was sharp feedback.     “Hades,” Hypnos’ voice cut through the noise, and he moved to look at ...

This storm is getting worse. Marina fought for balance on the slick deck as the ship pitched across choppy waves. Gray-blue water splashed and soaked the hurried crew as they rushed to keep afloat. Swirling winds curled the sails into thrashing the mast and rigging.  Over the ocean’s roar, Captain Aquilla’s voice boomed commands. As the frigid rain attacked, the pirates struggled to stabilize ...

Martha Benson had just put her hair in rollers when she saw the four men run up the stairs towards her son’s bedroom. “Howard Benson, what’s happening?” she asked. He explained everything. Mrs. Benson sighed, “You could’ve at least called to warn me. I don’t want people seeing me in rollers.” “I’m sorry, sweetie,” Howard faulted, ...

Inky clouds turned the afternoon into an early midnight as an ebony vessel coasted into Port Victoria. Doomsday itself fell over the pirate town, and for once, everything stood silent.  From the deck, an armored figure watched the citizens with a crimson-flecked stare that promised bloodshed.  “Sir, we await your orders.” His spindly personal attendant hovered somewhere behind him.  “Prepare to dock and ...

As the jagged edge struck the crown of my head, the bundle of dingy white envelopes slipped out of the rubber band that held them together. I hadn’t seen it there, on the top shelf of my grandmother’s closet. So when I tried to take down the Danish cookie tin Gran kept as a piggy ...

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 ...

Betsy stayed behind to watch the house, while the others got into Howard’s van and headed to the hospital. When they arrived, they asked about Joe Peori. An EMT at the scene told them, “It’s touch and go for now, but he’s being cared for.” The men waited anxiously in the waiting area for five ...