Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) (17 page)

“But remember,” Hades added, “I will not be able to protect
you in any way from the horrors of my realm. You must be exceedingly careful.”

Mirissa nodded, grabbed her key, and closed her eyes. “Let’s
go.”

Eris lounged under a large oak tree, running her finger
along the edge of the scythe, imagining how it would feel to kill Zeus. She’d
spent five thousand years locked away, dreaming of her revenge. And it would be
glorious. No god could stand against her, not while she possessed the one
weapon capable of killing them.
And they
call Athena the great strategist,
she thought.

Daedric, restless as always, paced back and forth in front
of her. “Shouldn’t we be doing something other than hanging out in the
wilderness?” he asked.

“We are, nephew.” Eris looked up at him and smiled. “We’re
basking in the glory of our success.”

“But we’ve done nothing but pop from one middle-of-nowhere
place to the next, hiding, while all of the other gods plot against us.”
Daedric’s furrowed brow expressed his frustration at not being on the
offensive.

“You really must learn patience,” she said. When Daedric’s
expression didn’t change, she decided to stop toying with him. “Fine. We’re not
simply hiding out here, although these remote corners of the realm do offer
safety. No, nephew. We’re waiting for our guest to arrive.”

Daedric uncrossed his arms from his chest and actually
smiled at the prospect. “You’re going to kill Zeus? Here?”

Eris let out an exasperated sigh, then snapped her fingers,
sealing Daedric’s lips together. “You really can be annoying sometimes, do you
know that? Perhaps now you’ll shut up long enough for me to actually teach you
something.”

Her nephew stomped through the grass like a child, throwing
petulant looks her way, until his intellect finally won out over his ego. She
waited patiently for him to compose himself before speaking again.

“Better. Now, listen,” she said, as though he had any choice
in the matter. “What if the power of this scythe has waned over the millennia?
What if I use it to disembowel Zeus, and he doesn’t die? What then, nephew?”

She watched as Daedric attempted to answer her rhetorical
questions before slumping his shoulders in defeat when his lips wouldn’t
separate. It occurred to her that he might be a bit of a slow learner. She’d
have to keep that in mind when deciding his future.

“The weapon must be tested first. Hence the invited guest.”
Eris raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner. When he nodded in return, she
unsealed his lips.

“Thank you,” Daedric said. “May I please ask a question?”

Eris smiled at his sudden change in attitude.
Maybe not such a slow learner after all
.
“Go ahead.”

“Won’t whoever you invited here just tell the other gods
where we are? This could be an ambush.”

“See? I knew you could think like a tactician if given the
proper motivation.” Eris smiled as warmly as she was able. “This is where
Zeus’s personality flaws will help us. His pride won’t allow him to announce
his mistake. He would rather watch his pantheon slaughtered than admit to
everyone that I stole the scythe. The gathering Ares mentioned earlier will have
included only his most trusted confidants, and his arrogance will make him
believe those few will be enough to stop me.”

“So, who’s coming?” No sooner had he asked, than a flash of
light announced her arrival.

“Harmonia!” Eris bellowed, the scythe disappearing from her
hand. “So good of you to come.”

“Hello, Eris. I must admit, I was surprised to hear from
you.” The goddess of harmony and concord had a voice that never failed to make
Eris’s skin crawl. It dripped with such a disgusting sweetness.

“I know we didn’t part on the best of terms, but I’m here to
change all of that. I’ve had five thousand years to ruminate over my mistakes,
and I plan to make up for every one of them.”

Harmonia cocked her head to the side. “Really?”

Eris forced a jovial laugh. “Of course. You can’t imagine
how long I’ve waited for this moment, my dear.”

Harmonia’s face lit up with an enormous smile. “Oh, Eris.
I’m so pleased to hear that. I always knew you’d find your way.” She glanced
over to Daedric and asked, “Who is this? I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Believe it or not, Harmonia, this is my nephew. Daedric,
come and introduce yourself to the kindest goddess you will ever meet.”

While Harmonia focused on the introduction, Eris casually
moved to a spot behind her, manifesting the scythe.

“It is wonderful to meet you, Daedric. Family is such an
important part of a peaceful existence. I’m sure your presence here will bring
much joy to Eris.”

Daedric raised his eyebrow. “I believe it will, Harmonia.
But perhaps not the kind of joy you were thinking of.”

The confused look on her face as she turned to look at Eris
was immediately replaced by one of horror as the scythe drove through her back.
“How …?”

A beam of blinding light shot out of the wound as soon as
Eris withdrew the scythe. She moved to face the dying goddess, making sure
Harmonia saw the blade and understood her fate.

“The mistake I needed to rectify was not killing you
millennia ago.” The sneer on Eris’s face matched that of Daedric’s. “You can
take solace in the knowledge that you are not the only one. You are simply the
first.”

Eris clasped her nephew’s arm and pulled him to what she
hoped was a safe distance. She’d never seen a god murdered before and had no
idea what kind of theatrics might ensue.

And she wasn’t disappointed.

Harmonia crumpled to her knees as the streak of light
exploded from her chest. Her look of disbelief was wiped away when more light
shot from her eyes and mouth. Her hands hit the ground as she tumbled forward.
But, instead of bracing her against the fall, her arms shattered into millions
of glowing shards, floating momentarily until blinking out of existence.

The rest of her body followed suit, causing a plume of
flickering fragments to mushroom toward the sky. Mesmerized by the dazzling
display, Eris grasped Daedric’s hand, unwilling to spoil the moment with words.

As the last of the shards blinked away to wherever a god
goes after death, she let out a deep breath. “It worked.”

Daedric pulled his hand out of her grasp and waved his fists
in the air. “It worked? Is that all you have to say? Holy shit! That was the
most incredible thing I’ve ever seen!”

Eris let out a low laugh. Although she would never have
admitted it, she’d been worried about the scythe’s capabilities. It wouldn’t
have been the first time that Zeus exaggerated the facts in order to spin a
tale that measured up to his perception of himself. This time, it would seem,
he’d told the truth.

“It was fulfilling,” she said. “And I think the time has
come for me to”—Daedric raised an eyebrow at her choice of words, so she
immediately corrected herself—“for
us
to make our presence known.”

Myrine pressed the end button on her cell phone and placed
it on the table.

“It’s done,” she said.

“Then you need to go,” Steve replied, grasping her hand.

After speaking with Artemis that morning and finding out
Flip was a god, worry for her daughter overcame Myrine. The thought of her
fighting gods on their turf, with no one but Greco to help, terrified her.
Learning that Flip might actually be one of the good guys, only slightly
lessened her fear.

Myrine’s first plan of action had fallen apart pretty
quickly. She hadn’t been able to find any way to travel to Mount Olympus, even
with Julian scouring every inch of the Internet for clues. She’d tried several
times to contact Artemis again but was apparently being ignored by the deity.

With any hope of saving her daughter quickly fading away,
Myrine came up with an idea. Cell phones weren’t the only way to reach out to
an Amazon, the rings they wore bonded them to each other as well. Although not
necessarily for the purpose of chatting, she felt sure at least some connection
could be made. Even if it only allowed Mirissa to feel her presence, it might
be enough to strengthen her in battle, or provide comfort should she need it.

Her attempt to establish the link at the hospital had
failed. But she wouldn’t give up that easily. She needed more power, which
meant getting some help. So, Julian and his team were once again put to work.
They’d spent the rest of the day and into the night getting in contact with
every Amazon warrior in Myrine’s tribe, telling them to meet her on Tritonia.
She didn’t know how many would come, but she hoped it would be enough.

“What if it doesn’t work? What if I leave you and don’t accomplish
anything?”

“At least you will have done everything possible to try,”
Steve replied.

Myrine’s stomach felt as though it would rise into her
throat. How could she leave her husband alone, in a hospital thousands of miles
from home, when Armageddon lurked right around the corner? No one should have
to live their last moments that way. Especially not someone who was loved as
deeply as he was.

But if she didn’t go, it would be Mirissa facing the end of
the world without family present. Myrine had missed so much of her daughter’s
young life. Piano recitals, graduation, first date, first heartbreak, and even
her introduction to the world of Amazons. There were so many of Mirissa’s
memories that Myrine wasn’t a part of, how could she allow yet another—perhaps
the last—one to come to pass?

And asking every Amazon to leave their loved ones to help
her may have been the most selfish thing Myrine had ever done. It wasn’t like
they could help Mirissa close the box. Artemis had been very clear that they
couldn’t. All they could hope to accomplish was to allow Myrine to support her
daughter while she tried. If the box was closed, Myrine would be with her
daughter—in spirit at least—as she died. If the box remained open, the consciousness
of every Amazon who helped her would be stuck on Tritonia while their family
and friends faced the horrors of Eris.

Perhaps the harshest reality for Myrine to face was if she
did go to Tritonia with her tribe and they failed to even make contact with
Mirissa, then she would have abandoned both her daughter and her
husband—again—during the most difficult time in their lives.

Steve wiped a tear from Myrine’s cheek and gently cupped her
face. “I love you, sweetheart. I always have, and I always will. You sacrificed
so much to keep our daughter safe all those years ago. Now it’s my turn to
sacrifice something. Lie down next to me and send your consciousness to
Tritonia. Contact Mirissa, let her feel your love and support no matter what
happens. Take care of our girl. I’ll hold you in my arms until the end, through
whatever that goddess throws at us, knowing you guys are exactly where you need
to be.”

Myrine’s heart swelled at her husband’s words. He’d said
exactly what she needed to hear. She lay down beside him, resting her head
carefully on his uninjured shoulder, and prepared to leave him.

“I will love you forever, Steve.”

And then she was gone.

Tartarus felt a little less terrifying after witnessing
Hades’s
true personality, but Mirissa knew she needed to
overcome that false sense of security. Hades may possess a softer side, but his
hell realm most certainly did not.

After leaving their temporary prison cell, Mirissa led the
way as best she could. The key provided her a general sense of what direction
to go, but its messages to her subconscious meant she would
feel
the information more than learn it.

If only it could
transmit Google map directions,
she thought.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Greco asked,
wiping the sweat from his brow.

Mirissa understood his trepidation. The tunnel they
travelled had progressively gotten smaller and smaller, eventually forcing them
to crouch low and walk in single file. Flip, being of much smaller stature, was
the only one able to stand upright.

“As far as I can tell, yeah,” Mirissa answered. “At least
there’s nothing growing on the walls this time.”

By the time they reached its end, the tunnel had shrunk in
size by half again.
 
An archway, no larger
than a tall kitchen cupboard, served as its exit.

“Can you see what’s out there?” Flip asked.

“Looks like an empty room.” Mirissa tentatively reached her
hand through the opening. The air felt cooler than what they’d been dealing
with. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Mirissa sidestepped in a crouch across the opening. She was
halfway through when giant claws swiped at her. Razor sharp and smelling of
rotten flesh, they took a chunk of her left shoulder with them.
 
She dove back to the safety of the tunnel,
screaming obscenities.

“What the hell was that?” Greco demanded while checking her
injury.

“Definitely not a house pet,” Mirissa spewed the words
through her pain. She leaned back against the wall, knees pulled to her chest,
while she tested her arm’s mobility. Not good. The animal, or whatever it was,
had torn through her rotator cuff. “This is going to take a while to heal,” she
said.

“Not if I can help it,” Flip said. “Move aside, Greco.”

Mirissa watched the two struggle to change positions in the
small space. If her teeth hadn’t been clenched against the pain, she would have
laughed.

When he reached her side, Flip placed his hand over her
injury. Her sharp intake of breath at the contact quickly became a long sigh of
relief as his touch healed the wound.

“Wow, Flip. You’re a handy guy to have around. Thank you,” Mirissa
said.

Flip beamed with pride. “Any time.”

“We still need to get into that room. Do you have anything
in your god-powered-arsenal for that?” Mirissa asked.

“I might.” The smile that emerged on Flip’s face reminded
her of a child’s. He looked so excited to finally be asked to sit at the
grown-up’s table. “Wait for my signal.”

Before she had the chance to ask him about his plan, he
teleported away. Mirissa and Greco brought forth the blades from their rings
while they waited for the signal.

A moment later,
Flip
wailed from
somewhere on the other side of the archway. “Now would be a good time to come
in! Please!”

Mirissa shot through the opening, followed immediately by
Greco. She sized up their surroundings in a matter of seconds. The space, no
larger than the conference room at the Omega Group’s headquarters, was home to
an immense four-legged beast. The quills covering its back rose and fell like
waves on water as it roared.

A spray of blood splattered across Mirissa’s face, but it
didn’t come from the animal.

“What are you doing?” she screamed.

Flip floundered at the far end of the room, cornered by the
creature while its claws made minced-meat of him. Just as he healed one nearly
fatal laceration, the next would be inflicted.

“My powers don’t work on him, so this is the only way I
could—” Another blow cut Flip’s arm clean off. Although a new appendage quickly
grew in its place, it became apparent that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with
the assault for much longer.

Without a word, Mirissa and Greco charged forward, one on
either side of the rabid animal. They thrust their blades deep into its torso,
withdrew, and thrust again. The creature reeled up and lashed out at Greco with
its tail, before swinging a massive set of claws at Mirissa. She teleported out
of its path, but it found her as soon as she materialized.

The gash tore through her back and brought her to her knees.
She looked up just in time to see the beast spread its jaws, saliva dripping
from jagged teeth, and move in for the kill. She raised her blade in hopes of
staving off the attack, but it never came.

The creature roared as Greco impaled it. Flip teleported to
her side and healed her newest wound, then did the same for Greco who’d
received his own lacerations in the fray.

One at a time, they pierced the animal with their blades,
Flip healing their numerous injuries as quickly as he could. Mirissa lost count
of how many wounds the beast sustained before it finally fell. It lay in a
growing pool of blood, chest heaving with each labored breath, until exhaling
for the final time.

“Are you guys okay?” Flip asked.

Mirissa bent over and rested her hands on her knees, trying
to catch her breath. “Thanks to you, yes. Why didn’t your powers work?”

“They did work, just not on that
thing.
Maybe my powers aren’t strong enough. Or maybe Hades created
his beasts to be immune to the gods. I really don’t know,” Flip said.

Greco wandered over to him with an outstretched hand. “You
really stepped up, Flip. We couldn’t have done this without you. Thanks.”

When Flip clasped his hand, he shook it with enthusiasm and
burst into an ear-to-ear smile. “You’re welcome. But, what exactly did I step
up on?”

Shaking his head and wearing an amused grin, Greco pointed
to another small gap in the rock wall behind the animal. “Is it safe to assume
that’s where we need to go?”

On the opposite side of the room from the door they’d used
for entry, lay the exit. It appeared the designers of Tartarus, whoever they
might be, wanted to make traversing the realm as difficult as possible. Mirissa
wondered how many other beast-filled rooms bisected the tunnel system. She held
her key for a moment before nodding. “We’re close.”