Aida didn’t like where this was going. “Can’t you just go to Oizys or Apate and ask them about taking the contents of Zeus’s storeroom? Isn’t that between the gods?”
“Yes, I could. And after we settle the matter of Pandora, there will be no limit to the wrath I will bestow upon them. But if I went to them now, they could do too many things with the contents of Pandora—and I would be powerless to stop them.”
Aggie broke in. “They could move Pandora and better obscure her location. Or worse, convince her to destroy the happiness somehow, rendering it impossible to restore. And while they can’t kill her, they could torture Effie, and break down her will, which would further worsen the situation for mortals. No, we can’t risk interfering.”
Aida frowned, her brow knitting as she glanced betweenthem. “But wait, if these gods are so nefarious, why store all this happiness in Pandora at all? Why not just destroy it to begin with?”
Vulcan exhaled, slow and thoughtful, his eyes darkening. “Destruction is simple. It’s final. But these gods prefer the art of torment. Destruction doesn’t offer control, and it doesn’t draw out suffering.”
“Does that mean it’s not enough to erase joy?” Aida asked.
“Exactly,” Vulcan replied. “By locking happiness inside Pandora, they gain leverage. It’s not about the absence of joy—it’s about holding it hostage, knowing that the world will feel its loss every day. In their eyes, that constant ache is far more exquisite than outright obliteration.”
“This is all a game to them. It’s about watching us suffer,” Yumi murmured.
Vulcan gave a grim nod. “They don’t just want to win; they want to savor every moment of the struggle. And that’s why finding Pandora isn’t just about restoring happiness. It’s about breaking their hold on the world. These are gods who delight in the misery and manipulation of others. You have to find Pandora.”
Aida stood. While Sophie’s spell allowed her to be among the gods without fear, it didn’t prevent her from feeling the vast emotions related to her own life and work. “Who are we to go up againstgods?” She began to pace. “I didn’t take this job so I could get killed! This is not what I signed up for.”
“You don’t have many options,” Aggie said gently.
“What do you mean?” It was Yumi who asked the question.
Aggie gave Yumi a sympathetic look. “Well,youhave better options. You could hop a plane and be long gone from here. But MODA will find a way to kill your friend if she attempts to resign.”
“Then I’ll just keep working for them. I’ll do my job.”
Yumi shook her head. “That wouldn’t work for you for long. How could you keep doing that job, knowing you are literally stealing happiness from people?”
Aida hated that Yumi was right. How could she visit all the beautiful places in Italy, knowing she would never be able to visit again and that others would be deprived of the beauty and wonder she’d constantly experienced when she first began her work as a Collector?
And what would happen to the world as all the happiness disappeared? She thought of the terrible headlines that were already making their way through the papers and internet: yet another American mass shooting, this time at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida; the former Pakistani president being sentenced to death for treason; ongoing protests in Hong Kong; the way climate change was wreaking angry havoc on the earth; and in London, the impending Brexit. Things were never so turbulent when she was growing up, were they? Knowing what she did now about MODA, it made all too much sense. How much of a hand had she had in making those events happen?
Aida sighed. “Then I need your help.” She explained the problem of the MODA phone tracking her and eavesdropping on her conversations, then handed the god her phone.
Vulcan took it without hesitation, waving a hand over the screen as a faint shimmer passed across it. “That should block their surveillance—calls, messages, even location tracking. They’ll see only what you want them to see.” He handed it back, then held out a hand expectantly. “Your personal phone too.”
Aida hesitated for a fraction of a second before handing it over. Vulcan repeated the process, then did the same with Yumi’s device.
“Now, whenever you need to obscure your communications, just tap the screen three times in quick succession and say the wordHephaestus. This will encrypt your phone calls and any ambient noise the phone picks up. Anyone listening in will hear only mundane chatter—discussions about the weather, idle routines—or neutral background noise like distant traffic or a quiet room. To deactivate, repeat the same action and sayHephaestusagain. It’s seamless and undetectable. It will also helpyou bypass any Wi-Fi restrictions they may have put on your device. Use it wisely and discreetly.”
“But can I make it seem like I’m in a specific location when I’m not?”
Vulcan nodded. “Simply sayHephaestus, location, followed by the name of the place you want to appear to be. The spell will create a false location signal, making it seem as if you are physically present in the desired area. To deactivate this feature, simply sayHephaestus, clear location. Just remember that using this feature too often or in suspicious circumstances—especially with powerful ears nearby—could draw unwanted attention, so use it wisely.” With the point of a finger, he adjusted the enchantment on their cell phones.
“Can you do the same for Felix’s and Luciano’s phones?”
The god nodded. He had Aida open their contact information on her phone, then touched a finger to each in turn. “When you connect with them again, they will have the same protection.”
Another thought occurred to Aida.
“What about cameras? In hotels, or in my own room at the palazzo. Should I worry about that?”
Aggie laughed. “No, that’s one thing the gods can’t be distracted by—television, movies, videos, live cameras. Our ‘Achilles’ heel,’ so to say. We find such moving fakery disorienting.”
Vulcan grunted, displeasure evident in his eyes.
“Now, now, Heph, if this information will help them later, you’ll fault me not.”
