More,she urged.More.
Trivia envisioned Pandora on the beach with her. She pictured the waves crashing over the goddess’s form.
A grunt sounded nearby, and Trivia’s eyes flew open. Pandora was on her knees in the sand next to her, the waves rolling toward her.
“No!” Pandora seethed.
In an instant, the vision changed, returning to darkness once more.
“Two can play at this game, girl,” Pandora spat, her voice dripping with venom. “Now, it’s my turn.”
The darkness bled away to something new: the ruins of a broken city. The white chunks of marble and shattered blue shingles told her exactly where this was—Amara, the human village in Elysium.
What was left of it.
A lump formed in her throat, and Trivia inhaled a shuddering breath. If Pandora was trying to torment her with these visions, it wouldn’t work.
Voices drifted closer, and Trivia went rigid. She recognized the male voice immediately.
Sol.
No, please no,Trivia thought, slamming her eyes shut before she had to look at him. The yearning already coursing through her was so painful it was unbearable.
“I’m not leaving,” Sol was saying. “If she comes back?—”
“She is not coming back,” said another voice. This belonged to Gaia. “The sacrifice she made was permanent. It cannot be undone.”
“Can’t you just… bring her back? You’re the goddess of life!”
“It isn’t that simple. Shecanbe brought back, but only under certain conditions. For one thing, she is not dead. She still lives. I cannot resurrect someone who hasn’t died.”
Pandora’s chuckle echoed around Trivia. “You see why letting you wither away and die would be far too dangerous? No, you mustlive,child. Live with your consequences. Live with your guilt and regrets. Suffer as I suffered—chained to an existence you would give anything to be free from.”
A tear spilled down Trivia’s cheek as she opened her eyes at last, her gaze locking onto Sol. He stood in front of Gaia, his arms rigid and his expression hard as stone. Gaia’s arms were crossed, her eyebrows drawn together.
Sol was fighting forTrivia.He was waiting for her.
“This war is bigger than us, Sol,” Gaia said. “There are others who need our help.”
“No one needs me as much as she does,” Sol said, a muscle flexing in his jaw. “You can leave if you must. But I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yes, little god,” Pandora taunted, her voice full of savage delight. She was standing next to Trivia, her eyes glinting as she watched the scene before them. “Stay here in this brokenrealm. Urge Gaia to leave you. Then, you will be free for the taking. Defenseless. Powerless. No one will save you.”
Panic pulsed in Trivia’s chest. “No. Pandora, don’t?—”
“I told you what would happen if you disobeyed me,” Pandora hissed. “This isyourdoing.”
“No!” Trivia shouted. She tried to picture her construct again, but Sol spoke, his voice drawing her back in.
“I know you have other daughters who need you.” Sol’s voice was gentle. “You can go to them. I will remain here. It would be better if someone looked after the realm.”
Gaia’s lips thinned, but her gaze was hesitant. She was considering his suggestion for her to leave.
Don’t do it, Mother,Trivia pleaded, begging the goddess to hear her.Please don’t leave him. Without your earth magic, he can’t fight off Pandora. Please!
“Very well,” Gaia said at last. “I will travel through the portal. But if you sense the darkness from her box coming for you, youmustleave. Trivia wouldn’t want you to get yourself killed because of her. You must live, otherwise her sacrifice will have been for nothing.”
Sol’s nostrils flared, and his eyes sparked with rage. But Trivia knew him well enough to sense the despair etched into his expression. He was in pain.
