Behind Gaia and Sol stood Midas. He hovered a safe distance away, as if he was afraid to get too close. He wrung his hands together, his mouth twisted in unease.
Trivia’s gaze snagged on his hands. They were gloveless.
Her head lifted, but Sol gently eased her back down. “Careful. Let Gaia finish.”
Trivia shook her head. “I—I don’t understand. What happened? Why is Midas here? His gloves—Pandora—The box?—”
Sol pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. “It’s all right, love. We’ll explain everything. Just let your mother finish.”
Mother.Gods above, Trivia still couldn’t believe it.
Gaia had brought her back. Gaia had saved her.
Her motherhad saved her.
Tears stung her eyes. The concept was unfathomable, the idea that someone loved her enough to bring her back. But here were Sol and Gaia, so desperate to keep her alive, desperate to save her…
Yes, this certainly had to be a dream, for she did not deserve this at all. Not one bit.
“Can you talk to me while she works?” Trivia begged. “Please, I have to know. Is Pandora still alive?”
“No,” said Midas. “She’s dead. Her box was destroyed.”
“Impossible,” Trivia said at once. “She was too powerful. The darkness was too strong.”
“You were stronger.” There was pride in Midas’s voice.
She closed her eyes. No, he didn’t understand. Surely he was mistaken. “I don’t—I can’t—I’m not strong enough to defeat her! There’s no way.”
“Midas told us you gave it all up,” Sol said, brushing the loose hair away from her face.
Midas nodded in agreement. “Trivia, you used up so much power that you killed yourself. Pandora was not willing to do the same. In the end, your strength outmatched hers because you gaveeverything.Something she never had the courage to do.”
Trivia blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears from spilling over as she stared at Midas. But she failed. The moisture tracked down her cheeks. “She was going to kill you. I—I?—”
Gaia let out a long, slow breath, then opened her icy blue eyes to gaze at Trivia. “You gave up your life for him, didn’t you?” Slowly, she turned to shoot an accusing stare at Midas.
He raised his palms. “I didn’t know she was going to do that. I—I had no idea.” He took a slow breath. “Gods, Trivia, I—Why? Why would you do that forme, of all people?”
Trivia swallowed hard, the memories from before sliding into place. Her fight with Pandora. The darkness creeping closer to Sol. Pandora threatening Midas’s life.
“I don’t know,” Trivia admitted. “I didn’t think, I just acted. You had endured so much. I figured if I couldn’t live an uncursed life, then I wanted you to do it in my place. You and I are the same, Midas. Both cursed. Both willing to betray everyone we love to be free. I wanted to believe in second chances, and if that meant you lived and I didn’t, then so be it.”
Midas’s lips parted, his face slack with shock.
To Trivia’s surprise, Sol barked out a laugh, then turned to glance at Midas. “She’s got bigger balls than you do, uncle.”
Gaia snorted, then covered her mouth. Her expression cleared, but her lips twitched, betraying her amusement.
Trivia wanted to laugh, but her chest felt too tight, as if she couldn’t get enough air. Her body was…off.Like another person’s organs were inside her. Like her skin wasn’t the right size for her skeleton.
“How do you know Pandora’s box was destroyed?” she asked. “How do you know the darkness didn’t just flee somewhere else?”
Midas drew closer and withdrew a small object from his pocket. Trivia felt the blood drain from her face as she recognized the small black box. Unease and dread filled her.
“Oh my gods,” she breathed. She wanted to wriggle away from the cursed thing before it consumed them all.
But she felt no power emanating from it. It was… just an ordinary box now.
