Still, she stared at it, waiting for something to happen. Waiting for the darkness and destruction to burst from it.
Nothing happened.
“I—I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “She’s really gone?”
“See for yourself,” Gaia said, gesturing to Trivia’s chest. “Can you sense her?”
Trivia swallowed hard. She hadn’t dared to try and reach the goddess that had inhabited her body for so long. She was too afraid of what she would find.
But she could avoid it no longer. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and searched within herself. She prodded that deep part of her soul where the goddess had once resided.
There was no answer.
She tried summoning her rage that often fueled Pandora’s fire.
Still no response.
Trivia’s eyes flew open. “She’s not there.” Her gaze flicked from Gaia to Sol and then to Midas as she searched for confirmation.
Neither of them looked at her with fear or pity or sorrow. There was nothing but relief and pride.
Pandora was gone.
This time, Triviadidlaugh. It burst from her, and once it started, she couldn’t stop it. The chuckles cascaded from her, building and building until her eyes were streaming, her stomach contracting with such deep laughter that her shoulders shook and her abdomen ached. Sol laughed with her, and Gaia grinned widely. Even Midas managed a small smile.
Trivia couldn’t stop herself. She reached up and tugged on Sol’s collar, dragging him on top of her and kissing him fully on the mouth. He let out a small yelp, his arms flying out to catch himself before he crushedher.
But she didn’t care if he collided with her. She didn’t care if he knocked the breath out of her and smashed her to pieces.
She was alive.
Pandora was dead.
The box was empty.
And for the first time in her entire existence, Trivia felt whole.
She kissed Sol, clinging to him, relishing the feel of his skin against hers. Gods, she had yearned for this. She had truly believed she would never experience it again.
For several moments, they held each other, making up for lost time.
Trivia could have continued forever, memorizing his lips, tasting him again and again… but before long, Gaia cleared her throat.
“I’m grateful to you, daughter,” she said quietly as Sol and Trivia broke apart. “Thank you for your sacrifice, and for showing me what true selflessness is like.”
Trivia shifted in the grass, uncomfortable from her words. “I’m not selfless. I never have been.”
Gaia smiled. “We can all change. And it’s clear to me that you have. No one is perfect, of course, but you are becoming someone new. Someone admirable. And I’m so proud of you.”
Trivia’s face flushed, and she glanced down, unsure of how to respond to such praise. She didn’t feel worthy of it, but to contradict the kind words felt rude.
Gaia stood, smoothing her hands on her skirts. “What you do next is up to you. But you should know, theTitans have invaded my realm. And I can ignore it no longer.”
Trivia’s heart lurched, and she jumped to her feet. Dizziness rushed over her, and she teetered. Sol was in front of her in an instant, his hands on her shoulders to keep her steady.
“What?” she asked. “How? When?”
“I don’t know the particular details,” Gaia admitted. “All I know is that while you and I were trying to rebuild Elysium, Apollo was in the Underworld raising the Titans.”
