“All right.” I looked back out at the men. “What about them? How do you think I should handle them?”
“The pixie was partially right,” Aphrodite noted. “Thinking positive and acting with confidence will help. But you are a child of love, and that is where your power lies. You were given gifts by the gods because Zeus asked it of them, and he did so because he knew that a truly irresistible woman needed more than superficially beautiful. You needed the wisdom to woo a man, kindness to gentle him, and generosity to love him despite the faults that all men have. These things inside you have been put there with a purpose: to make a Titan fall in love with you.”
“Yes, but that didn't last, did it?” I huffed.
“Love needs to be maintained, and, at the very least, reciprocated,” she admonished me. “You did not care for Epimetheus; no amount of generosity and kindness could change your heart. I believe your heart knew it was meant for more than that fool.”
“Dear gods, I hope so.” I sighed. “I'm not alone, but I feel so lonely.”
“You are made for love.” Aphrodite kissed my cheek, and a tingle spread out from the place she touched me. “I bless you, Daughter, that you will not be lonely for long. Love will be drawn to you–the path to it shall open.”
“Thank you, Mother,” I whispered.
“Oh, darling, that's only the beginning.” She smirked. “Come and have a seat, and we'll have our own training session. And I've brought a gift for you too. Something to protect you in my stead.”
“I have the men to protect me,” I said. “And they are teaching me to protect myself.”
“That is all well and good, darling,” she purred. “But never refuse the gift of a goddess. My protection will make itself known when it's needed.”
Chapter Seven
The path to love was indeed opened to me, and armed with what my mother taught me; I eagerly began my journey.
The very next day, Drakon asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him. I accepted immediately, and Straton was off polishing his sword or something equally warrior-like, so we didn't have to deal with his lectures.
We headed through the forest with fishing poles over our shoulders and a basket held between us. The river near our tree, the one fed by the waterfall, was full of shiny, silver fish. It didn't take long for us to reach it, and then we found a spot to set up along the riverbank.
Drakon baited my hook for me and showed me how to cast it out into the deepest part of the river. We sat for a bit in companionable silence, before I tried one of the things I'd learned from my mother: showing interest in the man himself.
“What were you like before all of this happened?” I asked him.
Drakon looked startled, but then his face settled into lines of retrospection. His gaze settled on the water, and he appeared more serious than he'd been in a long time... since we'd stepped off that boat.
“I was a much harder man,” he said in a low tone, like a confession. “Not a very nice person.”
“Why not?” I asked simply.
“I ...” he looked at me in surprise. “I don't know. Maybe I was just angry. I was dedicated to being the best soldier that I could be, but that left me feeling empty. I had numerous lovers whom I never loved, and fellow soldiers whom I never bonded with. Ironically, it wasn't until Dionysus changed my allegiance from Epimetheus to you that I found some peace in my purpose and began to feel a connection to other people.”
“Do you resent Dionysus for changing your will?” I whispered.
“No,” Drakon said. “Maybe that was part of the magic. Whatever it was, Pan, I'm grateful for it. I'm a much happier person now.”
“Just fishing on an island,” I noted.
“With you.” His knee bumped mine. “You know, you're rather easy to talk to–for a gift from the gods.”
“I was a punishment,” I said sadly, “not a gift.”
“You were a punishment for Epimetheus, but for me, you're a gift.” He put his pole aside and turned to me. “You've changed my life, Pandora, several times over. I was a farmer once, in service to Epimetheus. Then you opened that jar and released evil into the world. Epimetheus recruited me to become a soldier, but it was all because of you. You made me a warrior.”
“I'm sorry,” I whispered.
“I'm not.” He took my hand, and I put aside my pole as well. “Life did look bleak once those evils spread over the world. But then I was chosen to accompany you. Before we even reached this island, my heart began to change. I watched you, staring out across the sea, clinging to that jar of hope while looking so hopeless yourself. I've never seen anything so tragically beautiful. I started toward you several times and had to stop myself. I've never felt such a strong urge to simply hold someone.”
I felt tears spring to my eyes, and Drakon's hand went to my face to brush them away.
“Yet you never cried,” Drakon said, “and you never faltered. You went forward bravely, into a destiny that was far worse than mine. I admired you for that and hated myself for being a part of your pain.”
