Pandora's Curse

It was chaos.

Like an eruption of panic, terror and survival. Amongst the eruption of humanity was the shadows. Pulling myself out from within the rubble, skin scraped raw and bloodied, gown shredded and coated in a layer of crushed stone and ash that fell around me. The temple was chaos, pillars struck down as if they were nothing. Bodies lay strewn about before my very eyes as I cried in panic.

The ground shook as something flashed far from the right in an explosion of fire, dirt and screams of terror and agony. Pulling myself up, pushed along with the crowd as they ran from the crumbling ceiling that threatened to collapse upon us. With a shuddering crack, a thunderous crash, exploding dust and debris, people were crushed beneath a giant cracked slab of ceiling. The force throwing us aside, the screams of shock and terror deafening in my ears. I was sure I was screaming in terror amongst them. I ran with the crowd, despite the terror, my eyes were wildly searching for any familiar face. Epimetheus. Prometheus. My mother. Anyone.

“Mitéra?” I screamed, my throat hoarse and dry but it was drowned by the sounds around me. I continued to scream, keeping my head above a frantic crowd as I was pulled along with them outside the temple into the open. Oh Zeus! The streets ran ran red and black. The sky was clouded with thick black smoke from the raging fires that burned around. Bodies littered the ground. Bodies that were ran over in their panic. People screamed in terror as a monster bellowed from the streets, leaving its bloodied heap as it chased after its panicking prey, its tail slashing out, latching onto people from behind, dragging them away into the shadows. My heart thundered. Oh God! Zeus! Anyone! Help us! The ground shuddered, rumbling. Glancing back over my shoulder briefly to see a colossal figure, about five human bodies its height stood at, move through the still holding pillars, its body shadowed as it reached for the people that continued to flee from the collapsing temple. The temple groaned, cracking ominously, raining stone and marble, crushing people in their escape. I stared in horror, frozen despite the crowd running around me. The temple stairs shattered, a crack running through, branching out. People tripped, falling over themselves and on each other. I stumbled back over the steps as the ceiling fell inwards, the force of its thunderous end a fierce gale and shattering Earth that had myself careening off the stairs, air and stone whipping around me as I tumbled on to the ground amidst the groaning bodies. The air was faint but thick with smoke, making breathing difficult especially after landing hard on the ground.

Homes burned alight, a beacon that rose into the sky, fading into thick black smoke. The sky shrieked with the screams of terror and something else.

“LOOK OUT!”

Deafening shrieks echoed around us. I felt myself drop to my knees, clapping a hand over my ear as others did to block the painful screams. I screamed in agony, tears burning hotly as my head felt as though it was being split apart, nails digging into my hair, pulling out every strand. The screams around me turned to a frenzy and I barely glanced up as a huge shape swooped over us, arms outstretched into elongated talons that ripped into one man’s shoulder. With a cry of agony and fear, he was dragged up into the blackened sky by giant, feathered wings, the force of them throwing us against the dirt.

“RUN!”

“LOOK OUT!”

Another blood-curdling shriek echoed in the sky followed by hundreds more. Blood running cold, looking up into the smoke covered sky, several winged creatures swooped out of the darkness, careening towards the Earth, talons and arms outstretched. People screamed and ran in a panic as the winged creatures swooped low, picking off people from the crowd and dragging them high.

Bodies fell in pieces from out within the smoke.

I threw my hands over my head in any effort to protect myself from the harpies that cackled and screamed in delight and fury. Bellows and roars of monsters echoed from within the streets, leaving rivers of red and ash and blood in their wake. I jumped over ruins on the floor, stumbling painfully to my feet, feeling my body jarring painfully as someone slammed into me from behind. They fell face first on the Earth but they stumbled to their knees, scowling in terror and fury at me, opening their mouth to curse me-

Only to be plucked from the ground by a blast of air that whipped against my face and eyes, ash, dust and dirt stinging my eyes, blood splattering over me chilling me to my core.

I stumbled to my feet, eyes warily watching for any shadows above as I tried to avoid the moving, swarming crowd around me. My eyes fell straight ahead, landing on a woman on the other side of the road, stumbling to her feet.

“Mitéra!” I screamed. Unable to hear me over the shrieking din, the woman swayed on her unsteady feet. Face caked on ash and blood, drawing her gown close to her as she watched the chaos around her. “Mitéra!” I scream again, cupping my hands and trying to push through the crowd, but my body was fighting a rushing river and being beaten down. I felt my side hit the ground with a thump and my chest tightened as it fought for air but the smoke was thick around us. “MOTHER!” I scream, rolling to my knees, feeling pieces of stone vibrate. The ground tremors, growing stronger. And the screams from the other end grew louder and in a panic as if something was coming straight for them. Jumping to my feet, I push and claw through the ground, fighting to get to the other side, heart thundering.

Have to get to her! I have to get to my mother!

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!” I shrieked over the crowd, tears running hotly down my cheeks as I struggle against the swarm. The ground trembles violently, thunderous beats and a snarling. My mother, sees me through a rushing swarm, her eyes lighting up in relief at sight of me and my chest squeezes painfully. The thundering grows louder and I glance to the oncoming rush of bodies and the thunderous tremors and my heart freezes.

NO!

“MAMA!” I shriek, twisting and shoving through the crowd desperately, not caring if I hurt someone. “GET OUT OF THE WAY!” I scream at my mother. “MOVE!” She stares at me and her eyes like always since I was a child, stare at me with love and adoration. The sadness glistening within and she smiles painfully at me, shaking her head slightly.

My heart drops.

The creature barrels through the streets, hooves thundering on the crowd crushing all in its way. Skewering all in its vision with its horns as it runs straight across the street.

MOVE!

“MOTHER!” I try to reach out for her through a stampeding crowd, as the creatures rushes toward her. Her eyes watch me sadly as I watch in horror and panic as I scream and beg at her and the sky but unable to look away as the world grows quiet.

“MOTHER!”

MOTHER!

I scream, wrestling the blanket off me in a flurry of panic and terror. I tear the offending object off me gasping heavily as I kick and throw it on the floor as if under attack. My shoulders and heave as my breathing comes out shakily, heavily. I sit in the bed, panting, feeling the chill sweep over me as sweat drips down my neck and back, clinging my PJ’s to my skin.

I sit shakily in my bedroom, my eyes changing from a vision of red, black and screams to an almost pitch black bedroom that was empty of people except for me.

Breathe! In and out. In. And out. In and out.

I shake, my body swaying as I follow the motion of breathing, the thundering beat in my chest starting to soften as I felt my body slowly starting to calm down along with every breath I took.

I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay. It was just a dream...Another dream.

I tighten my lips again, hunching over and resting my forehead n my knees, closing my knees as I try to control my breathing which had picked up again.

“Another memory.” I murmur to myself. “Another one.” I grip tightly the bedsheets beneath, my hand aching from the force of the grip as my shoulder tightens and releases. “Breathe. I’m okay.”

The sound of feet moving quickly outside in the corridor coming closer had my head raising and a flash of guilt flickered.

Dammit. I was too loud again.

The door opened quickly, revealing the outline of a large, broad shouldered figure standing in the doorway.

“I’m sorry.” I quickly speak up before he does. I hear him move closer into the room and turn on the lamp beside my bed. My eyes protest at the sudden brightness. I hiss in frustration, blearily blinking through the onslaught of bright light until my eyes adjust. The bed shifts as Warren sits across from me and I avoid his eyes, nervously playing with the bed sheets. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Again.” He sighed but there was no anger or blame in his voice just worry. I feel his hand rest on my forehead, brushing some hair back. “What’s going on Pan?”

“Nothing.” I raise my head, looking up at him and do my best to smile though to me, even that feels fake. “It’s really nothing at all. Just a spider.”

“A spider.” He stares at me with disbelief. I nod my head.

“Yep. A spider. Crept over my face. I probably threw it away with the blanket in my fright.” I laugh. Warren stares at me coolly, quirking a brow.

“A spider. Again.”

“Yep.”

“So, a spider,” He starts, voice betraying his disbelief. “Has scared you five times throughout the week by crawling on your face in the middle of the night?” He stares at me with that quirked brow and I feel my defenses hackle.

“Yep. It’s a determined spider.”

“Have you thought of getting rid of it?”

“No. Its home is here. I’m the intruder. I just don’t particularly like it crawling on my face but like I said, it’s determined. It must like me. Though I can’t say the feeling is mutual.”

“Pan.”

“Spiders like me and I don’t like that.”

“Pan. It’s not a spider.”

“...It’s not.” Scowling at my feet as I sit cross-legged on the bed, avoiding his eyes as he remains silent across from me. He eventually sighs deeply, I can almost see him shaking his head as though I’m a child.

“Are you okay?” His voice softens and I can’t help relaxing a little. I was, just a little shook up. I didn’t like the memories. “It seems like you’re having the same dream and it’s scaring you badly.”

“It’s not a dream.” I sniffle, sitting up and unable to meet his gaze as I run a hand through my hair at the top of my head, before playing with my socks. “It’s a memory.” Warren grows silent again and I shake my head slightly. “I didn’t want to disturb you with it. It’s not your problem and I didn’t really want to talk about it because honestly I’m shaken up a little. Physically fine, but just hurts and when I wake up it’s hard to remember as clearly but it just seems to get worse. And I don’t like it. I hate it. I feel sick and panicked like I’m back there and I’m watching them die and I didn’t do anything to stop it because I started it...” Through my babbling and avoiding his eyes, I feel his arms reach out for me to curl around my body, pulling me to him and my body immediately followed his actions. My body dropping and leaning into his chest and my face buried against his neck and shoulder as my chest tightens and my words get heavier and slurred as I choke on them. My hands curl around his lower back, clinging to him desperately, not realizing I had needed that. I feel his arms settle against my back, his hand rubbing up and down slowly as he sighs above my head.

“I thought we established you’re not a problem here. Bad dreams or memories, normal things in life. If you wanted to be alone, you can tell me to leave you alone.”

A part of me, more logical thought along that route. Being alone would be best. I didn’t want to share this because it was painful and I haven’t really gotten to mourn my mother properly. It felt like a private matter that I needed to focus on.

But the thought of following through with logic had my body react the complete opposite. My heart clenched tighter as my arms tightened around his body as if daring him to leave. He didn’t say anything but he read the answer in my body and laid his cheek against the top of my head.

“I’m back there.” I whisper against his shoulder. He doesn’t say anything, continuing his gentle strokes on my back which had my body relaxing deeply, feeling the comforting rhythmic sensations. “Back to that night. The night when everything was good until I destroyed it. I destroyed my home.”

“It’s been a different face every night.” I swallow dryly, a sigh leaving me, ruffling his hair. “It was my mother tonight.”

His strokes on my back faltered as his arm tightened around me and he sighed deeply, his head shaking softly.

“I didn’t save her. I tried but there was too many people and she didn’t move, she just gave up there and I watched as the Minotaur...” My voice dies out, a strained cry leaving me.

“Oh Pan,” His stroking moved up to the back of my head sending warm shivers down my back. “I’m so sorry, Pan. I can’t imagine how that feels.”

Oh War, you do. You’re just too kind now.

The guilt lashes at me and I cling to him tighter until he starts to pull away. My body protested, eager for the warmth that his body exuded but his hands rest against either side of my face, forcing my gaze to meet his.

“It may not be worth much now after all you’ve face. But I promise, it won’t come to that night again.”

Oh War, I know your promise means you would do anything to make sure of that. But I can’t have faith now. Not while Aello has the box. And its final piece.

“And I’m sure your mother knows you did everything you could’ve done. I’m sure your mother is aware of just how determined and stubborn you are.” He chuckles softly, thumb stroking my cheek. “I mean, how many people would dare strike a horseman with a poker. Much less the war horseman.” My lips twitched, a slight breath of laughter leaving me and he smiles in return. “I’ll bet she was a beauty, I mean, where else would her daughter get it from?” He winks and I laugh aloud without realizing. He drops his hand from my face, laying his hands on the bed as he watches me.

“My mother was beautiful,” I breathe, wiping the slight tears from my eyes. “And she made the best food. Whenever I hurt myself in the fields outside of home, she would hug me tightly, while laughing at me. Then she would make her food and I was always happy.”

“A mothers love. Can’t go wrong.” His smile fades slightly and my smile drops.

Warren and his brothers, they had no family but each other. Created from chaotic events around the world rather than born, they had no blood relations, nothing to call home except a box that was hell and their prison. And the only ones Warren could ever call family, had been taken from him millenniums ago by my hand, forcing him to wander the world. Alone.

“I’m sor-”

“Stop. It’s fine Pan.” I could almost believe that but he shook his head in reply. “Another time for that.” The room goes silent and he frowns glancing around us and grimaces. “Christ, it’s freezing in here, Pan!”

“Um,” He glares at me.

“Why didn’t you turn on the heater?”

“I don’t know how.” He groans.

“Why didn’t you ask?” I shrug, avoiding his glare as I pick at the slight tear on my socks.

“I’m not always cold. Not until I wake up.” I shrug casually and he sighs, pulling himself off the bed.

“It’s cold, even for me.” He grumbles, standing up and stretching and my eyes follow up to him, taking his body which I just realize is shirtless. My mouth dries instantly and my heart stutters. The dim light from the lamp casts dark shadows over his abdomen gracefully like painting on a skin.

I can thank Zeus for the beauty of this.

Unaware of my ogling, Warren stretches his arm over his head, yawning widely and a flicker of guilt appears. He has work early tomorrow and I’m keeping him up.

“You should go to sleep Warren.”

“Yes.” He sighs but doesn’t leave. Instead he leans over, taking my hand in his and pulling me up even though I protest in confusion but he gives me a solid look. “Shush. It’ll take some time for the heater to warm up and you’ve got goosebumps. You can stay in my room tonight.”

Oh if only you knew where these goosebumps came from.

A sudden bought of desire rushed over me but I shook it off. No, not now. Turning off the lamp, Warren pulls me out of my room and down the corridor where I could really start to feel the temperature. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep in the warmth that was seeping out as I shiver. Warren walks into his bedroom, closing the door behind me and my eyes fall to the large bed against the wall. A memory fades into view that has my breath stumble and my heart tremor as a flash of heat runs through me. A memory filled with warmth, a rosy hue, soft hums, skin upon skin upon cotton sheets that tangled within our legs. Our bodies twined around each other in a way I had never thought possible. I could remember every single sensation, touch, thought, feeling, sound-

“Pan?”

Blinking out of my trance, where I was biting my thumb nail, I look at War who stares at me confused from my sudden trance but his expression falters briefly and he looks away, despite me already seeing how his cheeks darkened.

Oh my...

“Well, it’s warmer in here at least.” He clears his throat, his eyes moving over the room around me but never on me. “And if you’re not comfortable with me being here, I can sleep in another room-”

“War.” I sigh, rolling my eyes as I move to the other side of the bed across from him. “It’s fine. Besides it’s late and you need sleep.” I throw the quilt aside, crawling into the bed, sliding beneath the quilts and throwing the blanket over myself and feeling the heat surround me, I sigh deeply, eyes fluttering shut and my heart fluttering to a slow beat as I relaxed further. “Besides, it’s so warm under here. Why would you want to leave your bed when it’s so nice and warm?” Warren sighed in exasperation on the other side of the bed and I felt the bed shift. Immediately my heart started to become alive, letting out a stutter and the heat to become a little uncomfortable.

Christ.

He turned the lights off, throwing us in darkness and with a sigh he shifted until he laying comfortably beneath the quilts and let out a deep sigh that lasted a couple seconds I could practically feel the sleep pulling on him. Me, I was suddenly awake. And I was cursing myself for it.

I closed my eyes but I was just laying in dark bedroom with my eyes closed, next to a man who was sleeping beside me. A man whose body wasn’t even close to touching mine but I could feel the heat coming from him, which was making goosebumps rise on my arms as I was so aware of him. My blood heating and my heart continue its continuous skips. It probably wasn’t healthy.

I laid on my back, clutching the edge of the quilt under my chin as I started to breathe in and out slowly and relax my hiccupping heart. As the minutes ticked by, my heart rate started to quieten down and my body grew slack and sink back into the bed.

“Are you still nervous?”

Whoops. There goes my heart.

“I-I’m fine.” I scowled inwardly. Even I didn’t sound convincing to myself. “Really. Totally fine.” Warren sighs, rolling over until he was facing me even though I couldn’t see him at all but I could feel the slight brush of air as he breathed softly.

“If you say so.” He sounded calm but I wouldn’t put it past him to be a little annoyed and just riling me up despite it being late.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” I grumble, turning my head away. He snorts, shifting on his side.

“Kind of difficult to sleep when one can practically hear your mind working like a damn clock.” I scowl at him even though he couldn’t see me.

“Dánkosé me.” I mutter, rolling around onto my side. Warren hums deeply, rolling onto his back.

“Bit too late for that, baby girl.”

Oh dear God, Hera help me.

I laid flustered and my mind wandering to places it really should not but it was difficult to pull out of. My mind was wandering to the one and only time I had lain in this bed only a couple weeks ago. It was as soft and warm as I remembered, but it wasn’t the quilt that kept me warm. It was the very man who lay beside me and I sigh internally, rising my eyes to the ceiling as if seeking prayer.

“What did your mother look like?”

My heart stuttered at the question before thumping painfully sweet as I remember the face of my mother.

“The complete opposite of me. But she was beautiful. I often wondered if I took after my father but she never described him to me, just that he was loyal, strong and handsome and would have been a wonderful father.” I can’t help smiling as I stared deep into my memories of wheat fields, bright blue skies, the smell of food and cooking and the laughter of ticklish feelings as we ran barefoot through the grass. “Simpler times.”

“Yes, they were.” I rolled over slightly, feeling my eyes grow heavy and I had to applaud Warren for his work. Sleep was pulling me down into its slumber.

“Efcharistó, Gouóren.”

“Eíste efprósdektoi, Pandóra.” Warren hummed, the bed shifting as he rolled and I’m almost certain he had moved closer until I felt the slight touch of his skin on my hands as I curled into myself, enjoying the warmth around me. With one last sigh, I get my last word in.

“...There was a spider by the way.”