cMending What's Broken - A Wizards of Waverly Place Fanfiction…

A/N - So here is chapter three! Yeah! This chapter took me a bit to write, hence the waiting for an update. Thank you all so much for the views! I see people are reading, and I appreciate it. A bit happens in this chapter, so bear with me, but it is essential!

Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place

Magia Ultra Mente Somina - Magic Beyond Wildest Dreams

Chapter 3

Later that evening, the tension at the family dinner was awkward, and Max wouldn't be truthful if he said he didn't think this was odd. Their father hadn't even shown up to eat, frantic about what he had asked about Max earlier; Alex said he was tearing the wizard's lair apart to find it. That night after dinner, Max went to his room and pulled the box out. While looking at it, he felt guilty for lying to his father earlier. At the time, Max knew this was what his father had meant when his dad asked Max, but the young boy played dumb once more and acted like nothing was taken. Feeling his guilt come back, the young former wizard put the amulet on, letting it hang around his neck, his body shivered again, and suddenly he had magic again. The excitement of being a wizard again replaced his feelings of guilt, and Max started to play with his powers.

When Max was done messing around with a few spells, he returned to the box and looked inside again. The young boy didn't know what he was looking for, but he searched the papers for warning signs and information. Max stopped for a moment, but then he saw a small piece of paper at the bottom of the box he had missed the first time around. Grabbing the paper, he pulled it out and read it. What surprised him the most was that it was a spell. The spell on the small piece of paper confused Max, but he grinned to himself; magic was so much fun.

Looking at the paper once more, Max grins as he holds his wand up and starts reciting the spell:

Magic more, magic, eh; Let my wildest wish come true and make me a full wizard like my sister and brother!

With the glow of his wand, magic came around him, causing his body to shake again, and he felt all tingly but only for a moment. Once his body relaxed, Max grinned, knowing he was now a complete wizard; everything was right in the world again. But as he celebrated being a full wizard like his brother and sister, Max didn't realize that the amulet he was wearing sank into his sink. The amulet now became a part of him, and because he used this power, it made it very possible for bad things to happen. Unaware of this, Max sleeps that night thinking of ways to try and tell his family about his powers without them asking too many questions or wondering how it was possible. Yup, the night was quiet, and the whole Russo family slept.

As they slept, the amulet that sank into Max's chest area glowed, and something entered his body. For a brief moment, his body glowed, and then the glow simmered, and Max was still sound asleep. Max Russo didn't realize he had just made the biggest mistake of his life…

…

That morning Max woke up feeling groggy, his mind hurt, causing him to have a headache, and he didn't feel well. Rushing to the bathroom, Max looked at himself in the mirror as he got ready and noticed how much paler he looked. Frowning, Max passed it off at the thought that he was getting sick when he noticed the amulet shape encrusted in his chest as he changed. Instantly Max started to freak out, and he had forgotten he kept the amulet on after he cast the spell, and was suddenly scared at the moment. Considering his opinions on handling this sticky situation, Max took a deep breath and put his shirt on, making sure to hide the embedded amulet on his chest. Going downstairs, he sees his family up and moving already.

His mother was making breakfast while his sister Alex and her friend Harper were at the table eating and chatting. Coming down, he came over to his mother and smiled. "Moring, mom."

"Morning, Mijo. Breakfast is about ready…." His mother greeted him as she smiled at him.

"I was wondering where dad is; I need to talk to him," Max stated as he eyed the room around him for any signs of his father, it was odd not to see him here.

Mrs. Russo sighs and says, "He's in the wizard's lair; just be careful he's riled up."

Nodding, Max thanks her and leaves; he goes into their family's sub shop and finds his way to the lair hidden in the family sub shop freezer. Entering the lair, Max was surprised to see his mother right about his father. Jerry Russo was at a desk with wizard books around him, he was asleep, and it made Max wonder how long his father had been like this. Walking over, he started gently shaking his father's shoulder.

"Dad….dad…DAD!"

The last one caused his father to jump awake and get into a fighting mode stance. Thankfully he stopped when he realized it was just his son, "Max, what are you doing here?"

Max frowns at this and scratches the back of his neck, something he's always done when he was nervous, and says, "I came to ask you something; is this a bad time?"

His father sighs and thinks about things for a moment, then comes over and pats his son on the shoulder. "No, you can always talk to me. What's going on?"

Thinking for a moment, Max asks. "Earlier, when you asked me if I took anything from the lair…I didn't…but I wondered what was so important about the thing that has you freaking out? Alex and mom are concerned…." Max finishes as he eyes his father, hoping he doesn't catch his lie.

"I don't know if you ready…."

"What do you mean? I'm about to be eighteen in a month…."

Sighing and thinking, Jerry finally has him, and Max sits on the couches in the wizard's lair. He looks around as if checking to see if someone is listening but relaxes when he notices it's clear. Looking at Max seriously, he frowns. "You have to promise me you will not tell anyone. Not your mother, not Justin, and no other mortal. I'm technically not allowed to tell you since you are mortal now, but I will because you're my son. Do you promise?"

Knowing it was supposed to be serious, Max grins and says happily. "I promise, dad, and I do because if I know something Justin doesn't know, I'm going to keep it to myself."

A slight grin appeared as Jerry shook his head at his son's silliness; he nodded. "Alright, so here's the deal…."Jerry began as Max got comfy and eyed his father with interest. Jerry continues."A while back, Professor Crumbs and the Wizard Council came to your sister and me about something severe after the family wizard competition and the evil Alex thing. Once they met, they asked us to guard something significant. Max, do you know who Pandora is?"

"Oh yeah, she's the nice lady who always plays music on my phone," Max states with a smile.

Mr. Russo eyes his son oddly, trying to figure out his randomness. Frowning, Jerry shook his head and sighed, "No, Max, that's a radio station…Pandora is a woman from greek mythology." He thinks for a moment before he and his son make eye contact, and he continues. "...You see, Pandora was one of the first women and the wrath of Zeus. She was held responsible for releasing all the ills of humanity. Pandora means "gift" and "all." According to (and perhaps even invented by) Hesiod in his Theogony and Works & Days, Zeus had Hephaistos make Pandora, the first woman, from earth and water. Zeus intended to use the beautiful Pandora to punish Prometheus, who had stolen fire from the gods and given it to humanity, who would, in turn, be punished." (1)

Eyeing his father in interest, Max took all the information in for a moment. "Okay; what does this all have to do with the thing you asked me about earlier?" Max wondered; he remembered learning about the name before in history class.

"Because the thing I'm looking for has to do with Pandora. If you know her history of her, then the thing will make sense. Now…." Jerry continued to explain everything to Max. "...Before her departure, Pandora was given a range of divine gifts by each of the Olympian gods. Athena taught her all the fine crafts and dressed her in silvery robes, Aphrodite gave her grace and the means to create burning desire, and Hermes gave her "a dog's mind and a thievish character" and in her breast "set lies and guileful words" (Works & Days, 67-68, 77-78). If that was not enough, she was adorned with fine jewelry by the Graces, crowned with a magnificent golden headband made by Hephaistos, and given garlands of spring flowers by the Seasons. Finally, Pandora was given a large storage jar to take down to earth, which she was told she must never open under any circumstances." (2)

Frowning, Max eyes his father with confusion, "If she was given the box, then why did they tell her not to open it ever? That doesn't make sense." Max finished as he shook his head.

Sighing, Jerry says, "That's the whole point, Maxie. Anyway…." Jerry stated that not wanting to discuss the question with his son would confuse him more. Continuing, he says, "...Pandora, guided by Hermes, was sent to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Foolishly forgetting his brother's advice never to accept a gift from the gods, the beautiful Pandora was welcomed in Epimetheus' home, and the two married, having a daughter, Pyrrha. One day, and fulfilling her destiny, curiosity got the better of Pandora, and she lifted the lid of the storage jar, which released all the world's evils. These terrible things included disease, war, vice, toil, and the necessity to work for sustenance. (3) Does this make sense?" Mr. Russo wondered as he eyed his son seriously.

Max nods, "Yes, it does, dad, but if she released all this bad stuff in the world, how can we fight it?"

Mr. Russo smiles and says, "That's the last bit of this lesson…You see after she realized her mistake of opening the box, she quickly replaced the lid, but it was too late, and only one thing remained inside, caught in the edge of the jar's lip —Hope— so that humanity might somehow bear its sudden and eternal misfortune. (4)

With all the explaining finally being done, Max frowns. "Okay, so Pandora is a figure from greek mythology and one of the reasons our world suffers from many problems. But you still didn't answer my first question; what does this have to do with the item you asked me about earlier when you were looking for it?"

Patting his son's shoulder, Mr. Russo says, "I was looking for Pandora's box. It's natural, Maxie, and the council came to Alex and me and asked us to watch it. It's a powerful amulet that holds all the gifts. If one person uses them, it could be too much, and things could go wrong.

At this information, Max looked at his chest for a moment and swallowed, fear slightly creeping inside him. He eyed his father acting normally. "What if someone who wasn't so bad got a hold of it? And I don't know…the amulet embedded itself into their chest? I'm just guessing that could happen…."

Asking this had caused his father to look up from his book and eye his son oddly. Frowning, Jerry stands and says, "That person would be in trouble; Pandora would be trying to take the person over, kind of like possession to come back. The amulet was created when Pandora was destroyed. It was made to hold her sole and powers, giving Pandora a chance to come back and cause havoc in our world. Why is there something your not telling me?" Jerry wondered as he raised an eyebrow.

With panic settling in, Max turns into innocent mode and says, "Oh look…I'm late for my shift at the sub shop! Bye, dad, thanks for the lesson; I'll keep an eye out and let you know if I see it!"

After that, Max rushes out of the wizard's lair, hoping his father bought his lies and didn't follow him. Thankfully, he was in the clear as he rushed to his bedroom and looked for the box; pulling it out, Max frowned and started cursing himself for being an idiot. Not wanting to come clean about taking the box, afraid his father would be disappointed and mad at him for doing so, he decided to go to someone who always had a solution to these situations.

It was time to visit Justin at Wiztech…

A/N - There was chapter three; this is the longest one I have written yet! I do apologize for the long history lesson on Pandora in Greek mythology. It is essential to know this story. Otherwise, it will not make sense. Also, greek mythology is fascinating. I have had fun researching Pandora for this story so far! Anyway, thanks for reading. Chapter four will be up soon!

Citation for 1,2 and 3 paragraphs: (this is not letting me post links, but it is worldhistory org / pandora) also without the spaces.