Chapter 4

Pandora's point of view

I said barely a word on the journey across the Styx and back to Olympus. Ennina asked me if I was alright and all I could do was stare into her eyes as I tried to hold in the rivers of tears within my eyes. She saw. She knew she could say nothing to comfort me or bring me back from my agony. Father was away when I returned to the palace and went into my room. I decided to look out at the view of the Aegean from my balcony; the tides had risen since I last gazed upon it. Tears came to my eyes, as those memories of being with my daughters filled my soul. The last time I had walked upon those sands, I was holding each of their little hands in my own. Epimetheus walked beside us, holding Reina's hand.

"Oh, Reina…" I sighed. How I would have done anything for her to hear me, to respond.

It mattered not what my father said, what everyone said. I chose then and there that I would take advantage of the fact that everyone was out of my father's apartment. I did something that I never would have dreamed I would. I went into my father's bedroom, into Ennina's closet and stole from her. I found the earrings I was looking for, green jade dragons, adorned with rose gold posts and adamantine designs, making the dragons less noticeable. I took some of her clothing as well, even the stranger looking ones, assuming people wore these things today. I took shoes and currency, and could only hope she would not notice they were gone. Even though it was nothing that was not easily replaceable, I still felt a heavy guilt weighing upon my soul for 'borrowing' from Ennina, someone who has been there for me my entire life. I stuffed these things into a bag of golden, quilted leather, then took down a Decimator from its place on the wall, strapping it to my thigh. I knew I would need my box, but had great doubts that I would be able to take it without hindering my escape from Olympus.

I gathered ambrosia from around the apartment, and after that I was done. I walked towards the front doors of the apartment, thinking about what form I would take on so that no one would notice who I am. I was fifty yards to being free of my fathers apartment, so, so close, when I turned a corner and came face to face with Nell. She looked me over; the bag slung over my shoulder; the earrings I wore; the utter determination written on my face and the way I held myself.

"You should not do this." She told me, knowing somehow that I planned to sneak away to find her mother. Though, of course it was all I spoke about, which meant it was not that far of a leap.

"She is my daughter." I stated, and she shook her head.

"The child you knew is gone." Nell spoke. "Some people do not want to be saved, especially not from themselves. How can you make sense of trying to run into the fray, when you know nothing about it? I do not know the pain you are going through, what I do know is you are going to fail and my mother… she is not the type to allow a threat to live, not even her own mother."

"She is my daughter…" I told her, my tears flowing down my face. "I care not if it ends me, I have to help her, if it is the last thing I do." She walked up to me, stopping a foot away from me.

"Then you need to see just what you are dealing with." She told me, and before I could protest, she placed her hand on the side of my head and my mind was filled with images, memories, her memories.

She walked through the palace, her body had healed, yet what 'he' had done to her left marks no one could see. She went through a set of iced doors, to where my daughter stood, looking over a map, while Nell closed the door behind her. Her mother glanced up and gave her a curious look.

"Why do you visit?" She asked, and in that moment, Nell broke down.

"Roan… he was drunk, and he…" She could barely get the words out, since the words made her think of it, and made her all the more afraid. "Twice now he has… forced me, tied me up and… raped me." Reina gave a sigh and placed her hands upon Nell's upper arms, smiling.

"He is sometimes that way, he gets a bit rough." She told her. "We all have our demons; it is your duty to him to help him through this." Nell shook her head as more desperate tears poured from her eyes.

"You do not understand!" She screamed, fear consuming ever inch of her of her being as she shook. "He will not stop! It is going to happen again! You HAVE TO HELP ME!"

"You are a woman now, a wife and as such you will deal with this." Reina told her, then took a step back as she turned to her map once again. "Run along now."

She stood there, in shock as her mother ignored her, realizing that she had no one else to turn to, no one else who would help her.

For a brief moment in time, I saw Nell's pale blue eyes before the next memory began. It was in that moment I thought about the difference in Reina, though my former husband had told me... I never imagined it was this profound. I would not let myself imagine Reina capable of such neglect of her own child.

The memories skipped ahead by months, months during which even though I did not see the memories, I knew Nell had had to endure Roan, at his best and worst, with no one she dared turn to. The next memory was in a dark purple room, filled with fine furnishings and details. Reina sat on a stool before a dramatic vanity of gold, wearing next to nothing as she brushed her long, wavy black hair.

"Going to see father?" She asked her mother, noticing the revealing black lace negligee she wore.

"Yes, in fact." Reina responded with a smile. "Why aren't you with your husband at this hour? Surely he desires you." Those words had a different effect upon Nell than they would have had months before hand; she was simply numb, knowing she had no choice, or hope for escape from her abusive husband.

"He is drunk." She said. "And not kind to me by far."

"But not a bad lover I hear." Reina said, a kind of smile upon her face, as if Nell knew nothing of her mothers former relationship with Roan. Everyone knew, even her.

"When he is sober." Nell replied, knowing that all she could hope for were those sober days and nights. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I cannot stand being around him when he is like this." Reina sighed and had a look of annoyance upon her features.

"Hiding from him will only anger him further." Reina explained this as one would to a child, not caring what her daughter had to go through. "It is your duty as a wife to please him, to make him happy." Anger and betrayal rose up within Nell's soul as she looked upon her mother, a woman who cared more for her former lover than her daughter.

"Then should it not be his duty as a husband to make me happy?" Nell asked. "Or at least treat me kindly?"

"He would not be so cruel if you treated him better." Reina stated, causing Nell to raise her voice, no matter how dangerous that was to do.

"Treat him better?" She yelled. "How dare you! You do not know how kind I have been to him, all the things I do for him! You should be taking my side! You are my mother!" Reina's eyes only hardened.

"I am your mother, and you will not speak to me in that manner." Reina warned her, her eyes glaring, demanding the respect she never earned as a mother.

"I should never have agreed to this marriage." Nell said.

"This marriage was your fathers choice, not yours." Reina told her. "He chose his best commander, it was a smart match for his daughter. You are a princess after all." Nell just watched her mother as her eyes became watery, her emotions overpowering her.

"Why did I even come back?" Nell asked. "I should have stayed at Blueridge or gone to the gods for assistance."

"Do you truly think they would have helped the daughter of the Nameless One?" Reina said.

"Zeus is his son as well," She said. "He is my brother by ichor, he would have helped me."

"No child." Reina said softly, walking up to her as Nell glared with those same tears within her eyes. "Zeus has more light in him than you do, he would have seen you as a threat and if you go to him now he will lock you away in Tartarus."

"Mera would not let that happen." Nell said this with certainty, and just barely caught the well-hidden anger in her mothers eyes at the name.

"Nellena, do you truly think she would still be friends with you if she knew the truth about who you are?" Reina asked. "You are a creature of darkness, whatever you do, you will never be able to escape what you are. It is best for you to just accept the truth."

"Mera was the only true friend I ever had, the only person who ever cared about me, except for Hunter." She replied, and in the next moment Reina's hand slapped her across her cheek.

"That is enough!" Reina commanded. "That is the last I ever want to hear about this Hunter or Mera Vandenberg ever again! Am I understood?"

"Yes, mother." Nell said darkly. Then Reina smiled to her and went to touch her cheek where moments before she had struck her, but Nell pulled her head away and Reina let her hand fall.

"Do not be angry with me, child." Reina told her with a smile. "I only want what is best for you. You do not belong with the gods, you have too much darkness within you. You belong here with your father and I and the Shadows, they will be yours someday."

"May I go?" She asked.

"From this room? Yes. But not from this palace." Reina told her, walking away and through a side door, towards Nell's fathers apartment.

She removed her hand, leaving me with tears rolling down my cheeks as I looked upon her, seeing in her eyes how difficult it had been for her to show me that and relive it herself. She gave me a heartbroken smile as her eyes filled with tears.

"I know she is your daughter, I know that you want to save her, but you need to understand that you are needed here, to fight against her." She told me softly. "I suffered at my mothers hands for most of my life, if there is anything I can do to save someone from a similar fate, I will."

"I cannot give up on her," I told her with my own tears. "She is the only child I have left. She has to be saved."

"Then fight on our side." Nell begged, taking my hand into her own. "Then we could capture her when the Shadows and bound immortals are weak enough! Having both you and Mera will change everything!" Still, Reina was my only thought.

"I will throw away what is left of my sanity if I do nothing." I told her.

"Then learn about everything you have missed." She told me. "Even at the rate gods can learn, it should not be a quick thing to do, you have thirteen thousand years to catch up on, and it could help take your mind off of things. Not to mention it is going to prepare you, for everything we will face. Please? Our family needs you." It took me a while to force the words past my lips, even though something told me it was the right thing to do.

"Okay." I agreed.


Author's Note: Well I cannot believe it took me THIS long to finish a single chapter! Forgive me for it being so short. I want to get more chapters out sooner, and sometimes shorter chapters are better, though they will not take anything away from the story, it will simply be broken up more than it has been before. Of course I will probably end up writing some LONG chapters as well, but we will have to see.