ONYX MOON

T H I R T Y - S I X

PANDORA 

Some say that I was a generous gift given to humanity...

Blessed by the Gods and to be revered by all that surrounded me...

Others say I was the beginning of Humanities downfall, cursed to topple any empire or individual that stood in my path. 

Personally, I believed in the latter, considering the day I was created was the moment the world turned to shit. 

Absolute dog shit. 

The Earth, which was inhabited by Prometheus' pets, was free of misery and evil, the land was covered in flowers while the rivers flowed with honey, not a single soul experiencing any kind of pain or suffering...and abundant in fairy dust and sparkles and all that shit that goes along with world peace. 

Yada Yada Yada...

Now, the next part is where the stories start to differ (according to who's telling it) so I've decided to tell you the only truth that matters...Mine. 

I was born...created...by my father Hephaestus, at the urging of Zeus, before Prometheus stole the sacred flames. 

From the time I was a young babe, I was taught all the things I would ever need, unbeknownst to me at the time, when the time it came for my exile. 

Athena shared with me her skills of crafting and lessons of warfare while oppositely, Aphrodite taught me the wiles of desire and what it meant to be a woman in a world dominated by men. Hermes contributed to my wicked sense of humor and crafty mind while Zeus gave me his mischievous nature. 

But the worst gift bestowed onto me, according to the human philosophers, was Hera's gift...

The gift of curiosity. 

But those philosophers were wrong. 

Because Hera's gift wasn't a curse...it was a gift from a woman who knew what it was liked to be in my position...born to fulfill someone else's purpose. 

And while she had much more freedom than I did, being the Queen of the Gods, I personally knew how much leash room Zeus allowed his pets to have before he yanked them back to his side. 

Because you couldn't refuse Zeus orders, no matter how much you wanted too or how hard you've tried. 

I shivered, shaking away the nightmares of my past and pushing down the nausea that arose in my throat at those memories. 

'You're not that girl anymore Pandora' I reminded myself 'You've paid your debts and done things to make up for your past'

Clearing my thoughts, I got back to the matter at hand...explaining my truth to you all. 

So here it is...

I was exiled to earth because I was a ticking time bomb...a unkillable maiden with skills gifted from the Gods, who served as a dual purpose to Zeus when the time came to exploit my final gift. 

And what final gift you may ask was bestowed upon me? 

Well, while it was seen as a gift by Zeus, to the rest of us with sane minds, it was a curse. 

A final "Fuck you" if you will, considering that this gift caused pain to anyone that came in contact with me. 

Because, unbeknownst to me at the time of my creation, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to ensure that my body, whether I existed on Olympus or the mortal realm, would be powerful enough to act as a prison.

A prison for the Seven Greatest Sins known to the Underworld. 

Pride...Envy...Wrath...Sloth...Avarice...Gluttony...Lust. 

A price for the gifts I've received...each representing some quality from the Gods who gifted them to me.

"A very touching story" A dry voice pulled me from my memories, making me glare at the red eyed current bane of my existence "Now skip to the part where you released the Seven Deadly sins and how that relates to our current predicament?" 

"When Zeus kicked me out of Olympus, like literally kicked me out of those pearly gates, all he said was to never let my...emotions get the better of me" I whispered, embarrassed at how I released the sins "I didn't realize what that meant until the first sin was released." 

He raised a brow "And?" 

I shook my head, pulling against my handcuffs that rattled against the rusty radiator. 

"I'm not telling you anything else until your release me" I challenged "And you can try to kill me if you want but all it'll do is piss me off and make me suddenly develop a case of memory loss." 

He just stared at me with those unnerving eyes of his, and I watched in fascination as they briefly flashed violet before turning crimson once more. 

"I'm not going to kill you" he finally said, a glint entering his eyes "On contrary, I think I just found the answer to all my prayers."

I squirmed under his calculating gaze "What answer?" 

He crouched down to where I was sitting against the dirty basement wall, gently gripping my chin so that I could focus on his next life altering words. 

"A trade" he whispered, violet eyes flashing once more "Your life for hers. My Mate can finally come home."