They should be afraid.
He looks at me, and only me, and his smile is everything the god of death’s should be.
I can’t help but smile right back at him. Ready for whatever comes next as long as it’s with him.
“A dark king and queen, ruling Olympus and the Underworld side by side,” Aphrodite murmurs behind us, an odd lilt of trepidation in her voice. “This could be interesting.”
Hades ignores his sister and turns to Zeles, then commands, “As my rightful boon as ruler of Olympus and King of the Olympian Gods, I demand Pandora’s Box.”
The room erupts in chaos as an ornate, wooden container suddenly appears at Hades’ feet.
The box rumored to have the power to unleash all evils on the mortal world. I swallow back my own panic at the one secret Hades still managed to keep from me.
He gives me a look swirling with guilt. “I’m sorry, Lyra.”
Epilogue
Even Gods Make Mistakes
I stand on the balcony of Hades’ penthouse, looking out over my city at night. The lights of San Francisco might be even more beautiful now that I see them through different eyes.
It’s all in the perspective.
Lightning flashes over Zeus’ temple in the distance, and I’m considering knocking that thing down and making this our patron city instead when strong arms steal around me. Hades drops his forehead to the back of my head, and I hear him breathe me in.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” he asks.
It’s only been a day since he was crowned. After a whole lot of explaining on Hades’ part all last night and today, I now know everything. We have something important to do. And we have only one shot.
It all comes down to saving Persephone.
I already knew she wasn’t dead, that she’d been trapped in Tartarus somehow. Pandora’s Box is how we get her out. That is why Hades needed to be King of the Gods all along. So he could get the box as his boon.
Pandora’s Box—the container that appeared actually held something more like a jar, which he informed me was very large when it was fired but has been shrunk for easier carrying—is, apparently, a back door to Tartarus. A magical portal that will work for a single person to enter or exit. Persephone somehow already knows to be waiting on the other side of the gate at the appointed time.
But Pandora’s Box can only be used once. And it’s dangerous.
It’s not the evils of the world Pandora’s Box could release. Like a lot of the myths and legends of this pantheon, mortals got that wrong, too. It has the power to unleash something much, much worse. The Titans.
But Hades says there is no other way, and I believe him. He’s tried everything else he can think of since she disappeared. Plus, he’d been informed ahead of time that I could win the Crucible. Come to think of it, who informed him is still vague. I’ll have to ask him after we’re done freeing Persephone.
Which of course we’re going to do.
After everything he put me through to get that damned box, Hades is giving me the final choice.
I lay my arms over his and squeeze, leaning into him. “I’m sure. Stop asking.”
He’s been uncharacteristically unsure of himself since explaining. Or maybe feeling guilty.
He takes another breath. “It’s time, then.”
In a swirl of smoke, Hades ferries us down into the Underworld. It takes three teleports, because of the wards and the depth.
The second we arrive, we’re hit with Charon’s snarled, “For the record, Phi, I don’t like this.”
He’s already waiting for us outside the gates of Tartarus with Demeter, Boone, and Cerberus.
Hades scowls. “You’ve been more than clear for the records.”
I put a hand on Charon’s arm. “If you were trapped in there, you’d want us to try,” I argue.
Charon shakes his head. “Not if it was too dangerous.”
“This is a foolish gambit,” Demeter agrees slowly. “But…my daughter doesn’t deserve to be in there with…them.”
She bites her trembling lip, her red-rimmed eyes welling with more tears. I insisted last night that Hades tell her what really happened to her daughter. As her mother, Demeter had the right to know, to be part of the decision, and now to be here to help.
“We’ve already been through this,” Hades says. “We agreed.”
Charon looks away, then gives a jerking nod. He may hate it, but he’s backing his best friend anyway.
We all do foolish things for the people we love. And sometimes we win. Either way, we have to try.
The Crucible taught me that.
In heavy silence, we make our way over the narrow bridge that spans an unending pit that is a moat around Tartarus. Hades has already warned the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires who live in the abyss below, guarding the gates from the outside since they were released from that same prison. They won’t attack us tonight.
