Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group)

by Andrea Domanski

  When he stepped aside, Myrine saw Steve. His eyes were open, but he didn’t look happy to be awake. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She grabbed the cup of water from the table and placed the straw gently in his mouth, allowing him time to take a few small sips before removing it.

  “It’s really good to see you, honey. How are you feeling?” Myrine stepped back to allow the doctor to resume his examination, but Steve grabbed her arm, pulling her in close.

  “Stop her,” he croaked out in a whisper.

  Chapter 26

  Mirissa placed her phone into her pocket, after ending the call with her mother, and rejoined Greco at the base of the monolith. She felt his hand wrap around hers as she stared at the fallen chunk of stone to their right. On their first trip to Mount Olympus, her father had been crushed by that rock, and the memory of his battered body swept over her like a tidal wave. She hadn’t planned on telling either of her parents about her destiny, but when she asked her mom to place the phone to her unconscious dad’s ear, she found herself letting the truth gush out. The tears that began during the phone call were still streaming down her cheeks. She wiped them away, took a deep breath, and assured Greco, “I’m okay. Let’s get this done.”

  Flip, who’d disappeared for a moment after they arrived, now stood at her side, holding a small metal box. When he opened it, Mirissa saw two crystal-like lumps of something the color of red wine sitting on a plush insert. He held the box out to her, and the crystals jiggled as though they were made of gelatin.

  “Eat these and you can cross through to my Mount Olympus,” Flip said.

  Greco pulled her behind him, glaring at the little god. “You must be freaking joking. You expect us to trust you? How do we know that isn’t some sort of poison? Killing the key-holder would certainly gain you some favor with your boss.”

  Although Greco had agreed to accompany her to the land of the gods, she suspected it was more to talk her out of the trip than it was to help her. After she’d called him earlier that morning, she and Flip had explained the situation. They’d given him the Reader’s Digest version of Flip’s story, and patiently waited for him to stop cursing. Once he’d given his consent, Flip had teleported all three of them to the one place on earth where a mortal could enter the real Mount Olympus.

  Flip scrunched his forehead and returned Greco’s glare. “It’s not poison. It’s ambrosia.” He shook his head. “You have such a cracker on your shoulder.”

  Greco, who’d looked ready to lunge a moment earlier, stopped short. “Chip. I have a chip on my shoulder. And I think I have a right to. You’ve lied to us from the beginning. Now you’re trying to feed us some strange Jell-O that, as far as we know, might very well kill us.”

  Flip took a deep breath, and with a much more conciliatory tone, replied, “You’re right.” When he saw the fury rise in both Mirissa and Greco’s expressions, he quickly added, “Not about the poison. Geez. Killing the key-holder is definitely against the rules, and would incur a punishment from Zeus that would make even Eris flinch. I’m just saying, I understand why you don’t trust me. Although, I can’t get you to the box unless you do. Only gods can move in and out of our dimension whenever, and wherever, we please. You guys, and Daedric, too, have to come here and eat ambrosia. It’s the only way for you to cross.”

  Mirissa turned to face Greco, forcing him to meet her gaze. “If I don’t do this, it’s over. We’ve lost. I understand if you don’t want to, but I’m going.”

  The corners of Greco’s mouth turned up. “You really are a pain in the ass.” He reached over, grabbed the box, and each of them took a piece of Ambrosia.

  “Bottoms down,” Flip said.

  “Up. Bottoms up,” they replied in unison. Then they popped the nuggets in their mouths just as Mirissa’s cell phone chirped.

  ********

  “Oh, that was brutal!” Mirissa swallowed hard against the vomit threatening to spew out of her. Whatever form of transportation brought them to the land of the gods, it definitely wasn’t standard teleportation.

  As soon as they’d swallowed the ambrosia, the scenery around them swirled into a vortex of greens, purples, and reds, with a spiral of golden mist encircling each of them. It felt like standing in the middle of a Technicolor tornado. Then the ground beneath them disappeared, and they were whooshed upward.

  When her feet landed on solid ground once again, the vortex dissipated. Greco stood to her left, doubled over with his hands on his knees, while a smiling Flip waited for them to recover.

  “We’re here,” Flip said. “But it won’t be long before someone figures out you’ve crossed over, so we need to move quickly.”

  As her nausea subsided, Mirissa took in her surroundings. They were standing on a small hill covered in the most perfect grass she had ever seen. Every blade looked uniform, with not a single weed in sight. As she slowly spun around, she saw the “portal” they’d come through.

  Two pristine white columns rose ten feet into the air, separated by a cross section of the same swirling mists that had just enveloped them. Mirissa reached her hand toward the specter, but before her fingertips could pierce the mists, it disappeared, revealing the even more impressive sight hidden behind.

  “Wow,” Greco said breathlessly from beside her.

  “Yeah. Wow,” Mirissa echoed.

  A quarter mile of gently rolling hills. with trees so perfectly formed an artist would be jealous, stood between them and what Mirissa could only describe as a palace of epic proportions.

  A dozen intricately carved columns framed the enormous golden double doors at the entrance. Marble walls, so white they shimmered in the uninterrupted sunlight, were as beautiful as they were imposing. Atop the entrance, perched on the shoulders of four statues, sat a circular observatory enclosed in glass.

  The rest of the palace was equally impressive. Several wings, of varying heights and sizes, spread out from the sides. Each had its own architectural style with arches, columns, domed roofs, or golden shingles. Separately, they would have been incredible palaces in their own right. Together, they formed the most magnificent castle imaginable.

  “Is that where we’re going?” Mirissa asked.

  Flip’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Definitely not. That’s Zeus’s home. The great hall is in that wing over there.” Flip pointed to the domed area just to the right of the entrance. “And all of the higher gods will be in there right now.”

  “All of them?” Greco asked in exasperation. “I thought you didn’t want anyone to know we were here.”

  Flip put his hands on his hips and glared at Greco. “It’s not like I had a choice of where to bring you. This is the only entrance to our realm for anyone other than a full-blooded god. Besides, the timing is perfect. With Ares and the rest of the higher gods at Zeus’s meeting, we can search his palace without getting caught, because that would be really, really bad.”

  A bell tolled from somewhere in palace. “That signals the beginning of their meeting. We should go,” Flip said.

  Mirissa reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, suddenly reminded that it had rung before they entered the portal. A notification on her screen showed a missed call from her mother. “I don’t suppose you get cell reception up here. This might be an update on my father.”

  When Flip did nothing but raise an eyebrow, she shoved the phone back into her pocket. “Okay. So, how do we get to Ares’s place?” Mirissa asked.

  Without giving her an answer, Flip winked. An instant later, they were standing inside an extravagantly decorated library. It would have been the stuff of a museum curator’s dreams if it wasn’t for the overturned shelves and priceless books strewn all over the room.

  “I take it someone had a bit of a temper tantrum?” Mirissa remembered the story Flip had told her earlier about Eris’s betrayal of her brother.

  Flip let out a little laugh. “This? This is nothing. If he’d had a real temper tantrum, we’d be standing in the burned out hus
k of what used to be his palace.” He stared at her for a moment.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re not feeling anything?” Flip looked disappointed.

  “No. Why? Should I be?” Mirissa asked.

  “If the box was still here, I think you’d know it,” Greco answered.

  Mirissa pulled the key from beneath her shirt and held it out as far as its chain would allow. “It’s not doing anything. Where else can we look?”

  “I don’t know. I thought you’d feel something when you crossed over. Zeus would have made sure you could find it. I don’t even know where to start now.” Flip paced back and forth as he spoke. “There’s no way Ares would have hidden it in any other god’s palace. He doesn’t trust anyone enough.”

  “That should narrow it down,” Greco said.

  “Not really. He could have brought it to another realm, or buried it somewhere, or …” Flip’s voice faded as he shook his head. “There are too many possibilities.”

  The three exchanged glances, but no one put forth any suggestions.

  Until Greco’s eyes widened. “Flip, where exactly did you and Daedric bring the box after you retrieved it from Pella?”

  “Here,” Flip said. “This is the only room I’m allowed in.”

  “No. I mean, tell me exactly where you set the box down.”

  Mirissa watched as a confused Flip walked to the side of a huge leather couch. “We put it on the floor right here.”

  Greco smiled as he motioned for Mirissa to join him by the couch. “You know those visions you’ve been having? Now would be a good time to have another one.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the spot where the box had been a few days prior.

  Mirissa jerked her hand away and stepped back. “I can’t control when I get one of those. They just … come.”

  Greco placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke calmly. “Stop doubting yourself. You—”

  “I’m not doubting myself,” Mirissa interrupted. “I really don’t control it.”

  Greco continued to hold her gaze and spoke as though she hadn’t interrupted. “You’ve gained control over every one of your powers, even when you thought you wouldn’t. This is no different.”

  Mirissa’s frustration grew as she tried, and failed, to get through to him. “This is different, Greco. These visions feel different. It’s like the power isn’t mine.” She shook her head, unable to find the right words. “I can’t explain it, but each time I’ve had one, it felt like something that was given to me, instead of something I created on my own.”

  Greco let his hands fall from her shoulders. “So, someone’s sending you visions?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know,” Mirissa said.

  Flip walked up beside them and added, “It can’t hurt to try, though, right? I mean, maybe whoever’s sending them to you will do it again. We really don’t have anything else to go on.”

  He was right. She could spend a lifetime searching for the box on Mount Olympus and still never find it. They needed a lead. Somewhere to start.

  “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

  Mirissa closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She’d never called upon a vision before, so really had no idea how to begin. In her mind, she tried to see the room, the box, and Ares. When she opened her eyes, she saw only Greco and Flip, staring at her.

  “It’s not working,” she said, as she flopped down onto the large couch. “Nothing happe—”

  Mirissa took in a sharp breath as Ares manifested right in front of her. She’d thought they’d have more time while he and the other gods were at Zeus’s palace, but apparently the meeting was cut short.

  She opened her mouth to utter some pathetic apology or another in the hopes of saving their lives but stopped before the words came out. Ares didn’t appear angry. In fact, he seemed happy. What the …?

  When the god walked along the front of the couch—right through Greco who still stood quietly watching her—Mirissa understood. This was a vision. She hadn’t realized it simply because it didn’t look like the others. No image had superimposed itself over the room, because the room hadn’t changed since the box was brought there.

  “I’ve got it,” she whispered to Greco and Flip, hoping they would take the hint and remain quiet.

  Mirissa didn’t move as she watched the god of war pace back and forth in front of her. She’d met him once, back on Ortega, when he’d come to rescue Daedric. At the time, she’d been terrified. His presence was intimidating to say the least.

  Standing several inches taller than Greco, with long black hair and a perfectly sculpted body, Ares looked stunning. No, glorious was a better word. Every pore in his exquisitely unblemished skin exuded power.

  When he suddenly spun around, Mirissa followed his gaze. Flip and Daedric stood in front of one of the towering bookcases, carrying an intricately designed metal chest between them.

  “You found it,” Ares said with a hint of a smile.

  “Uh, there was a bit of a mishap,” Flip said, as they placed the chest gently on the floor at Ares’s feet. “They opened the box.”

  Just then, a beautiful woman appeared. Her long dark hair and flawless pale skin were striking. It was her black eyes, though, that drew Mirissa’s attention.

  “It’s good to see you, brother,” the woman said.

  “And you, Eris.” Ares glared at Flip before turning to his sister. “But you shouldn’t be here. We haven’t learned the identity of the key-holder yet.”

  Eris waved a dismissive hand in the air. “No matter. Humans can’t have evolved enough over the past five thousand years to threaten me. And even if they have, we simply need to keep the box here, so the key-holder can never find it.”

  “But Zeus will know it’s been opened. If he finds it here, he—”

  “Must I do all of the thinking, brother?” Eris interrupted. “Just hide it!”

  Ares’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he turned his attention to Daedric. “Show Eris to one of the rooms in the back. We’ll need to keep her out of sight until we deal with the key-holder.”

  When the two disappeared, Ares stalked toward Flip. “How could you have allowed the box to be opened?”

  “There was nothing I could do,” Flip whined. “The archeologists dropped it as they were carrying it out of the chamber.”

  “Silence!” Ares bellowed. “You’re supposed to be a god, and you can’t control two pathetic humans?” He raised his hand and Flip flew into the wall behind him. “Is there nothing that you can do right?”

  “I’m sorry. I tried, but there wasn’t time to stop it.” Flip trembled as he regained his feet.

  “My plan was perfect. Now you’ve ruined everything. The key-holder will know the box has been opened. Zeus will know the box has been opened. Soon, every god on Mount Olympus will know. You are pathetic!”

  Ares grabbed Flip by his throat and pulled him off the ground so their eyes met. “You have never been worthy of being a god, so now you won’t be.”

  Flip was thrown to the floor hard enough to crack the marble. When he stood, his eyes widened. “No, Ares. Please give me my powers back. I need them. I’ll be defenseless without them,” he pleaded.

  But Ares didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his back, flicked his wrist, and Flip disappeared.

  Mirissa watched the scene play out in front of her. The god of war may have been gorgeous, but he was also a complete ass. She understood why Flip had chosen to defect to the other side. She would probably have done the same thing under those circumstances.

  She waited for Ares to say something that might tell her where he’d hidden the box, but the god didn’t appear prone to talking to himself. He just paced circles around it, pausing occasionally to stomp his foot or shake his fist in anger. When he finally picked it up, Mirissa took in every detail, trying to discern something that might be the least bit helpful. But she found nothing.

  And then he was gone. Holding onto the box, he took a
deep breath and sank through the marble floor as though a hole had formed beneath his feet.

  Mirissa rose from the couch and shook her head to clear what remained of the vision. “I saw it,” she said.

  “Saw what?” Greco and Flip asked in unison.

  “When you and Daedric brought the box here.” She held Flip’s gaze a moment longer than necessary in the hopes of showing her sympathy. “But once Ares was alone, he disappeared with it. He didn’t say anything about where he was going. I’m sorry.”

  Greco threaded his fingers through hers and pulled her to his side. “It’s not your fault. This was a long shot, anyway. Once he teleported, there was nothing you could do.”

  Mirissa remembered the first time she’d seen Ares. He’d teleported into the game room of Daedric’s house on Ortega with a blinding flash of light, to rescue his son. That had been her first introduction to a god and would forever be seared into her memory.

  “Flip?” Mirissa asked. “When gods teleport, they disappear in the same way I do, right?”

  “Pretty much. Sometimes the higher gods are accompanied by a flash, but only when they’re trying to show off,” Flip answered.

  “But that’s not what Ares did with the box. He didn’t just disappear. He fell through the floor. Could that mean the box is in the basement?”

  Flip’s jaw dropped. “Are you sure he went through the floor?”

  “Yeah. I watched him pick up the box and drop through the floor. Why? What does that mean?”

  It was Flip’s turn to pace back and forth this time. “It means our task just got a lot more difficult. There’s only one place we travel to in that manner.”

  Mirissa could feel a knot forming in her stomach as she waited for him to continue. Bringing two human’s to Mount Olympus hadn’t fazed him at all, but now he looked scared.

  Flip stopped pacing and brought his fingers to his mouth, chewing on his nails. “He’s taken the box to Tartarus.”