"It's simple," she said at length. "It's a counter. And if my calculations are correct, it's counting the number of days we have left."
"Almost twenty days have gone by," Pandy said, "and there's only one evil in the box."
"You could look at it like that, I suppose," said Iole, sensing her friend's distress. "But I prefer to ruminate that we have over five whole moons to do this!"
Pandy smiled, but the three remained silent. . . and no one slept.
At daybreak, Urania poked her head into their tiny room and found each girl already dressed and packed to leave. She scurried to the food cupboards and prepared a first-meal of boiled eggs, vegetables, and grain cakes with hibiscus honey. Cadmus told them that Crisa was two large hills away and if they hurried, they'd reach it shortly after midday.
The girls thanked their hosts and left feeling refreshed, even with such little sleep.
"Why didn't they wake up last night?" asked Alcie, back on the main chariot road.
"Why do you think?" said Iole sincerely. "The gods can appear to whomever they want. Hera is magnificent, Pandy. And boy, does she like you!"
"Yes," said Pandy, thinking about Jealousy steaming away inside the little wooden box and Hera's last words, something about all of the plagues not being so easy to capture. "Yes, I am blessed."
The four walked on, cresting one hill and then another, until at last the city of Crisa lay below them. Pandy looked beyond the city walls to the Gulf of Corinth, spreading out before her like a beautiful deep blue blanket. She smiled, looking at the tall ships in the harbor, one of which, she knew, would take them all to Egypt.
EPILOGUE
In her fine apartments, the Queen of Heaven sat at her looking glass, brushing her red hair with long, fast, harsh stokes; curious and livid at the same time.
"She's getting help! I can feel it," Hera said, cleaning her brush of the massive amounts of hair she'd ripped from her head (all of which, of course, instantly grew back).
"I suppose it doesn't really matter. There's no chance of her success. Not with the things I have in store for her. But still. . . the other girl. . . the child who walks oddly. She babbled that they already knew where to look for the second plague. That map is unreadable to a silly little maiden, I don't care how many friends she has traveling with her!"
"What are you going to do?" came a soft voice from a divan in the shadows.
"Well, I'm having too much fun watching the little fool struggle to really care, so I suppose I'll see where she goes and just continue to poke at her a bit. After all, she's only been at this a little less than one moon. I've got over five moons left to mislead her all over the planet. It is not yet time for you or me to put her in mortal danger. High priestesses and Harpies have been doing that just fine for the past few days . . . and there's more to come of that kind of sport, you can be sure. Do you know what they do to trespassers and infidels in Egypt?"
Hera, who'd witnessed such destruction and mayhem since the world began and had caused much of it, shuddered in spite of herself.
"All right. All done. How do I look?"
There was a laugh from the shadows.
"How else could the wife of Zeus look? You will outshine all others."
"I'm so glad Zeus finally decided to make the others throw me a surprise party. How's this . . . will I look surprised?"
Hera unhinged her jaw and widened her eyes. She looked more terrified and grotesque than genuinely surprised.
"Perfect. Shall we go? They're probably all in place by now."
"Yes, let's," Hera said. She lumbered toward the door of her apartments, stopping only briefly as the figure rose off the divan to join her.
"What do you know about any other help that she's getting?" she asked.
"I've told you everything already."
"Yes, yes . . . Athena and Hephaestus and the silly net. I expected something like that from those goody-goodies. But you'll continue to tell me everything that you hear or see, won't you?"
"Darling, after the wealth and power you've promised me . . . the two of us ruling heaven and earth side by side . . . you know I will! Trust me."
They moved out of Hera's rooms, Hera in front, her blue and white robes flowing behind her. The figure who'd been in the shadows now stepped into the brilliantly lit hallway, leaving only a smattering of autumn leaves and icicles melting on the floor to show that she'd been there at all.
GLOSSARY
Acropolis (uh-CROP-o-lis): the tallest point of land in Athens upon which stood the Parthenon.
Aeolus (AY-o-lus): King of the Winds; a god who lived on earth on a floating island called Aeolia.
Aphrodite (af-ro-DI-tee): Goddess of Love and Beauty.
Apollo (uh-POL-oh): God of Music, Poetry, Light, Truth, and the Healing Arts. Often called the "Sun-God," it is Apollo, in his magnificent chariot, who pulls the sun across the heavens each day.
Ares (AIR-ees): God of War; he is the son of Zeus and Hera, both of whom, legend says, absolutely hated him.
Artemis (AR-teh-miss): twin sister of Apollo; often called the "Lady of Wild Things," she was huntsman-in-chief of the gods. She was also the protector of youth and young things everywhere; and, commonly, the primary goddess of the moon.
Athena (uh-THEE-nuh): Goddess of Wisdom and Reason. She has no mother, but instead sprang from Zeus's head—fully grown and in full battle dress. She is a fierce warrior-goddess, wily and cunning. She is Zeus's favorite child.
Atlas (AT-lass): one of the original Titans and, in some myths, Prometheus's brother. Zeus condemned Atlas to bear the crushing vault of the heavens on his shoulders forever. (Often he is portrayed as also having to hold up the earth as well, but that's just illogical. I mean, think about it, where would he stand? Hmm?)
Bacchanalia (BOK-an-all-ee-a): a loud, noisy party.
Bellerophon (bell-AIR-o-fon): hero who tamed the winged horse, Pegasus, and slew the dreaded Chimera.
Caduceus (ca-DOO-see-us): a staff carried by Hermes with two snakes intertwined around it, meeting at the top beneath a pair of wings; the inspiration for the symbol used by doctors or hospitals today.
Calydonian Boar (cal-ih-DON-ih-an): an enormous boar that terrorized the Calydon countryside.
centaurs (SEN-tors): creatures with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse.
Cerberus (SIR-burr-us): an enormous dog with three heads (some accounts also say a dragon's tail) who guards the gates of Hades.
Chimera (key-MER-uh): a mythical monster with the body of a goat, the tail of a snake, and the head of a lion. Oh, and it also breathed fire.
Crete (KREET): the largest Greek island.
Cronus (CROW-nus): a Titan and the father of Zeus, Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Demeter. He swallowed his children whole as soon as they were born, believing the prophecy that one of his children would overthrow him. When Zeus was born, however, Rhea, his mother, wrapped a stone in a blanket and gave it to Cronus, hiding the baby Zeus on Crete. When Zeus was grown, he forced his father to disgorge all of his brothers and sisters. Then ensued the battle between the Titans and the Olympians for control of the heavens and earth.
Cyclops (SIGH-clops): defines either the race or one of the race of ancient giants who had only one eye located in the middle of their forehead.
Delphi (DELL-figh): a city in Greece, site of the famous Oracle of Apollo (also called the Oracle at Delphi and the Temple of Apollo).
Demeter (de-MEE-ter): sister of Zeus, Goddess of Agriculture and the Harvest; patron of agriculture, planting, crops, health, birth, and marriage.
Dionysus (dye-oh-MGH-sus): above all else, God of Wine and Theater, and, with Demeter, also a God of Agriculture.
dryads (DRY-ads): nymphs that lived in trees; when the trees died, so did the dryads.
Eros (EE-ros): son of Aphrodite, and the God of Love. Eros is more commonly known as his Roman counterpart, Cupid.
Euphrates (eew-FRAY-tees): a large river in southwestern Asia.
Hades (HAY-dees): Zeus's brother and ruler of the underworld (the land of the dead, also called Hades).
Harpies (HAR-pees): "the hounds of Zeus"; winged dragons with serpents' tails, razor-sharp claws, and hooked beaks. In addition to their fearful appearance, the Harpies left the foulest stench imaginable in their wake.
Hephaestus (heh-FEST-us): God of Fire and the Forge. He is the armorer and smith of the gods. He is the only god to be born ugly and misshapen, yet his wife is Aphrodite.
Hera (HAIR-uh): Zeus's wife and sister. She is the Queen of Heaven and is the protector of marriage, married women, and childbearing. Two words describe Hera: jealous and petty. Of course, that might be because Zeus's many affairs have plagued her since the creation of mythology.
Hercules (HER-cue-lees): a demigod (his father was Zeus) and the greatest and most famous of the ancient Greek heroes. Hercules had to perform twelve almost impossible labors as penance for killing his wife in a (Hera-induced) fit of madness.
Hermes (HER-mees): the messenger of the gods, the swiftest in action and thought. He was known as "the Master Thief" (having stolen Apollo's herd of cows on the day he was born) and was God of Commerce and the Market, the protector of traders.
hydra (HIGH-dra): a huge water snake with nine separate heads, one of which was immortal. To kill the Lernaean hydra was one of the twelve labors of Hercules.
Medea (meh-DEE-uh): a Greek princess who killed her two children when her husband fell in love with another woman.
Medusa (meh-DOO-suh): a hideous, snake-haired Gorgon; she was banished to a rocky island where she lived with her two immortal Gorgon "sisters." She was killed by Perseus, who cut off her head and gave it to Athena, who then placed it in the center of her shield, also called her aegis.
Morpheus (MORE-fee-us): God of Dreams; Morpheus would often appear in dreams as your loved ones.
Nemean Lion (NEE-me-an): an enormous lion, killed by Hercules with his bare hands as the first of his twelve labors.
Olympus (o-LIM-puss): an enormous mountain in northeast Greece, close to the coast of the Aegean Sea; at its summit is the home of the twelve Olympian gods.
oracle (OR-a-kull): there are three distinctive definitions: a person who sees and predicts the future; a prophecy or prediction as told by a temple priest, priestess, or seer; a shrine or temple where a god was consulted.
Pan (PAN): Hermes' son; God of Goatherds and Shepherds. Pan is part animal, with goat horns and a goat's hindquarters, legs, and hoofs. He is an excellent musician, having created the panpipes.
Parnassus (par-NASS-us), also Parnassos: a mountain in central Greece.
Parthenon (PAR-thuh-non): standing atop the Acropolis, the Parthenon was the primary temple to the city's patron goddess, Athena.
Pegasus (PEG-a-suss): a beautiful, white winged horse, born from the blood flowing from Medusa's neck after Perseus beheaded her.
Persephone (per-SEH-pho-nee): daughter of Demeter, unwilling wife of Hades. Persephone spends six months of the year in the underworld with her husband, during which Demeter turns her back on the world, which is why we have autumn and winter. When Persephone is with Demeter, she rejoices, giving us spring and summer.
Perseus (PER-see-us): a young hero who killed the Gorgon Medusa, by looking at her reflection in Athena's metal shield to avoid her eyes, which could turn him to stone.
phileo (fill-EH-oh): deep love from a friend to a friend, or from a father to a daughter.
Poseidon (pos-EYE-don): brother to Zeus and Lord of the Sea.
Prometheus (pro-MEE-thee-us): a Titan who fought on the side of the gods in the battle for supremacy over the earth and heavens. He also stole fire from Zeus when Zeus refused to share it with mankind. For this he was chained to a rock where a giant eagle would feast on his liver during the day, only to have it grow back at night.
satyr (SAY-ter): a woodland deity, very often described as a cross between a man and a goat. Often connected with Dionysus, satyrs like women . . . a lot.
Sirens (SIGH-rens): creatures with beautiful, enchanting voices; they would lure sailors on passing ships to their deaths with their captivating songs. They inhabited a small island in the middle of the sea, but no description of them is known, because no one who looked upon them ever returned.
Stymphalian Birds (stim-FAY-lee-an): many accounts say these were flesh-eating birds. Hercules shot them as his sixth labor.
Tartarus (TAR-tar-uss): a terrible place in the underworld—even lower than Hades. It is described as being so hidden from sunlight and so deep in the earth that it is surrounded by three separate layers of night, which in turn surround a bronze wall, which then encompasses Tartarus. Sometimes it is described as a dank and wretched pit engulfed in murky gloom. In other descriptions, it is a place of white-hot flame.
Titan (TIE-tan): a race of giant gods who ruled supreme over heaven and earth until they were overthrown in a fierce battle with Zeus and the other Olympians. The Titans that sided with Zeus in battle, he rewarded; those that did not, he imprisoned in Tartarus.
Tiresias (tye-REE-see-us): fictional, but named for a famous blind Greek prophet.
Zeus (ZOOS): the supreme ruler, chief among all the gods, wielder of the mighty lightning bolt (sometimes called thunderbolt). His power is greater than that of all the other gods combined. He is often portrayed as falling in love with one woman after another, which infuriates his wife, Hera.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Elizabeth Hailey, Kim O'Bannon, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa McNeeley, Jamie Wooten, Nicholas Hope, Barbara Olsen, Craig Newhouse, Peter Renaday, Madeleine Pellegren, Dan Schneider, Wenzel Jones, Christina Carlisi, Phyllis Kramer, Brooks Adams, Meg Brogan, Mary McGuire, Trista Delamere, William Ster-chi, Rene, Charlotte, Sybil and Martha Pallace, Kelli Coleman, Betty Buckner, Gerald Brennan, Claudette Sutherland, Warren Cowan, Karen Smith, Richard Over-ton, Katy Dowdalls, Frank Crim, Mary Mazzocco, Boots Hart, Edith Eig, Ezra Buzzington, Peter Gref, Marc Rosenbush, Todd McClaren, Michael John Derricott, Michael and Becca Hennesy, Brian Hennesy, Jennifer Griffin, Camden Toy, Mary Lou Belli, Sarina Rantfl, Pavlin Lange, Dace Lavelle, Tony Pines, Emily Webster, and Susan Blu for their time, comments, laughter, and, in some cases, sheer astonishment.
Special thanks to Leah Miller for her top-ten list; Minnie Schedeen, who knows more than most; Dino Carloftas at Metro and Nancy Gallt, the two best agents a gal could have; Elizabeth Schonhorst, editor extraordinaire, who laughs at what I say and gently clarifies what I write; my mother, Ramona, and my aunt Barbara, who read everything with love and clear eyes; Sarabeth for her faith, love, wisdom, and for always reminding me of the source and supply; Scott Hennesy for laughing (which means a lot); Harriet for her encouragement; Kel, who rushed right over; Josie, my "sister," for pronouncing it "poddy"; and Rosie, of course... always.
And, finally, thank you to Michael Scott for saying, "You know what this really is... ?"
Pandora Gets Jealous Page 17
