Pandora's Mistake (Fate of Eros #0) (The Fate of Eros Series) (8 page)

He entered the cave and she followed stiffly behind him. He placed the food in the back with a smirk. "We'll be hungry afterwards, so we'll wait to eat until we're done."

He turned around and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He kissed her gently on the lips as he had when he was kissing her burned arms. It was pleasant, but she'd rather be kissing Prometheus and experiencing the chills he gave her as her stomach tightened with desire for more.

He stuck his tongue in her mouth and she bit it in shock. Luckily, this turned him on and he moaned or she would have been slapped across the face. She didn't realize until that moment how sturdy Titans were. She had seen him kill men, so she knew she wasn't strong enough to beat him, but she had no idea that his skin was so thick that her bites didn't hurt.

He grabbed her ass and pulled her closer until their hips were pressed together. Something long and hard pressed against her body from inside his clothes.
What was that thing?

She pulled away. She was shaking, but not in a good way.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

This was her duty and Prometheus said it would be pleasurable. She had to keep going and ignore her gut, which was telling her this was all wrong.

"Nothing," she whispered. She shouldn't have allowed him to do this. She couldn't trust him.

He grabbed her again. Nothing about his touch was gentle anymore as he lifted her into his arms. Her jaw ached from kissing him. The way his tongue kept darting between her lips felt like a violation. It would get better. She had to be patient. He wasn't really suffocating her with his kisses; this was how married people showed their love. If she could relax, maybe it wouldn't feel as if he was squeezing her insides in his embrace.

He pulled off her robes. She pictured the way Epimetheus watched her scrub her body when she took a bath and instantly regretted him doing this. Epimetheus grabbed her breasts and she was reminded of the human male who had violated her and forced her to kiss him.

One of her arms was pinned, but the other one was free. She beat him in the chest with it, but to him it felt like love taps and he laughed drunkenly.

He pushed her against the ground. She had seen him kill people, but never realized until that moment how helpless she was against him. She couldn't move. He was taking off his clothes and parting her legs against her will. She was his puppet and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

He pulled away and she screamed. Finally, she understood what Prometheus was talking about. That thing dangling between his legs was what he was going to use to enter her in the slit between her legs. She didn't understand how this act would produce a baby.

"Stop!" She beat him on the chest and tears poured down her face.

"You little bitch," he shouted. "I asked you if you were ready and you told me that you were! You can't take it back now!"

He shook her and she screamed louder.

"Please, I'm sorry." He couldn't really be doing this to her, could he? Why had Prometheus told her this would be pleasurable?

He shook her so hard that her head banged against the wall behind her. She saw stars in front of her eyes.

"I'm your husband!" he growled. "If I take you now, no one will call it rape."

She screamed some more as he yanked her head back by the hair. He spat in her face as he spoke and the veins in his neck were bulging. "I should just fuck you hard, until you shut-up, but I won't-"

He lifted her over his shoulders instead and threw her against the cavern wall. Her back cracked against several of the rocks as they pierced her skin. She fell on the ground with a thud and didn't move for a while. She was bleeding and the wind had been knocked out of her.

"Next time I will force you to fuck me! You won't have a choice!" Epimetheus spat on her, but she was relieved that he didn't touch her again.

He got dressed and so did she. He grabbed the food they were supposed to share. "Do not leave," he ordered her.

He left the cave by himself.

He was trying to punish her by forcing her to starve. She'd punish him, too, by not being there when he returned.

Pandora had no idea where she was heading. Her vision was blurry from tears and she was so upset that she could barely walk straight, but she didn't care. She had to get away.

She headed straight for the trees. She knew there were animals that might attack her there, but it wasn't any more dangerous than living in that cave. And it was the only place she could imagine being able to hide from Epimetheus.

How had things come this far? She remembered the first day she opened her eyes to Hera and Zeus gazing down at her. Zeus' beard was so long, it tickled his face. Hera's bright eyes and veil made her look gentle and loving.

They were much taller than her, making her feel like a helpless child in comparison. They were surrounded by the white of the castle that rested on Mount Olympus. Its beauty was pleasing to her eyes.

She sat up, wishing to explore this place. Everything was so bright she had to squint to see the other gods gathered in the room. She moved her hands and then stared at them as she wiggled her fingers.
How was she doing that?

Everything was so new. She didn't understand where she was or who these people were.

They introduced themselves one at a time. They told her that her name was Pandora.

"Pandoooora?" The sounds tickled her tongue as she pronounced them. She giggled and then laughed some more at the funny sound giggling made.

Zeus took her arm and helped her walk on her new legs to the table. Fairies flittered to and fro, filling glasses to the rim. There were places for everyone. Pandora took her chair across from Zeus, gazing at all the pretty colors and sparkly silverware.

She watched Zeus take a large bite out of his pastry and gulp down his ambrosia. She did the same and moaned out loud. The sweet tastes passing across her lips were addicting. These gods knew what good things were. They would show her the way to enjoying this life.

"Very good." Zeus smiled at her as she chewed a second bite.

His teeth were so white and sparkly she wanted to touch them. Instead, she touched her own mouth and felt that she had teeth, too. Wow! Was she a goddess, too? It couldn't be! She was so short compared to the rest of them.

She gazed at one of the silver plates that had been emptied of food. Though distorted, she saw a pretty girl gazing back at her with brown hair and blue eyes. She smiled at the girl. She wanted to be friends. The girl smiled back, her eyes crinkling. She blinked her eyes and so did the girl. She shook her head and the girl mimicked her, with hair flying everywhere. She was about to get annoyed when she realized that she was gazing at herself.

She had features similar to the gods, but she could tell she was different. Her skin was shiny, unlike theirs, and her facial features were tiny in comparison.

The gods were proud of her as she absorbed her lessons in the course of a few days. Eating, walking, and talking came naturally to her, but knowing what was edible or poisonous, her sense of direction, and when to speak or stay quiet wasn't as easily taught.

After a few days, they told her there was someone they wanted her to meet. A man arrived at Mount Olympus and Pandora hid behind Hera's skirts in fright. He was hairy and strange-looking, not nearly as pretty as the other gods were. But he was taller than they were.

"Hello," he said. His voice was gravelly. He looked like a furry mountain.

Instead of responding, she hid her head entirely.

"Don't worry. She'll come around," Zeus had reassured him.

They sat down at dinner. The man, who said his name was Epimetheus, sat down next to her. He stared at her too much and she leaned away from him.

Zeus looked straight at Pandora. She met his gaze.

"I have invited Epimetheus here because he will be your husband," Zeus said.

"Husband?" Pandora repeated the word slowly, trying to place the meaning of it. Her eyes lit up as she remembered Hera once calling Zeus by that name. So the relationship between her and Epimetheus would one day become like what they have? She frowned as reality struck her.

She beat her tiny fists against the table in front of her. "I thought I was going to get a god for a husband someday, not him!"

She didn't know who this strange man was and she was afraid he would take her from Zeus and Hera, whom she considered family.

Zeus was unfazed. "He once was a god."

Pandora looked him up and down slowly. "He was?"

"Yes," Zeus said. "He's a Titan. They ruled before I did."

Epimetheus hit the table, almost breaking it. Everything around them shook. "I will not be treated like this. She's a human-she can't look at me that way!"

Pandora cowered, thinking about hiding underneath the table cloth.

Zeus winked at Epimetheus. "Don't worry. We'll talk to her. It will all work out.

"Maybe if you shrink yourself down to her size, it will intimidate her less."

Soon, before she knew what was happening, the fairies had surrounded her and were leading her into another room. They dressed her up and cooed over what a beautiful bride she would make.

Hera entered inside once they had finished, her head almost brushing the ceiling. Her fists were clenched and her mouth was stretched into a tight line.

"I was once in the same position as you," she said, softly. "Forced to marry a man I didn't want to be with, but you'll learn to love him in time. Don't forget to use your body to seduce him. A woman's curves can make any man, immortal or not, into a slobbering fool if they use them right."

Pandora was wide-eyed. She had no idea what Hera was talking about, but she nodded her head anyway.

Zeus entered the room after her. He carried a tiny jar in his hands. "It's customary during weddings to give gifts. I want you to have this jar, but I need you to keep its existence a secret for me, okay?"

Pandora nodded.

Zeus continued. "It holds something very precious inside and you are never to open it under any circumstances. Demons and people may tempt you, but ignore them. You are to protect it."

He placed the jar in Pandora's hands. She stroked it lovingly. "I promise I will keep it safe."

Zeus smiled. "I know you're nervous about marrying Epimetheus. He does have an anger problem, but don't worry about it. He's harmless as long as you always obey him. That's what a good wife does-obey her husband."

Pandora nodded.

Zeus patted her on the head. "Don't look so worried. I will always be here for you to pray to when you need me." He left the room with those last words.

Pandora stood around awkwardly for awhile, until the fairies ushered her outside. She saw all the gods gathered around, even ones she hadn't yet met. She walked between them, wishing to disappear as they all stared at her.

Aphrodite's servants played their flutes and pretty music as she walked, helping to calm her down.

The only reason she didn't run away was Zeus' smile waiting at the end of the aisle. He had led her this far. He had given her many nice things and shown her what it meant to be a human. He couldn't possibly be steering her in the wrong direction now.

Once she made it to the front, she grabbed Epimetheus' hands. He had shrunk himself down to her size. She stared into his eyes, her hands sweating as the ceremony began.

*** *** ***

She wandered around the woods for hours before her mind was able to clear enough to come up with a plan of what she should do.

As tears poured down her eyes, she bowed her head. She should have done this earlier.

"Dear Zeus," she whispered under her breath. "You promised if I prayed to you that you would always help me. I need you. My husband has attacked me and I don't know what to do. I obeyed him like you told me to, but it made no difference! I left the jar I was supposed to guard behind and I'm scared to return. Please come here and rescue me from all of this."

Her heart pounded. She hadn't wanted to disturb Zeus, but she no longer had a choice. She fully expected Zeus to be standing in front of her, grinning and ready to take her back as soon as she opened her eyes. After all, she was his child, his creation. She didn't have any other father except for him.

But all she saw were the dark trees surrounding her. They were so thick that they blocked most of the light. Zeus was nowhere to be seen and she had no idea where she was standing anymore. She stopped walking and ran. She needed to get out of this place where she was lost to the gods and the world, and find somewhere safe.

Why hadn't he arrived already? Didn't he love her? Wasn't she precious enough to him?

As her breathing became heavy, she prayed again. "Please, Zeus, I need you to help me. I tried as hard as I could to protect the jar, but he attacked me. You should punish him like you punished Prometheus because you are a just god that doesn't want to see your child suffering."

She needed a voice or a whisper or anything to know that Zeus was there, but nothing came to her. She screamed her prayer at the top of her lungs, ignoring the birds and other animals that went fluttering and scampering around her at the loud noise.

"Zeus, please! I need you! I'm desperate! Your child is suffering and in pain!"

A hole appeared in her heart and grew with every second. The world wasn't supposed to work this way, was it?

She had never truly felt alone until that moment. She was wary of the Titans, resistant of trusting them, and the humans were just as scary, but she had always assumed that the gods would be near enough to hear her when she was upset. They were supposed to come rescue her if she needed it. But technically, they had never promised to rescue her.

The trees parted and she saw a bright light up ahead. Maybe this was a sign from Zeus. Maybe he was showing her the direction she needed to go!

Her legs picked up speed, even though they already ached as she raced. She went to the end of the trees and was almost sucked away by the strong wind blowing around. She grabbed the branch of the nearest tree in time to prevent herself from floating away.