Page 48 of Pandora's Pain
Saying that, I didn’t really intend on catching the first three, so agreeing to the fourth wouldn’t be too bad, right?
No. I couldn’t do it. When I’d agreed to trap the original three miseries, I didn’t actually know what I was getting myself into. This time I really would be selling someone’s soul.
“Don’t do it,” Alex croaked, making me jump slightly.
I wasn’t sure why, but I hadn’t expected him to say anything.
“I didn’t invite you to speak,” Zeus said, sounding more bored than anything. Apparently, anger was beyond him at this point.
“Can I talk to Alexius alone?” I requested.
Zeus raised an eyebrow. “Very well. I have a goddess to see to.”
He disappeared before I could reply. I rolled my eyes.
“I’m surprised he left us.” Alex sounded in pain, and I longed to give him something to drink. Unfortunately, Zeus hadn’t provided anything. Probably on purpose. He’d done the same when the gods had first talked to me.
“He’ll still be listening,” I replied.
“Of course. He has ears everywhere.”
“Apparently, in my head too,” I added, a little forlorn over the circumstances. It was bad enough knowing Alex had a shortcut into my head. Zeus being able to use that pathway… I shuddered. That wasn’t the most pleasant of realizations.
“I’m sorry,” blurted Alex.
“For what?” I cocked my head to the side and studied him intently.
“Everything.”
“How specific.” The sarcasm that crept into my voice was completely unintentional, but it did kind of fit.
“I just mean for being so cruel to you before. If I’d realized…”
“Ah, I see. You went through a fraction of what I did, and now you think you understand it.” I flared my nostrils, and my palms itched.
“That’s not what…”
“Isn’t it?” I demanded, the volume of my voice rising a few notches as I spoke.
“No.” He sounded a little dejected, and I sighed in response.
“I’m sorry for shouting.”
“You don’t need to be sorry,” he countered. “You’re right. I thought I understood already. But I can’t possibly.”
“Besides, you’re a god, you can’t understand the cruelty of your kind.” While my words should have been cutting, they actually came out a lot softer than anticipated. More miserable than anything else. Which I supposed did make at least a little sense.
“I’d say that, as a god, I have thebestunderstanding of my kind’s cruelty,” he muttered. “We have no respect for friendship or family ties. Nor even for lovers. We’ll betray, and use, and belittle at will because, in a few centuries, all will be forgiven.”
“But this time, you bore the brunt of it.” I was bitter, I wouldn’t deny it. But I did think it was well placed.
“Yes, this time I bore the brunt of it. But this time is different for another reason,” he stated. “This time, I know someone trying to break free of the gods’ hold.”
His eyes bored into mine and I found myself getting lost in them without even meaning to. It wasn’t my intention to fall for Alex, but the sincerity in his eyes was hard to ignore. As was the lingering emotion there I didn’t want to name. It was too scary to.
“And that means leaving you here?” I lifted an eyebrow as I whispered.
“Yes. Don’t force this on anyone you don’t have to.”
