Ch. 179: The End Of Pandora (Hera's POV)
A storm brewed in the heavens as I tightened my grip around Pandora's fragile neck, the veins of black amber coursing under her skin illuminating faintly against the darkened sky. Her once imposing aura had crumbled like ash in the wind. This vessel, this abomination, had dared to challenge us gods— , no less. She was a mockery, a hollow force trying to emulate power it could never truly wield. My fingers twitched as her trembling body hung in my grasp.
"Hephaestus," I said slowly, without glancing at him. My voice carried a note of boredom, though I was anything but that. "You should tread carefully when interrupting . It rarely ends well."
He flinched, clutching his strange contraption like a shield. My son— poor, pathetic Hephaestus, always desperate for so form of redemption. He was never truly whole, never truly mine. And yet, here he was, pleading for the life of an enemy. Talk about a complete disgrace of a package.
To think such a vile thing ca from .
"Mother, I can extract the entity within her," he said, his voice firm despite the fear I could see lingering in his molten eyes. "Killing her outright could destabilize everything. We don't know what will happen to the ones cursed by her if she dies before we sever its connection to her. Let do this."
I tilted my head, studying him with ill interest. Was this his ploy to regain so semblance of importance, or did he genuinely believe he could succeed where others had failed? The desperation in his voice tugged at sothing deep within — a flicker of emotion I quickly extinguished.
"Do you think I care what becos of her at this juncture?" I asked, my tone sharper than the storm wrought winds. "She is nothing more than a tool, a vessel of chaos. Ending her ensures that chaos dies with her. To be honest I should not be mudding my hands for this but I just wanted to do so good this ti and now I'm the one who should relentless."
Pandora squird in my grip, her body convulsing as she tried to summon her strength. She clawed weakly at my wrist, the effort almost pitiable.
"It's almost admirable that you even put up a fight, almost. But I decide who lives on Olympus." I smirked, tightening my hold until the cracks in her neck deepened, echoing like the prelude to thunder.
But then—
A pulse.
It radiated through the air, cold and ancient, a force older than even us Olympians. It emanated from Pandora, but it wasn't her. Sothing darker stirred within her, sothing… alive.
"You feel it too," Hephaestus said, his voice trembling now. "The entity is waking. If you kill her now, it won't die— it will only find another host. A stronger one." He steeled his eyes with conviction at .
I hated that he was right. The pulse grew stronger, resonating with an energy that made the very fabric of Olympus tremble. The black amber rain intensified, its needles piercing into the city below, infecting and corrupting everything it touched.
"You gamble much, son," I said, my fingers loosening slightly around Pandora's neck. "But I will allow this— for now. Don't test my patience."
I released Pandora, letting her crumple to the ground like a broken marionette. Her body spasd, and for a brief mont, I thought she might truly expire. But then, her chest rose sharply, and her head snapped up, her eyes now glowing with an eerie, unnatural light.
The entity was awakening like a beast caged. If this ant the entity had never one fully awaken it would truly be a bit of an issue if it did wake.
Hephaestus wasted no ti. He moved with a precision I hadn't seen in him for centuries, honestly I hadn't seen him in centuries. I rember his live for contractions, tals and bolts I never saw vision in them but sohow he managed to liberate this world with it. Activating his device—a strange, cylindrical apparatus covered in glowing runes and gears. It humd with raw energy, its purpose both chanical and mystical.
"Combining technology and divine energy together? You really do have a way of outdoing yourself." It was not a complint just a re statent.
"Hold her still," he commanded, his confidence surprising .
I raised an eyebrow at him but complied, pinning Pandora to the ground with a single hand. She scread, her voice a cacophony of her own and the entity's— a discordant symphony that sent shivers down my spine for so reason but it only lasted a second.
"You think you can extract ?" the entity hissed through her lips, its voice layered and otherworldly. "You ddling gods are nothing but insects to . I am eternal. I am—"
"Oh, spare the monologue," I snapped, slamming her head against the ground with enough force to crack the marble beneath her. "You all say the sa thing. Bla bla bla, we get it, you're a profound bitch you don't have to rub it in."
Hephaestus activated the device, and a beam of golden light shot out, enveloping Pandora. The entity scread, its voice reverberating across Olympus. The black amber rain faltered for a mont, the storm weakening as the device worked its magic.
But then— chaos erupted.
The entity fought back, tendrils of black energy bursting from Pandora's body, lashing out in every direction. One struck Hephaestus, sending him flying into a nearby column. Another ca for , but I caught it in my hand, the searing pain barely registering as I crushed it.
"You've made your choice," the entity roared, its voice shaking the heavens. "Now face the consequences!"
The tendrils multiplied, tearing through the rooftop and reaching for the city below like swarming vines of a living creature. I summoned my divine power, golden light exploding from my body as I fought back the onslaught. Hephaestus, dazed but determined, returned to his feet, adjusting his device to amplify its output.
"We have to weaken her more!" he shouted over the cacophony.
I didn't need his advice. I lunged at Pandora, my hands glowing with divine energy as I struck her again and again, each blow weakening the entity's hold on her. She scread, the tendrils retreating slightly with each hit, but it wasn't enough.
A sudden surge of power erupted from Pandora, knocking back. I landed gracefully, my gown fluttering in the wind, but the force had been enough to crack my confidence. This was no ordinary fight.
And then, reinforcents arrived.
From the sky descended Ares, his blood-red armor gleaming despite the darkened skies. Behind him was Eris, her chaotic aura crackling like wildfire.
"You started the party without us?" Ares smirked, unsheathing his blade.
Eris grinned, her eyes alight with mischief. "Let's end this farce, shall we?"
I straightened my form and looked at them with one eye. "Little ones do grow up so fast. Shall e begin then?" I said with a darkened glare.
Together, we launched a coordinated assault. Ares charged head-on, his strikes brutal and unrelenting, while Eris unleashed waves of chaotic energy that destabilized the entity's defenses. Hephaestus continued his work, the device now emitting a high-pitched whine as it drew the entity out piece by piece.
Pandora's body convulsed violently, her screams mixing with the entity's as it was slowly torn from her. The black amber rain ceased entirely, the storm dissipating as the entity weakened.
"It's working!" Hephaestus shouted, his voice triumphant.
But the entity wasn't done yet. With one final burst of power, it erupted from Pandora's body, a massive, writhing mass of black energy. It hovered above us, its form shifting and pulsating, its rage palpable.
"You will regret this," it snarled, its voice a thousand voices in one.
Ares stepped forward, his blade glowing with divine power. "We've heard that before."
In unison, we unleashed our full power. My golden light, Ares's crimson fury, Eris's chaotic energy, and Hephaestus's device all converged on the entity. It shrieked, its form destabilizing as it was torn apart, its essence scattered into nothingness.
When the light faded, silence reigned. Pandora or what was left of her lay unconscious, her body frail but alive. The city below was in ruins, but the black amber had vanished, its plague defeated.
I turned to Hephaestus, my expression unreadable. "You've done well… for once." Stay connected through empire
He nodded, too exhausted to respond.
"But we still ended up killing her in the end. Bumr." I ran my hand down my wet hair.
Hephestus gave an agitated laugh. "My device was also a one kill trap."
As I gazed at the broken remnants of the battlefield, a strange sense of satisfaction washed over . The war was far from over, but this victory was ours.
And yet, in the back of my mind, I couldn't shake the feeling that sothing far worse was still to co.
I watched Hephestus hurry to the half naked ex-Pandora on the ground with a worried look on his face and thought. "So that's his babe, not bad."
Author's Note: Thank you for reading this far. I really appreciate it. If you can gift pls do, it will assist in giving more motivation to work. Thanks!!
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