Pandora's Curse

Air rushes through my lungs and chest like a cool glass of water, my lungs contracting as I gasp for more air but I still felt suffocated. My eyes blinking against the suddenly bright light as it pierces my eyes painfully, my eyes watering.

“That’s it! Take in deep breaths! There you are. You’re okay now, hun.”

Blinking through the brightness, chest heaving painfully as I swallow in lungful’s of air, my vision swimming in pairs and voices amidst sounds were echoing around me, growing clearer as I approached the surface.

A friendly face stared down at me, smiling in relief as she hooked something around her neck.

“There she is. Thought we lost you there for a second.” The woman patted my shoulder and confused I stared at her until I realized there was something placed tightly over my mouth and nose. I tried to pull it off but the woman grabbed my hands, shaking her head as she tittered at me.

“No, no, you breathed in deep amounts of smoke, you need as much air as you can. No rush please. No more scares now.”

Smoke. Fire. Oh, Hera!

Sitting up, I realized I was sitting just outside of a large box shaped car, the workers wearing uniforms and I was laid on some narrow bed or chair and we were outside the hotel. Hundreds of people were gathered around, yelling and shaking their heads and many were wearing the masks like myself, breathing in deeply into them without worry.

Some movement through the crowd and I sat up when I recognized the bronze woman from earlier. She barely looked rattled except her hair which was a ruffled mess, bits of ash stained her arms and face and she was somehow wearing an ordinary shirt and jeans instead of the silk gown she had been. She was immediately moving straight towards me and her lips curled up into a smug smirk. Her mask gone, revealing her still familiar face.

“Knew you’d be okay. I have no doubt on you.”

“Wha-” I tried to talk but my lungs didn’t like me suddenly speaking and my throat prickled painfully. “What do you-”

“Easy kid. Don’t hurt yourself already. There’s time for that.” The woman’s eyes flickered to the nurse who made herself busy attending to other injured people. “You survived and I thought for sure, it was too late.”

“Guess...I’m lucky.” I grumble, pulling the mask down, finding it confining and she snorted.

“Not that lucky but sure.” The woman shook her head before pulling something out of her jean pockets. “By the way, thought I should let your not-boyfriend know where you are so he can get you. You’re both gonna need to lay-low for a bit until you find your next move.”

Oh no.

I groaned in response, falling back against my stretched bed, clapping a hand over my face. The woman huffs a laugh at me.

“Oh chill. You have bigger things to worry about than War’s wrath.”

“I didn’t tell him where I was-”

“So much for being careful. Eh, you’ll live.” She shrugged, glancing back over her shoulder with slight frown. “But, I must go now.”

“Wait-”

“It was a pleasure and I look forward to next time, Pandora.” She handed me my phone and winked. “You need help, you know where to reach me.” And then she turned and disappeared into the weaving crowd as I watched, stunned and confused before frozen. She was at my wedding. As she disappeared, someone else weaved through the rough crowd, his towering frame obvious, along with his dark curls that swayed against his jaw and neck.

I tried to call out his name but my lungs refused to do so, throwing me into a coughing fit. Warren glanced in my direction, his eyes landing upon me on a stretcher and even where he stood, I could tell his eyes had gone pitch black.

He’s gonna kill me.

Warren pushed through the crowd, gesturing to me behind the yellow tape holding the crowd back to an officer. Eventually allowed to pass though I doubted anyone could’ve stopped him, he ducked beneath the tape, storming towards me, eyes fixated on where I was, breathing heavily as he approached me, his coat fluttering behind him.

“What the hell happened?” Warren snapped, eyes blazing but his eyes were running over me, hands clutching the side of the stretcher. He turned his gaze to the nurse who took up beside me. “Is she okay?”

“She’s lucky. Nothing too serious. Just a couple cuts and bruises. The most serious is the inhalation of smoke but she’s gonna be okay.” The woman smiled down at me warmly. “We’ll go to the hospital to do an easy check up and you should be all in the clear.”

“Thank you.” Warren nodded, his eyes shuttering closed as he glances down at me. “Are you okay, Pandora?”

“I-” I pull my mask down to talk but start coughing dryly and Warren forces the mask over my face. “I’m okay.” I speak muffled through the plastic and he groans.

“What in the twelve labors were you fucking thinking?” He glances at the nurse who has disappeared to attend to others before resuming his furious gaze upon me without being interrupted and starts speaking Greek. “Running off without letting me know and God only knows what you were thinking am I right?!”

“I just wanted to help-” I clear my dry throat, rubbing my neck as I slowly sit up further. I yank the mask over my head, my hackles rising in defense, glowering at Warren. “I needed to do something. I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing anymore. This is technically my responsibility and I’ve been sitting down while you do it all for me-”

“I couldn’t give a flying fuck why!” He snarls quietly, eyes pitch black but there was that flicker of red now, revealing the fury within. “Didn’t it occur for one split second to let me know what you were doing or where you going at least!? God sakes, do you know how I felt when I got that call from a random person on your damn phone saying you were here and then I see there are paramedics and police saying the building had a gas-”

“I’m fine-”

“You’re not fine. You won’t be if you keep pulling this crap and not telling me anything!”

Rude but true.

“I wasn’t trying to hide anything, I just-”

“If you go somewhere Pan, you need to tell me-”

“I don’t need to tell you anything!” I snap back. My chest shudders as I try to breathe in air without going into another coughing fit. “It’s my life, War! You don’t own me. I don’t need to do anything! Just like you don’t need to tell me anything about you!” His eyes burn furious black and stormy red as he leans in close, our faces touching just.

“Are you serious? Pan, I couldn’t care if you want to go out. Good on for you getting out. But as of right now, you got a red hot target on your back and you need to tell me for your damn safety!” He tears both hands through his hair, eyes burning darkly as he scowled. “What would’ve happened if something worse happened and no one called to let me know, huh? How do you think I would’ve felt?” Every word hits me like a pin in my conscience, guilt and anger flowing freely. “Goddammit, Pan!” War hisses and suddenly he slams his forehead on my shoulder, my shoulder groaning in protest. He starts shaking his head while leant against my shoulder. “Don’t do that dammit! Don’t scare me.” His curls brush against my jaw and my irritable mood fades too easily as I sigh with him, grateful he can’t see my reddened cheeks.

“I-I’ll try not too-” My heart slumps inside my chest but my body is tense and sore and my skin prickles hotly. At first thinking Warren’s proximity until my gaze moves past his shoulder and a pair of eyes on a person attending to another on a stretcher, watching me subtly.

That face is familiar.

“Pan,” Warren pulls away suddenly and suddenly he stands in my sight and I drink in the sight of him and it just hits me.

I almost died. I could’ve died. Aello almost...the fire...

“Oh Hera...” I hunch over but Warren grips my shoulders forcing me to sit up and face him. His face is hard still but the red in his eyes have faded but they remain pitch black. “I almost...” I glance down at my shirt which is slightly torn but my shoulder is taped with some large Band-Aids from where Aello cut me.

“You’re not though. You’re here. Look at me!” He snaps, forcing my gaze on him. His eyes burning intensity but our faces inches away so I can read his every expression. “You’re alive, Pandora. Heaven forbid someone defied that.” My lips twitch at that before softening to a blank gaze.

Looking at him feels me with a huge sense of relief, desire...hurt and anger. And Warren definitely still feels the latter too. There’s a lot to fix there and I didn’t know where to start.

“Warren, I-”

“Alright, how we doing over here?” A man suddenly steps around Warren, smiling warmly down at me. It was the man who had been watching me while checking another person. “We should probably take you in, what do you say, Pandora?”

I didn’t tell him my name...unless he checked others and my bag.

But...

Looking up at the paramedic who was checking some things and the eyes glowed eerily. An eerie yellow...Like the vendor when I went out with Daphne a couple months ago...

Warren was momentarily distracted while a chill ran down my spine and signals ran rampant in my head. Danger! Danger! Not safe! Get the fuck out of here now!

“Um, actually I’m fine.” I swing my legs over the stretcher. Warren and the medic started to protest but I shook my head, smiling brightly at the medic. “No, really. I’m good. I feel really fine.”

“I don’t think so, I think a check up is really important right now. You inhaled too much smoke-”

“Yep. My throat’s a little dry but I’m fine. If anything’s wrong I’ll come to the hospital but I just want to go home.”

Warren frowned at me. “You should go, just in case-” I stare at Warren pleadingly.

“I just want to go.” Please, Warren. “Trust me. After today I’d feel safer if we got out of here. Now.” I stared Warren intently, my back on the medic who was still citing his protests. Warren met my eyes, reading everything and a dark look passed over his face before his expression smoothed over too calmly, I almost believed he didn’t understand me.

“If you’re sure, then we’ll go home, Dora.” He smiles a loving smile down at me, my heart stutters and I almost swoon. Especially when he wraps an arm around me, laying his palm on my back. I almost wasn’t aware his arm was between me and whatever stood behind me and I hopped off the bed. “If something is wrong, we’ll go to the hospital-”

“I really suggest you go.” The medic grasped my upper arm, half lent over. “For your safety.”

“I’m fine. Please release me.” I meet the now cold gaze of the medic whose eyes flicker on and off from brown to a yellow.

“I think she asked you to release her.” Warren’s voice deepened low and rough, almost like a roar that made them tense, a flicker of unease in their eyes. “Now.” Warren didn’t even wait, easily brushing off their hand on my arm, smoothly stepping between us and met their gaze. “I appreciate your concern, but she says she’s okay. We’ll be going now.”

The eyes turned completely yellow, narrowing into slits as they glanced at me frustrated fury and my blood ran cold when it smiled wickedly. It had caught on just as we had.

“Okay, then my apologies. Have a nice day, Pandora.” Partially frozen until Warren, who wasn’t wasting anytime, turned around, pushing me in front of him towards the fading crowd behind the tape. Warren held the tape up for me to duck under and once we stepped into the crowd, Warren suddenly took my hand and pulled me along quickly. I struggled to keep up with his long, powerful strides and just took a moment to glance over my shoulder and-

“Warren!” I mutter and Warren grunts, not looking.

“Yeah, I know. We need to go. Now.”

Thankfully Warren wasn’t parked far, just a minute from the hotel but as soon as it was in sight, he was starting on a slow run with me following close. I quickly jumped into the passenger side and Warren was already slipping onto the road with others car before I could close the door shut.

“Nice catch, by the way. I didn’t catch there was something off.”

“I recognized the face.” Warren glances at me. “I saw him once. With Daphne. The day when they sent me off. He was selling hot dogs in a vendor and said my name. Daphne-”

“Daphne was smart. And not stupid. Stupid I am didn’t pay attention.” Warren glanced into the rear-view mirror and his frown darkened. “But so are they.” Looking back through the seats out the back window, an ambulance drove behind a car smoothly in line. With a heavy breath, I slump back into my seat, swallowing heavily.

“Is it the same one?”

“We’ll see soon.” Warren grumbled, eyes forward and dark. “What happened? In the hotel?” Warren’s eyes flickered to me warily and his eyes drifted to the bandages on my shoulder as he stopped at the red light.

“Harpies.” I licked my dry lips, meeting the growing fury in his gaze. “And strix.” He blinked, mouth parting slightly before he clamped it shut and he cursed. “They came through he roof of the ballroom below. They’re pretending-”

“Gas explosion.” War finished tightly. “They came for you.”

“I guess.” My lips tightened as a sinking feeling hit me. I wasn’t safe. The harpies, strix and whatever else...hydra. They were coming for me. And Warren too. “We’re not safe.” I met Warren’s eyes heavily and his expression didn’t change from the dark expression.

“No, we aren’t. We can’t go back to mine.” He licked his lips, face hardening as the lights turned green. “We need to hide.” And without turning on his signal, he turned the car right onto the opposite end of traffic. The sudden shift throwing me against my seat and the passenger door as the tires squealed in shock and cars beeped at us in anger. Warren smoothed up, driving through the streets and we passed the ambulance passing us on the other side. I met glowering yellow eyes smirking down at me and the ambulance, in a flowing motion and shift of metal and a hiss I could hear inside Warren’s car, changed completely.

“Warren!”

“Yeah, I saw! Fucking Gremlins!” The car sped down the street, Warren winding through other cars in our paths, leaving them in the dust.

“Gremlins?” I gripped the arm bar above my head.

“Small but dangerous pests. Exceptional with technology. Able to make a car change appearances like you just saw.”

“Holy Hera.”

“Yep. And they like big power despite it never being in there favor or money.” Glancing back through the car, I saw a large black car winding through other cars in pursuit. The windows were too dark to see within and the shape and size was the same, it was just completely black.

“Clever, indeed.” I mutter facing forward again and Warren curses. “What do we do now?”

“We get the hell out of the city for now. And we’re gonna need a new ride.”

What?

Loud beeps and screeching from behind had me spinning around in my seat to see the black van speeding closer towards, leaving a couple cars turned onto the footpath without care. Cursing furiously, Warren turned the wheel sharply and I almost fell over my seat if it weren’t for my seatbelt as the car turned sharply down a street narrowly avoiding civilians. The car rose and fell over a couple speed bumps and the van turned down behind us. Warren drove straight down and I gripped my seat for dear life.

“Warren!”

“I got this!” And laying on his horn, blasted through the alleyway on to a thankfully empty street and turned right. I shook in my seat with the car, breathing heavily and my palms sweating more with every second. Warren glancing behind us, and I knew the van had entered the streets and gaining behind us.

“Warren, I would appreciate that we don’t have an accident like last time.”

“I agree.” Was his only answer. “But things are about to get rough anyway. What I need is to lose them briefly.” As he spoke, a shadow zipped up to my side, driving beside us and I quickly shut the lock on the passenger door. The van window rolled down and something lunged out, landing with a thump on my window.

“OH MY GOD!” I shrieked. The gremlin sneered at us, its beady yellow eyes glaring at me and started tapping its green fists against the window, creating a web of cracks. “Warren!” Warren didn’t reply, focusing on the road, his jaw tight. “Warren?”

“It’ll be busy further in the city.” He muttered and suddenly he turned the wheel sharply to the left, spinning the car around onto the other side of the road once again. The gremlin was shrieking in terror as it clung desperately to the hood of the car. It shrieked and cursed at me, banging its hand on the window while I scowled back at it. The car drove over a speed bump and within a second, the gremlin disappeared from sight, its squeals fading behind us. I stared stunned at Warren who sighed deeply.

“Bloody gremlins, right?” I mutter and glancing back, I couldn’t see any black car racing after us anymore and Warren smirked slightly. “Warren they’re-”

“Not for long. That’s why you’re gonna do me a favor.”

“What do you mean?” I grip my seatbelt as Warren turns sharply down a street, just blasting through a gap between civilians.

“In one minute I’m going to drop you off outside a building. It’s a car park. I need you to go up to the third floor. Take the stairs. You’re gonna find a blue car with-”

“Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean? Where are you going?”

“I’m gonna drop the car off somewhere and meet you there, okay?” Warren glanced at me briefly. “I don’t have time to walk you further than this Pan. Open the glove box.” I open the glove box, finding a bunch of sheets and a smaller black box which I opened to find a pair of car keys. “You’re gonna need to take all of that plus the key.”

“War-”

“We’re here, Pan! It’s better safe than sorry, princess.” He turned down a narrow side street and gestured to the building on my side. “Third floor, take the stairs, blue car. Use the key to find it. You’ll hear it. Go!” I quickly grabbed the sheets of paper and my handbag and the keys and jumped out of the car. No sooner had I shut the door Warren sped down the street and turned the corner, disappearing from view. But-

“You’re alive!” I cursed and quickly ran down the narrow road as the gremlin screeched from behind, hurrying after me. I turned to the front of the building, leaping up the steps and-

I can’t take the damn stairs! Except-

I heard the ding of the elevators and a couple of people burst through and some followed after inside. It is what it is! I hurried after the group, leaping through the doors as they started to close and saw the horrid green critter stop behind the desk out of view, watching me as the elevator doors closed. I took an immediate deep sigh and I pushed the third floor button. Everyone else had pressed buttons from other floors at least so the creature would assume any floor. But I couldn’t get off the third floor.

Better safe than sorry.

Okay Warren, I trust you of course. So I’m trying to be shifty here. The elevator dinged for the second floor and person hopped out and I quickly followed, despite someone saying this wasn’t the floor I pushed for. I hurried towards the doors on the other end, opening it slowly, I peeked through in case it decided to climb the stairs. Nothing. I slipped through and ran two steps at a time up to the third floor, sweating and my shoulder throbbing painfully and my chest feeling tight. I grasp my knees as I groan in pain.

What a day.

Shuffling the papers under my arms, I open the box with the other car keys and press one of the buttons. Nothing. I press the other button and-

There!

A blue its lights turning on. Oh thank you whoever is listening! Just help Warren get here now. Unlocking the car, I throw the paperwork inside and-

I heard the annoying green critter screech as it jumped off the elevator. I saw it as it saw me and with a wide grin, it scampered towards me, a tiny weapon in hand. “Dammit.” I couldn’t let it live. I had to do something and-

“Yikes!” I yelped, just ducking barely as it threw its sharpened rock at me and quickly jumped into the passenger side, slamming the door shut behind me. It shrieked in fury, jumping on the window and trying to open the door but I quickly locked it. While it screamed and beat on the door, I looked around frantically for anything of use. There was a crowbar in the backseat along with a bat...I didn’t want to know. I quickly grabbed the steel bat and crawling over to the drivers side, I jumped out.

“Hey!” I slam the door shut and leave the car area, backing up into the parking area. “You want me? Come get me!” I hold up the bat with both hands, daring it to come for me. It threw its head back, screaming in defiance and leaped off the car, sprinting for me and I swung the bat sideways. I felt it hit something, my shoulder screaming in protest but the gremlin rolled away, before stumbling to its feet. It swayed dizzily, and I raised the bat higher, ready but my arms shook as I contemplated killing.

I’ve never killed anything on purpose before. Maybe a harpy today, which is something I’ll need to think over at some point but right now...this thing wasn’t even half my size and it felt-

It screamed suddenly and lunged for me and I swung low. It ducked under, shrieking at me and I swiped the bat at it, hitting anyway I could-

THUNK

“Ooh! Oh, oh dear, that’s got to hurt.” I grimace in disgust and it stumbled in a daze away from me, baring its teeth at me if it could stand straight at all. It stumbled towards the edge of the lot, unaware and while I tried to reason myself, instead of protesting its death, it disappeared through the bars and fell some floors down.

Oh my...Stumbling back and gripping the bat, shakily as I leant against the hood of the car. Well, that was not nice or good at all.

Knock

Knock

“OCHI!” I flinched, screaming at the window, bat in hand raised threateningly.

“Christ Pan, it’s me!” Warren raised his hands up non-threateningly and I groan, slumping in relief and trying to come down from the fright. “Don’t beat me up please. I’m just trying-”

“Just get in War.” I grumble and Warren snickers quietly as he climbs into the drivers side of the car and hums in relief. “You okay?” Warren nods, turning to me and eying the bat and then me.

“Are you okay?” I smack the bat in the palm of my hand as I scowl out the window.

"I'm fine. For now." Warren eyes me warily before shaking his head and taking the keys from my lap slowly, he turns the car and sighs in relief.

"Let's get out of here then." He pulls out of the parking spot and down the ramps onto to the streets.

"Where to now?" I sigh, watching the city lull by as we drove towards the edge of the city and Warren sighs and quietly murmurs.

"To home."