CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN

Pandora Unboxed, Part 2

“The seventh age,” Sam whispered, his brow creasing.

“For the seventh time since the first, the Spirit of Hope descended onto the mortal world and gave humanity hope in the form of your predecessors; the men and women who would form the foundation of the current society you heroes enjoy today,” Apollo said in an upbeat tone.

“And that’s why there was a Pandora during World War II,” Sam realized.

Apollo nodded.

Sam walked over to the floating image of a man in an all-green uniform that had all sorts of medals pinned on his chest. He wore a golden crown that was shaped like the rays of the sun, and he had a golden cape flowing behind him, too.

“It’s him,” Sam breathed.

“Yup, that’s Captain Solar, chairman of the Legends of Liberty, and my number one kid back in those days,” Apollo revealed.

Captain Solar was blonde, blue-eyed, and had a chiseled face that just made him the perfect poster boy for what Sam had once imagined was the ideal hero. So, basically, the opposite of how Sam looked right now.

“But I’ve read Union Jack’s diary,” Sam remembered. “Pandora the 7th was a villain just like the 4th and 5th titleholders were… and now…”

“Well, there’s a reason for that too.” With a snap of his fingers, the white-hot room went back into its all-white default mode so that only the soaring dove remained. “As I said, the Spirit of Hope’s a bit of an overachiever.”

Apollo raised his arm so that the dove would perch on it. But the bird just continued to fly circles around his head like it didn’t fancy sitting on the sun god’s arm.

“See, it’s just like this damn bird…won’t stand still for even a moment,” Apollo sighed.

A second snap of his fingers sent the dove back into non-existence on a cloud of white smoke.

“And too much of a good thing isn’t always good for you mortals,” Apollo added. “Can you imagine the kind of chaos unchecked hope could bring to the world?”

“Besides being an essential motivating force that drives human nature, you mean?” Sam asked.

“That’s just one side of hope, Sammy…the good stuff.” A shadow passed over Apollo’s face as if the sun was momentarily blocked by a thick cloud. “Even hope has a dark side.”

Sam frowned because a quote from a college textbook he’d read for psych class sprung to mind. “Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the suffering of man…”

“That guy Nietzsche had it right,” Apollo nodded approvingly. “Being too hopeful can make you biased, set you up for disappointment, and even keep mortals from reaching your full potential.”

“So, how does Pandora becoming a villain help leash unbridled hope?” Sam asked.

“You know how you mortals use sunscreen to protect yourselves from my awesome rays?” Apollo asked. “Well, it’s a similar principle. Block out all that light with a bit of darkness, Athena’s proven HPF solution.”

“HPF?” Sam repeated.

“Hope Protection Factor,” Apollo answered.

“Hold on.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you telling me that the gods want the Pandoras to join the dark side?”

“They’re not born evil, Sammy. They just choose to function in an environment where they can readily absorb darkness into their pithos,” Apollo explained. “Just ask Pandora the 6th how much easier her life would have been if she’d just been a little less pious.”

“Seriously?” Sam raised an eyebrow at Apollo.

Apollo gazed wistfully into space. “I watched that girl burn at the stake for her convictions…and even though I was just as proud of her as the other gods were, I wished I could have helped ease her suffering, but—”

“The gods aren’t allowed to intervene directly,” Sam finished for him.

Pandora the 6th—like most heroes, Sam knew her story well because the Maid of Orleans had been one of the greatest heroes of the last millennium. And, as Sam only recently learned, Joan was also one of his seniors in the Argonaut club, a hero who’d held the fastest completion time on the Tribulator before Thunder came along.

“This is an interesting history lesson, but what does all this have to do with Serena?” Sam uncrossed his arms. “I’m pretty sure our family isn’t descended from the first Pandora.”

“Neither were the Pandoras after the 3rd, but they don’t have to be,” Apollo answered. “Thank the gods for that because Pandora’s bloodline died out thousands of years ago… they were all a little too curious for their own good just like their matriarch was.”

Apollo visibly cringed.

“Most of them died horrible deaths,” he added.

“Apollo…” Sam tapped the floor with his foot. “Why my sister? Why did she have to be the next Pandora?”

That dark look passed over Apollo’s face a second time when he answered, “Because it was our queen’s turn to pick.”

“You mean He—”

“Don’t say her name,” Apollo placed a finger over his lips. “She’s even more of a busybody than her husband is.”

Apollo glanced warily up at the ceiling. He waited, waited, and then waited some more, but nothing happened. Then he let out a sigh of relief before continuing.

“As I was saying, this generation’s Pandora was left for her to choose, and she chose your sister,” Apollo said.

“Why?” Sam asked.

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Apollo sighed. “Some of the other gods might say she did it out of an old grudge, but I’m not so sure even she’s that vindictive. What I do know is that Serena checks all the boxes for a Pandora candidate. She’s smart, beautiful, and as you know, brave as Adele Shepard had been.”

Sam felt a tightening in his chest at the mention of his mother’s name.

“Serena’s potential for a gifted was also very high. Probably because she’d been born from two blessed bloodlines,” Apollo admitted.

He eyed Sam with some sympathy, which Sam assumed had been because his potential had been rather low considering how he belonged to a bloodline of one of Apollo’s children, making him a direct descendant of the Olympian god of the sun.

“Wait…” Sam raised an eyebrow. “Did you just say two bloodlines?”

“You didn’t know much about your mom’s family, did you?” Apollo guessed.

“That’s because they were all dead by the time I was born,” Sam said, and then added, “We were her only family.”

“True…but didn’t she ever tell you how her first family died?” the sun god asked.

Sam shook his head. “I don’t think she ever wanted to revisit her past. I didn’t want to either… I guess we’re more alike than I thought.”

“More than you know, Sammy,” Apollo chuckled.

Sam frowned. “What does that mean?”

“You remember your mom’s gift?” Apollo asked.

“She was… strong… really strong,” Sam remembered. “I remember watching her on the news this one time when she’d easily lifted a bus out of the Hudson and saved the passengers inside it from drowning in the river.”

Apollo snapped his fingers, and Sam’s status popped up between them. To Sam’s surprise, he watched the god manipulate the menu—which he didn’t know anyone but Chiron could do—and pull up the [POWERS] list. Then Apollo tapped on the only item that was separate from the main combat tree; [Herculean].

“The strength to make even the gods shudder in fear,” Apollo whistled. “You didn’t think this was a power you received out of chance, did you?”

“But Chiron—”

“Told you that you were lucky, and you were,” Apollo nodded solemnly. “Not all his descendants are blessed with Hercules’ strength… Not even that psychopath Apex is as strong as you could become which might even be comparable to your mom’s punching power.”

Sam gazed at the sun god like he’d been speaking in riddles. “Um, what?”

“Your mom, Adele Shepard, formerly Adele Hylian, was one of the last descendants born from the branch of Hercules’ oldest son Hyllus,” Apollo spelled out for Sam. “Which means you—”

“—I’m a descendant of Hercules,” Sam whispered in disbelief.

“One of his last two descendants thanks to your evil cousin wanting the title all for himself,” Apollo added.

The first time they’d met, Sam had felt this inherent animosity against Apex that he couldn’t explain. It also seemed the villain had felt the same way about Sam. He’d been hunting him across the heartlands pretty insistently, after all.

“Does Apex know?” Sam asked.

“If he doesn’t yet, he will soon,” Apollo said, and the god was grinning now. “With the way things are going, you’ll be running into each other again soon, don’t you think?”

Apollo mimed air quotes at the air with his hands.

I can see it now… The battle of the last Heracleidae!” He spoke in a tone similar to that voice Sam had heard back when he’d challenged the Tribulator. “Olympus+ is going to make a killing on new subs.”

Sam frowned. “Apollo…”

“Y-yeah,” Apollo smiled sheepishly back at Sam, “Sorry… Got a little over-excited there.”

Sam let out a deep sigh as he didn’t like being reminded about how capricious his gods were. How they seemed so much like the mortals they’d created, many of whom, like Apollo, were constantly starving for content no matter how depraved the content might be.

“Hold on…” A thought arose on the surface of Sam’s mind, one he hadn’t thought about in a long while. “I used the Bow of Heracles—”

“Which no one’s wielded since the First Crusade,” Apollo chimed in.

“—and it didn’t kill me,” Sam finished.

“A relic powerful enough to slay one of the Gigantes would turn a regular gifted’s brain to slush, but you survived, and that’s just more proof of your heritage, Sammy,” Apollo grinned. Then he added, “Speaking of your heritage, I think it’s time you were reunited with your sister.”

He snapped his fingers, and two golden notification windows popped up in front of Sam.

NEW MISSION: HANDS OFF THE GOLDEN FLEECE!