Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) (14 page)

“Are you kidding me?” Mirissa stormed through the room. “All
this time, you’ve been working against us? And you’re a god?” She couldn’t wrap
her head around what she’d just been told.

“No! Well, yes, but …” Flip cut himself off with an
exasperated huff, and simply sat down on the end of the bed, keeping his gaze
low.

He hadn’t made a move to defend himself, even when Mirissa
used her telekinesis to hurl him around the room after he’d teleported in. She
wasn’t sure exactly what to make of that. A god had no reason to allow her, or
anyone else, to hurt him.

That’s when she remembered. “When Daedric kidnapped you,
that was all an act?”

Flip scrunched up his face like a child caught in a lie.
“Pretty much, yeah. Ares got upset that I hadn’t gotten the key away from you
yet. He thought maybe you’d give it up to save me.” His eyebrow rose as though
he’d known it was a stupid idea. “I didn’t have a choice. Besides, I knew you’d
never give Daedric the key just to save me.”

Had she not been so angry, Mirissa would have felt sorry for
him. She couldn’t imagine the life he must have led to make him think he wasn’t
worth saving. She would never have guessed that a god could suffer from low
self-esteem.

But none of that mattered. Flip was a lying spy who’d only
pretended to be their friend to help Ares and Daedric destroy the world.

 
“And my father? You
did that?”

“No!” Flip shot to his feet, eyes wide. “I would never have
done that to him … or you.”

“Don’t you dare tell me it was an
accident.
I’m not stupid.” Mirissa’s anger broiled just under the surface.

Flip took a deep breath before sitting back down on the bed.
He stared at the floor while he spoke. “It wasn’t an accident. Eris thought
taking him away from you would make you weak.”

“But you let it happen. That’s just as bad.”

“I know,” Flip said. “But I swear, I didn’t know she’d try to
kill him. I thought she’d kidnap him or something.”

“Oh, that’s
so
much better.” Mirissa pulled out her cell phone and started dialing.

“What are you doing?” Flip asked.

“Calling my mother. She’ll know what to do with you.”
Mirissa tried to press send, but the phone disappeared from her hand before her
thumb hit the button. “What the hell?”

“Please, Mirissa. You need to listen to me.”

Screw that,
she
thought. Mirissa stomped over to the door and grabbed the handle, but it
wouldn’t turn. She yanked on it, to no avail. When she tried to teleport, she
ended up right back where she started.

“Let me out of here, Flip.” She could feel her muscles
tense, as her perilous situation dawned on her. Not only was she trapped in a
room with a god, but no one even knew she was there.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Flip said as he walked toward
her. “I just need you to calm down and listen.”

When he reached out to grab her hand, Mirissa snatched it
away. “Don’t touch me.”

Flip raised both of his hands in surrender and backed away.
“I know you don’t trust me. I can’t really blame you for that, I guess. But
whether you want to admit it or not, you need me. You won’t be able to close
the box without my help.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you’ll actually help me?”

“Yes, damn it. I already have. You’d be dead if it wasn’t
for me.” Flip raked his fingers through his hair, revealing his frustration.

“What are you talking about?” She placed her hands on her
hips and glared at him.

Flip took a deep breath. “That huge chunk of stone Daedric
hurled at you last night at Delphi? It would have taken off your head if I
hadn’t redirected it. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Mirissa stopped pacing and looked at him. She’d been in the
midst of another one of her weird visions when that rock slammed into her
shoulder. A few inches over and she would definitely have been killed. “You did
that? I thought Daedric just missed his mark.”

Flip let out a little laugh. “Believe me, Mirissa. You
aren’t that lucky.”

She couldn’t argue with him there. “Why?”

“I already told you. I’m not working against you. I want you
to win. You’re … my friend, and I don’t have many of those.” His gaze dropped
to the floor as though embarrassed by the admission.

“Why didn’t you just take the key? You’ve had plenty of
opportunities.”

Flip held up his hand, revealing a mean looking burn pattern
bisecting his palm. “I tried. Turns out, gods can’t even touch it.”

With most of the fight already drained from her, Mirissa sat
down next to Flip. “Okay. If you really are on our side, tell me where the box
is so I can finish this.”

Flipped looked down to the floor. “I can’t.”

Mirissa shook her head, one corner of her mouth curling up.
“I knew it.”

“No, you don’t understand. I don’t know where it is. When we
first retrieved it, we brought it to Ares’s palace on Mount Olympus. But he didn’t
tell me where he planned to hide it.”

“So, we’re back to square one.”

“Not exactly. Zeus wouldn’t have designed this test without
giving the key-holder the ability to find the box. You have to remember, he
wants you to win, too.”

“So, why doesn’t he just give me the box?”

“He can’t. His rules were quite explicit. No god can
interfere. You will have to succeed or fail on your own,” Flip said.

“But you guys have done nothing
but
interfere since all of this started,” Mirissa retorted.

“I know, and Zeus won’t be happy about it when he finds out.
But I’m working on your side now, so that should even things out again.”

Mirissa didn’t get the logic behind that, but decided not to
push it. The gods worked in mysterious ways. “If the box is on Mount Olympus,
how am I supposed to find it? I can’t even get there.”

Flip smiled at her, a twinkle in his eye. “Leave that to
me.”

Mirissa glared at him, unsure whether she trusted him enough
to travel with him to another realm—a realm full of gods. “Give me back my
phone,” she said.

When it instantly appeared in her hand, she unlocked the
screen, only to be stalled by Flip’s hand.

“If you tell your team who I really am, they won’t allow you
to go with me.”

Mirissa paused. “Well, you’ll just have to convince them the
same way you did me.”

“I will, I promise. But it will take time, and that’s
something we have very little of. You know they won’t believe me—not right
away—and I’m the only chance you have of getting to the box. Please, keep this
secret for one day.” Flip looked almost scared as he held on to her hand.

Mirissa could imagine Orano’s reaction. Even if they had
months, she wasn’t sure Flip could convince him of his loyalty. Those storms
were set to make landfall the next day, and she couldn’t afford any delays.

“Okay, Flip. But I’m telling Greco.” She raised her hand to
cut him off before he interrupted her. “That’s not up for negotiation. I will
only go to Mount Olympus with you if Greco comes, too. Remember, I’m not
entirely sure that
I
trust you yet.”

Flip nodded his head. “Fair enough. You might also want to
consider telling him the truth about what your key says.”

Mirissa let the phone sit idle in her hand. She knew she
would need to come clean to Greco at some point, if for no other reason than to
say a proper goodbye. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it yet. “I will,
soon. It’s not the right time now.”

Flip stared at her as though waiting for her to change her
mind. “Well, if that’s what you want, I won’t force the issue. Just remember,
when the time comes for you to actually close the box, it will be too late.”

Mirissa tried on a smile and dialed Greco. He joined them in
Flip’s room a few minutes later, and shortly after that, they were on their
way.

The trill of Myrine’s phone woke her from a restless sleep.
She was still seated in the chair next to Steve’s hospital bed, with her head
resting at his shoulder.

“Hello?” She tried to clear the grogginess from her voice,
but failed.

“Hi, Mom. I’m sorry if I woke you. I wanted to check and see
how Dad’s doing.” Her daughter sounded tired, too.

Myrine took in the sight of her husband’s supine form in the
bed. “No change yet, sweetheart. He’s still unconscious. What about you? Are
you doing all right?”

“I’m okay. We’ve had a few developments, and I think I have
a lead on the box.”

Myrine sat straight. “That’s fantastic. What can I do to help?”

“Nothing, really. This one’s kind of up to me now. I guess I
just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you guys.”

Myrine couldn’t help but feel there was more going on than
her daughter was saying. Something in her voice, maybe. “Are you sure that’s it?”

“Yeah. Can you put the phone to Dad’s ear for me? I want to
talk to him. Oh, and Mom? I love you. You know that, right?”

“Of course. I love you, too, sweetheart.” She pulled the
phone away and placed it next to Steve’s ear. Although she couldn’t make out
the words, she could hear Mirissa’s voice. A few minutes later, the line went
quiet, so she pulled the phone back. “Are you there, Mirissa?”

A sniffle, then, “Yep. I’m here. I need to go now, okay? I
love you.”

The line went dead.

Myrine stared at her phone for a few seconds before setting
it back on the table that stretched over the bed. The uneasy feeling she’d had
after Mirissa dodged her question about what was going on grew until she could
focus on nothing else.

She reached over to once again hold Steve’s limp hand. “What
did she say to you, honey? What’s going on with her?”

Myrine stared at his bruised face. What had once been beautiful
and kind, now looked frail and broken. The only proof he was even in that shell
at all was the monotonous beeping from the various machines reading his vitals.
He’s alive, and he will come back to me.

And he did.

Myrine felt her fingers being squeezed, gently at first,
then with a strength she hadn’t thought he’d possess in his current state.
“Steve? I’m here, baby. Fight your way back to me. Please.”

His closed eyes twitched, and she thought she saw the
muscles of his jaw clench. Even the machines felt his presence, as they
increased the tempo of their staccato beeps.
Come on, baby. You can do it.

But he couldn’t.

As quickly as the signs of life had emerged, they
dissipated. His hand went limp, his face relaxed, and the beeping resumed its
slow, steady rhythm. He was gone again.

Myrine brushed her hand down his cheek. “It’s okay. You’re
not ready yet. Take your time.” She hoped her voice sounded full of support and
understanding, instead of the crushing disappointment she actually felt.

“Mrs. Colson?” One of the doctors strode into the room with
a stack of charts in his arms. “Your husband’s readings spiked a moment ago.
Did he regain consciousness?”

“No. He squeezed my hand and twitched some facial muscles
but never opened his eyes. Can I assume that’s good news?” Myrine asked.

The doctor’s brow furrowed as he walked past her to examine his
patient. He was obviously trying to find a polite way to tell her not to get
her hopes up but hesitated a little too long for Myrine’s liking.

“Hello? Can you give me some information, please?” Although
she didn’t want her husband to hear anything but love and support in her voice,
Myrine had no problem showing her irritation to the doctor who now completely
ignored her.

Before she could ask again, the man turned to her and
smiled. “Yes, Mrs. Colson. I do believe it is good news.”

When he stepped aside, Myrine saw Steve. His eyes were open,
but he didn’t look happy to be awake. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound
came out. She grabbed the cup of water from the table and placed the straw
gently in his mouth, allowing him time to take a few small sips before removing
it.

“It’s really good to see you, honey. How are you feeling?”
Myrine stepped back to allow the doctor to resume his examination, but Steve
grabbed her arm, pulling her in close.

“Stop her,” he croaked out in a whisper.

Mirissa placed her phone into her pocket, after ending the
call with her mother, and rejoined Greco at the base of the monolith. She felt
his hand wrap around hers as she stared at the fallen chunk of stone to their
right. On their first trip to Mount Olympus, her father had been crushed by
that rock, and the memory of his battered body swept over her like a tidal
wave. She hadn’t planned on telling either of her parents about her destiny,
but when she asked her mom to place the phone to her unconscious dad’s ear, she
found herself letting the truth gush out.
 
The tears that began during the phone call were
still streaming down her cheeks. She wiped them away, took a deep breath, and
assured Greco, “I’m okay. Let’s get this done.”

Flip, who’d disappeared for a moment after they arrived, now
stood at her side, holding a small metal box. When he opened it, Mirissa saw
two crystal-like lumps of something the color of red wine sitting on a plush
insert. He held the box out to her, and the crystals jiggled as though they
were made of gelatin.

“Eat these and you can cross through to my Mount Olympus,”
Flip said.

Greco pulled her behind him, glaring at the little god. “You
must be freaking joking. You expect us to trust you? How do we know that isn’t
some sort of poison? Killing the key-holder would certainly gain you some favor
with your boss.”

Although Greco had agreed to accompany her to the land of
the gods, she suspected it was more to talk her out of the trip than it was to
help her. After she’d called him earlier that morning, she and Flip had
explained the situation. They’d given him the
Reader’s Digest
version of Flip’s story, and patiently waited for
him to stop cursing. Once he’d given his consent, Flip had teleported all three
of them to the one place on earth where a mortal could enter the real Mount
Olympus.

Flip scrunched his forehead and returned Greco’s glare. “It’s
not poison. It’s ambrosia.” He shook his head. “You have such a cracker on your
shoulder.”

Greco, who’d looked ready to lunge a moment earlier, stopped
short. “Chip. I have a
chip
on my
shoulder. And I think I have a right to. You’ve lied to us from the beginning.
Now you’re trying to feed us some strange Jell-O that, as far as we know, might
very well kill us.”

Flip took a deep breath, and with a much more conciliatory
tone, replied, “You’re right.” When he saw the fury rise in both Mirissa and
Greco’s expressions, he quickly added, “Not about the poison. Geez. Killing the
key-holder is definitely against the rules, and would incur a punishment from
Zeus that would make even Eris flinch. I’m just saying, I understand why you
don’t trust me. Although, I can’t get you to the box unless you do. Only gods can
move in and out of our dimension whenever, and wherever, we please. You guys,
and Daedric, too, have to come here and eat ambrosia. It’s the only way for you
to cross.”

Mirissa turned to face Greco, forcing him to meet her gaze.
“If I don’t do this, it’s over. We’ve lost. I understand if you don’t want to,
but I’m going.”

The corners of Greco’s mouth turned up. “You really are a
pain in the ass.” He reached over, grabbed the box, and each of them took a piece
of Ambrosia.

“Bottoms down,” Flip said.

“Up. Bottoms
up,
”
they replied in unison. Then they popped the nuggets in their mouths just as
Mirissa’s cell phone chirped.

********

“Oh, that was brutal!” Mirissa swallowed hard against the
vomit threatening to spew out of her. Whatever form of transportation brought
them to the land of the gods, it definitely wasn’t standard teleportation.

As soon as they’d swallowed the ambrosia, the scenery around
them swirled into a vortex of greens, purples, and reds, with a spiral of
golden mist encircling each of them. It felt like standing in the middle of a Technicolor
tornado. Then the ground beneath them disappeared, and they were whooshed
upward.

When her feet landed on solid ground once again, the vortex
dissipated. Greco stood to her left, doubled over with his hands on his knees,
while a smiling Flip waited for them to recover.

“We’re here,” Flip said. “But it won’t be long before
someone figures out you’ve crossed over, so we need to move quickly.”

As her nausea subsided, Mirissa took in her surroundings.
They were standing on a small hill covered in the most perfect grass she had
ever seen. Every blade looked uniform, with not a single weed in sight. As she
slowly spun around, she saw the “portal” they’d come through.

Two pristine white columns rose ten feet into the air,
separated by a cross section of the same swirling mists that had just enveloped
them. Mirissa reached her hand toward the specter, but before her fingertips
could pierce the mists, it disappeared, revealing the even more impressive
sight hidden behind.

“Wow,” Greco said breathlessly from beside her.

“Yeah. Wow,” Mirissa echoed.

A quarter mile of gently rolling hills.
with
trees so perfectly formed an artist would be jealous, stood between them and
what Mirissa could only describe as a palace of epic proportions.

A dozen intricately carved columns framed the enormous
golden double doors at the entrance. Marble walls, so white they shimmered in
the uninterrupted sunlight, were as beautiful as they were imposing. Atop the
entrance, perched on the shoulders of four statues, sat a circular observatory
enclosed in glass.

The rest of the palace was equally impressive. Several
wings, of varying heights and sizes, spread out from the sides. Each had its
own architectural style with arches, columns, domed roofs, or golden shingles.
Separately, they would have been incredible palaces in their own right.
Together, they formed the most magnificent castle imaginable.

“Is that where we’re going?” Mirissa asked.

Flip’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Definitely not. That’s Zeus’s
home. The great hall is in that wing over there.” Flip pointed to the domed
area just to the right of the entrance. “And all of the higher gods will be in
there right now.”

“All of them?” Greco asked in exasperation. “I thought you
didn’t want anyone to know we were here.”

Flip put his hands on his hips and glared at Greco. “It’s
not like I had a choice of where to bring you. This is the only entrance to our
realm for anyone other than a full-blooded god. Besides, the timing is perfect.
With Ares and the rest of the higher gods at Zeus’s meeting, we can search his palace
without getting caught, because that would be really, really bad.”

A bell tolled from somewhere in palace. “That signals the
beginning of their meeting. We should go,” Flip said.

Mirissa reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell
phone, suddenly reminded that it had rung before they entered the portal. A
notification on her screen showed a missed call from her mother. “I don’t
suppose you get cell reception up here. This might be an update on my father.”

When Flip did nothing but raise an eyebrow, she shoved the
phone back into her pocket. “Okay. So, how do we get to Ares’s place?” Mirissa asked.

Without giving her an answer, Flip winked. An instant later,
they were standing inside an extravagantly decorated library. It would have
been the stuff of a museum curator’s dreams if it wasn’t for the overturned
shelves and priceless books strewn all over the room.

“I take it someone had a bit of a temper tantrum?” Mirissa
remembered the story Flip had told her earlier about Eris’s betrayal of her
brother.

Flip let out a little laugh. “This? This is nothing. If he’d
had a real temper tantrum, we’d be standing in the burned out husk of what used
to be his palace.” He stared at her for a moment.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re not feeling anything?” Flip looked disappointed.

“No. Why? Should I be?” Mirissa asked.

“If the box was still here, I think you’d know it,” Greco
answered.

Mirissa pulled the key from beneath her shirt and held it
out as far as its chain would allow. “It’s not doing anything. Where else can
we look?”

“I don’t know. I thought you’d feel something when you
crossed over. Zeus would have made sure you could find it. I don’t even know
where to start now.” Flip paced back and forth as he spoke. “There’s no way
Ares would have hidden it in any other god’s palace. He doesn’t trust anyone
enough.”

“That should narrow it down,” Greco said.

“Not really. He could have brought it to another realm, or
buried it somewhere, or …” Flip’s voice faded as he shook his head. “There are
too many possibilities.”

The three exchanged glances, but no one put forth any
suggestions.

Until Greco’s eyes widened. “Flip, where exactly did you and
Daedric bring the box after you retrieved it from Pella?”

“Here,” Flip said. “This is the only room I’m allowed in.”

“No. I mean, tell me
exactly
where you set the box down.”

Mirissa watched as a confused Flip walked to the side of a
huge leather couch. “We put it on the floor right here.”

Greco smiled as he motioned for Mirissa to join him by the
couch. “You know those visions you’ve been having? Now would be a good time to
have another one.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the spot where the box
had been a few days prior.

Mirissa jerked her hand away and stepped back. “I can’t
control when I get one of those. They just … come.”

Greco placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke calmly.
“Stop doubting yourself. You—”

“I’m not doubting myself,” Mirissa interrupted. “I really
don’t control it.”

Greco continued to hold her gaze and spoke as though she
hadn’t interrupted. “You’ve gained control over every one of your powers, even
when you thought you wouldn’t. This is no different.”

Mirissa’s frustration grew as she tried, and failed, to get
through to him. “This is different, Greco. These visions
feel
different. It’s like the power isn’t mine.” She shook her
head, unable to find the right words. “I can’t explain it, but each time I’ve
had one, it felt like something that was given to me, instead of something I
created on my own.”

Greco let his hands fall from her shoulders. “So, someone’s
sending
you visions?”

“Maybe. I don’t know,” Mirissa said.

Flip walked up beside them and added, “It can’t hurt to try,
though, right? I mean, maybe whoever’s sending them to you will do it again. We
really don’t have anything else to go on.”

He was right. She could spend a lifetime searching for the
box on Mount Olympus and still never find it. They needed a lead. Somewhere to
start.

“Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

Mirissa closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She’d
never called upon a vision before, so really had no idea how to begin. In her
mind, she tried to see the room, the box, and Ares. When she opened her eyes,
she saw only Greco and Flip, staring at her.

“It’s not working,” she said, as she flopped down onto the
large couch. “Nothing
happe
—”

Mirissa took in a sharp breath as Ares manifested right in
front of her. She’d thought they’d have more time while he and the other gods
were at Zeus’s palace, but apparently the meeting was cut short.

She opened her mouth to utter some pathetic apology or
another in the hopes of saving their lives but stopped before the words came
out. Ares didn’t appear angry. In fact, he seemed happy.
What the …?

When the god walked along the front of the couch—right
through Greco who still stood quietly watching her—Mirissa understood. This was
a vision. She hadn’t realized it simply because it didn’t look like the others.
No image had superimposed itself over the room, because the room hadn’t changed
since the box was brought there.

“I’ve got it,” she whispered to Greco and Flip, hoping they
would take the hint and remain quiet.

Mirissa didn’t move as she watched the god of war pace back
and forth in front of her. She’d met him once, back on Ortega, when he’d come
to rescue Daedric. At the time, she’d been terrified. His presence was
intimidating to say the least.

Standing several inches taller than Greco, with long black
hair and a perfectly sculpted body, Ares looked stunning. No, glorious was a
better word. Every pore in his exquisitely unblemished skin exuded power.

When he suddenly spun around, Mirissa followed his gaze.
Flip and Daedric stood in front of one of the towering bookcases, carrying an
intricately designed metal chest between them.

“You found it,” Ares said with a hint of a smile.

“Uh, there was a bit of a mishap,” Flip said, as they placed
the chest gently on the floor at Ares’s feet. “They opened the box.”

Just then, a beautiful woman appeared. Her long dark hair
and flawless pale skin were striking. It was her black eyes, though, that drew
Mirissa’s attention.

“It’s good to see you, brother,” the woman said.

“And you, Eris.” Ares glared at Flip before turning to his
sister. “But you shouldn’t be here. We haven’t learned the identity of the key-holder
yet.”

Eris waved a dismissive hand in the air. “No matter. Humans
can’t have evolved enough over the past five thousand years to threaten me. And
even if they have, we simply need to keep the box here, so the key-holder can
never find it.”

“But Zeus will know it’s been opened. If he finds it here,
he—”

“Must I do all of the thinking, brother?” Eris interrupted.
“Just hide it!”

Ares’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he
turned his attention to Daedric. “Show Eris to one of the rooms in the back.
We’ll need to keep her out of sight until we deal with the key-holder.”

When the two disappeared, Ares stalked toward Flip. “How
could you have allowed the box to be opened?”