Page 29 of Salt & Blood

Her mouth turned dry, and she looked away, unable to endure his scrutiny any longer.

After resting and hydrating, the group set off across the small plain between Sodara and the Voiceless Jungle. The closer they got to the forest, the wilder it became. From a distance, the treeline looked unassuming. But with each step, the branches became more jagged, the leaves more tangled, and the woods themselves seemed to tremble with an otherworldly awareness.

Having never been in the Realm of Gaia before, Pandora did not know what to expect with this place. But she wasn’t afraid. Whatever awaited her in this jungle, it couldn’t be worse than witnessing the destruction of her past choices. Choices she could never take back.

“Did you mean what you said?” asked a soft voice beside her.

Pandora simultaneously felt a bolt of heat and a chill of foreboding spread through her at the sound of that voice. She took a steadying breath, refusing to look at Sol as she answered, “When I said what?”

“That we should seek power from the Titans.”

Pandora frowned. That wasnotwhat she had expected him to ask her about. “Yes. I meant it.”

“Explain.”

In another lifetime, Pandora would have bristled at the command in his tone, or perhaps replied with something snarky and sarcastic. But right now, she was far too tired for it. She sighed and said, “What’s there to explain? The forces we’re fighting are too powerful for us to match on our own. We need something else to give us an edge. Something to even things out between us. Because right now, we don’t stand a chance.”

“And who’s to say the magic of the Titans won’t rebel against us and join with the dark powers of the box?”

Pandora shrugged. “There’s no guarantee. But we’re going to die from this either way. There is no escape.”

“That’s a bleak outlook.”

She gave him a grim look. “My outlook was never going to be sunshine and rainbows, Sol. You know this.”

He scoffed. “Did you expect any less, Pandora? With the choices you’ve made and the lives you’ve destroyed, you shouldn’t be at all surprised that this is your fate.”

Shock and indignation rippled over her. For one brief second, she’d believed they were sharing a civil conversation where he was actually trying to understand her perspective.

But no. He still hated her. And he wanted to remind her of it. Again.

Agony shattered through her, and she dropped her gaze before he could see the tears in her eyes. Within herself, she rebuilt those walls she had constructed to keep herself from caring. The walls that allowed her to do what needed to be done. “You can hate me all you want, Sol. I know I deserve it. But it’s notmyoutlook I’m trying to change. It’s everyone else’s. There are people I care about, people I can still save if I—if I can find a solution to the problem I started.”

“And you think repeatinghermistakes is a solution?” Sol huffed a laugh, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head in derision.

“What’syoursolution, Sol?” Pandora bit out, unable to stop herself. “Lie down and just accept your own destruction? Roll over for the demons sweeping over the realm, like you rolled over for Apollo your whole life?”

Sol’s whole expression darkened with fury, and he closed the distance between them, looming over her with loathing in his eyes. For one moment, she thought he would strike her. She welcomed it. All this restless energy and guilt worming its way through her was unbearable. Perhaps if he attacked her, she would finally feel something different. Something other than the pain of her emotions.

“My solution,” he said in a low voice, “is to let the Gorgon sisters sentence you to death. Once you’re gone, the magic you unleashed will go with you.”

She snorted. “Killing me won’t close the box that’s been opened.”

“But killing you will end her curse. And, hopefully, her magic will go with you to the grave.”

Pandora crossed her arms, glaring at Sol. She refused to let him see how much his words affected her. How much it hurt to hear him speak of her death with such optimism. “That’s a gamble. What will you do if it doesn’t work?”

He shrugged, as if watching her die would be a mere inconvenience and nothing more. “Then, I will think of a new plan.”

Pandora laughed without amusement. She was finished with this conversation. “Then, end it now. Why wait for the Gorgon sisters?” She spread her arms. “What the hell are you waiting for, Sol?”

His brows lowered, his eyes burning with fury. But he didn’t move.

She smirked. “Because you can’t, can you?”

A muscle worked in his jaw, and his nostrils flared.

Pandora leaned closer to him until their noses almost touched. “I know you hate me. You have good reason to. But if you aren’t going todosomething with all that anger, then just leave me the hell alone.”

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