Page 66 of Salt & Blood

It smelled like Kronos.

Prue’s blood ran cold as the awful realization set in. Her chest constricted as she counted the dark forms that flanked Hyperion.

Eleven. And deep down, she knew that if Kronos were still alive, there would have been twelve figures standing there.

The Titans had arrived.

RESTRAINT

PANDORA

Pandora wantedto find Gaia right away, but Sol urged her to wait.

“Small steps,” he reminded her. “If you pass out again, we’ll have to start all over.”

She’d wanted to protest, but he was right. She couldn’t push herself too hard, or this would never work.

They started with leaving the house and stepping out into the open air. As soon as Pandora got a whiff of Gaia’s potent magic—which swarmed and swelled around her like a fog—she felt ill and darted back inside.

A few hours later, she tried again, going as far as Gaia’s front door before she had to retreat to the safety of her room once more.

It took a full day before Pandora could face Gaia without fleeing. The goddess was patient, waiting for Pandora to come to her in her own time. This was both gratifying and infuriating. Pandora felt like a raging toddler, with Gaia placating her and waiting for her tantrums to subside. This was hermother.And she wasn’t even trying to reach Pandora. Wasn’t trying to apologize or explain or even look at her. And it stung more than she cared to admit. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting—either a cold and callous being who held no remorse, or a mother so wracked with grief and torment that she would be on her knees, sobbing for Pandora’s forgiveness day and night.

This woman was neither. She was aloof and distant, but the emotion in her eyes was so strong it tied Pandora’s stomach into knots. And the way she had greeted her in the Voiceless Jungle… Well, Pandora had almost believed her grief had been real.

Or was it only an act? Was she only here to restore her former home without the interference of Apollo? Was Pandora merely another pawn in someone else’s game?

She was tired of being used. She had been used her entire life for a vengeance that was not hers. The darkness inside her had promised it would be her ally, her supporter, a source of strength. But once it got what it wanted, it cast her aside, and now it was trying to take over.

Pandora clenched and unclenched her fingers into fists as she stood on the threshold of Gaia’s living room. She had made it into the house. Sol had gone ahead of her to warn Gaia of her approach. They had made it as far as the kitchen last time, with Pandora facing Gaia for a full minute before bolting.

Now, Pandora hesitated for a different reason. While she was concerned about the raging presence inside her, she wasmoreafraid of finally facing her mother for the first time.

She is not a villain or a monster,Pandora told herself.But she is not a warm and caring person. She will not show you love or compassion. She is not a mother to you.

It was a difficult line to walk, between the frantic urge to tear out Gaia’s throat and the desire for a mother she’d never had. Pandora had to keep the darkness at bay, to keep herself from attacking Gaia again. But she couldn’t allow herself to believe Gaia was the warm and caring person she wished her to be.

Shoving down her unease, Pandora took a deep breath and followed the small hallway that led past the kitchen and toward the sitting room.

Gaia was perched on the sofa, back straight and hands folded in her lap. Sol stood next to her, arms crossed. He turned to look up at Pandora’s entrance, his brows furrowed and his eyes full of concern. He strode toward her, immediately clasping her hand in both of his, pressing his warmth into her. He knew how his touch affected her, and already, the soothing balm of his heat melted into Pandora, and she sighed, exhaling in relief. Within her, the darkness ebbed, dulling into something faint and manageable.

“Daughter,” Gaia said, inclining her head. Her shrewd eyes flitted from Sol to Pandora and back again, but she said nothing about the way they clung to one another.

“Gaia,” Pandora said curtly. She refused to call this goddess anything but her name. She did not deserve to be calledMother.This woman was ultimately a stranger to her. Nothing more. “Should we move to the outer wards?”

“No,” Gaia said. “Not yet. We will begin right here.”

Pandora blinked. “Here?”

“Yes. Please sit.” Gaia gestured to the armchair on the opposite side of the room.

Pandora hesitated for only a moment before obeying, easing onto the very edge of the cushion in case she needed to bolt from the room. Sol stood next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

Gaia leaned forward, scrutinizing Pandora in a way that made her want to squirm. She forced herself to keep still, to meet Gaia’s stare with her own.

“Can you summon your earth magic for me?” Gaia asked. “I need to understand its essence if I am to work with it.”

Pandora nodded, then closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she tried to sift through all the hatred and rage boiling inside her. Even with her eyes closed, she could still sense Gaia’s presence, her earthy smell and powerful aura. The darkness within her festered and thrashed, screaming to be released.

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