Page 15 of Salt & Blood

Farah spoke first, her eyes narrowing into slits as she assessed Pandora with renewed scrutiny. “Do you care to explain this, Trivia?”

Pandora’s mouth was dry, and she couldn’t form any words. These witches would kill her. If Sol didn’t do it first.

“It wasn’t her fault,” Mona said.

Pandora gaped at her sister. She hadnotexpected her to defend Pandora’s actions. Not when they had caused her so much pain.

“As Sol stated, she has the soul of Pandora inside her,” Mona went on. “And we all know what happened to Pandora.”

Pandora blinked as several fire witches murmured to one another, not one of them appearing confused or shocked.

They knew? How did they know what had happened to the goddess? Apollo had taken such care to hide the truth.

“How?” Sol asked, voicing her shock. “How do you know?” His face was pale as he stared at Farah.

“We are witches,” Farah said. “Seers and prophetesses. We see things others do not. And our goddesses do not conceal the truth from us.”

Pandora’s breath caught in her throat. Hestia had told them?

Hestia… who was now dead.

Sol’s mother was dead.

Her fault.Her fault.This was all Pandora’s fault.

“Apollo doesn’t care about the mortal realm,” Mona said, her voice bitter. “He was more concerned with keeping the secret from Elysium.”

Farah’s eerie amber gaze fixed on Pandora once more. “Is she controlling you right now?”

“No,” Pandora said, finding her voice at last. “What Mona says is not entirely true. Yes, the soul of… the goddess is inside me. I have her memories, and I am fueled by her desire for revenge. But… I am still myself. I possess Gaia’s magic. I am capable of making my own choices. Sol—Sol is correct. I am to blame for all this. And I will accept whatever punishment you see fit to inflict.” She lifted her chin, trying to appear calm, but her mouth trembled, and heat burned in her eyes.

Perhaps it would be a relief to die this way. The witches would make it swift—they were certainly powerful enough—and Pandora would not fight them. And after it was over, she would finally be free.

Perhaps it was theonlyway to truly be free of her curse.

Farah did not respond at first. She looked at Wren, and the two witches seemed to be silently communicating for a moment. At long last, Farah said, “It will be up to the Gorgon sisters to decide your fate. They are Hestia’s chosen vessels, and it is for them to judge what shall be done to exact her vengeance.”

Pandora’s throat tightened with emotion, but she nodded. She did not know much about the Gorgon sisters. The only texts she had read about them had mentioned they had the power of serpents, and they could turn their enemies to stone.

“Apollo killed Hestia,” Mona said loudly. “Heis to blame for her death.”

“He was afteryou,” Sol growled. “Perhaps it isyourfault then.”

Mona’s eyes darkened for a moment, but she huffed a cold laugh. “Are you so blinded by the love of your mentor that you will not put blame where it belongs?”

Sol bared his teeth and took a step toward Mona. “If you had not challenged Apollo, my mother would still be alive.”

Pandora found herself moving before she realized what was happening. She stepped between Sol and Mona, hands outstretched. Her fingers brushed against Sol’s tunic, and she hastily withdrew her arms before the feel of him completely undid her.

“This is pointless,” Pandora said. “Apollo is not here. I will accept full blame for what happened. We do not need to argue about this.”

Sol’s eyes narrowed as he fixed his venomous gaze on her. “Since when are you the peacemaker?”

“Since I realized my entire life was stolen from me for no reason,” Pandora said coldly. She turned to Farah. “I believed that once Elysium was destroyed this curse would leave me. I thought the soul of the goddess inside me would be freed. But I was wrong. I no longer wish to serve her. I want to be my own person. My own goddess. And I will do whatever it takes to atone for what I’ve done.”

Sol barked a harsh laugh of disbelief, but Farah watched Pandora with calm interest, her eyes sparking with an emotion she couldn’t place.

“As I said before,” Farah murmured, “we will take you to the Gorgon sisters for judgment.”

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