Pandora's Box

"The baby is coming!!", "where's her Majesty?!" "everyone should stay calm and head to her Majesty's courts!!." The whole palace was in an obnoxious chaos. Queen Arianne was in labor. The king was not himself either, his first child was being born. " fetch the midwives of Middleton, fetch all of them, everyone you can find!!", king Miguel screamed on top of his lungs, pacing to and fro in his throne room.

.....

The kingdom of Middleton is a land far far away from the lands of mere humans. A kingdom walked and ruled by gods and demigods. The people of Middleton practiced all sorts of sorcery and magic and was ruled by king Miguel, a shape shifter, a demigod, the son of the God bastet the God of felines. He had the power to will and control fire that equals the heat of the sun. His father the god laid with an elemental which granted him that ability and many more. His Queen, Queen Arianne was also a shape shifter from the Lycan tribe. She had the ability to shift into a werewolf at will and possessed the power of frost granted to her by her once betrothed , a frost Giant. Their powers and feats joined together made them feared by all other gods and demigods and every other neighboring kingdoms. But one thing weighs king Miguel down, a successor. They were unable to conceive.

king Miguel even surmoned Priapus the goddess of fertility for help," priapus my dear sister, your king suffers a great deal, I plead for your help",he spoke to her with tears in his pale blue eyes. " My Lord I wish to help, but I cannot. Remember the curse laid on you by your own mother, your child can only be begotten through a curse. I cannot curse your highness", Priapus spoke. The king was cursed by his own mother when he was born, out of spite of his father bastet, that he cannot conceive unless through another curse that would affect him and his offsprings and the whole world. The king searched for sorcerers and witches and gods that could lift the curse placed on him or find a solution to his predicament.

He's royal advisor, nessus, a centaur with infinite knowledge spoke to him one day." My Lord, instead of trying to break this curse, why don't you find a wizard who would be more than willing to curse you and your offsprings. You want a successor at all cost right? Then I think this must be the only way." The king thought about this for days, locked himself up in his throne room, twisting and pulling on his blond overgrown beard. King Miguel was a very handsome man in his late 50s. He doesn't even look his age let alone his long blond beard that he keeps in a tight, neat braid. In his younger Days ladies both old and young flocked around him wanting to be betrothed to him but only one caught his eyes... The beautiful Arianne.

After much thought, king Miguel surmoned his court. When all of them were assemble he stood before his golden throne and spoke to them."I your king have surmoned the great minds of Middleton to know your thoughts on the decision I've made regarding my childlessness and the curse that have tormented me."

"Sire, it is known to us that this curse of yours can neither be broken nor rewritten. What solution might you have found?", Migus a cyclops, one of the king's courtmen asked.

"Migus son of Polyphemus, I and his Majesty concluded to let the curse happen. We'll find a sorcerer with guts that will be more than willing and capable to lay a curse on his Majesty. Tho the curse would be of our own making", Nessus the royal advisor said.

"Would that even be possible? Everyone is scared of his Majesty. No one would dare", said yet another of the king's courtmen.

"Perhaps, no one would. But I Know of an artifact that can lay a curse on anyone regardless of who you are", Stheno the Mighty, a gorgon, spoke for the first time.

"And what artifact might this be, stheno daughter of Medusa", king Miguel asked.

"It is the Pandora's box your majesty. It is said to be kept in Tartarus, realm of Hades", Stheno replied.

"Then we must fetch this box at once. Gather every quest hungry men and women of Middleton. Whosoever gets me this box shall swim in riches", king Miguel ordered

" But your majesty this box is not something to be tempered with. The curses it spews cannot not be controlled. It gives you one yet takes another. What it takes surpasses that which is given. We most tread carefully your highness", Euryale the Far Springer, another daughter of Medusa spoke.

"It is a curse after all and sacrifices must be made. I do not care for the consequences, if it would give me a child then so be it", the king spoke with finality in his voice.

The next day words spread about the king's quest. Men and women from middleton and other nearby kingdoms hungry for the king's reward set out for Tartarus. It was going to be a deadly quest cause Hades does not tolerate outsiders.

5 years later....

"Your majesty, someone has brought the Pandora's box and is requesting for your audience" one of the king's guard announced.

The king jerked up from his golden throne," well let him in immediately!!", king Miguel thundered.

The throne room's heavy door made completely out of pure gold pushed open. A handsome, vigorous young man armed with a sword walked in with a silver box with bizarre inscriptions all over it on his left hand. He knelt before king Miguel and spoke,"sire, I am Theseus son of Aegeus the king of Athens. And I have brought the Pandora's box as requested".

"Are you not the prince of Athens, what good is my reward to you? Your father baths in gold ", king Miguel said confused

" I do not wish to take the reward you have offered, my only wish is to witness your majesty open the Pandora's box", Theseus said with his head bowed, still on his knees.

"Very well then, I shall grant your wish", with that the king went forward and took the Pandora's box.

"Open me... open me", The box whispered to him.

King Miguel stood tempted, starring at the box he held....