49 Gift

"Pandora. You are Pandora."

Pandora fluttered her brows as she opened her eyes, gazing at Apollo.

Instinctively, she called. "Father." And all divine eyes were drawn to her, marvelling at Apollo's creation.

"I am not your father." Apollo said, his golden eyes glinting. "I am your creator."

"Creator.." Pandora muttered, trying to make sense of the difference with her childish mind. "But aren't they the same?"

"No. They're not." Apollo said quietly. "You will eventually understand it."

The confusion in the clear and pure eyes of Pandora deepened, and she opened her mouth, as if to inquire further, but Apollo turned forward, ignoring her.

Pandora felt something in her heart, something completely unfamiliar to her. Her heart pricked and bled, and her brilliant eyes dimmed.

It was pain. She realised.

Apollo declared, "I named her Pandora, which means 'All-Endowed'. And she shall be with all of your blessings."

Zeus ordered, concurring with his son. "Bless her as you see fit, for she will bear our greatest gift to mankind."

Pandora finally noticed the other gods and goddesses and their scrutinising and indifferent eyes. She bit her lower lip and moved closer to Apollo, grabbing his hand tightly in nervousness and tension.

As Hera descended from her throne, Apollo jerked his head towards her, silently looking at their clasped hands. Then he turned away, doing nothing.

Hera peered at the clasped hands of Apollo and Pandora. "Oh, Apollo. You are far crueller than I assumed."

Apollo merely stared at her in silence.

"What exactly does she mean, father?" Pandora inquired.

"Oh, dear girl..." Hera approached Pandora, dragging her away from Apollo. "You will eventually understand everything, as your father said."

"Bless her already, Hera." Zeus interrupted.

"Yes, yes." Hera nodded, her narrowed eyes fixed on Pandora, ignoring her resistance. "What should I give you? ..."

"Pandora, calm down." Apollo said, perceiving her restless state. "Blessings will not harm you. Close your eyes and it will be over before you know it."

Pandora nodded slowly, biting her lower lip. Then, she closed her eyes, believing in him wholeheartedly.

"Ah, this would perfectly do it…" The Queen of Gods nodded, finalising.

She then declared. "Pandora, the daughter of Phoebus Apollo, I, the Queen of Gods, bless you with something essential to life and survival: Curiosity."

In kaladasepoic light, a peacock feather emerged, shimmering and gleaming. It descended on Pandora's head, blessing her.

Then, Hera flashed a viscous stare at Apollo, ascending back to her divine throne.

The blessings continued; Poseidon gave Pandora a pearl necklace and promised she would never drown; Demeter bestowed a natural blessing as well as all agricultural knowledge; Hestia bestowed upon her home and hearth, ensuring that she would be welcomed warmly in every home in Europa and would be absolutely protected in the fire of her hearth; Hades bestowed upon her a gem of immortality, saying that she could grant it to one and he would relinquish his claim over them; Aphrodite bestowed upon her irresistible beauty and charm; Ares bestowed upon her telumkinesis, strength, and near-invulnerability; and Athena bestowed upon her cleverness and wisdom.

Artemis descended from her silver throne towards Pandora, her silvery eyes trailing behind her, to her brother.

Apollo nodded gently. And the Moon Goddess returned her gaze to Pandora, warmly blessing her. "Pandora, I bless you with purity of soul. May it never be besmirched."

Beams of silver moonlight coalesced on Pandora, blessing her with purity.

Then, instead of ascending to the throne, Artemis walked over to her brother and stood beside him.

Lastly, Hermes rose from his bronze throne with an obvious confused expression, descending in front of Pandora.

But, he still gave her his blessings, following everyone. "I bless you with deceit and the road. May it help you find your true path."

"Ascend, son." Zeus said, patting his shoulders. The Lord of the Sky then approached Pandora as Hermes ascended to his throne.

Pandora's eyes remained closed as she adjusted to the blessings of the gods, which were evolving her body, mind, and soul.

Zeus ordered. "Sleep."

And Pandora slept, falling down to the ground. Apollo appeared in a flash and caught her. He morphed light into a bed and placed her in it.

Then, with his golden eyes narrowed, he asked Zeus. "Our gift, Father?"

"Don't you know it already, my dear son?" Zeus smirked at the God of Prophecy.

The God of Prophecy, Apollo, nodded and declared. "I shall create it."

Zeus went silent at that, gazing deeply at his son, who raised his hands ans snapped.

Light bloomed into existence.

Beams of light clumped together and transmogrified into a golden box flecked with gleaming diamonds and engraved with intricate otherworldly drawings.

The box was an epitome of art in and of itself, immediately seizing the eyes of the gods with allure and desire.

Apollo raised his box to a great height, emitting an infinite amount of light. "In my name, I summon the dark children of Nyx and Erebus, the Chaos of Creation, the Bane of the World imprisoned in Tartarus. Come forth!"

In the council of gods, a burst of darkness, shimmering with stars, erupted, morphing into two gargantuan and blurry figures, bathed in a chaotic aura, suppressing everyone and everything in the universe. With their appearance, darkness surged throughout the universe, dimming the light itself.

They were none other than the Primordial Goddess of Night, Nyx, and the Primordial God of Darkness, Erebus.

They peered at Apollo, ignoring everyone else. Apollo returned their stare, calmly facing their terrifying presence. Other gods and goddesses, including Zeus, bowed their head slightly.

The Primordial deities waved their hands, dragging something chained out of their eternal darkness.

It was a dark blob that segued into a slew of distorted and inhumane faces, each with its own peculiar expression; sad, happy, angry, fearful, disgust...

They were Apate-Deceit, Geras-Old Age, Oizys-Misery, Momos-Blame, Ponus-Hardship, Limos-Starvation, Aglos-Pain, Dysnomia-Anarchy, and so on.

Ultimately, they were the root of all Evil.

Within it, however, was a gentle and flickering light, so dim and weak that only Apollo and Nyx could discern its existence. But none spoke of it.

Apollo opened the golden box and lifted it to the dark blob. And they shrieked and howled, thrashing against the chains that bound them, which tightened even more with their struggle.

Nyx and Erebus ignored their struggle and threw them into the golden box. They shrank and shrank, descending into it.

BOOM!

Apollo slammed the lid shut and tightened his grip, his fingers blazing with light.

CRACK!

The chains that bound the Evils broke apart, freeing them, and they immediately trashed against the walls of boxes, attempting to break them with all their might, desiring freedom and liberation.

Apollo gripped the quivering golden box tightly, but before he could do anything, Nyx descended, reducing herself to match him. Her hazy figure settled, revealing her true self to all.

She wore a long, tiered black gown that was layered but not overly complicated. It was adorned with countless resplendent lights, as though they were stars that dotted the night sky.

Her beautiful and gentle face was draped in thin black gauze. Her eyes were the most conspicuous, as if they were compressing the entire starry night sky within them. It made everyone feel both serene peace and uncontrollable fear.

(Image here)

Nyx conveyed ethereally as she gazed at the quivering golden box. "Silence."

The golden box immediately went silent. The evil's resistance died away in the night, becoming dormant.

The Primordial Goddess of Night then turned to face Apollo. Her dark eyes met his light eyes for a moment in concealment.

Then, she turned and returned to Erebus. They left in silence. Darkness settled throughout the universe, allowing the light to shine brighter than it had before.

Silence reigned in the council, as everyone turned their eyes to the golden box with apprehension and perturbation.

"Apollo." Poseidon asked. "Are you certain this is fine? I have very bad feelings about this."

"Worry not, uncle." Apollo said as he approached Pandora, who was sleeping. "This is a gift for mankind and mankind only."

However, it still did not alleviate everyone's concerns.

Zeus declared, raising his hand, and the lightning bolt appeared in his hand, pulsing with power. "I will see to it myself."

The Gods and Goddesses finally slumped in their seats, sighing with reprieve, but the heaviness lingered in the air.

"Are we still going to refer that fucking thing as a gift?" Ares asked, breaking it.

"It is indeed a gift." Zeus glared. "A gift that will finally instil some wisdom in their minds, allowing them to understand their place, worth, and status."

Apollo stood in front of Pandora. "Pandora, wake up."

Pandora awoke. Her eyes were different from before, shimmering with divine light. She had almost been reborn with the divine blessings of all the gods.

Pandora looked around the council of the Gods, taking in everything and everyone. Then, she gazed at her hands in uncertainty. "Father, why did you create me? What is my true purpose?"

Apollo looked at her silently for a moment before answering. "I created you and the gods blessed you to give humanity a gift, a gift that will lead them in the right direction."

He locked his gaze on her sapphire eyes. "Promise me something, Pandora."

"Anything, father." Pandora nodded immediately.

"Never give up hope. Ever." Apollo said.

"Ever," Pandora promised.

Apollo finally handed her the golden box. "Here."

Pandora received it solemnly and asked curiously. "What is in it, father?"

Apollo issued a solemn command. "Take it to the mortal world and open the box in the first human settlement you come across. And you will find it with the rest of the world."

Pandora reluctantly nodded, but then she suddenly asked, her eyes widening in despair. "But, father, what do I do after I have given humanity your gift? Is that the end for me? ..."

She grabbed his hand desperately. "Father, I don't want to die!"

Apollo ruffled his hair. "You can come to my Delphi and we can decide."

Pandora nodded, her tumultuous heart settling with his words.

"If you still wish to, that is." Apollo added.

"Why do you say that, father?" Pandora said, "I will surely come back to you. I don't want my purpose to just end here."

Apollo shook his head at that, waving his hand. The ground beneath them rumbled and cracked open, revealing a staircase leading to the mortal world.

"Now, Pandora, leave. The world will know of your arrival. They will await your presence and welcome you jubilantly. And you will bring our gift to them."

"I will see to it, father." Pandora nodded solemnly and returned her gaze to the Gods and Goddesses, who were silently witnessing everything.

Then, holding the golden box, she took a firm step onto the stairway.

She abruptly turned and looked at Apollo, who gave her a gentle and encouraging nod.

Pandora took a deep breath and began her descent into the mortal world.

The brilliance of dawn slowly consumed her figure.

(Image here)

________________

She arose from the dawn. Her presence, like a second sun, brightened the dark and stormy world. Her beauty, grace, charm, elegance, and allure were such that they held the deathless gods themselves in wonder.

She was perfect and divine in every way, unaffected by mortality and impertinence. She was a masterpiece of the ages, unrivalled and unparalleled.

Her father, Apollo, named her Pandora, which means "All-Endowed," and asked each of the gods who dwell on Olympus to give her a gift. Of her, Hesiod writes, "is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great peril, with no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth."

Now, it seems that the "sheer guile" of Pandora wasn't enough of a punishment for mankind. So, Eternal Blazing Sun also bequeathed her with a gift – plagues and evils to men who eat bread – which he packed neatly in an otherworldly golden box.

With the gift in hand, Pandora was instructed by her father to grant it to mankind.

-The Greek Mythology.