The S.S. Olympus -under refurbishment

Chapter XV Vincere

"Your heart will never lie to you that is your brain's job." --Medusa.

An anxious Cornelia peaked around a corner and down the hallway. She counted the space between her breaths as she listened for footsteps or any other sounds. When no other crewmen, two, in particular,  were visible the rest of her body followed. A bag was slung over her shoulder filled with plant food, seeds, and other gardening supplies.  Over the past week, the garden of healing herbs, spices, and other plants had grown exponentially.  She gathered, dug, weeded, and nurtured from sun up to sundown. It was the only thing that kept her nightmares at bay. She could not even bring to touch the tablet Hades had given her. The contact alone brought her back to Athens, back to that night

Her hands went to the phantom sensation at her side. She winced as her fingers traced the still healing bruises from where he gripped her waist. She sucked in her lips with a wince at the memory. It had hurt to even touch a glass of water to her lips for several days. A shuddering breath rippled through her body and she raced outside to get lost in her garden.  She moved toward the lavender first. Its bright purple flowers reflected the midday sun. 

"Why would Prometheus want that stupid crystal anyway?" She asked the plant with heavy sarcasm. The flower, of course, did not answer, but she appreciated having someone to talk to who did not talk back. "Because Pandora was pretty. Yup, he accidentally almost destroyed the whole world, because of a pretty girl. He thought it was some sort of special fire because of the 'pretty lights' inside." 

"In his defense, she was really pretty," despite the humor in his words, a tremor was in his voice. "Also Pandora was not Prometheus' girl, she was Epimetheus' girl." 

Cornelia's back tensed her heart raced. Fear was a part of her daily life, Apollo was the least of her problems. It's not his fault, it's not his fault, its not his fault. She said those words over and over again each time she saw either one of them, but it did not help. 

"Great so he almost killed the planet for a girl that he was not even interested in?" She forced the words through her teeth. 

"It was his brother," Apollo insisted, "would you not do anything for yours?"

"I would not destroy the planet for them," She slammed her trowel into the hard dirt and dug around for rocks.

"Keep doing that and you might not need a pretty jar with 'fire' inside." She slammed the trowel into the hard earth again in answer and it split under the force of her blow. "With that kind of power you could hit the core, and then it would go 'Boom'!"

Cornelia turned toward him and sneered, "get bent." 

"Oh good, I finally got you to look at me."

"its negative attention!"

"It is still attention," Apollo shrugged. "Prometheus obviously did not know that and it was a really pretty 'fiery' crystal. Pandora was a bit out of his reach. She was also an amazing singer, royalty, and had many other redeeming qualities."

"I already saw, in detail, what you thought of her other 'redeeming qualities' Apollo," Cornelia snapped as she stood up dusting off her pants. She picked a foot up ready to march off into the forest.

"Please stop," he asked with a gentle voice. "I was not myself, and neither was Hades."

Cornelia could not turn back around. Seeing him would bring it back, bring all of it back, "I know." Her resound sigh did nothing to convey the emotions that forced it out.