The Deviant Path to Olympus

Chapter 21

She would persevere through the pain. No matter how weak and battered she was now, she would fight to live rather than roll over and die with a short life. Her power demanded resistance to death, and her mind demanded resolve through living. She promised to take these two things together and thrive.

"What have we got here?"

Pandora looked behind her. The tree-lines she walked through were shaded. It was still daytime but it was easy for anyone to sneak up from behind. Especially in her weakened state. Among the trees, a small group of teenagers were eyeing at her. They were bandits, masquerading as guardsmen from Thebes.

"I hope you can pay the toll," the head of the group said. He was a tall heavy boy, the oldest among all of them.

"Do I look like I've anything to give?"

One of the other bandits, a boy who had to be no older than fifteen, said, "maybe her body can sell for a nice price, aye brother?"

Some of the other boys chuckled. The leader of the group stood directly in front of Pandora. The other boys stood watching from behind. Knowing who was in charge, Pandora lifted up her cowl to reveal the flesh wounds beneath her clothes.

Her stomach was torn open. It opened from pelvis to neck. Only her spine remained intact to connect the two halves of her body. Pieces of her stomach, liver, and heart were still functioning, but organs were still ripped up enough to show she was supposed to be dead.

The leader's eyes widened at the sight of this. He only targeted her because they thought the woman would be an easy target. With the amount of burnt flesh Pandora had, he knew they'd picked something supernatural to attack.

"This won't fair for a high price," Pandora hissed out.

The captain said aloud, "let her pass!"

"No," Pandora said. She covered herself and pulled out a black dagger from her open wound. "You men are scoundrels. Better off left dead to feed to the wolves."

The other boys were already unsheathing their knives and daggers. The captain said, "enough! Let her go-"

Pandora sprinted at the captain first. She moved so quickly that fear phased through the group as she slit the boy's throat. Another two boys ran toward her. They swung their blades and she ducked and raise the blade across one's stomach to his face. Black light escaped through the flesh wound, causing him to choke in pain before falling down dead.

The other boy became stabbed a dozen times by Pandora's speed. She kneeled over his body and stabbed him even as he laid dead. It was frantic jabs, and the rest of the gang paused while she flailed the knife into the boy.

Pandora glared back at another two. One of them raised his sword. Pandora threw her black dagger into his head. Veins stretched across his chest and his head exploded before he dropped.

The other boy turned around to run. Pandora ran at him with a fallen bandit's knife, and stabbed him at the back of the neck. She tackled him, and finished him off by slitting his throat.

Pandora looked over. The fifth boy, the one who suggested she be sold to slavery, had disappeared. Even in her weakened state she could've gone after him, but she wanted someone else to remember this. To know the fear of her presence.

Letting him escape, she picked up her black dagger and stepped back on track to her path to Thebes.

XXX

She'd never been in Thebes before. Just like the Athenians had said, Thebes was not as prosperous as Athens. It was certainly powerful, with a large pool of people to draw talent from, but it didn't have the access to the sea the same way Athens did.