Chained Souls: Night Eleven {Book Two of the Chained Duet}

**Katherynn** · 01-03-2012 06:50 PM

Night Eleven

I followed Death into my house just after we'd landed. It had taken about two hours to fly from Tartarus to my home. Surprisingly, we were all convening in my house.
Helios, Pain, Hephaestus, Nemesis, Ares, and Aphrodite were all sitting in my living room.
Aphrodite, still as gorgeous as I remembered, wore a filmy white dress that looked more like paper than anything else. She was reclining on the couch.
Beside her, Ares was lying back, legs crossed, jaw in his hand while he held it up by placing his elbow on the arm of the couch. He looked bored.
Nemesis sported the familiar black dress I'd seen her wear when we'd first met. She sat in a chair set off to the side.
Helios and Pain stood around the room, surveying. It was almost creepy to watch them act so alike.
Pain looked uncomfortable in a room full of Gods and Goddesses but he was hiding it very well.
Helios looked completely comfortable but he kept stealing looks at Pain. They were more glares than anything else.
Hephaestus sat in a chair drug in from the kitchen.
The entire room rose once they caught sight of me, Death flanking me like a silent shadow.
"Pandora," Hephaestus said, walking to me and wrapping me in a tight bear hug. "How are you? How've you been? Are the tattoos working?"
"The tattoos are fine," I gasped as he let me go. "And I'm fine."
Hephaestus laughed, walking away and I could feel Death's concerned gaze on me. Unlike Pain he seemed more comfortable around the gods and goddesses.
"Can we just fuck someone up already?" Ares growled. "I hate waiting."
"Oh shut up, Ares," Aphrodite sighed. "We have to!"
"This is a bunch of bullshit," he mumbled, standing, before gliding from the room.
Aphrodite sighed and followed him. Seconds later, Hephaestus joined.
Helios and Pain ventured towards me and I felt Pain wrap an arm around me. I had to think not to pull away.
My gaze lifted to Death's who simply looked away.
I dropped my gaze and then jerked it up when I realized that Helios was watching everything. Pain, as always, was oblivious.
"Are you done?" Helios asked tiredly. "Because I would like to move this on."
I closed my eyes and nodded, feeling both Pain and Death's eyes on me.
"Am I allowed in now?" a familiar voice asked.
I jerked my head up and met brown eyes. My heart dropped right then, fear and confusion slicing through me.
"Epim-Epimetheus?" I breathed, eyes widening. "What are...Why...What are you doing here?!"
Epimetheus leaned against the doorway, running a hand through his tousled brown hair. His eyes were tired and dark circles were beneath them. It looked as if he hadn't slept in days.
"Contrary to your belief, Pandora," he said coldly, "not all of us are left in the dark like you think. I've known about you since I was six."
"But we...met at six."
He nodded and crossed his arms.
"Prometheus told me about Jennifer's daughter," he explained. "They said her name was Pandora and she was supposedly the reincarnation of Pandora from Greek Myth. Like a child, I believed it. My parents told me that it was crazy--that reincarnation didn't exist. I knew better. So did Prometheus.
"On his deathbed, my father told me the truth. That I would be the one to protect you. He told me everything. I was ten, then.
"He told me that you would fall in love with me and I with you. Unless Helios got to you first."
He glared at Helios who just shrugged.
"It wasn't hard to love you, since I did already. What was hard was trying to get you to fall in love with me."
"And I did," I interrupted him. "And then you left for Florida!"
"Exactly," he said calmly. "I left because part of my line--descended from Epimetheus and Prometheus--was in trouble. I'm from the Epimetheus line. There are only two lines."
I nodded as Pain tightened his hold on me.
"What no one ever figured was them." He pointed to Death and Pain and I tensed. "No one figured on them so I figured my only competition was him, was Helios. And then they came into the picture.
"You shouldn't have fallen in love with them. You're meant to kill them and, eventually, tyou will. There is no way out of it. They have to die and you're going to be the one to kill them."
The room fell silent and I felt like throwing up.
I'd thought about it before--about Pain and Death. I could take them out, maybe. But Talisen and Celfior? How could I kill them? They were just humans who'd been pulled into the problem. They were innocent.
"Why exactly are all of you here?" I whispered, trying to fight off tears.
"Calleah."
I met Helios's gaze, surprised.
"Calleah?" I breathed. "Selene? But...why?"
"She's started up a war," he said calmly. "She's pulling together evils--the remaining ones--and planning a war.
"She wants you dead."
"The final are the worst," Epimetheus said calmly. "They are things that fuel war. It won't be easy."
I instinctively raised my hand to my stomach, to the child growing inside of me.
How far along was I, exactly? How many months had passed? Three? Four? Maybe five? When was I due? Did I follow normal pregnancy timing? I couldn't remember if I'd ever gotten morning sickness.
"How long do we have?" I breathed. "About half a year," Helios said calmly. "Which means things will be rushed. Including Pandora. She should be born any day now."
I tensed, locking up.
Any day? I was going to have a baby any day?
I felt myself spinning, the walls wouldn't stay still even when I blinked. Blinking only made it worse.
"Death...I..."
I felt the ground rush towards me as liquid wetted my legs."
Noise raced around me as I was lifted and carried. Voices...everywhere. They were so loud.
I tried to focus on one thing, on one voice, but failed before I blacked out completely.

Pain shattered through me as I was laid onto a bed and pushed around on it. People were all around me but I couldn't focus on anything because of the pain. There was so much pain.
"Pandora," someone said calmly. "Would you like me to take the pain away?"
I whimpered, barely able to speak.
Take it away? Could they really take it away?
I felt something touch my wrist and, gradually, the pain slipped away. I was able to focuses a little more clearly but it still felt as if I had cotton stuffed inside of my head.
"Pain?" I coughed, re3alizing he was the one touching me. "Where...are we?"
"A hospital," he said calmly. "You went into labor."
Pain shot through me and I clutched my stomach. I hadn't even realized until now that we'd stopped moving. We were currently in the birthing room.
"The doctors will be back soon," he said calmly. "Do you want me to stay?"
A flash of pain kept me from answering him, causing him to grimace.
"I'm sorry," he whispered gently. The quiet voice didn't suit him, unlike Death. "i can't take away those kinds of pains."
"It-It's fine," I managed, twisting my hands in the sheets before i cried out slightly. "I'll be...fine."
Pain held my hand as the tears came, too much to hold back. It was shortly after that the doctors came in.
"My name is Doctor Kain Lieason," the tall, brown haired man said calmly. "You look as if you're doing fine."
"I guess," I heaved. "How much long..er?"
"I'll have the nurses come in," he said with the same annoying calmness."
Three nurses rushed in and I was set up as the pains intensified, bringing screams from my throat.
"Would you like the epidural now?" he asked as I let out another scream.
I couldn't speak, could barely think, from the pain slicing through me.
"We don't have time!" one of the nurses called. "The baby is coming now!!!"
The doctor rushed to help and I heard consecutive calls to push but I could barely head them.
"Try, Pandora," Pain said gently. "Come on. You can do it."
A scream erupted from my throat as I felt something moving between my legs, holding tightly to the inside of me, clinging to my inner walls for support.
"Just one more push," he whispered gently, his voice in my ear. "Just one more, love."
I pushed one more time, harder than I'd been before, and the pain almost immediately subsided.
"It's a girl," the doctor said. He was covered in blood--my blood--as he handed my daughter to one of the nurses before he turned back to me. "I'm sorry but you're not finished. "Did you know that you were having twins?"
I choked.
Twins?! I was having twins?!
More pain lashed over me, eliciting even louder screams, before the process began all over again. Pain telling me to breathe while the doctors yelling at me to push. It seemed never-ending.
As the final wave of pain lapsed, I heard the doctor blow out a sigh, telling me that it was a little boy.
I blinked, my mind hazy. A boy and a girl? Was that even heard of, for a Pandora?
Pain--as well as one of the nurses--helped me sit up to hold he twins. It was awkward but we made it work.
"What are you going to name them?" the nurse asked gently, smiling. She was a slightly frail-looking woman with pale skin and dark hair and eyes. "Or have you and the dad not decided yet?"
I blinked again.
Honestly, between being hunted down and wanted dead and the constant drama and time warp episodes I'd never thought about what to name the baby.
"I've never thought about it," I said slowly as the second nurse brought over the twins.
"Well, if you do, tell me," she said, winking as I took the twins.
The twins had calmed down, no longer crying, and both were looking at me with blatant curiosity.
The little boy had pale skin like his father and Pain's raven hair but the eyes were my blue ones. The little girl had my dark black hair and Pain's eyes and skin. Oddly, though, her eyes were filled with curiosity rather than hate.
Both of their lips were a pale pink and they had a full set of white teeth. They looked as if they were very smart and would get up and walk at any moment. Actually, they looked as if they were about three years old--if not older.
In the corner, the doctor and nurses were mumbling about something but, eventually, only the doctor was left behind.
"Would you like a moment with the children?"
When I nodded he left and Pain was the only one in the room with me and his children.
My heart sank as realization hit me.
The little girl was the new Pandora. She would die. And they were an evil's child. What did that add to the mix?
"So, any ideas what to name them?" he asked gently, stroking the boy's hair. Both of them had a head full of hair.
"I want...her name..."
He gave me a curious look and I narrowed my eyes.
"I want them to be named Evie and Tribute," I said finally. "The little girl should be Evie and the little boy, Tribute."
Pain looked the two of them over and narrowed his eyes as he thought. Finally, he nodded.
"I like that," he said, smiling. "They fit. And they're unique--like them."
The doctor came back in then, telling me that I had visitors in my room and that he needed to get the children completely cleaned up.
I agreed and was wheeled to my room.