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Gaia didn’t answer for a long moment. “Yes,” she finally said. “At first, I was looking to protect myself with the power of three. To protect Elysium from Apollo’s reign. But…” She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice cracked. “But then you three were born. And I found I loved something far more. More than Apollo. More than myself. More than Elysium. And I changed my plans.”
Tears spilled freely down Prue’s cheeks. She knew Gaia could be lying. But as she watched the warmth in her mother’s eyes, the way the light shone in them as she gazed upon her infant children, Prue found she believed her.
The door crashed open, swinging on its hinges and bringing a swirl of snow flurries with it. Gaia was on her feet in an instant, clutching the babies tightly against her chest and wrapping a blanket securely around them. Her eyes were fierce as she glared at the intruder.
Dressed in furs and boots, Apollo stepped over the threshold, his expression murderous. His lip curled with a sneer, his eyes surveying the cramped cottage. “This is where you’ve been hiding? How disappointing. I really expected more from you, Gaia.”
“You are not welcome here,” Gaia seethed, withdrawing a step away from him. “Leave now. I don’t want to fight you, Apollo.”
“Then, don’t.” He strode closer to her, his boots tracking snow on the wood floors. “Just hand over my children, and I will be on my way.”
“Never,” Gaia spat.
Apollo’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. He glanced over his shoulder and jerked his chin. Only then did Prue realize a dark figure lurked behind him. Heavy footsteps thunked, and a man appeared alongside Apollo.
Prue’s gasp stuck in her throat, and she covered her mouth with her hand. It was Aidoneus—Cyrus’s father. The former king of the Underworld.
Gaia stiffened, drawing her children closer to her as she glanced between Apollo and Aidoneus. “What is this?” Her voice sharpened.
“You have no one to blame but yourself for this, Gaia,” Apollo said. “If you had handed them over to me, they would have been spared.”
“Spared from what?”
“It just so happens that there is a curse afflicting Elysium, thanks to the dreaded Pandora.” Apollo spat her name like a foul curse. “Just before dying, she left her magic with us, doomed to haunt us for all eternity.”
Gaia’s brows knitted together. “I lived in Elysium for years and never caught a whiff of such a curse.”
Apollo’s mouth stretched into a cruel smile. “Yes, well, it appears the curse has only affected us.” He gestured between himself and Aidoneus. “For years, we’ve searched for a way to break it. But the magic is too strong.”
Gaia barked out a laugh. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. You brought this on yourself, Apollo.”
Apollo’s gaze darkened. “Perhaps I did. But recently, we discovered a solution. You see, if the curse is transferred to another, then we can be free. So now, one of my children will carry the weight of that curse for me.”
Gaia’s face drained of color. “What? No?—”
Before she could react, the two gods stepped toward her. Aidoneus blocked Gaia’s path, his bulky frame a barrier between her and the cradle as Apollo scooped up the third daughter in his arms.
Gaia glanced down at the two babies nestled against her chest, as if only just realizing the third child was not with her. “Apollo, no!” she screamed. The ground rumbled, and she tried shoving past Aidoneus, but the death god raised his hands, conjuring black smoke to obscure Apollo from view.
But Apollo’s words still echoed in the cottage.
“I leave my own curse upon you, Gaia,” Apollo murmured. “May you be doomed to a life among the mortals for the rest of your days. May you never access your full abilities until your earth magic chooses to free you. For all eternity, you may never use your powers for yourself again.”
Gaia unleashed a violent sob, falling to her knees as she clutched the babies closer to her, weeping against their tiny heads. She screamed, and power burst from her, making the walls tremble. Roots and vines burst from the floorboards, snaking toward Apollo. But Aidoneus’s shadows smothered them, turning them to ash. Magic flooded from Gaia’s figure, exploding outward, but Apollo countered it with an idle wave of his arm, summoning a shield of pure light that protected him from Gaia’s wrath.
From within her arms, the two infants began fussing and squirming in Gaia’s grip. The goddess shushed them, her face conflicted between sorrow and rage, and Prue had no doubt that if she hadn’t been holding her children, she could have bested Apollo.
Defeat and resignation shone in her eyes, and she slumped, her frame sagging as she surrendered. She knew there was nothing she could do. Not if she wanted to protect her two remaining children.
Apollo smirked with triumph, knowing he’d won. With a soft chuckle, he tucked Pandora more securely in his arms and strode out the door.
Aidoneus, however, lingered, staring down at Gaia’s weeping form with a look of pity. She glared up at him, her eyes blazing with fury. With a shout, her vines snaked forward, wrapping around his ankles and pinning him in place.
“Foul demon,” she spat. “You will pay for this.”
Aidoneus’s expression was somber, and although it did not hold a fraction of the venom Apollo had shown earlier, it was still set with grim determination. “What did you think would happen when you defied him, Gaia? Did you think he would simply give up? If you did, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought.”
Gaia bared her teeth at him, and for a moment, Prue expected her to unleash the raw power of her magic on him. But a shuddering gasp ripped from her, and she hunched over. The arms holding her babies started shaking.
