The Forest Nymph Pt. 02

"Then I will stop Agamemnon here and now, and carry you back to our home, even if I have to run faster than the greatest horse. I am not going to let you die. I refuse to let that happen. You told me once that it was not time for me to leave this world and that I still had a life to live. You told me to not despair when my life is far from forfeited. Now I'm saying it to you. Hold on so that we can live together. Just wait, and we will be home before you know it."

She closed her eyes and became silent as he laid her down on the floor. With his whole body shaking and exhausted, Felix got to his feet and began staggering forward. Agamemnon cursed when he saw him and stood up. Without Pandora's Box in his hand, he had none of his powers. Fighting against the waves of evil energy surging from the dark vessel, the two men both moved across the room towards the box, trying to maintain their balance against the pushing darkness. With each step, Felix could feel his organs dying and his blood becoming more and more toxic, while Agamemnon's flesh was rotting at an accelerated rate and pealing off his body.

Deep in the shadowy maelstrom, they both reached out, trying to grasp the box but unable to penetrate the event horizon around it. From his vantage point, Felix could see into the inner depths of the box. The inside of the vessel was far larger than it seemed on the outside, with the interior walls resembling a cylindrical whirlpool of red and black flames. But in the bottom of the abyss, he could see could see a bright golden light.

"You cannot stop me or the power of Pandora's Box! A simple human like you could never be strong enough to thwart me!" Agamemnon shouted with all air of confidence gone.

"You are a power-hungry fool, Agamemnon! For years, you've sacrificed countless innocent people for your own selfish desires! But it ends now!"

With all of the strength he had left, Felix broke through the event horizon and reached into Pandora's Box, grabbing the bright light in the bottom. He pulled his hand out with the golden aura shining from between his fingers and raised his fist above his head.

"Now, Pandora's Box! In the name of Troy and my resolve to protect the woman I love, I order you to seal!" Felix called out as he slammed his fist down on the lid, forcing the box shut.

A great thunderclap echoed throughout the world as the evil energy pouring out of Pandora's Box was cut off mid-stream, and all of the dark influence that had entered the world of the living was drawn back into the shadowy depths. Struggling to stay on their feet and stay conscious, the two rivals faced each other while gasping for air. Between them was five meters of space, with Pandora's Box at Felix's feet.

"You haven't beaten me. While the box has been shut, its powers weren't locked away. Once it is in my grip again, I will be as powerful as before, and you will be doomed."

Felix took a deep breath before responding. "Well you won't get it again. I've been waiting for you to let go of the box, because now I can finally use my final gift from the gods. I considered using it when I cut off your hand, but the moment didn't seem right," he said coldly as he pulled out the metal spike that Hades had given him.

"What is that?" Agamemnon stammered.

"Your doom!" Felix shouted before he threw it, sending it flying through the air and lodging it in the wall above Agamemnon's head.

The second the spike became locked in place, it exploded and transformed into a wide disk of dark energy, similar to the power that had streamed from Pandora's Box. The disk was twenty feet across and a chorus of screams echoed from within its depths. Two black pillars materialized beside the disk, covered in incantations, and a large black skull appeared over it. Agamemnon jumped back out of fear, falling to the ground and scrambling away. He reached out to grab Pandora's box, but before he could touch it, three long chains burst out of the portal. The first chain grabbed Pandora's Box, the second grabbed the Apple of Discord, and the third grabbed Hades' Helm of Invisibility. The three artifacts were yanked into the portal and disappeared within its depths.

"What is this?!" Agamemnon shouted over the screams echoing from the portal.

"It is the Underworld and your fate. For deceiving the gods and threatening the world, you shall be forced to suffer for all eternity in the darkest depths!" At the sound of Felix's voice, a huge skeletal hand reached out of the portal and grabbed Agamemnon, who was screaming in terror. "This is your punishment for all of your crimes! This is where you shall pay for every life lost in the name of your schemes! Now suffer for all eternity and repent your sins in the pits of the Underworld!"

Agamemnon gave one last scream before the huge skeletal hand pulled him into the spinning clouds of darkness. With Agamemnon and the three artifacts taken care of, the portal slammed shut and disappeared. Felix gave a deep sigh of relief and fell to his knees. It was all over. He slowly moved over to Serenity and lifted her head. Her turquoise skin had turned sickly pale, her life force was incredibly weak, and she would be dead in less than a minute, but there wasn't a single twinge of fear in Felix's heart. He held up his fist, with the light from Pandora's Box clutched tightly in his fingers.

"According to legend, when the box was first opened, all of the evils of the world streamed out. By the time Pandora closed the box, the darkness inside had already been set loose, and by closing it, all she did was seal the last thing inside: Hope. Evil may have refilled that box, but there was still Hope inside. Now I give it to you, the hope that we can live together in our forest home and be happy forever."

Felix opened his hand and pressed the Light of Hope against her chest, reviving her with its power. Instantly her skin went from sickly grey to its natural and lively turquoise and she gave a shuddering gasp. Felix's smile widened as she opened her beautiful eyes.

"Felix," she gasped.

"It's ok, Serenity, we can go home now."

With a tearful smile, the nymph wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly while she cried on his shoulder.

"We can finally go home," he whispered, savoring the feeling of her warm body against his.

"The box and the apple are lost in the river Styx. I made sure that no one knows where they are, not even me. They shall be lost until the end of time," Hades said, standing in the corner of the council chamber of Mt. Olympus.

"And what of your helm?" Athena asked.

"That bastard Agamemnon really messed it up, but I should have it back to its original form soon."

"And has Agamemnon been taken care of?" Poseidon asked.

"Let's just say that Cerberus is going to enjoy his new chew toy for all of eternity."

"And how are Felix and Serenity?" Zeus asked. Hades turned to Helios, who had a warm smile on his face.

"They are safe and happy," the titan hummed.

Down in their secret orchard, Felix and Serenity were curled up in the bed of their tree chamber with the blanket over them and their foreheads pressed together. They were whispering how much they loved each other and how they always would.

THE END