was never a box. It was a pithos, a storage jar. I suppose Pandora's pithos

doesn't have the same ring to it, but never mind that. Yes, she did open this

jar, which contained most of the demons that now haunt mankind — fear, death,

hunger, sickness."

 

"Don't forget me," the empousa purred.

 

"Indeed," Prometheus conceded. "The first empousa was also trapped in this jar,

released by Pandora.

 

But what 1 find curious about the story — Pandora always gets the blame. She is

punished for being curious. The gods would have you believe that this is the

lesson: mankind should not explore. They should not ask questions. They should

do what they are told. In truth, Percy, this jar was a trap designed by Zeus and

the other gods. It was revenge on me and my entire family — my poor simple

brother Epimetheus and his wife Pandora. The gods knew she would open the jar.

They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us."

 

I thought about my dream of Hades and Maria di Angelo. Zeus had destroyed an

entire hotel to eliminate two demigod children — just to save his own skin,

because he was scared of a prophecy. He'd killed an innocent woman and probably

hadn't lost any sleep over it. Hades was no better. He wasn't powerful enough to

take his revenge on Zeus, so he cursed the Oracle, dooming a young girl to a

horrible fate. And Hermes . . . why had he abandoned Luke? Why hadn't he at

least warned Luke, or tried to raise him better so he wouldn't turn evil?