The stress of saving her classmates and the break down of her relationship with Jemma has pushed Pandora to the breaking point. And the corruption of the box isn't helping anything either. She's then offered a way out by the person she's worried abo...
Hermes turns to Jemma at her statement, "What do you mean?"
"You said we were supposed to push her to the limit so she can learn her lesson. But..."
"But what?" Hermes asks, somewhat amused.
"I'm not sure she has a limit. Or maybe she's already gone over it. I don't think she'll learn anything." says Jemma, very concerned.
Hermes smiles, "I know."
That has Jemma confused, "You know?"
"It's all part of my plan."
"I thought the plan was for her to learn something and no one to get seriously hurt." suggests Jemma.
"Maybe that was part of your plan, but not mine." explains Hermes.
"Your plan? But I thought we were in on this together?" questions Jemma, getting concerned.
"You thinking that was key to my plan working. Believing that I was somehow doing things in Pandora's best interest. It was easier to exploit your feelings for her that way."
"Exploit my feelings for her?"
Hermes chuckles at her, "Love is the easiest thing to exploit in you mortals. You care so much for each other that you'd do almost anything you care for. It wouldn't be as much fun playing with you if you didn't."
"So this was... some kind of... game to you?" Jemma asks, getting more upset the more Hermes tells her.
"Oh no, it's much more than a game to me. But I have to have my fun don't I?" continues Hermes, "And now it's too late to do anything to stop her transformation."
"Her transformation?"
"Into something so much more than you can imagine, and I couldn't have done it without your help. Thank you for that." Hermes informs her.
"I... I didn't mean to." tries Jemma.
"I know. You wanted to help. It's exactly how I tricked her into making herself vulnerable through her feelings for you. Now it's all falling into place."
"Falling into place?" asks Jemma, trying to understand.
Hermes' eyes light up with a black light and it freaks Jemma out, making her stumble back.
"You're... you're possessed."realizes Jemma.
Hermes smiles, "It's so much more complicated than that."
Jemma backs away, heading for the door. She leaves.
* * *
"Hey, you can't go in there." Tom, Jove's secretary, says as Jemma pushes her way through.
Tom comes up behind Jemma as she stops when she sees Jove standing behind his desk.
"I think I really screwed up." declares Jemma, worried.
"I'm sorry sir, I couldn't stop her."
Jove puts up his hand to his secretary, "It's all right Tom."
Tom looks between Jemma and his boss before finally leaving them alone.
"Thank you Tom." Jove says appreciatively before turning to Jemma as the door closes, "What makes you think you screwed up?"
It takes her a second to answer, "I... I trusted the wrong person. I thought they were trying to help, but... their eyes."
"What about their eyes?" questions Jove.
"They... they glowed, like the other people who were possessed. But it was different." explains Jemma.
"Different how?"
"It was black. Their eyes were black." Jemma declares, obviously shaken by the idea, "It's like they were..."
"Empty?"
"Yeah."
Jove approaches Jemma slowly, "Who was it?"
* * *
Hermes is writing on the chalkboard in his class. After a while, he stops.
"Hello father."
He puts down the chalk and turns to see Jove standing the doorway.
"I'm not your father, whoever you are." insists Jove.
"Come now father, I know we've had our squabbles over the years, but we're still family." Hermes pushes back.
"No child of mine would do what you've done."
"Right, because it's not like anyone in the family have ever gone off and done our own thing, even if you didn't like it."
Jove stares Hermes down, "Who are you?"
"I told you..." Hermes starts moving closer as he speaks, "I'm family."
When they get right up in each other's face, Jove's eyes glow white. The light glows until it flashes like a pair of headlights. Hermes' eyes flash white before glowing black, but this is different then before. It doesn't die down and gets much more intense. Eventually, Hermes' starts to shake and convulse, stumbling away in pain.
"Oh... oh god... stop... please stop..." Hermes pleads as he goes down to one knee.
After letting it go on for a while, Jove closes his eyes and when he opens them again, the white light is gone. Hermes' eyes glowing fades, getting back to normal.
Jove lets things settle for a moment before saying anything, "Let's try this again... who are you?"
It takes Hermes a second to answer, "I wasn't lying. I am family. I'm just not one of your favoured children. Your benevolence never reached me."
"So you're just taking the form of Hermes to deceive my daughter. To upset the balance."
Hermes manages to chuckle at Jove's words, "You and your stupid balance. Then again, I guess that's why it was so easy for me to infiltrate her life. To get her to trust me that ultimately spelled her doom. Because you and your balance meant you weren't allowed to interfere. Even now, your stupid rules make it so you can't do anything more than give me a little headache. All because Pandora has to do things on her own. It's why I'm going to win."
Jove's eyes flash white again momentarily, "You haven't won yet."
He leaves Hermes alone in his classroom. All he can do is smile.
* * *
Pandora walks down the hallway of the school her father runs with a smile on her face. The reason is largely because as she does, other students will turn to her regardless of what they are doing, and bow to her. The object of their pandering, namely Pandora, mostly ignores them except for occasionally acknowledging those eating apples. Eventually she moves into her latest classroom only to find Jemma the only one in there. She looks around, somewhat confused at the class being empty.
"I need to talk to you." insists Jemma.
Pandora looks at her curiously, "I can see that. How did you get everyone to leave?"
"I told them you wanted them to leave." responds Jemma, adding "Apparently everyone here just does what you say now... even the teachers."
"Well I am trying to fix them and the world. Of course they're going to do what I want." Pandora says with pride.
"Why don't you just rewrite the whole curriculum?" wonders Jemma, somewhat rhetorically.
"Oh I'm already doing that." confirms Pandora, a smile on her face, "I can't have people thinking things I don't want them to."
Jemma stares at Pandora for a while before answering, "It sounds like a nice cult you're building. But I have to ask... why are you doing this?"
Pandora gives her a curious look, "I thought I explained that. I'm doing it for you."
"But why? Why are you doing this for me? Did someone give you this idea? Because I've been talking to a teacher here and he's been giving me some bad ideas."
"Have you?" questions Pandora.
Jemma stands up at the question, "Yeah, so... I just have to ask. Is this Hermes guy telling you to do this? Does he make you think this will work and I'll be with you?"
Pandora's expression turns to anger, "Why? Because I can't think for myself? I can't have my own ideas? That's pretty patronizing."
"It's just... he's the one who told me that I needed to cut you out of my life. He told me that you were screwing up because you thought you were doing the right thing. That if I just cut you out of my life that you'd learn your lesson and that these things wouldn't happen anymore. I thought I was doing the right thing."
"Sounds like you're the one who's been listening to the wrong people. But hey, if this guy made me into what I am now? Maybe I should thank him instead." suggests Pandora.
"What?" Jemma asks, clearly not expecting that answer.
"Well, if he kept you away from me long enough that I realized my real purpose? I should probably thank them." Pandora explains, clearly enjoying herself.
"But what you're doing is destroying things. You're trying to remake people into some kind of crazy worshippers. That's... that's insane." offers Jemma.
"Is it any more insane than just giving into every impulse you've ever had for your own pleasure?"pushes back Pandora.
That catches Jemma off guard, not saying anything.
"I mean, isn't that what you did?Just go around following every impulse that came to you?"
It takes Jemma a second to respond, "Yeah, and you were the one that taught me that was wrong. I shouldn't just do whatever I want and neither should anyone else."
"And because of what you did, I'm going to lose my mother."
"Wait, what?" a surprised Jemma asks.
"My mother's in the hospital because of you and what you did to me. You infected me with the spirit which made me go along with whatever you wanted... and my mother ended up having to save me from you and your insane ideas. It put her in the hospital. Now I'm going to fix that."
"I..." tries Jemma before Pandora continues.
Pandora makes her way up to Jemma, getting very close, "Don't worry, you don't have to feel guilty. No one does. In my new world, everyone will be exactly the way I want them to be. Even you."
She puts her hands on Jemma's cheeks, cupping her face.
"I'm going to save you."
Pandora leans in and kisses Jemma lightly.
"And you're going to thank me for it."
They look at each other deeply, the depth of their feelings for each other obvious. It isn't long before Jemma steps back, clearly tempted, then leaves Pandora alone.
* * *
Jove stands at his wife's bedside in the hospital, holding her hand firmly. The steady beat of the heart rate monitor the only sound in the room for a long while. He takes a deep breath.
"It's worse than we thought honey. Whatever's possessed our daughter is so much more powerful. There's a chance we won't be able to get her out of this alive. This isn't as simple as just getting the spirit out of her through The Box. We might have to take more drastic measures. All I can hope is that you can forgive me for letting this happen."
He watches his unconscious wife Uni lie motionless in the bed. Not long after, Jemma rushes into the room. Jove turns to see his student standing just inside the doorway. She looks at the mother of her friend and at one time possible lover.
"She... she wasn't lying." declares Jemma, sad at the realization.
"Jemma, what are you doing here?" asks Jove with concern.
"I talked to Dora. She told me about what I did to her mother. I had to come see it for myself." Jemma says with even more guilt the more she speaks.
* * *
Hermes is in his classroom, writing on the chalkboard to prepare for his next class. Pandora enters casually which causes Hermes to turn to face her.
"Hello Ms Jupiter." greets Hermes.
Pandora chuckles at his words, "I hear you're responsible for me being this way."
Hermes smiles at the statement, "You could say that."
Pandora makes her way into the classroom, getting close to Hermes. After getting right up in each other's faces, Pandora reaches out and puts her arms around him.
"Thank you son." she says as her eyes glow a black light.
Hermes' eyes glow the same colour, "Anything for you mother."
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