Percy Jackson: New Friends

Chapter 14: Earth's POV

Chapter 14: Earth's POV

Pandora gave us these really awesome rooms, but I wasn't into it. Xenia and I wanted to find out what was inside that jar. I remember the myth: Pandora was given a pithos from Zeus and then she married Epimetheus. She couldn't stand to look at it much longer and opened it after she stole the key from her husband while he was sleeping. It released many things like chaos into the world. The last thing was Hope that was still inside the pithos. Nothing should be inside that jar except Hope. Someone or something was alive in there, and Xenia and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

It was now nighttime. I grabbed some nectar and ambrosia just for emergencies. Xenia and I were about to walk out the door when someone whispered, "Hey." I was so startled, I dropped the supplies. I was in the dark but I could make out that it was Maika, daughter of Hestia. She seemed to have a glow effect to her.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked me. Good thing it was in the dark because my face turned red. Xenia stood right beside me, yet she somehow wasn't noticed.

"Ok, you got us. We're going to see what's inside Pandora's pithos. You can come too," I replied.

"I'll grab some things," she answered happily. I waited. Then, we were off. It was very quiet out. The only thing that was audible were the salt water fountains. We went to the main office. I noticed there was a second floor. That must be where Pandora and Epimetheus slept. Xenia pick-locked the door. (I have no idea where she learned that). Maika burned the security cameras down, and I shot this weird demon owl with my arrows. We were a pretty good team.

The stairs creaked as we ascended. I heard snoring. In the myth, Epimetheus had the key. We would have to get it from him. Pandora's was first. The door was closed. I sighed from relief. We went down the hall. Epimetheus's room was the last one on the right. We all went in. The snoring got even louder. I saw the key on his neck. It had some sort of lock on it. Xenia and I exchanged glances. This was going to be harder than we expected.

I snuck up to his extra large bed. I held my breath. The necklace that held the key read _____._____ _____, and I realized that it could take me forever trying to figure out what the code was. Xenia and Maika crawled up right beside me.

"Why didn't you get it?" Maika asked.

"There was some sort of code. I really wish Duke was here right now," I replied. Xenia peered over the bed and looked at the necklace. She sat right beside me again.

"Yeah. It looks pretty hard," Xenia confirmed. Only you know the answer, a voice inside my head told me.

"Who was that?" I asked confused.

"Who was what? There's no one in here except Ephimetheus and us," Maika explained. I scanned through the Greek numbers and symbols in my head. I only had one shot. Suddenly, the answer occurred to me.

I stood up and reached for the necklace. Then, Ephimetheus moved and turned on his side. I grumbled angrily. I walked to the other side of the bed. My arms reached again for the necklace. I got it. I pressed in 3.14-- the first numbers of pi, π. It clicked, and I prayed to Apollo it would work. It did. I almost did a happy dance or even write a haiku, but I decided not to. I got the necklace.

"Let's go!" I whispered. Then, we were out. We went down to Pandora's office. We opened the door. Now, it was time to open the mysterious pithos.