PANDORA 4

Pandora #4 is pretty much nonstop craziness. 

First, the gang knows they have to go to Mount Pelion to find Lust. The problem is...Lust is 1300 years back in time. 

The gods help out more in this book than any of the 3 previous. Hermes takes them to the mountain and then sends them back in time, where they find themselves working as temp serving help for the wedding. 

What wedding? 

I'd say the most famous wedding in Greek myth: Thetis and Peleus. 

AKA: The one with the For the Fairest golden apple that sparks the Trojan War. 

I loved the time at the wedding itself. It was handled really well, including a conversation between Pandy and her father, who at that point is of course not married and not a father. 

Eris shows up, the apple is delivered and chaos ensues. The challenge is issued and Hermes will take Aphrodite, Athena and Hera to Mount Ida the next day where Paris will make his judgment. 

Pandy received a coin from Zeus and she and Alcie both got them from Hermes. They can be exchanged for godly assistance in travel, but it costs them two weeks of their allotted time. 

They give one to Hermes and he gets them to Mount Ida, then turns the girls into dogs so Homer can pretend he's got 3 dogs with him, instead of 4 kids randomly appearing on Paris's mountain. 

Then just as at the wedding, everyone kinda stands around and watches the myth play out. Dog Pandy finally goes after the apple when Paris tosses it to Aphrodite, but Aphrodite systematically injures Pandy, Alcie and Iole as she stops their dog forms from taking her precious apple. 

Hermes helps them get back to the present, where Pandora's broken arm is now badly healed and whatever happened to Iole is also badly healed, but Alcie remains blinded. Hermes can't fix curses done by other gods, so they're stuck that way. 

The gang plans to use another coin to get to Aphrodisias, where a temple to Aphrodite is being built. They're going to ask present day Aphrodite for the apple. 

However, Hera's been working behind the scenes to get back at Pandy for a ridiculous slight from years ago. She tortures Hermes to get information, then traps both him and Aphrodite while Hera herself impersonates Aphrodite. Hera/Aphrodite agrees to give Pandy the apple in exchange for one thing: one of their lives. 

There's a horrible scene where they fight over who gets killed and Alcie finally insists it has to be her. She's bitten by a snake and dies. Then Hermes and the real Aphrodite arrive as Hera reveals her ruse. Pandy (with Aphrodite's permission) slaps Hera and then sets her on fire. Zeus arrives as this is dying down and the others lie to cover up Hera's deceit and all the assistance they've given Pandy. Zeus gets Hera out of there and returns Dido to Pandy. Aphrodite heals Iole and Pandy's injuries, but she cannot bring Alcie back. She does give them the apple though, so that's four down, three to go. 

Next up, it's off to Baghdad for Wrath (Rage in the book). 

And down in the underworld, Alcie is causing a ruckus. Go, Alcie!