surprised to realize that she meant it. Ajax must have been truly
special to inspire such enduring love in his younger sister.
?In a lot of ways none of us have gotten over losing him,? Pandora
said, shrugging as though she had run out of explanations for
Helen. ?But my brother Pallas is the only one who can?t look at you
and accept that you?re a different person, even though he knows
it?s got nothing to do with you.?
?I get it,? Helen conceded. ?It?s not fair, and I still think he?s
mean, but I get why Pallas hates me.?
?Don?t worry, eventually he?ll get over it. Deep down he knows
you didn?t choose your face. The Fates did,? she said. She gave
Helen a cheeky smile. ?And damn, girl! But you got a nice one!?
?So did you!? Helen insisted, and she meant the compliment she
gave.
?Whatever,? Pandora said, rolling her eyes and shaking her tinkling
wrists. ?I?m probably one in a hundred who gets some stupid
handmaiden?s face, or a vestal virgin?s from Troy, considering my
luck with men!?
Even while she laughed, Helen couldn?t quite shake a strange
doubt. Finally, she gave into it and asked, ?So who from Troy do I
look like??
?Hell, no!? Pandora said, standing up. ?I promised?we all did.
You need to talk to Lucas about that one, Helen. Sorry, but I?ve
already given you enough to think about for one night.?
And with a considerable amount of jangling and sparkling, Pandora
announced that she needed a glass of wine and disappeared
in the mix of her family. Helen grimaced after her. She knew that
Pandora had really opened up and entrusted her with an emotionally
dense bit of information, but Helen still felt dissatisfied. She
199/395