~Prologue~

A knock on a door echoes through the room. A woman in a corner looks up from the small being in her arms and fear flashes in her eyes. She knew he would be coming as soon as he heard the news. She gently sets the being down in a large drawer. She quickly and quietly shuts the drawer and then heads towards the door, passing seven cribs on the way. She opens the door to a tall man with frightening features. His arms were the size of large watermelons and his fierce blue eyes pierced right through you.

"Good evening Dora," the man says.

"Good evening Zeus, please, come in," replies the woman and she steps aside for the mighty God. As he enters the room, his eyes scan the seven cribs, and then he eyes the cabinet in the corner suspiciously. He turns to the women.

"I'm sure you know my reason for coming here Pandora," he states. It wasn't a question. Pandora knew exactly why he was here and it scared her to death.

"Of course, you're here to curse my children," Pandora snaps bitterly as she gently strokes one of her children's face.

"You brought this upon yourself, surly a smart women like yourself wouldn't forget that," Zeus says glancing at the crib. He then snaps his fingers and a large box appears behind him on a table. Pandora gasps.

"You brought that-that- evil back into my home!" Pandora exclaims, stepping backward.

"It was not evil until you opened it Dora. You let curiosity get the best of you I'm afraid." Zeus turns to the box and unlocks it, smiling a bit at past memories.

"It's all games and tricks with you Zeus! You torture your sons and daughters, cheat your wife! You are the mightiest among us all! Why do you use us as pawns in your games? Haven't you seen us suffer enough?" Pandora's eyes are full of fury and resentment. Zeus smiles at her anger. He'd heard the complaint many times before, and not just from her. She looks like she would hit him, but he knew she couldn't hurt him. It was very amusing though, to see how hot-tempered she could get.

"I'm afraid not," Zeus says. "Now, down to business." Pandora throws herself into a chair and stuffs her face into her hands.

"It seems you have seven children here, the perfect amount I do say. So, I am going to give each of them a certain gift-"

"You mean curse," Pandora interrupts. Zeus shrugs.

"You say tomato . . . You know the old saying," he says. "How many of each?"

"Four boys, three girls," she replies. She stares blankly down at the floor.

"I can work with that." Zeus picks up the box and walks over to the first crib. He looks down at the small, smiling baby boy. "You will be named Hubris and you will have pride like no other." Zeus opens the box just a crack and a red light flashes out and consumes the baby. Pandora stands suddenly, shocked.

"The Seven? You're cursing my children with the Seven?" she exclaims.

"I thought it perfectly fair, since you cursed all of humanity with more than just the Seven."

"But, they are the most deadly! You're going to kill my children!"

"I know how dangerous they are, but I assure you, your children have a chance." Zeus walks to the next crib. "Gluttony is your gift. You shall be named Revel." Another red light flashes from the box and into the baby girl.

"How are you giving them a chance? By making them fat, or over accomplished?"

"Oh, I assure you little Revel will by no means, be fat." Zeus chuckles to himself, as if he was laughing at a secret joke. "Your children just need to overcome their sins. Once they accomplish that, they will be free.

"Craven is your name, envy is your game." Another flash of red light brightens the room. And so Zeus continues on. Wrath for baby Ire, Lust for little Zeal, Greed for Avarice and then Sloth for Torpor. When Zeus finishes, he turns to Pandora who is now sobbing in a chair. "From now on I would heed my words Pandora. When I say let it be, let it be. I am giving you one more chance. Let these children alone, do not get curious to how they are living. They will return to you when the time is right. And if they don't return to you, then I'm sure my brother will let you visit them." Zeus leaves Pandora alone with her babies. She looks around desperately at each of the cribs. She stands and pulls out seven chains from the pocket of her dress. She walks to each crib, gives each baby a kiss and a chain. Each chain had her pendant on it, a fancy letter 'P'. As she gives her last child a kiss another knock on the door makes her jump. She answers and another man walks into the room, a man she and many other Gods were not very fond of, Hades.

"I'm here for your children," he says, emotionless.

"What are you going to do with them?" Pandora asks hurriedly.

"Put them in homes, suiting their new characteristics. Now," Hades walks up to one of the cribs. "Envy? How about a poor home? He'll have a lot to envy then, huh?" And so it went on. With each snap of a finger, each baby disappeared to their new homes. When he finished, Hades left with out a word, but with a small smile at Pandora's distress.

"Minutes passed and then Pandora remembered she wasn't alone. She hurried to the cabinet in the corner and opened the drawer. She smiled down at the small baby girl. She picked up the baby and carried her around the room, humming softly. Then she saw it. The box. It sat on a table, where Zeus had left it. Pandora walks up to it and watches it carefully. There couldn't possible be anything left in it, could there? She slowly lifts the lid with her free hand. A bright flash of blue light fills the room.

Pandora quickly lets the lid fall closed and then notices her baby glowing softly. Suddenly Pandora is filled with this light, happy feeling. She new what she had to do. She couldn't keep her baby, for surely Zeus would find out. But Pandora must give her baby the same fate as her brothers and sisters. She will put the baby in an orphanage and let fate lead her daughter along, not Hades or Zeus. Her daughter will find her siblings and help put them on the right path. Now Pandora's children had hope, and Hope would lead the way, for everyone.