Inside the chambers as the Pantheon and the Order struggled to hold the massive doors closed, Phil added Z to the mental link. Rose Biggles relayed the coordinates of the escaped demons to Z as the avatar of space "boomed" them back into the doorway, face to face with their brethren.
Rowena continued sending her words of joy towards the beasts, weakening them. "We're almost. . .there. .." Aelous grunted. Looking over at Pandora, he shouted "One more push! Pandora! Now! Do it!"
"I. . .I don't know if I can, Aelous! It's all I have left! I don't know if I can bear being separated from it!" The woman said, struggling with the door, alongside her allies.
"You must, Pandora! Or else we're all lost!" the leader of the Pantheon commanded. "As always, it comes down to the women to get things done." Medea muttered under her breath as she conjured mystical chains to attempt to bind the doors shut.
"Pandora. . ." the woman looked upwards at the sound of the gravelly voice. "We believe in you." Arges the cyclops smiled as best he could while struggling even with his mighty strength. "We all believe. .." Stheno shouted from under her veil as she took a few quick glances into the doorway, turning many demons to stone. . . .we believe. . . Echo's power said as the young girl's pleaded with Pandora.
"All right, I'll do it. . ." Pandora stepped back away from her brethren and picked up the small wooden chest from the floor. Without hesitation, she opened the box and aimed it towards the doorway.
Waves of hope poured forth from the box, washing over the Pantheon and the Order, as well as the demons scraggling to escape the doorway. Intermixing and mingling with Rowena's own energies, the waves grew stronger, bolstering the heroes' efforts, and forcing the demons back through the doorway.
As the last embers of hope poured forth from the box, the gigantic nightmarish doors slammed shut, trapping the armies of Hell inside. The Pantheon and Order members slumped forward against the doors, sweat pouring down their faces. "Not a moment sooner. . ." "I couldn't have held another. . ." "Yer alla bunch a pansies. . ."
Pandora stared down into her now empty box. It was the only thing that had kept her going all these years. All the years of struggle, of guilt for what she'd done. Hope had been the only thing keeping her going. And now it was gone. A single tear began to fall down her cheek.
"Where there is life, Pandora, there is always hope." Rowena said, kissing the woman on the cheek, while touching the inside of her box with a single finger. The inside of the box glowed brightly as joy washed over Pandora's face. "Thank you." she said, hugging the avatar as the wooden chest closed again.
