Pandora is born with the name Lydia a few years before the birth of Christ in the Roman Republic, the daughter of a wealthy Roman Senator. Like many senators' daughters at the time, Lydia is taught to read and write. She comes to love poetry, especially works by Ovid.

Eventually Pandora discovers that Marius is a vampire and also that he is the protector of Those Who Must Be Kept. The vampire Akabar uses Marius's love for the mortal Pandora and drains her to the point of death, forcing Marius to make her into a vampire to save her.

Pandora is a morose, despairing immortal who initially wanted immortality but soon regretted her choice and turns into a dark, indifferent cynic.