84. When The Cats Away.
Perseus wasn't a blood carrier, but his actual son. A disbelieving laugh escaped, prompting Lachesis to frown at Medusa.
"Are you alright?"
"I am," Medusa answered, still reeling. "Does he know? Zeus, I mean."
Lachesis pulled a disgusted face. "Of course, he does. He calls his bastards hares. It's a sick pastime of his, sowing children in unsuspecting women. He has fathered at least sixty in the past century alone."
Medusa's jaw fell open. Looking at herself and Akrivi—hell, even random blood carriers boasted spine-chilling abilities. If he's had sixty children in the past century, then... "Is he raising a battalion?"
"Battalion? No. Maybe a platoon." She chuckled at her own joke before her expression grew serious. "He puts them through the inferno, searching for diamonds. Nearly all of them die."
"Ha." Medusa cradled the back of her neck.
Now that she thought of it, it all made sense.
In her first life as a gorgon, she had been strong.
Many had invaded her lair to seek her head, but no matter their strength, she defeated them all.
Yeah, a single eye contact was mostly what it took, but there were moments when her boredom pushed her to engage in actual combat.
Perseus was different, though. He fought like he had battled a thousand gorgons.
Moving as she moved, expertly avoiding eye contact, relentlessly slashing at her with that accursed sword.
His attacks were a rushing mighty wave that crushed her defences and planted a visceral fear that followed her throughout her lives.
"Now I see," Medusa muttered morosely.
"Don't make that face." Lachesis pushed to her feet, entered her crumbling shack and returned with a large sack.
"I've got something for you." There was a sparkle in her red eyes. "Promise you'll smile, yes? I sensed you were sad earlier."
Medusa said nothing, watching instead as the Moirai tugged at the leather strip tied around the sack.
"Anyway, Perseus is one among many sons and daughters. For now, Zeus has no interest in him. That's why this is the best time to kill the budding monster. Oh!" She perked up. "And Atropos is currently away. This moment is truly the most opportune time."
Medusa frowned as a possibility occurred to her. "Do you know where they are? Are you the one who made them disappear?" She still couldn't wipe the image of that giant hand and the rending feeling of the Moirai's energies going berserk in her.
"Don't look at me like that." Lachesis sighed. "Do I look strong enough to get rid of my sisters?"
When Medusa continued watching her with suspicion, she held her arms akimbo and frowned like a petulant child. "It was the Creator. But I'll confess that I persistently pleaded for intervention when I saw how fast our unity was breaking."
Medusa's brow flew up. She recalled Clotho said the Creator was nonchalant and dumped Cosmolith from the beginning. "You can talk to the Creator?"
The Moirai nodded, appearing embarrassed as she scratched a spot on her head.
"I talk to myself a lot. Isolation and all.
Haha. I started talking to the Creator several centuries ago.
You know... pleading for freedom and all.
There was no response until around two hundred years ago, and it had nothing to do with setting me free. "
"Oh." A lot must have happened two hundred years ago. If she remembered correctly, it was around the same time her father rebelled.
"Anyway, I asked for help regarding my sisters. I didn't know the Creator would take them." She began rummaging through the sack. "Atropos is consumed with rage and vengeance. If war breaks out with her in that state, Clotho would likely let her rampage. That cannot happen."
All that was noble and good, but Medusa didn't care. She simply wanted Clotho back.
Lachesis began casually tossing items over her shoulders. A dented chalice. An hourglass holding golden sand. Another with black sand. A squeaking mouse.
"The Creator's intervention is understandable. Two Moirai clashing may wreck this world." She held up a finely crafted bronze crown, observed it in the light, then tossed it as well. "I sense what you don't wish to say. You're worried about Clotho."
"Will she return?"
"Of course." Lachesis resumed tossing stuff over her shoulder. "Hopefully with a changed mind."
"Changed mind?" That didn't sound good. She wanted Clotho exactly as she was, mind intact.
Lachesis looked at her, giving her that probing stare that was unique to the Moiria. "You're fine with the possibility of war—No, it's not that you're okay with war." She cocked her head. "You don't care about Cosmolith."
Well, that was putting it a tad too harshly. "My family lives in Cosmolith."
Lachesis nodded as if coming to an acceptable conclusion. "Care is not particularly necessary for you to play your part. That you hate those that should be hated is enough. About Clotho changing, it's all up to the Creator to—aha!" She pulled out a stone slab, holding it up like a trophy.
Settling next to Medusa, she slid it across the table. "Here."
The black slab was polished as if handled often and bore markings and several tiny lines of text. What was more curious was that even without touching it, she could feel the waves of Monolith energy pouring off it.
"I believe this holds details of where monolith veins can be found. One's on this island."
Medusa frowned. "I thought the Moirai could not know where the Monolith or its veins are."
"That's correct." She continued to look at Medusa with an expectant gaze. "Go on. Take it."
When Medusa touched the palm-sized slab, an image flashed before her eyes. An ancient ruin overrun by the surrounding forest.
"I don't know how it works," Lachesis said. "But I know for a fact that that belonged to Prometheus and he used it to mark vein spots. He once mentioned a vein being somewhere on this island."
Medusa observed the slab with even more interest. "This belonged to him?"
Lachesis nodded. "He carried it everywhere."
"I see." Medusa swept her fingers over the lines written in an ancient language. The symbols looked vaguely familiar. Later. She'd carefully read every line later.
She offered Lachesis a subtle bow. "Thank you. Really."
"It's nothing." She waved away her thanks like an embarrassed old man. "Not like I had any use for it."
"Still..." The temptation that had lurked in the shadows of her mind surged to the surface.
Isn't it possible to use the Monolith to—No!
Antonii specifically warned her. She had enough decency to respect his last words.
My husband is dead. Dead. I can't bring him back.
He is dead... She repeated the lines over and over until the temptation lost its power and slunk away.
Lachesis drained her cup and refilled it.
"I poured my all on a gamble to pull fate back in line, but...
" Her voice lowered. "Despite the Creator's intervention, I fear failure is imminent.
I do not know why Atropos clung to that boy.
Her interference may have ruined things.
Hopefully she'll return cured of her foolishness. "
Medusa kept her fingers crossed on that. It's been months, and she has yet to recover from the terror of Atropos' chilling promise of retribution.
"In your first life, with my ruler and the monolith, Perseus displayed a voracious ambition that put Zeus' to shame." She stared into space for a moment, appearing caught in a terrible memory.
"That is why..." She met Medusa's gaze again. "That is why you must kill that boy as soon as possible. Zeus is wicked, but Perseus will grow into a cataclysmic psychopath who can and will jump worlds. He is beyond salvation."
"You think I don't know that?" Medusa asked, frustrated. He found me in another life and destroyed me. I also want him dead. "But my aunt has him."
The temptation to take up Phorcydes' challenge came now and then, but she was sane enough to resist. It made better sense to save her energy for Poseidon.
"Why do you think I gave you that?" Lachesis gestured at the slab Medusa still held. "Quickly take whatever you need to take. Grow stronger. Cheat if you must."
"Cheat?"
"Yes. Cheat." Her stringy white hair swayed as she nodded. "You may not know this, but there are certain bloodlines the monolith crafted differently. Your father and aunt fall in that category. You are your father's daughter, so the same must apply to you in some way."
"That doesn't mean I can fight and win against my aunt."
"Yes, you'll likely not win."
"Then why?" Medusa asked, doubly frustrated.
"To show her your desperation. If she sees the extent you're willing to go, she may come to reason."
'If'? 'May'? 'Likely'? Now that she thought of it, Lachesis barely spoke in absolute terms, unlike her sisters. Her plan had no guarantees. Attempting what she suggested could ruin everything she had prepared so far.
And it wasn't like her aunt was being unreasonable.
Medusa looked at Lachesis' thorn-covered arms, noting the leaking beams of light from puncture points.
The Moirai were worse off than her father, so shouldn't she understand Phorcydes' desperation?
"Do you already know how to free yourself from the thorns? "
Lachesis chuffed. "If I do, would I still be here? I hate these thorns."
Medusa drew the slab into her dimension. "My aunt believes she can use Perseus' blood to find a way around the thorns. I also want my father free."
"Then choose." All good humour vanished from her face. "Either search for an uncertain freedom for your father, or set loose a future psychopath who can jump worlds."
The better choice was painfully clear. Things would be worse for her if Perseus grew stronger than he already was.
"I should leave."
"Oh." Her eyes dimmed. "So soon?"
"You said I should hurry, remember?" Medusa glanced in the direction she sensed a vein was. Since she saw the picture in her mind, her key had grown restless.
"But you haven't even touched your drink."
Medusa looked at the wooden cup with misgiving. "Is this the same as Clotho's?"
"I'm not certain it'll be as effective as hers, but it may hold a good surprise."
Torn, Medusa tapped her finger against the cup.
She recalled the day she drank Clotho's 'wine'.
The rapid return of her petrification sight had made it all worth it, but there was that scalding pain across her back.
What was the worst that could happen, though?
The Moirai had nothing to gain from poisoning her.
"Fine."
Lachesis beamed and clapped excitedly. "Go on. My wine tastes better than Clotho's."
Releasing a resigned breath, Medusa lifted the cup and downed its contents in one go.
Mistake. Big mistake. It had a rancid, bitter taste and a chalky texture, with a sour aftertaste that made her contort her face in disgust.
"Ugh!" Medusa pressed the back of her hand against her lips as she shivered in revulsion.
Lachesis was laughing.
"Forgive me, but your face." She wheezed. "If I told you it didn't taste conventional, you wouldn't have drunk it. I'm the worst brewer among my sisters." She laughed again.
Coughing, Medusa swallowed the urge to gag.
How did Lachesis drink such an awful thing with a straight face?
The wine burned on its way down like actual alcohol, and it affected her snakes.
They had been hanging languidly on her shoulders throughout their conversation, but now they reared up and restlessly shifted against her cheeks and neck.
"It's an acquired taste." Lachesis took a sip from her cup and smacked her lips as if it were fine wine. "Atropos even prefers my brew to Clotho's."
Of course she would. That Moirai looks like she eats nails and diesel for breakfast.
"You should have warned me." Medusa swiped her arm across her lips two more times and stood, only to sway from a dizzy spell. "What the...?"
Medusa sat heavily, her snakes swaying limply as if they were dead. Heat. So much heat. She pulled at the snug collar of her bodysuit. "What's happening? Did you poison me?" She fanned her face only to realise she was having double vision.
"Why would I do that?" For what it was worth, Lachesis appeared equally confused as she rushed to her side.
Medusa blinked tightly over and over. Shaking her head was a bad idea. Not only did her vision roll, but flashes of light also burst across her vision. So stupid. This is what happens when you trust easily.
"Look at me." Lachesis cradled her face. Her eyes were wide with panic. "Tell me what you're feeling. If I can—"
Medusa pulled free and staggered to her feet. Thankfully her legs felt stronger this time, but... "My back. Ugh." Groaning, she twisted to reach the spot between her shoulder blades. It burned like a branding.
Swaying to the side, she braced an arm against the rocky wall. Why was this happening? With Clotho's wine, she only felt the change hours later.
Another flare of pain sawed across her back, this one strong enough to draw an actual agonised cry. "What the hell did you do to me?"
"I swear it's not poison."
She vaguely sensed Lachesis hover at her side, offering apologies and confusion.
"Do you want to lie down?"
"No." Medusa weakly waved her away.
She shifted to her ten-year-old form, hoping the pain would lessen.
It did not; if anything, it worsened. She bit back a curse and shifted to her first form.
Her limp snakes swayed in her vision as the pain spread across her entire back.
Sweat dripped from her brow to the stone ground. Her vision still swam.
"Let me see what I can find."
Almost as soon as Lachesis hurried away, the pain and dizzy spell ceased. Not even the vaguest phantom pain lingered. Medusa tentatively straightened, both relieved and suspicious of how instantly the suffering ended. Was it really over?
She turned to Lachesis. "I think it's over. I'm—"
Something erupted from Medusa's back. She staggered forward, more shocked by the weight than by the flare of pain. Twisting around, she strained to get a look, only to spy something dark skirt the edge of her vision.
"They were strong enough to rip through Lernaean leather." Lachesis stared at whatever loomed behind her. "Impressive."
Medusa turned and pressed the appendage against the wall to get a better look. She finally spotted the tip of a black feathered wing.
"You scared me at first. Made me plead with the Creator, but look at you." Lachesis did that excited little clap.
Medusa reached her arm over her shoulder. Her fingers brushed soft feathers. It was true; she actually sprouted wings. She attempted to will it away as she did whenever she switched forms. They shrunk to nothing.
Fascinated, she summoned them again. They felt like limbs she could feel but not control. So no flying yet. Still, she had successfully reached her third form. A pleased smile touched her lips. She wished Clotho were here to see this.
"Remember what I said about Perseus."
Medusa's excitement shattered. Of course, Perseus.
She willed her wings away and gently nudged one of her now alert snakes away from her left ear.
"Remember, whatever choice you make will have a significant effect on Cosmolith."
I'm not doing this for Cosmolith. But she nodded anyway. "I understand."
"Good." Then looked at Medusa with hopeful eyes. "You'll visit again, yes?"
The way she stood there, already appearing dejected from being left alone, was sad. Medusa resisted the urge to pat her head in reassurance.
"Yes. I'll visit before I leave the island." Why did I say that?
Lachesis beamed. "Thank you! I would have hugged you, but these." She brandished her thorn-covered arms.
"Keep your promise. Visit," The Moirai called after Medusa as she left.
Instead of making her way to the cave entrance, Medusa followed the pull of the key.
Movement consisted of shifting forms as the path grew more complicated.
There were even spots where the rocky walls moved as if responding to the key.
Soon enough, she reached the opposite end of the cave that opened onto the rest of the island.
The Monolith vein was not so far away now. As Medusa followed the key's guidance, she made up her mind. Before attempting to fight her aunt, she would resort to her venom. A little too merciful for Perseus, but the current Perseus was still a child. He wasn't the one who killed her family.
"Get ready." She gently petted one of her snakes. "You'll be working hard today."
Perseus flinched to consciousness and was immediately assailed by pain. His back was on fire, but he was locked in place, unable to move even his little finger. A lingering terror hovered over his senses, reminding him that something terrible had happened, along with a great humiliation.
Once I kill you, I will seek out that precious brother of yours...I'll make him love these beasts you loathe so much.
That gorgon! She even boldly attempted to take his life. To his infinite humiliation, the beast bested him in their clash, but that was because he wasn't prepared. Yes, if he had been better prepared, he would have slain her where she stood. And if he had his sword...
Perseus' heart twisted as he recalled the hilt it now was.
A great tide of hate surged and spread across his consciousness.
Even without being told, he could already guess that his current helpless state was because of the hag and her whore of a niece.
Now that he had learned these beasts could assume the guise of humanity, a purge was necessary.
Yes, once the Death Moirai returns, he would seek her power and—
You don't need her power. The voice returned. She was a hindrance. There's something greater...
The words faded as if snatched by the wind, only to return.
Perseus would have frowned if his face could obey.
In that terrible vision, he had seen himself suffer through years of disguised torment in the hands of Athena.
His older self being tossed in a basin of fire.
Breaking him to force obedience. Endless quests.
Countless beast slaying. Always on the brink of death.
The future she showed him had been full of horrors. It stamped his hate for Athena and planted a disdain for all the gods.
The voice faded again, but this time there was a stirring in Perseus' soul. This reasoning. Had he not always felt it—that he was meant for more? He was not destined to slave under the authority of god or mortal. Not Athena. Not Zeus. Not the Moirai. How had he forgotten so soon?
Even though it made no sense, he attempted to do as the voice asked. Darkness shifted to light, and when Perseus looked, he was standing before an expansive maze vaguely similar to the one in Drys Valon.
Tall, neatly trimmed hedges stretched to the left and right. The sky was pure white. No blue. No clouds. Nothing living soared past. A barren white. Then, ahead, standing before the maze entrance, was the shadowy form of a tall man. A breeze blew, and the form scattered like dust.
Perseus took a dazed step forward, only to stop when he felt wetness around his feet. He looked down to see a vast spread of water. Pieces of wood and bodies floated like dead fish. Collapsed structures jutting through the water. Toppled trees. He remembered this ugly day.
Gritting his teeth, he shoved the press of grief aside. The beast said Linos was alive. That was reason enough to survive.
I will seek Athena and kill her for this.
When his voice faded again, Perseus frowned, feeling a surge of irritation. He could be stubborn about it, refusing to approach the maze, but then, what else was there to do? He couldn't force his body to consciousness, and to his shame, he had no strategy against that gorgon.
He could wait for the Moirai. There was no way she was dead. Or...
His focus returned to the maze. It appeared ordinary, welcoming even. It took an instant to come to a decision. As if expecting his choice, the shadowy form returned. It stood for a moment before turning and walking into the maze.
Perseus followed him.