by Helen Harper
‘I know you’re new at this, Yuri, but you need to start using some initiative. You were there. We could have had this photo on our own website instead of being forced to play catch-up. It’s not too late for me to put someone else on this story.’
Something deep inside her hardened. She wasn’t going to let her career as well as her heart suffer thanks to Oz fucking O’Connor. He could have the supermodel if he wanted. Yuri wasn’t going to let him mess with her though. She looked her boss in the eye. ‘That won’t be necessary. I’ve already met with him and his entourage. I won’t let something like this slide again.’
He watched her for a moment, assessingly. Finally, he heaved a sigh. ‘Alright then. But don’t let me down again. We can’t afford to have any dead weight around here.’
Yuri bit her lip. ‘Yes, Don.’ Head bowed and face flaming yet again, she made a swift exit.
*
Feeling briskly resolute, Yuri strode down the busy pavement towards the building which housed the record company for Orpheus. The steaming humiliation swirling around inside her would be more than enough to see her through the upcoming afternoon. She didn’t care whether Oz thought she was receiving her just desserts for actions long since committed against him. No-one had the right to treat her that way. She’d not imagined the look in his eye when he’d approached her as he’d come off stage. The thought that he’d been acting made her fury and pain explode to epic proportions. And that damn song … her face twisted. Tilting her head up, she gritted her teeth. She was a consummate professional. Dealing with an egotistical rock star, no matter what had gone on between them in the past, would be a piece of cake.
Yuri was so lost in her own daydreams about verbally squashing Oz to the floor like a bug that she almost didn’t notice the woman hovering in front of the large glass doors. When she did, her mouth dropped open and she rushed towards her.
‘Medusa!’
Enveloping her in a hug, while the snakes surrounding her head curved their necks towards her and darted out their tongues in seeming affection, Medusa smiled. ‘Yuri. It’s good to see you.’
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, pulling back.
Medusa shrugged. ‘I was in town. I thought I’d pop by to say hello.’
‘You look great,’ Yuri said enviously. In fact, she didn’t look a day older from when they’d first met in the zoo.
‘You look like hell.’
Yuri’s hands self-consciously flew to her hair and she smoothed it down. ‘Yes, well,’ she muttered. ‘I’m having a bad day.’
‘Come and have lunch with me.’
‘I can’t. I have to work.’ Yuri jerked her head towards the building. ‘I’ve got a photoshoot to oversee and an interview to do.’
Medusa didn’t blink. ‘With Ozzy.’
‘He calls himself Oz these days.’
‘Don’t.’
‘Don’t call him Oz?’
‘Don’t go and see him again.’
The earnestness in Medusa’s voice gave Yuri pause. She shot her a curious look. ‘Believe me, I’d rather not. But it’s my job. It’ll be done by five o’clock and then I never have to see him again.’
‘You can’t do this.’
‘You’re here to stop me,’ Yuri said slowly, comprehension dawning. ‘Why?’
Medusa’s eyes sparked. ‘It’s not going to end well.’
‘It’s already not ended fucking well,’ she muttered. ‘I bloody told Sibyl not to try a divining.’
‘She did it for him. Not you. Although…’
‘No.’ Yuri said, stepping back. ‘I don’t want to know. Whatever it is doesn’t matter anyway. I meant what I said. Once I’m done today, I’m done for good. He can go back to playing the smarmy music hero. This is my career, we’re talking about.’
‘Yuri.’
‘Leave it,’ she snapped.
In response, the myriad of green snakes writhed and spat in her direction. ‘No.’ Medusa eyed her. ‘Did I ever tell you what happened to me? How I ended up like this?’
Yuri blinked. ‘You know you didn’t.’
‘I was seventeen and starry-eyed.’
‘Can we do this after? I’m sorry but…’
Medusa snarled. ‘Shut up and listen. You owe me that much.’ Yuri stilled. ‘As I was saying, I was seventeen. I thought I had the world at my feet. Most of the time I did. I may not have had your exotic looks but I was beautiful.’ She cast a wry look at Yuri. ‘You didn’t think I was born like this, did you?’
‘I…’
Medusa waved a hand in the air. ‘Never mind. Just understand that I could have had my pick of any man. They were beating down my father’s door. Frequently, my suitors would challenge each other to duels outside my window, partly because of masculine bravado and partly to impress me.’ Her face softened. ‘There was one man who I thought was different to the others though. He refused the fights and instead stood in the garden day and night reciting poetry. He had a lovely voice. His poetry was a bit vague, but that didn’t really matter. It was the emotion he conveyed that counted. I listened to him for hours on end. Then I started to sneak out and meet him by moonlight.’
‘What was his name?’ Yuri asked, spellbound.
‘David.’ A smile traced over Medusa’s mouth. ‘He was truly special. You have to understand that those were very different times to now. We didn’t even touch. But I didn’t need to feel his warm skin or his soft lips to know I was in love and we’d be happy forever. I agreed to let him talk to my father. He was from a reputable family so there was no real concern that my father would refuse his suit. Just to be sure, however, I went to the temple to make an offering to the gods.’ Pain flickered across her eyes. ‘It doesn’t hurt to hedge your bets. At least, that’s what I thought anyway.’
‘Medusa, you don’t have to tell me this.’
‘I know,’ she answered softly. ‘But I want to.’ She took a deep breath. ‘My father owned a fleet of ships. Fishing mostly and, goodness knows, back in those days the seas were considerably more plentiful with their bounty than they are now.’
‘We’re not talking recently, are we?’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘This was a very, very long time ago, Yuri.’
‘In Greece?’
‘Yes.’
‘Poseidon,’ Yuri said suddenly understanding. ‘You went to Poseidon’s temple.’
‘It made the most sense.’ Medusa’s eyes were distant. ‘He was the god my father subscribed to. But, no, it wasn’t his temple I visited. I went to Athena. The goddess of wisdom. For some reason I thought she’d be likely to want to help. Sisterhood, perhaps. But that’s not to say Poseidon wasn’t involved.’ She sighed. ‘Even back then the gods rarely spent time connecting with humans. The last thing I expected was to find one there.’
‘Poseidon was there?’
‘I didn’t realise it was him to begin with. I thought it was merely another supplicant. It should have occurred to me that the temple was unusually empty.’ Her face looked pained. ‘He made sure of that. He told me I was beautiful. That my hair reminded him of the silky dark waters under the ice in Antarctica but he knew that the blood which pumped through my veins was as warm and alive as that of the Caribbean. I’d never even heard of those places before. It felt like he was selling me a dream of another world. A world David and I could explore together.
‘He put his hand out to touch my cheek and told me that if I wanted my father to agree to the marriage, I had to do what I was told. I was far too naïve then to understand what he wanted but when one hand cupped my breast and the other forced its way between my thighs, even I began to get an idea.’
Horrified, Yuri shook her head. ‘Medusa, no. He didn’t.’
‘Oh, he did. I said no. My virginity was highly prized. I wasn’t about to give it up to anyone other than David, no matter what he promised in return. But he was too strong. He ripped the clothes from me and took what he wanted. By the gods, it hurt. It was decade
s before I could get the stench of salt erased from my skin. I thought I was ruined and things could never – would never – get any worse.’ Her eyes darkened with the memory. ‘What I hadn’t counted on was Athena’s rage at the defilement of her temple. She couldn’t go after Poseidon. He was too strong and the wisdom she possesses told her it would do nothing more than cause friction amongst all the gods of Olympus.’
‘She went after you?’
‘Guess what she gave me?’ Medusa smiled but her eyes were humourless. She reached up and stroked the head of the nearest snake. ‘Not that I don’t love you now, my lovelies,’ she said softly. She gazed at Yuri. ‘My father threw me out onto the street. I could understand that. He couldn’t risk furthering the wrath of Athena when he had so many men’s lives to be responsible for. I thought it didn’t matter. I had my David.’ She closed her eyes briefly. ‘Until he saw me that was. I suddenly wasn’t quite as desirable as I had been before. He wasn’t interested in having a wife who looked like a monster.’
‘He dumped you? After all you went through, he dumped you?’
Medusa’s gaze turned flinty. ‘He loved the idea of me. He didn’t love me. I could live with the rape, with my father’s disdain, with finding myself looking like this. But David broke my heart.’
Faced with Medusa’s story, Ozzy’s actions no longer seemed quite so reprehensible to Yuri. Perspective could change a great deal. ‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that alone.’ She reached forward and hugged Medusa again. When she pulled back, both their cheeks were wet.
‘The writing was on the wall, Yuri, and I was too stupid to see it. Don’t make my mistake.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Don’t go and see your Ozzy. It won’t end well.’
‘He’s not a monster,’ Yuri said quietly. ‘He’s a lying bastard but he wouldn’t do what Poseidon did.’
‘I know.’
‘And I don’t want anything to do with him after him today so he won’t do what David did.’
Medusa’s eyes were troubled. ‘No, he won’t do that either. But this love will destroy you just as mine destroyed me.’
‘I don’t love him.’
‘Yuri, you’ve always loved him.’
Unable to deny the truth again, she looked away. ‘It doesn’t mean I don’t hate him too. I’m not going to let him hurt me again,’ she said fervently. ‘I’m going to do my job and walk away. You didn’t mind when I was with him before.’
Medusa looked pained and strangely unable to meet Yuri’s eyes. ‘We didn’t always know the truth before. Sibyl speaks the truth; you know she does. If you walk through those doors, you are sealing your fate forever.’
‘I’m not going to live my life through Sibyl’s prophecies. I told her I didn’t want a divination! I can’t be like that, not any more. I have to be in charge of my destiny. And my destiny is that I go in there, be the best goddamn interviewer this country has ever seen and then never ever see Oz again. Medusa, I’m sorry. I can’t even begin to understand how terrible that was for you. There’s nothing I can say that will make all that better. I’m always here if you want to talk about it. Always. But if my fate changed before then it can change again.’
‘Let Sibyl do a divination for you as well as him. Then at least we’ll know…’
‘No.’ Yuri put a hand on Medusa’s arm. ‘No,’ she repeated firmly. ‘I’m not going to let the stars or the gods or whatever that shit is guide me ever again. This is my life. Doing this interview is nothing to do with Oz or you or Sibyl or anything else. It’s just to do with me making the best of what I’ve been given.’
‘Yuri…’
‘I have to do this, Medusa.’
‘Please.’
‘I’m sorry. Wait for me. I’ll back here on this pavement in a few hours and I still won’t be with him.’ She checked her watch. ‘I have to go or I’ll be late.’
Medusa lunged towards her but it was already too late. Yuri had whirled away and was gone, swallowed up by steel, glass and the impending inevitable.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TORQUAY, DEVON, 2003
‘No-one else saw him, Medusa,’ Yuri said, her fingers twisting in the dark fabric of her dress. ‘I’m starting to think that maybe I was hallucinating or something.’
The woman’s face was grim. ‘Very few people see me for what I am, Yuri. You’re already well aware of that. It’s only people who’ve been touched by Olympus who know the truth.’
‘So that’s who he was? Something to do with the gods like you? Because he was responsible for Brittani’s death. I wasn’t there to see it happen but I’m sure of it.’
‘Tell me what he said again.’
Yuri snorted. ‘He didn’t say anything. He shouted. He shouted so damn loud the ground shook.’ She shivered. ‘It was something about her skull. He wanted her skull.’
Medusa’s snakes, which up until this point had been lying lifeless by her shoulders, perked up, their heads flicking in Yuri’s direction. She sighed. ‘Antaeus,’ she said finally. ‘His name is Antaeus. He’s Poseidon’s son.’
‘So he is a god?’
‘Not exactly. He has immortality and he enjoys supernatural strength. He’s been on a mission for over a thousand years to collect as many human skulls as possible.’ Her mouth downturned. ‘He wants to use them to build a temple in dedication to his father.’
Sickened, Yuri turned away. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘I don’t know. Different denizens of Olympus are often drawn to particular places because of something out of their control.’
‘Is that why you’re here? You were drawn here by something?’
‘I’m here because I thought I’d be far away from anything to do with them.’ She tensed her shoulders. ‘And I like the zoo.’
‘And Sibyl? Why’s she here?’
‘Because I am,’ Medusa said simply.
Yuri’s eyes closed briefly. ‘If she hadn’t done her fortune-telling, I’d have gotten in that car with Ozzy. We’d have left before Brittani even got there. She’d still be alive.’ She kicked frustratedly at a clump of grass. ‘It’s my fault she’s not.’
‘It’s Antaeus’ fault. If you’d gotten into that car, then you’d be the one in a box right now.’
‘That doesn’t make it fair!’ Yuri burst out. ‘Ozzy said that fair was a cop-out. That it’s an excuse for not taking control of your own destiny. I let Sibyl take control of my destiny and now someone who didn’t deserve it is dead. I should have stopped her from getting in that car. I should have…’
‘Shhh,’ Medusa soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder. ‘What’s done is done. You didn’t know what would happen.’
‘Your fucking great-niece did.’
‘No. She only knew what would happen if you got into that car. She didn’t see beyond that.’
‘It should have been me.’
Medusa watched her with troubled eyes. ‘If it had been you, then your boyfriend would have died too. Would that have been fair?’
Misery clutched at Yuri’s heart. ‘Just keep her away from me, alright?’ she snarled, whirling round. ‘I’ve got to go. The funeral will be starting soon.’
Without another word, she stomped off, arms hugging her thin body. She’d disappeared around the corner when Sibyl finally emerged, biting her lip.
‘She hates me,’ she said sadly.
‘‘She’ll get over it,’ Medusa said. ‘Right now, she’s just hurting. It’s probably best if you leave off any divining when she’s around though.’
‘Yeah. Except you know it’s not over. He’s going to show up again.’
‘We’ll just have to deal with that when it happens,’ Medusa said firmly.
‘It’s the boy. She’ll do anything to keep him safe and it’ll end up getting her killed.’
‘We have time. They’re teenagers. They’re fickle. Who knows what might happen in a couple of months? They’ll probably hate each other
by then.’
Sibyl shook her head. ‘They won’t.’
*
When Brittani’s mother clasped her hands and thanked her for coming, Yuri found herself completely unable to look her in the eye. Even from the back of the small church during the service, the slump to both parents’ shoulders had been brutally obvious. Staring at the simple pine coffin overladen with flowers hadn’t helped matters either. The guilt she felt was almost overwhelming. Ozzy, at her side, squeezed her hand.
‘I’m so sorry, Mrs. Smith,’ he said soberly. ‘She deserved better.’
‘She was a good girl.’
He nodded. ‘One of the best.’
‘Will you come to the wake? We’ve got chocolate cake.’ A shadow passed across her eyes. ‘It was her favourite.’
‘Of course.’ They moved away, allowing the next mourners to step up. Yuri’s spine was so rigid that she walked stiffly, almost like a robot.
‘Bryan’s getting out of hospital this afternoon,’ Ozzy commented.
‘Mm.’
‘They say he’s lucky to be alive.’
Yuri sighed deeply. ‘What about his brother?’
‘He’s fractured his clavicle but he’s alright.’
She nodded imperceptibly, then turned to look at him. ‘It should have been us.’
‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘Don’t think like that.’
‘Ozzy…’
‘No. It was an accident. It’s not our fault any more than it’s Brittani’s fault.’
‘It wasn’t an accident.’ She gripped his hands. ‘There was someone there. Some kind of freaking monster. He caused the accident. Just like when my father died. There are things here with us, Ozzy. Things that you can’t see but they’re there all the same.’
Confusion clouded his face. ‘Yuri, the car skidded. It was a mechanical fault.’
‘No, it…’
‘Can you believe this?’ Jono interrupted, appearing behind them. ‘Poor Brittani, man.’
Yuri pulled away. ‘I have to go,’ she muttered.
‘What about the wake?’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t, Ozzy. I just can’t.’