The Gorgon Bride

by Galen Sulak-Ramsey

  Alex dropped in the chariot’s body and pulled left on the reins with all his might. The ponies swerved, and physics weighed in on the situation. The chariot’s body, heavy and full of momentum, tipped to the side as the ponies made their sharp turn. The chariot almost righted itself, tugging on the bridles, but then some of the buckles failed and the straps slipped free. The ponies sped off in one direction, and the chariot, with Alex still inside, tumbled in another.

  The tumbling chariot threw Alex clear. He rolled across the ground, head tucked and covered, and he bounced off a few rocks before coming to a halt. Once he did, Alex jumped to his feet. About three hundred yards away, he saw Ares running toward him. His rifle was nowhere to be seen, but his javelin was embedded in the ground, some fifty yards away and on the far side of his overturned chariot.

  Alex ran faster than he had ever thought possible, perhaps even faster than Hermes himself. He used his hands and vaulted over the chariot. Once he landed, in one swift motion, he spun around, pulled one of the rope nets from the chariot’s side, and let it fly back the way he came.

  It wasn’t the best of throws, but it was good enough. The net opened and sailed directly at Ares. The god, no more than ten yards away, sprang to the side.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” Ares said as the net passed by. “You think you can trap me with such toys?”

  “It scared you, didn’t it?” Alex taunted, fumbling as he pulled the other net out from under the chariot’s body.

  Ares narrowed his eyes. He walked over a few paces, picked up the net, and held it up for Alex to see. “This is what I think of your toys,” he said, tearing it apart like a sheet of papyrus. “Now what do you have to say?”

  Alex’s mouth went dry. He adjusted his grip on the second net as Ares circled around the chariot, no doubt to get a clear run at him. The thought that maybe he should have planned more for this final showdown crossed Alex’s mind more than once in the span of three nanoseconds. “Well,” Alex finally said. “I think no matter what you say, it’s pretty obvious why Athena beats you all the time. You’re scared of a fishing net.”

  Ares growled and balled his fists. “You’re big in talk but small in deed.”

  “Maybe,” Alex said, inching back. “But at least I’m not a coward. You don’t see me being a god and running from mortals.”

  Ares gave a guttural yell and charged. Alex threw the net and rolled to his left. Like the first, the net opened fully, but this time, Ares didn’t dodge. Instead, the god caught the net with both hands, no doubt intending to tear through it on the first stride and then tear through Alex on the second.

  Ares’ muscles bulged as he tried to pull it apart. It held fast, fully enveloping him. Ares tumbled to the ground, both arms and one knee pinned against his chest. The more he struggled, the tighter the net grew. A few seconds later, Ares, a scarlet faced, seething mass of muscle, lay trapped, unable to move.

  “Impossible!” he yelled, wiggling as best he could. “Rope is not stronger!”

  Alex exhaled, remembering to breathe. Once he was convinced the god wasn’t going anywhere, he calmly pulled his javelin from the ground and walked over to Ares’ feet. “Well, it’s not all rope,” he said. “I might have reinforced it with a little something special.” He then reached down and twisted something in the air, and Hephaestus’ golden net shimmered into view, affixed to the fishing net with countless pieces of brown yarn.

  “If you don’t let me go, mortal, I’ll see you cursed unlike any other,” Ares said.

  Alex crossed his arms. “I’m not letting you go until you surrender.”

  “You dare make demands of me?” he bellowed. “How long do you think it will be before Zeus orders my release? Before Aphrodite frees me herself? I can wait and plot your destruction, mortal. You’ve only sealed your fate.”

  “I figured you’d be like this,” Alex said. “But I think I can change your mind.”

  Ares rolled around again, but like the previous escape attempts, his efforts proved futile. “Let me out this moment!”

  Alex ignored him and righted his chariot. Then he whistled and called his miniature equines back over before reattaching their bridles to the chariot. A brief inspection of the straps and buckles thankfully showed them to be in good working order.

  “I saw those bridles break,” Ares said with confusion.

  “You saw what I wanted you to see,” Alex boasted. The corners of his mouth drew back as he relished the moment. “I loosened the straps before I arrived.”

  Ares glared. “No matter,” he said. “Your feints will not save you. I will never cave to your demands.”

  “I know,” Alex said nonchalantly. “You said that already.”

  With a great deal of caution, Alex loaded the god onto the chariot and climbed on to the back of one of the ponies. He’d never actually ridden a pony before, save for once when he was nine, but it didn’t look too hard. It was awkward, but manageable, and he figured he’d be fine if he took it slow. Whatever the difficulty of riding a flying pony bareback was, one thing was certain: Alex wasn’t about to ride in the chariot with Ares.

  “Where are you taking me?” Ares demanded.

  “To the Underworld,” Alex said, patting his pony and nudging it forward. “Try not to fall out along the way.”

  * * *

  Alex stopped his ponies atop a tall bank alongside the River Acheron. Down below, beyond the bank’s steep slope and its sudden drop, the dark waters flowed, shrouded by fog. As Alex dismounted, the only things that carried in the heavy air were his ponies’ occasional snorts and Ares’ continued rants.

  “I’m going to use your eyes for pincushions,” Ares said, still lying trapped in the chariot. “The needles I’ll use will be dull and rusty.”

  Alex ignored the threats, and using the net, he pulled the god down onto the ground.

  Ares hit the dirt with a thump and a grunt. “Are you listening to me, mortal?” he growled. “Your eyes will be my pincushions. And when I tire of that, I’ll suspend you from hooks by your groin and pour molten bronze down your throat.”

  “I want you to listen to me now,” Alex calmly said. “The Acheron runs deep here. Even with the longest branch I could find, I could not touch bottom when I stuck it in.”

  “Your drivel only adds untold miseries, mortal! You cannot bind me forever!”

  “You’ll be bound as long as this takes,” Alex replied.

  “Release me this instant and pray for my mercy!”

  Alex sighed heavily and made his way down the footpath, wishing it didn’t have to come to this. When he reached the water’s edge, he dipped his javelin into the river and returned.

  “What are you doing?” Ares said warily.

  “Only what you make me do,” Alex said. “If you swear by the River Styx to free Euryale and harm neither of us, I’ll release you this instant.”

  “And when I don’t?”

  Alex brought the tip of the javelin near Ares’ leg and raised an eyebrow. A small bead of water ran from the shaft and dripped off the tip. Ares flinched as it hit the ground. “Do you need to ask?” Alex said, hovering the weapon over the god.

  Despite the threat, Ares did not capitulate. “A warrior never surrenders,” he said.

  Alex shrugged. “Have it your way,” he said and pressed the javelin against Ares’ leg.

  Ares roared like a pride of wounded lions and thrashed madly, but Hephaestus’ net held.

  “There’s a lot of water down there,” Alex said once the god ceased his struggles. “Do I need to get more?”

  “I’ve had worse,” Ares said with a glare.

  “You lie!”

  Ares grit his teeth. “Do I?”

  Alex shook his head in disbelief. He went down to the banks once more, dipped his javelin into the water, and returned. “Do you surrender to my terms?”

  “Whatever you do to me I will return back to you a hundred fold!” Ares yelled
.

  Alex pressed his weapon into the god’s leg a second time. “Surrender, damn you!”

  “Never!” Ares shouted. The god clenched his jaw as visible waves of pain rippled through his body.

  Alex kicked him in the back out of pure frustration. “I swear I’ll roll you in. How much pain can you stand?”

  Ares laughed like a madman. “Enjoy yourself now, mortal. Eternity is a long time.”

  “God, how stupid are you?” Alex shouted. “You think I like doing this? That I’m getting some sort of sick payback? I just want my wife and for you to leave us alone!”

  “I don’t care what you want,” Ares evenly replied. “When I get out, your suffering will never end, and I will ravage your bride until her body is worn and broken.”

  Alex boiled with rage. He drove his javelin into the ground at an angle under Ares’ back. “Fine,” he said. “Let’s see what you can do when you’re at the bottom of the river.”

  Ares’ eyes went wide. “What—”

  But that was all the god got out. Alex grabbed the top of the javelin and heaved forward. Ares’ body lifted in under the makeshift lever and then rolled down the bank.

  “Stop, mortal!” Ares screamed in abject terror. He kicked and pushed as best he could inside the net, trying to stop himself from falling in the waters. His body skid to a stop a few feet from the drop. However, the soil underneath began to shift under his weight, and it was clear his stay of execution was only temporary.

  Alex looked down from the top of the riverbank with neither action nor remorse. “You had your chance,” he spat.

  Ares ceased his struggle, though his face was filled with fear. “Please, mortal,” he begged. “Don’t let me fall in. I’ll swear to all you’ve demanded of me. By the River Styx, my involvement with you and your wife is over this very moment if you save me!”

  Alex hesitated. How he longed to see Ares slip into the dark waters! How he longed to know the god would writhe in limitless pain!

  “Euryale is still in danger,” Ares said. “Think of her if nothing else!”

  Alex stared blankly at the god, unsure what he meant. “What are you on about?”

  “Aphrodite is driving all of this,” he replied. “Taking your anger out on me will not free your bride. Aphrodite will never let her go.”

  Alex shook his head. “No. You’re the one who took Euryale.”

  “At Aphrodite’s request!” said Ares. “She’s infuriated that Athena brought you two together. Athena can claim victory if your marriage survives Aphrodite’s trials, and then she can take Aphrodite’s station as Goddess of Love. Aphrodite will never stop fighting you!”

  “Son of a bitch,” Alex muttered as he connected the dots. “That’s why I’ve suffered? Why Aphrodite offered her help, and Athena refused hers? To see who’s the best matchmaker?”

  “Mortal!” Ares cried out. The ground below the god shifted again and he slid a few more inches toward the edge. “Set me free and I’ll answer your questions!”

  Not thinking, Alex ran down the bank. The soil was thinner and looser than he had realized. Alex lost his footing and tumbled down the slope. His hands and fingers tore at the slope and cut themselves on jagged rock. Finally, he came to a halt a foot from Ares and no more than two from the bank’s sudden drop.

  Ares laughed heartily. “For all your planning, this is how you save me?”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t plan this part,” Alex said, forcing a nervous smile. “I’m open to suggestions.”

  The ground shifted, and the two slid some more.

  “Free me, mortal,” Ares said. “I’ve given my oaths. You have nothing to fear.”

  Alex nodded and flat on his belly, carefully reached for the net. True to the god-smith’s words, the moment Alex touched it and wanted Ares to be free, the net relaxed.

  Ares slipped out of his prison. Now lying on his stomach, he took Hephaestus’s net and threw it to the top of the bank. He then drove his left hand deep into the ground.

  Though the god was now anchored, the shockwave sent Alex sliding. But as he went, Ares snatched him up with his right hand and held him close.

  “I swore by the River Styx I would leave you alone,” Ares said, grinning wide. “We both know how important it is to abide by those oaths.”

  Alex felt his heart stop and his mouth hang open. “You swore not to harm either of us as well.”

  “I know,” Ares said with a wink. “But I had to see the look on your face. Consider it harmless payback for what you’ve done today.”

  “Not funny,” Alex replied. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Ares held his smile. “Yes, let’s,” he said before sending Alex flying.

  * * *

  With ponies waiting outside and Ares gone for good, Alex bounded up the tower stairs with an iron key in hand. By the time he reached the top and burst through the oak door, he was out of breath and dripping in sweat. The jail, however, was empty.

  The cell bars that once held Euryale were bent outward a few inches, but not enough for anyone to squeeze through. The door hung open, and a water-filled basin sat nearby. In its reflection was a shadowy image of someone bound, blindfolded, and huddled in a dark corner.

  “Jessica?” Alex said, leaning in for a better look. The waters swirled, and the image faded. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Message for you.”

  Alex spun. Hermes was bouncing on the balls of his feet, scroll in hand and arm outstretched. Alex snorted. “Do I need to sign?”

  “Not this time,” the messenger god replied, handing the scroll over. “Given the contents of what’s inside, I wouldn’t waste your time like that.”

  Alex snatched the scroll and undid the ribbon that kept it tied. Creases formed in his brow as he read.

  Aphrodite, patron of Cyprus and Goddess of Love, to the stubborn and deceiving Alex, husband of Euryale and lover of Jessica. I have written to inform you that both your wife and former girlfriend are in the labyrinth of Crete. One of them will die—which one is up to you.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” he said, slamming a fist into the stone wall. “I don’t even know how to get there!”

  “I do,” Hermes replied. “Think your ponies can keep up?”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Alex left a wake taller than a titan as his ponies shot across the Mediterranean and followed Hermes. Ships flashed by on the horizon, and jets above couldn’t dream of keeping up with the speed he had. In less than fifteen minutes, Alex covered the distance between Termessos and Crete, and when he landed he saw his ponies pant for breath for the first time ever.

  Alex jumped off his chariot and ran toward a stone archway that was flanked by a pair of lit torches and that appeared to lead into the depths of a mountain. Nearby stood Athena, who looked genuinely concerned for him, and Aphrodite, who twirled Hades’ scepter and sported a cruel grin.

  “Where are they?” Alex asked, barely able to get the words out without choking on tears.

  “Jessica is bound in one of the labyrinth’s alcoves,” Aphrodite said, motioning with her head to the tunnel entrance. “And Euryale is in a cage in the center that will open when the sun sets, which is in about a minute. So unless you want her to rip Jessica apart or turn her to stone, I’d get moving if I were you.”

  “Let me guess, you’re still not going to help,” Alex said to Athena.

  “No,” she replied. “But I am here to tell you that however this ends, that will be it.”

  “You’re damn right it will be.”

  Alex started for the dark tunnel, but stopped when Aphrodite called his name.

  “You’ll need this,” Aphrodite said, tossing him Hades’ scepter.

  “Why? Am I to raise an army to rescue her?”

  Aphrodite shook her head. “No, silly. It’s to give you a choice. It’s the only thing that can turn your wife mortal and stop her from slaughtering your childhood sweethear
t.”

  Alex’s stomach churned. Thankfully, he managed to catch the bile rising in his throat before it turned into a projectile. “You’re sick,” he spat. “I’ll never make that choice.”

  A mournful howl echoed from deep inside the labyrinth’s halls. Aphrodite smiled. “Then the choice will be made for you.”

  Alex cursed them both under his breath and bolted through the stone archway, snagging one of the torches as he did. The halls he ran through were tight, and his feet pounded against the chipped, rocky floors. He didn’t know where to go, but at least the torch he held cast its light a good twenty yards in every direction, and he wondered if a god—Athena even—had blessed it in secret. Regardless, he was thankful for the extra light it provided.

  “Euryale? Jessica?” he yelled, not sure who he ought to try and find first. Should he try and free Jessica and get her out of the maze before Euryale could catch her? Or should he try to find his wife and calm her down? He didn’t know if that was possible, let alone what Euryale had become, but if the brief preview he had seen of her monstrous form right after the wedding was any indication, both he and Jessica were in dire straits.

  Alex rounded a corner and stumbled as the floor dropped an inch into shallow standing water. After catching himself on the wall, he continued until he reached a four-way intersection. Shadows danced on the walls, and nothing gave any indication which way to go.

  “Someone. Anyone. Answer me!” he called.

  A guttural cry echoed in the air. He thought it came from one of the tunnels on his right, but he wasn’t sure which. Feeling as if time was against him, he arbitrarily picked a tunnel and sprinted down it. The passage twisted constantly and branched time and again, sometimes leading up or down stairwells.

  Alcoves and large rooms populated the labyrinth as well. Some were empty. Others had junk well past their prime, and a few had the remains of less fortunate souls. None, however, held Jessica nor his wife, and given how all the halls looked the same, Alex feared he’d go mad long before he found either of them.