by E. B. Black
Zeus tweaked her on the nose. "I don't know about you, but I'll probably find a nice place to sleep between a woman's thighs."
They laughed and Athena slapped Zeus on the back. He had just been given a new glass of nectar by one of the fairies. It spilled all over.
Zeus took a sip anyway. "You've always been so intelligent that I'm relieved to see you behaving irrationally for once. You were showing up the rest of us."
Athena stuck her nose in the air. "My actions were perfectly reasonable. They deserved worse after blaspheming me. If we don't punish mortals when they try to make fools of us, then they'll stop respecting the gods."
Medusa shook, her vision clouding. How could they ruin people's lives so casually? She struggled against the net and it wrapped around her more tightly. The snakes bit into one of her eyes until they ripped some skin of her face open. It swelled to several times its original size.
Athena laughed. "Did I tell you that I made Medusa's two sisters immortal, but let her keep her mortality? I want her to spend the rest of her life terrified of the moment when I decide to torture and kill her."
"Is that why you let her wake and not the others? So she could know why they were all being punished?" Hermes asked.
She felt the attention of all the gods in the room drawn in her direction, even though none of them turned.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Athena said.
Medusa struggled to see through the eye with pus dripping from it.
The air began to smell a little sweeter and Medusa found herself growing aroused, which was especially embarrassing because she was naked. Aphrodite entered the room wearing a golden girdle. It shone the same color as her long blonde hair that flowed in waves past her feet. Her full breasts and nether regions were exposed and they looked magnificent.
Beautiful mortals, much smaller than Aphrodite hung from her body and hair. They were her jewels. They kissed her toes and ankles. Several of them massaged her breasts. Groups of them wove flowers and shells through her shiny locks as they combed out non-existent tangles. Her skin glittered like it was covered in golden flakes.
Hephaestus limped behind her, practically slobbering all over the floor. His legs were shriveled and only one seemed to move at all, dragging the other one behind his body. He carried a giant hammer across his shoulders. The muscles of his upper body were so bulked they looked as if they could explode. He had also created for himself hands-free crutches that wrapped around his waist and helped him travel.
Behind them trailed several flute and harp players, all of whom danced to a sensual melody. They were naked and humped one another as if they wished to form an orgy.
One of them rounded his eyes in fear as his gaze met Medusa's. His mouth widened to scream, but no sound came out. He was already stone.
None of the gods or goddesses acknowledged what had just happened. They didn't turn to glare at Medusa or get rid of the statue. Fearful, they weren't looking at her because they could turn into stone, too. The realization gave her a shiver of pleasure. She snarled at the fairies as they fluttered around the statue and dragged it away. They squealed in horror.
Aphrodite approached Zeus, the air around her humming. She bent to give Zeus a greeting kiss on the lips. Medusa swore that she used a bit of her tongue when she said hello and that her nipples hardened. Zeus blushed, but Medusa thought she must be imagining things. The whole scenario seemed wrong.
The room grew a little brighter as Apollo entered. He was tan with blond hair and white teeth that hurt to look at. Medusa gasped a little as she took in his appearance. He was better looking than any man she'd ever seen.
Hera wore a long wedding dress. She was covered in diamonds and pearls, her face shielded by a white veil with a silver crown on her head. She carried a peacock in her arms. It slept peacefully as she stroked it and whispered in its ear. She looked like a mother, rocking her baby to sleep.
Poor Hera. Medusa hadn't really thought about the stories until now. Hera was born to be a mother-she liked to nurture. She never wished to marry or be owned by a man like Zeus. But he had turned himself into a cuckoo bird when he first met her and pretended to freeze in the snow. She took him in and warmed him. As a reward, he overpowered her and took her virginity. She became his wife because it was the honorable thing to do. Medusa hoped she wouldn't be forced to marry Poseidon.
The way Hera's eyes glowed when she looked at Zeus showed she was the type to love someone with all her heart or not at all. Somehow, to Medusa's confusion, she'd grown to forgive Zeus and even view him affectionately. He repaid her devotion by cheating on her regularly.
Hephaestus stood in the corner, glaring at everyone who entered the room, but especially at Ares. Ares' hair was bright red and shiny. He had a smirk on his face; he wore full armor, and several weapons hung across his back. He met Hephaestus' gaze smugly and put two fingers to his lips, licking the air between them with raised eyebrows while gazing at Aphrodite. Hephaestus' hands clenched the hammer he held more tightly.
Aphrodite sat and picked at her nails, while bouncing her leg. "So why were we dragged here by Hermes again?"
"Because Athena can't control her temper," Hera said. "She's turned several innocent mortals into monsters. They'll end the world if we don't find a good home for them." She kissed the bird she held on the top of the head.
Athena's hands clenched into fists. She foamed at the mouth when she turned to Hera. "You're really one to talk. At least I left them alive. Where is my dear brother Dionysus again? Because I haven't gotten as much wine to drink ever since you decided to kill him."
The smile froze on Hera's face. The air chilled so much, Medusa was surprised the peacock didn't begin to shiver. "I don't know what you're referring to."
"We all know the truth," Athena said. "The titans didn't rip him to shreds by accident. So why not man up and admit you attack all the women Father has affairs with and relish tormenting their children?"
Aphrodite pulled out at a mirror and picked at her face in annoyance.
"Haven't we heard this argument enough times already?" Apollo said. "I have more important things to do. Last time I left the sun chariot for someone else to ride, half the Earth was scorched as a result. I need to get back."
Ares ran his finger down the blade of one of his axes. His eyes darkened. "No, let them continue." He licked the blood that arose from his finger. "Nothing is more beautiful than two women at war." His chuckle was deep.
"And people question why I drink so much." Zeus laughed. "Although I do enjoy a conversation regarding my massive 'libido'," he winked, "That's not why I brought you all here today. Do any of you have any ideas regarding how we should deal with these creatures?"
"We should return them to their human forms," Hera said. "We all know Poseidon raped her, anyway. Further torment is unnecessary."
"I object!" Athena screamed.
"Well, we can't keep them on Mount Olympus." Hermes wrinkled his nose. "I have parties in here and they'll disturb my guests."
"Selene and I," Apollo said, "are too busy taking care of the sun and the moon to babysit anything else."
"They're too hideous to live with me," Aphrodite said. "Maybe if she was so beautiful that she turned people into stone that would be okay, but looking like that…" Aphrodite flinched.
Zeus smirked. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning to do any of those things. I'll give the girls to Hades and the parents to Poseidon. That way, maybe, my brothers will learn to respect me a little and actually show up when I call them in for a meeting. Besides, the two of them like to collect monsters anyway. They'll probably see them as gifts."
All the gods' faces wrinkled in disgust.
Medusa began to hyperventilate. She pulled against the invisible strings and they sliced through her fingers. "No, please no, don't separate us! My parents are all I have left."
She roared, trying to intimidate them, but her voice sounded hollow and tiny in the castle. None of them even flinched.
Her parents had disowned her, but as far as she was concerned, it was ancient history, even though the event had occurred only hours prior. They were all being punished and they were all hated by the world. She still loved them.
Athena smiled at Medusa's pleading. "Good plan. It would be unwise to give the sisters to Poseidon anyway. Their presence would be a slap in the face and a reminder that he slept with the wrong woman. All along it should have been me. He wants nothing to do with her now."
Medusa shook all over. Of course that asshole felt that way now. She was no longer the beautiful woman he had once lusted over. He didn't care how she suffered as long as he didn't suffer any consequences for his actions.
The world faded as Medusa saw red. She imagined snapping both Athena's and Poseidon's necks.
"It's a plan then," Zeus said.
They all nodded their heads in agreement and laughed.
Hermes flew to where she struggled in her confines and lifted the nets. A bright white light radiated from him and Medusa fell back into a supernatural sleep once again.
Chapter 4
Medusa woke in the Kisthene Plains, past the edge of the world, near Hades. She groaned as she gazed across a desert filled with nothing but sand and glaring light. The sun was closer here than it had been in Greece. She saw no plants growing or animals scurrying about. Food would be scarce.
Stheno and Euryale woke and gazed upon each other. Medusa closed her own eyes, unsure of what would happen if she looked at them. She heard their screams cut short as they froze and grayed. They had turned each other into statues.
Medusa shrieked as well and ran towards them. Tears poured down her face as she gripped the head of one of her older sisters. She would have warned them, but it all happened too fast.
"No, please, you can't die." She was shaking. "I love you and I know it's selfish, but I can't do this without you. Don't leave me here to suffer alone."
They didn't respond. Their hands were warm, heated by the sun, but they were gone. It wasn't fair. The gods had taught them nothing and they were dead because of it.
Medusa collapsed nearby and curled up into a ball. Sobs wracked her body and continued to do so until the sun set.
She looked at her sisters, knowing she was going to have to face the truth soon enough. They deserved a proper burial.
She approached Euryale and noticed that the fingers of her right hand were twitching. Her eyes widened. She wondered whether she was hallucinating. Color burst across Stheno's skin and Medusa shut her eyes. Her heart leaped happily into her throat. They were regenerating. They weren't actually dead.
As Euryale's vocal cords started to renew, she made a strange gurgling sound. Neither of them could move much yet.
"What is it?" Medusa asked. Her sister was trying to talk, but she couldn't make out what she was saying.
Stheno answered the question by bursting into hysterical laughter. Euryale joined her. Soon, the two were rolling across the dusty ground and clutching their stomachs as their eyes watered.
Medusa's lips tightened. "What's so damn funny?"
She didn't dare open her eyes. Her sisters were immortal and that's why they'd been able to regenerate, but she'd die forever if she were turned into stone.
"I was thirsty," Euryale said. "My muscles were so stiff that pain was shooting through my body as I came back to life."
"And why exactly was that funny?"
"Because, dear sister," Euryale said. "We have cheated death. Through suffering, I have been baptized and now I can feel power coursing through me! I can conquer any amount of pain. I wish to do it again."
Stheno clapped her hands. "Yes, let's compete and see who can turn the other one into stone the fastest!"
"We've already died that way, though." Euryale sighed. "I want to know what it's like to be stabbed and to bleed my life away." She shivered and threw her head back in delight. "I can almost feel it." She clutched her throat and let her hand slowly trail down her body like it was blood dripping from her.
Stheno licked her lips. "Do you think I could stay alive long enough to touch my heart as it spurts blood?"
Medusa shook her head, not knowing whether she should be relieved that her sisters were okay or disturbed by their behavior.
And so it began. Euryale and Stheno found various ways to kill each other. They even once played a game where they chopped off each other's body parts one at a time to see who would pass out first. New ones regenerated in their place before the game was over because they didn't do it fast enough, which frustrated them.
They made Medusa the referee to tell them who passed out first and who regenerated quickest. Regardless of what she said, they'd argue and claim that she was biased.
Medusa was afraid they would resent her because she was the reason that they'd been cursed, but instead Stheno claimed it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She didn't worry about "little" things like Aischylos and whether or not he had feelings for her anymore. Those were human concerns. She was special now, no longer a wall-flower as she used to be.
They were soon nicknamed the "dreadful" or Gorgon Sisters because of their antics in the underworld. They tore apart Hades' castle once, in an attempt to get his attention, but regardless of what they did and how much they shrieked, none of the gods acknowledged them. The gods seemed to pretend that the two of them didn't exist. Eventually, they got bored with it.
"Why don't you ever play in our games?" Stheno pouted at Medusa one day as the broken bones of her shoulder regenerated from when she was crushed to death.
"You already know why," Medusa said. "I'm not immortal like you two."
Stheno crossed her arms. "Yeah, but you just sit around getting fat all day and I'm tired of seeing you look so pathetic. You're wasting your powers."
Medusa looked down at her belly. It was larger than it used to be, which didn't make any sense, considering her sisters had been getting skinnier for a while. They had turned most of the crows and tarantulas in the area into stone before they figured out how to sneak up on an animal without looking directly at them. They easily crunched through the bones, but the meat rested uneasily in their stomachs. They tried cooking it, but it remained unappetizing. They had gone months without realizing that Gorgons were vegetarians until the day Stheno tried to eat a cactus and her toes curled beneath her feet in ecstasy. Euryale and Medusa soon joined her, not even minding the prickles against their lips and tongue as they chewed it-enjoying the delicious flavor. Still, there weren't many cacti in the Kisthene Plains and soon they had chomped through the whole supply.
Medusa found a few flowers one day and picked one so that she could eat it, but Euryale, who had been complaining about feeling faint, grabbed her around the shoulders and launched her backwards. It wouldn't have hurt if a human had done it, but a Gorgon's strength made her spine crack on impact.
"That flower is mine," Euryale announced and then stomped towards it.
Stheno joined the battle because of the loud commotion. Her sisters shrieked as they used their claws to rip at each other's face. Medusa couldn't move to get up and talk some sense into them. The wind was knocked out of her. She wished she had the regenerative powers they did. Her body was tough, her scales too thick to pierce easily, but once she was damaged, she suffered badly for it.
Blood splattered over Medusa as Stheno screamed.
Medusa sat up and gasped as a miracle bloomed in front of her. From the ground beneath the spots where the blood landed, leaves sprouted. Soon the desert around them grew green and bugs of various kinds flew onto the foliage. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, enough to allow her to move. She ripped the plants from their roots and feasted.
Her sisters noticed shortly and dropped the limp flowers they had been arguing over. They shoved the plants into their mouths, not caring that their wounds flavored it. They cut their wrists when they finished, so they could continue eating. More plants grew.
Medusa's favorite food was spid
er milkweed and it had grown in abundance. It stung her tongue as she gulped it down and made her throat swell. To her, it was the same as when she was human and would drink a nice cup of hot tea on a winter's day. It spread warmth through her chest, but if she had been human, she would have been poisoned.
"Stop eating so much," Euryale complained, once the two had lain blissfully on their backs, tired from all the food. Medusa was still munching. "You're fat enough as it is."
Medusa's stomach had grown even larger along with her appetite. What she didn't tell her sisters was that she had also been vomiting a lot of the food she ate. She had been afraid they wouldn't share the supply if they found out she couldn't even keep most of it down.
She rubbed her belly, wondering why she felt self-conscious about her weight. Even if she had been slender, she was too ugly for anyone to look at.
She gasped as a ping of pain radiated from her belly button-a movement inside her! It couldn't be!
The next day, when her sisters decided to reminisce about their six-month anniversary of waking up as Gorgons by turning each other into stone, she lay crying next to them. She had felt movements inside her all night. It had prevented her from sleeping.
She couldn't talk to them when they were awake. They hadn't been close when they were humans and were even less so now, so she chose to speak to them when they were stone. She could actually look into their eyes this way and they wouldn't judge her.
"You know how Poseidon raped me?" Medusa didn't know whether they believed her story or the gods' version. "I think I'm pregnant. I don't know what to do. This place is horrible for raising a child and I'm scared Athena will kill me and take the baby. After all, he or she is part deity."
She rambled awhile about her concerns, repeating herself and not caring. Letting out all her worries was like writing in a journal.
As her sister's bodies twitched more and gained color, Medusa retreated into her cave. Her favorite place to be was in the dark. No one could see her there.