by E. B. Black
Herbs and vegetables soon decorated a table in the middle of the room. She considered eating some, but they weren't bitter enough and the events of the night had made her lose her appetite. In fact, once she got a break from dodging all the people, she was allowed to think again about what had transpired. Tears filled her eyes.
Andromeda made googly eyes at Perseus. She kept stroking his arm, even though he was pushing her away.
Medusa watched Perseus closely, trying to see whether he would blush or take pleasure at Andromeda's touch. Nothing happened, but she didn't trust her eyes to pick up on it all.
Perseus distanced himself from Andromeda and held the attention of the crowd using his endless wallet.
"Come here." He motioned towards one of the slaves.
He was given an odd look, but the slave complied. He opened the bag and placed it on the slave's head.
"What are you doing?" someone asked, laughing. "Leave that poor man alone."
But soon the bag had worked its way down and swallowed the slave whole. The crowd whispered as their eyes widened. What kind of witchcraft was this? Was he gone for good?
His wife came out and hit Perseus repeatedly on the shoulder. "Bring him back!" someone translated her saying. She waved her hand in the air surrounding them to make sure there was no place where he could be hiding.
Perseus reached into the bag and grabbed the slave's hand, pulling him out again. His wife embraced him.
Perseus was cheered and clapped for. Soon other people wanted to have a try at fitting into his bag. Several people went inside at once because they wished to know how many people could stand inside it at one time.
From across the room, a man named Phineas glared at the two of them. The way he looked at Andromeda, he must have been her fiancé. He was much older and could have been her father.
He walked to Perseus and shook his hand. "I would like to thank you for rescuing my betrothed." His face kept his smile, but he leaned forward and his voice grew gravelly and cruel. "If you dare touch her, I will rip your fucking head off with my bare hands."
He had seemed harmless before because of his age, but as he said these words and continued to shake Perseus' hand, the muscles flexed in his arm. He was stronger than he looked. He had the physique of a man who had spent his life as a soldier.
The feast dragged on for hours. It gave Medusa too much time to think. She vowed never to voluntarily turn someone into stone again. Her powers were a curse, not a blessing, which she had proved that day, no matter how much Perseus tried to convince her otherwise. She couldn't make the same mistake again.
Chapter 13
Servants escorted Perseus to his room, where a large bed with silky sheets waited for him. He washed his hands and face in the glass bowl on his night-stand. Medusa had followed him.
Now that Perseus was alone, all the words Medusa wanted to tell him weren't coming out. She didn't know where to begin. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a knock on his door. The king and queen wanted to give him a tour of their castle. He politely accepted, but Medusa decided to stay behind. She was emotionally exhausted.
She listened to their retreating footsteps before she pulled off her helmet. She didn't belong in a room this beautiful. Decorated in red and gold, the room featured statues too fancy to touch. It had a fireplace and a large closet for the wealthy to put all their clothes into.
The castle had taken the least damage of any of the buildings in the area–only parts of the outside were crumbling. Medusa wondered why the king and queen didn't allow some people to stay inside while they rebuilt their houses.
Medusa walked in front of the full-length golden mirror and stared at herself. Her eyes were red and her face was swollen. Even crying, she looked beautiful.
She could have been so much happier if she had never been cursed. Her mother would still be alive and proud of the fact that she had found such a wonderful and handsome man to marry. He'd be worthy of her, and she'd feel good enough for him.
Medusa's face twisted and her blonde hair grew wild. Her scales and wings flashed in her reflection. She recoiled and almost punched the glass in front of her.
Her heart pounded. Her true self had manifested in the mirror for a split second, but luckily she hadn't gazed into her own eyes or she would have died. What did this mean? Was her condition getting worse? Eventually, would she be unable to see anything besides her true form when she glanced at herself?
Her stomach twisted and she realized that hate had been brewing in her heart. She despised Andromeda and wished for her to go away. Were the negative emotions affecting her physically?
She wanted to share this concern with Perseus, but her heart squeezed at the thought. That woman in the mirror was the one he had fallen in love with and she was disappearing. If she told him the truth, she could lose him forever, but if she kept it a secret, he could look at her at the wrong time and be transformed into stone.
She wished he had just killed her when they first met as he was supposed to. They had dragged this whole thing out, making her fall in love with him and unable to let him go.
Medusa's ears picked up on the noise of footsteps nearing the door. She had been so distracted with her worries that she hadn't been paying attention. She threw the helmet back on seconds before Perseus burst into the room.
Andromeda stood close behind him. She'd taken off her crown and changed her dress. The maroon, low-cut dress accented her soft skin and full curves. Medusa struggled to swallow her jealousy as Perseus turned around.
"Are you following me into my room?" Perseus frowned. "It's inappropriate for a lady to be alone with a man."
Andromeda grabbed Perseus by his chiton and threw him on the bed, jumping on top of him. "I don't care about my reputation. Phineas is a coward who didn't save me like he was supposed to. I want to be with a real man."
He shoved her off him, his mouth thinning into a tight line. "You should leave. I'm on a dangerous journey and a princess like you has no place in my life."
She leaned forward to kiss him. "Don't be shy. You've already seen me naked; we might as well consummate it."
He grabbed her by the waist and held her at arm's length. "I'll throw you into the hallway if I have to."
The sleeve of her dress fell down her shoulder. She bit her lower lip. "Don't play hard to get. I know you want me."
Perseus' eyebrows met in the middle of his forehead. "You can't always get everything you want. No means no."
She waved her hand behind her, which was where Medusa was standing. Medusa barely ducked in time to avoid getting slapped in the face. "It's not like there's any other woman out there waiting for you. Traveling alone has taken its toll on you."
The words stung. It wasn't Andromeda's fault that she didn't know that Medusa was there, but it hurt to be treated as if she was nobody. Would other girls pursue Perseus because he couldn't tell anyone his heart had been taken by an invisible woman?
Perseus threw Andromeda out as she protested loudly and slammed the door behind her. He collapsed on the bed and buried his forehead in his hands.
Medusa grabbed him by the collar. "Why didn't you throw her out sooner?"
He didn't seem surprised that she was there. "She was persistent. I was trying to get rid of her politely."
Medusa pulled away and crossed her arms. "I'm worried you're having second thoughts. I don't want you to be with me out of pity when you can have other girls that you desire more. I don't need you to take care of myself."
His eyes flashed. "If I wanted her, I would have already taken her by now. Haven't I proved my loyalty to you?"
"You're going to fall in love with her, though. She's too beautiful for you not to."
"Look at me." He stood. "I'm not even aroused by her."
She looked down and noticed that this statement was true.
"You, on the other hand…" He grabbed her wrist and pressed her palm against him. His erection stirred. "You excite me in every way w
henever I'm near you."
Their lips met and their bodies pressed against each other's. Their mouths danced hungrily as their hands explored every inch of bare skin.
Tears streamed down her face. She loved kissing Perseus, but her mind was wandering to other places. She kept picturing the horrified expression frozen on her mother's face when she died.
She should have told Perseus what had happened earlier. It made her feel raw and as if she was ripping open a new wound to speak the events out loud now that she was hardening inside.
He stroked the tears from her cheeks. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"
"I don't know how to say it," Medusa said.
"I deserve to receive the same trust that I've given you."
Medusa sighed and kicked invisible rocks on the ground. "It's hard to talk when you look at me that way." Her throat felt tight with emotion.
"Fine." He turned around. "We'll face the walls. Take off your helmet and press your back against mine. Maybe then it'll be less intimidating to speak."
Medusa chewed her lip. "Promise not to turn around until I say it's okay?"
"I promise."
They both took a seat on the bed and Medusa removed her helmet. Perseus' arms weren't around Medusa, but the feel of his warm spine pressed against her was comforting. She sighed. Why did she ever try to fight him? He was right. She was relaxing already and hadn't even spoken yet. This was what love was about-being accepted for who you were. She had never seen her parents treat each other this way.
Sobs escaped her as she spoke. "That sea monster was my mother. I killed my own flesh and blood saving that stupid bitch. As if that wasn't enough of a sacrifice, she wants to take you as well."
Perseus' entire body stiffened. He was speechless for a moment. "I'm so sorry. If I had known, I would have never asked-" He was struggling to put his thoughts into words. "We would have left long-"
Medusa sniffled. "It's not your fault. It's not even her fault; it's mine for not realizing it at the time. To make it all worse, her face froze in disgust gazing at me. Do you know what it's like for your own mother to look at you that way?"
Perseus' voice had gone hoarse with emotion. "I can't possibly imagine what you are going through. My mother is why I went on this journey."
"You said this curse makes me strong, but all it does is hurt people. I want no part in it anymore.
"I know you said you needed a strong woman to help you fight, but I can help you in other ways. I can pick up huge boulders without losing my breath. I can claw people. I just can't stand the idea of turning people into stone anymore."
Medusa held her breath, certain she had destroyed the one reason Perseus had left to be with her. He was going to ask her to leave, except he didn't. Their hands both rested near each other's on the bed. He placed his on top of hers.
"I understand," he said. "This hasn't changed my feelings for you; it has just reaffirmed what I thought about you all along. Even after all you've been through, you're still willing to fight, even with limitations. That's what's most beautiful about you, Medusa: your spirit."
Medusa's heart pounded and tears welled up in her eyes. He said such wonderful things about her.
A banging on the door interrupted the moment. Medusa rolled her eyes, expecting Andromeda to return because she was too stubborn to let Perseus go. Was it really too much for her to ask for a little privacy with her boyfriend? Why did this other woman have to butt into everything?
She looked up, forgetting that she wasn't wearing her invisibility helmet anymore. The door opened and Phineas, Andromeda's betrothed, met her eyes. His widened and he reached up as if he wanted to claw them out at the sight, but his body grayed before that could happen. He had turned into stone.
Medusa flung on her helmet. "Perseus, turn around!"
He paled as he saw. "Oh my god."
"We have to leave. Now. Phineas was a prince and heir to the throne by engagement. You'll be accused of treason and killed."
They shoved their few possessions inside the endless wallet as quickly as they could. Medusa picked up the statue of Phineas in one hand and set it down gently in the giant closet of Perseus' room. The longer it took the guards to find Phineas, the farther they could fly before anyone searched for them.
Most of the servants and guests were fast asleep. He told the guardsmen that because of a family emergency, he would have to leave immediately. Medusa could tell they were puzzled by the news, because no messenger had entered the castle to deliver him a message, but they accepted his story. He asked them to tell his hosts that he was sorry he couldn't stay to say goodbye.
He grabbed his sword and shield from the front room where the servants had stripped him of them. He washed them off in a tiny room to the side, leaving his endless wallet out in the open. This made Medusa feel nervous, but he insisted it would be fine.
She was sure that at any moment, the guards would discover the truth, come out and confront them, and they'd have to fly away without any of their possessions. Luckily, nothing was disturbed, although Perseus complained that the endless wallet was a bit heavy.
They linked arms and flew up into the sky. Medusa didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they had traveled so far that the castle looked like a small dot in the distance.
Perseus was sweaty and pale.
"I'm sorry." Medusa stared at the ground zooming past them in a green and brown blur beneath their feet.
"It's not your fault; you didn't mean to," Perseus said.
Medusa shook her head, trying to erase the memory of Phineas' horrified expression. "I'm scared. Too many accidents happen. What if one of these days, I hurt you?"
Perseus shook his head. "You won't." His voice quavered a little, though, as if he was unsure.
"You're probably right." She said this more to reassure him than herself. She knew that taking off her helmet had been selfish. Every time she revealed herself, there was a risk that Perseus or someone else would see her true form and turn into stone.
Perseus nodded his head. "As long as we're together, we'll be fine."
They flew in silence for a while, until Medusa noticed a small movement coming from inside the bag. Whimpering followed.
"What is that?" She pointed at the bag.
"I don't know." Perseus shrugged.
The way it kept struggling, Medusa thought it must have been a small trapped animal. "We should let it out. I think it's scared and I don't want to be responsible for hurting anything else."
They landed and Perseus cautiously reached into the top of the bag. Out popped a head of curly black hair. They held their breath for a moment, until the dark, seductive eyes of Andromeda looked up at Perseus. Her brown skin shone in the moonlight. Medusa suppressed a groan as Andromeda stumbled out of the bag, tripping over it several times before she got through.
She looked at the wilderness around them, taking in the jungle's vibrant colors. "This is amazing. You really are on an adventure." She squealed and clapped her hands.
Perseus couldn't keep the irritation from his voice. "What are you doing here?"
She ran a finger down his chest and fluttered her eyelashes. "I know what you want, even though you won't admit it. I stowed away with you, so I could show you the truth. You may not take me now, but eventually you'll give in and make love to me.
"I left a note with my family, telling them that I ran away with you. I heard you trying to leave and when I saw your bag lying out in the open, I knew it was the opportunity I was waiting for to leave with you. They'll want nothing to do with me once they find what I have done and I know you're not the kind of guy to just get rid of a girl in need."
Perseus' face paled. "How could you do such a thing? Your family will put a bounty on my head! They'll think I kidnapped you."
"No one will be willing to travel this far to look for me."
Perseus paced back and forth. "You're the only heir to the kingdom! Of course they will! Your father will make them!"
&
nbsp; Andromeda giggled. "Okay, I messed up because I'm not the most experienced woman in the world…" Her voice dropped a pitch. "But I'm sure there's a lot you can teach me…about running away, of course." She winked at him.
He frowned. "This isn't a game. Get back into the bag and don't come out until I say it's safe. I don't need people seeing me fly with a beautiful woman in my arms that they will assume I kidnapped. I'm already in enough trouble as it is."
He opened the bag and shoved her back inside. She settled down awkwardly and made an "Oof!" noise.
Medusa was furious, her blood boiling. She was forced to whisper so that Andromeda wouldn't hear her. "We should turn around and drop her back at the castle right now. We can't take her with us."
"It's too dangerous to go back," Perseus said. "They might have discovered Phineas by now or Andromeda's note. If I return, I'll be killed.
"Besides, running away with a man? Her reputation is ruined. Her betrothed is dead and who knows what kind of punishment her parents will give her now after what she's done?"
"Fine, but you can't touch her and you guys can't even be near each other that often. We'll find her a good job or place to stay and then have nothing to do with her ever again."
"I promise," Perseus said. "You're the only girl for me."
"We'll see." Medusa was worried he couldn't keep his word. This girl was sneaky. There was no way she would go down without a fight and Perseus wasn't the type of guy who could handle this kind of battle.
They flew down and set up camp. Medusa went out into the woods to scavenge for food that she could eat. Perseus followed her.
"Medusa," he stage whispered, but she ignored him. She wasn't sure whether she believed Perseus' promises this time. All his attempts to keep this girl away thus far had failed. She was a leech.
"Please, don't be angry," he begged. "It's what I do–help people. Sometimes I hate my grandfather for believing that I would be capable of killing him, but at the same time, I'm thankful to him. If it wasn't for his lack of belief in me, I wouldn't try so hard to be a good person. I don't want to become what he accused me of being.