by E. B. Black
She took the necklace she kept off her neck. She pricked her finger with the needle and spilled one drop of her blood into it. She needed to hurry before he woke or her plan would be ruined. She stroked the necklace in her hand and hugged it to her chest. She remembered Cithara, who had given it to her. She cherished it and the water she kept inside it: water from the Lethe. She thought of all the times she wished to drink that water and forget all the horrible things she had suffered. She had put her blood in it, so that it would know which memories should be forgotten–all those associated with her.
She considered the irony of the situation. She would be the one to remember everything. Her lover would forget that she ever existed. She had never been destined to drink from that river.
She poured the water down Perseus' throat. He choked on it as he swallowed and jumped awake.
A contented sigh left Perseus' lips as the first memory emerged like a ghost from behind him. It was one of the times they'd made love out in the woods. Perseus had picked her a flower and instead of sniffing it, she had eaten it. He laughed at the misunderstanding. They kissed as they watched the sun set. She stroked the memory as it left his body and the images of it played back in her mind, except she saw all of it from Perseus' perspective instead.
Medusa didn't understand. Usually people screamed when they lost their memories, but Perseus didn't seem frightened. Maybe because all the memories he was reliving were happy ones.
Perseus looked straight at her. She could feel his eyes taking her in, even though she couldn't see them. For the first time ever, he was truly gazing at her. Her heart leaped into her throat. She had dreamed of this moment forever.
He stroked her cheek. His voice grew breathless. "It's all on your face. Every moment you've suffered and every smile you've cracked. I can see the full effect now and you're beautiful. There's nothing like you in this world. It's like finding a pearl. I'm lucky to have found you."
Medusa shook. These were the words she always wished to hear. He was making it harder for her to leave.
"Thank you," she murmured.
More memories burst from him. Medusa saw him explaining his life story to her and holding her hand before they charged in the castle to fight Polydectes. The birth of her children faded. She wanted to shove these thoughts into her bottle and keep them forever, but they couldn't be grasped or caught. Her hands went through them as if they were fog.
He grabbed her by the face unexpectedly. Her heart leaped into her throat as their lips met one last time. They moaned as they tasted each other's warm flesh. She wished to swallow some of the water but he had drunk it all, leaving none for her. The melting of her heart as their lips fought to devour each other's passion would be something she'd never forget.
She pushed him away. "This is the last time you'll ever see me."
Memories of them making love in the castle before the Olympics and of the heated argument that occurred afterwards when Medusa attacked Andromeda left him. She was glad to see the last one go.
Perseus grabbed her tightly, shoving her face against his chest. He was hyperventilating. "No! Please don't leave! I love you more than anything."
Medusa twisted out of his grasp. "You don't, though, because you never really met me."
She reached behind Perseus' head and sensed the memory of him seeing her in the mirror for the first time disappearing.
Confusion filled his voice. "I didn't?"
"No, in fact, you killed me. We never talked or made love. You did your duty and kept my head inside your endless wallet, where it still resides now. All those people that were turned into stone-you did it, not me."
Perseus shook his head. She wasn't sure whether he'd remember things the way she wanted him to, but she figured it couldn't hurt to try to put new memories in his mind where the old ones were disappearing.
The memory of the first time they made love burst from him.
Medusa tried to hold back her sobs. She could cry all she wanted to later. She'd have a lot of time to reminisce and regret. "You're a hero. You rescued Andromeda on your flight home. She's a beautiful woman and you're in love with her. It's why you rescued her. You two will have a family together and she'll be your queen."
"Sounds nice." Perseus lay back in bed, eyes drooping. He'd probably think this whole experience was a dream. "I like your stories. Your voice is so soothing."
Medusa nodded her head and tucked him in. "The only reason that you didn't touch her this whole time was because you were intimidated by her beauty. She looked too pure and perfect to taint with your touch, but now you can't keep your hands off her.
"She's a gift given to you by the gods whom you love because they gave you every good thing you have now."
She knew now that Perseus wasn't meant to fight the gods beside her. He was meant to live a long and happy life, while she fought off their curse and tried to reverse their tyrannies alone.
The last memory of her disappeared into thin air.
She kissed Perseus on the forehead. "It's time for me to leave now," she whispered.
Perseus' breathing grew heavy. "Will you be back? I like you."
"I'm sorry, but I can't return. Don't worry, though-you'll be happy without me."
Perseus drifted off to sleep and as quietly as she could, Medusa left the room.
Chapter 26
Medusa flew so far in one day that her wings cramped. She had no idea what direction she was traveling in; she just wanted to leave. She was surprised that she didn't hit anything on the way to her destination, but there wasn't much in the air besides birds.
She eventually made her way into the desert after a week and decided to live there. She liked the warm climate; it reminded her of her sisters in the underworld. The sun felt good on her skin and because there were few living creatures around, she could walk without wearing the invisibility helmet. Whenever she took it off, she replaced it with a cloak she had stolen from one of the cities she passed through.
She expected one of the gods to appear in front of her and point, shouting: "Aha! You're alive!" She'd be flung down to Tartarus, where she would be killed slowly and tormented for all eternity. She had been hiding for so long that it was frightening doing anything else, but soon the fear was replaced with peace, although she was also lonely.
Her other senses took over her ability to see. Her sense of smell grew stronger and alerted her to the presence of wild animals or warned her when she was nearing the dwelling of humans. She memorized the number of steps it took to travel to the next town. She allowed people to grab her shoulder and lead her to her destinations when she couldn't find her way in a new place. Someone was always willing to lead the blind.
Surprisingly, news of Perseus and his adventures made its way down to the village near where she lived. His son was born and growing up healthy. He had some memory issues because he was traumatized from his wife's near death, but everyone insisted he was making a speedy recovery.
Medusa sometimes liked to walk among the villagers of the marketplace. She inquired about the trinkets they carried in their booths or asked to hear about local gossip. She didn't really care what they were saying, she just liked to listen to them speak. Those who knew she was blind were surprised at how well she could function. They tried to give her money and food, but she declined, begging them to keep their wealth and take care of their own families.
She was amused one day when a man came up to her and started talking about the great Gorgon Medusa. He smelled like alcohol and dirt. Medusa imagined him with missing teeth, based on the slur in his speech. "Athena got that Gorgon's head, she sure did," the man said. "She took it from Perseus and made a shield out of it, so that anyone who battles her will be turned into stone."
Medusa suppressed a chuckle. What a fool the gods were.
She didn't give birth for over a year. The pregnancy felt like it lasted longer than the previous one. She woke one morning to find that her lower half was wet and her belly was tightening. She had
slept through most of her labor. She gave birth to twins once again, a boy and a girl. She was so happy that she could keep her children this time.
When she felt the scales on her children's face, she frowned. Like Perseus had predicted, their children were cursed. Her worst fears came true when a deer walked by, ran through the brush startled, and then froze into stone.
The children loved their gift, though, and used it to keep all living things away from their blind mother. They didn't eat plants; they consumed the stone statues they made. They were more snake than human and although Medusa could understand them, they didn't speak Greek as she did. They didn't understand why their mother loved weak humans or their language, even when she reminded them that she had once been human.
The only part of Perseus they had inherited was a crown on the top of their head, made of snake-like flesh. Medusa told them that they had the blood of royalty and they behaved as if they did, feeling entitled to whatever they wished to possess in the area. She hated when they acted barbarically, killing people or animals for sport rather than food, but she also adored her children and didn't wish to deny them anything that they desired.
The villagers kept their distance. They nicknamed her children the basilisks.
Medusa worried sometimes if Hades would come and try to take his invisibility helmet back, but realized that before Perseus had it, some nymphs were taking care of it. He probably didn't even realize that it was stolen.
Even if they did discover her, she was glad that Perseus remembered nothing. He wouldn't be punished for what he had done. Only she would suffer.
She told her kids that one day she might die. If it happened before she got the chance to travel back down to the underworld and beg for her life to be spared, she ordered her children to consume her body. At first they were reluctant, but she explained to them how her family was cursed and how all evidence of her existence needed to be destroyed. She knew they would do what they were supposed to once the time came.
She also taught them to hate the gods.
"We should go to Mount Olympus and turn them all into stone," her oldest child hissed. "You have wings, Mother, so you can fly us there. Then we can appoint you the rightful queen of the world. You are kind. You will be a great ruler and we're vicious enough to destroy and eat anyone who opposes you."
Medusa stroked the crown on his head. "We can't do that right now because there are only three of us and the gods will kill us if we try to take them down. Some things you need to be patient for. You will have children and tell them the story of me. They in turn will have children, who they will do the same with. Eventually, we will have a large enough army to invade the sky and throw Zeus from his throne. We'll defeat him and future generations won't believe he even existed. They'll think the gods are just a myth."
"Patience," her youngest one said, contemplating the word for the first time. "I don't know what that means."
Patience was the only thing keeping Medusa from begging Perseus to come back to her. She had a plan, but it would take a long time to achieve. She had decided to let Andromeda have Perseus in life, but planned to make him hers in death. She hoped to return to the underworld someday and meet him there.
She remembered the ghosts of the underworld, how they couldn't be turned into stone like humans could. When Perseus died, she'd go down to the underworld and have her sisters steal his gold coin, so he couldn't pass into the afterlife. Perseus could meet her sisters and his family without being harmed. She would finally be able to live in peace with everyone she loved. She'd have enough descendants on her side by that time that could turn the gods into stone if they bothered them. She doubted they would want a war on their hands.
And she would share the truth with Perseus. He would know everything and love her again.
She just hoped she didn't die before she got to be with him one last time.
The End
Acknowledgments
I'd like to thank the members of AgentQueryConnect and my critique partners for their great advice.
I couldn't have gotten through this without the support of my loved ones.
I'd also like to thank my editor, Faith Williams. Visit Her At Her Web-site
Coming Soon From E.B. Black
Pandora's Mistake – Coming in 2013 (Available for free)...
The second Pandora saw Prometheus' muscular form for the first time, she knew she wanted him. The fire that surrounded him like a storm reflected a type of passion she found irresistible in the bedroom.
The problem was, she was married to his brother, a Titan, who was so violent with jealousy that he could kill her in a rage.
Prometheus couldn't make love anymore. The raven that pecked at his liver everyday was killing him, but Pandora could see the desire for her in his eyes.
Pandora has been hearing voices, coming from the jar Zeus made her promise never to open. Lift the lid and all her dreams can come true or so the demon inside it informs her. Just one peek can't hurt, right?
Revenge for Sisyphus – Coming Soon...
Sisyphus was born a mortal, but knows that fate will lead him to become a god. He announces this to Zeus and gets thrown out of Mount Olympus. Their laughter rings in his ears.
Don't they understand how hard it is to win the love of a woman? His wife slept with Poseidon-he has a high standard to live up to! She says that all she wants in a husband is someone that is nice to her, but Sisyphus knows those words are lies.
When he tricks Thanatos into tying himself up in Hades, death ceases to exist. Sisyphus comes back to earth, throwing knives at his friends to show them that even if they bleed out, they can't die. A race of undead emerges; the world is thrown into an apocalypse. The gods stop laughing as mere men become immortals.
His wife screams at him to stop, but he knows her words are foreplay. Who wouldn't be impressed by an army of zombies?
The gods are powerful, but Sisphys is clever. Either they make him a deity or he makes them mortals. He'll have all he wants.
Also Coming Soon...
Varicia waited until she was in her twenties before receiving her first kiss. It had to be perfect-the right guy and the right setting. The moonlight is bright and his lips are soft. It was everything she pictured, until she opens her eyes and screams.
He collapses on the ground, veins bulging and body seizing. A black ooze fills him. She touches her lips and feels her fingers tingle with death.
She buries his body in the ground, but finds the ground uncovered the next day. She'll receive the death penalty for killing him! It was an accident, but no one will care.
The truth is, her boyfriend has emerged from the grave. He refuses to move on, until she can admit that she loves him. No matter who he has to hurt or what he has to do, he'll hold her heart within his hands. Even if he has to give up his soul to retrieve it.
Learn More About E.B. Black
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Can a monster find true love?
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Acknowledgments
Coming Soon From E.B. Black
Learn More About E.B. Black
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E.B. Black, Medusa's Desire (The Fate of Eros #1) (The Fate of Eros Series)