Atop the western cliff sat a girl with a melancholy expression, head leaned on her hand and legs dangling in the air. If her eyes hadn’t been of a milky white one could certainly have described her gaze as longing and distant.

“Ahh, he was such a gentleman. And funny too.” She sighed sweetly and leaned on her hand all the more.

“Is this going to be a reoccurring sight now? Some man arrives, abandons you and then you act akin to a heartbroken poet?” Medusa crossed her arms and shook her head.

“I wouldn’t mind more visitors.” Eugenia seemed fine with that image.

“You appear to have a certain attraction towards disturbances. I dare hope this was the last of them.” The Gorgon wasn’t amused.

“He must be dozens of parasangēs away now. I pray that he is safe.”

“I expected his corpse to be washed back ashore around yesterday.” Medusa said deadpan.

“Don’t be so pessimistic!”

“That was my optimistic prediction. The worst outcome would be that he made it back here alive.”

“You can be so childish sometimes.” Eugenia huffed.

The Gorgon squinted her eyes and watched the girl pull back her legs and lean her head on her knees. She was acting moody today, but that much was expected after saying goodbye to a friend. That she was giving her so much lip again on the other hand…

“Calling me childish? That is rich coming from a barely matured human girl. A spoiled brat that cannot accept losing its toys no less.” Her words were as sharp as ever, but Eugenia seemed to take them differently, because she began to smirk.

“Just like a child. You get jealous so quickly.”

“Jealous.” Medusa could not decide whether to outright ridicule the notion or to simply kick the girl off the cliff. For now she was frowning.

“Why did you treat Themistokles as such a despicable enemy? You were so aggressive with him.” The priestess pointed out.

“Because he was an intruder. I deal with all intruders in this way.” She looked at the statues around them and then corrected herself. “In truth, I bestowed him greater mercy than any man before.”

“He was harmless, unlike the people who came here to slay you, so there was no reason to antagonize him. Just like you spared me.” Her words were unduly filled with faith. “Did you not dislike him rather because he could have taken me off this island-?”

“You seem to have gotten comfortable with your role here, but you insist on forgetting the truth of the curse I put on you.” She grabbed Eugenia by the head and pushed it down so she was hanging over the cliff. The girl dangled over the splashing waves like a rug in the wind. “You only live to satisfy my desire for revenge.”

“Your grip doesn’t even hurt.” Eugenia said calmly.

“Tsk.” Medusa threw her back on the cliff.

“Ouch! But you could stand to be gentler with my behind.” Eugenia rubbed her lower back that had so painfully crashed down on the rocks.

“I made a vow to spare your life, but I have my limits. Your mindless insinuations and human stench are revolting to my very core.” The snake-woman hissed and pushed the girl down with her long tail, as if wrapping up her prey. “I do not feel jealousy or compassion. Engrave those facts in your mind.”

“I am not going to leave you.” Eugenia said with little breath left in her lungs, but a serene expression.

Those words were aimed so deeply at the Gorgon’s deepest mind that she was almost staggered by them. Again Eugenia proved her certainty in knowing the Gorgon’s true feelings, without a doubt she spoke the words she thought Medusa wished to hear most.

It tormented her. This human knew nothing. The hubris of trying to comfort her was the most vexing thing she had ever experienced since she became this monster. Over and over she had wrought down Medusa’s patience, acted overly familiar and treated her like just another human. Her attempt to anchor to someone had created a dependence.

One that she sought to make mutual. Already her words were like barbs stabbing into the very soul of her captor. This malicious bond she was crafting from pure loneliness would drag them both to the depth of the ocean floor.

Yet, if she resisted, if she kept getting angrier, more disturbed, would she not be losing to this human as well? She had no need to play along, but neither did she have a reason to keep spiting her so harshly.

Medusa let go of the priestess and looked down with a darkened expression.

Just what was she going to do?

“I think your reactions are endearing in their own way.” Eugenia said as she rubbed her throat. “You are Lady Medusa, the Gorgon, but you are also your own person. I can ‘see’ that clearly. If I overstepped my boundaries, then I will stop acting so familiar. This curse you put on me is heavy, but not unbearable.” She adjusted her robes and pulled back her hair that was swaying in the wind. Then she put her arms behind her back and faced the much taller Gorgon. “I am your prisoner; that much is true. But you too are imprisoned here with me.”

“You talk too much.” Medusa sighed. Her snake hair was instinctively wrapping itself back so she could not hide her face. “There is nothing but regret ahead for you. If you have not understood that much, then you truly are immature.”

“Perhaps.” Eugenia nodded. “But humans grow fast. I will catch up with you eventually.”

“Nothing short of a miracle can make that happen.” Medusa snorted.

“Our world is full of miracles, so we merely need to stretch out our hands and take hold of them!” The girl raised her hand to the blue sky as if to latch on to the ceiling of the world itself. With the sun shining behind her, she truly seemed radiant for just a moment.

Even a monster might have found this sight encouraging deep down.

----------------------------------------

“Let’s break open some cargo!” The priestess shouted with her fists raised.

“You change gears astoundingly fast.” Medusa had followed her to the line of wares left behind by the merchant. They had bought them with real currency, which was a first for her as well. Usually she took what she wanted much more directly.

“Thank you for helping me open them, Lady Medusa. I can barely crack most of them open even when I jump on an iron rod. They are sealed tighter than the Titans in Tartarus.”

“I have been reduced to muscle once again.” She said with venom in her voice.

“This is your property, so you should at least take inventory, right?” It was abundantly clear which of them cared more about the contents of these baskets, barrels and chests.

“Very well.” She hunched over and smashed the lid of the nearest barrel open with her bare hands.

“Hey! Careful, there might be breakable things in there.” She went to her knees and sifted through the inside. It was filled with fabrics. They were rather small, but of excellent quality. Soft and stretchable. “These must be from Persia or even further beyond. They would make terrible chitons. I don't like this fabric.”

“You certainly obsess over banalities.”

“Aesthetics are important, but consistency also helps with the weather. Nature is fearsome.”

“Anything seems deadly when viewed from a human mind. How do you find the courage to leave your bedstead each morning?”

“At least we don’t sleep for days on end.” She retorted snappishly and then stowed the silky fabric back in the barrel. “Next!”

Medusa didn’t like the commanding tone, but she had to admit that she was a tiny bit interested what else they would uncover. Strange, she had never felt any excitement when scavenging the loot of expeditions before. The occasional bottle of wine did always brighten her monotonous days though.

With this hint of curiosity she kept breaking the tops of boxes and barrels. The wood splintered everywhere and one hit Eugenia’s face, which made her screech like a dying pig. Medusa didn’t even wait for her to calm down as she kept up her smashing exercise.

It didn’t take long before they reached the last three pieces of cargo.

Eugenia (after pulling out the splinter from her cheek with teary eyes) stopped Medusa.

“Wait a second. There is something on top of that one. Zosimos must have left it there on purpose.” She flipped the parchment open and went along the lines with her fingers. They had been so deeply imprinted into the paper that she was able to read them. Clearly this had been written for her specifically.

“Well, what did that foolish merchant have to say?” She raised a brow in anticipation.

“Squiggly dibadibi kaflegi doo.” Eugenia recited the words seriously.

They both let the important message sink in. Such profound words had been left behind for them; they needed to give it much deliberation.

“What?” Medusa finally cracked.

“Er…”

“That is gibberish. Did he have a fit of madness when writing it?”

“To be honest, I can’t read this.” Eugenia admitted and handed her the letter. “The imprints are too varied.” She was clearly embarrassed. “Could you read it for me?”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“Heh.” Medusa grabbed the message, grinning maliciously of course. “Hm. He says: ‘The boxes with the black circles are exceptionally fragile, so treat them with care. The one sealed with painted wood is especially interesting for you Lady Medusa.’” She groaned. Clearly he knew exactly how this would turn out. Cheeky human. “’I hope you enjoy everything I left behind to the fullest! I lost a lot of money on those!’” Apparently he had written this message before they had decided to buy them off of him. So he really had planned to leave his wares behind either way.

“Understood. We just need to tear them open gently then.” The girl pressed herself on one box and used all her body strength to push the lid off. To no avail of course. Medusa watched her try repeatedly until her face was red from exertion. Only then did she push Eugenia forward so the lid flipped over alongside the girl.

“Clever boy.” She looked inside and saw exactly what he had deigned of interest to her. All the cargo was sealed with wax inside, to prevent the moisture from ruining the contents, but this one was also filled with sheep’s wool. That was so because the items stored in it were rather fragile.

“What is it? Idols of the gods? A new set of brushes and combs? Please let it be more honey.” Eugenia was excited enough to just pop back up from behind the box.

“You know nothing about me, do you?” Medusa’s eyes shrank, but she was too pleased to let it drag her down for long. “Judging by the smell these are of good quality.” She pulled out several small sized (even for human standards) amphorae and clay bottles sealed with corks.

“I don’t smell anything but wax.” The girl shrugged.

“You should ask your favorite war goddess for a better sense of smell next.” Medusa snarked and opened the first bottle carefully. It made a satisfying ‘pop’ sound and then a herbal smell wafted through the air.

“Is it wine?” Now even Eugenia could smell it.

“Indeed.” The Gorgon nodded and took a tiny sip. The liquid left a sharp burn in her throat and afterwards a delightful herbal taste spread in her mouth. This might have been one of the best she had ever tasted. “Hmhm, perhaps that mule was good for something in the end.”

“There is nothing but wine in there?” She sure was disappointed.

“He might have been unable to look at me, but he had an eye for a good drop befitting of my tastes.” She was a mildly impressed. From the beginning he had been able to tell that she enjoyed a good wine. Sometimes merchants had a sixth sense for such things.

“Is it that good?”

“You may not have a single drop.” Medusa immediately shut the box in front of Eugenia.

“Stingy.”

“You would chug this divine grape blood down like a mug of goat’s milk. I cannot allow such wastefulness.” She chided her seriously. Although she had another reason for her strictness. “I said I would make you pay for the crime of that night. Consider yourself abstinent from now on.”

“Huh? What night? You are so vague.” She really had no idea.

The brew must have completely erased her memory. It might have been better that way. Medusa felt a little bit of relief knowing that the tail escapade was forgotten now.

“I did not think a priestess would be a bad drunk, but you always find new ways to impress.”

“W-who told you that? I d-don’t even want your stupid wine!” She walled up and turned to the next wares for distraction. “I never drink, out of principle. So much for your punishment!” She really was every bit as childish as she said Medusa was. The humiliation was extremely satisfying to the Gorgon for sure.

“Let us finish this survey already so I can return to sleep.” Lingering on it would be too much, though, so she joined the girl in her attempt to gently open the remaining marked ones.

“Ohhh!!” Now it was the girl’s turn to be impressed. She touched the contents all over and made many strange faces.

“What are these things?” Medusa didn’t like this reaction one bit.

“They are games! So many different playthings!” Her face lit up cutely.

“These do not look like spears or arrows.” Medusa grabbed a ball-shaped piece of glass and inspected it dubiously.

“Not those kinds of games. I am talking about games for the mind.” The excited priestess kept pulling out things and piled them up.

“Do games not serve to celebrate your gods?” Her information was most likely outdated, but such faithful puppets wouldn’t abandon their rituals so easily.

“Those are different. The festivals have a lot of athletic competitions and dances in the name of Zeus, Hermes or Athena. The Olympics are a contest of influence between rulers. But these things here are for the personal entertainment of the people.”

“You have the time to spend on pointless diversions? Has humanity grown so complacent?” She could hardly believe it. Humans were constantly at war, but even the most common man was fighting for his livelihood every day in manifold ways. Who could afford such luxury as enjoying games?

“They are mostly for children, but many of them challenge even an adult mind!” Eugenia insisted and then pulled up a small ball.

“Alright. Tell me about these games then.”

“This is a ball made from animal leather. It is filled with air, but it keeps its shape even when thrown by the strongest man.” She held the brown ball up with reverence. The construction was certainly something else.

“How does this challenge your mind? Throwing things seems athletic to me.”

“It can be used in a variety of ways, but you are right, this one’s more on the physical side.” She balanced it on her fingertip as if it was natural. Medusa watched the ball sway in the breeze, but it never dropped.

“You used to do this a lot, I take it?”

“Haha, I even balanced two at once before.” She smiled happily. “But I have a hard time kicking it far, so I could never join the other kids.” Her mouth twitched a little as she suppressed a memory. “But it was still fun throwing and catching it by myself.”

“I see.” She could sense the discomfort, but it was none of her business. “What of these things then? Do you throw them as well?” She pulled up a few round neatly polished stones.

“Yes, actually. This game is called knucklebones. You throw five stones on the ground. Then you pick one up like so.” She had taken the stones from Medusa and then spread them on the dusty ground. “Afterwards you throw this one up.” She threw it as far up as possible and then immediately scurried to the ground. “Next you quickly take another stone and then…“ She had just gotten the small stone as the other came down on her. With surprising agility she caught the falling stone in the same hand as the other. “…you catch it in the same hand.”

After that display Eugenia grabbed the two stones tightly and chuckled. She had shown off in front of someone for the first time in ages.

“This challenges your mind, hm?” She didn’t buy it.

“More the coordination of your hands and eyes.”

“Are you not cheating then? Super-human hearing was not intended for this game.”

“Nevermind that!” Eugenia pouted and then threw both stones into the air. She picked up two at once from the ground and then caught the falling ones in the same hand again. “It only gets harder from here. I can hear them, but that doesn’t mean I can keep up with them.” She childishly justified herself, which was admittedly kind of entertaining.

“Tossing things is not my idea of challenging the mind, but you do know your way around these stones. You must have practiced a lot.”

“Not that much.” She played with her hair sheepishly.

“Then let me take a guess. These are thrown as well?” She picked up a small square shaped object made from bone. It was small enough to fit comfortably between her fingertips.

“That’s a die.” The priestess explained after touching the die once. “It has six sides and whichever is on top will be seen as the dominant one.”

“What are these markings?”

“They represent numbers from one to six.”

“So the goal is to throw a certain number.” She figured it out immediately.

“Yes. Although most games have you throw several dice at once.” She rummaged through the chest and found a handful more. “Dice are forbidden in the temples though.”

“Hm? What could these trinkets have caused to be so reviled?” She flicked it up repeatedly in a rhythm. It was more fun than she expected.

“They are used for gambling - mostly. The guards and officials have outlawed gambling in public and it is said that any priestess or priest that is found gambling will be banished from the temples. They even whipped people in the town square.” Unhappy memories were welling up as she spoke. “They even cut off the fingers of some gamblers as punishment.”

“Hmph. Bloodshed over such trivial games. Humans are barbaric indeed.” She put the die down and looked at Eugenia who was for once not intent on defending her species.

“It’s not trivial.” She said slowly. “People gamble for money, slaves and even possessions. I heard that one influential aristocrat gambled his estate and lost. It ended with a fight between the houses that left both of them in ruins.” She clasped her hand tightly around the dice and held them against her chest.

“You gamble real possessions and people?” The Gorgon listened up. “You even make your livelihood dependent on mere luck?”

“Maybe I was focusing on extremes. There are much lower stakes involved in most gambles.” She hastily deflated the tense atmosphere and took a piece of salted meat from the pile. “We could even gamble over just a meal. Do you want me to teach you some dice games?”

“I have nothing that I would want to gamble from you, though.”

“Don’t be like that. It’s more fun if we have something to bet with. For example!” She pointed at the box filled with good wine.

“Out of the question.” Medusa turned into a thorn covered brick wall the moment she realized the girl’s scheme.

“There is a lot more skill and prediction involved in dice games than you might think. They truly challenge your mind and intuition.” Eugenia smiled smugly. “I suppose you are right to be afraid of the human intellect. You don’t even know mathematics after all.”

Crunch.

The bone die had just turned into bone dust.

“Bring it on.” Her sharp eyes were ready to cut through the gleeful girl’s smile.

Secretly Eugenia jumped in joy inside her mind. She finally managed to interest Medusa in something!

----------------------------------------

“I beg of you…!” Eugenia was kneeling in the sand, completely naked and with tears running down her face. “J-just give me one more chance! I will definitely… definitely win it all back…!”

“You are surprisingly bad at this.” Medusa started to feel a slight sting of compassion when seeing the pathetic display in front of her. That and genuine revulsion.

Behind the Gorgon stood every single box, barrel, and piece of clothing that Eugenia had owned. Well she did not exactly own any of it (aside from the clothes) in the first place, but the moment she began losing she used her Themistokles card to say they were given to both of them. They had split the loot evenly and continued to throw dice, with pretty one-sided results.

“Just my clothes… One more game! So I can cover myself up.” The priestess looked more like a very pale skinned beggar now. The contrast between her tanned limbs and the rest of her body was very apparent now. Medusa found this sight equal parts intriguing and unbearable.

“If you were such a failure at this game, why did you challenge me in the first place?” The Gorgon was merciless and threw the dice in front of her. “You have nothing left to offer, so why should I keep going?”

Eugenia picked up the dice and wiped her tears. With her bangs covering her face she started to chuckle desperately. “Then I will offer you the last thing I have left.”

“Oh?”

“My body!” She said with a mixed expression. One half despair, another pure shame.

“I have no use for that.” She threw another die at Eugenia’s face.

“I knew it.” She slumped down into the sand and gave in to despair.

Medusa snorted all of a sudden and then laughed. It was rare enough for her to crack up, but she truly felt herself lose control for a moment.

“Yes, laugh at this shameful wreck. Toss me into the ocean so I may join Zosimos.” She spoke with her face in the sand.

“You really thought he sank too, huh?” She still had to laugh some more at her silly reaction.

“Please don’t look at me great and wise Athena.” Eugenia’s long hair brushed over her exposed back as the breeze picked up. She shivered a little.

“Not to worry, your goddess cannot see anything on this island.” Medusa said something comforting. How odd.

“Truly?”

“The barrier prevents it.” She nodded and then tossed something again. A pile of clothes landed on the shamed girl. “Dress yourself already or you might fall ill.”

“Wha-? Bu-? I lost!” She was perplexed enough to not care about her nakedness for a moment, but then immediately covered herself up.

“Magnificently. After all of your boasting at that.” Medusa could simply not drop her wicked smile.

“How prickly.”

“Just remember, I am not human. Your laws do not apply to me. I have not given you my word to uphold any of the rules.”

“You are truly devious!” Eugenia realized now that even if she had won, Medusa had no intention of handing over anything she fancied.

“You can have your precious food back. I will even let you have the rest as well. The wine stays with me.” She grabbed her loot and put it away. The rest she left where it was. “Learn from this, girl. You need to know when something is futile and when to stop your impulses.”

“Yes, Lady Medusa.” She bowed her head while gritting her teeth.

“Now that I have seen it first hand, the power of dice will be remembered.” She had underestimated these small things quite a bit. What frightening power they held over the human psyche.

“Are you going back to sleep now?” Eugenia heard her snake half brush over the ground to leave for her lair.

“Naturally. When I wake up you should not show me such a pathetic sight anymore.”

She slithered across the steps in a terrifyingly good mood. There was no way she could suppress this feeling.

“It was entertaining.” She admitted to herself. Perhaps she was too far away for the girl to hear it, but that was unlikely.

Eugenia clutched her clothes with a slightly tear filled smile.

Returned to their previous constellation they found new equilibrium. As the islanders advanced their days peacefully, the distant city of Athens kept moving. Preparations were made for the next page in the tale.