The distant island of Sarpedon was surrounded by the unforgiving sea. Currents as deadly as they were numerous would attempt to drag any boats daring enough to challenge them to the depth of the ocean floor. Countless wrecks were a grim reminder to the world that this was not a place mortals should venture. Should one such boat however make the perilous journey and reach the coveted island it would be greeted by an intense light. The sun shone down on this small isle as if to blind anyone who desired to look upon it.
Once a visitor ventured past the long white beaches and stepped foot onto the grounds of the old destroyed temple they would find an ominous air of death that nearly took physical form. Statues lined the island in circles, giving spine-chilling warnings to those who would come next about what had happened to those who came before. The island was cursed. The creature living on it was cursed. Retreat. Never return. Those were their lifeless warnings as their stone eyes stared forward forevermore.
But now there was something else on the forsaken isle. Hints of white cloth, busy humming, a peek of auburn hair. The dead earth was showing minor growth, the sealed garden had been opened wide. Hares hopped between old temple pillars and drank greedily from the puddles left by prior rain.
Sarpedon had gained life. A soul.
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Two weeks had passed since the priestess Eugenia had opened up about her past to the Gorgon of Sarpedon, Medusa. Although their first meeting - when the human expedition had arrived to slay the monster - had pitted them as bitter enemies, they had been forced to coexist on the small isle ever since. The Gorgon had cursed the young woman to stay on the island with her as her prisoner, a petty revenge against her mistress, the goddess Athena.
Not all was as it seemed, however, as soon enough the blind priestess, who was unable to be affected by the petrifying curse of the Gorgon’s eyes, found herself seeking companionship with the creature. Their understanding of the world, their ideals and their feelings about the divine all differed to the point of making compromises impossible, they could not have come to like each other. That should have been the case anyway.
After many painful interactions they began to converse more freely and they faced challenges the Gorgon had never met before. The priestess grew to understand that there was more to Medusa than just a vile monster and she decided to find out the truth behind her new companion. Slowly but surely they both had changed. And as long as Eugenia was able, she would try to continue getting closer to the tormented Lady of the Isle.
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Although Eugenia had only spoken of her early childhood, the Gorgon could more or less predict the rest. Eugenia had asked her to tell her about the past as well, but Medusa had stayed defensive like a bulwark. There were things better left unspoken.
As was the nature of their relationship, Eugenia soon let it go and returned to her peaceful everyday life, while Medusa wiled the time away in a daze. She caught herself drifting off to unnecessary thoughts, but adamantly suppressed them. The girl’s overeager approach had taken its toll over the many lunar cycles she had been here, but she was still a hundred years too early to dwindle down a monster’s determination.
“Why not sing something for me?” Medusa inquired while lying on her side and leaning her head on her hand.
“Huh?” Eugenia stopped in the middle of sweeping the dusty yard. Her expression was one of complete lack of understanding. “Me?” She let go of the broom and pointed at herself.
“Is there a new intruder I have not heard of yet?” The Gorgon retorted.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Then I must be referring to you.”
“But Lady Medusa, you never asked me for anything before!” Her bafflement was marginally annoying.
“I am now.” She said with a wry smile.
“I would love to do something for you! It’s just, er…” She trailed off.
“Hm? Out with it.”
“I can’t sing.” She admitted with flushed cheeks.
“You told me of singing with your mother as a child, did you not?” She raised a brow.
“I loved hearing her sing, but whenever I started to open my mouth everyone just held their ears and groaned.” She picked up the broom again and looked all gloomy.
“You have no womanly qualities whatsoever, hm?” Medusa smirked.
“Your standards are too high!” Eugenia huffed in deep frustration, but then pointed her finger at Medusa. “I can play a harp! Just give me a harp and I will mesmerize you completely!” Her confidence was astounding.
“We do not have something like that on this island.”
“Oooh.” Eugenia leaned on the broom as she deflated.
“Hmph. Harp you say? It has been a long time since I heard one.” She muttered.
“You would just compare me to the Muses again anyway.” Eugenia decidedly turned her head away and swept a pile of dirt below a pillar.
“Naturally. You could not mesmerize me with mere mortal skills.” The Gorgon sneered.
“How cruel.” The priestess wiped her sweaty face and pouted. “Do you love music that much, Lady Medusa?”
“Not in particular. The ocean’s breeze has become such a repetitive tune that I simply-” She stopped herself with surprise. She just wished to tease the human, right? Why did she justify herself? Why did she speak her honest mind? “I simply wished to test your skills. You are as lacking as I expected.”
“Can you sing then?” She wiped some sweat with a rag while inquiring. She turned the edge around on the snake woman.
“It matters not. I will leave such things to self-absorbed poets like Apollo.”
“You never have a single good word for the gods.” Eugenia muttered as she rubbed her stomach.
“There are enough voices singing their praises. If he makes a song for me, I will hold him in higher esteem.” She smiled dryly. “Are you alright? You are sweating an awful lot.”
“Urgh… I am fine. Probably.” The girl kept rubbing her belly and looked like death.
“If you become sick, try to die in a place I do not have to pass by much. The smell of corpses ruins my mood.”
“I won’t die!”
“If you say so. Humans are all too fragile.” She mocked, because she did not truly think Eugenia was in danger either.
“It’s just reaaally hot today.” She shielded her face from the sun.
“Truly?” She looked at the ever glowing fire on the revolving chariot above. Helios was one tough man to resist the heat on his backseat, but down here it was merely a relaxing warmth. Then again, her skin was tougher than the girl’s. Summer had passed, but Sarpedon never changed.
If she just focused on the blue sky long enough she could find herself dozing off. It was a natural instinct to lie in the sun and let it warm her scales. Must have been the snake instincts.
She quickly opened her eyes in surprise. Her torso rose and the snakes on her head that had been sleeping suddenly perked up and turned in the same direction as her gaze. Their tongues slipped out and they smelled the air. “There is an intruder.”
“Huh? Again?” Eugenia spun around holding her broom like a lance.
“This presence.” The Gorgon’s eyes turned sharp. Out of all the people that had barged into her domain, this one was the least expected. She had never wanted to meet this one again. But something about the presence was odd. It was diluted. Weak. Lacking in its usual grandiosity and pride. “She dares show her face around here?”
Without another word Medusa slithered off. She was so incredibly fast that Eugenia didn’t even have time to react. In seconds the Gorgon was already advancing towards the western cliffs. The spot that had been covered in foot trails from Eugenia’s constant visits (her favorite fishing spot) was red, brown and… empty. The snakes searched for the trail, but wound up curling around each other in confusion.
“Stop making knots.” She hissed towards her hair and followed the trails on the ground with her eyes. They were mostly human footprints naturally, but there was one unknown trail. It didn’t appear to be footprints, but rather a small line. Something very light had been dragged across the dirt and then rolled downhill.
There was no way that the presence she felt could belong to something so tiny. Yet she could not find any other clues. Resigned, she followed the line that broke off halfway down the hill and looked through the dry bushes on the fissured cliff. Her long nails brushed through the plants and tore them out. What she found lying behind them was a surprise to be sure.
“Huff… haaah… Lahady… Mehdusha…” An out of breath Eugenia stumbled onto the scene and stopped just short of the Gorgon’s hunched over back. “You’re too fast.”
“You did not need to follow me.” She replied automatically while inspecting the ‘intruder’.
“Did you find them?”
“I am not sure.” She extended her hand and dragged the intruder up with just two fingers.
Eugenia tilted her head. She could hear the wind brush over the feathers. “A bird?”
“Apparently.” Medusa held up the small bird in front of her face. The snakes’ eyes were glinting. This one was small enough to make for a good snack. Not that she would ever let her hair eat. “Perhaps because it is an owl?” She wondered. The presence she felt was just like hers, but it ended up just being a bird.
“Owl?!” Eugenia’s face lit up. “What kind?” She asked excitedly.
Medusa mustered the bird from every angle and squinted her eyes.
“An owl.” She concluded.
“What kind! There are many kinds of owls, don’t you know?” She frowned.
“An owl is an owl. I see no reason to give it a different name.”
“What does it look like? Are its feathers brown and white spotted?”
“How would you know what brown and white look like?”
“I saw an owl in my dream.” The priestess folded her hands and closed her eyes. “The colors, the shape, it is all burned into my mind. I want to know whether this one is the same thing I ‘saw’ back then.”
Medusa understood why she was so excited now. This blind girl had only ever ‘seen’ one thing in her life beyond the darkness. The vision Athena had given her was the only reference to what others perceived every day. So if this owl was the same kind she knew, it would be like she could finally see the same thing that everyone else saw.
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“You are correct. It is brown and white spotted all over. Even its brows are thick and white.” The bird’s eyes were closed completely, but it didn’t appear to be injured. Its chest moved as it breathed subtly, it was just unconscious. It was for the best that the owl didn’t stare into the Gorgon’s eyes or it would become a slab of rock right away.
“A little owl of Athena!” The girl lowered her head reverently.
“It is just a bird.”
“This kind of owl is in direct service of the great and wise Athena. They are sharing her wisdom with us mortals and bring her messages to the worthy.”
“Right.” She held the owl upside down and inspected it further. There was really no trace of discomfort on it. The real issue was its presence itself. Birds rarely managed to pass the storm barrier and seldom even migrated in this direction anyway. How could such a little bundle of feathers make it to Sarpedon?
“It must be sleeping because the sun is up. Owls are nocturnal creatures.” Eugenia said wisely.
“It might be exhausted from flying such a great distance.” If it wasn’t connected to the presence she felt then she had no use for it. “Catch.” She said and threw the bird to Eugenia.
“W-what!?” The priestess barely caught the beaked feather bundle above her head.
“You are a priestess, so you can ask for its wisdom if you want.” She mocked and then took a look around the area for the true origin of the presence.
“Poor thing.” Eugenia stroked the owl’s head compassionately. “Did the big scary Gorgon toss you roughly? Let me brush your feathers until they are all neat again.”
“Getting attached to your food again?” She jabbed while pushing over a large stone.
“Food? You cannot eat a messenger owl!” She seemed honestly appalled. She hugged the owl tightly like a mother would her child.
“Tsk. So many rules.” She clicked her tongue dismissively.
“It needs a place to rest and some food. I think it would like insects or mice.” She recollected what she knew about owls.
“I have no interest in its recovery, so do as you please. We are sorely lacking in rodents, however.”
“I should fetch some of the bugs inside the ravine.”
Medusa noted once again that the girl had no scruple to get herself dirty and covered in insects. The line between bravery and foolishness was thin indeed.
“Be careful not to break your legs in there.” She warned quietly and looked back across the island. Her senses had never dulled in all these decades, so she could not have imagined it. Where was she?
“Gosh, I am not a child anymore. I will be care-” Suddenly her face twisted and sweat poured out of her every pore.
Grrrummble.
Her stomach made sounds that reminded of a choking warthog. The priestess bent over and held her stomach, no, clutched it!
“P-please look after her…” She held up the owl to Medusa with a pleading expression. The Gorgon hesitated for a moment, but then took the bird in her hands. “I m-must… think of a name…” She said with a pale and pained expression.
“Are you sure that you are not dying?”
“It’s… urgh… Just a stomach cramp.”
Grrlllrglll.
“Sounds more like the Trojan war in there.” Medusa’s eyes dulled.
“By Poseidon, why did it have to be fish?!” The priestess’ eyes teared up and she sprinted off.
“Wait, where are you going?” She called after her in confusion.
“I need some time for myself! Don’t follow me!”
That was probably the first time the girl had ever given Medusa a serious order. The despair on her face was undeniable. What could drive a person to such horrific wall crawling madness?
“I’m serious! Do not come to the northern shore!” She had turned back around the corner just to point at Medusa with a shaking finger.
Human bodies were very inconvenient. Medusa remembered the horrible smell of burnt fish this morning. ‘Ah, so that’s what this was about’, she thought. “What am I supposed to do with this?” She spun the owl in the air.
“Stop that.” A deep female voice cut through the air.
“Decided to finally show yourself?” Medusa huffed and kept spinning the owl even faster.
“I said stop it!” The woman sounded slightly irate now.
“Using an owl instead of a boisterous statue of yourself? How far the high and mighty hath fallen.” She said venomously and dropped the owl. The bird caught itself mid air and then stumbled towards a rock (probably because it was nauseous from the spinning).
“Curb your tongue, Gorgon.” The bird glared up to her. Its eyes were silver-gray. No owl Medusa had ever seen had such shining eyes. In fact there was only one being in this world with these eyes. “Show respect to my messenger.” The owl glared at her as the disembodied voice rang from the air around it.
“I showed mercy to this pathetic intruder by not throwing it back into the ocean. That is the most respect you will garner from me.”
“Over a century of isolation has not cured you of your impertinence, I see.” The owl seethed.
“This form suits you. All that unfathomable ego trapped in a tiny harmless bird.” Medusa grinned darkly. The moment that the animal had not turned to stone from meeting gazes she had been sure. This was the presence she had felt. “Did you come to assert your power once more? I thought you hated me enough to come in person at least… Athena.”
The bird puffed its chest and spread its wings to grow to the full size of a housecat.
“Your mockery makes no difference.” Athena’s voice had regained its endless serenity. “I have sent this familiar to be my eyes on your cursed island.”
“Announcing that you will spy on me? You are really testing my patience.”
“Where is Eugenia? Did you imprison her below?”
“This is about her?” Medusa crossed her arms.
“Where is she?” The owl repeated stoically.
“Hm. Somewhere around the northern shore I presume.” She cracked her neck casually. “She does not wish to speak to you.”
“How dare you! To keep a priestess from her goddess is a crime that even you shall not belittle.”
“This has nothing to do with me. That girl is not in the mood, I would wager.”
“Bring her to me or fear the consequences!”
“You are irritable as usual.” Medusa glared down on the owl and then cleared her voice. “Human! Will you come back already?” She shouted.
“DON’T TALK TO ME!” Eugenia’s very unhappy voice echoed across the island. Her ears really were something else. Too bad that Athena talked directly to the mind rather than with a voice or the girl might have noticed what was going on.
“There you have it. She has important business to attend to.” Medusa shrugged and smiled wryly.
The owl seemed disgruntled. “Then you have not harmed her?”
“Did not pull a single hair from her head. Though I cannot say how well she is doing right now.” The occasional pained groan reached even them all the way over here.
“You did well to contain your base instincts, Gorgon.”
“Hmph. Do you now wish to pretend that you care about her?” Medusa did not hide the venom in her voice. “Have you really been watching over her all these years?”
“You believe to comprehend our relationship, monster? Do not be foolish.”
“I may not know or care about the human’s circumstances.” The Gorgon balled her fist until the nails dug into her flesh. “But I can see through your lies and machinations, Athena! You never do anything out of charity. No matter what action you take, it only serves yourself. You blessed this girl with hearing? Do not belittle my intelligence. If you truly wished to help her you would have returned her sight instead.”
“There would have been no point in doing something so simple-minded.” The owl responded unabashed.
“So the girl is just another of your experiments?”
“I value her as a loyal priestess.”
“You are dodging the question.”
“I have not sent these ‘eyes’ to Sarpedon to answer your fruitless questions.” Athena replied curtly. “Your defiance has reached a new world of atrocity. You dared to capture one of mine. In a sliver of sanity you managed to suppress your violent urges, but I know your true nature nonetheless.”
Medusa’s mind was heating up. The fury she had suppressed for so many decades was back as if it had merely been a heartbeat since their last meeting. This arrogance, this endless act of superiority, it was revolting. Athena spoke of her true nature, but the whole reason she was like this was-!
“I order you to release Eugenia from your clutches.”
“You made a small miscalculation there, o’ goddess.” Medusa’s cold anger permeated her every syllable. “This is my prison. As long as I stay in the confines of this island and do not touch what is yours, you have no power over me!”
“Semantics. You keep her tied to this land of the dead against her will. I can see through your every stray thought, down to your impotent attempt at vengeance.” The piercing silvery eyes were rising from the depth of the mind itself. Their gaze was unfaltering and true. Even Medusa, strong of will and infinitely resentful, could barely meet them directly.
How? How could one destroy the clarity in these eyes? What could shake such an unfaltering gaze?
Medusa’s lips parted.
“I… am not keeping her here anymore.” She said almost as if in trance. “If she were to attempt an escape, I would not stop her.” Her words surprised even herself.
“What are you implying?” Athena’s reaction was guarded.
Medusa thought about it and then smiled evilly. “Your priestess does not want to leave.”
The owl flapped its wings in surprise.
“Hahaha!” Medusa held her face as she began to laugh. “Your precious toy has already escaped your influence.”
“You suggest that you corrupted her? She serves you now?”
“Not at all. I have no interest in servants. I could not give less attention to the devotion of others.” Her tail twisted around and swiped dirt into the air. “If you were to call out to her and order her return to your services, I have no doubt she would come running like the obedient dog she is.”
“Explain yourself.” Athena was clever, which is why she would often listen to all the facts before jumping to conclusions.
“You have left her behind. I know so. If your eyes had been vigilant you would not have allowed your chosen one to join this expedition to certain doom.”
The owl stayed quiet. Medusa’s words were undeniable.
“She failed your expectations in that faraway village. A mere child, yet still inadequate in your callous eyes. Therefore you abandoned her. Only if she were in mortal danger would you intervene, because as a chosen human, you have to give her your protection. The Olympians must uphold their image after all.” She spat out. “Tell me, how did you realize that she was here?”
“A scholar told me.” Athena replied truthfully.
“A scholar?” Medusa raised a brow. Her perfect memory gave her the faces of the dozen men that had come to her island on the last expedition. There was only one man that gave off the air of importance and wealth she would associate with a scholar, although he was far too young. So the escaped ship had made it back to Athens. Why would that coward who used the priestess as bait report his failure to Athena?
“I could sense that Eugenia was alive, but this cursed island is shielded from all eyes.” Which is why she had sent this owl here to confirm the information. In the end a goddess would not rely just on the word of a mortal. “You have not finished your explanation yet.”
“You know nothing about this priestess. Not what she loves, what she hates, what she lives for. Can you truly claim that she would wish to return to the mainland, to return into your service?”
Athena kept stoically silent.
“If you do not order her to return, what would happen? You are fond of experiments and wagers, are you not? Then see for yourself the truth of the situation. Your most loyal subject is not as devoted as you believe. You have abandoned her for so long that she does not know what her meaning in life should be.” Medusa’s words were harsh, but not twisted by lies. This was what she truly thought.
“I have no reason to go along with your childish schemes.” The owl picked its feathers with its beak.
“You also have no reason not to.” Medusa’s smile was twisted. “Unless you fear you could be proven wrong?”
“I fear nothing, Gorgon.” She did not lose her cool at all. Medusa’s taunts were far too obvious. “Yet wisdom comes from observation. I shall see everything.”
“Heh.”
“I will observe the corruption you decided to sow inside my property. To learn from it the potency of this snake’s venom.” Her voice was clear and decided. “I shall not allow you to harm Eugenia. If you touch her your life is forfeit, Gorgon. I see all and I never forgive.”
“Suit yourself. You may smite me the moment the girl breathes her last under my watch.” Her words were steeped in arrogance, but she could not help it. She could not stand Athena. It took all she had not to tear this messenger owl to tiny shreds.
“To divine the truth of everything I shall be a silent observer. Until judgment will be spoken.” The owl slowly closed its eyes. It truly looked exhausted.
“I would prefer you stayed mute forever.” Medusa frowned.
“One last thing, Gorgon.” The silvery eyes returned to their former sharpness in a flash. “More humans will come to claim your head. Should you die and Eugenia be saved, you will have failed your petty bid of vengeance. Fight fang and nail, until you drown in your own blood!”
A shiver went down the Gorgon’s spine and for a single moment she had felt fear. Even this harmless owl could embody the presence of a true goddess for a moment of time.
Then the owl collapsed and fell unconscious.
As the nauseating presence disappeared, so did Medusa’s rage. She suddenly felt naught but hollowness in her heart.
“I am still foolish as well.”
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Around evening a highly exhausted Eugenia finally returned to the temple and staggered into her bedstead. Her face was showing a mix of relief and shame.
“Feeling better?” The snake-woman leaned against a pillar close by and watched the sunset.
Eugenia only nodded.
“I told you to gut the fish first.” She sighed.
Eugenia nodded again, far less enthused.
“Your new pet is doing well. She is sleeping in the collapsed attic.” Medusa pointed at the barely existent roof. One piece of the attic was somehow still holding on to the structure. That’s where the little owl was sleeping.
“You took care of her.” The priestess said with an exhausted smile.
“We came to see eye to eye for a moment and established our terms.” Medusa said mysteriously.
“Haha, you are so serious all the time. It’s just an owl.” The girl chuckled.
“Oh? Were you not the one who said it was an important messenger or had some such role?” She retorted.
“The great and wise Athena uses owls to convey her messages, but that doesn’t mean every owl is hers.” She explained to her as if talking to a child.
“Your faith is lacking.”
“Of course not. I just know that I am not worth the effort. Lady Athena has to guide the world, one girl means nothing.”
“You really…” Medusa looked away. Something must have been caught in her throat.
“Also I am glad that she didn’t see me like this!” She pushed her pale face into the animal skins and groaned.
“You should drink some water.” The Gorgon smiled wryly and slithered off to get the girl a water skin.
The island seemed peaceful now. Even with the unwanted observer above, nothing indicated a change. Yet the words of the goddess of war kept nagging at her mind.
“More humans are on their way?” The horizon was still and red, like dried blood.
The stakes had been set between the goddess and the Gorgon, unbeknownst to the priestess in their middle. The result of their bet was still as indiscernible as the fog of approaching war.