Medusa once had charms; to gain her love

A rival crowd of envious lovers strove.

They, who have seen her, own, they ne’er did trace

More moving features in a sweeter face.

Yet above all, her length of hair, they own,

In golden ringlets wav’d, and graceful shone.

-Ovid, Metamorphoses-

Medusa: Year 2035/Year of The Emergence

I wandered the island of Sarpedon, looking at all the various statues that littered the landscape. I sighed as I ran my hand over the shoulder of a Roman Centurion, his once billowing cloak now stiff and frozen in stone. The stone of each statue was smooth to my touch, with no signs of weathering or decay. Despite the ages that some had stood here, each was as pristine as the day they were made. I say made, as none of the statues on my island were carved. Each had once been a living, breathing human. Every one of my figures had come to my island seeking fame and fortune; what they found was eternal damnation.

I returned to my cave, my home on the island, and sank into my recliner satisfied. My wards were active, and there were no unwanted visitors. I felt the arrival of my sisters as the pair materialized at the cave entrance. Stheno and Euryale entered, and each took a seat on a chair in the central area.

I looked at the pair. Stheno, the eldest with her black, red, and yellow striped coral snake hair, sat back with her right leg propped over her left. Stheno had deep blue eyes and fair skin. Euryale sported grey scaled black mambas atop her head, currently twining themselves in a chignon. She had dark brown eyes that would look black when she was upset, and her eyes were now very black.

I frowned, “What is it, sisters? Why have you come here, and why do I get the feeling this is not a social visit?”

Stheno chuckled, “You read us so well, Medusa. I am going to assume you have not paid attention to the news of late?”

“You know I don’t care much for what is happening in the human world. Please just tell me what is happening.”

Euryale stood and began pacing. “Humans have discovered the paranormal world. Shifters of all sorts have come out of hiding and are making themselves known. Witches and magic users of all types have gained the powers they once only dreamed of possessing, and the humans are reacting as we have always predicted they would, forming hunting parties and seeking to destroy anything, not ‘normal’.”

I listened to my sister’s news and then got up from my seat and went to the bar. I poured myself two fingers of thirty-five-year-old scotch. Taking a long sip, I let the wonderful smokey flavor roll across my tongue. I then took my glass and walked back to my seat. My sisters watched me, waiting to see what my eventual reaction to this news would be. I sat, setting my crystal tumbler on the table next to me. I grabbed the remote for the television and turned it on.

A handsome male news anchor was on the screen and talking about the situation. “The Paranormal world is no longer fiction as it once was. Shifters are real, people who can change into animals and infect others. Witches are gaining actual power to cast spells, and magic has also become real. Something has changed in our world. There are further rumors of those that appear to be Elves and Dwarves showing themselves warring with each other in the open.” The television showed a video capturing groups of Elves and Dwarves fighting on a mountain range. “This footage, shot by a hiker on the Appalachian trail in Hickory Valley Park in Pennsylvania. As you can see in the video, what can only be described as Dwarves and people who may be Elves are battling with swords, bows and arrows, and other martial weapons.”

The news anchor paused as he listened to his earpiece and then tapping on his tablet, “We now have a camera crew at the location. Julie, can you hear me?”

A young woman came on the screen, and she looked nervous. “Yes, Charles, I can hear you. We have just arrived, and as you can see behind me,” The camera person swung the camera to the right and focused on a group of Pennsylvania State Troopers. “The police have arrived and are trying to get the two groups to pay attention to them. Oh, dear, God! The Dwarves have just started shooting the police with crossbows! The police are returning fire, but the bullets seem to be having little to no effect. Some Elves are trying to protect the police, but they are getting injured by doing this. When we first heard about this, we thought it would be some renaissance group taking things too far, but as you can see, this is …”

The reporter was cut off as a bolt from a crossbow hit the camera and probably the sound person as well. Charles came back on and began reading a statement. “We have received word that the National Guard has been called in, and all civilians are being encouraged to stay indoors. Do not go out and do your best to barricade yourselves in your homes. More attacks are happening all along the Appalachian Mountains. We will keep bringing you reports as we get them.” The television screen turned to snow. I changed to another news channel, and my sisters and I watched as more reports from all over the world were broadcast.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Well,” I turned off the television after a while. “This is unexpected and indeed, a surprise. What say, you sisters?”

Stheno huffed. “We are secure here on our islands. None have found us in thousands of years. I see no reason to reveal ourselves along with the other races.”

As I expected, Euryale disagreed with our eldest sister. “We must make sure that we do not end up being the last of the paranormal community. Witches are not like the rest of humanity. They will eventually be able to penetrate our wards and find these islands. Staying here, hiding, will do nothing but ensure our discovery. If you watch the news from other countries, it is all the same. The Dwarves have come out of their underground fortresses and are attacking. They want the surface now. Elves are trying to fight them off, but without help, it may be a lost battle. The Gods and Goddesses have also begun to show themselves. Witches that worship them  are getting aide from them.”

 I had no idea when I became the voice of reason and decision for the three of us, but both Stheno and Euryale looked to me for an answer. I took another drink from my tumbler of scotch. From the right side of my head, my favorite cobra came around and looked me in the eye. I lifted a hand and ran my fingers over her scales and hood. I then smiled as she kissed my cheek and let out a very quiet coo that only I could hear.

“Very well. You have both spoken your piece. While a part of me would love nothing more than to stay here, hidden on our islands, something has been bothering me for weeks now. I find myself roaming the perimeter of my island, checking and rechecking my wards. I am unsettled, yet cannot find the cause of my agitation. I fear that the Dwarves may have found a way to our sanctuaries from underground. I know that we are isolated here in the South Pacific, where Posideon moved our islands back when man began exploring the oceans further and further from the land. It was a favor to me for the misunderstanding and rumors of ages past.” I looked over at the mantle place where I kept a large mirror. I stared at my head of cobras and my emerald green eyes with a smile. My sisters and I were beautiful, and we had been since birth. The Greek Myths about me being a beautiful human who was cursed by Athena were wrong. Athena and I were great friends. Posideon and I did have an affair many ages past, but we split from one another in a mutual decision. We were now what humans called “Friends with benefits.”

“I think it is time we left our isolation and found a place amongst humans. We should make it our goal to preserve the peaceful intentions of Athena. She is the Goddess of wisdom and civilization. That shall be what we will strive to protect, the knowledge of the human culture.” I paused and finished my scotch and then walked over to the bar and poured another. I held the bottle towards my sisters in an offer, and both wrinkled their noses at me.

“You know we cannot stand the taste of that swill. How you can drink that when there are so many fine wines available in this world, I will never know.” Stheno stuck her tongue out at me. I laughed at the pair and poured three fingers this time.

“Your loss.” I tossed the scotch back and savored the burn as it flowed down my throat to my stomach. “So, now we need to decide where to go? Are either of you interested in the Americas, or do we want to pick somewhere in Europe?”

My sisters argued amongst themselves, more if you count the black mambas hissing at the eastern coral snakes. I once more reached up for my favorite cobra, and she purred in delight. Again, this was a noise that only I could hear. Stheno was arguing for the Americas, and Euryale wanted to go to Australia.

Stheno’s argued, “We can contact the Elves and help them protect humanity from the unknown and get protection for ourselves from the Elves.”

Euryale countered with, “We can go to Australia as we remain hidden and not in the middle of any fighting there.”

I listened to the two of them argue back and forth for a short while. “Enough! Let us look at this logically. Going to America would indeed allow us to get Elven support and protection, but they would also demand we teach Witches to fight and be warriors. I will not do that. Australia would be isolated, and perhaps we could find protection there as well, but Australia is also overrun with shifters. I don’t think we would find ourselves welcome.”

“Well, what do you want to do? Go back to Greece?” Stheno was not happy with that idea. I had to admit I was right there with her.

“No. We will not return to our place of birth, that is for sure. I think we need an outside opinion on this.” I walked out of the cave, my sisters following.

I reached a clearing in the statues, a spot on the island I kept clear. I assumed my pure form, my legs melding together and forming a long snake tail while maintaining my upper torso. Clearing my throat, I began a chant I had not used in a very long time.

“Αθηνά, σας παρακαλώ να ακούσετε αυτό το κάλεσμα, ζητάμε τη σοφία σας σε αυτήν την ώρα της ανάγκης μας.” (Athena, please listen to this call, we ask for your wisdom in this time of need.) The words were Greek, and while the exact wording was not important, the power I put into them was what made the summoning work. Athena appeared before me and smiled. “Medusa, Stheno, Euryale! How wonderful to see you, my friends. What can I assist you with, or is this just a long-overdue invitation to tea?”I smiled and hugged the Goddess when she approached. She then hugged my sisters as well. “We find ourselves worried about the state of the world and wish to ask a boon,” I explained while also melting back to my human form. “My sisters have brought me up to date with the shifters becoming known to humans, and the Dwarves and Elves resuming their war for the surface world. I have felt that our islands are no longer secure. I ask that our homes be moved to somewhere we can safely observe and decide on the best course of action. We have not participated in the world for ages, and while we wish to help, this is happening very suddenly.”