Chapter 17

Anxiety crawled up my throat, threatening to cut off my air supply as my feet touched the shoreline. I gathered up my fleeting courage and stepped into the dense forest. Everything within me beckoned me to return to the safety and warmth of Kai's bed, but I stomped that overwhelming feeling down and continued deeper.

Moon-dappled leaves created flickering shadows on the ground, causing my heart to falter in my chest with each step. I turned around, my shoulders tight with tension as the wind rustled through the leaves, my mind conjuring up nonexistent monsters. Inhaling deeply, I willed myself to calm down. I would never make it if I died of a panic attack before I reached my intended target.

My gaze snagged upon a small footpath that cut a nearly invisible trail up the hillside. I bent down, my hands brushing against a massive, slithered pattern etched through the sandy sod. Clear evidence that Medusa's serpent body used this area as a pathway to the lagoon. Had she witnessed our fight with the sirens? The thought had my leg muscles tightening as my body prepared for flight or fight, but I forced them to loosen as I continued up the trail.

The walk felt like an eternity, or maybe my trepidation made it feel that way. I paused as the path gave way to a small clearing with a cave entrance jutting out the side of the hill.

As I stepped out of the shadows of the forest, I expected something to pounce on me. I stood unmoving at the entrance of the cave, my grip tightening on the hilt of the sword.

I glanced back only once, taking comfort in the fluorescent moon that hung above me before stepping into the shadowy cave.

It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the cave's darkness, but when they did, I focused on the bumpy stone walls with fingerlings of tree roots pushing through. With each hesitant step I took, my legs quivered, but I willed them to carry me deeper into the cave.

Something wet dripped on my face, brushing down my cheek, and I stifled a gasp. I glanced up, only to find water trickling from cracks in the ceiling, and exhaled. It could have been much worse, like Medusa's venom dripping on me. The moonlight at the entrance waned as I ventured further inside, gradually extinguishing what little light there was until I was enveloped in inky darkness.

Kai's words rang in my ears. I needed to use my other senses. I shuffled my feet through the darkness and extended my arm, sword in hand, as I picked my way through the dark. My ears pricked at the slightest sounds, and I paused until I was certain it was nothing more than a small creature skittering away.

My blood ran cold when I saw a light shining up ahead. I gripped the sword before me, protecting my upper body just as Kai had instructed while I slowly maneuvered around the bend in the cave. It opened up to a sizable cavern nestled deep in the hillside. My eyes absorbed everything at once, and I calmed somewhat when I did not see Medusa within. I quickly glanced back toward the cave's entrance, my skin tingling at the thought of her coming up behind me. Her blocking my escape route stirred greater anxiety within me than the thought of confronting her directly.

I kept my back to the cavern wall as I ventured deeper into the darkness. The pools of water within seemed ablaze, casting a fiery light. Curious, I dipped my fingertips into the water and rubbed them together. They glistened with an oily substance, offering an explanation for the remarkable fire. I raised my fingers to my nose and inhaled, a distinct chemical scent filling my nostrils. I wiped the grease on my pant leg before taking another cautious step forward.

Hissing resounded through the cave, and I spun around. The echo made it seem like the noise was coming from all directions. It was her. I felt it in my gut.

Her large body slithered and her wicked laugh echoed off the cold, damp walls. "Well, well. What do we have here?"

My body flinched at her voice. It was melodious and sweet, yet held a promise of death.

"A female warrior? How unusual. It is normally a man who comes for the head of Medusa."

My sweaty palms tightened around the hilt of the sword. "I don't want your head…"

My attempt at reasoning with her took a quick leap out of the cave as her tail struck from the shadows, knocking the sword from my grip. The clang of the metal striking the rocky ground reverberated in my ears. I threw my back flush against a boulder that protruded from the cavern floor. The lesions on my back screamed in protest, but they were the least of my worries. My eyes desperately searched the ground, any hope sinking when I saw the sword was more than ten feet away.

Her muscles coiled just like Kai said they would. I knew she was lying in wait for me to go for the weapon.

I parted my lips, preparing to use my siren song, when I spotted a pile of bones in the corner of the cavern. How had I not noticed it before? I tried to swallow past my parched throat. I gripped the boulder tighter, the rocky surface biting into my fingertips when I realized the bones belonged to sirens. The unmistakable features of a human torso fused with the skeletal remains of a fish's lower half met my gaze, and I couldn't overlook the telltale signs of teeth marks marring the ivory bones. Apparently, sirens were her dining preference. Something broke inside of me at that moment. I was utterly alone, with no defenses against this monster.

A shiver worked its way down my spine as her hisses echoed throughout the cavern. A single tear of desperation slipped down my cheek as my gaze shifted toward the cave entrance. What I wouldn't give to see Kai storming through the opening right now.

Defeated, I leaned my head against the rough surface of the boulder and started singing. I was positive that my song would have no effect on her, but it brought me comfort. It was low, sorrowful, melodious. Filled with defeat of letting my people down.

"A siren?" Medusa purred.

I didn't respond. It was useless. I continued my tune even as she ventured from the shadows. A note snagged on my tongue as she slithered forward, her massive serpent tail marked with lovely hues of green and black that melded together to form a distinct pattern.

She wasn't what I expected. Medusa was horrifyingly beautiful. Her serpentine hair hissed and struck at me as she ventured closer, stopping just out of reach. Her diamond-shaped golden eyes drifted down my form and then rested on my face as I continued to sing.

Her blood-red lips parted, fangs scraping across her lower lip. "I've never heard a song quite like yours."

I was afraid to stop singing. She wasn't under my trance, but my song seemed to soothe the beast in her. She closed her eyes, letting her head loll from side to side.

"I'm not here to hurt you," I promised, stopping my song.

Medusa pried her eyes open. "I can see that. What is that you want?"

My gaze ventured to the object of my desire, tucked against the cleavage of her pale, viridescent skin.

One of Medusa's eyebrows shot up. "You came for treasures, I see." She started to turn away from me.

I stepped closer to her, prying my body away from the boulder. "No, I came for redemption."

My words stopped her, and she turned to me, her posture suddenly stiffening. "What kind of redemption?"

Her forked tongue protruded from her lips, but I took another bold step toward her. "Is it true that inside that locket is a piece of Poseidon's heart?"

Her jaw clenched, and her pupils dilated as she reached up, running her fingers across the silver locket. Her eyes bored into mine. My mind screamed for me to step back, but my stubbornness demanded I stay put. Medusa carefully opened the locket. A radiant, glowing essence emanated from within, casting an ethereal light upon her flawless, high cheekbones and delicate, pert nose. I bit my bottom lip to keep my mouth from dropping open in awe.

Medusa slammed the locket closed. "Does that answer your question? Now you answer mine. Why has a siren ventured into my lair in search of my locket?"

The fact that she had ceased her murderous intent and was now conversing with me like a civilized being encouraged me to speak further.

"I need it to stop the Dark Hydra." I shifted pleading eyes to her. "Rumors are that only Poseidon could stop the Dark Hydra, and that is the only piece of him left in this world."

"Poseidon," she spat. "Do you know how I got this?" She pulled on the chain, the pendant dangling before my face. Medusa's nostrils flared, causing goosebumps to erupt across my flesh. I shook my head.

She angled her body away from me. "I was beautiful once, so much so that my allure tempted Poseidon himself." Medusa's voice cracked with emotion, and so did my heart. She inhaled deeply, as if she were immersing herself in her memories. "He professed his love to me, but I refused his advances, enticing his anger." She paused, her eyes searching my face. "He came for me one night… I screamed for help, but no one came."

She trembled, and I reached a comforting hand toward her, but she pulled away. I eased my hand back to my side.

"He took me on the cold stone floor of Athena's temple." She shifted her teary eyes to me. "When he was through, he reached into his chest, plucked out a piece of his heart, and gave it to me."

"Why?" I asked, barely above a breath.

She smiled as salty tears dripped down her chin. "He said that he knew Athena would seek revenge on me, but with his heart tucked close to my breast, I would be protected from her wrath."

My gaze glided over her body, stopping on the hair of snakes, which seemed just as distraught as Medusa was.

"His heart protected me from death, but not from her vengeance. She turned me into this monster, ensuring no man would ever desire me again. One look from me will turn any human to stone," Medusa explained, her voice heavy with sorrow as she slithered further into the shadows. "I wish I had died instead."

"That's why I am not affected. Because I am not human?" I asked.

Medusa responded with a single nod, confirming my suspicion. Tears welled in my eyes. Medusa was not the monster that legend made her out to be. She was merely a woman severely wronged by some detestable god of the seas.

I stepped into the shadows alongside her. "I would think you'd long to get rid of that locket. I don't know why you haven't tossed it into the sea by now. I know I would have."

Medusa retracted, coiling her tail around her body. "It's not that simple. If I take off this necklace, I will fall victim to my own curse and turn to stone. For you see, despite my gorgon appearance, I am still human."

My blood turned to ice water in my veins as my gaze drifted back to the locket. It wasn't right for me to ask a woman so severely wronged to forgo her life to save a world that so easily disregarded her.

Medusa interrupted my thoughts. "Tell me about this Dark Hydra."

My pulse drummed a little harder as I lifted my eyes to meet hers. "The Dark Hydra is an evil being created by Hades to destroy everything in the oceans. Poseidon was the only one who could defeat the monster. He locked it away, but now, with his death, the Dark Hydra has been released, and its poisonous Dark Water is spreading throughout the oceans, killing anything in its path. If it's not stopped, everything of the sea will perish."

Medusa"s eyes narrowed as she absorbed the gravity of my words. The faint hiss of her serpentine hair seemed to echo the tension in the room. "Everything…" Medusa echoed.

There was a sheen in her eyes, a far-off look that hinted at her depth of thought. She absentmindedly reached up and ran her fingers across the delicate silver chain. I watched her, unmoving.

She finally focused her attention back on me. "You will be sure to spread the word that I, Medusa, was not the monster everyone proclaimed me to be and that I willingly sacrificed myself to save those of the oceans."

It felt like someone dumped a handful of sand down my throat as I tried to swallow past my emotions. The word don't was on the tip of my tongue, but I bit down until I tasted my blood. This was her right, her decision to make, and if Medusa sacrificed herself to save the lives of thousands, I would ensure the entire oceanic realm named her a hero.

My muscles tightened as I stood up straighter. "I promise everyone will know what you have done."

A tear dripped down Medusa's face, splattering across the green-tinted skin of her chest just below the locket. Medusa reached up with shaky hands and unclasped the locket.

A sad smile tugged her lips. "I forgave Poseidon for what he did to me. Sometimes, the bad things that happen in our lives turn into the best things that could have ever happened to us." Medusa handed me the locket, and just as soon as she released it, her body began to slowly turn to stone. "Finally, I will be at peace and alone no more."

My vision blurred with unshed tears as her life dwindled and her body morphed into solid rock. I stepped back as the snakes on her head dropped from her body and slithered out of the cave. I marveled at her face, now clear of serpents. She truly was lovely.

With a trembling hand, I reached up to brush away the liquid tear trailing down her stony cheek. She stood there, a beautiful statue, one that should be remembered.

I glanced down at the silver locket tightly clenched in my hands. It pulsated with power against my flesh. Up close, I observed the finely crafted locket, its shiny metal etched with an intricate wave pattern. Against my better judgment, I fastened the clasp around my neck for safekeeping and looked back at the statue of Medusa one last time.

"Rhea!" A voice boomed down the cave, bouncing off the walls with such force that debris and dust fell from above.

In a matter of seconds, Kai was at the cavern's entrance. Something within me snapped upon seeing him. I once hated him with every fiber of my being and all he stood for, but overtime, he had slowly melded into something more than just a slayer of my kind. His gaze swallowed me whole as I slowly approached him. He stepped forward, his eyebrows drawn together, betraying his concern. I threw myself into his arms, burying my face in his chest, and soaked his shirt with tears of sorrow I had bravely withheld from Medusa.