Chapter Forty-One

Iwas foolish to think that I was helping.

But I sincerely thought that Loki was on my side, but since that wasn’t the case, I put myself in danger. I should have followed my gut, but of course I was stubborn. I did, however, didn’t sit on the sideline and worry about the what-ifs.

I took the plunge. I actually moved and acted unlike what I would have done in my previous life before Thanatos. I think I would have regretted it if I never went with Loki, so that was one burden lifted, but now I had another.

The guilt of having Thanatos rescue me, a little human that was completely helpless. I was frozen in fear when I saw Medusa. I didn’t expect to see a tail, the scales, the tongue, the fangs. Why I saw more than I originally did was a mystery to me, but I’m sure I would get my answers soon enough. Just like why none of us turned to stone when she looked into our eyes.

Thanatos kept me close when we traveled home. It wasn’t pleasant returning to the Underworld. My body felt weak and ragged, but I was determined to walk and keep my head held high when we returned.

Uriel was sore with me when she jumped down the palace steps. She even stomped her foot and crossed her arms, and demanded to know why I didn’t invite her to come with us. I had to explain it was spur of the moment and she was too busy sucking face with Lucifer to get any signals anyway if I tried.

“We are always going to the bathroom together,” she announced. “No matter what, girls always go to the bathroom together because that is when they come up with these crazy ideas and don’t have their besties to calm them down.”

Loki smirked, but his father pulled him by his collar and lead him into the palace.

Loki would not be joining us for dinner or any other activities for the foreseeable future. Ember and Hades would lock him in his room, or at least behind the palace walls, until they had time to talk with him and have an emergency family counseling meeting with Athena.

It’s great to know that the gods are so willing to go to great lengths to have family therapy.

Thanatos led me further into the palace, his wing wrapped around me, like he was herding a lost sheep. He didn’t speak to me, which was unsettling. I knew he was angry, so I did my best to keep quiet and not let my thoughts filter through.

I knew one thing was for certain, though, and once he wasn’t angry with me, I wanted to bond with him. If he will have me. That was a question I worried about. I made a mistake, a big one. But I had to do it—had to do something for myself.

As Hades and Ember attended to their son, Ares Mariah, Lucifer, Uriel, Thanatos, and I entered the conference room. The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of candlelight casting flickering shadows on the walls. The air carried a faint scent of parchment and ink, mingling with the subtle aroma of Hera’s perfume. The sound of our footsteps echoed through the room. Hera remained seated; her gaze focused on the scroll spread out before her on the polished wooden table.

She tapped the feather on her forehead before she looked up and saw the group of us sitting down at the table. “I haven’t completed my list just yet, I should be–”

“We know who it is–” Thanatos lowered and stared at me. “They are currently in the dungeon, chained to the wall.”

Hera lowered her quill, shock written on her wrinkled-free face. “What? Are you serious?”

I nodded. “And it wouldn’t be someone on your list, anyway. It was Medusa.”

Hera’s lips pursed into a thin line and laid down her quill. “Oh no, Medusa is on my list.”

My eyes jumped from Thanatos to Hera.

“You might think of the human legend. There are several versions. The most popular legend is the one where Poseidon raped Medusa in the temple of Athena. And that it infuriated Athena that her temple was desecrated with such a lewd act. So Athena turned Medusa’s beautiful locks of hair into snakes.” Hera’s hand tightened around the scroll, causing it to crinkle.

Uriel gently extended her hand, reaching out to grasp the delicate warmth of her mother’s hand, offering a comforting touch. Hera, her face adorned with a grateful smile, reciprocated the gesture, radiating a sense of relief.

“Yes, that is what I thought had happened,” I said.

Hera scoffed. “Well, it isn’t. Just like many other legends, humans get wrong. It isn’t their fault. It is not like we went out of our way to correct them. I’m sure Thanatos has told you that Poseidon is a very shy fellow, rarely leaves his underwater palace. The poor male has had no relations with hardly any female besides his mate.”

Of course, that would definitely make that legend false.

“No, instead it was Zeus.” Hera gave a tight-lipped smile.

My eyes widened.

“Zeus disguised himself as Poseidon. Medusa was at the seashore, dressed in scantily clad clothing, at this party. Zeus was at a nearby bonfire with a bunch of humans, drunk off his ass and disguised himself as Poseidon and stole her from the party.” Hera’s eyes darkened.

“Zeus took Medusa to the nearest shelter, and they had relations in Athena’s temple. Athena never cared for those temples, she found them useless, she didn’t care what humans did there, but I knew what was going on.” Hera rolled up her scroll. “As I’ve said before, I was vengeful. I blamed them both and turned her hair into snakes, cursing her to turn any man into stone if they looked at her. Zeus, I couldn’t do much to him, but he cried and whined that he did nothing wrong, and that for once he was innocent.” She scoffed. “But I knew better. The lies, the deceit. I was over it. That was when I was over him. What little love I had for him faded after that.”

I frowned, holding onto Thanatos’ arm a little tighter. It was so sad to hear about Hera and Zeus. In the legends, false legends, you don’t think about them being real. Just fables from a religion of a country that people once believed. But Hera was a person, a god that had feelings and she hurt.

Hera took in a long breath and let it out slowly. “That was a long time ago. We have mates now. I have Michael. Zeus and I were not compatible. I know that now.” She held up her scroll, and it faded away. “And when I realized how horrible I was, I decided it wasn’t really Medusa’s fault. So I healed Medusa’s sight of stone, gave the option to take her snakes away, even her snake-like body but she said she wanted to have the ability to shift from human to snake and keep it, and also keep the immortality that came with it.”

“And what of Perseus? He was supposed to have cut off her head?” I asked.

“Perseus?” She laughed. “A tale he came up with which resulted in a legend. He murdered some poor innocent woman, cut off her head, shaved off the hair, sewed dead snakes to her scalp. Trust me, there were consequences for that later. She crossed her arms.

Lucifer chuckled darkly. “Yes, he is currently still suffering for it.”

I shivered at his dark words. All the while, Uriel was coloring on a scrap of paper, undeterred by it.

Alright then.

“But what is the motive? Has she been given immortal life, so I assume you have also provided her with riches to right her wrongs as well?” Thanatos pushed.

Hera nodded, tapping her fingers on the desk. “Indeed, she has. In fact, she was quite pleased with everything I had given her and told me not to worry about it. I should have checked up on her but–I was just so overwhelmed with guilt making her suffer when it was Zeus that tricked her and basically raping her.”

Uriel and I both looked at each other when Hera mentioned the word rape. In the few moments I’ve seen Zeus, he didn’t look like one that would rape or force someone. He was a shell of himself when I saw him briefly, but I guess I didn’t really know him.

“We will have a clearer picture once we question her,” Lucifer declared, rising from his seat. A mischievous glint danced in his eyes, casting an eerie shimmer. The room seemed to grow darker in his presence as an unsettling aura enveloped the air.

Thanatos rose with me by his side. “I think we should all have a talk with the worm and get some answers before we unleash you, Lucifer. We all know how you get.”

Lucifer smiled, and it wasn’t handsome. It was downright evil.

Hades and Ember arrived in the basement with the rest of us. We should have had stadium seating with the group that was now surrounding Medusa’s cell.

All the way down to the basement, Thanatos held my hand with a wing surrounding me. Yet, he said nothing to comfort me. Worry stirred in my gut and I wondered if it was because of Medusa, or of me.

Probably the latter.

Medusa was beaten to a bloody pulp. She had swollen eyes, blood dripping down her torso. Scales now completely covered her body, even down to her fingertips filled with sharp venomous claws. Whatever camouflage that hid her, every bit of it was gone.

Medusa slowly turned her head, the sound of her scales rustling like dried leaves. Coiled tightly around herself, she resembled an injured snake, emitting a menacing hiss that echoed through the air.

“Easy,” Thanatos stepped in front of me, his wings blocking my view. “We’ve got questions and unless you want Lucifer to let loose on you early, I suggest you give us answers.

Lucifer’s wings erupted from his body with a powerful force, feathers unfurling in a breathtaking display. The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the air as Lucifer”s wings erupted from his body with a powerful force, shredding his shirt to mere fragments. Uriel, unimpressed, rolled her eyes and plucked the remnants of cloth from his form, her head shaking in disbelief. “You really need to control yourself, Luci. We might have to recruit a tailor solely for your never-ending wardrobe mishaps.”

I snorted back a laugh, and I covered my mouth to hide it. But the dungeon caught every noise, and it echoed across the steaming stones.

Medusa hissed again, her nails raking across the floor.

Right, I guess she wouldn”t find it amusing.

“Gods is she still doing that nonsense talking?” Medusa rolled her eyes. “She does it in her sleep, it’s quite ridiculous.”

Thanatos moved forward silently, his steps echoing through the space, leaving me rooted in place. He crouched down, a faint rustling sound accompanying his movement, as his bony fingers closed around Medusa’s neck. The touch sent a shiver down my spine, as I imagined the sensation of his skin, muscle, and tendons transforming into cold, lifeless bone.

“I suggest you talk before I make the last minutes of your life absolutely excruciating.”

“And what is the point? I’ll be suffering once I’m dead, anyway. Either way, I do not win in this,” she snapped. Medusa spat in Thanatos’ face, her saliva turning into a venomous stream. “You won’t break me,” she hissed, her scales glistening dangerously.

Lucifer stepped forward, a wicked grin on his face. “I agree. There’s no point in threatening her. We’ll just have to make her suffer in another way.”

With a flick of Lucifer’s wrist, he set forth a fiery whip, its tendrils wrapping around Medusa’s body. The flames licked at her skin, sizzling where they met the scales. The smell of burned scales filled the dungeon, and Medusa”s screams echoed through the cells.

Thanatos glanced at me, concern etched across his features, before he returned his attention to Medusa. “You’re forgetting something, Medusa. You’re playing with forces far greater than you ever imagined. We have the power to bring you to your belly, and we will do so if necessary.”

Medusa’s screams grew louder, her body thrashing madly against the flames. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to fight back against the pain. But Lucifer’s whip was relentless, and it continued to burn her skin, leaving charred marks in its wake.

Thanatos’ eyes never left her, and an icy determination settled into his posture. Even with the cries and the stench of burning meat, there was no hesitation in his voice. “You’ve been playing on the edges of our realm for far too long, Medusa. Hera blessed you with immortality and your power, but that didn’t mean that you could use it to torture others. You’ve made your choice, Medusa, and now you will have to deal with the consequences.”

As I watched the scene unfold, I couldn’t help but think about the complexity of the world we lived in. The gods and the deities they created were not what I had imagined them to be - beings of pure light and unwavering benevolence. Instead, they were just like us - flawed, broken, and capable of wielding unimaginable power for their own gain.

Medusa’s screams continued to pierce my ears, but I knew that this was just the beginning. In this realm of gods and monsters, the weak were devoured, and the strong ruled. And as much as it pained me to see anyone suffering in such a state, I couldn’t help but remember all the poor women she stole from their homes, their families and suffered so much.

Ember pulled Uriel to her side, hiding her from the torment. Mariah and Ares came forth and shielded me against the sight, and instead, I smelled the charred scales, the painful screams, and cries for mercy.

After what felt like hours, Lucifer’s whip fell to his side. Uriel pulled onto his wing for him to fall back. I hadn’t realized I had covered my ears to dull the sounds and when I removed them, I could see that Thanatos was hovering over Medusa, with a near lifeless body on the floor.

Her eyes were open, staring up at death with his bright blue eyes. His hands a beautiful ivory that I remembered that carried me from the dark alley.

Medusa didn’t deserve to live. She hurt so many and I didn’t condone killing people. I could never do it myself, but what she has done to so many families--

Medusa took in a weak, gasp of breath and I watched as Thanatos closed his eyes. “He’s entering her mind,” Mariah whispered to me. “He’s going to find all the answers we need. She’s far too weak to hide them now.”

I swallowed and held onto Mariah. She was my lifeline right now and as the minutes ticked by, watching him be so close to Medusa, my body shook. I didn’t like him near her; I didn’t like him touching her.

“Thanatos,” I whispered, cutting through the silence.

Everyone turned to me, not to chastise me for interrupting or for pity, but it was for concern.

I let go of Mariah and stepped forward slowly. Thanatos tightly gripped Medusa”s neck with his hands. I gripped onto his arm and felt nothing but cold, hard bone.

I missed his warmth. I missed his skin. I knew this form he had taken on didn’t change who he was. He was death but seeing him like this, working, making this woman suffer because of all the other women? Was it hurting him, too? Seeing everything she has seen?

Medusa gasped and her eyes flew open. I could hear Uriel whimper behind me and I gripped onto Thanatos tightly.

Then the last breath fell from Medusa’s lips, and she laid limp in Thanatos’ grip.

Thanatos opened his eyes, the blue hue falling on her scaled skin. His iron grip let go of her and I let out a breath of relief only to suck in another one at the deep growl reverberating in his chest.

Thanatos snapped his head to me, his eyes full of blue fire. His hood fell off his head, and the room gasped at his ivory skull engulfed in his shadows.

“T-Thanatos? What’s wrong?”

With blood on his hands, he pulled me close. If this was the first time meeting him, I would be terrified, but I knew him, I knew his soul; I knew I was supposed to be his other half. I damn felt it.

Thanatos snarled, shadows engulfing us both. “Stay close to me,” he snarled. “You will always remain in my presence.”