16. Caspian

I was trying to figure out how to be what she needed right now. I hated watching her panic attacks, but I'd been around for a while and made wise investments in the stock market. I decided it would benefit Benji and anyone else I tried to help if I went to school and got a master's in social work while plotting against the Coalition.

I wasn't as old as the furies, but they treated the mentally ill like criminals when I was much younger. It was just as bad as what they were doing to supernaturals at the Coalition. I didn't just want to get people out of there and to safety. I wanted to help them heal.

It sounded like Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera had an amazing team treating them. I wanted to be that for Medusa, but I was still figuring her out. She was ready to come out swinging when it came to Hannibal and the Coalition and that was recent. I hadn't even sat down to find out if she was ready to talk about it. I still didn't know how long they'd had her down in that basement.

It seemed like everything traced back to Athena and I got it. Witches and their patron God were supposed to be a sacred bond. Medusa was the only witch I knew who had met hers. She'd given up a lot to become Athena's priestess, and she thought Athena cursed her and continued to fuck with her.

I hoped now that Athena had finally come clean, she could heal. She was a badass when we all thought she was a Gorgon, but I had a feeling once she tapped into being a fury, she was going to be utterly magnificent.

And I knew she had some issues with her snakes and gaze. I'd be forever grateful to the furies if they could help her with that. Frankly, I didn't give a shit if I had to look at those beautiful green eyes through glasses for the rest of my life, but she felt differently.

Ugh. My bear was on edge. Our mate was a little more relaxed than when she got here, but she was still tense. I couldn't help it. I scooped her up and placed her in my lap so I could nuzzle her snakes with my cheek. And the rest of my co-mates weren't far behind to shower her with contact. Pax and Dionysus weren't shifters, but they might as well be based on how tactile they were.

"First things first," Medusa said. "The glasses were an amazing workaround from Hephaestus, but I need to learn to be without them. If I'm sleeping with my mates, I can't open my eyes and have to fumble for my glasses so I don't turn them to stone. It's hard to remember that sometimes.

"I'm completely fucked if anyone knocked into me far enough to send them flying off my face. Meatball Hellscape is one of my favorite bands and I can't see them live the way I want to in case someone goes crowd surfing."

"When this is over, we're going to a Meatball Hellscape concert and someone is introducing me to Flying Spaghetti Monster."

"One, I never confirmed Flying Spaghetti Monster was the lead singer. Two, he hates being called Flying Spaghetti Monster," Dionysus said.

"Yes, he does, but he's a beast in bed and he'll sing you to sleep and cuddle after," Alecto said.

Benji shrieked.

"You fucked the lead singer of Meatball Hellscape? Girl, I want all the details."

Alecto just shrugged.

"Everyone has their own ideas about mental illness and they are usually wrong. A lot of people think I'm just moody and change my mind a lot, one of my sisters is off listening to voices, and the other is some kind of crazy ex-girlfriend.

"It's not like that. We all have outlets outside of work. We've got our hands in music, publishing, and art because it's part of our mental health regimen. I needed a break from the Underworld and fury stuff. I ended up getting caught up with Meatball Hellscape. I helped write most of the lyrics on their second album."

"That one is my favorite!" Pax, Benji, and Medusa said at the same time.

Alecto beamed at them. Once we all got to know each other better, I was sure we'd all have our things with her. I had things I just did with Benji and things I just did with Pax. Medusa was paired with us for a reason and I was pretty sure the punk scene wasn't ready for Medusa and Benji.

"So, real talk. Is Poseidon still a danger?" Tisiphone asked.

"No. He forgot about his feud with Athena and I'm pretty sure he doesn't even remember what he did to me if he sees a woman with a Medusa tattoo. From what Dionysus tells me, he's a beach bum who just cares about surfing now."

"And Athena?" Megaera asked. "She went about it the wrong way and could have told you the truth so you came to us ages ago, but is she actually your enemy?"

"I guess not."

"I'm guessing even without the whole turning people to stone with just a look, you're pretty badass as a green witch."

"I accidentally turned a Venus Fly Trap into this thing with real teeth, but yeah."

That plant was ridiculous and Benji kept putting his finger in her mouth and asking if she wanted a bite. He'd turn to smoke when she tried to chomp on his finger. I didn't speak plant, but I'd seen Little Shop of Horrors and didn't think he should be provoking weird plants.

"And your mate bond should be totally sealed now that you've met the others, so they should all be able to feel you once you've made that step. You've got two mates who can make it to you in seconds, even if you do happen to get cornered. Even if you were just a green witch and not a fury, you're pretty fucking safe."

Medusa's shoulders squared. That was my girl. I didn't know what to expect with the furies, but they were actually pretty amazing. They left no detail out. She had us. Of course, she did, but she would have been a badass even without us with her fury powers.

"Your base power is green witch," Pax said. "You literally command the Earth. Once we get rid of the Coalition, you wouldn't really have any enemies. If the Coalition tried to come for you again, we'd break you out."

"You're safe, little monster," Benji said.

"You could protect yourself without us, but you've got a polar bear, a god, a smith, a hybrid, your god friends, the furies, and it sounds like the Fates are on your side, too, if anyone wants to fuck around and find out," I said.

I could feel her getting stronger in my arms. I was pretty sure she knew this deep down, we just needed to let her know it was true.

"You're right. You're all right."

"So, take off the glasses," Alecto said. "You know you can now. You can control it. You don't need the snakes or the gaze until you want it."

I didn't know if she was going to hesitate. I knew only gods were immune to it. Alecto was looking right at her like she wasn't afraid and I was pretty sure that was giving her a little more steel in her spine.

Medusa lifted her arms and took her glasses off.