It was the deepest of night around Attica’s harbor town Piraeus, only a few parasangēs away from Athen’s center. Yet the docks were busy with harbor workers as if the sun had never set. Sailors were drawing in ropes and carrying cargo unto the anchored ships. There was a palpable atmosphere of import around the place and this only got underlined by the arrival of several large wagons filled to the brim with gear and weapons. The hooded figures waiting at the sidelines finally got active and directed the servants towards the ships.

In the midst of all these busy preparations sat the young scholar Typhos, eyes running across the parchment in his ring-covered hands. His expression was neutral, but his right foot kept tapping the wooden planks below. When he heard the call of a familiar voice he finally rolled the parchment up and returned to his business smile.

“Hegord, it is good to see you.”

“Reckon nobody would say that ‘bout an old sack of bones like me, but you’ve got some suspect company.” The old man leaning on his cane forced his way through the muscle-bound men carrying luggage across the dock.

“Pardon? Is there something disagreeable about my comrades for this expedition?” The young scholar asked with feigned surprise.

“Hrr. Not at all. Cutthroats and mercenaries are just fine for this manner o’ wetwork.” The old man settled down on a hardened basket across from Typhos and caught his breath. He was truly out of shape or simply too old for long walks. “Not my place to say anythin’ about your business.”

“Do not say something so dismissive. Your support is a godsend in this whole venture. Reliable suppliers and discrete transports are hard to come by in this age.” Typhos bowed his head gracefully.

“Hrm.” Hegord took the compliment with a grunt and then leaned his hands on the cane placed between his legs. “I made a sizable profit. Your requests were fairly odd, though.”

“I fear that is what is required of a monster extermination party.” Typhos replied jovially.

“It’s somewhat late to ask, but what’s a bright lad like you doin’, wastin’ his funds on some mad hunt?” The old man had one eye closed and watched Typhos unwavering smile in the shifting light of the torches.

“I assure you, there is nothing more important for my future business than this hunt.”

“I see.” Hegord was not the type to pry further than necessary. Despite the ample curiosity he held hidden behind his thick beard. “Should’ve seen this coming, honestly.”

“How do you mean?”

“In the end only those who are driven by somethin’ beyond riches and luxury can truly make it in this world.” He replied with a distant expression.

“I cannot claim that money is not part of my ultimate desire.” The young man said lightly. “I believe you wish to ask me something else, though. This is our last chance to talk before the great journey and I feel indebted to you, so I might be able to answer you this once.”

Hegord gripped his cane tighter and looked the young man into the eyes. His leveled gaze was filled with the experience of countless years in the trade. That was why he knew when to strike… and when to let something go.

“’fraid I’ve gotten forgetful with age. Can’t seem to remember what I was looking for.”

“That is a shame. Perhaps you will remember once I return.” The scholar said quietly.

“’Twas a miracle you returned once. Do you think the gods are on your side on this?”

“Haha. They might not be on my side yet, but they will see it my way eventually. I made sure of that.” For the first time Typhos showed a genuine smile.

“Hurhur!” Hegord laughed a throaty laugh and tapped his cane. “A hero in the making if I ever saw one! Go ahead then, lad. Achieve your goals and prove your worth to those old men.”

Typhos’ facial expression shifted for a second. Hegord’s words were too pinpointed to be a coincidence. It was clear as day that he knew something. “How did you-?” He stopped himself and shook his head. “I thank you for your words of encouragement.”

“Don’t mind an old man’s babbling.” Hegord stood tall and yelled at some of his workers who almost dropped a barrel. Then he turned around ready to exit the stage he didn’t belong on.

“I am not like your son.” Typhos called after him. Hegord stopped in his tracks. “I shall accomplish my destiny, no matter how many sacrifices it takes!”

“Heh.” Hegord grinned widely. Those final words were too nostalgic. “That’s what the youngsters don’t get about the old guard. We don’t want ya to succeed.” He whispered out of earshot. “We just want ya to come home. That’s our selfishness.”

As the old stable master left the port, the crew increased their pace and finished preparations. They were on a tight schedule, all too certain of the coming travels being under a bad moon if they hesitated.

“We’re almost done‘ere milord.” The captain approached him from behind and set down a bottle of cheap port wine. His breath reeked of the stuff already as expected. Sailors voraciously drank each moment that they spent on solid ground as if it was their last drink.

“Captain Pelagios.” He acknowledged the man that had gotten them to Sarpedon once before. There were not many men who could claim such nautical feats in all of Greece. “Are the men able to set sails in this state?” He raised a brow.

“All th’ better with one more for the road- er, you know what I mean, sir.” The captain rubbed his tired face with his large bear like paw of a hand and then tightened the bandana around his head.

“I will hold you to that. Is there anything else I should know before we leave?”

“The mates’re a li’l anxious about that new guy you brought with ya.” He said while scratching his head. “They say he ain’t… human.” Even in the light of the torches his face was almost entirely covered in shadows.

“Have you made certain that there is not a single gap in their quarters?”

“Nailed planks over e’ry opening and covered th’ whole thing with brown linen. S’ no way any sun’s gonna touch even a corner below deck.” He confirmed. “That’s what’s so worryin’, sir. What kinda human lives in complete darkness, huh?” He was extremely worried.

“The Shade of Athens is susceptible to sunlight. Even I do not know the details, but to acquire their services I had to make a vow not to let them move under the sun. I always keep my promises. That is a simple rule of business.” He ignored the issue completely and returned to his parchment. “If your men are prone to fearful superstition, they should not come to the cursed island of the Gorgon. It would be regrettable, though, as I had to grease a lot of gears to allow your crew to settle in this port for just this single night. If the hero Archon found out that you were back he would certainly not rest before your crew is publicly hung from some tight rope in the agora.”

“Aye, that he would.” Pelagios seemed to feel colder all of a sudden and he glanced towards the distant Akropolis.

“But of course, should the men feel unwell around our valued new ally, they are free to stay behind and find a new ship. I would not dare force them to follow me on a dangerous journey so far away from this safe port.”

Pelagios swallowed audibly. It was like the wine had lost its grip on his mind all at once from the cold shiver that was going down his back. The way that the scholar had put it could certainly be interpreted as a veiled threat.

“Yessir. It’s just, a human can be cut down, but what do ya do with a shade that cuts yer throat at night?” He gulped and rubbed said throat.

Typhos sighed and turned his head towards the captain.

“We are all on the same side, are we not?” His eyes left no room for objection.

“Yes, milord. We’ll get ready to set sail now!” He bowed deeply and then walked on board to oversee the last preparations himself.

Typhos looked back towards the not so distant Athens with a determined expression. This was not the finale of his tale. Merely an Act 2 in his epos. The Gorgon would fall and then he could finally reach his dreams.

He raised a hand to the ever distant moon.

On Sarpedon Eugenia raised her hand towards the high broken ceiling of the temple.

“Come down here please! Athenai!” She called out to the owl which didn’t seem to pay any heed to her. “Ohh, don’t make me come up there!” She creased her brows and was about to scale the temple wall again.

A low hooting made her stop in her tracks. The owl made a rather disgruntled expression as it leaned over the edge and watched the priestess’ antics. The bird was nocturnal, but never flew around the island, instead just waiting for Eugenia to feed it every evening. The rest of the day she just lay in her provisory nest.

“I caught some crickets for you. I know you love them.” She smiled enticingly while holding two crickets in her hands.

The owl, dubbed ‘Athenai’ by Eugenia, was not impressed apparently. Its eyes were a deep yellow, but while looking at the crickets they became silver. Then she squinted in disgust.

“Why are you so difficult today?” Eugenia complained.

“Let her starve if she does not appreciate your gifts.” Medusa said with a yawn. She had awoken just recently, but could not help but smirk at this display of divine childishness. Her eyes met that of the owl. It was not pleased to see her.

‘Likewise’, Medusa thought.

“Maybe these don’t look tasty?” Eugenia questioned while holding the crickets close to Medusa’s face.

“How would I know?” She subtly pushed the girl’s hands away.

“I dug around for a while, but these were the only ones I could find in the grass.” She lowered her head gloomily.

Athenai made a low sound and then flew down, picking the crickets from Eugenia’s fingers. In a flash she devoured them and settled down on one of the many stone statues’ arms. Medusa rolled her eyes when she saw the owl shiver. The one possessing the owl could have just ignored Eugenia, but even she had a hard time doing so.

“She liked them after all!” She excitedly pointed at the owl and smiled up to Medusa.

“Seems that way.” She smiled evilly at the unfortunate silvery eyes. The reason that they had taken this color was Medusa’s arrival. Had they stayed yellow, the tiny owl would now be stone. “I never tire of watching you feed her.” She said, barely suppressing a gleeful chuckle.

“You warmed up to her then.” Eugenia nodded with a pleased look.

“This beautiful night just improved my mood. That is all.” She shrugged. The star filled sky was indeed unspeakably stunning tonight.

A surprised hoot made them both twitch and turn to the suddenly vertically impaired owl. In other words, it had fallen into the dirt.

“Feeling sick?” Medusa muttered uncaringly.

“Oh my. I thought birds had better balance. Now you are all dirty.” Eugenia picked Athenai up carefully and brushed her dirty wings. “You have to clean yourself better.” She said as she picked old feathers out from her plumage. Usually birds were rather good at picking out all dead feathers and foreign objects, but this one seemed inexplicably incompetent in that regard. “It’s decided then, I will wash you myself. Let me prepare the bath.”

“Hm?” Medusa was caught off-guard.

“You can go back to sleep, Lady Medusa. We won’t make any noise, promise.” She waved her off almost casually.

“You would rather not bathe with me, right?” The Gorgon smiled knowingly.

“That has no relation to this.” Her insistence was stubborn, but that gave it away all the more. She was still the same prude she had been a few months back during their first moonlit night together.

Medusa had not been pushy about it since then. She was not the type to take many baths in the first place, so there was hardly a reason to join the human girl outside of specifically wanting to mess with her.

Yet, being pushed aside so vehemently, it was somewhat of a slight to her ego. Furthermore she seemed to have no issues with the owl as company. Was it not the same as saying the owl was better than her?

She dug her long nails into her arms to focus. How could she let herself be irritated by something so trivial? There was something far more important on her mind, right? The words spoken by Athena would not cease to repeat in her head. The news about humans coming their way. It would be best to assume that the previous expedition, the one the girl had arrived with, was involved. Therefore she had to question the priestess soon.

But she had been clamming up about this aspect of her recent past all too strongly. Medusa knew that the girl would not speak up about it unless it was utterly necessary. The Gorgon did not even know if Athena had spoken the truth or if she was just speaking vaguely on purpose to unsettle her. It was obvious that more humans would come eventually, they always did. To long-lived beings like them, any amount of time could constitute as ‘soon’.

While she mulled it over yet again, Eugenia had already prepared the heated water and poured it into the stone basin. She extinguished the fire and then put a toe into the steaming water. It was clearly pleasant.

Without much fanfare the priestess took the owl and pushed it under the surface.

The bird made what could only be classified as drowning noises.

Medusa watched with a mix of amusement and unexpected sympathy. This human girl never stopped to amaze with her clumsiness.

“Please stop your struggling! I can’t brush the dirt away if you flap your wings sooo much!” Eugenia scolded the drowning owl. Cruelty came in many forms. It made one wonder which of these two needed protection.

As the scrubbing continued, Eugenia eventually let Athenai move above the surface again, although the bird was looking rather pitiful.

“You can’t go to sleep yet, we still need to dry you.” Eugenia said motherly and tightly grabbed a rag. If she managed to get that thing around Athenai she might very well have squashed her. The owl opened its eyes widely and then started pecking Eugenia’s hand as if fighting off a mongoose.

“Ow ow ow, that smarts.” She let go of the rag and the owl flapped a few arm lengths away to shake its body from all the water.

“I believe you finished your duty now.” Medusa came over and dropped her clothes on top of the surprised owl. Then she stepped into the water (her legs had turned human).

“Lady Medusa, why are you still here?”

“You must have been really focused.” She smiled wryly. It was no easy feat to sneak up on the priestess. She let her body sink into the warming water and sighed contently. The snakes on her head seemed to deflate and just rested on the bricks. “This must be what the sparkling rivers of Elysium feel like.”

Eugenia seemed unsure of how to proceed. Somehow she managed to find a heart and undressed as well, hastily diving into the water next to the Gorgon.

It already seemed nostalgic, despite having been so recent. Many things seemed far away already. Before the priestess had arrived a few months were nothing to Medusa. She would barely notice the passage of time. Now, however, she could count the amount of days without issue. Every time she awoke there was something memorable waiting for her beyond the door to her lair.

She shook her head so she would not drift off to sleep. The angered hooting of the buried owl helped her to return to the here and now.

The question was how to break this topic to her. It was agonizing for her to realize that she actually cared this much about the human. If it had been her from that time, she could have easily pressed it out of her without remorse. So troubling.

“The stars are beautiful.” She muttered.

“They really are.” Eugenia agreed.

“You do not need to give me lip service.”

“No, I really think they are.” She said sheepishly. “Because people always speak highly of them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. No matter whom it is. Priestesses, bakers, bandits…” She swirled her fingers in circles through the water. “…and even a Gorgon.”

“Fair enough.” She chuckled.

“The moon is kind, because the swift and dexterous Artemis is kind. Zosimos loved her very much for that. But the stars are also traces of other personalities like that.”

“You speak of the constellations.”

“They are the legacy of legends. The gods immortalized them on the very sky itself.” She clasped her hands. “I think that is very romantic.”

“Hmph. What makes them so special?” She could not understand the egos required to carve the very sky with their stories. It was like they forced everyone to look at them and give them recognition.

“Do you know the constellations, Lady Medusa?” The girl asked curiously.

“I am aware of some of them. There seem to be new ones every now and then.” She could faintly remember a sky that was much darker.

“I know the stories of each constellation!” Eugenia burst out.

“Part of your studies to become a priestess?”

“Indeed. I was always curious about them. I thought if I learned what they represented, I would be able to ‘see’ them in my own way.”

The sentiment was so humble that Medusa had to look away from secondhand embarrassment. “…which one forms a triangle of stars?” She asked after a while.

“Wha-? Uhm, you want me to tell you about it?” She stumbled over her tongue and got all flustered. Medusa just nodded. “There… there are several ones with triangles. Is there anything else you could describe?”

Medusa watched the stars for a long moment. Then she suddenly grabbed Eugenia’s hand.

“Eeek?!” The girl was well and truly flustered now and covered herself up with her free arm. Her heart was clearly pounding in her chest and her pulse could be felt even through the hand Medusa was holding.

“It goes like this.” The Gorgon said quietly and traced the palm of Eugenia’s hand.

Eugenia was completely still and let Medusa’s finger retrace the same constellation three times. Even as Medusa let go of her hand she still appeared dazed.

“Well?”

“Ah! T-this felt like Capricorn?” She swallowed and regained her senses. “You really surprised me.” She whispered and rubbed her hand.

“Capricornus, is it? I was not aware.” She looked back towards the constellation. “What is the story of this one?”

“The constellation represents a being half-goat, half-fish.” Eugenia recollected. “It is based on the story of-”

“Wait. Half-goat, half-fish?” Medusa raised a brow. “Is this about old Pan?”

“Yes! So you know the story?”

“You could say that. My mother told me about that cowardly goat.” She said with a shrug.

“Please forgive her, Lord Hermes.” Eugenia covered her face in shame.

“That errand boy left his son to die, so he has no right to complain about some choice words.” The Gorgon said unperturbed.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you heard of Typhon?”

Eugenia gasped audibly. “We may never speak his name!”

“Typical. The Olympians surely have a liking for burying their foes and their history alike.” Medusa scowled. “You may never forget about the monster that once almost toppled the world. I will not stand for it.”

“We are taught of the battle, but we cannot utter the name.”

“Do you fear he will rise from his prison if he hears you? Do not be foolish.” Medusa snorted. “Typhon was the worst beast that ever roamed this world, so it is not surprising that all manner of gods fled like cowards.” She put a hand on the pile of clothes that buried Athenai and then pulled out a small ceramic bottle. She poured herself a small bit of wine and sipped on it. “Pan dove into a river far south and hid away. He turned half-fish to swim swiftly from his problems.”

“Is that the truth?” She was surprised.

“Do they tell it differently at the temples?”

Eugenia nodded.

“I am not much surprised.” She gulped down more excellent wine and exhaled happily. “So that constellation immortalized his cowardice. A cruel punishment, I must say.”

Eugenia lowered her head into the water, apparently trying to digest the truth of the tale. After blowing some bubbles she resurfaced.

“Can you tell me more?”

“Curious. It was I who wished to learn more, yet this is how it turns out?” Medusa chuckled again, but tenderly grabbed Eugenia’s hand. “This one is a tad more complex.”

They continued their conversation of the star constellations deep into the night. At some point the water had turned lukewarm and the wine had run out. The amicable atmosphere was as sweet as the grape drops themselves.

“Achoo!” Eugenia rubbed her arms and shivered.

“You need to dry yourself. Human bodies grow cold easily.”

“I know. I didn’t think we would talk this long, but I completely lost my sense of time.” She admitted embarrassedly and climbed out of the water. Her pale back glowed in the moonlight before she covered herself up with a cloth to dry her body.

Medusa had glanced at her, but then took her gaze back to the sky. The cooled water made no difference to her body. Now that Eugenia had mentioned it, she too realized that she had lost her senses. This conversation about tales of the past had gone in the wrong direction. She had lost sight of her objective far too easily.

“One day there might be a new constellation.” She said dryly. “Of a hero who slew a monster that petrified many foolish humans.”

Eugenia stopped her hands and froze up. The words, spoken so calmly, were stopping her heart from beating.

“Whether that will be the truth or just another falsehood they teach in temples, I am not made for eternity either way. Mortality is a heavy burden.” She set down the empty wine bottle. “I shall fight to my last breath, never once giving them the satisfaction of losing my will. They may create a tale just as the one of Pan once I perish, altered to suit their needs. Or perhaps I will be dead long before anyone realizes it.”

“I don’t…” Eugenia closed her eyes, clearly choked up. “…want to hear something so cruel.”

“Forgive me.” The Gorgon whispered an apology. “Even you once came to slay me with your human companions.” This evenly spoken line was what she had actually apologized for preemptively.

“That was-!”

“What? Are you going to claim it was a misunderstanding again?” She tilted her head sarcastically.

“I didn’t know.” She said with genuine regret.

“You came with that cowardly man and his incompetent warriors. What did they tell you? That you would become famous if you ended me? That they would spread your name across the world?” Her words were like blows to the frail girl’s body and she knew it was unfair, but she had to do it.

“How could you think-?”

“A priestess of Athena took down the infamous Gorgon! Praise be to Athena’s infinite grace!” Medusa said in a mocking tone.

Below her disheveled clothes, the owl stuck out her beak and squinted its silvery eyes.

Eugenia bit her lip and suppressed her hot tears. “I was told… that you were a monster that killed many innocent people. That you would never stop as long as you draw breath.”

“Hah. So they did speak the truth. Why would they involve a powerless priestess in their expedition, though? To pray my strength away?” She chuckled darkly. “Even you should have realized that you were no more than a liability to them.”

“Typhos said that he needed me!” Eugenia shouted all of a sudden.

Medusa stayed put and perked up her ears.

“I just wanted to be useful!” Eugenia said as tears ran down her cheeks. “They said you hated Lady Athena; that you hated humans, that you… are hate incarnate!”

The Gorgon’s mouth loosened. The pained words from the girl made her hurt as well, if ever so slightly.

“I wished to help in the righteous quest of slaying such a creature that nobody could love or miss. To make Lady Athena happy, to serve my people, like I never could before.” The words seemed to flow out of her mouth against her will. “It would have been easy. It would have been so easy to finally be useful to someone. If you had just been the monster they described…” She trailed off. “Why did you have to be so kind? Why did you have to be so frail?” Eugenia whispered and then wiped her tears, quickly running off.

Medusa’s eyes had widened in shock upon hearing those words.

Her calculating mind could not comprehend or accept this.

All she had wanted was to find out more about the expedition, but she ended up hurting her companion. And even worse, she had realized something that she didn’t wish to. The Gorgon’s heart, same as stone, could not take the pressure of such an inconvenient truth.

With a shout she smashed her first into the bricks of the basin and tore it open. The water was drained by the thirsty earth below and left a naked and shivering Gorgon behind.

Shivering in anger or in pain? Not even she could know.

Divided by the truth and weakened by their words, the human and Gorgon parted. A night under the stars telling stories of old would pave the path for a new tale soon enough. The distant rowing of ships foretold of destiny’s arrival.