The hole was endless.

Flickers of supernatural fire kept exploding across her retinas and burned shapes into her mind that would not disappear even when she closed them. Mere eyelids could not blend out the intense light anyway.

The hole was breaching the barrier between worlds.

Water was rushing and evaporating around her in a constant equilibrium. The steam was scorching hot and hurt her skin. Not even the scales could protect her from the damage.

The hole was narrow.

From the Underworld a malicious current shot up the hole and sent the frost of death her way. Her body was frozen and then thawed out repeatedly every single moment. It created cracks in her body like old stone on the temple grounds.

Medusa was chained in the center of the hole. Chains so powerful that not even she could loosen them. Chains that could resist the fire and ice without trouble. Her body was hanging limply already exhausted from the weeks of torture. The only indication for the passage of time in this dark glowing hole was her own heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Reliable like the tide her heart would keep beating in the same rhythm regardless of her body’s condition. After all, what could not kill a monster would never reach its soul. Pain was meaningless. Isolation meant nothing to her. Her punishment was only a short sixty days. Compared to the fate of Prometheus she had nothing to complain about.

Her regeneration was keeping her alive, but it was perhaps too strong. Her nerves were fixed so fast that the pain would not end. Had Athena predicted this too? Her judging eyes had penetrated the darkness before. Even as her eyes were blinded by the endless fire, she could still feel their presence on her soul. The silvery eyes were watching her every movement. Delighting in her suffering. At least that was what she imagined as her consciousness faded in and out.

At the edge of the world, at the gate between life and death, the soul would break and reveal the truth. All notions of pride and self-respect should have been devoured by fire and ice. Yet there was one thing Medusa would not allow. Not once, not even for a heartbeat did she ever flinch. She would not moan or cry in pain. There was no satisfaction for her audience, no performance by the actor. Only a mind of stone.

Pride was stringing the pieces of her mind together and kept her ego alive. The sense of self that should have withered away was kept intact. It would have been easier to escape this pain by separating herself from her body, from her shackling emotions. But the Gorgon was not such a simple beast. Her face was covered in burns and scar tissue, but her mouth could still form a defiant smile.

An empty smile? What good did pride do her now? Her defiance of the gods had brought her to the edge. Was this destiny? The day she was born, so long ago, a fate like this had been chained to her soul? Submitting would have been better if that was the case. Giving up on ‘Medusa’ was the only way to escape the chains that bound her. Their rattling was painful to her ears. Such weary and ancient chains…

Her mind faded away.

The heat of the afternoon sun was spreading on her scales and warmed her comfortably. Her body was wrapped in her long snake tail to spread the warmth. It was her favorite sleeping pose. Only the sound of ocean waves and rustling leaves kept her company in her nap. It was so pleasant that she never wanted to wake up.

“OOOOO MASTER OF IOOOOOO~!”

Medusa’s eyes snapped wide open in horror. The unbearable noise that resembled grinding stones on rusty metal had woken her. This was not a sound for mortal ears. No creature born with a sense of hearing would have lasted more than a moment in this horrific attack on the ears!

“TAKE MEEEEE~ TO THE PALACE~”

The screeching of a debilitated harpy was trying to break Medusa’s eardrums like a rotten pear. It was so agonizing that she wanted to cry. With trembling arms she pushed herself up and slithered towards the edge of the temple. The source of this unholy attack was standing there with outstretched arms.

“BEE-LOOOOWaaagh!!” She tried to raise her voice to heights that even Icarus would have thought suicidal, but was then smacked by Medusa’s tail.

“Stop this maltreatment of my ears this instant.” Medusa demanded while holding her migraine riddled head.

“Ow ow ow. How dare you treat me like this, Dusa!?” The young woman rubbed her throat that had been smacked so brutally. Her hair was made up in two very long braids that were tied around her waist. Her white dress was usually gracefully fluttering in the ocean breeze, but now it was crumpled just like its owner's mood on the dirty temple grounds.

“I only defended myself.” Medusa replied annoyed and turned her head away from her sister.

“You are the worst! This is oppression of the arts!” The girl complained while kicking the ground.

“Nothing could hurt the arts more than your voice.” Medusa said dryly.

“Aah! I even waited until you were sound asleep, because you always criticize me so unduly.” She balled her frail hand to a fist and then swung it against Medusa, who gracefully dodged it. “Bwagh!” And thus the younger looking woman landed flat on her beautiful face.

“You should have gotten more distance then. Nobody can sleep through this yowling.”

“How far am I supposed to go?” She surprisingly got up without a scratch or any indication of pain.

“…Olympus.”

“That’s way too far!!”

“You always talk about wanting to leave the island, so just do it.” Medusa crossed her arms and frowned.

“You know I won’t do that.” She got up and dusted off her dress. “Fool.” She added with a pout.

Their glares clashed and created tension in the air. That was until the air cooled down from the mask like face that appeared right between them.

“No fighting.” The third girl said with a low voice that was softer than a sigh.

“Euryale?! Where did you come from?” The failed singer jumped back in shock.

“Mh.” The brooding girl pointed at the entrance to the lair.

“D-Did we wake you up?”

“Your ghastly screeching probably did.” Medusa muttered.

“What was that?”

“Stheno. Make peace.” Euryale said in a voice so cold it left no room for backtalk.

“Sorry… Dusa.” Stheno pressed out between her teeth.

“Hmph.” Medusa didn’t respond…. Until Euryale’s black hole eyes sucked her pride away. “I overreacted as well.” She admitted quietly.

“Good.” The youngest looking girl patted her sisters on the heads like one might their favorite dogs. “Dinner?”

“You sure play by your own tune.” Stheno said with both hands on her waist and a weak smile. “We ate last week already, wasn’t that enough?”

“Mgh.” Euryale shook her head, which made her long loose hair flutter beautifully. It went all the way down to her ankles, which would have been a true nightmare to keep for a human woman.

“Alright, alright, I’ll fetch something from the ship Dusa sank before. There is probably some good stuff in the cargo!” Stheno cheered and rushed off towards the beach. She was always bursting with energy to the point where it became a bother for her sisters.

Medusa watched her jump into the water without hesitation and shivered. After such a wonderful sunbath, imagining the cold water was unpleasant. Not to mention that she would be forced to dry the long dress again.

“Medusa.” Euryale grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her closer. “Her singing is horrible.”

“I know.” Medusa nodded seriously.

“But yours is worse.”

Medusa lowered her head in shame.

“Don’t bully her. Got it?” Her piercing purple eyes were sharper than any spear for just a moment, before they returned to their typical dullness.

“I was not bullying her, it’s just tough love.” Against her better judgment she acted defiant. Promptly the sole of a sandal dug deeply into Medusa’s snake tail and made her yelp in surprise. “S-S-Stop, what are you doing?” She squirmed under the shockingly strong step of her younger sister.

“Sharing my love.” Euryale said deadpan.

“Ouch- You know, I am sorry- Forgive meee!” She said with teary eyes.

Her mind returned to her body. She had blanked out… no, it was closer to fading away. That was dangerous. For a moment she had lost sight of who she was. The heat of the hole was scorching the snakes on her head. They had long since died from the physical strain. For once they were hanging down loose like true hair.

Those memories were so distant…

Why did she have to remember them now? A time where she had still shared her prison with those two. It had been so many decades ago, but her perfect memory would not allow her to forget. If only she had a failing memory like those frail humans. Their weakness allowed them to forget what they didn’t need. Didn’t need…

Where could those two have gone? That two-faced messenger had told her they were going north. Far away from Mount Olympus and the other gods. Stheno was probably enjoying the new sights, while Euryale complained about the bad roads. Did they meet new people? Did they get into fights with humans? With each other? It seemed likely.

Her heart that had beaten in perfect rhythm without fail tightened for just one beat.

This feeling was pointless. Unneeded. At the edge of the world there was no place for these thoughts. Her sisters were far away and would never know of this. They shouldn’t know about this. They should never have to choose between the world of the divine and a mortal monster ever again.

An extraordinary wave of frost, straight from the pit of the Titans, engulfed the hole and for a moment even froze the very flames. Medusa’s body was encased in the deadly cold. Her throat was closed and her cursed eyes solid.

This cold embrace was nearly comforting now.

The next moment it was vanquished by the sun’s flames and all ice turned to vapor that burst against the tight walls. The shockwave rattled the chains and made Medusa swing in place. Her sense of balance was destroyed and she felt like she was falling into the sky.

Her mind lost grip…

She fell…

She kept falling. It was like her body was made of lead. Her wings would not move. What was this? She felt paralyzed.

“Fhhhah.” She snapped out of her dream. She was leaning against a pillar and her eyes were directed at the scenery. Despite never closing her eyes she had drifted off to sleep.

What a strange dream. To be flying so close to the sun and then falling endlessly. It seemed to have taken a hold of her composure as she felt rare bouts of sweat run down her back. For the Gorgon this was unusual to say the least. What would bring on such a disturbing dream?

Her eyes followed the hands of the priestess. The girl was currently cutting pieces of tree bark and wood into sheets. With a small knife she kept cutting them into thin layers. Then she folded them many times. It was a confounding activity, even for this girl. Soon she picked up a small knife and cut holes and shapes into the folded sheets.

Medusa crossed her arms and watched as inconspicuously as she could.

“Finished.” Eugenia said with a satisfied smile and wiped sweat from her brow. Her sleeves were pulled back during the work and exposed her light tan to the hot sun. There was sweat running down her mostly covered neck as well. It must have been warm unlike the Gorgon’s.

She shook her head and tore her eyes away.

“Lady Medusa!” The girl called out to her. “Take a look at this.” That expression never boded well. She was far too excited to show something off.

“If this is another piece of ‘mathematics’ you may keep it to yourself.” Medusa replied disinterestedly.

“Err… it is connected to that in a way.” She said slowly, but when she heard Medusa move away she hastily stopped her. “But it’s not about that! Here, take a look!”

Medusa sighed and then returned her attention to the sheets. She watched Eugenia unfold them several times until they were completely spread out. It was a miracle that they weren’t falling apart from all the holes.

“Oh?” With genuine surprise she looked closely and noticed the shapes in the unfolded sheets. They resembled stars, circles and other familiar things. “How did you manage to create shapes with such thin layers?” She took a sheet and held it against the sun. The light spread through the shapes and created images on the walls.

“If you fold them several times and then cut the connected parts, you will create shapes in the center.” Eugenia said with some pride and puffed out her chest.

“So this is what study at the temples earns you.” Medusa said slowly while mustering the artworks.

“Huh? No, it’s not something you would learn as a priestess… I mean not necessarily… it’s not.” She trailed off and scratched her cheek.

Medusa handed the sheets back to her and raised a brow. She had not meant to tease the girl this time. This really was fairly impressive to her. More so than any amount of prayers she could have memorized. Of course she would hardly tell her that.

“Then what purpose does it serve?” She asked neutrally.

“It, well, it looks pretty?” Eugenia said while tapping her fingertips against each other.

“I see.” They both realized the irony of such a statement out of the blind girl’s mouth.

“I thought you might like it. But I didn’t mean to imply that you are a ch-child or anything like that!”

Her nervous stumbling was her downfall as usual.

“What was that about children?” She dragged the retreating Eugenia back by the white clothes and pushed her against the wall.

“It’s nothing!” She insisted, but as a hand slammed against the wall next to her she became a whole lot more cooperative. “…we taught young children in Lamia to make these to gift them to their mothers during festivals.” She explained with a defeated expression.

“Which one am I?” Medusa asked with a set smile.

“What?” The priestess put on a stone-masked face.

“The mother or the child? Which do you take me for?” The Gorgon asked sweetly.

Eugenia realized her back was against the wall… figuratively and literally. And to each of her sides were strong Gorgon arms. She might as well have been thrown into a lion cage.

“I didn’t really think about it that way… I just wanted to…” Eugenia was squirming for a while, but the unrelenting stare of the monster woman in front of her was inescapable. “I just wanted to make you happy!” She forced out with embarrassment consuming her.

“As arrogant as ever, I see.” Medusa said with a sardonic grin. “To believe you could win me over with such pointless trinkets.”

“That’s not it.” Eugenia shook her head, which made her long and slightly curly hair tear out of the small wall gaps it had been stuck in. “I wanted to thank you for what you did for Zosimos. A-And for everything else you did… for me.” She got quieter by the second.

Medusa retracted her arms and stayed silent. Eugenia was hypersensitive to her every movement right now and froze up, expecting something.

“I got some good wine out of it, did I not? To see you squirm like this from time to time is also entertaining in itself. Your art is not necessary to appease me.” Medusa lightly tapped the girl’s forehead with one finger. It was so soft a touch that it almost felt like an illusion.

Eugenia blushed slightly and was left speechless.

“You should not waste firewood like that either, lest you have to eat your fish raw.” She added teasingly and flung the sheets into the pile for the small campfire. They lit up in surprisingly bright flames.

“My woooork!” Eugenia jumped to the fire in desperation and tried to pick the pieces out of the pile, but they were burning to ashes in moments. “You are such a jerk, Lady Medusa.”

“Heh. This is quite the delightful present. The weeping of humans will let me rest easy.” She said without a care and left for her lair. As she slithered down the steps she carefully took out a single sheet with a wing pattern in it from her chiton and smiled at it. The owl sleeping on the perch above hopefully didn’t see it.

Like a blade sunken deep into her chest being suddenly torn out she felt a sharp pain. It helped her regain consciousness, but the feeling of emptiness that followed was worse than the fire or ice could ever be.

This memory was worse. Much worse than the previous one. If only she could have closed off her mind. Yet she was not allowed that escape.

“Eu…gen…ia.” Her burned throat that should not have been able to operate was brought to its limit of strain. Her vocal cords had moved without her consent. In this darkest abyss, in this brightest of caves, she was silent for over thirty days. Yet one single memory broke her silence.

In the flames she saw that girl’s smile.

In the steam she saw her flowing hair.

That’s right. Her punishment had a purpose. It was not to be broken or to appease the gods. Why had she strayed so far?

A smile caressed her hurt face.

She had done what she set out to. Eugenia was safe. She was free. Finally, she had managed to make her leave as well, just like her sisters. To be embraced by the world they belonged in.

The silvery eyes cut through the flames. Their hatred so condensed that it literally pierced her soul and almost shattered it. The curse that was born from these eyes was acting up and made her convulse painfully.

But she did not mind anymore. Her defiance had not ended just yet. For a moment or for an eternity, she would bear it all. This punishment was her choice. Her first free choice since she was exiled.

This unending sting in her heart was her triumph.