“Your skin has become very rough.” Eugenia noted during their overly long embrace. She could feel the hard resistance of scales against her face and arms.

“I am still recovering… did you just call me a fool?” Medusa reacted belatedly.

“Naturally!” Eugenia kept hugging her with all her miniscule strength. “I told you not to save me, but you still did. Your body is like this, because of me.”

“It was my choice to make and my punishment to bear.” Medusa retorted and pushed the girl off with one hand.

“There you go again hiding your true feelings Medusa.” Eugenia was trying to brush the hand off her head, but might as well have attempted to carry the world on her back like Atlas.

“Where has that aggravating politeness vanished to?”

“You are Medusa and I am Eugenia. We are supposed to call each other by name, you promised.”

“Hrm.” Medusa finally let go of the girl’s forehead and covered her own. “Now I too think I was a fool for making hasty concessions.”

Eugenia shifted expressions a few times as she let the reality of the cursed island seep through her. She really had returned, right? This was the place she had lived in for almost a year. Something felt different about it. The air was moist and earthen. The wind seemed uncontrolled, wild.

“You called me a fool as well.” She muttered.

“Of course.” The Gorgon faced away and clicked her tongue. “Why did you return?”

“Because you said you needed me.”

Medusa made a tortured expression, but then hid it behind her usual stoic face. Although her skin was covered in scales and her body seemed inhumanly shaped, there was still some of her previous mannerisms left. That gave Eugenia hope.

“A foolish reason. You should not mind the deluded words of a monster. You had a chance to return to your kin and live the life that you were meant to.”

“I don’t believe that I am meant to live any life.” Eugenia stayed steadfast and took a step towards her. “You said that I should think for myself and make choices for my own gain.”

“That is…”

“I may have lied. I didn’t return because you needed me.” Eugenia said with a hint of shame. “I came back, because I… needed you.”

It was hard to say any more between them. Each of them was as stubborn as the other. Though Medusa regretted letting the girl return, she could not expel her. Despite knowing she would be a burden, Eugenia could not allow herself to be cast aside again. An unspoken truth connected them beyond the suffering and trials.

“To have a priestess willingly return to this cursed land that even the gods revile. To have her desire the company of a monster that her mistress despises. If this is not destiny, then the Moirai are utterly incompetent.” Those weaving women that tied the strings of fate had a strange sense of humor.

“Medusa, I actually-”

Ba-thump!

Medusa’s vision blurred out for a moment and her heart seemed to crush itself. Her form seemed to lose even more of its contours and her eyes grew to slits. Her breathing turned ragged and sweat poured from her every pore and gap. Almost collapsing, but then returning to her senses, she found herself held up by the girl.

“-at’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Eugenia asked with panic in her voice.

“Just… the regeneration… taking its toll.” She despised to show such weakness before a human and yet she was also glad not to have fallen to the cold ground again.

“Your body is that far gone?” It was harrowing to have the strongest being she had ever known to be this frail.

“Do not pity me.” Medusa growled and pushed herself back up onto her long snake tail. “I will return to proper strength soon.”

“Are you sure-?” The girl stretched her hand towards the pale faced Gorgon, but yelped in pain as one of the snakes snapped after her fingers. “Ouch.”

“Stop that.” She chided the writhing snake hair.

“They bit me.” It came as much of a surprise to her. She had thought that in the time they spent together the snakes had grown to accept her. They had never been this antagonistic towards anything but enemies.

“These guys are still unruly.” In response to her hissing the snakes curled up and seemed to pout. “They were only born recently.”

“No.” Eugenia gasped. “They died?”

Medusa nodded and brushed the snakes out of her face. She seemed more bothered by them than she would let on.

“They could not survive the punishment.”

“How cruel.”

“Their lives were long. There are no snakes in the forest or plains who have breathed as much as them.” She had no sentimental feelings for her snake hair. The only inconvenience were the new rambunctious replacements.

“Then these are their children?” The young woman stepped closer again, carefully and stayed out of biting range.

“Perhaps one might view it that way?” She raised a brow. It was not something she had bothered to contemplate before. “It is closer to rebirth.”

“Then I will help you raise them.”

“Raise? What nonsense did your mind conjure now?” She could already sense great migraines ahead.

“Their previous lives were lost because of me, so now I will raise their children like my own. You and I will be their mothers.” She said with a bright expression.

“These ‘children’ are part of me.” Medusa pointed out and crossed her arms.

“We are part of the world and the world is part of the gods. We still give everyone a name and a family.”

“I refuse. There will be no naming.” She retreated slowly.

“Let me count them!”

“Why is it that you never listen to a word I say?”

After a short but meaningless struggle they had come to the conclusion that there were twelve snakes. Eugenia promised to come up with names for each of them, although Medusa secretly swore never to call them by any name.

This little detour had loosened them up a bit and allowed the tense atmosphere to disperse. There were certainly still many things left unspoken, but for now Eugenia needed to move her luggage unto the island. Medusa was still strong enough to carry the entire boat if she wished, but the young woman refused any help. She diligently carried all the boxes, chests and miscellaneous gear towards the ruined temple. At the end of her labor she appeared to be close to collapse herself.

“Everything is destroyed.” She realized after drinking from her water skin and listening to the wind go through the gaps.

“’Twas always no more than a ruin.” Medusa leaned against one of the few standing pillars.

“There was still some structure to it. Now everything seems to have crumbled. How could this be?”

“…there was a vicious storm. Greater than any before. After the expedition’s attack most of the temple was weakened.”

The Greenhouse had been destroyed by the Kalio, but there were also the pillars and walls Medusa had crushed herself. Lightning had struck the ceiling and a flood would have finished the foundations. In such a short time, a temple that had been crumbling for over a hundred years had become a complete ruin.

Outside the destroyed structure the claws of nature were slowly taking back what it was owed. Growth of plants would take the ruins and change them into something completely different. All signs of worship and human ingenuity would be a distant dream. This had been the island’s fate all along as the Gorgon well knew. The process had simply been sped up artificially.

“Is that why you never tried to repair anything?” Eugenia asked wistfully.

She now understood that for a being whose lifespan was unknowable, there was little difference between a day, a year or a century. All this just drove home the fact that everything in this world was fleeting, barring the gods.

“A temple created for that woman’s worship deserves to fall to dust.” Medusa refuted her theory bluntly. In the end all her actions returned to spite.

“It must have been so painful.”

“Pardon?”

“You suffered so much…” Eugenia teared up again.

“Still your tears.” Medusa felt a disturbing tenseness in her chest when seeing the girl shed tears for her. Her tail unceremoniously pushed against Eugenia’s face. “Physical pain cannot break me. I have sworn as much.”

As the days had passed at the border between worlds and Medusa’s body threatened to fail, she had kept herself together by a strong will and steeled mind. No amount of torture and punishment could break her, the mighty Gorgon. Not even the gods could make her falter with cruelty and pain. She had grown beyond that.

“You were all alone.” Eugenia whispered.

Medusa flinched.

It seemed she had underestimated the girl. She had long since understood the core of the issue. Although Medusa had denied it so many times before, said that solitude had no effect on her. Before Eugenia’s return she had started to waste away. To know the fruit of companionship and then being left to starve… that was a punishment even Athena had not conjured up.

“I am back and I will stay.” Eugenia reassured her. “I promised that I would help you understand yourself. So we can’t part until I managed to help you with that.”

“…suit yourself.”

“There are only ashes.” Eugenia knelt inside the burned ruins of the Green House and touched the scorched earth. There was a pungent smell of burned wood and she could sense many charred branches amidst the corpses of trees.

The young woman felt a sense of regret and took in the loss they had been dealt. The scars of the expedition would not fade away too soon. Since returning from Athens she had developed a certain appreciation for the beauty of architecture. Her father would have grieved if he saw this place.

“The rain spilt away most of it.”

To the girl’s surprise Medusa had followed her inside the crumbled building. The snake woman slithered through the blackened earth and stopped behind her.

“I see.” Her hands brushed across the ground and she felt the mud that had been mixed with the ashes.

“It will return to the soil and new life may grow.” Medusa added.

“I hope so.”

“That expression does not suit you.”

“W-What expression am I making?” She got flustered and tried to force her face to be serious and neutral, but failed spectacularly.

“One of a hopeless human.” Medusa smirked and then used one hand to raise a large part of a broken wall. Her inhuman strength allowed her to throw away rubble like it was parchment. With a loud earth-rumbling noise she had cleared the center of the building from all debris.

“What are you doing?”

“Give me your hands.”

“Huh?”

Before she could properly brace herself, Medusa already took her hands and pulled her towards something. She was by no means rough with her. Eugenia let herself be dragged along and then knelt down in another spot where she touched the soft earth. And indeed it was soft. Not rough and filled with burned wood like the rest.

“There is… clean soil. Plants…” She was overcome with emotions as she touched the small buds of vegetation that had supposedly been destroyed. This was a part of the garden where she had planted those special seeds Zosimos gave her.

“Life is resilient. Though man may destroy the world, nature will return. The gods do have their good points too I suppose.” The Gorgon watched the saplings and crushed grass with less awe, but she could not deny to be a tiny bit relieved.

“You didn’t give up on the garden.” Eugenia seemed to tear up again.

“By Typhon’s fiery breath, would you dry your face for even a moment?” Medusa moaned. Even when she went to the trouble of cheering the girl up she still had to be so pitiful.

“I’m sorry.” She wiped the moistness away and smiled. “Thank you for showing me this.”

“I gave this place to you. It would reflect badly on me if I did not keep an eye on it.” She deflected swiftly.

It was a place that connected them even when Eugenia was gone. As she had lied in the brunt of the storm and healed slowly, she had subconsciously crawled here. It was foolish, but now she did not feel much regret for it anymore.

“Whatever is growing here will certainly be blessed. Drink as much sunlight as you need and grow into something tasty.” The girl raised her face and let the streams of sunlight pour across her and the plants.

Medusa chuckled involuntarily. Eugenia had to laugh embarrassedly.

Among the cargo that Eugenia had brought along with her were many things she had not expected. During her travels she barely inspected any of it, so now she was taken aback by Zosimos foresight. He had probably intended most of this as a surprise.

“Tools?” Medusa leaned over one of the opened chests.

“There are so many. With this we could build almost anything.” She was impressed and also tugged her head back a safe distance from the hissing snakes.

Compared to the broken or decaying tools from the sunken ships around the island, these were still pristine and specialized. A variety of hammers for any job and countless saws and scissors too.

While Medusa held up a large kiln like it was merely a pebble, Eugenia was rummaging through the rest of the cargo. She picked up a message that was carved into a wooden plate. He had thought of everything it seemed. Maybe that’s why he truly took so long to organize a boat.

“Ah.” She finished tracing the words and smiled wryly.

“What is it?”

“This is for you.” She pointed at a sealed iron enhanced chest.

“Offerings?” She raised a brow and eyed the mystery chest dubiously.

“From Zosimos.” She nodded.

“The merchant?” She squinted and suddenly had a bad taste in her mouth.

“He helped me while I was in Athens. This is all stuff he bought for me.”

“That wretched man has some nerve to appear before you after what he did.” These offerings looked more and more like an insult now.

“He says that it is ‘an apology for the Lady of the Isle’.” She explained and searched for the key.

“Does he truly believe he can gain my forgiveness with such methods?” Medusa snorted.

“Found it! Okay let me just turn the lock… there. Oh my.” She pushed the lid open and was immediately greeted by a strong smell. “Wine?”

Medusa looked over her shoulder and saw the dozens of amphorae. She tenderly grabbed one of them and put the opening to her nose after pulling the cork. It was an intoxicating aroma.

“You can’t be swayed by offerings, so I guess I will put the chest away.” Eugenia said with a knowing expression.

“…this changes nothing.” She put the amphora back inside the chest and then took the entire thing under her arm. “I will confiscate this so you will not be tempted to become a drunkard.”

“H-Hey, I don’t drink.” She protested.

“Then you will have no misgivings if I lock this away as a precaution.” She smirked.

“You can just admit that you liked the gift.” Eugenia pouted.

They kept unboxing and realized that there was a great variety among the contents. There was some very well preserved food, much like the quality of what the merchant had left behind the last time he was here. There was also some reading material, specifically written and carved in ways that Eugenia could work with.

“What is this?” Medusa held up a basket like contraption.

“That is a shellfish trap. You put it down in the water close to the beach and shellfish will be drawn to it. Then you just pick them out of it.” She explained excitedly.

“What curious ideas humans have. You create these things for the lethargic who shy from the hunt.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason. It just makes fishing easier and allows you to leave to take care of more important things.” She rubbed the trap with a hungry expression. “Shellfish is very good.”

“There is also this angling rod.” She playfully threw the line out and pulled it back in. Compared to the stick with string that Eugenia had used in the past this seemed like it was made by the gods themselves. “I am surprised he did not add a bow as well.”

“There is not much game to hunt on this island.” The girl pointed out.

“You can always pick up one of the dozens lying around the destroyed camps.” Medusa said darkly.

Eugenia shivered at the thought. There must have been still quite a few corpses lying around…

“That man sent you to return with the intention of giving you the tools to live here. He is certainly irresponsible.” She crossed her arms and mocked the merchant.

“Zosimos was against my return.” She shook her head.

“Oh?”

“He and Lady Akacia were the only ones that knew I would be coming back here. They both didn’t agree.” She twirled her long hair around one finger and paused.

“They had some sense then, unlike you.”

“I think that they accepted my choice in the end. I can’t look back with regret.” She rubbed the cargo with a mild smile.

“It seems you have made some valuable experiences while you were gone.” She put down the rod and looked at the girl’s profile intently.

“It wasn’t easy… I wish I could have done more.” She was slightly melancholic, but the thoughts seemed to disperse as she picked up some fabric from the chest. Her face lit up.

As she pulled out the white fabric and let it flutter in the dry island air she spun in place and laughed. Medusa watched her mesmerized.

“Look Medusa! I asked him to get me some great material! With this I can make you a new chiton. One that will be much better than the previous one.” She smiled widely.

“R-Right.” Medusa turned her face away and suppressed her confusion. Her head had been muddled for a second. How odd.

“Hm, do you want me to create a wave pattern with blue or silver string?” She was already fixated on her next job.

“Do you even know the difference?” Medusa muttered.

“Yes.” Eugenia replied to her surprise. “I have experienced color.” She said with a dream like expression. But she added no more. Medusa could only wonder what that meant. “I still don’t know the color of your skin or your eyes though. So if you would… could you tell me what color you would like best?” It was a shy request.

In the past Medusa would have said that she did not care about such details. In fact when Eugenia had made the previous one she had not given the colors any heed. It was merely an inconvenience that she bore. When the previous chiton was destroyed in the scholar’s fire she had felt a tinge of regret. Then was it not better to voice a desire of her own?

“Brown.”

“Brown, huh? Then maybe not a wave pattern. A snake line across the hem would be suitable.” She cupped her chin and conceived all kinds of designs. Then she turned back and inquired. “Which type of brown?”

“Do not make me describe it.” Medusa suddenly closed off and crossed her arms.

“What?” She was perplexed. “I don’t know what you mean, but could you pick it from these yarns?” She pulled out a couple of spooled strings.

Medusa reluctantly looked at them and grabbed the brown ones. She held them up hesitantly and compared them next to the girl. She finally decided and pushed it into her hand.

“This is all meaningless. It will simply get damaged if I wear it the way I am now.” She had to spite the entire process to get over this annoying feeling.

“Even if that is so, I believe you will return to how you were before. Then I will have the clothes ready.” She smiled and took the yarn.

“You waste your efforts, but that is nothing new.” Medusa sighed. “I will rest in the lair.”

“Alright.” She nodded and then sat down on some crushed wall remains. When Medusa had left she held up the string thoughtfully. “Why did she choose this color?” She wondered, unable to see.

The string fluttered in the air next to her same colored hair.

Medusa had slept far longer than she intended. Her sense of time had been distorted again as her body was sapping away all energy to recover her wounds. Even after so many days she still could not recover. In her drowsy state she slithered out of her lair and was greeted by red evening light. Had she slept the entire day?

When searching the ruins she realized that something was different. In the center someone had made a makeshift tent and put up a few pieces of linen. There was only one suspect, so she pushed the linen aside and found the snoring girl buried in sacks and leather blankets.

She took a look around and managed to find signs of a campfire as well as the remains of some food. This meant that she had not just slept a day. It must have been several.

As Medusa rubbed her hurting head she wondered what to tell Eugenia. It would simply not do to appear weak like this…

Then she noticed something hanging from a line tied around a pillar and one of the statues. An elegant chiton, immaculately sewed. It was not often that the word ‘beautiful’ crossed her mind, but she could only praise this piece of art in such a way. The effort put into every detail was outstanding.

Her fingers traced across the soft fabric and she took note of the stitched patterns and the golden brooch that would be put over the shoulder. She was to wear something like this?

With her other hand she grabbed the scales on her chest. They were still covering up the burned flesh. For the first time since she had returned to her exile she felt regret for looking this way. She wanted to wear this. Even as her mind reminded her that she did not care for appearances, she still wanted to take this and put it on.

“I may be worse for wear than expected.” She mocked herself and let go of the clothes. “Will you wake up already, you lazy girl?” Her tail smacked Eugenia’s cheek and snapped her right out of her deep sleep.

“Wah!? W-W-What happened?! Who is attacking?” She forced herself up and scurried around like she was ready to bail.

“If someone were intent on cutting your throat during your slumber you would be dead already.” She shrugged.

“Medusa? You finally woke up.” She yawned.

“I do not need to hear this from someone who looks like that.” Her smile twitched. “You were sleeping during the day at that.”

“The heat made me drowsy.” She admitted embarrassedly and futilely attempted to straighten her bed hair. The curls had little interest in giving in to her frantic pulling however. “It’s been three days, you know?” She suddenly pointed back at the Gorgon.

“So?” She didn’t see any fault of her own there.

“You promised I would be allowed to s-sleep in your lair.” She fidgeted around.

Medusa’s face turned stoic again. Was it possible to erase her photographic memory if she returned to Athena’s torture?

“I didn’t want to surprise you, so I stayed outside.” Eugenia mumbled.

“You might misremember…”

“Are you going to go back on your word?” Eugenia suddenly turned incredibly serious. That was incredibly unfair.

“Never.” She had to defend her pride now. “There is just one issue. In my current state I cannot differentiate between enemy and ally. I may attack you in my slumber.”

“Is that true?”

“I swear by The Twelve.”

“You don’t follow the gods.”

Eugenia frowned.

Medusa’s lips quivered.

“It is dangerous. At least wait until I recovered some more.” She insisted.

“If you say so.” Eugenia returned to a milder expression and sat down. “I will hold you to that.”

“Pesky human.” Medusa grimaced playfully.

“Have you seen my masterpiece already?” The girl suddenly patted the chiton and waited expectantly.

“I can hardly tell the difference from the last.” She replied dismissively.

“That’s good then.” Eugenia chuckled.

“You are only growing more incomprehensible over time.” She creased her brows.

Nonetheless she didn’t dislike spending time with such idle banter. She curled up her tail and sat down on it to give her company. The sun set soon, but the night breeze was no problem at all.

“…so I learned how to sail from his father. He was very strict and kept making fun of me.” Eugenia recollected her time in the fishing village close to Eretria.

“He sounds like a sensible man.” Medusa leaned back and stared at the familiar stars.

“Of course you would say that.” Eugenia lowered her head. “He was always worried about Therses, but wouldn’t admit it.”

“It is in human nature to be dishonest.”

“Hehe, maybe so.”

“Tell me more. What happened next? You didn’t meet that coward of a merchant yet.”

“It turned out that the village was under attack by unknown sailors. They sank our boat while we went out to fish…”

Eugenia kept telling Medusa the story of how she had managed to return to Sarpedon, but she left out quite a few details. She seemed to have certain inhibitions. The night was passing by at speed that would make Hermes jealous.

Medusa listened to the tall tale of a city that was in the center of a conspiracy and the price that had to be paid to prevent a war. So far away from civilization this story seemed no more real than any legend. Yet to the Gorgon legends were all very real. She knew the heroes and the monsters that had clashed. She had met and despised the gods involved in all their schemes.

But Eugenia’s tale was different. It was so strangely human. Politics, desire to advance, war and spies. A physician and a slave boy, a cowardly merchant and his soon to be wife. A former pirate captain and the Archons that had the reigns to that woman’s great city. All of this was what human stories sounded like.

The girl in front of her was in the center of these events, yet she talked about them like an outsider. All of this had been a long trial for her that Medusa could not truly imagine. Of course there were familiar elements, like the meddling of the gods’ messenger or the way Athena would not interfere.

“That woman abandoned her own city.” Medusa said gleefully.

“Yes.” Eugenia agreed.

That was a surprise. Medusa had never expected to hear the girl speak ill of her mistress.

“Lady Athena did not put down her spear to stop Achaeus. She did not save or judge anyone. To her this was a human issue and she would watch over the result as she always does.” She stabbed her stick into the crackling cinder of the campfire to adjust the wood.

“Cold. Calculating.” Medusa understood completely.

The girl nodded and let go of the stick.

“I must say I am shocked, though. To think a priestess would dare use her goddess’ name in vain. Even speak for her. That must have upset that woman quite a bit.” Naturally she was showing malicious joy. “Even telling her despised enemy this tale is no better than blasphemy.”

It was mean of her to be so delighted at conflict between the priestess and her goddess, but she had no control over her emotions. The hatred for Athena that burned ever greater compelled her to cheer for this little bit of retribution.

And anyway, as Eugenia was clearly still alive, she must have been forgiven. As long as their bet continued Athena was not going to do something so extreme. There was no chance that she would ever win, but in its own way this was already a small victory. She was still relieved to know Eugenia was safe.

“Medusa, I am not a priestess anymore.” Eugenia said as her white eyes reflected the fire.

“Hahaha.” For once Medusa burst out laughing. “You may have been daring, but that will not get you excommunicated. The gods have forgiven worse, especially as that woman had no intention of interfering in the first place.” It was quite amusing to her that the priestess was worried over such trivialities.

“No. I renounced my allegiance to Athena. I am not a priestess anymore.” She responded matter of factly.

The laugh got stuck in the Gorgon’s throat. The realization of what had just been uttered did not want to set in right away. Her mind seemed to search for a way to flip the meaning on its head.

“I am just an average blind woman now.” Instead of regret those words seemed to bring her great relief.

“You are jesting.”

Eugenia softly shook her head.

“That’s… impossible.” Her mind was on fire. The very notion of what had just been said was preposterous. She could not accept it if this was an attempt to mock her. Even if it was this girl, she would not allow such manipulation! “Tell the truth!” She had pinned the girl down to the ground and was raised above her like a beast with glowing eyes. The fire behind her threw giant shadows everywhere.

She saw that the girl did not flinch or fearfully change her story. She was not even flustered. The claws of the Gorgon were right next to her head and yet she only smiled gently.

“I met Lady Athena before coming here.” She spoke slowly as not to upset her.

“And you bowed to her as you always do!” She growled.

“She asked me to become her grand priestess.”

This was all wrong. Eugenia continued telling these lies with complete conviction. But that made no sense. If that woman had ordered her to become her grand priestess then she could not be here!

“I know you hate Lady Athena very much. I can partially understand. I may not ever truly accept those feelings, but I know that you two will not reconcile.” She admitted. “Lady Athena is amazing. She chooses her path dauntlessly and will never waver. That means she will not stop hating you either.”

All of this was the truth. Medusa knew that much and to finally hear the girl admit it should have been a delight. Catharsis. Instead it upset her deeply!

“But you have to believe that she would not lie. You know that she does not.”

“So what?!” She hissed. The snakes writhed utterly upset as well.

“Lady Athena gave me a choice. She asked me to be hers forever.”

Choice. A choice like that? It all made sense. The bet. She was talking about the bet. But that couldn’t be. It couldn’t, it shouldn’t and it wouldn’t.

Eugenia stretched her hand towards the cheek of the Gorgon, whose face was covered in dark scales and whose eyes would pierce any mortal. A monster that none could love or understand. This wretched thing that lived only by the eternal defiance of the gods was now subject to the touch of a frail ‘priestess’.

Medusa could not move, as if petrified.

“I chose you.”

Words like an arrow that could pierce any shield and a drop of water that could extinguish any flame. They hit the Gorgon with disproportional might. Her mind turned blank. For the first time since the horrific curse had taken a hold of her she felt something hot and wet run down her face.

A single tear reflected the red and yellow light of the fire and dropped unto the girl’s sympathetic face.

Had this human not just returned to the Gorgon’s side despite all struggles?

Had this girl not abandoned everything that had given her life meaning?

Had Eugenia not always been hers?

On a mild night under the shining stars, finally, the Gorgon experienced a feeling so sublime. The former priestess knew not of the gift she had given, but this would be the turning point of their future.