It was a fickle thing, the human heart. For as many times as it beat there was a new change in it. From the irregular drumming of fear to the heightened pounding of passion to the near stillness of melancholy.

To the human woman Eugenia, the heart was a mysterious thing indeed. She only perceived it when it was not working right; when she felt uneasy or incredibly stirred. Every time she left the lair she felt a different emotion. It was getting more unnerving, more unpredictable.

Was this fear or excitement? Was it sadness or anticipation?

Her sandals stepped outside the door and her skin was greeted by warm sunlight. The cool and stagnant lair was left behind once again to make way for moving air. It was a relief, there was no doubt about it. She did not have much time, so she needed to get her tasks over with quickly.

She took a water skin from her tent and went to fill it quickly. She greedily drank from the reservoir and wiped her sweaty face. It felt like she had been suffocated in an unrelenting heat for an endless time. It was nothing like the heat of the sun however. This flame came from deep inside the one who had coiled around her and never allowed her to escape.

A low rumbling went through the ground. It was not subtle enough to go by unnoticed by the girl’s soles.

“Out of time?” She whispered as she wiped her face. Last time she had at least managed to keep away for half a day. Did the intervals shorten? Eugenia hastily climbed out of the underground reservoir and back to the surface, but to her relief the rumbling stopped before she even made it to the lair.

For now she still had some time it seemed. Knowing this now, she returned to the tent and rummaged through the goods. She still had some reserves left over and the garden was surprisingly fruitful this time of year. Perhaps this was another side-effect of Aphrodite’s blessing…

Thinking of the goddess of fertility immediately drew her attention to the small pouch hidden below the chest in the corner of the tent. This was a source of constant unease for her, yet also an incredible beacon of hope. The heart truly was fickle.

She thought back on that night.

“The little snake avoids you, makes attempts at futile escapes and diversions, does she not?” Aphrodite asked all of a sudden.

They were lying inside the tent in a spooning embrace, much to the girl’s confusion. The goddess was far from shy about physical contact of course, but she didn’t seem to have any need for sleep. This is what Eugenia realized after unsuccessfully trying to doze off next to her. She would steadily shift her body around and press against Eugenia’s back, making it incredibly heart to stay tranquil.

And now this troublesome guest was asking her strange questions in the middle of the night. She must have been keenly aware that Eugenia had not been able to drift off.

“Medusa… has pushed me away sometimes. But that is my fault for overstepping her boundaries.” Eugenia muttered under the blanket.

“Oh dear, you are far too careful of a coward’s dull thorns. I will give you some beautiful advice on how to capture the snake’s heart.” She chuckled ominously. Or perhaps that was just her natural laugh.

“Is it really that easy?” She wondered.

Aphrodite took a sensual breath next to Eugenia’s ear and then whispered. “Would you rather have insurance?”

“…!” Her heart skipped a beat.

“I will help you achieve it with your own appeal, minor as it may be. Yet even I have to admit that it may not matter whether you can capture her heart with wiles alone.” She traced her finger across Eugenia’s neck and touched her collar bones. “In the end this is a beast far different from man. She has deep roots inside her soul that will not be pulled out with your bare hands. As those vines wind around her heart and petrify from her curse, breaking them off may even break the heart itself.”

“I don’t understand…” She admitted.

“To win the snake’s heart may not be enough. To win her soul is the true goal.” Aphrodite turned on her back and playfully raised her legs into the air. “She may run, she may hide and she may leave you behind. To save herself or to protect you, I cannot say.”

“Medusa is going to…”

“That is if you let her.”

“How could I impose my will on her?”

“Are you asking if it can be done or if it should be done?”

“I… I don’t want to force her to do anything.”

“We will see about that.” She grinned in the traces of moonlight that went through the holes in the tent. “Imagine you were forcefully torn apart. If she went to a place beyond your human reach, what would you do?”

Eugenia’s mouth turned downwards as a deep sadness assailed her. Her heart told her that this was something she had feared all along. If Medusa banished her from the island or if she ran from her exile, what could a human girl do to stop her? How could she chase her into the very oceans or the distant lands beyond even them?

“It is no sin to fret and falter. For that is what makes you mortal rather than divine. Then if a mortal comes to the conclusion of the road, the failure of their struggles and the end of their wit, who do they turn to?”

“The gods.”

“Exactly.” She nodded appreciative of Eugenia’s quick uptake. “Therefore I shall grant you this ephemeral favor of the divine. A last resort should the snake leave you behind.”

For just a moment the air seemed to sizzle inside the tent and the electrifying feeling forced Eugenia to raise her torso upwards and writhe. It was something so intense that the light penetrated beyond sight and entered the mind, so even the blind girl could witness it. As quickly as it came, the feeling left and a numb darkness returned.

“This is my gift.” Aphrodite pushed her finger against Eugenia’s collar again, but it tapped something new above her skin.

“Wha- a necklace?” She had not even noticed it appear on her neck until the goddess had touched it. She hastily rubbed over it with her fingers to tell its shape. It seemed to be made from some unknown material that felt as cool as metal. The stone at the front that slipped right over her chest was smooth and quite large. It could have been a precious stone, not that Eugenia could tell.

“If the snake ever runs away, pray to this necklace and she shall be returned to your side.”

“Anywhere?”

“There is no place in this world that she may hide.” Aphrodite confirmed with a gracious smile.

“Against her will?”

“It matters not.”

“I… can’t do that.” Eugenia shook her head and then pulled off the necklace. Just as she was going to hand it back her fingers clutched around it on their own.

“Oh? Do you really mean that?” The goddess was eyeing her intently. The necklace did not leave the girl’s hand and just dangled inside the night air, alluringly reflecting the pale moonlight.

“...I cannot force my will on Medusa. I appreciate your advice and support… but…” Her arm was shaking. It was like an invisible hand held her in place, not allowing her to let go.

“It is a gift, not a curse.” The goddess said snidely and then leaned back onto the pillows. “You may return it if you truly mean it and only then.”

Her words hit Eugenia hard. Realization dawned that she did not want to let go. This irrational fear that was always at the back of her mind would not relent. If they were separated again… she may not have been able to meet her ever again. That could not happen. She would not ever forgive herself for letting that happen.

“I am so selfish.” She realized and sank into the furs and pillows, disgusted of herself.

“Perhaps. From my perspective this only makes you a good match for the snake.” Her reply was as above it all as one might have expected from a goddess. “A warning to the selfish human then: Do not squander my gift lightly. It will only work its miracle once. No more, no less.”

This gift that could only be used once…

…was already inside her hands again. The pendant was cold and slick. Something about its make was just supernatural. There was comfort in such pristine creation, she thought.

A pendant that would return Medusa to her, no matter where she went. Could this be her salvation? Could it even return her from a place that nobody could reach… from her dreams?

Eugenia returned the sacred gift back to the pouch and rose up. She could not accept this conclusion. There had to be something else she could do than gamble on the gods’ vague favors. She would return to Medusa’s side to solve this herself.

With that renewed determination she took a plum, some water and steeled herself for what was to come. Her steps took her back down into the lair. The rumbling had already picked up again. Scratching, growling, hissing, the noises became louder the closer she came to the source. Her ears picked up each of these like they were happening right next to her and each time something was crumbled or sliced apart she stopped in her tracks, fearing for the roof to collapse.

When she stepped into the lair she was greeted by the smell of dust and heated rock. Fluorescent moss was flung over the walls and the small water hole had been emptied all over the shredded furs. Perhaps it was a good thing that she had not brought the pillows down here or they would have met an equally gruesome fate.

She took a step forward. Just a single step to test out the waters.

Swish!

A long monstrous claw barely missed her throat. The sweat bead running down her neck had been sliced open and vaporized.

“I am back.” She spoke softly into the devastated space beyond. There was no response, only a low growling.

The blind woman stepped into a carnage she could not perceive, a bravery born from ignorance. Surely any man seeing this sight would have turned tail and never looked back. And true enough, she also felt this inherent instinct to flee immediately. Her heightened sense of hearing made her a picture all to terrifying. Scales that rattled across cracked ground, the hissing of many snakes wildly snapping at the air and of course the slashing of beastly claws.

The beast had been roused and would not calm down.

“It is me, Eugenia.” She said with forced calm and took another step. Then another. Each time she felt the air sliced before her and every time she came out unscathed. The ground before her seemed to explode into rock dust as something large tore into it, so she had to stop for a moment to cough. Even though her eyes were milky white they still could feel pain from the particles in the air. She closed them and wiped her painful tears away on her sleeve. There was no time to hesitate, so she kept inching forward.

“Grrrrrhhh…”

It was like she had been cornered by a wolf, despite walking towards it. Did she corner herself? Eventually she would be unable to turn back even if she wanted to. The only way was forward.

Sensing the one winding before her, she finally stretched out her hand. It was as pale as white marble inside this excessive blackness. These transient fingers were approaching the angry snakes that could not stop biting after their surroundings. If she got any closer they would dig their long fangs into her and pump her full of deadly poison.

“Shhh.” She made a low sound and flipped her hand around. She was holding it open like a beggar would to receive coin.

The snakes moved quickly, deadly-

“Good boys.” She smiled as they rested their many heads on her hand and quietly hissed.

Now that the snakes were pacified she could approach the one they were attached to. They had wound themselves around her arm already, making it tough to go anywhere else to begin with. It was hard to do it nonetheless.

“Medusa.” She called her name gently.

“Grrh!” She bared her fangs and growled again, not unlike a stray dog cornered by a guard inside Athens back alleys. Only this ‘dog’ could have torn apart iron armor with a single swing of her claws.

“Did you miss me that much? I only got us some water.” She held up the water skin using her free arm. It was meager as far as peace offerings went. “I also found a good plum.” She added and held it before the antagonistic Gorgon. She did not seem to care about the fruit, but the growling had stopped after she heard Eugenia’s stable voice.

She finally allowed herself to release her held breath and sat down before the one she loved. Or at least whatever this never waking reflection of her truly was. Over and over she would shift between a feral state and deep slumber, but never truly become awake.

The only thing that managed to calm her down was Eugenia’s presence. She had not understood at first, but each time she left her side, Medusa would begin to rage and destroy everything around her. The lair, the island, the very world itself seemed to make her deeply irate. And because she was not truly awake, they could not even communicate. There was no way for Eugenia to reach the Gorgon inside of her dreams.

The long tail wound itself around the blind woman and coiled her up like prey. Already she was unable to move again, just like the last day and the one before that. Medusa’s scaly tail locked her away like a prisoner, but she was entirely willing to be in her custody. She had only slipped out to get the bare necessities. After a few hours the snake woman would loosen her grip and return to a regular sleep that could last as long as Eugenia stayed at her side. How she knew of her presence was hard to say. Eugenia figured she must have smelled her, but did not attempt to test it out yet. Rubbing a sheep’s skin in her scent for a while and putting it down next to Medusa might have bought her some time, but she did not want to deceive her even by so little.

She leaned her head against the Gorgon’s heaving chest and listened to her strangely arrhythmic heartbeat. It was so unlike her own.

It may have been true that she had sought this embrace more than anything, this incredible closeness, but the way it was given to her was wrong. Medusa was not herself, not in control. Whatever had caused this transformation? The last time they had talked she had been so worried about a man named Perseus and then she had become like this. She could not forgive that man if he caused this.

“Huff… gharm…”

Right next to her ear she could hear labored breathing. The twisting of a face in pain. This strong women who never allowed herself to be vulnerable was so clearly suffering now.

“I am here for you.” She said sadly and grabbed her face with both hands. She pressed her forehead against the icy cold head of her beloved and let her warmth flow into her. “Come back to me.” She begged.

But Medusa could not return. She had destroyed this lair that they had prepared together without a second thought. She had nearly risen to the ruins to lay waste to whatever remained. It was similar to the rampage that she had spoken off when she told Eugenia of her past. The day she had been cursed she had destroyed the temple, killed all animals and humans that came her way. A bloody rampage of primal wrath and beastly rage.

This was not the true Medusa, she had to tell herself constantly as she hugged her to calm her stirred soul.

“…genia…” Medusa’s strained voice only spoke a single syllable, but that was more than enough.

Eugenia cried into her chest without the strength to hold anything back.

Two days she spent wrapped up inside the scales. Two days did she keep speaking about whatever came to her mind. She did not know what to do, so she just kept telling Medusa stories of her past, no matter how unimportant or banal. Her voice became hoarse repeatedly, but she simply drank from the water and kept talking until her throat was truly swollen.

Medusa had calmed down considerably and let go of her. The snakes had fallen asleep as well, wrapping into some kind of wavy hairstyle for their owner.

Eugenia felt weak. She had not eaten anything but the plum in two days. The exhaustion crept up her body, but more importantly her mind. She felt empty, like she had thrown all the contents of her life at a wall. Perhaps her voice had given Medusa some respite inside her nightmares, but she had hoped for more of a response.

Now she was thirsty, hungry and too tired to even think straight. She had no choice but to go to the surface again. Her weakened legs almost failed her as she crawled up the stairs and made it above ground. It was night now. She could not have told the passage of time at all at this point, but there was no trace of the hot sun in the air.

With some trouble she managed to get herself some food and drank hastily from the cold water until she almost threw up. Her shallow breathes accompanied her to the tent where she lied down to rest a bit. Hopefully Medusa would stay docile for a while.

Now that she was back here she was again taunted by the pouch in the back. She knew it was there. Maybe her mind was so delirious that she was imagining things, but she almost felt it call out to her. The pendant wanted to be used. To call Medusa back to her with such a simple wish made to some miraculous item… it seemed very tempting now. She could not do anything on her own anymore.

Her mind was drifting off against her will and she lost consciousness to fatigue. Her dreams were confusing and incoherent. She met somebody, but she did not know who they were. They spoke in languages she could not decipher. Then they exploded into a million light fragments and left behind two red snake eyes.

With cold sweat all over her skin she awoke inside the tent and held her pounding head. Immediately she listened up for any tremors or growling, but there were none, thankfully. It was hard to say how long she was passed out, but there was still no sunlight, so it could not have been terribly long.

Nightmares. Did she now share the same horrible visions Medusa did? But she could not even understand them at all. It was just a terrible sense of unease given form. Ever since she had been given the concept of color by Athena’s eyes, her dreams had been turned visual and given her many new experiences. It was overwhelming at times.

“La… lala la…” She hummed a sheepish melody to calm her nerves. This lullaby her mother had sung next to her bedstead back in Dankana was still with her after all those years. “A lullaby?” She wondered.

Could that have helped Medusa? It was longshot, but she had to try whatever she could. For that purpose she would get her harp and cure her throat with heated water. After gurgling for a few minutes she felt relieved already. The harp was inside a chest next to the tent, so she only had to unwrap it…

The Satyr’s harp was making strange sounds on its own when she uncovered it. There was always this spark of life to it, mostly due to Kygnos’ essence being deep inside. He had promised only to appear when called, so she had nearly forgotten about him.

“Kygnos, are you there?”

“You call, Kygnos listens.” Came the immediate reply from the enchanted instrument.

“Oh.” She had not expected him to reply. Deep down she had thought he might have hated them for how they treated him last time. Then she remembered that he had watched her bathe and her sympathy evaporated quickly.

“Darkness has covered your Eros, marked one.” The Satyr was perceptive beyond human ken. With ease he had already assessed the nature of their current situation.

If it was him, then perhaps she could really get somewhere. “Kygnos, can I ask you for advice?”

“You may. Kygnos wishes to be of service.”

“You won’t trick me?”

“No.” He seemed to be surprisingly unbothered by such snide questions.

“Medusa… she won’t wake up. It’s like she is imprisoned in nightmares. She attacks anything except me.”

“The curse has spread.” Kygnos voice rang through the string of the harp like an omen.

“What can I do to cure her?”

“Kygnos needs to get closer to the cursed one to taste the dream.” He said in a deep voice. “But if the cursed one sees Kygnos, he will be petrified.”

“I won’t let her do that to you, so please help me.” She begged.

“Is this where your Eros leads you?” His voice rang through the air like he came out of a distant dream.

“Yes.” She agreed without hesitation.

“So be it.”

With that agreement they went down into the lair. Medusa was still winding on the floor, not yet back to her feral state. Now that they were in range of her claws, Eugenia considered that perhaps the harp would agitate her. If that was the case she might have led Kygnos into an unfortunate trap. But even so… she felt it was worth the risk.

“What do you sense?” She whispered.

“Deep slumber, but no dreams.” Kygnos replied darkly. The strings vibrated in an odd melody and Medusa twitched in reaction. The snake hair was looking up and smelled the air with their split tongues. “You must distract them, marked one. Do not let them know Kygnos is here!”

“Huh? Well, er… I-It’s me!” She shouted at the snakes. They hissed and seemed to get rowdy again. “Bad idea.”

“Your soul’s light will calm them, let Kygnos down and sing them a lullaby.” He instructed with true fear in his voice.

“Easier said than done.” She muttered and stepped forward on her own. Medusa was shaking and quaking, sure to rise again soon. Eugenia cleared her throat and then started humming the first notes of her mother’s lullaby. She purposely did not sing the lyrics, for they involved Athena a great deal. That would only have backfired.

It was a close call, but eventually the snakes settled down and let their tongues slide back into their jaws. She had really managed to pacify them with song.

“What crooked notes.” Kygnos commented.

“I’m sorry.” Eugenia let her head drop in depression.

“Kygnos would teach you, but there is no time.” The Satyr’s voice was back to the deep layers beyond her comprehension. “The cursed one is swallowed by the curse already. The hand of the goddess has constricted its soul.”

“Athena did this?” She was shocked to hear it.

“It is an old curse that will grow with time. Kygnos has no interest in such vileness - it has no beauty. Lord Dionysus would be disgusted.”

“The curse grows still?”

“It lay dormant for long, yet the cursed one’s soul has deep edgings of past wrath. Each of these notches is another gap the curse may invade. Giving itself to the curse willingly will leave the greatest gashes in the soul.”

Eugenia’s eyes widened and her mouth turned dry. To embrace the curse would be to use its power for oneself. Medusa had used the curse repeatedly in recent times. But had she not fought many expeditions before? How could the curse have deteriorated her soul so suddenly?

“This one… has already lost itself in the past. The notes of despair envelope its soul. The melody is dissonant. It has decided not to awaken to prevent another gash.”

“What are you saying? Medusa chose to stay asleep?!” That could not have been true. Why would Medusa ever want to turn into… this?

“Kygnos cannot taste the melody of its soul. There is no dream to visit. All that is left is a shell of regret.” He explained seriously.

“Medusa is not that weak!” Eugenia shouted. “She would not succumb to some lousy curse! She won’t just give herself up like that.”

“It is not Kygnos’ decision to make. If you wish to know the truth, you shall ask the cursed one yourself.”

“If I could do that I already would have.” She said frustrated.

“Why do you believe you cannot?” She could almost imagine the goat horned man turn his head in curious confusion.

“She does not hear my words.”

“It has called out to your dreams already, but you rejected it.” He pointed out.

“Wait… that vision I had. Is that Medusa?”

“It may be so.”

“But it was so unclear and confusing. It made no sense to me.” She knelt down and picked up the harp worriedly.

“Your soul is not attuned to its melody. You only hear noise instead of music.” The Satyr realized and then made some cackling sounds. “Kygnos can attune you. Link your dreams so you may find each other.”

“You can do that? Please, I will be forever in your debt.” She hugged the harp.

“Kygnos can do many a thing. It is not out of Kygnos' power, but it has a price.” The distorted voice rang inside her head.

“I… I will accept the price.” She swallowed her fear and nodded.

“Firstly, Kygnos will release all the essence of this enchantment.”

“That means you will leave the harp?”

“Kygnos is here and yet not. If the essence is gone Kygnos harp will return to being only a harp. Then there will be no more Kygnos on Sarpedon.” Did he sound sad? She could have sworn to have heard a note of melancholy.

“I did not know that.” She did feel sympathy for him. They had not known each other for long, but he played beautiful music. Despite what he did at their first meeting, she felt that this Satyr was not a bad person. His wish to see the love of others play out was not malicious in itself.

“Kygnos will return to the forest to find new Eros. Promise him that you will ignite the fires even further when Kygnos is gone!”

“I will.” She smiled determinedly.

“It is a promise. Then after Kygnos attunes thy instrument, it will be a struggle of souls. The cursed one will invade thy dreams…”

“…where I will find out why she is in this state.” She concluded.

“There are gashes in the cursed one’s soul. Some old, some fresh. What made it decide to hibernate in this shell, Kygnos would not know. Possibly not even the cursed one knows anymore.”

His words were cryptic, but she took them to heart. They would make more sense later on she hoped.

“I must find out. But what happens after I do?”

“That is the decision of those who dream.” Kygnos said mysteriously and started to play notes on the harp. The melody was deep and sorrowful. “Marked one, thou may be running afeard many a time in this nightmare. Never let the dream consume thee. If thy soul believes to be harmed your body will react in kind. If thy mind believes the dream to be real, no wakeup call can free thee. Kygnos has not the strength to wake thee again.” His speech had become more formal and distant as the music ramped up. It was like he was abandoning his self to become one with the music.

“I understand.” There were always risks when dealing with magic, she had learned this from many tales of gods and heroes.

She closed her eyes to embrace the melody. It was making her sleepy quickly. Her body fell back and she landed on Medusa’s tail. She could feel the Gorgon stirring as the melody penetrated her ears.

Right before losing consciousness she managed to press out one more thing.

“Thank you.”

“Fare thee well.” Kygnos voice faded alongside the final notes of the melody and left only the sleeping pair inside the quiet lair.

At first she felt a familiar darkness envelope her as she dove into deep slumber. Like the waves of the sea she was tossed around and kept following the currents helplessly. It was getting hard to breathe as if she was actually drowning.

“PUHAH!” She burst through the surface of the water and desperately waved her arms. She hadn’t just imagined the waves, she was actually inside the ocean! The deep waters were dragging her down and her body became freezing cold. She looked around, but could only see blue waves towering above her, threatening to submerge her again.

How did she end up in this place? She could barely swim and this was just the worst place to be. Had she fallen off a ship? Her memories were incredibly foggy. There was someone she had to find, but their face escaped her mind.

Not that it mattered if she drowned here!

“Blurghllgl…!” She swallowed a lot of salty water and got knocked back by another wave. The sky was a deep blue, but the waves seemed to come straight out of a storm. Her vision faded and she could feel herself faint. Whatever her purpose had been, she would never reach it now. Her corpse would become one with the ocean floor.

As she sank into the depth her eyes stayed open, barely even registering the sting of salt water anymore. Her mind began to float while her body sank. She wasn’t the only one floating down actually. There was another one. A girl or maybe a young woman.

She was coming closer.

Now she could see her long flowing hair that followed behind her like the long banner of a procession and the sharp silvery-purple eyes that seemed to see right through her soul. What a beautiful final sight…

“Don’t give up so soon!” She spoke.

Spoke? Underwater? This surprised her so much that she regained consciousness for a moment and managed to stretch forward her arm. The girl grabbed her hand and then dragged her up at incredible speed. They were shooting out of the ocean like flying fish and sailed through the air. The girl seemed to enjoy the breeze as her wet hair floated behind in a humongous arc.

“Brace yourself~” She giggled as they descended.

They would crash right back into the ocean, she thought. But instead they began to dive forward at neck breaking speed. The girl had grown wings and was angling them in a way that allowed her to speed up without falling. All the while dragging her along. Surprisingly her wrist did not hurt from being pulled this hard.

Eventually a small island came into view and they plummeted down in a spiral motion that would usually make someone feel sick. Luckily she was so out of it she felt only a mild tingling in her stomach. They crashed down on the beach and rolled over several times, covering themselves completely in sand.

She spat out sand and tried to wipe it off her wet face, but it was not easy.

“Miscalculated the landing… pleh.” The beautiful girl spat out sand as well. Must have been horrible to get the entire beach out of her hair.

“You saved me.” She spoke in delirium.

“I sure did!” The girl laughed. “I didn’t think I would pick up a human around here. Especially not a female.” She wrung out her hair and it seemed to dry instantly. Then she tied it into two braids and wrapped it around her waist. “I am Stheno. You can also call me Gorgon if you want, but then my sisters would probably kill you.”

“Stheno?” That name… why did that name ring a bell? Her head really was a mess.

“I introduced myself as is custom, so will you return the courtesy?” She asked and pulled her up with ease. Her arms were stronger than they looked.

“I am… Eugenia.” Eugenia said instinctively.

“Genia, is it? What a strange name.” She snorted.

“No, it’s Eugenia-“

“Wait here for a moment, will you? I have to tell Euryale and Dusa before they get all bloodthirsty over an invader.” She casually waved her goodbye and hopped up the steps to the island temple. What a carefree person.

“Invader?” That didn’t bode well. Now that she took a better look around, she realized that there was quite a bit of ship wreckage near the beach. And the temple uphill was just a large ruin. How nostalgic. “Why would it be?” Eugenia held her forehead and tried to get this sense of remembrance under control.

For now she would try to dry her clothes off and not get too worked up over the fact that the sand was everywhere.

After sitting down and enjoying the warm sun she felt a lot better. This island may have been strange and she had just been saved by a woman who could grow wings, but in many ways this was better than the alternative. She could at least tell an interesting story to Medusa once she returned.

A loud ringing assailed her ears as she thought of that name. Medusa? Me-du-sa? Who was that? Why did she-?

“Hey, I said she is harmless. Calm down Dusa!” The frantic calls from the temple made her look up.

“I will not let you keep another one as a pet. The last one tried to stab you in your sleep.”

“Beres was just a bad breed. Don’t lump all humans in with him.”

“No humans on my island. That’s my final word.” A rather angry woman replied and came running out of the temple. Running might have been the wrong term, considering her giant lower body half was that of a snake. Her 'hair' was also an odd mix of colors and staring right at Eugenia as the woman slid down to the beach.

“You human- Genia! Don’t look Dusa in the eyes, you hear?!” Stheno warned her from behind the snake woman, but it was far too late for that.

Their eyes had already met seconds ago. Eugenia just stared right into them with a deep sense of happiness. Those silvery eyes filled with contempt appeared to her like the most loving gaze she ever felt.

“Medusa.” She said with emotion filling her voice. “I finally found you- GUH?!” A tail hit her throat and she was flung back into the ocean.

“Did you have to break her?” Stheno grumbled.

“She is still alive.” Medusa said baffled. “The curse did not work on her.”

“That’s odd.” Stheno whistled.

They both watched the place where Eugenia had sunken into the waters and bubbles were rising. Eventually they stopped. Then suddenly the water splashed up like a fountain and another girl with long hair and purple eyes rose, with Eugenia hanging over her shoulder.

“Who threw this at me?” Euryale asked coldly.

“Did you find any wine?” Stheno called out to her and waved happily.

“Only cheap drops that would make my tongue grow fur. Disgusting.” The third Gorgon sister said with a displeased expression and threw Eugenia back onto the beach. “Is this another pet Stheno?”

“Only if Dusa lets me keep her.” She looked at her sister expectantly.

“I said no.”

Meanwhile Eugenia coughed up more ocean water and considered just staying down next time. This was quite the rough welcome. How nostalgic.

“Human, what is your business with us?” Medusa finally got tired of arguing and addressed the bundle of wet clothes and hair to their feet (and tail).

Eugenia coughed a bit more before replying. “I was looking for you.”

“So another delusional hero. I will end your suffering quickly for Stheno’s sake.” She raised her hand and turned it into a claw.

“Wait! I don’t want to harm you! I came here to save you!” Eugenia hastily shouted and raised up her arms defensively.

“Save me?” Medusa smirked with contempt and the twins laughed. “That is a new stratagem. Has Athena taught you this treachery?”

“Lady Athena… no. No I don’t serve her anymore.” Memories only came back in fragments, so she could not truly recall why it was this way, but she knew that for a fact.

“Apostate?” Euryale glanced at Medusa and she returned the gaze with feigned exasperation.

“You already betrayed one master, so I have no faith in your good intentions. I will leave this to Stheno. If this tarnishes my island you will clean up after yourself.” Her hand returned to normal and she brushed her tail against the ground dismissively before returning to the temple.

“Magnificent! We will have a lot of fun Genia.” The Gorgon sister said with a beaming smile.

“Can you make wine?” Euryale asked quietly as she appeared right behind the human girl.

“Uhm… not without a vineyard.” She replied truthfully.

“Disappointing.” This twin seemed to be more contained than her siblings, but something about her calm and cold aura was far more terrifying.

“Those two are such perfect miseries. Even the Furies have a better sense of humor.” She laid an arm around Eugenia and took her along towards the temple. “Say, do you know much about the arts?”

“A little.”

“Excellent.” She seemed more excited than a boy at the Olympics.

Somehow Eugenia had gotten herself stranded on a strange island with even stranger inhabitants. Despite all of the oddities she did not feel any real discomfort or fear. It was like this was to be expected for her.

All she could really think about was the swelling heat in her chest when she had seen Medusa. She would definitely save her.

Whatever she needed saving from.

As the blind woman entered the world of dreams she met with a world not much unlike hers. She would soon find that the differences were the cause of her undertaking.