Medusa: Fate's Game Ch. 12

"Really." He reached up for her hair, and slid his fingers into it. Snakes raised from their drowsy weight, and slipped in between his knuckles, around his wrist, and against his palm. Their little noses nudged into him, and tickled his fingers with flicking tongues. "And that's why I love you."

She flinched at the L word, and turned her face back to look at him, smile returned. "Really?"

"Really. And if we did what I'd have done, we'd be worse off for it. You recruited more people to our goal, and saved a mother and child. Like Patrius said, you're rewriting your legend, and now we'll have more people helping us."

"We will?"

"You kidding? If there's one thing that can stir a people to move, it's helping a mother and her wounded child. When Sophia gets out there and starts recruiting people, it'll work a million times better than Patrius's efforts, or even Tritus's and the others. But..."

"But?"

"But that's not why I love you. I love you cause you're too damn nice." He set his other hand on one of her coils, stroked it and caressed it, until her hand drifted to hold his. "Cause... kingdoms are built on the backs of slaves and the dead, and everyone seems ok with that. Except you."

Smiling, she slipped her fingers into his free hand, and nudged her head into where his other palm rested on her temple. "Being nice isn't going to win us this battle though."

"Hey, you never know. You got lucky with Sophia, and the underdog needs some luck to win. We'll get this done yet. We'll get the mask back, get Pegasus back, and the Fates will let us talk to Athena."

Hollow words, and they both knew it. Medusa nodded again, and slid her human half off of her coils to lay it upon his lap, on her back. He smiled down at her, folded his legs to make room for her to get comfortable, and continued to comb her hair while she returned the smile up at him.

"Athena," she said. "I... sometimes I wonder if it's a good idea. To talk to Athena, I mean."

"You don't want your legs back?"

"I do, but... the gods aren't kind or fair creatures. It may be better we don't talk to her at all."

"Maybe. Maybe... but... I really want to help you out here, Medusa. Whatever you want." He set his free hand on her stomach, and ran his fingers down the human skin and onto her hip where the scales began. Snakeskin was beautiful, hers especially, and he traced the designs of black that dotted her green scales. The bumps were soft, not as soft as human skin but soft nonetheless, and he caressed them with massaging fingers.

"... I don't want to be hated by everyone anymore."

He gulped. Having Athena turn her back into a human would be more doable than that. No more scales, no more snake hair, no more snake eyes or fangs or tail, all of that could be taken away. But the hatred for the monster Medusa permeated all of Greece, and as soon as anyone found out her real name, the hate would arise anew.

Maybe once Athena cured her, the story would spread, and people would accept the new view that Athena had forgiven her? Maybe. Hate is a difficult thing to let go of, it runs deep, lives in the bones, and devours you.

"Patrius doesn't hate you," he said. "If anything, he's impressed by you. He'd have done the same as I, and let the manticore take Elias, let it kill Sophia if she intervened. The fact you couldn't do that, it... well, changed you in his eyes."

She grinned, and set her hands to rest on her belly. "Sophia actually followed me after I helped her. Said I saved her, while Athena was letting them suffer. Said... said nice things."

The first nice things said to her by anyone normal, ever, since her transformation, most likely. Much as he loved her, and did his best to soothe her wounded soul, he was as much a freak as her. As Chimera, and now Otrera. For a regular person, a mother, to compliment her must have been a powerful moment indeed. Medusa was glowing with it too, and she looked up as she remembered.

He smiled down at her, at the beaming joy on her face, and lost himself in her. Why was she the only thing that settled his heart? Every time he looked at Patrius, Tritus, Chimera and Otrera, he felt ready to fight. Every damn time he looked at the city, the resistance, their goal, he was ready to fight his allies just as much as the enemy.

Rabid dog. Not Chimera, the giant haunted by visceral temptations. Not Otrera, the ruined queen with only fire and fury for a heart. He was the rabid dog. No empathy? He looked down and let his eyes wander while his fingers stroked Medusa's fingers over her belly. Why couldn't he care about these people? What was wrong with him? Only her. Only her.

"I wonder how Gallea is doing during the day," she said. Her words cut through his thoughts, and his eyes snapped back to hers.

"I'm sure he's charming the local folk well. Man knows what he's doing... sort of. Tomorrow night he'll give us an update, and we can decide what to do then."

Gallea. Darian forced his face to a standstill to hide the frown, and looked up toward the candle on the table. The satyr had risked his life to save Medusa, and Darian knew he should owe Gallea some trust. And yet no matter how often Gallea reported to them, told them something, shared information, shared a drink or laugh, Darian could still feel the edge inside him ready to cut the man to pieces.

The only damn person he wasn't willing to kill if the situation came to it, was the silly, naive, beautiful, amazing woman in his arms.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

"Hey." Fingers found his cheek, and stroked along his neck and jaw. "You're brooding. I thought we weren't going to do that?"

"Sorry! Sorry, just... things on the mind. We'll have to move soon, I'm sure. Our resistance is growing too fast; we're bound to be noticed. And with all the manticore you and Chimera killed, Andromeda must have noticed something."

"Ssso the battle will be sssoon?"

"Yeah..." He gulped again, and raised his hand from her scales to hold the one stroking his beard. "And we're getting through this alive. If that means we abandon the mission, then so be it. I... I'm not going to sacrifice you to save Pegasus. He'd kill me." And he really would too. Stomp him into paste.

"No! You can't give up, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing your friend is a slave."

He knew she'd say that. Damn woman was going to turn him into a good person if it was the last thing she'd do. Her face had scrunched up like a squirrel's, and her fingers around his were getting tighter. She was ready to do anything to save his friend, someone she'd never met, and an animal at that.

His best friend, and Darian couldn't see himself doing that. The thought cut through him until he felt his insides burn.

"Guess we're in this until the end then." He leaned down and put his forehead to hers. Snake hair rose to mingle with his own, and tickle against his beard with nudging noses.

"Not the end. We'll live, I know we will!" She gave him a soft pat on the cheek — so like a mother — and a kiss too. "Otrera and Chimera didn't make it back. The sun should be up now."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Chimera is... Otrera can... do for him what you do for me."

Medusa giggled and put another kiss on him, this time on the nose.

"Maybe. I think they're a little different than usss."

"Agreed. But they'll be fine." And he knew they would be. Chimera was insane — or being tortured by some sort of curse, and Otrera was just the right kind of fire to burn through that. Otrera had stood up to Darian, defended Chimera, and faced the giant's power head on. And of course, they were both strong enough to deal with any ambush. He couldn't ask for better help on their fucked up adventure.

Just remember that Darian, when the blood flies. You kept your head in the volcano, and saved Chimera when Medusa was in danger. Can you do it again?

Medusa reached up, hugged him, and picked him up. Weird for the woman in his lap to be the one picking him up, but she wrapped her arms around him, and using the weight anchor of her snake half, she lifted him up and sat him in the middle of her coils.

"Ssssleep," she said. "Tomorrow night may require all our energy."

Nodding, he leaned back against her scales, shifted around to get comfortable, and closed his eyes. Something about the feel of her snakeskin through his tunic, on the back of his neck, settled the constricting feeling in his chest.

A few breaths later, he was asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Darian."

He woke with a snap when something jabbed his arm. Sword never far away, he grabbed it with a twitch flash of muscle, gripped it, and drew it from its scabbard in a slicing motion.

Otrera blocked his wrist with one hand, and punched him in the face with the other. He barely had enough time to realize what was going on and register the knuckles coming at him before they collided with his cheek and sent him rolling over Medusa's coils.

Medusa sprang up with a jolt and twisted around. "What? What's going on?"

"No idea how you wake that man without getting stabbed," the Amazon said.

Darian groaned and pushed himself off the floor. His sword was still in his hand.

"She wakes me gently."

"Yeah well, enough gently for you. Seeing the two of you sleeping was too damn cute."

Medusa giggled and slithered over to Darian before helping him up. "Darian just needs a soft touch. And you were out all day with Chimera. Did you sleep at all?"

Darian managed a quick peek at Medusa, and caught the sly grin on her face along with her flickering snake tongue.

"We did," Otrera said. But she returned the grin, and did a little shake of her butt. "It was a good day."

Unless he was horribly drunk and seeing things, Otrera did not only just smile, but she did a little dance, involving an ass shake and tiny jump. He quirked a brow, looked her up and down to be sure it was her, and looked to the giant.

Chimera rumbled as he sat down against the wall, folded his arms across his chest, and folded his legs, knees apart. Typical statue, but at the same time, a soothing presence. Darian choked on a chuckle. Soothed by Chimera's presence?

Well at least they were in good spirits.

"No manticore, didn't even see any on the trip here." Otrera sat at the table, and peered at the single candle lit. They were burning through a lot of candles. "So either Chimera and Medusa have done great work, or Andromeda is baiting us into a trap."

"Bit of both I imagine." He got up and joined her, rubbing his jaw where she punched him. He deserved it though, couldn't wake up without being ready to kill someone.

Why was this eating at him more than usual?

Gallea, Patrius, Tritus, and at least twelve other men — a few women too — joined them moments later. Sunrise was their queue. They'd have preferred Darian and them came to their smaller hideout, but Medusa would have been cramped. Chimera wouldn't have fit at all, either.

"They treating you well?" Medusa said.

Gallea nodded and patted Medusa's hand. "Yeah. And people don't seem to mind me being here. Visitors don't stay long after spending a night here, feeling like they're sick with that curse on the city."

"Is that what visitors think of it?" Darian said as he looked to Patrius as Tritus.

"Yes, and then they leave. And nothing happens. My guess is the sorceress does something to their minds to make them forget. I mean, how are people just forgetting about these manticore and the weird guards at night? I don't know," Gallea said. Patrius sat down next to him. The table in the center of the room was quickly becoming the 'minds of the operation' table.

Gallea hopped up onto the table. "We have a problem."

"Oh?" Otrera said.

Patrius nodded. "We have Gallea to thank for this information. He's a good sneak."

The satyr shook his head and waved his hands in the air. "Don't! Don't mention my name. Leave me out of this, this is your sto... resistance. I'm just providing some information."

Everyone raised a brow and blinked at him. Otrera and Darian squinted. He was going to say story.

"Information wins wars... but alright." Patrius shrugged and turned back to Darian. "Andromeda has picked a new sacrifice. Seems she needed one, and if it wasn't going to be Sophia's boy, it was going to be someone else."

Medusa hissed and slammed her tail, a lot of it. Most of the people in the room jumped back, and trembled at the sight of the angry serpent. But she slithered over to Darian, put her hands on his shoulders, and he caressed one of her hands with his own. Poor creature. All she wanted to do was help people, and the situation was preventing that at every turn.

How would she do when the blood started to flow? He shuddered and squeezed her hand harder. She'd survived so long taking care of herself, fighting and killing heroes come for her head. It was a different matter to fight when your allies are dying around you.

"Then I guess we have a choice," Otrera said as she leaned forward and put her elbows to the table. "Try and take advantage now, while our numbers are still small, but maybe catch Andromeda by surprise. Or we wait, build up our forces, and potentially give ourselves away. We'd be better off for the fight... maybe, but worse off if Andromeda figures out what we're doing."

The resistance looked at each other, eyes shifting, hands rubbing knuckles.

Tritus stepped up from the group and sat down with them. Big attitude, big pain in the ass, the man was getting more and more annoying each moment. Worse was how he was more than happy to meet Darian eye to eye, try and stare him down, and snarl.

"... they took Rhea. A friend of mine."

That explained his extra surly attitude at least. Darian frowned, and leaned in a little toward the man. Nothing quite as disgusting as two men having a silent pissing contest by trying to stare the other one down. The whole room grew silent, and held their breath. If Tritus was going to—

"I think we should go tonight," Medusa said.

They all turned to the gorgon. Some let their jaws drop, and Tritus's stern gaze faded away as he looked up at the woman over Darian's shoulders.

"We've only been here a few nightssss, and we've taken out many of the manticore. Her forces are weakened, she probably doesn't know what's going on yet, and we can take advantage of it. And Sophia, she said she'd... she'd really help. I trust her! I trust her, and we can get the whole city together!" She slammed her tail again, and everyone jumped again. But no one was frowning anymore. "Right now! We take Patrius's gift from Athena, go around the homes with Sophia, Patrius, Tritus," she said as she gestured to the table, "and march up to the acropolis before she kills Rhea!"

Chimera rumbled, and Otrera laughed. A lot. Then Patrius joined in, Gallea, and others along with them. Maybe not as loud as Otrera, but soon everyone at the table was laughing; Tritus was even smiling a little. Darian was too.

"You really want to awaken the resistance tonight and march on Andromeda? She'll be sacrificing Rhea at sunrise." Much as Patrius was chuckling, there was still some worry lines on his forehead.

"Then we go before sunrise." Darian shrugged, and patted the hand of his love once again. "How's the weather outside?"

"Clear." Tritus sighed, shook his head, and clenched his fingers until knuckles cracked. "Every time there's a sacrifice, the night before, the sky is clear, the moon and stars are bright, and... the patrols hang around the bridge."

"Lovely." Otrera laughed again, and hooked her hands behind her head. "We tear through them in one go."

Tritus raised a brow. "You can't be—"

"Chimera will break through their lines." Otrera motioned to the huge beast sitting nearby, grin on her face and her hand raised in a powerful fist. "Darian and I will follow behind, and kill as we follow. Medusa is our support behind us, and our secret weapon. But I guarantee the four of us just marching up that mountain won't end well. We need the resistance, and more. We need an army, or better yet, a mob."

A riot. Darian stroked his chin and beard, and looked to Tritus.

"... you want to save Rhea?"

"Of course I want to save Rhea."

And he did. Darian could see it in the man's eyes, the stern look, the hard stone look. Maybe he'd underestimated the man? He seemed like a fool, but he was a member of their little resistance; he deserved credit for that. And now, it seemed less like a pissing contest, and more like a man who had trouble trusting people, being forced to trust strangers with saving a woman he cared about.

Darian could understand that.

"Good. Everyone here use Patrius's gift, clear your minds of the curse for tonight. Then Patrius, go with Tritus, take Athena's gift, go get Sophia, and take her from door to door. I want Sophia to offer each of them to use the gift, and you, you tell them it's now or never." He leaned in closer toward Tritus, whose eyes were growing wider and wider. "Don't explain anything to them, don't listen if they try and talk, just move onto the next house."

They wanted a riot. They needed a riot. He knew how to create a riot.

"But what about the patrols? There are less manticore out here in the outskirts, but toward the city center there should still be some, and the guards... we don't know anything about them."

"Like you said, they'll be near the bridge. Just stay away from there, and let the flame spread."

"Flame?"

It was Darian's turn to grin. "Take a torch."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The flames started to grow. One torch came out into the streets. And then another. And another.

Not enough, not yet, but more torches were growing. Those who didn't have a torch brought a candle and did their best to hold it by hand. But once they were near the crowd, a candle was unneeded, as each torch that added to their numbers lit the streets more and more.

Voices grew too. At first no one was willing to make a sound, but as the resistance handed out swords and shields to those willing to wield them, people started to talk. Who was the dark-skinned woman in Amazon armor? Was that really Otrera? Who was the short warrior wearing the black armor and helmet with the white-hair crest? Why were they standing by an alley and not letting anyone in?

No need for them to see Chimera and Medusa, not yet.

Darian took a deep breath, and looked up. The night sky was absolutely beautiful. Clear, radiant. The crescent moon shone bright enough they barely needed the torches, and the stars twinkled to the point he wasn't sure he was staring at the sky anymore. Tritus said the night always shone this way before a sacrifice. Part of Andromeda's magic then?

"Wow. Look at how many there are."

Medusa slithered up behind him, low and to the shadows of the alley. She reached out to touch him, but drew her hand back as it entered the light of the crowd's fire.

So he stepped deeper into the alley to meet her. His arms found her in the dark, and he took her hands into his before bringing them up to his lips to kiss them.

"Step one, get people together and ready to fight. Step two, point them in the right direction, and unleash the wave. Step two will be the hard part here, we need them to agree to help Medusa the gorgon and Chimera the giant."

Chimera rumbled. He was crouched in the back of the alley, quiet, still and stone as always. But Darian could see his eyes glancing up at the sky too. Nervous, maybe?

Otrera patted Darian on the arm, and looked back to the crowd. She too was leaning against the alley wall, opposite of him, and her eyes flickered with the torchlight growing before them.

"Sophia is doing good work. One look at her eyes and pleas, and people are up in arms ready to fight, despite the years under the curse." The queen rotated her shoulders and smiled. "How much longer you want to wait while the crowd grows?"