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mommy-medusa · 4 years ago

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Medusa’s Child

First chapter of Medusa’s Child! I’m posting this just as a test to see if y’all like it!

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She was first alerted of a presence by an uneven splashing against the nearby shore.

It was the early evening, and the sun was at its best point in the sky, raining down on Sarpedon in just the right way to make her scales light with painless flames. She stretched out on her branch, pressing her bare belly up to the warm rays. Her tail flicked lazily while her mane of snakes hissed and tugged in the direction of the noises. She swatted a clawed hand at them.

“Let him come,” Medusa murmured in a husky, languid voice, not bothering to open her eyes. “You know he won’t stand a chance anyway.” She ran her black talons down her exposed breasts and stomach, chuckling deeply. “He may as well die with the image of a beautiful woman in his mind. We can give him that, at least.”

There were mixed reactions from her snakes, some spats of disapproval, some hisses of agreement, but they all coiled back down into quietness. Or, as quiet as a head full of serpents could be.

Compared to other creatures across the land, Medusa had a remarkably good childhood if she did say so herself. Her parents were the ferocious Ceto and cold Phorcys, ancient sea gods that kept the ocean seething with their monstrous children.

Phorcys was a grey-haired, fish-tailed mountain of a man, with rough red, spiky crustacean skin and huge crab claws that were strong enough to snap off the head of any mortal man that approached his territory. He was faster than any sea creature and stronger than any current in the existing waters. He could create a tsunami big enough to drown Greece with one splash of his mighty tail.

Ceto was quite possibly more terrifying than her father, however. She was a fair maiden with shiny, unblemished ivory skin she never covered up and long, wavy black hair that floated like Kraken tentacles in the water around her. Her eyes were green and sharp enough to cut through obsidian, and her voice was booming enough to crack the earth and drain the entire ocean. She was as venomous as her animal creations, but she taught Medusa discipline and respect at a very young age.

Together, the two of them brought forth a myriad of devilish children. Ekhidna, a dangerous she-dragon with the head and breasts of a beautiful woman and the body of a coiling serpent; Scylla, a giant crab that ate sailors; Ladon, a dragon with one hundred head; the Graiai, three grey hags that shared one tooth and one eye; and the Gorgons, a trio of women with the bodies of serpents and hair made of living, venomous snakes.

Medusa was a part of the final group. Which was the best, for the record.

Medusa and her two sisters were born on a dark day, where the sky seethed with storm and the sea seemed to wrath against its gods. Through crashing waves and spitting sea foam, Ceto dredged her soaked, swollen body from the hissing water and into a cave where it was dry. The tide tried to chase her, nipping at her heels like desperate piranhas, but could not chase her all the way up the sand.

Within the cave, the pelting rain and howling gales were muffled by thick stone. Droplets of water dripped from stalactites that hung from the ceiling like dozens of monster fangs. Small tidepools were laid across the ground like traps, seemingly existing to trip Ceto and make her crash down onto her thick belly. But she managed to avoid them, hissing strings of curses to the starfish and crabs and tiny fish that thrived within the wet sinkholes before collapsing to the ground, powerful cramps rippling through her body.

There, Ceto gave birth in the eye of a raging hurricane, her monstrous children writhing out of her womb, clawing and scratching for the world outside of her body.

Stheno was first, born thrashing and hissing and brimming with rage the moment she came out. She was a thin little thing, but her blood red tail whipped around with enough power to crumble mountains. Her crimson mane of snakes sprung to life instantly, fangs flashing, hissing so loud they challenged the whirlwind outside the cave. The scales upon her head and face made it look like she was permanently stained in mortal blood, and the boar tusks curling out from her mouth looked wickedly sharp. Mere moments after being born, she had lunged at a tidepool and ripped apart a small crab with bronze claws, devouring it in just a few snaps of her powerful jaws.

Euryale came next, sliding out in a slick of fluids and screaming so loud she threatened to bring the whole cave down on top of them. Her white and yellow tail lashed as she cried, sending clumps of wet sand flinging through the air. The mane of snakes upon her skull, which had red snouts that looked like they had been dipped in blood, wailed with her, strange, raspy sounds that vibrated through the air like static electricity. There were small horn nubs protruding from her forehead, which had explained the pain when she was coming out. Stheno tackled her, whacking their tails together, and began wrestling with her.

Finally, out came Medusa, green scales shiny and new-looking. The first thing she remembered was seeing her eldest sister chewing on her second eldest sister’s tail. She had blinked her golden yellow eyes at them, flicking her own emerald green tail like she was expecting something to be attached to it. And then, she was lifted up and she saw a beautiful woman gazing down at her. Her mane of snakes snapped at the long black hair cascading down onto her belly.

“What peculiar little beast you all are,” She remembered her mother rumbling. Ceto scooped up Stheno and Euryale and held all three sisters in front of her. “And what slayers you will all be, indeed.”

And she was right.

Medusa’s childhood passed by in a blur of mortal blood and seawater. Her mother taught her how to strike fear into mortal men. Her father taught her how to swim and fly when all of their wings eventually grew in. And her sisters taught her to hide her prey or else it would get stolen.

She was raised in the darkest reaches of the ocean depths, where granite tunnels formed interlocking caves and caverns below the rolling waves. While most children grew up raising family goats and playing with dolls made of straw, Medusa and her sisters grew up taming sea monsters and playing hide-and-seek with venomous lionfish. They created crags of coral along the seafloor with their eyes alone and swept through the ocean currents on scaled wings. When they would go up to the surface, they watched the mortals in their wooden vessels, laughing at the way they attempted to overpower the waves that rocked them mercilessly.

That was when they discovered their deadly eye power.

Medusa was a monstrous teenager, floating along the ocean’s surface, when Stheno presented the idea to her.

“Swim into their nets and pretend to be dead,” Her older sister had said. Sunlight glinted off her blood red scales. When she smiled, her teeth were like a shark’s. “When they pull you up, give them a scare.”

Medusa gave a laugh. The only thing better than observing a mortal’s stupidity was causing the mortal’s stupidity by interacting with them. Of course, she agreed.

She swam into one of the large nets drifting beneath the boat, startling off a cloud of slippery grey-blue fish. She let herself get tangled up in its loops, tugging on the ropes enough to alert the sailors. After a few moments, the net began to rise, and she faintly heard the giggling of her sister’s vibrating through the water.

Cool sea air hit her bare skin; a series of gasps exploded throughout the vessel. The rough feeling of wood chafed against the scales on her exposed back as the net was dropped into the boat. She struggled to keep in the giggles and play dead as loud murmurs whisked around her.

The men were wondering what she was, asking themselves how they managed to wrangle up a thing. One of them poked her tail with something pointy and she almost flinched, but managed to tighten her muscles and stay still.

And then, there was a hand grabbing her breast.

The man above her purred out something about her being beautiful and warm and the others should “give it a try.”

Her eyes snapped open wide. She ogled the man above her in shock and fear and disgust; he was a scruffy and flabby creature with hungry eyes and crooked yellow teeth. His hand remained on her breast as they locked gazes, and then his face did something strange.

It twitched. And his eyes went weirdly blank. And he sucked in a harsh breath.

The man’s entire body jerked like his soul was trying to claw its way out of his back. His brown eyes bulged and rolled wildly in his skull, and Medusa could see grey spreading rapidly over the eye balls.

Stone began to march across the man’s flesh like a swarm of fire ants. He tried to scratch it off, but his nails bounced right off. His movements quickly began to stiffen as whatever came over him took hold.

His chest froze solid first, then his hands and feet, his ears, his arms and legs, all the way to his throat. His eyes were no longer brown, rather blank grey. His greasy blonde hair did not sway in the cool breeze. His mouth was open, teeth blunted by rock, and twisted in an agonized expression. One hand was extended outward to his crewmates in a final gesture of desperation.

The man had been turned to stone.

The other mortals on the boat began to frenzy. Some ran away in fear, others brandished their weapons, but they, too, met the ill fate of their crewmate. One stare and they hardened into a statue against their will.

Stheno and Euryale had been alerted by the noise and they flew up to the ship. Both of them looked shocked at what was going on.

“What is happening?” Euryale asked.

“I-- I don’t know.” Medusa replied, slowly sitting up. She was absurdly confused at what was going on. “I turned them to stone.”

“How?” Stheno demanded.

“I looked at them.”

“Hm.” Stheno lashed out at a fleeing young man and flared her giant red wings open, essentially trapping him. Medusa heard a short scream, and then silence. When her sister pulled back, the man was frozen in an encasing of stone.

The discovery of their power sparked great fear across the land, but amazement inside Medusa and her sisters. Stheno used it the most, killing more men than Medusa and Euryale combined. She kept her favorite statues in her lair as trophies, adorning them with her jewels and other treasures.

Euryale rarely ever killed, not because she didn’t like it, but because she never went out of her way to go around mortals. She rather watch them from afar, observing their strange hive mind mentality.

Medusa was a mix between the two. Sometimes she would simply stay away, other times she liked to see how dumb mortal men were when she came across them.

When they eventually came of age, the three sisters ventured off from the darkness of their homeland sea. Medusa went to an island called Sarpedon, claiming it as her own domain. Mortal men saw it as an arena, however, and often sailed to her home to challenge her. It wasn’t long before her island was filled with the statues of foolish men, decorating her gardens with the trophies of her success.

And another was about to be added to the collection.

There were crashes through her jungle; the stupid man was romping through her home and disturbing her nap!

Sighing, Medusa uncoiled her elegantly long body from the tree branch and carefully climbed down the trunk. Her emerald green scales and lucious brown skin shimmered in the sunlight filtering down from the canopy of leaves up above, dewdrops from the condensation of her garden sliding like melted diamonds down her tail. She slithered through the weeds, passing by ruined pillars and petrified statues, all of which were swathed with moss and vines. She admired them as she went by, as she always did, as she always would. It was quite lonely on her island, but she rather be alone than have the company of a man.

A spray of bright yellow birds exploded from the trees when she came slithering by. Sharp-tusked creatures of fur darted in and out of the bushes, poised and waiting to flee while they watched her. The boars always liked to test her. Perhaps that was what made them so delicious. The looks on their faces when she managed to snatch one and scarf them down was priceless.

There was rustling near the bay. Medusa pricked one of her pointed ears while her mane of venomous snakes hissed in alertness. She smacked the nose of one of them to quiet them down and then went after her prey.

“Hello?” She called out in a purr. “Come out, come out wherever you are…”

Emerging from the lush underbrush, Medusa set her eyes on the small wooden boat bobbing slowly in the waves that splashed upon her shore. Even through the cracking of seawater and crackle of forest fronds behind her, she could hear small noises emitting from the vessel. A smirk came upon her face, flashing her fangs into the sun.

Medusa flicked her ears and slithered out onto the beach. A bright red crab saw her coming and darted into the splashing waves to hide. A mere crustacean was the least of her concern right now, though. She could eat later.

Right now, she had bigger prey to catch.

Nobody fled from the boat as she approached it, which she found odd. Usually the men ran towards her or at least away from her, none of them ever lied still like an animal in a trap, waiting for her to end their pathetic existence.

Well. At least it made her job easier. Rushing through the jungle wasn’t exactly her favorite pastime.

“Here we go, ladies,” Medusa whispered to her snakes, earning a harmony of eager hisses.

Medusa sprang up to the boat, claws raised and brandished, fangs bared, wings flared out to their full size. Her snakes swelled up and hissed loudly, mouths loaded with potent venom. Her bright yellow eyes were flashing, ready to strike this man into stone, and--

--and she froze.

There was no man in this vessel.

It was a woman.

She was a mangy, bedraggled mortal, with matted brown hair, agonized amber eyes, and mud-slathered ashy skin. But upon closer inspection, Medusa realized that it wasn’t mud at all, it was blood. And the woman was absolutely dripping in it thanks to the giant gash across her belly, along with numerous other cuts from swords and holes from arrows. In her bony arms, she clutched a tiny bundle swathed in sheep’s wool to her heaving chest.

“I apologize over intruding, fair lady,” Croaked the woman, her voice thick with her own blood. “You do have to understand my dilemma. I am afraid I cannot leave, though…there is not much time left for me anyway.” She coughed, and the wound across her abdomen strained so much that Medusa was surprised all her guts didn’t come bursting out. “I made it this far. Wrapping my wounds, washing them out with saltwater in a vain attempt to combat infection. But I am afraid my breast milk must taste like blood. And nothing will matter anyway. They treat us like SLAVES. Breeding cows owned by our husband. I had to kill him! I couldn’t let him arrange MY BABY--” A coughing fit consumed her, and blood gushed from her mouth as if her aorta had been severed. “I had to… I had to…”

Medusa was still. Not even her snakes were snapping or hissing, instead bobbing silently around her head. They, too, were stunned at the outpour of emotions spilling out at them.

The woman craned her head around slowly. When her body spasmed as if it had been shocked, Medusa knew the stone curse had taken hold. And yet, the mortal smiled.

“You…” She rasped. The curse always started in the chest and spread like a wildfire throughout the rest of the body; her lungs were rapidly being devoured by stone. “You are no monster…”

Medusa reared back slightly. If this stranger willingly meeting her gaze wasn’t strange enough, then that certainly was. Medusa knew better than anything that she was a monster, it was what her mother taught her.

“I didn’t expect the man-slayer to be so beautiful,” The woman went on. She pulled the wool-swaddled bundle from her chest and held it out as dark grey marched across her skin. “Well, Medusa, killer of men…now’s your chance to show the cosmos what you truly are.”

The woman’s entire body froze, locked in an eternal casing of stone. She wouldn’t be in pain any longer, for her gaping wounds had been filled in with granite. In her petrified grey hands, rested the bundle.

Medusa carefully peered over the wrapping of wool and to the tiny baby resting within it, undisturbed by the ill fate of its mother.

For a long moment, only the crashing of waves and distant sound of island fauna filled the beach. The crab from earlier came cautiously creeping out of the wet sand, but bolted the moment it saw Medusa move to scoop up the little mortal.

It had to be only a few months old, if mortals were anything like her and her sisters. She was now wishing she had studied humans as much as Euryale had. She had no idea if it was supposed to be this light or small or what gender it even was. What she did know, however, was that it was very, very white, as if it had never been in the sun before. She also noticed the tufts of ashy brown hair on its head and the constellation of freckles swirling across its chubby cheeks. Unfortunately, she was unable to see its eyes, as she had to whip her gaze away when its eyelids began to flutter.

Medusa stared intensely at a cluster of seaweed-tangled driftwood as the baby in her arms began to make little noises while it woke up. It shifted in its wool blankets, sending small tremors through Medusa’s arms, but then Medusa realized that was just from her own trembling.

What was she going to do with this thing? She couldn’t bring herself to gaze into its innocent eyes and infect its helpless body with cold stone. She couldn’t leave it to be eaten by the animals on her island, either. And she DEFINITELY couldn’t raise it herself, and yet…

Medusa held the baby to her chest and felt its soft cheek press against her skin. Its pasty flesh was warm against her own, and she couldn’t help but cuddle it closer. One of her snakes made a low hiss.

“You will say nothing.” Medusa warned as she turned and went back into the forest.

Medusa began slithering through the dense brambles and interlocking thickets of lianas. The tangled trees seemed to be reaching for her and her mortal straggler with long trailing roots and branches like skeletal fingers snarled together overhead to create a canopy of sorts. Sunlight filtered in from above, casting pale yellow spots across the large boulders and ruined pillars dotting the foliage. They were all huge and just lied around like the remnants of an ancient landslide. A few packed together tightly against a tall fjord of earth, creating a rocky corridor of sorts. There was another path to get to the other side, beneath a log suspended in the air by two crags and through some weeds, but Medusa decided the crevice would be easier to traverse with the child she was holding.

Walking through the passageway felt like she was getting a hug from the Gaia herself. It was a slight squeeze to go through, she had to hunch her shoulders in to keep them from scraping against the walls, but it felt worth it for the sake of saving time.

Yellow and purple flowers were blooming from vines etched in the moss-matted bedrock on either side of her. Orange and green and amber were streaked through the rock walls, glowing beneath streams of water that glittered like melted pearls from a spring somewhere up above. Specks of sunlight bleeding in through the canopy above would hit the stone’s tears in just the right way to set them off in radians of iridescent and silver. The deep emerald moss was fluffy beneath Medusa’s fingers when she tentatively touched the patches. Ahead, she then saw braids of vine dangling down from a long, reaching branch that had itself draped over one of the boulders. When she pushed through the curtain, she was met with a small clearing full of scattered trees that broke down and folded into a field of rock crags that bordered a glistening river.

Medusa walked through the grass and down onto the shoreline. Most of the bay there were shallows that have leaked into the openings between stony ridges risen from the ground. She shivered as she waded through the water, feeling the cold jolt through her scales. She clambered up the first rock she could reach as fast as she could, doing her best to not splash the delicate cargo she was holding.

Medusa had to traverse the rock formations carefully. Usually she jetted across them, but now she had a fragile mortal baby in her arms. She didn’t want to accidentally trip and be sent sprawling onto the little one.

As she crossed over a fallen log that allowed access to the other side of the river that fed into the ocean and to the dense jungle bordering the shore, a dark green and yellow, blobby frog croaked from in a pool of bubbling mud, then bobbled at them with its big yellow eyes. Medusa’s mane of snakes hissed in a chorus and the frog nearly keeled over dead as it scrambled back into the depths of the mud. Medusa chuckled, then shifted the baby closer to her bosom when it squirmed.

“I’m sorry, little one,” She said. “Hang on for a little longer. We aren’t very far.”

Through the vines and under the branches she went until Medusa broke into her gardens.

It was the greenest part of all of Sarpedon, bursting with flora and fauna alike. Pillars from fallen ancient ruins dotted the area, forming ledges and small places to hide when it would rain. One of the temples was just barely still intact, though overgrown with flowers and plants. Medusa always thought it was an eyesore in the midst of all her nature, but now that she was looking at it, she thought it would make a brilliant home for a child.

“Urrg,” She shook her head wildly, causing her snakes to hiss in shock at being jostled. “Stupid.”

She set the child down on some flowers and began to pace throughout her gardens. She tried not to listen to the whimpers and hiccups up the baby, tried not to look over at it in fear of getting too attached to something she knew she could not keep, tried to stop herself from rushing back over and scooping it into her arms once again because she felt like it belonged there.

“What was needed to summon her again?” Medusa muttered to herself. She looked at her snakes. “Palm trees, right?”

The snakes seemed just as clueless as she was.

“It was palm trees. But hopefully palm leaves will do because I am not cutting down an entire tree for this.”

She did, however, end up hacking off a large piece of palm back on the beach, all for something she definitely did not care about or want to keep. She forced herself to stare at the fire as she burned the husk and fronds of a palm tree. When the flames grew high enough, she took a breath and spread her wings to the sky.

“Leto, mighty Titanides, goddess of motherhood, bearer of Artemis and Apollo, lend me your aid. Receive my call, for I need you.”

For a moment, all was silent, and Medusa almost felt embarrassed for even trying such a measly summoning, and then the fire crackled and sparked, and a body formed out from the smoke.

Medusa had forgotten just how massive the Titans were. Leto was as tall as the trees, and as sturdily built as one, too, especially for someone who was known solely for giving birth for nine days straight.

Swathed in emerald green robes that were inlaid with silver and gold weaving patterns, Leto now stood before Medusa. Her wavy brown hair floated weightlessly around her head, as if she, too, had a living, writhing mane upon her scalp. Her eyes were a deep, piercing yellow-green color, seeming to drill into Medusa. Around her neck she wore the red-brown fur of a weasel as if it were a scarf and a sun and moon pendant, most likely in remembrance of her children. When she spoke, her voice was deeper than Medusa expected, but also sounded like molten honey that was slathering gold.

“It has been a long time since I was called upon,” The Titan rumbled. The faint golden glow around her faded and her hair was released from whatever had been suspending it in the air, causing it to flow elegantly down her shoulders. She smiled faintly down at Medusa. “I certainly did not expect it to be from you.”

Medusa flicked her tail and gathered herself up to her full size, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to measure up to Leto’s height. “I have a problem.” She said, then turned to the baby lying a few feet away and picked it up. “This.”

“Oh my,” Leto said, peering down at the child. She delicately scooped it up when Medusa held it out to her. “A strange situation you’ve gotten yourself into, indeed.”

“It’s not mine,” Medusa said. “A woman washed ashore. She’s--she’s dead now, but she had a child with her. That child. I don’t know what to do with it.”

“She.”

“What?”

Leto looked up from having unraveled the baby’s blankets and smiled softly at Medusa. “It’s a girl.”

It took everything in Medusa to keep her tail from wagging like a damn hound. A girl! She was so happy it was a girl! She didn’t think she could handle a male.

Wait-- what was she saying? She couldn’t handle either male or female. She couldn’t keep such a thing!

Leto pushed aside one of the overlapping covers of fabric on her robes and held the baby to her breast. She gave a soft laugh when the infant seemed to latch onto the nipple instantly and began to suckle greedily.

“What a hungry little beast you have here, Medusa,” She said.

“I already said she’s not mine.”

Leto furrowed her eyebrows at her. “You aren’t going to keep her?”

Medusa actually laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

“I would not joke in the name of a child, Medusa.” Leto said firmly. Medusa wouldn’t lie that she was slightly intimidated by how hard her voice had become.

“No, I’m not going to keep her, Leto.”

“But you want to?”

“I do not! Why would I ever want to raise such a fiend?”

“Because you’re lonely.”

Medusa was taken aback. She coiled her tail in close around her, glaring at the dirt as if it had wronged her for bringing the child to her shore and making her feel all these stupid, conflicting emotions.

“I am not.” She growled.

“You’re getting defensive,” Leto pointed out.

“Because you’re bothering me!” Medusa blustered, flaring her wings up. She turned away sharply, whacking Leto’s ankle with her tail. “Go. Take the creature with you. I don’t want to see it.”

All was quiet for a moment, and Medusa actually got the sick sensation that Leto had listened to her, but then she heard the crunching of grass beneath bare feet and saw Leto circle around to be in front of her. The Titan kneeled on her knees before her, still holding the baby to her breast. Medusa couldn’t help but glance at it several times in what she could only describe as longing.

“Medusa, how long has it been since you’ve interacted with another person?” Leto asked. “Not counting your sisters, of course.”

Medusa refused to look at her. “Why does it matter? I can’t keep--”

“How long,” Leto repeated with the same firm voice from before, “has it been?”

“I don’t know.” Medusa answered through her teeth. “Forever? It’s always been my sisters, Mother, and Father. No one else.” She clenched her claws until they drove into the tender green scales on her palms. “There can be--no one else.”

Leto frowned. “And why is that?”

“You know why.” Medusa said bitterly. “Don’t play dumb, Leto. I know the Titans are smarter than that. It doesn’t take Athena to know why I can’t be around people.”

“I’m afraid I do understand why.”

“So why are you even asking me this?” Medusa looked up at her, yellow eyes stinging with unbidden tears. If she had known the meeting with the Titan would be the equivalent to physical and psychological torture, she wouldn’t have even bothered in the first place.

“Because I wanted to prove my point.” Leto said calmly. “And I was right.”

“How?”

“You want someone.” Leto said as if it were perfectly obvious to everyone in the entire pantheon of gods. “You’re very lonely, Medusa. It doesn’t take Athena to figure that out, either.”

“I can’t.” Medusa whispered hoarsely.

“You can.”

“I can’t!” Medusa flared her wings at Leto and brandished her claws, flashing her teeth in the sun right as it began to fall from the sky, her snakes a chorus of hisses and snaps. But Leto was unfazed by her outburst.

“I will help you.” The Titan said patiently. She smiled down at the suckling baby in her arms. “After all, I don’t expect you to be able to feed her. And she still needs a name, you know. Did the mother tell you one?”

Medusa decided to ignore Leto. Perhaps that would finally end the wrenching anguish she was feeling.

“I like Aretha.” Leto went on, pleasantly not taking the hint Medusa was trying to give to her.

Medusa scoffed. “Aretha? Really?”

“I thought you didn’t care about the child.” Leto said, feigning her surprise. Medusa really wished she wouldn’t grin at her like she was.

“Nemesis is going to come curse you into the body of a cow or something if you keep exuding your hubris onto me.” Medusa said.

“Are you all full, Aretha?” Leto said to the baby, once again ignoring Medusa. She brushed the little girl’s face with a finger. “What pretty eyes you have.”

“Stop that.”

“You could strike an entire army dead with those eyes.” Leto continued. She smiled down at Medusa. “Just like your mother.”

Silence.

Medusa’s throat ached with pent up sobs. “Her mother is dead.” She growled.

“You’re her mother now.”

“I am not!”

Medusa whipped her head away quickly so Leto wouldn’t see the tears that came slipping free without her consent. She wiped them away harshly, accidentally cutting herself with her claws in the process, but she could hardly care. It could not measure up to the pain she was feeling from this awful interaction.

“I never should have called upon you,” She hissed.

“But you did.” Leto said, unfazed by the insult. “And now I am here and I am going to help you with this baby, Medusa. You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

There was silence once again.

“I’m a monster, not a mother.” Medusa said, her voice wavering treacherously.

“If that were the case, then why is the baby still alive?”

“What?”

“If you truly were a monster, then you would have killed the baby on the spot. And not just by turning her to stone, you would have gutted her alive with your claws, ripped her tiny little head off, devoured her insides. That is what monsters do.” Leto’s stare seemed to pin Medusa to the ground. “And you, Medusa, are not a monster.”

Medusa swallowed thickly, trying to bury the emotions welling up inside of her like a volcano.

“What if I’m not the mother she needs?” She whispered. She felt like she was drowning. “I don’t think I can do what is needed of me.”

“Yes, you can. And you will. You’ve been so good with all of this so far. The only thing you can do is your best.”

“And if that isn’t enough?”

Leto looked into her eyes, her own so soft and caring, so patient even in the face of Medusa’s pessimistic attitude. “Then you’ll learn.”

Leto extended a hand and thumbed away a few fresh tears running down Medusa’s cheek. She smiled warmly at her.

“You’ll learn,” The Titan said again, this time softer.

Neither of them said anything after that for a long few minutes. Not until the baby began to coo softly, which made both of their gazes shift down to her. Leto pulled her hand away from Medusa’s face to brush the infant’s.

“Theodora.”

“What?” Leto looked back at Medusa.

“That’s going to be her name.” Medusa said. “Theodora. Teddi for short. Not Aretha.”

Leto smiled. “I knew you would come around.” She said. “Would you like to hold her?”

Medusa internally cursed herself for nodding so eagerly. However, as she extended her hands out to take the baby from Leto, she jerked back sharply, as if she had touched fire.

“I can’t look at her,” Medusa said. “I can’t look at my…”

Leto frowned, then looked down at the wriggling infant in her arms. A soft golden glow lit up in her eyes, and the baby’s did the same, causing her to coo at the sensation of godly powers now streaming through her veins. Leto then turned and gently pushed the little girl into Medusa’s arms.

“Leto, didn’t you hear me--”

“Look, Medusa.” Leto said. “Trust me. It will be okay.”

Medusa stared up at the Titan, then slowly brought her gaze down to the baby.

For the first time in her entire life, the flesh of a mortal did not harden to stone beneath her claws, and she was able to see the beautiful mossy green eyes her new daughter bore.

#medusa’s child #medusa #theodora #leto #greek myth #greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek stories #greek writing #greek gods #gods and goddesses #my wriring

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yourdeepestfathoms · 4 years ago

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Medusa’s Child (part one)

eyyyy, here’s the first part of Medusa being a mom!! sorry if it’s not very accurate to the myths, i am trying my best. feedback and comments are greatly appreciated! i hope you all enjoy!

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She was first alerted of a presence by an uneven splashing against the nearby shore.

There were mixed reactions from her snakes, some spats of disapproval, some hisses of agreement, but they all coiled back down into quietness. Or, as quiet as a head full of serpents could be.

Compared to other creatures across the land, Medusa had a remarkably good childhood if she did say so herself. Her parents were the ferocious Ceto and Phorcys, ancient sea gods that kept the ocean seething with their monstrous children.

Ceto was quite possibly more terrifying than her father, however. She was a fair maiden with shiny, unblemished skin she never covered up and long, wavy black hair that floated like Kraken tentacles in the water around her. Her eyes were green and sharp enough to cut through obsidian, and her voice was booming enough to crack the earth and drain the entire ocean. She was as venomous as her animal creations, but she taught Medusa discipline and respect at a very young age.

Together, the two of them brought forth a myriad of devilish children. Ekhidna, a dangerous she-dragon with the head and breasts of a beautiful woman and the body of a coiling serpent; Scylla, a giant crab that ate sailors; Ladon, a dragon with one hundred head; the Graiai, three grey hags that shared one tooth and one eye; and the Gorgons, a trio of sisters with the bodies of serpents and hair made of living, venomous snakes.

Medusa was a part of the final group.

Medusa and her two sisters were born on a dark day, where the sky seethed with storm and the sea seemed to wrath against its gods. Through crashing waves and spitting sea foam, Ceto dragged her soaked, swollen body from the hissing water and into a cave where it was dry. The tide tried to catch her, nipping at her heels like desperate piranhas, but could not chase her all the way up the sand.

There, Ceto gave birth in the eye of a raging hurricane, her monstrous children writhing out of her womb, clawing and scratching for the world outside of her body.

Stheno was first, born thrashing and hissing and brimming with rage the moment she came out. She was a thin little thing, but her blood red tail whipped around with enough power to crumble mountains. Her red mane of snakes sprung to life instantly, fangs flashing, hissing so loud they challenged the whirlwind outside the cave. The scales upon her head and face made it look like she was permanently stained in mortal blood, and the boar tusks curling out from her mouth looked wickedly sharp. Mere moments after being born, she had lunged at a tidepool and ripped apart a small crab with bronze claws, devouring it in just a few snaps of her powerful jaws.

Finally, out came Medusa, green scales shiny and new-looking. The first thing she remembered was seeing her eldest sister chewing on her second eldest sister’s tail. She had blinked her golden yellow eyes at them, flicking her own emerald green tail like she was expecting something to be attached to it. And then, she was lifted up and saw a beautiful woman gazing down at her. Her mane of snakes snapped at the long black hair cascading down onto her belly.

And she was right.

She was raised in the darkest reaches of the ocean depths, where granite tunnels formed interlocking caves and caverns below the rolling waves. While most children grew up raising family goats and playing with dolls made of straw, Medusa and her sisters grew up taming sea monsters and playing hide-and-seek venomous lionfish. They created crags of coral along the seafloor with their eyes alone and swept through the ocean currents on scaled wings. When they would go up to the surface, they watched the mortals in their wooden vessels, laughing at the way they attempted to overpower the waves that rocked them mercilessly.

That was when they discovered their deadly eye power.

Medusa was a monstrous teenager, floating along the ocean’s surface, when Stheno presented the idea to her.

Medusa gave a laugh. The only thing better than observing a mortal’s stupidity was causing the mortal’s stupidity by interacting with them. Of course, she agreed.

And then, there was a hand grabbing her breast.

The man above her purred out something about her being beautiful and warm and the others should “give it a try.”

It twitched. And his eyes went weirdly blank. And he sucked in a harsh breath.

The man’s entire body jerked like his soul was trying to claw its way out of his back. His brown eyes bulge and roll wildly in their skull, and Medusa could see grey spreading rapidly over the eye balls.

The man had been turned to stone.

The other mortals on the boat began to frenzy. Some ran away in fear, others brandished their weapons, but they, too, met the same ill fate of their crewmate. One stare and they hardened into a statue against their will.

Stheno and Euryale had been alerted by the noise and they flew up to the ship. Both of them looked shocked at what was going on.

“What is happening?” Euryale asked.

“I-- I don’t know.” Medusa replied, slowly sitting up. She was absurdly confused at what was going on. “I turned them to stone.”

“How?” Stheno demanded.

“I looked at them.”

The discovery of their power sparked great fear across the land, but amazement inside Medusa and her sisters. Stheno used it the most, killing more men than both Medusa and Euryale combined. She kept her favorite statues in her lair as trophies, adorning them with her jewels and other treasures.

Medusa was a mix between the two. Sometimes she would simply stay away, other times she liked to see how dumb mortal men were when she came across them.

And another was about to be added to the collection.

There were crashes through her jungle; the stupid man was romping through her home and disturbing her nap!

Sighing, Medusa uncoiled her elegantly long body from the tree branch and carefully climbed down the trunk. Her emerald green scales shimmered in the sunlight filtering down from the canopy of leaves up above, dewdrops from the condensation of her garden sliding like melted diamonds down her tail. She slithered through the weeds, passing by ruined pillars and petrified statues, all of which were swathed with moss and vines. She admired them as she went by, as she always did, as she always would. It was quite lonely on her island, but she rather be alone than have the company of a man.

Emerging from the lush underbrush, Medusa set her eyes on a fleeting boat in the crystal clear water. Strange, she thought. There was still a living person on the vessel. Did they think against their decision to challenge her? No, there were footsteps in the sand… Someone was here.

Medusa flicked her pointy ears and slithered out onto the beach. A bright red crab saw her coming and darted into the splashing waves to hide. A mere crustacean was the least of her concern right now, though. She could eat later.

There was blood in the sand. Small, red droplets clumping the white grains together. A trail led across the bay in spatters that looked like the man had been in a hurry, disappearing into the thriving overgrowth of Sarpedon.

Medusa turned and followed the trail. The man seemed rather smart; there were many hiding spots in the jungle, but she knew this island like the back of her hand. He would not stand a chance.

A spray of bright yellow birds exploded from the trees when she came slithering by. Long-limbed creatures of fur leapt from branch-to-branch, poised and waiting to flee while they watched her. The monkeys always liked to test her. Perhaps that was what made them so delicious. The looks on their faces when she managed to snatch one and scarf them down was priceless.

There was rustling to her left. Medusa pricked one of her pointed ears while her mane of venomous snakes hissed in alertness. She smacked the nose of one of them to quiet them down and then went after her prey.

“Hello?” She called out in a purr. “Come out, come out wherever you are…”

There was no reply, though there had been before. That particular man had really thought he could swoon her. How could anyone fall for the grating voice of a male?

The rustling sounded again. Medusa whipped around, smacking a tree with her tail and sending a macaw flying off with an alarmed screech.

“You are a quick little rabbit, aren’t you?” She chuckled. Fine then. She’ll play with her prey before killing him.

Fleeting footsteps squelched through moist jungle mud. He was quick, but she was quicker. Legs were so hindering, while her tail could get her around with graceful ease. It also made a perfect entrapment tool. Nothing was better than constricting her victim and getting to look at them face-to-face while their life drained away from them.

A squeal caught Medusa’s attention. A smirk came to her lips, fangs flashing in the sun. Finally.

Peering through the leaves, Medusa could partially see the body of the man on the ground, sprawled between two trees. His right ankle was caught in some gnarled roots, trapping him.

It was perfect.

Medusa sprang out of underbrush, claws raised and brandished, fangs bared, wings flared out to their full size. Her snakes swelled up and hissed loudly, mouths loaded with potent venom. Her bright yellow eyes were flashing, ready to strike this man into stone, and--

And she froze.

This wasn’t a man.

It was a child.

#medusa’s child #my writing #greek myth #greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek #greek gods #medusa #gorgon #gorgon sisters #theodora the vengeful

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pyre-crackle · 6 years ago

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Wings of fire but everyone is the “edgy” version of themselevs but plot stays exactly the same

Clay- gross man, literally never eats or cares for his friends, is only really there to gain power. Smart!

Tsunami- really intimidated and weak, a pushover but is secretly manipulating you

Glory- a cheerful dragon, but literally no loyalty. Hops from one dragon from the next trying to gain material items

Starflight- dumb as a rock, is only focused on making other dragons suffer, super big and intimidating

Sunny- sadistic and sarcastic, she is assertive and the leader of the group. Cunning and will get her way

Moon- outgoing and not shy about her powers, she doesn’t mind snooping into others thoughts to get abover others. Tries to start conflict

Winter- very happy and soft-spoken, is kind to your fave but will talk trash behind your back. Or maybe do trash behind your back. Avoids conflict

Peril- stable and level headed, the voice of reason in the group. Hates violence and tries to resolve things with peace. Hates Clay

Turtle- cannon Peril 2.0, wants to be in the spot light and dislikes his mother and father. Not close to anyone, and will use his magic to kill your entire family

Qibli- generally really dumb, hates other dragons and makes elaborate plans to hurt them but just ends up doing something wrong and making the situation better, or worse (for the dragon he was trying to hurt). Pretty slow, will fight

Kinkajou- literally flame

Darkstalker- very good boy!!! Tries his best and tries for his sister, is still stopped by clearsight but like idk??? Working on this books plot but he was good and...

Clearsight- worst man. Stinky, doesn’t shower. She tried to take the throne and thinks she knows best (basically just swap clearsight and darkstalker there we go)

Fathom- wants revenge, and isn’t afraid to use his animus powers. Pearl sent him away because he was getting a bit out of control

So uh here!! Oh and to make them edgier ok so their colors are inverted. So clearsight and darkstalker would be like pure white, fathom would be red, sunny would be blue, and so on

#wings of fire #wof

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thebibliomancer · 6 years ago

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50 More Days of Comics! 03/50: Magic the Gathering: Wayfarer #4 of 5 (1996)

Here we go with Magic the Gathering again! Finally, something sane and sensible after that last comic.

So apparently Jared Carthalion is this whole big thing. Or medium thing. The Wayfarer comics are actually his second comic miniseries. Coming in one miniseries and four out of five issues late, I obviously don’t know what’s going on.

And I didn’t do much background research because I’m pretty sure all of these comics are ‘of dubious canonocity.’ Lets just enjoy the magical nonsense.

Happy sixteenth birthday, Jared!

For your birthday, you get to ride a dragon (cool) and confront your asshole of a grandfather (less cool)!

The Shivan dragon that begrudgingly gave Jared and Kristina a ride - and I say begrudgingly because Jared keeps calling him a bat-winged snake and the dragon has to try really hard not to just eat the jerk - drops the two off at Telemar, the nearly-abandoned bridge city.

But Jared is feeling some Angst because this city was built by his blue mage mother Gwendolyn and that just reminds Jared that his MOTHER IS DEAD, sacrificed by his father in his fight against Ravidel.

These sure are some proper nouns!

Jared’s grandfather shows up and tries to kill him, as ya do, because he’s angry at Jared’s dad. But Kristina breaks up the fight by revealing that Ravidel is back and doing the bad things!

Destroyed Minorad, killed some sages. Just general bad guy stuff.

And Jared grandfather Grenfell blames Kristina for all of this. Somehow, its all of her fault. In a backstory sort of way. So Jared demands backstory. This is his comic and birthday, dammit, and he wants to know the deepest lore!

For some reason, deepest lore comes in a different art style but only for a couple pages.

Back in the time of the Ice Age, things were bad. Terisiare had just up and disappeared. But the wise guys of the world came together to turn the city of Minorad into the ultimate repository of knowledge. So the Library of Minorad was formed and the various sages gathered from around the world vowed to use their knowledge to prevent avarice or petty schisms from everrrrrrr harming the world again.

Hahahahahah. Yeah, no. That didn’t last long.

Apparently Kristina brought Ravidel back after he died fighting Leshrac and Tevesh Szat (more proper nouns!) and he is downright peeved about that.

And then a bunch of people who I don’t recognize all did magic at each other and it looked very impressive but then a guy with a candle for a head called Ash Warlord threatens to set Ravidel on fire but Ravidel somehow was keeping the Sylex of Argive on his person for a dramatic reveal. And if activated, the Sylex will annilhilate anything with a direct lineage to the time of the Brother’s War.

Which would wipe out the sages, Grenfell, and the Ash Warlord.

So Kristina agrees to Ravidel’s ultimatum to not get in the way of his plans. And in exchange he’ll leave Minorad alone.

Ash Warlord decides that the sages of Minorad don’t know honor and bamfs off somewhere.

And then Ravidel made a few more ultimatums because he holds the doomsday device so he gets to set the rules. But it was mostly about which important people had which horrible fate or was exiled where. That manner of thing.

The important take away is that he then eventually returned and destroyed Minorad anyway.

And now Jared is here to fight Ravidel but he’ll need the second long-dagger to use a spell called Rust that will neutralize the Argivian Sylex.

The dagger is supposedly under the sea so Grenfell gives Jared a potion of water breathing and has him go swimming.

But secretly Grenfell is still trying to kill Jared, as ya do, and awakens a water dragon to try to kill him while he’s underwater. And then tries to backstab Kristina, with magic.

There’s some blue vs green magic trashtalking

“I was plotting... strategizing... that’s the way blue mages triumph! You green, fawning and fretting over every bird and butterfly -- you failed at Minorad! You’ll harm me no longer!”

So she hits him with a tidal wave. Because Tsunami, ironically enough, is a green spell.

Meanwhile, underwater, Jared does fine. He fights a dragon, decides he probably shouldn’t kill it, and retrieves the thing. Good going, Jared.

And then I guess Jared and Kristina have sex? Or a magic lesson that involves being naked and in bed? He’s sixteen, Kristina!

That evening, they leave Telemar with Jared lamenting that his grandfather is such an asshole. Kristina tells him that Grenfell is his family so as long as he’s alive maybe it will be possible to make amends.

But then they teleport to the Great Salt Marshes of Western Golthonor and meet Altair. Hey, he was one of the people in the deepest lore flashback! He was supposed to wander the world powerless and with his mind a blank slate but look at him, riding a flaming horse and knowing his own name. He’s doing pretty good for himself.

This issue also has an essay in the back contextualizing the story in context of the game mechanics. Like the Sea Serpent that Jared fought was a 5/5. Good job, Jared! And the game mechanics reason why Rust is needed to stop the Sylex instead of Disenchant or Shatter. And that Katrina used Tsunami to stop Grenfell because that spell destroys all islands, giving the blue mage no blue mana to cast with. The fool didn’t diversify his deck.

The essay also clarified that Jared and Kristina are in romance with each other as of this issue which. Um. Not as good. He’s sixteen, Kristina! You wished him a happy sixteenth! A caption box on the first page said so!

Damn planeswalkers.

#50 More Days of Comics!#mtg #Apparently Kristina dies during the invasion block #in one of those sudden but inevitable betrayal type things #i don't feel great about that either

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royalnovels-blog · 7 years ago

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PWE Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Bitter Fight in the Forest Everyone gathered at the town entrance. Ye Cang looked at the vast formation of troops. It looked as if there were hundreds of thousands of people, and they weren’t just novices. He even saw a few acquaintances, such as the people from the Flame Dragon Union. Ye Cang could feel ColdFront glaring at him, but he just nodded in return. “Hello…” ColdFront clenched his fists. The quest to get out of the beginner village was within sight, and his guild leader had instructed him to help. WillowDream was the same. They all wanted to get to the next area as quickly as possible, and finally leave this beginner village. Wasting their time around here was hard to bear as the resources were too limited. Mar walked in front. Accompanying him were Ye Cang as well as the Blue Scaled Fishmen’s chief and high priest. “March!!” Mar gave his wife a kiss and then brought the allied armies to charge towards the dark ravine. “Really New Village’s Military Campaign - Black Werewolves Subjugation, Begins! All participating players will obtain points according to their contribution! At the end, they will be exchanged for rewards!!” A world announcement appeared. Even players who didn’t join a guild followed behind the army planning to pick up some scraps. CloudDragon’s people didn’t stop them, merely asking them to coordinate with the allied armies and not cause trouble due to greed. The scattered players made up a large portion of the community, and their help might be needed. The most important thing was to complete this campaign, not to fight over some trivial contribution points. The system announcement rang out once more, exciting the entire beginner village. Every big guild was watching this event. Really New Village has started to act! The thick fog that used to cover the forest was scattered for the first time in a long while. Several hundred enormous Treants were led by Kunsa to disperse the fog as they awaited the arrival of the allied army. “Senior Kunsa…” Mar humbly greeted. It was the honorable leader of the revived Treant’s. He had talked about them with his parents before. The treant were very wise beings… “The grudges against that evil wizard has brought us together…” Kunsa had the treant’s join the two wings, helping to support everyone. Each step shook the ground. The players looked at these enormous treants, and felt their spirits soar… “They’re here. There’s a lot of them…” Ye Cang narrowed his eyes and took out his heavy bow. Wolf howls rang out from every direction. “Vanguard! Charge!!” Mar drew his longsword and roared. CloudDragon began to command the fight. ThornyRose also commanded her side. Seeing the countless werewolves leaping out from between the trees or behind the shrubbery, Ye Cang shouted, “They’re all strengthened elites!” NalanMoon smiled bitterly. “As expected of such a quest. Even the minions are strengthened elites. The players will even have trouble dueling a normal elite. A strengthened one will probably require at least 3 of them. Everyone form teams of 4! Any groups that suffer casualties, immediately join up with another group. Fight 4 on 1 as much as possible!!” NalanMoon turned and looked towards ThornyRose’s side. Lin Le was taking on over hundred on his own, swinging his sword wildly. A few swings would take out a whole swath, killing them by the dozen. There was only 1 healer and 2 buffers supporting him. Looking at that heavy skeletal blade, as well as the dark aura coming off his armor, she thought, This is probably Really New Village’s strongest bulldozer… Her eyes were then drawn towards Ye Cang’s Flame Burst, arrows, and Ice Shards. All kinds of attacks were being launched by him, bombarding the enemies. As for Zhang ZhengXiong, he was also fighting at least 10 on his own. The attacks of these strengthened elites didn’t even tickle him. A normal player would have trouble surviving three hits, while the fragile classes might die in just 2… Little Ye Tian raised her staff. “Blessing of Glory!” Tens of thousands of people obtained a 10% buff to all their attributes, including Mar and the Fishmen Chief who were already killing with a single strike. Little Ye Tian continued to cast another blessing, “Blessing of Strength!!!” However, due to the range, with just two casts, her mana was immediately emptied. “Out of mana!!” “Retreat to the support group. Once your mana is back, just focus on blessing…” CloudDragon saw the effects of the two blessings. They were extraordinary! He knew about the 10% blessing, but along with HeavenShakingMight’s auras, the vanguard was now many times stronger. Ye Cang disappeared and emerged from Little Ye Tian’s shadow. CloudDragon raised an eyebrow. A shadow teleport? This guy’s rewards are pretty good. Ye Cang took out some stinky food that could restore mana. “Quickly eat…” “……” Little Ye Tian trembled, then clenched her teeth, ate it, then passed out. While in shock, her mana recovered. CloudDragon sighed. The food’s effects were good, but the side effects and that smell… “This wave is over. PaleSnow, make a bit more food. I’ll take care of preparing the pots and fires, but I’ll have to leave the ingredients to you. The guilds will share the cost later…” Ye Cang nodded. They had so many bones that no matter how much they sold, they wouldn’t be able to sell it all. It was just taking up space. He pulled out his bow and began firing at the werewolves. He had prepared many arrows this time. Under his constant barrage, he actually managed to kill faster than Lin Le. The fight was becoming more intense as it dragged on. Many werewolves were being entangled by the Treant’s roots. Really New Village’s guards and the Blue Scaled fishmen army quickly killed them. The players also took advantage of it to charge over and get some points. “Mglrmglmglmgl! (Tsunami)!!” An enormous wave shot out of the fishman high-priest’s scepter, sending several hundred werewolves flying away. Hundred didn’t manage to get back up. The cane flashed once again, and the vanguard army received a protective shield of water. The surrounding fishmen shaman also began cast Healing Streams on the friendly forces. Kunsa’s enormous branches swung. Every swing sent countless flying, and with a thought, vines would capture countless. He helped to reduce the pressure on the vanguard. The treants on the two wings fought similarly. Even with all this though, the werewolves appeared endless, coming in bigger and bigger numbers. CloudDragon’s bone knuckles smash a werewolf that had managed to make its way over. Rising Dragon Kick lifted it into the air as a punch arrived, finishing it off. He then crossed his arms and continued looking over the battlefield. When he saw Lin Le, he could only sigh. Ah… that set… A terrifying howl suddenly rang out from afar. All the werewolves began to retreat. The Blue Scaled Fishmen’s chief - Yoji was currently engulfed in bloodlust, and intended to pursue. Mar quickly shouted towards him, “Don’t chase!” The high priest - Vasiyas also thought the same. Yoji unwillingly brought the fishmen warriors back. “That was the wolf god’s howl…” Mar said, making his way to the front. He was familiar with the wolf god’s howl, as he’d heard it before. “Correct, it’s really her. Alright, the dark ravine has a place we can camp. Let’s let everyone heal up a bit before the final push…” Mar nodded. Vasiyas conveyed the order to the fishmen. Previous Main menu Next Click to Post

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