Medusa's Desire (The Fate of Eros #1) (The Fate of Eros Series) (21 page)

"Even if it didn't to you, it did mean something to me." She crossed her arms. "You didn't even bother to find me afterwards. You pushed me away and embraced her."

Medusa noticed the dark circles underneath Perseus' eyes. "I didn't want you to see me so weak and vulnerable again."

"I saw the whole thing anyway," Medusa said. "Or do you forget I'm there when I'm invisible and you're with Andromeda?"

"I'm sorry," Perseus said. "It's you that I needed, but I wanted to be the strong man you expect me to be."

"What hurts is when you don't confide in me, not when you're vulnerable in front of me."

A tear dripped down Perseus' cheek. "You don't understand. I couldn't face you after what happened. I feel like I've betrayed you most of all and every word of hurt I can hear in your voice just drives the dagger deeper into my heart."

Medusa's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Why?"

Perseus' shoulders drooped. "I hated my grandfather so much of my life, but I never had any intention to hurt him, even after all he did to me and my mother. I vowed to myself that I'd even help him live a longer life if I could, but in the end, the gods are always right. They are always the one in control. I still killed my own grandfather."

"It was an accident," Medusa said. He was breaking her heart with these words.

Perseus' eyes were void of emotion. "I couldn't stop it, even though I spent my whole life trying. I'm not even sure about this fight you and I have against the gods anymore. In the end, it will blow up in our faces."

Tears poured down Medusa's face. Every word he was saying hurt. "Are you saying you should have never defied the gods and tried to rescue me?"

He couldn't meet her eyes as he shook his head. "I don't know anymore, Medusa, but it doesn't matter now. What is done is done and now it's time for us to face the consequences."

Things were awkward over the next few weeks. Perseus didn't touch either woman and hardly spoke. Medusa's nausea grew worse and her belly started to protrude. She was positive at this point that she was pregnant, but knew Perseus wasn't emotionally stable enough to handle it. She kept the news to herself.

As they neared the island of Seriphos, Medusa chewed on her claws. They were about to battle a king and none of them was in a strong enough condition to handle it.

Medusa was used to tragedy. She breathed in and out slowly. She'd have to encourage Perseus if they were going to get through this.

Perseus landed in a nearby town and purchased cloaks for him and Andromeda, so they could disguise their appearances. He wouldn't be welcomed back into Seriphos, even though he had every legal right to be there now that he had brought Medusa's head along with him. In fact, he and Medusa speculated that there was probably a ransom on his head if he ever returned.

They wandered around the Seriphos marketplace for a while once they arrived. They were broke, so they could buy nothing. Andromeda whined about this a bit. She was used to having wealth and purchasing things to cure her boredom.

While they were walking, an elderly man limped by. He had a kind smile and smelled of fish. His white hair was scraggly and his body lanky. Perseus perked up as soon as he saw him.

"Dictys! It's me!" He reached out to embrace him.

Medusa recognized the name immediately. This was the man who rescued Perseus and Danae when they were locked in a chest and thrown out to sea.

Andromeda, on the other hand, eyed Dictys up and down with a wrinkled nose. If he tried to hug her, she'd probably bolt.

"I thought you were dead." He gave Perseus a bear hug and laughed. "Is it truly you or am I dreaming?"

"No, it's me." Perseus smiled. "I am back to save my mother."

"Did you bring the head of Medusa?" Dictys frowned. "King Polydectes might not let you inside, even if you have it, but he'll kill you on sight if you don't."

Perseus jiggled the endless wallet. "I've got it right here."

Dictys' eyes widened. "How did you fit it in that little thing? I thought Medusa was bigger."

Perseus laughed, but didn't bother to explain it.

"I've tried to see your mother on several occasions," Dictys said. "I wanted to bring her food or flowers. He's had her trapped in jail, hoping to break her spirit and get her to marry him in exchange for her freedom. He's told everyone that you're dead."

Perseus' jaw clenched. "That bastard."

Dictys nodded his head. "I'm worried about her. She's probably having flashbacks of when your father locked her in that tower and of being stuck at sea in that chest.

"Remember that time when she accidentally locked herself in the shed out back? She screamed so loud that she lost her voice." He laughed to himself. "I wish I had heard her sooner." He frowned. "I miss her. I wouldn't be surprised if Polydectes was raping her.

"I'd fight to save her myself, but I barely have the strength to lift a sword, let alone the skill to fight with it. I was beginning to lose hope."

Andromeda looked at Perseus and raised her nose high. "Who is this man? Does he know that kings don't usually allow fishermen to waltz into their palace and tell them what to do?"

Dictys turned to Andromeda, noticing her for the first time. His eyes lit up and Medusa's heart screeched in envy. Even though Andromeda had just insulted him, all he saw was her lustrous eyes framed by her dark skin.

Perseus shrugged. "Usually that's true, but Polydectes is his brother."

Dictys spit on the ground. "Don't remind me of my relation to the king."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "And yet he's forced to live like a commoner?" She glanced at the pool of spit on the ground. "I wonder why. He's such a charming man."

Dictys laughed. "So, Perseus, who is this fine young lady?" He had a grin on his face that only a man who hadn't made love in years could have as he tried to live vicariously through a younger version of himself.

"Sorry," Perseus said. "I was so excited to see you, I forgot to make introductions." He turned to Andromeda. "This is Dictys. He raised me like a father. He's the reason I'm the man I've become today." He turned to Dictys. "And this is Andromeda. I rescued her from a sea dragon. She's been on the run with me ever since."

Dictys wrapped his arms around Andromeda. Her whole body stiffened.

"Would you watch her while I rescue my mother?" Perseus asked. "Maybe you could bring her back to the house?"

"Of course!" Dictys' face lit up. "I'll make sure your fiancée feels right at home." He winked at Perseus.

Perseus sighed. "She's not my-" The bags under his eyes suddenly became more prominent. "Never mind. I'm glad you agreed to this because you are one of the few men I can trust."

Dictys nodded. "Any time."

He linked arms with Andromeda and led her down the street. She kept turning back towards Perseus and reaching out for him. "Wait! I thought you were going to bring me with you!"

"You'll be safer here. I'll pick you up later."

"I'm not a child!"

Andromeda's protestations fell on deaf ears.

Perseus' eyes widened and his face drooped. He grabbed Medusa's hand for the first time in a long while and all the feelings between them returned. The distance disappeared in an instant. "What if I fail her like I did my grandfather?"

Medusa squeezed his fingers. "You won't. I'll be by your side the entire time, just like you help me fight the gods."

"Thank you," Perseus murmured. "Maybe it's foolish for me to fight tyranny, but I guess it's better to die trying than to do nothing at all."

Medusa thought it was good that he had gotten over the death of his grandfather some and was starting to have hope once more.

They soared a short distance together in the air, kissing a few times as they floated. It wasn't long until they landed near the castle.

Perseus drew his sword, gazing at the guards at the door.

"Don't," Medusa said, pushing the blade to the side. "I can take care of anyone who goes up against you. There are too many men here to fight by blade."

Perseus stroked her cheek. His eyes filled with tenderness. "Are you sure? I know you haven't wanted to use your powers ever since the event with your mother."

Medusa sighed. "But I might lose you, too, if I don't. I know what it's like to lose family and I want to help protect yours."

He grabbed her by both hands and kissed her. "You don't have to prove your love to me. I know I've been ignoring you, but it's because I'm ashamed of what I said to you. I don't deserve you.

"I'll find a way to save everyone without your abilities if I have to. Solving the impossible, remember?"

Medusa shook her head. "But we're a team, so it's my job to help. Besides, it's not you that I'm trying to prove something to, it's myself. If I fear my abilities so much that I let them control me, then the gods have already won their war against me. But if I use their punishment to fight for the good of everyone, then all the ways they made my family and I suffer will backfire. I have to do this to show them-and me-that I am strong."

Perseus nodded his head in approval. "Then why don't you get in the bag and we'll save my mother."

Medusa smiled. "Sure."

She crawled inside. Perseus left the top open, so she could have a peek at their surroundings.

At a rustling in the bushes, Perseus drew his sword and whirled around, making Medusa dizzy as the trees whizzed by. He raised the blade in the air, ready to cut through whoever had recognized and followed him.

The voice of Andromeda rang out. "Wait!"

He sheathed his sword. "How did you get here?"

She waved her hand and giggled. "Please! Like that old man could stop me from following you."

Perseus frowned. "His name is Dictys. Why did you follow me?"

Andromeda pouted. "I want to show you that I am worthy of you. I know you keep rejecting me because you don't think I'm strong or wise enough to be with you. I don't ignore it when you say those things to me, but I am brave. I can help you fight. If I didn't have a strong spirit, then I never would have run away from my family. I was sheltered, but I want to do anything I can to help you. I may not know much now, but I will in the future."

Medusa was pretty sure that Perseus would have never rejected Andromeda if she hadn't been around.

"You're being foolish," Perseus said. "You'll just get in the way."

"I brought my own sword to make sure that wasn't the case." She unsheathed a tiny dagger. "I found it on Dictys' work table and I touched it even though it smelled like fish.

"I need you to see how I've changed ever since that day on the cliff when that sea monster almost ate me. Until that time, I never knew how other people suffered. I spent the whole time, chained, looking down at the poverty of the people in my kingdom as they reconstructed their houses and counted the loss of their crops.

"My family cared for no one but themselves. They were even willing to sacrifice their own daughter to save themselves. I hated it, not only because they weren't protecting me, but because I was the same as them. I watched people suffer around me and go hungry without caring for anything except what delicacy would be served on my table. I didn't treat people the way they deserved.

"Then I met you, Perseus. You're a hero. You help people, even when you don't have to. You've struggled and you've rescued. I fell in love with you that day because you're an inspiration to me. Please don't make me wait around again while everyone else suffers. I want to help this time. I want you to teach me how to be a good person, like you are."

Perseus' voice had softened. "This has never been a discussion of your worth."

"Yes, it has." Tears welled up in Andromeda's eyes. "You've been judging me as if I were some spoiled princess this entire time and maybe I am, but I don't want to always be."

The light above Medusa went dark and she cowered before she realized what was happening. Perseus was reaching his hand down so he could grab hers. She relaxed as their fingers intertwined.

His voice cracked and although he spoke to Andromeda, Medusa knew by the squeeze of his hand that the words were meant for her. "You're a strong woman. I know you're the type of girl who always does the right thing."

Perseus never lied. Andromeda didn't have to know which woman he was really speaking to and maybe it was to them both.

He let go of her hand. "This is not the place to start out, though. I'm going to be fighting a large group of powerful people. Yes, I have the head of Medusa, but there's no guarantee that they will all turn my way when I reveal it. I could die and then my rescue of you will be for nothing."

"But if you don't let me live in a way that would make me proud," Andromeda argued, "then my life that you saved will also be wasted. I'll remain that spoiled girl."

Perseus sighed. He clenched and unclenched his fists. "Fine. You can come along this one time, but please listen to me in the future."

Andromeda jumped up and down. "Thank you so much."

Medusa shook her head. Andromeda was much too eager to go to her death. She smirked as she remembered the time she tried to stab herself to save Perseus.
Hypocrite,
she chastised herself.

The gray walls of the palace came into view as they walked forward. Several guards approached Perseus. They didn't look as if they recognized him. The fiery determination in his eyes and his muscular arms peeking out from the sleeves of his chiton had the guards reaching for their swords.

He was about to tell the guards off and had reached for his sword to fight them when Andromeda pushed him to the side. She lifted her cloak from her head and fluttered her eyelashes at them. She gently stroked the tip of the sword of the guard with the most decorations on his body.

"I hope you don't mind," she said in a sugary-sweet voice. "But my friend and I came here to give a present to your king. He's expecting us and we traveled a long way." Her voice lowered. "And maybe afterwards, you and I could get to know each other a bit better, if you'd like."

The guard melted. He was at a loss for words for a moment. "Sure, go right ahead."