boundless.
“Here, here!” Aphrodite fist pumps in the air. I glance over at her and she offers me a smile that’s a surprising mixture of sympathy and support. But then I remember, Hermes has always said that he and this sister are thick as thieves.
Zeus is clearly weary. “It’s done. We’ve voted, and I’ve decided. Daughter, reverse the curse now or your Uncle will be more than welcome to take you to the Underworld as he wishes.”
Athena is still not swayed. “But—”
I hold my breath. Hades rises and takes a step towards her. She slams herself back into her seat. “Fine. The beast may seek me out this week when there is time—”
Hades steps down from his throne. “Now or never, niece.”
“FINE!” the goddess of wisdom yells, and something strikes me so hard that I topple backwards. Pain, excruciating and sharp, coils around me tighter than any snake could. Hands grab me before I slam into the ground, but I can’t even see whom they belong to, the agony is so intense. I want to scream, want to claw at something, but I am incapacitated. My insides are shredding, my skin is on fire. All I can do is pray that the death I’ve yearned for for so long will be swift before I black out.
“Here. Drink this.” A soft voice tickles my ears. “It will help.”
I go to open my eyes and then I remember who I am. I am Medusa. My eyes offer death. I weakly root around for my glasses, but they are nowhere nearby. “Glasses,” I croak.
“Open your eyes, Dusa.” I know this voice, and it hurts to hear so much worry in it.
“Glasses,” I try again.
“No need.” His promise is gentle. “The curse has been removed.”
A hand instantly goes to my head. The Girls ...? But there is no movement, no soft hissing. There is only what feels to be hair, soft and matted.
“Snakes?” I mumble. A hand joins mine to tug through the strands; foreign shudders of mixed pleasure and comfort take hold in my muscles.
“Don’t tell me you miss them,” a female says, the very voice that woke me up. It’s kind. And I am ... panicky. The Girls, gone?
“Oh, stop,” a deep voice admonishes from further away. But it’s not in exasperation; it’s laced with amusement.
“Eyes?”
“You are no longer an instrument of death,” the female says.
My throat is so dry. “Swear?”
“I swear,” Hermes answers. Fingers interlace in mine; for such a recent occurrence, his hand in mine feels like it’s always belonged there. “Open your eyes, Dusa.”
My heart runs a marathon, and fear invades my body, but he has yet to ever lie to me. So I do as he asks, and open my eyes voluntarily, without a shield, in the face of others for the first time in ages.
I am in an ornate bedroom, in a canopied bed that could fit twenty people. Hermes is sitting next to me, his own blue-green eyes filled with concern. Behind him is a stunning woman holding a cup. Sitting a few feet away is Hades, perusing something on an iPad.
“They’re hazel,” Hermes says, and he sounds awed.
“Beautiful hazel.” The woman, surely a goddess, glances back at Hades. “The perfect mix of green and brown. Don’t you think?”
He puts down his iPad and grunts. But he doesn’t look fearsome, not like I once imagined him. At least, not in this moment.
“Drink this.” She nudges me with a cup.
I don’t take it. Not just yet. “You’re all alive,” I whisper.
“Of course we are.” Hermes lifts our conjoined hands and presses a quick kiss against my skin. A roar of heat streaks up my neck. “I told you we would prevail. The curse was reversed.” With his free hand, he pats me on my legs—
LEGS.
I have legs! I attempt to sit up, but the woman pushes me back down. No longer is half of my body reptilian. A few experimental wiggles of my toes promptly sends me into a fit of tears.
“What is it?” Hermes exclaims. He grips my hand harder. “Do you hurt? Did she do something to you we didn’t catch
“Here, here!” Aphrodite fist pumps in the air. I glance over at her and she offers me a smile that’s a surprising mixture of sympathy and support. But then I remember, Hermes has always said that he and this sister are thick as thieves.
Zeus is clearly weary. “It’s done. We’ve voted, and I’ve decided. Daughter, reverse the curse now or your Uncle will be more than welcome to take you to the Underworld as he wishes.”
Athena is still not swayed. “But—”
I hold my breath. Hades rises and takes a step towards her. She slams herself back into her seat. “Fine. The beast may seek me out this week when there is time—”
Hades steps down from his throne. “Now or never, niece.”
“FINE!” the goddess of wisdom yells, and something strikes me so hard that I topple backwards. Pain, excruciating and sharp, coils around me tighter than any snake could. Hands grab me before I slam into the ground, but I can’t even see whom they belong to, the agony is so intense. I want to scream, want to claw at something, but I am incapacitated. My insides are shredding, my skin is on fire. All I can do is pray that the death I’ve yearned for for so long will be swift before I black out.
“Here. Drink this.” A soft voice tickles my ears. “It will help.”
I go to open my eyes and then I remember who I am. I am Medusa. My eyes offer death. I weakly root around for my glasses, but they are nowhere nearby. “Glasses,” I croak.
“Open your eyes, Dusa.” I know this voice, and it hurts to hear so much worry in it.
“Glasses,” I try again.
“No need.” His promise is gentle. “The curse has been removed.”
A hand instantly goes to my head. The Girls ...? But there is no movement, no soft hissing. There is only what feels to be hair, soft and matted.
“Snakes?” I mumble. A hand joins mine to tug through the strands; foreign shudders of mixed pleasure and comfort take hold in my muscles.
“Don’t tell me you miss them,” a female says, the very voice that woke me up. It’s kind. And I am ... panicky. The Girls, gone?
“Oh, stop,” a deep voice admonishes from further away. But it’s not in exasperation; it’s laced with amusement.
“Eyes?”
“You are no longer an instrument of death,” the female says.
My throat is so dry. “Swear?”
“I swear,” Hermes answers. Fingers interlace in mine; for such a recent occurrence, his hand in mine feels like it’s always belonged there. “Open your eyes, Dusa.”
My heart runs a marathon, and fear invades my body, but he has yet to ever lie to me. So I do as he asks, and open my eyes voluntarily, without a shield, in the face of others for the first time in ages.
I am in an ornate bedroom, in a canopied bed that could fit twenty people. Hermes is sitting next to me, his own blue-green eyes filled with concern. Behind him is a stunning woman holding a cup. Sitting a few feet away is Hades, perusing something on an iPad.
“They’re hazel,” Hermes says, and he sounds awed.
“Beautiful hazel.” The woman, surely a goddess, glances back at Hades. “The perfect mix of green and brown. Don’t you think?”
He puts down his iPad and grunts. But he doesn’t look fearsome, not like I once imagined him. At least, not in this moment.
“Drink this.” She nudges me with a cup.
I don’t take it. Not just yet. “You’re all alive,” I whisper.
“Of course we are.” Hermes lifts our conjoined hands and presses a quick kiss against my skin. A roar of heat streaks up my neck. “I told you we would prevail. The curse was reversed.” With his free hand, he pats me on my legs—
LEGS.
I have legs! I attempt to sit up, but the woman pushes me back down. No longer is half of my body reptilian. A few experimental wiggles of my toes promptly sends me into a fit of tears.
“What is it?” Hermes exclaims. He grips my hand harder. “Do you hurt? Did she do something to you we didn’t catch
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