“I wish Miori was here… it’s a shame I missed her.”

  Ayame pouted as she hugged Seika close. They were both lying in her bed and looking out at the misty mountain range in front of them, with the golden light of the morning tinting the landscape.

  “There will be a next time. And don’t say you didn’t enjoy me paying her kisses forward!” Seika said with a wink, turning towards Ayame, who smiled and looked her in the eyes.

  “I hope Minerva and Bellona recover soon. I miss them,” Ayame spoke quietly, and Seika nodded, running her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair.

  “Me, too. We’re not going to leave here until they are fully recovered, no matter what kind of things the… locals… are throwing our way.”

  “Are they making a lot of trouble for you?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle. They spread rumors that I was afraid of a chimera, so I made a point to fight a lot of those recently. The people’s belief in me has stabilized somewhat, but naturally, when a rumor is in circulation, it will never truly die.”

  “Maybe you should slap this Fama who is spreading them about you,” Ayame suggested jokingly, and Seika shook her head.

  “That’s the problem. If I were to attack Fama, that would only add to all the distrust. All I can do is to add my heroic deeds to the tales she’s telling. She doesn’t appear to discriminate.”

  “Strange. Do you think she might not be actively involved?”

  Seika shrugged her shoulders and Ayame leaned in for another hug before she got up and got herself dressed.

  “I have to get going… oh! One more thing… do you think this belief thing only works with the people of this world?”

  Seika furrowed her brow.

  “I don’t know, really. It’s not like I ever had many fans the way I was speeding in and out of places. And then all the video footage got corrupted, as well.”

  “Hm…” Ayame looked at her with a ponderous expression, but then she simply grinned and gave Seika a little wave. “Well, I’ll come around again next weekend. Keep the bed warm for me!”

  Seika returned the little wave and watched Ayame leave through the door. Medusa waited for her on the other side, bowing to her and leading her through the hallways where she would be able to use her dimensional key and return home.

  Seika stared at the ceiling for a while longer, furrowing her brow.

  “…what in the world is she planning?”

  ***

  After her bath and breakfast, she stood in the temple hall again, pondering Ayame’s words while she listened to the troubles of the citizens. A wounded soldier came in, and she healed his arm, which went from uselessly hanging from his side back to full strength, with only minor scars to show for it. Some citizens came for mediation, and it made sense, as Minerva was a goddess of justice as well as war and healing and wisdom, so Seika received them and gave them guidance to the best of her abilities.

  There were no requests for monster slaying from this round of petitioners, and Seika looked on with some boredom until one highly unusual petitioner arrived. A young man stood in front of her, who looked a little nervous in her presence. Despite his human appearance and his awestruck expression in her presence, he had a familiar fire in his eyes, even though he didn’t appear to notice it himself yet. Medusa leaned over to whisper into Seika’s ear.

  “Careful. This is one of Jove’s children. Your half-brother, but he doesn’t know it. For all he knows, he’s a simple fisherman’s son. It would be wise to keep this secret for now, as Juno could still hold resentment against him.”

  Seika nodded and furrowed her brow, then she looked him directly in the eyes.

  “Speak,” Medusa instructed the man, who bowed deeply before Seika.

  “Hail, Minerva. I am Perseus. I am a simple fisherman’s son, and…” he hesitated to continue, looking around.

  “…may I speak without anyone else overhearing?” he gestured towards some humans who were still gathered in the temple hall, and Medusa grimaced. She looked like she wanted to reprimand the man for his audacity, but stopped herself as Seika nodded her way, and she sighed before she addressed the other petitioners.

  “Everyone whose requests have been fulfilled, vacate the temple! I see no injuries among the people gathered here, so those who still wish to petition Princess Minerva, please come back tomorrow! She will hold a private audience now.”

  The people nodded and shuffled out of the hall. Perseus looked nervous while he watched them leave and waited a while longer after they had left, then he addressed Seika directly.

  “I will keep it short. My uncle, the lord of my hometown, lusts after my mother. He is a man of low character, so I cannot have him claim her in good conscience. I’ve been successful in keeping him away from her, but in a few days, he will hold a banquet and expect a horse as a gift from every guest. Refusing to get him a gift would see me exiled, but we have no way to pay for a horse, so I told him I’d get him whatever he wanted…”

  Seika nodded and kept listening, though she heard Medusa whisper ‘foolish’ under her breath. Perseus closed his eyes and continued.

  “He wants a Gorgon’s head,” Perseus said, and Seika could see a twitch going through Medusa’s face from the corner of her eye, which quickly vanished in her usual neutral expression.

  “The Gorgons are unkillable creatures, and on top of it all, their whereabouts are unknown. I was hoping you could assist me in some way.”

  Seika pondered the question for a while; she knew this story. This was what Minerva was most afraid of all this time, that she would transform Medusa into a monster and have a hero slay her; however, Medusa was very much still a human, with none of the events of the stories she read having happened.

  Maybe I can simply have him kill a different Gorgon? That would depend entirely on how ‘unkillable’ these creatures truly are.

  “Hmm, there’s only one group of people that would know where they’re hiding,” a familiar voice spoke, and as Seika turned her head, she saw Pallas enter the hall, carrying herself the usual carefree way.

  “And who would they be?” Seika asked now, completely forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to speak during these audiences.

  “The Grey Sisters.”

  Seika, Pallas and Perseus descended the mountain, as the former two did so many times these past few days. Seika harbored short-lived hopes that they might pass by the place where Miori was currently working on her own task, but said hopes were quickly shattered as she realized that they were on the exact opposite side of the mountain.

  “How do you know these Grey Sisters anyway, Pallas?” Seika asked to pass the time. She wanted to speed things up and fly down the mountain, but Pallas informed her the other day that the reason they didn’t do so was that it was ‘tradition’ to walk the trails like humans do, to build a connection with them. Seika considered it a massive waste of time but didn’t dare to butt heads over the local traditions.

  “Oh, my grandfather mentioned them yesterday. Our boy Perseus here has been walking around and petitioning others, but no one had the means to help him, and grandpa was busy.”

  Seika looked at the man who cleared his throat and looked to the side with some embarrassment.

  “You must really love your mother that you’re doing all this for her,” Pallas continued, and the man showed her a slightly bashful smile.

  “Of course I do! What child wouldn’t give their all to protect their mother?”

  “Good man,” Seika commented with a little smile. Their trip continued without issue, though they were on the road for what felt like at least four hours. Seika could see the ocean approaching, and Pallas spoke up.

  “There it is. The coast is where the Grey Sisters live. They will be able to tell us where we need to go to find a Gorgon.”

  Seika furrowed her brow as she looked at the vast ocean in front of her. Naturally, since she studied Greco-Roman myth out of curiosity about Minerva, she knew that these ‘Grey Sisters’ would point Perseus towards Medusa, but to the best of her knowledge, she wasn’t a Gorgon. Not yet anyway.

  They kept walking along the beach, and after a while they approached a hut, with three old women with white glowing hair sitting in front, tending to a pile of firewood, with a large kettle hanging above it. As they raised their heads, they grimaced as they saw who was approaching, even though only one of them had an eye.

  “Residents of the mountain.”

  “Highborn and arrogant.”

  “A mortal among them, too.”

  Seika furrowed her brow. This encounter unpleasantly reminded her of the Furies, which she met in Madame Bille’s home world. There was definitely some kind of class-based resentment brewing between the inhabitants of this world.

  “Hail, Grey Sisters! I am Perseus, and I wish to inquire about the whereabouts of the Gorgons. Any of them will do.”

  “Our sisters?” one of the white-haired women hissed. “What do you intend to do?”

  “I will claim a Gorgon’s head!” Perseus declared before Pallas could slap a hand on his mouth to silence him.

  “He intends to murder our kin!” one of the sisters shrieked.

  “Let me have a look at the bastard!” Another demanded, and the one with the eye reached for it, pulling it out and handing it to her sister. It was now that Seika could see what that eye truly was. A crystalline orb, its pupil a triangular crystal, just like Minerva’s own.

  They are one person with three bodies.

  She narrowed her eyes as the sister with the eye came closer to Perseus.

  “Now tell us, why would we betray our kin and tell you where you can find them to murder them?”

  Another grey woman walked up by her side, her hand now on her sister’s shoulder.

  “We should cut you up and cook you, little human, for the sheer insult!”

  “We shall prick your eyeballs with a thousand needles and make you beg for our forgiveness!”

  The pack of sisters was now all around Perseus, and he looked panicked, drawing his sword and pointing it at the sisters one after the other. Seika assumed that he wouldn’t do much damage with his weapon, so she decided to do something.

  As she saw the eye leave one sister’s eye socket to be handed to the next, she stepped closer and abused the sister’s blind state to take the eye from her, just the way she read about in her own world.

  “What in the… who has the eye?!” the first sister shrieked. Seika took a few steps back and watched the pitiful old women try to shuffle after her, stumbling over each other and falling into the sand.

  She walked backwards, remembering the distance Minerva needed to keep the integrity of her own body, and watched the sisters’ bodies glitch just the same way.

  “No! No…! Give it back! Give it back…!”

  This was a little too easy… but I’m not complaining.

  “Tell us where we can find a Gorgon,” Seika asked and the three fell silent. Only as she raised her hand like she was going to throw the eye into the ocean, they spoke up.

  “One works in the capital! But please, don’t hurt her! She’s a good girl! Dutiful and kind!”

  “Darling Medusa serves the daughter of Jove himself!”

  Seika froze in place, as she heard their begging. Perseus and Pallas looked just as confused as her, and Perseus finally managed to speak again, after having been frozen in fear the entire time the sisters surrounded him.

  “Wait, mistress Pallas, if your grandfather knew about the sisters, wouldn’t he have known about the Gorgon as well? Why send us on a goose chase all the way down the mountain?”

  Seika felt sweat forming on her forehead and her stomach twisting into a knot. She had an extremely bad feeling about this, but she needed to know.

  “Pallas, who was your grandfather again?” she asked with a shaky voice.

  “It’s Neptune, why?” Pallas responded and looked at Seika with worry as the latter turned pale. She felt her heart hammer in her chest and handed the eye back to the Grey Sisters before she turned around and ran.

  “Minerva, what’s going on? Hey, Minerva?! Minerva, we aren’t allowed to fly up the mountain! Minerva!!”

  Seika arrived late at night on top of the mountain. She flew into the city with enough speed that her passing toppled some pots in the market stalls, which fell to the ground and shattered. She stopped in front of her residence and ran inside, summoning her cane sword to her side. As she was inside the corridors she could hear Medusa; her voice echoed through the halls in strained moans.

  I’m too late!

  She rushed towards the temple hall, gritting her teeth as rage built inside her, and then, with her sword drawn, she arrived in the hall, facing the altar. Medusa was hoisted on top of it, and a tall man stood in front of her. From this angle, Seika couldn’t see the details, but it was clear that the large man with luminescent dark blue hair was currently copulating with the priestess.

  She was about to rush him, just as Medusa’s words took the wind out of her sails.

  “A little gentler, my love! We wouldn’t want to wake the… neighborhood.”

  Seika stopped, her heart hammering in her chest as she retreated behind a corner, staring ahead while she listened.

  “Why did you play such a prank on her, my love? The Grey Sisters will likely spill my secret.”

  The man’s voice answered her. “She hasn’t gotten a proper mission outside of her temple for too long. I just helped… speed things along so we could see each other sooner.”

  “But once she knows what I am…”

  “From what I hear, she is a good woman. She won’t hold it against you.”

  “Still… keeping this secret, even though she gave her blessing to me finding a lover… let us come clean!”

  “I’m not sure…”

  Seika took a deep breath; all the tension that built in her since she met Medusa melted away in an instant. She felt an untold amount of relief, and happiness on Medusa’s behalf as she turned around to walk down the hallway, smiling.

  I’ll still scold her for doing it on the altar, though.

  She nodded to herself, not noticing a pitch-black lizard, which stuck to the wall, watching her leave before it turned into a small bird and flew away into the night.

  “I am… so sorry, mistress Minerva!” Medusa shouted, bowing deeply before Seika. Her face was completely red, while Seika had her hands raised in a calming gesture.

  “I’m not mad! Just… do it in your room, instead of on my altar, okay?”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Medusa raised her head again and nodded.

  “I was convinced you would be furious. I am yours to claim, after all,” she added with a flustered expression.

  “I told you: I don’t want your services that way. Please, be happy with your lover!”

  Medusa nodded, and finally, the two relaxed a little, though that was short-lived, as Seika’s eyes involuntarily wandered to the altar, where Medusa was doing… things just last night.

  “I thoroughly cleaned it, mistress Minerva! Please be at ease!” Medusa said, her face flushed again.

  I have a feeling that she will keep apologizing for a while…

  “Again, please calm down. I told you, just keep it in your room from now on,” Seika sighed and cleared her throat.

  “Either way, I heard something strange from the mouth of the Grey Sisters. They said that you were…”

  Time stood still just as Seika was about to ask her question; she saw a blue shimmer from the corner of her eye and her heightened senses told her to jump out of the way of whatever was attacking her.

  She jumped, and Medusa looked on in shock as a pressurized jet of water crashed past her, demolishing the altar. Seika turned after her jump, to look at whoever just attacked her.

  She recognized the blue hair of the man standing by the door. In his right hand he held a trident, while water swirled around his left. His ocean blue eyes were filled with murderous rage as he sent his trident flying to impale Seika against the wall. She quickly employed a barrier, which she kicked herself off of to dodge the incoming weapon. She landed back on her feet, summoning her cane sword and assuming a combat stance to face Neptune, who, for whatever reason, sought to claim her life.

  Uncle… almost father’s equal… don’t stand a chance…

  Minerva managed to influence Seika’s mind despite her severely wounded state and Seika narrowed her eyes. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as the two gods stared each other down, none daring to make the first move.

  “What is this about?” Seika now asked. “I just got done clearing things up with Medusa, there’s no need for this. I didn’t mean to look.”

  “Liar! Slanderer! Ungrateful niece!” Neptune shouted, and Seika had to twist her body to dodge the trident as it violently ripped itself out of the wall, returning to Neptune’s hand.

  “What are you even saying?!” Seika shouted, but this time she was hit by the follow-up attack. A heavily pressurized jet of water shot from Neptune’s left hand and catapulted Seika into the nearest wall – and through it.

  She painfully landed on the floor in the middle of some rubble and groaned, gritting her teeth as Neptune stepped through the hole in the wall.

  “Stop this, darling! She has given us her blessing!” Medusa ran to his side, but he shook her off. Noticeably gently, but still with grim determination to hurt Seika further.

  “Oh, has she? Then why did she spread rumors that her attendant was raped? By ME?!”

  Medusa’s eyes widened, and she took a step back in shock, looking around between Seika and Neptune.

  “She told it to Fama, and as you know, once Fama hears a rumor she spreads it everywhere! She eliminated part of my power with a lie, just like that! And worse than that, she declared our love a vile violation!”

  He pointed his trident at Seika’s throat as she groaned and attempted to get back on her feet.

  “You will have to answer for this, Minerva! Not even your father’s status will save you from the consequences!”

  “And I’m telling you: I didn’t spread any rumors about this…”

  “Lies! You were the only person there to see us! I noticed you, scurrying about like a rat!”

  Neptune raised his trident and brought it down on Seika, who caught it with her sword, grunting as she felt the incredible physical might of the god in front of her behind the blow. Her body felt like it was about to give out, and she had a dreadful feeling that this didn’t even scratch the surface of his power.

  “Stop it! Stop it already!” She heard Medusa shout, but she knew that no one was going to get through to Neptune in his rage right now. Neptune’s left hand let go of his trident and he punched Seika directly in the face. The world grew blurry as she stumbled backwards and caught another jet of highly pressurized water from him, slamming into the nearby wall.

  “I’ll beat you within an inch of your life! Until it takes you a century to regain your strength and project another body! Maybe you will have learned your lesson once you’re back!” Neptune declared as he stepped closer. Cold horror gripped Seika’s heart as she watched him approach her.

  I’m not a Deogemma… I’m going to die!

  She felt a strange tingle in her left hand. She assumed it was a side effect of her hammering heart and how she feared for her life, but as Neptune brought his trident up for another strike, something strange happened.

  “Fateweaver!” Minerva’s voice rang through Seika’s mind, and she extended her left hand towards Neptune. Cloth sprang forth, forming a long tapestry depicting all sorts of events which Seika didn’t recognize. It wrapped around Neptune’s arm and yanked it to the side, making him miss his thrust, just before an owl sprung forth from the cloth, attacking the blue-haired god and scratching his face, making him let out a loud curse. The strange phenomenon ended just as fast as it had begun, with the owl and cloth dematerializing, but it gave Seika the time she needed to jump on her feet and retaliate.

  As she saw Neptune ready another water spell, she didn’t hesitate. Turning her cane sword around and pointing the gemstone on top towards her adversary, she summoned lightning, which surged and connected to the water, and from there, throughout Neptune’s entire body. He screamed in agony as he was electrocuted, but he still moved towards her with murderous intent.

  He swung his trident now, hitting Seika in the side with the long haft and sending her flying again; after she hit a nearby wall with her back, she grimaced and forced her mind back to focusing on her retaliation. Sharp, pointed rocks manifested next to her, which she sent flying towards Neptune with significant force.

  They shattered against a pressurized wall of water that appeared in front of Neptune, and the two stared each other down.

  “If you’d just listen to me…! The rumors weren’t started by me! I’m being targeted!”

  “Lies!” He shouted again, rushing Seika. She grimaced and dodged to the side, sheathing her blade. She sealed it and boiled water inside the sheath to recreate her trick which she used to take down Bellona, all while she barely moved out of the way of devastating attacks.

  She goaded him into another attack, extended her hand holding the sheathed blade, and…

  “ENOUGH!”

  Both Seika’s and Neptune’s heads turned, and they were petrified as they looked upon Medusa’s face. Her eyes were now glowing in a bright green color, with her hair having changed into an array of crystalline snakes which emitted a light of the selfsame color. Seika realized to her horror that she was still fully conscious while petrified, but her fears were alleviated as Medusa stepped closer, first caressing the cheek of the petrified Neptune, then Seika’s.

  “Hear her out, darling. You yourself said that she’s a good woman.”

  Neptune shook, and bit by bit his face regained color from its stone-like appearance, as did Seika’s. Their heads could move, but the rest of their bodies were still petrified to keep them safe from each other. He shot Seika a glare, but then he let out a sigh.

  “I guess I don’t have a choice.”

  “So, you’ve been a Gorgon all along…” Seika observed, sitting in the demolished temple hall and looking past the columns towards the city outside. Her body still ached from the petrification it underwent earlier, while Medusa had returned to her beautiful, human-looking self. Neptune relented, thankfully, and retreated to his own palace, grumbling all the way. He understood now that there was a conspiracy by Scotus and his kin in play, even though he didn’t like that Seika got him caught up in it.

  “I don’t know what you mean by ‘all along’, mistress. It’s what I’ve been born as. If you are wondering why I look like a human, then…”

  Medusa stopped and stared at the city outside.

  “My parents are Keto and Phorcus. They are Deogemma, just like you, but… their seed appears to be cursed. They create both beautiful women and terrible monsters, and in my case, I appear to have been stuck in the middle.”

  “Deogemma don’t always create others with glowing hair and eyes?”

  “No. Sometimes the offspring doesn’t even have a humanoid form.”

  Seika shuddered a little, but she still felt utterly relieved. Minerva’s greatest worry, that she would punish this woman for being violated, was completely unfounded. Though, the question remained how this story would ever come to be. She didn’t need to wait long to get her answer.

  “Minerva!” she heard a familiar voice and turned around to face the hallway. Pallas stood there, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, with Perseus in tow.

  “What did you do?!” she asked, breathlessly. “What did grandfather do?”

  Seika tilted her head in response to the question and stood up, walking over to her.

  “Nothing. I was fearing the worst, but… Medusa is safe.”

  “There are rumors in town, Minerva…” Pallas continued, her eyes wandering towards Medusa before they went back to Seika.

  “That you witnessed my grandfather raping Medusa and turned her into a monster to punish her because it happened on your altar.”

  Seika’s blood froze in her veins at those words and she shot up.

  “Nonsense! She’s here and she’s the same as always!”

  “The rumors say she disguises herself as a human by wearing the skin of a murdered, beautiful maiden…” Perseus added, looking straight at Medusa. He clenched his fist as he stared her down, until Seika stepped in his way.

  “Whatever your reasons, I won’t let you kill her, even if it means you’ll have to let your mother marry a dishonorable man.”

  Perseus visibly gritted his teeth and turned his head away, then all heads turned as they heard a commotion outside.

  ***

  “Princess Minerva, choose me!”

  “I will bring down the vile creature that defiled your temple!”

  “Let me prove myself by slaying the abhorrent Gorgon!”

  At least a dozen men in bronze armor stood in front of Minerva’s palace, brandishing swords and spears. They looked utterly fanatic, attempting to push past each other against the still closed fence of the palace.

  Medusa stepped next to Seika, now having pulled a hood over her head.

  “Warriors and aspiring heroes, hearing of dreadful monsters hated by various gods, trying to win favor by slaying them in their name. Fools, in short.”

  “Can’t I just send them away?” Seika asked quietly, and her attendant shook her head.

  “As long as their ‘monster’ is around, they will hunt for it, no matter what their gods say. Many got punished for their hubris that way, but the damage was already done.”

  Seika nodded, then Medusa gestured for her, Pallas and Perseus to enter the temple again, leaving the men shouting for Minerva behind.

  Medusa took a deep breath as she pulled off her hood, looking up at the statue of Minerva in front of her.

  “…I thought I could be the one in my family who does something we can all be proud of.”

  “You still can…” Seika tried to assure her, but Medusa just shook her head.

  “Maybe. But right now, I can only do one thing.”

  Medusa turned around and faced Perseus.

  “Come, hero. I will have you slay the monster.”

  “Fantastic. Your debts are paid!” Vejovis announced, openly admiring the long blood vessel in his hands. Per Jove’s instructions he didn’t acknowledge the fact that Seika was a mortal borrowing Minerva’s powers, but she had the feeling that the lack of ‘Princess Minerva’ would be a telltale sign for a knowledgeable spy overhearing them, so she furrowed her brow at him.

  “Don’t look at me like that. Now that our business is concluded, I dare say, we can go our own ways, now. Though… how exactly did you acquire this? I often declare the debt of a Gorgon’s vein in jest, since their kind are unkillable, but this is very much cut from a Gorgon’s body.”

  Seika looked at him with tired eyes before she answered.

  “I aided a young man in finding and slaying the Gorgon Medusa. A priestess who I turned into a monster,” she repeated the sickening, rehearsed lie.

  “Oh, I heard the tales, yes, yes. The young men were lining up in the streets for the honor of slaying one of the beasts that has incurred your wrath, I heard! How did he manage to do it?”

  “Medusa’s very gaze turns men and even gods to stone, so I gave him a polished shield, with which he was able to look at her reflection without being petrified,” Seika repeated the next part of her lie.

  “Impressive! Surely that will be a legend for the ages,” Vejovis said with an enthusiastic nod.

  “Well! I have to get to studying this, now, and I’m sure you have your own duties to attend to, so I’ll leave you to it!” Vejovis dismissed her, and Seika gladly took this opportunity to leave his clinic. She walked through the hallway, out of the clinic and entered the bustling streets of the capital; she wouldn’t go home on foot, however.

  A white winged horse waited for her outside, its wings folded against its flanks and wearing a golden bridle. It immediately looked her way as it saw her approaching and lowered itself to the ground so she could mount it.

  “Thank you for waiting, Pegasus,” Seika spoke quietly and stroked its flank as it raised itself back up. It launched itself into the air and rode towards Minerva’s palace. On the way, however, she saw Miori approaching the gates of Bellona’s palace and rapidly descended, coming to a stop next to her.

  “Se- Minerva! We heard strange rumors when we entered the city. Is everything alright? What’s with the… uh… horse?”

  Seika looked from Miori to her attendant Nerio, then back to Miori.

  “I think it’s best I explain this back in my own palace. Follow me.”

  She got off Pegasus’ back, guiding the horse to a simple accommodation in front of her own Palace where the creature would be fed and watered by her attendant; though as she let go, the creature simply turned around and looked directly in Seika’s eyes. It brushed off its golden bridle, which remained in Seika’s hand, then it spread its wings and simply flew away.

  Right… he’s a sort of god himself and won’t be stabled like a horse.

  Seika sighed, stowing away the bridle for Minerva’s later use before she joined Miori and Pallas again to guide them inside.

  After a short walk into the halls they arrived in the temple, still partially destroyed by Seika’s fight with Neptune. Her attendant and Pallas waited there, with the attendant wearing a hood, blue hair spilling out from underneath.

  “It’s alright, Michiru, these two will keep our secret.”

  The attendant nodded and lifted her hood. Medusa looked at their new guests with her usual smile and bowed, unharmed except for a scar marking the side of her neck.

  ***

  Two days prior

  ***

  Neptune was in attendance, and his hostile stare did nothing to ease Seika’s nerves. He promised them that he would end the life of everyone in attendance, with the exception of his darling granddaughter Pallas, if they did anything to permanently harm Medusa.

  She wanted to die by Perseus’ hand to put an end to the string of rumors hounding both her mistress and her lover, and the hunt for glory by other human ‘heroes’. Or make everyone in the city believe she was slain, at least.

  The Gorgon placed a clay sculpture on a pedestal and gestured at it for everyone to have a look.

  “Young Perseus’ quest here is to retrieve my head. Of course, no one can look at a pure Gorgon’s head without being petrified, so some trickery will suffice. We will infuse this idol with blood from my neck to transfer some of my power into it and put it in a burlap sack. No one will dare to look inside, and those who do will be petrified, which should be evidence enough for all onlookers.”

  She turned towards Seika.

  “At the same time, Princess Minerva owes Vejovis a Gorgon’s vein. I dare say our planned bloodletting will provide enough of an opportunity for you to retrieve some length of my… vital blood vessels.”

  Seika grimaced and looked at her hand.

  “You could bleed out…”

  “Not if you heal me while we operate. Our enemies made a big mistake by only attacking your character and martial repute. You have been working diligently on strengthening the people’s belief in your healing abilities, and they shall become our greatest asset.”

  Seika nodded, then she walked to the door and carried in a dozen polished shields. They would have to operate on Medusa’s true Gorgon form, and true to the legends, they would be petrified if they looked at her directly. She demonstrated a modicum of control over her abilities before, but considering that she was about to be in a lot of pain, it was a good possibility that she wouldn’t be able to control herself. After the shields were brought into position around her, everyone took their places around her as well. Pallas brought a pair of large pliers and a chalice while Perseus stood ready with his sword and Seika raised her cane.

  “Ready?” Seika asked and everyone in attendance nodded. Perseus brought his sword to the side of Medusa’s neck, and she transformed.

  The procedure only took twenty seconds or so, but it would forever remain burned into Seika’s mind. After Medusa’s neck was slashed with a swift cut, Pallas did her best to catch the gushing blood in the chalice, but soon her hands were slick with the red liquid, and she almost dropped it. Medusa was very obviously putting on a brave face, but she wasn’t a seasoned warrior. The procedure hurt, a lot even, and the feeling of impending death made her visibly struggle to keep her composure. Seika applied her healing magic to the best of her abilities, making sure that this procedure wouldn’t kill Medusa, but it only made her feel like a sadistic torture mistress, applying healing so that a poor victim wouldn’t perish and could suffer more pain. Blood splattered on the polished mirrors which everyone used to see what they were doing, making the procedure incredibly difficult. Neptune already looked like he was ready to tear everyone present apart, even more so as Perseus kept cutting to fully reveal the vein on the side of Medusa’s neck and made cuts above and below.

  Now Medusa screamed. Before she was just cut, but now a whole piece of her flesh was cut and ripped from her body, causing her to writhe in pain. Her snake hair had a will of its own and was even more aggressive, snapping at the people around her who were identified as the source of the pain. Seika grunted as she felt the fangs of one of the creatures sink into her shoulder, but she kept going. Pallas intercepted one going for young Perseus by letting the offending snake bite her in the arm.

  “Don’t worry about this… some snake venom won’t do us Deogemma in!” she assured the man with a strained smile as he kept cutting.

  As the piece of length was removed and the chalice was half full, Pallas shouted “Now!” and Seika nodded, giving her healing magic a large push. Flesh and blood vessels grew back, and after agonizing seconds, Medusa transformed back, falling on her knees and breathing heavily.

  Pallas busied herself immediately by pouring the magically infused blood over the idol and performed some kind of ritual which Seika possessed no knowledge of.

  The clay head emitted a strange glow, and Pallas looked away from it as she hastily stuffed it into the prepared sack. She soaked the bottom in some of Medusa’s blood for good measure to make it more believable as a sack carrying a decapitated head, too.

  “Is it… done?” Medusa asked, holding the side of her neck.

  Seika, Perseus and Pallas looked around nervously, but then Seika nodded.

  “Everything went well. We have the vein, and we have the infused head.”

  “Good. Then from now on, Medusa the Gorgon is dead,” Medusa spoke, looking up to Seika with a tired smile.

  “Give me a new name, mistress.”

  Seika was a little overwhelmed by the sudden request, but somehow her mind fired a name immediately after she had a look around between Neptune and Medusa.

  “Michiru.”

  “What a strange name. I shall go by it from today on, then.”

  “Uhm,” Pallas made a noise and looked into the chalice she held. She shook it gently, and everyone present could hear a little rattle.

  “The remaining blood… it gathered together and… well…” Pallas looked to Medusa, then to Neptune, then to Medusa again and turned red.

  “…congratulations!” she suddenly blurted out, handing the chalice to Medusa, who looked just as overwhelmed. Seika looked over Pallas’ shoulder to see what she was talking about and saw two pristine gemstones inside, one pure white and glowing, the other in the same dark red shade as Medusa’s blood.

  “Are those…?”

  “Deogemma? Yes. Though one of them is a beast, thanks to my cursed lineage,” Medusa spoke with some sadness, looking over to Neptune with a weak little smile. The man’s aggression melted from his face as he saw the gemstones and approached; he even appeared to be adoring them.

  “It would appear you got me pregnant during our secret meetings, darling. What shall we name them?”

  ***

  “And that is how… well, Pegasus out there was born. His brother, Khrysaor, will need more time to emerge, since he is humanoid,” Seika finished her explanation and looked to the little pendant Medusa was wearing; it was the red gemstone of her second child, which she kept safe on her person until he was ready to emerge without the assistance of a human host. Seika couldn’t help but wonder how long Minerva would have needed to get her own body without a partner.

  Miori stared at them with her jaw hanging in disbelief, same with Nerio.

  “What a… reckless plan. But I’m glad it worked out…?” Miori spoke and looked at Medusa, then at Seika.

  “Perseus is already on the way down the mountain to announce his victory in his hometown and hand over the deadly gift. Rumors of the cursed priestess being slain by a hero are already spreading rapidly. With that, our troubles with this should be over. Would that we could have resolved this and restored mistress Minerva’s reputation, though,” Medusa replied with a sigh, pulling the hood over her head again. Despite her dyed hair, she liked to add the additional layer of protection offered by shrouding her face.

  “Don’t worry about my reputation, Medusa. The damage was already done, so playing the villain in this story to make sure no ‘heroes’ try to kill you is the least I could do,” Seika assured her, smiling.

  “Also… I know that you’re beating yourself up over your cursed lineage, Medusa, but I think despite being a beast, Pegasus is far from a monster.”

  Medusa blinked and looked into Seika’s eyes.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s not humanoid, but I can tell: he is an exceptionally beautiful horse. I’m sure he got his beauty from you, as well as a noble heart.”

  Seika looked her attendant in the eyes, who managed a little smile. A healthy little blush returned to her cheeks as she thanked her mistress with a bow.

  “You should get some rest, Medusa. I know I need some, at the very least,” Seika spoke, and the attendant nodded. She walked ahead, stopping only to look at Miori and add with a smile: “Are you coming?”

  ***

  “So, Seika…” now in the limited privacy of the bedroom, Miori addressed Seika with her real name.

  “Hm?”

  “That name you gave Medusa…” Miori pierced Seika with her eyes, and she looked away with an awkward grin.

  “What about it?”

  “You took the name of her lover, Neptune, and named her after that Sailor Scout’s real name.”

  “Sure did.”

  “You incorrigible otaku… come here.”

  Miori leaned in and kissed Seika, and for a wonderful little moment, all her cares in the world melted away.

  As she rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling, however, she thought back to that strange ability she demonstrated during her fight with Neptune.

  ‘Fateweaver’. I wonder what it is. I should probably ask Jove about it.