Page 4 of The Conquest of Medusa

“You can take the metal off the tips,” Perseus said suddenly, gesturing toward the wings.

“Yes. Makes sleeping more comfortable,” she said with a grin. He responded in kind. Looking at that easy smile, she wondered if allowing him inside her small home was a bad idea after all.

“I’m sure your guests would agree.” Perseus’s gaze never left hers.

“I don’t get many guests. I would have thought that was obvious,” she said.

“Why? Do you kill everyone who comes looking for you?” he asked.

“No. A fair number give up and leave after I beat them. Almost no one comes here.”

“No guests. No friends or relatives? Lovers?” His voice was quiet, teasing, but with an undercurrent of what sounded suspiciously like sympathy.

“My sisters, occasionally. I consider this my sanctuary. It’s really not that bad,” she said, then smiled at him. “Anyway, now that you’re here, please make yourself comfortable, by all means.” Medusa indicated his relaxed, wide-legged sprawl and he laughed.

“Alright, alright. So, what about the journey? What are we dealing with?” he asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

“Well, the path is relatively clear of threats from here to the sea. Then we’ll come to an inn. Going through it is the only way to get to the docks to find a ferry. Otherwise, there are only sheer drops to the water line on either side. There are some unsavory types in there, but nothingyoucan’t handle, I’m sure.”

“Of course,” Perseus said with a lazy shrug.

“After that, there’s the crossing. We’ll hope for calm waters. Then there’s the army. Well, not so much an organized army as a cult dedicated to the worship and protection of Cetus. Have you heard of them?” Medusa asked with a raised eyebrow.

The warmth that had colored Perseus’s face, real or imagined, was replaced by increasing seriousness the more she described the journey. It was the reaction she’d hoped for. Medusa didn’t know if being a son of the most powerful of the gods meant he was immortal. He’d taken all her hits and, apparently, his body repaired itself. But even if he couldn’t die, she could. She might live on unchanged, but only so long as she avoided a killing blow. She always had to be careful. Always had to be better.

“I’ve heard some were turned to madness by the power of Cetus and the other great monsters of the seas. And that they can be dangerous if provoked, yes, but no one said anything about an army of them.”

“In that case, I’m really glad we’re having this talk,” Medusa said with a low laugh. “Because, despite your warrior skills and good intentions, what you want to attempt isn’t going to be easy. I need you to understand how serious this is, and I need to know you have my back. And just so you understand, if you betray me when things get serious, you will never know a greater enemy.”

Perseus’s laughter was low, his gaze glittering in the intimate lighting of the small space. “I don’t doubt that.” Quieting, he studied her, and she was grateful for the semidarkness of her side of the room. He wouldn’t be able to see the discomfort of being watched so intently. The discomfort of beingseen. “Well, thank you for the warnings about the unsavories at the inn and the legion of doom. But as for you and me, the time for us to be enemies has passed, don’t you think?”

3

THE NECTAR OF THE GODS

MEDUSA

Perseus stood and walked toward her. Medusa sat frozen, burning, surprise warring with unfamiliar anticipation. He sat beside her. Then slowly, he took her hand and loosened her hair tie with the other. Earlier, while she’d cooked, he’d bathed in a tub outside and now he smelled of soap and fresh, sweet grass.

“Is that room in the back your bedchamber?” he asked conversationally, sifting his hand through her hair and examining the strands up close.

Medusa could tell that it fascinated him, and a strong wave of shock and desire washed through her. She lived in an almost constant dream state but being so close to a man in this way seemed surreal.

“Yes,” she said. “However.”

“Shit. What?”

“I mean, we did meet only a few days ago, and how we met wasn’t exactly dinner and a stroll on the seashore under the moonlight. Forgive me if my memory of custom is off but shouldn’t foreplay be a little less, I don’t know — murderous?”

Perseus exhaled with frustration, then grinned. “So, you want a proper courting. Okay, fine.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“No, you’re right. Just because we might die at any moment from tomorrow on, doesn’t mean we need to rush into anything,” Perseus said with a deep sigh.

Medusa laughed, delighting in the cruelty he was pretending she’d inflicted. She quieted, her laughter trailing off into a small smile.

“Well, since you seem to like pointless and almost guaranteed doomed-to-fail quests, I’ve got some bad news for you.” It was so hard to find the words she needed in this moment. Medusa paused, then took a deep breath and continued. “You see, when your sister changed me into the amazing creature that sits before you, my blood wasn’t the only thing that became acidic.” She waited for him to take the hint.

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