Page 55 of Meduso
“I will make sure I am. But look on the bright side, at least we have a demi-god on our team this go around,” Euryale replied.
I smirked at her assurance and positive view about this situation. “You’re right. Any extra number on our side is a good thing.”
“Well, I wouldn’t consider Perseus as just anumber,” Euryale corrected me. “He’s the entire sum!”
Just as predicted, the warriors became more numerous on the island. We became an unstoppable duo, Perseus and I. We were a force to be reckoned with. The number of warriors that descended upon our island were very few at first, but then they continued to come around more frequently with each passing week. Our strategies worked for the most part. I would draw the intruders in, while Perseus would sneak from behind them with a single blow for the kill. On the rare occasion, a hunter would have acute senses and detect Perseus’s presence. When this happened, I would be swift in making sure that I moved behind Perseus, and I was there at all times. When we were in this precise formation, the attacker was forced to have to close their eyes when going against Perseus in fear of glancing over his shoulder and into my eyes. However, most of the warriors failed to do this, and within a matter of seconds, they were cast into stone.
Even when Perseus slayed the men and killed them with his sword, I came upon their lifeless bodies and opened their eyelids, gazing into their pupils. We made sure everybody was turned to limestone before we disposed of them into the lake. Having them completely solidified was less messy and avoided the spilling of blood. I’d rather have to lug a heavy statue through the forest rather than carry a body that had liquids and guts pouring out of it. The heavy load to carry was more tolerable than having my heavy stomach to carry the smell of rotting flesh.
Eventually, months had since passed and the warriors were becoming more creative with their weapons and their defenses. Some men brought various angled shields with them. They used these to catch me in their vision before fighting. Sometimes, up to five men joined forces in a single ambush against us. Others thought as Perseus and I had, and had transparent glass devices over their eyes, that were held up by rope tied behind their head. Not once did they ever have to swing a sword in pitch blackness.
One day, a large ship arrived, bringing with it at least twenty soldiers. Except they weren’t soldiers. As Perseus and I scoped them out, we noticed their shredded garbs. There were no breastplates, nor shields. They seemed disheveled and not very organized. Must have been a common band of thieves, I assumed. Some of these men had long-swords while others had smaller daggers in their hands.
“Run ahead and get your sisters,” Perseus commanded. “We will need their help for this one. I will keep an eye on them.”
“Okay. Just don’t do anything reckless,” I requested.
“I won’t,” Perseus replied. It relieved me to hear him say that. He planted a parting kiss on my lips that lingered as I left his side and glided through the forest to find Euryale and Stheno near our caves.
“We have trouble and could use your assistance,” I shared.
“How many?” Stheno asked.
“At least twenty,” I revealed.
“My goodness! We’ve never had that many at once before,” a shocked Euryale stated.
“I will grab our swords,” Stheno announced. “Euryale, go along with Meduso and I will catch up with you two.”
We both nodded to her and made haste as we moved through the forest, returning to Perseus, who remained in the same exact spot where he was when I left him. My heart rose out of my stomach when I saw that he was unharmed and untouched.
Euryale and I crouched down with him. These men were extremely rowdy, running around on the beach yelling and shouting obscene comments. I could not tell whether or not they were angry with one another or joking around. It was a bizarre scene to witness. We continued to study their moods when Stheno had joined us.
“Tell me what I need to know,” my oldest sister demanded.
“There’s not much to tell,” Perseus explained. “I am unsure of their battle skills. They seem a little clumsy to me based on first impressions. Right now, they are unloading items from their ship. It looks like they plan to camp out here.”
“Do they intend on attacking us at night?” I asked.
“They could be. But that would be extremely foolish of them,” Perseus replied.
“Yes. That would put them at a disadvantage. Their sight will be limited and they do not know the island as we do. It would be a poor decision on their part if they did,” Stheno explained.
“Well, no matter what the case, we will need to keep an eye out on them,” I recommended. “It would be wise of us to make the first move when they will least expect it.”
“What are you thinking?” Perseus asked me.
I was honored that he valued my opinion, even when it came to war and battle strategies, which were his specialty. “I say we attack at sunset if they do not make any moves until then.”
Everyone remained silent and no one disagreed with my idea.
Stheno then spoke up. “Then it is decided. We strike at dusk.”
A few hours had passed, and there was still no sudden movement by the motley herd that was now camped out on the beach. The sun was beginning to set, so we knew it would be any moment before we made our presence known to these men.
We resumed mapping out our plan of attack as we patiently waited.
“Euryale, you will ambush them from the west side, Stheno from the east, and Meduso, you will move in head on,” Perseus explained. “I will stand guard and stay just behind Meduso.”
