Page 57 of Meduso
“No. It’s fine. I just… nevermind. Don’t worry about it,” Perseus replied. He then gripped my cheeks with his hands, wanting my lips to return to their rightful place against his. The interval that they had been separated from one another for was far longer than he wanted, even if it was just for a few seconds. We then made love, although I was slightly distracted the entire time. Even as I found myself locked in the passion, I had to be weary of his laceration.
An hour later, we rested on each other, my head leaning against his chest. “Promise me something, Perseus.”
“Sure. What is it?” he inquired.
“Promise me that you will not put yourself in harm’s way in order to save me ever again. It’s one thing for you to fight alongside me, but it’s another to sacrifice your life for mine. I know we have never had this sort of conversation before, but it’s important for us to talk about.”
“But Meduso, you must understand. I do not want to live without you. I would rather die than go on in life without having you by my side,” Perseus declared.
I had a feeling Perseus would announce something along those lines. But I had the same exact thoughts as him. I would rather die than go on living without him, too. “I feel the same way, Perseus. But please just accept that if it is my time to leave this world, then let it be. Do not substitute yours for mine. When it comes down to it, think about what you still have left to fight for. You have a mother back home, friends, and family. There is still so much you have to hold on to and care for beyond me. As for myself, I only have you and my sisters. And don’t forget, my sisters are immortal. They can fully care for themselves, of course.”
He shook his head. I could see his eyes begin to water. “Don’t say such things, Meduso. It’s like you are determined to die.”
“No. I’m not wishing that at all. How could you say that? I just want us to be prepared, if by chance another scenario arises where my life is in crisis. You should not jeopardize your own life, for mine. Does that make sense?” I clarified.
Perseus sighed and pressed his forehead into me. “I understand. It’s just hard to talk and even think about these sorts of things.”
“I know. So, as long as you promise me you will not take a dagger for me like you did last week, then my mind will be put at ease. Can you promise me that?”
He remained silent. I could feel his tears transfer from his cheek to my skin as he pressed his face against mine. “I can’t, Meduso. I can’t make that promise. I’m sorry.”
Chapter 19
Three days later, Perseus was still not fully recovered. However, he was able to rise to his feet and walk around. Despite my constant pleading with him to rest and to still remain lied down, his hard-headedness triumphed. He refused to listen to my advice.
“I said three days, Meduso. No more and no less. I cannot stay in that bed for another minute,” Perseus said. “And where is my sword? Where have you hidden it?”
“If you want to defy me and walk around, by all means go ahead, but don’t think for one second I am going to condone you lifting a sword when you are just coming out of recovery for the first time.”
“Grrrr. Fine. Have it your way,” he replied, seeming defeated. “Just allow me to take a stroll around the island. I need some fresh air.”
I nodded. “That, you can do.”
Perseus went on his way. As much as I wanted to follow him to make sure he was okay, I knew he would prefer to be alone. After all, I’m a very independent person and value the time I have to myself. With Perseus constantly having me at his side for the past ten days, I am sure he appreciated the opportunity to be able to walk the beach on his own.
I sat in my cave alone for several minutes. Once I saw a shadow appear on the cave walls, I assumed it was Perseus who had returned. Except it wasn’t him, nor my sisters. It was a complete stranger. I reached for my sword and held my eyes wide open, gazing at the man. However, this person was able to stare directly at me with no harm done. He did not turn to stone and continued to walk towards me. He could not have been a mortal. Was he a god?
“Do you ever get tired of drawing a sword every time you meet a new person? Perhaps a welcoming greeting or a simple hello would be nice.” He had a coy smirk on his face as he said this. I studied him closely. Fairly handsome, with some boyish features about him. He was not overly muscular, but had an athletic and fit build to him.
I was still on high alert. I refused to sheath my sword, unsure of who this person was who managed to get by my sisters and navigate the island to find me in this cave. “Who are you? Why have you come here?” I asked him with a slight aggression in my voice.
“Really? Did your sea monster parents not teach you about the gods of Mount Olympus?” He pointed to the brilliant white wings on his helmet and a matching set of wings that accentuated from the back of his gladiator sandals.
Once he made these features obvious to me, I recalled the Graeae and their descriptions about each of the gods and goddesses they told me about, including this one.
“That one is known as a trickster,” Deino would say.
“You both would actually get along well with the cruel pranks you love to pull,” Pemphredo would add.
“Yes. He is a darling to the gods. He can smooth talk his way out of anything,” Enyo claimed.
Now, this same god was before me, gracing me with his presence in my own bed cave.
“Hermes…” I stated.
“Correct! And to think I was starting to lose faith in your intellect there for a moment.” He chuckled as he stated this. “So, can you now put down that sword? Is that so much to ask?”
I slowly dropped the weapon to the ground.
