Page 50 of Heroines of Olympus

Using the hand not holding the dagger to Medusa’s throat, Nicodemus uses his teeth to pull the stopper out of the vial that he still holds, dropping it to the ground. Black smoke billows from the broken shards of the bottle and Nicodemus pulls a cloth out of his pocket, covering his face.

Psyche shoves Medusa, causing her to fall several feet away, clear of the vapor.

“Run!” Psyche yells, but Medusa it rooted to the deck as Psyche loses consciousness.

No.How did this go so wrong, so fast?

Nicodemus lifts Psyche up and hoists her into the lifeboat. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his pocket watch and curses.

No! He can’t have Psyche!

“Well, you’re not the one I was after, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be happy to have you, too,” Nicodemus says to Psyche’s body.

Medusa lunges but has no weapons and is completely defenseless. Again.

Except she isn’t.

Her snakes hissing in a rage as Medusa pulls her hood down. “Let her go!”

But he has already dropped the lifeboat below her line of sight.

Nicodemus calls back over the railing. “You can come after me, or you can go inform the crew that they have no captain or protection for the Strait. Maybe they’ll have just enough time to improvise and pull it together. But if you follow me, Viper, every one of these people will die because you abandoned them.”

This can’t be happening.

Does Medusa go after them? Save Psyche? Her serpents hiss loudly as the internal war rages. Clenching the railing, Medusa watches the boat’s descent as guilt overwhelms her.Tears fall freely from her face as she realizes Nicodemus is right. If Medusa tries to save Psyche, there is little chance any of the crew will survive. They are heading into the deadliest waters in the Olympic Isles without a captain or a god’s protection.

This is my fault.

Silence washes over her mind as Medusa puts the hood back on, turns, and runs back to the front of the ship, asking everyone where she can find Iris.

Deonn leads Medusa through the chaos of the ship to Iris. She tries frantically to tell them what happened, but she cannot find the words to say that Psyche is gone. That Medusa failed her and allowed Nicodemus to take her.

Medusa sucks in rapid, shallow breaths of air.He took Psyche.A wail escapes her as the reality of Psyche’s absence hits Medusa. The hardwood of the deck is solid when her knees slam into it.

Looking around at the crew of the ship, all staring at Medusa with confusion and curiosity as she sobs, she knows she made the right choice to save them, but her heart shatters every second she is away from Psyche.

A shout comes from the crow’s nest announcing their arrival at the Strait. Medusa does not have the luxury of wallowing in her failure. If she cannot pull it together, Psyche will be gone and every person on this ship will die. All because of Medusa.

Everything seems far away, and the murmur and shuffling of the crowd sounds muted. Someone drops in front of Medusa, cupping her face in his firm hands. As Medusa's eyes lock with Cadmus’s, her breathing steadies and Medusa tells him what happened.

Iris shouts out orders to the deckhands, assuming the role of captain like they were born for it. Ajax jumps in as first mate and they adapt to the new command structure seamlessly.

“Hey,” Cadmus says tentatively.

“Hey,” Medusa replies, trying to look away from him in shame, but he gently keeps her facing him.

“Sorry about what happened with the captain. I wish I had been there. I would have thrown him overboard and let the sirens have him. The coward knew the rest of us would never let him take you, but he got you alone.”

Medusa nods, as her rage returns now that her shock is wearing off. “There’s still time. I’m going after her.”

Cadmus shakes his head, holding up his hands, “No. We are too close to the Strait, it’s too dangerous. We can’t lose you, too!”

“I wasn’t asking for your permission, Hero.” Medusa spits out the last word. How dare he try to tell her what she can do? His approval is not needed or wanted.

Medusa turns to walk back to the small boats Nicodemus abducted Psyche. Maybe there was a second boat there and Medusa can follow Psyche, despite Nicodemus’s unfortunate head start.

Cadmus steps in front of her, his tall frame blocking out the bright sun overhead, casting his features into shadow. “C’mon. Let’s get you below deck. We’re almost out of time.”

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