Page 27 of Heroines of Olympus

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That night,after several rounds of drinks at the tavern celebrating with her fellow new Heroes, including Lysander, Icarus is sitting at the small table beside her bed in the barracks writing a letter to her parents.

She leaves out the broken nose, and the bruises, and simply tells them she did well in her trials and is now a Hero.

Pride swells in her chest, and her smile is from ear to ear.

She seals the letter and sets it next to a similar letter to Hector, both to be dispatched in the morning on her way to her first day of training. Every recruit will do a rotation in each Legion. At the end of the rotations, two recruits will join each Legion. Initiation there has its own set of trials, but she will cross that hurdle when she gets there.

16

MEDUSA

“It just doesn’t feel right. The closer we got to it, the more my bones scream to run.”

Medusa leans over the railing and watches the dolphins that have been swimming alongside their ship for the past hour when a conversation between two deckhands drifts over to her.

The Mysts.

For most of the day, they have been sailing within sight of the Mysts and the crew of the Leviathan have been increasingly vocal about their distrust for the barrier between the Olympic Isles and the Underworld.

Medusa never feels that way, though. To her, it has a dark beauty. Maybe she knows deep down that one day her soul will match and sees a kindred spirit through the window of time. She assumes the Mysts are off-putting to most as a fight-or-flight instinct. They know that crossing the Mysts improperly will leave you trapped in the Underworld forever. Sure, there are plenty of people who live, work, and even commute there, but they go through the proper channels. The clearance needed is mystical and ancient but, if granted, allows safe passage to and from the Underworld and its Under Temple.

Medusa has seen it a few times growing up. As one of the few Acolytes that could travel with Athena once she ascended, she thought she had been special. She had worked so hard in her training, but what little information the Allegiance has already given her leads her to believe that maybe there were ulterior motives.

Seeing the Mysts again, now, is like looking upon an old friend. She smiles at it and spends a large part of the day just staring out into the dark haze.

Standing back upright, Medusa surveys the deck. Aside from those manning the ship, there are people bustling about, prepping for their arrival. No one is hostile to her, but most are hesitant to return her smile or greeting.

Medusa spots Alec and Yiorgos talking and makes her way over to join them. Another couple rejected salutations and by the time she makes it the short walk over to them, she feels dejected and tired. Maybe this was a mistake.

Alec is his usually jovial self and informs her they should arrive within an hour, a few hours earlier than anticipated, apparently thanks to favorable winds. Unfortunately, it will still be too late to meet with the Oracle, but Medusa does not entirely mind. While she is eager to unlock the secrets of her past, the shock of leaving her island is still an adjustment. Plus, she is looking forward to her time with Psyche. Does this mean they will start their tour earlier? Best not to dwell on it, lest she get her hopes up.

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Medusa spendsthe last of her time in her cabin, taking a moment to be alone and recharge and recenter. Yiorgos kindly loaned her a book. Not wanting to offend after such a kind gesture, she spends the next thirty minutes getting absorbed in its pages. It is a folktale book that takes her by surprise. The illustrations are beautiful and she enjoys the short fables that succinctly tell tales of monsters being slain, heroes saving the day, but also mistakes being made and tales that show how someone’s uniqueness makes them special, not strange.

Where was a book like this when Medusa was growing up? However, it does not match the Acolyte narrative of feelings not mattering and being best kept to yourself.

A few pages into a story about a hydra, a bell ringing comes from the hallway.

“Land spotted! Land spotted! Going ashore!”

Closing the book, Medusa takes a deep breath and braces for being publicly scrutinized once more. Being comfortable around people again will take time. It makes sense for them to be cautious around her, but hopefully that caution does not turn into fear.

They are about to go through The Mysts and she makes her way up to the deck for the last time on this voyage. Ignoring the whispers and stares as she makes her way to the bow, Medusa focuses on the mass of land is visible not too far on the horizon. It is just as Alec said so far - a deserted rock formation. The proximity to The Mysts surely adds to the lack of appeal from afar, and Medusa appreciates the cleverness of the location. The edge of the Mysts that they will sail through is visible and close.

The boundary of the charcoal-colored fog ebbs and flows with the water like a living entity. Glancing back at the crew, no one seems concerned and everyone is still going about their preparations. It’s risky testing the limits of the safety of the abyss, but the Allegiance does this regularly. She has to trust they know what they are doing. Looking at the edge of the Mysts, Medusa braces herself as she and the front of the boat cross over.

Suddenly, a calm that she has not felt in at least eight years washes over her. Every time she passed through as an Acolyte, she cherished the moments she spent crossing through the Mysts. The time was always too brief, but felt more like home than any place she can remember.

Her eyes close as she breathes in the peace. A slightly electric sensation builds as her skin tingles, a new but not unpleasant sensation. A gasp behind her, followed by a thunk, brings her crashing back to the present and shattering her tranquility.

When her eyes open to investigate, Medusa does not have to look far. Faint shimmers swirl around her skin, extending down her arms. Gaping at her hands in disbelief, she does not understand what to make of it. Looking around the deck, all eyes are on Medusa. Their expressions span the range from horrified to curious. What is happening? It can be nothing good. Another question for the Oracle.

They are through the Mysts and the shimmers disappear. There is no time to linger on the weird experience, because the view that meets her takes her breath away. Who could ever have imagined the Isle could house so much civilization? As she sees rows of buildings and colorful awnings that indicate the possibility of a marketplace, Medusa begins to fully process the depth of the illusion presented by the front side of the island.

As they get closer, Medusa can see crowds of people moving through the streets, and it is surprising how populated it is here. Medusa had assumed that the only ones here would be active members of the Allegiance, but there seems to be more. They are almost at the docks when the sounds of the island make their way to her. People at the docks shouting across to each other as they go about their tasks, murmurs of conversation interrupted by occasional bursts of laughter, and even… children?

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