Page 45 of Heroines of Olympus

He makes it back up the stairs and out of sight right as the next shift arrives to relieve them.

27

MEDUSA

Medusa looks for something to do as Psyche oversees final preparations. Medusa has nothing to bring. The Seamstress has already sent the clothing they are bringing to the ship, informing them when they were leaving yesterday that the gowns, armor, and a few days’ worth of regular clothes will be onboard. Medusa has no possessions to pack, so she finds herself idle this afternoon and is wandering the Isle City until the tide is favorable for them to leave.

The important buildings of the Isle look similar and have wooden signs hanging from the exterior as identifiers. The one before her has a book carved into it and piques her curiosity. Perhaps the shop owner will allow Medusa to browse?

A small bell rings as the door opens. The man who steps out of what appears to be a back room is not who Medusa was expecting. Older people had operated and maintained every library and bookshop she had ever been to growing up. She does not remember seeing anyone who ever looked to be younger than eighty. This man is young, twenties maybe? He also lacks the wiry frame the scholars always had. He has broad muscular shoulders and is easily taller than she is, and she is not exactly short.

He smiles wide at her, “Welcome to The Little Library. My name is Jonas. Are you seeking knowledge? Adventure? Romance?” He says with an eyebrow wiggle.

Medusa’s walls immediately start coming down and she quickly feels at home in this shop and with this man, returning his smile. “I was hoping maybe I could just look around. I don’t have any money, but I would love to just see what books you have here and spend some of my afternoon here. Would that would be alright?”

Jonas shakes his head. “That’s not how it works here. We don’t operate on that kind of system. I am not a bookseller, I am a bookkeeper. My job is to be the caretaker of these books until the right person comes looking for them, and to help you find exactly what kind of story you need right now. My job is not to sell you books.”

He sees the confusion on her face and continues, “The Isle doesn’t use currency. Everyone who can, contributes, and everything we have other than a few personal possessions, is shared. I am in charge of the books, that’s how I contribute. Allegiance members frequently pick up books on their travels and when they go on their assignments. Then they are deposited here for people to enjoy. If you go into the many bakeshops, you will find that as long as the system isn’t being abused, anyone can come in and leave with a treat. People work in our shops, perform their crafts, and find ways to give back to the community that saved them. It’s very rare that anyone violates the spirit of the Isle.”

Medusa nods her head as she processes this. It sounds like a utopia; she hopes it does, in fact, turn out to be so. “Ok… thank you. So far, this place has proven to be mostly wonderful. You have added to that and I’m grateful for the warm welcome.”

“I know not everyone here has been kind to you. I’m sorry about that. Please know that we don’t tolerate that here, and I hope you continue to be met with the kindness you deserve. And with that, I’ll leave you be to the books. If you need any help, there’s a bell on the desk here. You’ll pretty much just find works of fiction in here. The Observatory houses everything academic, but if there’s ever a topic you need more information on, I go up there routinely to fulfill requests. O just has the most use for them, so we found it more efficient for those to be up there with her.”

“Thank you,” Medusa smiles genuinely.

“I should also warn you, the shop cats like to pop in randomly on people, so I hope they don’t startle you.”

Jonas walks back into the rear room from which he first emerged, whistling to himself as he does. Medusa would normally find the sound grating, but her spirits are too high for it to bother her.

Surveying the shelves of books, Medusa walks over to the first one. She scans the titles absentmindedly, running a finger gently along the spines as she goes, hoping one will catch her eye. The variety of subjects is staggering, but Jonas seems to have done a surprisingly decent job of sorting them into loose categories.

The section labeled ‘adventure’ catches her eye, and Medusa pays a bit more attention to the titles here, thrilled at the idea of some exciting escapism. Many of the books she sees here she has never heard of. Were they produced in the last eight years? If they had been around, they certainly escaped her attention. Medusa spent almost all of her free time as an Acolyte in the temple library. The Masters rolled their eyes when they caught her lost in another fantasy or romance novel, but mostly they were grateful when Medusa was quiet and stayed out of their way.

Most of the books are worn, some tattered, with very few having any descriptions on the back or inside the front cover, but some titles reveal what the books might be about - pirates, dragons, love. She is trying to decide between two books when Jonas re-emerges from the back room.

“Ah,” he says, eying the books in her hands, “You have excellent taste. Those are both wonderful books, if I say so myself.”

“Well, I’m trying to decide my mood. This mermaid book looks very entertaining, but I feel like I might also enjoy this seemingly darker book about some creatures they call Fae. I’ve never heard of either story.”

“I think you’re going to be away for a bit. How about you just take both?”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose, really,” Medusa starts, but Jonas puts his umber hands up in objection.

“I insist. We aren’t a proper library per se, but if you care to bring them back when you’re finished, it would be most helpful.” He answers, smile still beaming.

“I will definitely do that.”

They chat a little more as Medusa makes her way back out of the shop. He hands her a cloth bag to carry her books with as he waves goodbye.

With nothing left to do, Medusa walks over to the docks to find out if Psyche or Alec are there yet. Perhaps she can even make her way on board and get settled or assist with preparations. Despite offering to help at every opportunity, Medusa was told that it was well in hand and to take it easy. They mean well, but she is restless. The waiting feels like a minor form of torture.

When she is almost at the harbor, Medusa sees Psyche standing there talking to someone, coming to a halt as she realizes it is Cadmus. He is going to tell Psyche. Maybe not today. Or tomorrow. But he is going to tell her.

Frozen in place, Medusa watches Cadmus say something to Psyche, causing Psyche to double over with laughter. The pang of jealousy is unmistakable, and she tries to root out its origin. Is she jealous of their friendship? How carefree Psyche seems with him right now? Or is Medusa worried that she might have misread where things stood between them? This differs from the fear of Cadmus telling Psyche the truth. Emotions rattle around, weaving in and out of each other as Medusa’s stomach churns. The inner war in her head is still raging when Psyche turns and sees Medusa standing there.

Psyche waves excitedly, calling Medusa over to them. Cadmus looks toward Psyche’s attention and a smile blooms across his face as well at the sight of her, which is utterly confusing. As she takes tentative steps and walks over to where they are standing, Medusa reminds herself repeatedly to be nice to the Hero… should she even still call him that?

Taking Medusa’s hand, Psyche says, “It’s time to go. The First Mate told me we can board anytime.”

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