Page 53 of Heroines of Olympus

After establishing the broader plan, the group splits into two to discuss their separate aspects of the mission.

Medusa looks at the people standing around her and takes a moment to really observe them.

Cadmus has a smirk on his face that is both youthful and cocky. Medusa finds it annoying but does not miss the enticing glint in his caramel colored eyes.

Ajax and Cyril share a look of tired grief that Medusa sympathizes with. Ajax’s blonde hair comes to his shoulders in wavy curls and Cyril’s is ear length, darkly curly hair similar to Cadmus’s.

It hits Medusa like a brick that she knows none of these people. Thinking of how much has changed between when she was on her island and now, anxiety surges. Closing her eyes and stepping away, Medusa steadies herself before anyone can notice.

Get it together.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

This shall not break me.

When Medusa opens her eyes again, nothing but patience and understanding greets her. She may not know them, but she knows what they are feeling. Knows how it feels to hurt at the injustice of the world. To rage against it until you want to scream. The look on their faces says they know that feeling all too well and give her the space to compose herself.

When Medusa rejoins the group, Cadmus slides a barrel over to the middle of where they are standing. He rolls a piece of parchment out across it and Medusa realizes they are schematics. In delicate script in an upper corner, she sees “Love Temple” and it clicks into place that these are layouts for their target.

“They weren’t kidding when they said you know the temple, were they?” Medusa asks.

“I can’t guarantee these are completely current. I acquired these… a long time ago,” Cadmus says as his expression shifts to one of steel to stamp out any ghosts who may have been about to pop up and haunt him.

No one presses the matter and they go over the details of the building and assess what the best route will be and where they think the nymphs are being held until the auction.

A large part of the Temple is usually open to the public, with the exception being special events like the one tonight. Logically, the nymphs are being kept somewhere the public cannot stumble upon them, which limits the options significantly. They narrow it down to what had been an indoor market, but has been abandoned since Cadmus was a teenager. He remembers it being closed off but heavily guarded. He tells them about the many times he and his friends tried to sneak in there out of boredom, but always ran into resistance in the form of the Temple Guard. The boys chalked it up to being in dangerous disrepair, but his eyes glint with anger as they all make the realization that these auctions have possibly been going on longer than any of them could have fathomed.

“Why do we have these blueprints if you don’t even think the nymphs are on the Temple grounds?” Medusa asks, breathing through the instinct to roll her eyes. Having trouble reigning in some of her negative responses to him is frustrating. Despite all the progress, will he always be her enemy deep down?

Ignoring Medusa’s tone, if he detects it at all, Cadmus continues, “We have them because there is a tunnel marked on them, almost unnoticeable.”

Cadmus points to the paper and they all follow his finger as he traces the faint line that is so thin it could be mistaken for a hair on the document. When the line ends, the path is directly in the center of the markets.

“We just have to keep our heads down, make it to this tunnel and hope they will assume no one will stumble into it and leave it relatively unguarded.”

Nobody says a word, and Medusa wonders if, like her, they are hung up on the word “hope.” So much at risk for a plan full of unknown variables with nothing but hope to get them through it. No part of her is considering backing out, though. Even if that was an option, Medusa could never sit back and leave Psyche in danger. Every second that Medusa cannot go after the goddess who has her heart is agony. The stakes are higher now than they have ever been for Medusa. It was one thing being the only target of the malicious gods, alone on her island, but now there are people she cares about, lives that Medusa feels she must stand up for. The nymphs, and what they are likely to be subjected to, are reason enough to make sure Medusa stays the course.

31

APHRODITE

The morning of the gala, Aphrodite goes through all the arrangements for the day, making sure nothing is out of place. It is lovely to be back at her temple for a few days, even if there is little time to herself before the other gods arrive.

The thought of her captive gives a spark of satisfaction. After bringing her here in the god cage, Aphrodite has had little time to truly torment her prisoner, but at least the cage itself is torture enough.

The real fun will come once Hestia is mortal. The loss of her godliness will magnify that pain.

Once this gala is out of the way, the gods can turn their focus on getting Medusa for Poseidon. Aphrodite is not sure what his fascination is with her, but it will at least be a worthy blow to the rebels after they went through so much trouble to rescue the beast. Athena has also been tight-lipped anytime Medusa is brought up, making Aphrodite wonder if the rumors of her friend’s jealousy are the true root of Medusa’s curse.

Aphrodite walks through the grand ballroom, mentally ticking boxes as she surveys the setup.

The blood red Greek peonies are interspersed throughout the room, their sweet scent carrying loosened inhibitions and heightened lust. Both should provide excellent bidding frenzies on their merchandise.

While their informant did not mention any knowledge of this evening’s gala and auction, Aphrodite is less than confident that the event will not be interrupted. It had taken some coordinating, but she was able to switch up the order of events.

Normally, the gala would provide a reason for all the people with the deepest pockets in the Olympic Isles to gather. After, when the bulk of the attendees have gone home, they hold their auctions.

Fortunately, Aphrodite got messages out regarding the change of plans. Almost all the buyers replied swiftly, having no issue arriving early.

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