She must've been the one to kidnap those children!
She must've been the reason that the case got buried! Surpise, Percy, surprise. Harness the element of surprise...
I grabbed the knife on the table and flung it at Medusa's face with all the strength I could muster. Her hand shot up unnaturally fast, slapping the blade away before it could even come close.
Her lips twisted into a grotesque smile as her disguise faded, showcasing a mishmash of rotting gums and blood.
Green smoke poured out of her mouth as she snarled, "Figured it out, then!"
"Maybe," I snapped, flipping the table to put some distance between us. Riptide's celestial bronze blade sprang to life in my grip, its glow faint but steady. "Piper, don't look her in the eyes! Whatever you do, don't look her in the eyes!"
"I wasn't planning to!" Piper yelled back, grabbing one of the chairs and hurling it toward Medusa. It smashed into her shoulder, but the gorgon barely flinched, her mouth tightening with rage.
"I'll make you stay with me forever," Medusa snarled, lunging forward. As she moved, her hands transformed, the delicate, humanlike fingers morphing into gnarled claws with bronze talons sharp enough to slice through steel.
I ducked under her swipe, my sneakers skidding across the tiled floor. Kicking upward with all my strength, I caught her midsection and sent her stumbling back into the table.
Without thinking, I grabbed the tablecloth and flung it at her, throwing the rest of my food for good measure. Anything to keep her off balance. Medusa snarled, her claws slashing through the tablecloth like it was paper.
I barely rolled out of the way as the shreds of fabric fell around us. Her talons missed my face by inches, and I let out a startled yelp as I dove under the table for cover. "Piper, stabby time!"
I shouted. From behind her, Piper let out a battle cry and jabbed forward with the Minotaur horn. The sharp end ripped cleanly through Medusa's gown, the tear exposing the leathery scales beneath.
"Idiot girl!" Medusa hissed, spinning around and slapping the horn out of Piper's hands with a brutal swipe. Piper stumbled, but she didn't back down. She stepped forward and drove her foot into Medusa's stomach. Medusa caught her leg with one clawed hand, yanking her off balance. Her claws dug into Piper's leg, drawing blood that trailed down her leg. "You should know better than to trust anyone related to that man! All this boy is going to do is hurt you and get you killed!"
Medusa hissed, venom dripping from her voice. "I'll protect you—just look into my eyes!"
Throwing all caution to the wind, I charged at Medusa with everything I had, slamming my shoulder into her side. It was like tackling a concrete wall. My left eye exploded with pain as one of her claws raked across my face, and I stumbled back, dark spots dancing in my vision.
"Percy!" Piper screamed, horror lacing her voice as blood splattered against her arm. Piper didn't let up, though. Even without the horn, she snatched a plastic fork off the floor and stabbed it into Medusa's side with surprising force. Medusa let out a shriek, her body twisting in rage. With one swift movement, she brought both hands down on Piper's head. Piper crumpled to the floor in a heap, her breath shallow but steady.
"Leave her alone!" I roared, knocking over a nearby statue of a dog as I scrambled backward. One of the snakes on Medusa's head hissed violently and spat venom at me. The venom hit my already-injured eye, and the pain was excruciating. "ARGH!" I screamed, clutching my face as I rolled to the side. My free hand gripped Riptide tightly, and I swung low, slicing cleanly through her legs.
Medusa let out a guttural groan as she toppled backward, crashing to the ground in a heap. I forced myself to focus through the searing pain. My vision in my good eye was blurry, but I could still make out her writhing form.
Closing my eyes entirely, I sent out feelers, focusing on the faint outlines of her body. And there it was.
Instead of her usual golden glow, her form now shimmered faintly in blue—no doubt the result of some kind of cloaking magic. The gold I'd seen before meant she had divine backing.
Someone—some god—was helping her. But who would want Medusa rampaging like this? No time to figure it out now. I had bigger problems. Hundreds of little wisps snaked out from her head, twisting and curling like smoke.
Her eyes, though—they burned like twin suns, two gigantic orbs of yellow energy wedged into her sockets.
Cursed eyes.
I staggered to my feet, still clutching Riptide, and pinned her to the ground with my foot pressing firmly on her throat. Medusa's snakes hissed and thrashed around her face as she glared up at me, her voice a rasping whisper.
"Perseus… you don't have to do this."
SHINK! I didn't even let her get the chance. Medusa's head rolled off her body, her face pointing downwards. I sighed, pouring some of the water that was placed on the table on my face. With a little effort, I was able to open my left, but I felt my heart drop when I noticed everything was still black on that side.
My eye was mangled. It was fucking mangled. I sank to my knees, a hysterical laugh-sob wringing out of my throat. It hurt worse than anything I'd ever felt before. I should've just gotten us out of here when I had the chance. I should've known it was Medusa.
Who even owns so many stone things in the middle of nowhere? Who would even let random kids in during the middle of the night? I was right to have trusted my instincts, I just wish I could've trusted them sooner instead of letting myself get complacent.
— - —
~ You have acquired an item called [Medusa's Eye].
Would you like to equip it?
Please select: [YES/NO]
— - —
Equip it? I stared at the words. Was the game going to fix my eye?
I clicked yes.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Everything seemed normal.
I looked outside one of the windows, where an owl was looking right back at me. I felt a tug in my left eye, and all of a sudden, it fell over with a heavy thud.
Oh, boy.
Okay, okay, I get it.
I whistled to myself as I ripped some of the cloth off of her veil and fastened it over my eye. I really couldn't afford that heavy of a [MP] cost all the time. Maybe, later on, I could get an eyepatch or something, but for now, this would have to do.
— - —
Quest Comp-
— - —
Yeah, don't care. I have bigger problems right now. I gathered Piper into my arms and walked back towards the entrance. I'm sure Medusa had a bed, a couch, or something. After a few minutes, I found her bedroom.
I plopped Piper on the bed and leaned against the bedframe. For some reason, the game didn't give me damage updates this time around.
A quick look at my screen confirmed my fear.
My [HP] had been cut in half. That was kind of scary on its own, but I was sure that a nice rest in this bed would probably heal me up.
I was slightly disappointed that the Game wouldn't heal my eye, but it wasn't worth losing too much sleep over.
I'd found a slightly suitable replacement.
Before I knew it, I was out like a light.
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Hey everyone!
Thanks for reading.
Yeah… Percy kinda lost an eye this chapter—Medusa doesn't play fair, but hey, He is still standing (mostly)!
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