Chapter 2

As I ventured inland, the first thing that caught my eyes were the statues. Stashes upon stashes of statues. What horrible living conditions, to be subjected to such lonesomeness, with only statues as company! The gods were truly cruel.

Soon, I came to the entrance of a giant cave. I could hear faint sobbing from inside. I picked up a dented shield from the ground. It had a bronze shine to it, and in my eyes, seemed to give off an etheral glow. Most of the items here did this. Facing my back towards the entrance, I slowly started to enter the cave. The sobbing slowly became louder. Suddenly, I tripped onto a twig, creating a snapping sound. A young voice sounded.

"Who? Another warrior, come here to slay me? Or a scion of the gods, to prove themselves? Has my banishment not been enough for Athena!"

"Forgive me my lady. I am, in essence, a warrior, and am also a scion of the gods. However I have not come here to cause you harm. Instead, I have come here to gaze upon your beauty, that managed to ensmear the heart of a god. I am here to bear witness to the injustice of the Gods, who spare no expense at stroking their own vanity. Forgive me, my lady, but are you, Medusa?"

A silence ensured. Just as I was about to repeat myself, the same voice said,

"Yes. Drop your weapon, if you are what you say."

I could figure out her body, her figure, but not her face. The shield was too crass, too shabbily made to be able to distinguish between them. Slowly, I dropped my word and then my shield. I closed my eyes and turned around, and did a curtsy.

"Its my pleasure to meet you, Medusa. Forgive me, can I call you Medusa?"

"Yes. You may open your eyes sir, I will not harm you."

It was a risk. But something within me stirred, asking me to believe the voice in front of me. Slowly I opened my eyes, and in front of me, was a girl, no, a woman. She was about 24, the same age as this body, but I knew, her age was at least double that. She had beautiful red eyes, like rubies befitting the crown of an empress. The shallow clothing that clung to her body made it seem welcoming. Yet her eyes were distrusting and had some sort of urgency, a desperation, to believe. I raised my hand and caressed her face.

"What beauty..."