Greece (3): The Crow and The Child, The Hunter and The Snake.

First of all, this story hasn't been dropped; I'll still continue writing it. I've just had several issues lately, so I've focused more on my other story. I've been writing this one more slowly, but everything should be back to normal now... I hope.

Well, if anyone wants to support me or simply read ahead 3/7 chapters in both of my stories, that's possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate you reading my stories (and for your patience in waiting).

With that said, good night and happy reading!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori

[...]---[...]

POV: Third person.

After Hunter's speech, the battle resumed, more frenetic than before, with Medusa more confused and worried than ever. After all, her name had been erased from all places by the goddess who cursed her.

This was done so that, in the future, the name "Medusa" would be remembered as the name of a monster, something uncontrollable, furious, horrendous, not as one of the "Three Perfect Goddesses" that humanity had desired.

The only remnant that would remain of the name Medusa would be that of the "monster" that existed on the Shapeless Isle.

Medusa's thoughts raced freely, even with the accelerated battle, dozens of blows happening every second, two daggers and chains against a blade and a whip.

There was no way the being in front of Medusa could know that name. This, along with the sensation that Hunter emitted, intensified the ominous feeling that Medusa was experiencing, growing larger with each passing second.

The conclusion that Medusa reached was that the being in front of her was a "Hero" sent by the gods, someone blessed to kill her.

This was the most plausible answer. Medusa had some facts that supported this thought.

First, Hunter was accompanied by the "Hero Trainer." Medusa was never someone who paid attention to news and gossip, but she knew Chiron. After all, he was one of the only, if not the only centaur who was not a monster with heinous thoughts.

Second, Hunter's clothes were something Medusa had never seen, and the humans who worshipped her and her sisters in the past made sure to give them the best possible, including thousands of different outfits.

Hunter's clothes were something totally strange to Medusa, almost as if the gods had made them only to protect him from her. This explained why he had not been petrified by her eyes.

Finally, the third and last fact: Hunter, along with the weapon he wielded, reeked of blood... A lot, a lot of blood... Something old, ancient.

At first, it wasn't the case. When he had stepped off the boat, he didn't even have a scent, as if something concealed the odor. But the moment he had a weapon in his hands, the entire Shapeless Isle was engulfed in a putrid and foul smell of blood...

It was as if the being in front of Medusa had killed countless beasts, bathed in an ocean of blood, the blood of every beast he had killed...

Medusa knew that if the battle continued like this, she would be just another of the beasts that Hunter had killed, that he would kill...

No matter how fast Medusa attacked, what angle or amount of force, Hunter countered blow by blow.

If Medusa's daggers were fast, the Threaded Cane in blade form was faster, but only slightly... Dodging and countering each blow just slightly faster than Medusa's.

If Medusa's chains were random, without trajectory, the Threaded Cane in whip form was more so, hitting Medusa's body from angles she couldn't even predict, at a speed she couldn't see.

Wounds began to accumulate quickly on her body, small cuts that seemed not to heal, bleeding more and more.

This frustrated, desperate Medusa. If the smell of blood that the being in front of her exuded was making her disturbed, almost insane and uncontrollable, the cuts on her body worsened the situation.

Medusa felt that her mind was hanging by a thread, on the verge of giving in and succumbing to the bloodlust that threatened to take over, to turn her into the monster that everyone said she was, something deserving of the unjust hatred she received from humans when cursed.

With each passing second of the battle, Medusa's mind crumbled more and more, along with it, her strength, speed, and ferocity increased.

At one point, Medusa dropped the daggers, throwing them away, not even trying to hit Hunter, and leaped, shattering the ground beneath her feet, flying towards Hunter to tear him apart with her hands, her nails transformed into claws.

Medusa didn't even realize her transformation, her body growing in size, along with her strength, her hair slowly turning into snakes, her teeth becoming sharp, her nails turning into claws.

Even her eyes, beautiful, of a unique color, had transformed into snake eyes, yellowed, with slit pupils, exuding palpable madness.

Hunter, seeing Medusa's transformation, stopped his movements, and for the second time in the entire battle, spoke, his voice as emotionless as before.

"The madness of blood consumes everyone, even the strongest..." Hunter slowly raised his left arm towards Medusa's strike...

"...Even the purest."

... This strike, upon colliding with Hunter's forearm, created a shockwave that destroyed the surroundings, not even causing Hunter to take a step back.

Medusa didn't have time to react; Hunter's right arm blurred, the blade of the Threaded Cane accelerating towards the exposed neck of the woman transforming into a monster.

Before Medusa's head could fly, separated from her body, something flew from afar, towards Hunter's chest: an arrow, imbued with divine power.

Hunter stopped the strike, taking a step back, dodging the arrow that went towards the sea, creating a large explosion that swept the seawater away, creating waves that collided with the island and creating an artificial rain.

Interestingly, the boat where Doll and Chiron were remained unaffected, not even swaying; the seawater beneath it remained still.

Chiron, who had been briefly concerned, turned his attention back to the battle, shifting his gaze from where the arrow had hit the sea.

Hunter, at that moment, diverted his gaze from Medusa, looking in the direction the arrow had been shot, knowing who had shot it but wanting to see for himself.

Hunter knew that he could have simply finished off Medusa, cutting off her head and easily dodged the arrow afterward, but even so, he chose to restrain his strike because the moment the arrow flew towards him, something changed in Medusa's eyes.

The woman's yellowed eyes had regained some of their previous color, her sanity reappearing in her gaze, along with a raw terror.

The being in front of her was strong, stronger than she could imagine. Medusa knew she couldn't defeat him, not even fully succumbing to her curse. But she would still try, to stop him, to prevent Hunter from reaching her sisters...

"Get away from her, you abomination!" Euryale shouted, Stheno remaining silent, looking at her sister with concern.

... Sisters who had rushed to help her, who would die if they faced the being in front of her.

Medusa knew she was Hunter's target, someone she mistakenly thought had been sent by the gods to kill her. But what she hadn't thought about is what this being would do to her sisters after she died.

Stheno and Euryale were not cursed like her, but still followed her to the Shapeless Isle, even when the goddess decreed that Medusa should be isolated, stay alone.

The act of the two had been a defiance of the gods, a disrespect, something that Medusa knew would not be forgiven. The pettiness of the gods would not allow that.

To Medusa, Stheno and Euryale would only have one end, a horrible death, worse than she herself would have, and that terrified her more than anything.

It terrified her so much that it forced her almost nonexistent sanity to return forcefully, her thoughts focused only on one thing...

"NO! RUN!" Medusa shouted to her sisters.

... Buy time.

Not to kill Hunter, push him away, or flee, but to buy time for her sisters to run, escape from the being in front of her, and hide as far away as they could.

Medusa then jumped towards Hunter, not with the previous ferocity, but with skill, propelled by the monstrous strength still coursing through her body, and tried to grab him.

She knew that such an act would probably result in her body being shredded by Hunter's whip, but she didn't care about her wounds or future injuries.

If having her body torn apart was the price to pay for giving even a second of time for her sisters to run, Medusa would gladly accept that deal. But, to Medusa's horror, that was not what happened.

Hunter didn't try to counter the grab with a strike but instead dodged it, disappearing like an illusion and reappearing among the other two of the "Three Perfect Goddesses."

Stheno and Euryale were smaller than Medusa, their bodies having stopped at a younger age, pre-adolescent.

The two possessed an unnatural beauty, resembling more dolls than humans, perfect, artificial idols.

Their hair was of a lighter color than their sister's, a soft lilac, and their dresses were similar in design but of a pure white color and in better condition.

Hunter, on the other hand, wore dark-colored, rugged-looking clothes.

The contrast between the two and Hunter was immense, both in height – they didn't even reach his navel – and in their colors. This became even more apparent when he appeared between them.

Stheno and Euryale were not warriors, never had been and never would be, but they had excellent reflexes. So, the moment Hunter appeared, they turned to attack him.

Euryale turned the bow and quickly shot towards Hunter's chest. Stheno, on the other hand, condensed a pure aura of divinity and launched it at his face. Both attacks failed.

The arrow was deflected when Hunter tilted Euryale's wrist with a simple touch, sending it towards the sea. Hunter didn't even dodge Stheno's divine aura; he just let it hit him without any effect.

Ishtar had a divinity of love and lust much greater than Stheno's, and she hadn't been able to enchant Hunter. Stheno's efforts were doomed to fail from the beginning.

The two didn't have time to react to the failure of their attacks; their bodies collapsed with a simple touch from Hunter, their consciousness disappearing, falling into a deep sleep.

Hunter made sure the two wouldn't dream; dreams were sometimes as bad as nightmares.

Medusa sighed in relief when she felt that her sisters were only sleeping; the connection she had with them confirmed this fact.

Still, she knew that Hunter now had her two sisters as hostages, and she had no idea what he would do next.

Hostages were used as bargaining chips in a situation where you wanted something from the other party, and that worried Medusa more than she already was, as her mind ran to the worst possible scenarios in this situation.

"P... please... spare them, do whatever you want with me, but leave my sisters alone..." Medusa's voice contained traces of her transformation, coming out of her throat in a thicker, more monstrous tone.

Even so, she didn't attack Hunter like an unconscious beast would, completely ignoring the hostages. Instead, she knelt, pleading for mercy.

A human act, as human as the small pearly tears streaming from her eyes down her face, which, even transformed into something monstrous, still retained its beauty.

Hunter looked at this scene without reacting, without showing any emotion.

"Tell me, why should I do that?" Hunter asked calmly, surprising Medusa. But before she could answer, he continued.

"Tell me, why should I inflict such punishment on them?" The question surprised Medusa even more, not understanding what he was talking about.

Why sparing her sisters would be a punishment?...

"You seem confused," Hunter stated. "I will explain then. Tell me, if I leave now, how much longer do you think it will take for you to succumb to madness?" He asked rhetorically.

Medusa widened her eyes, realizing what Hunter was saying.

"How long until you devour your sisters? How long until they see someone they love turn into a beast?" He continued asking, making Medusa's heart ache more and more.

She wanted to deny, say that she would never do something like that, that she would never succumb to this curse, and if it happened, that she would never attack her sisters... But both would know it was a lie.

Medusa felt madness consume her being, day after day, death after death.

Hadn't she succumbed just moments ago?... Her sanity returned only by the horror of seeing her sisters run to their death?...

Hunter was right; even if he left, how long would it take for her to succumb to madness and do something she would regret for eternity?

"Kill me..." Medusa pleaded... "Kill me and spare them... Please..." She didn't want to die, but if living meant her sisters would have such a fate, she would accept death willingly.

Hunter did not accept such an appeal, not even moving, and posed another question.

"What do you think your sisters will do when they wake up and see your lifeless body?..." Hunter looked at the two at his feet, sleeping. "You know them better than I do; would they seek revenge?" It was a foolish question.

Medusa knew her sisters better than anyone; they were kind, gentle when they wanted, but had a sadistic, almost cruel nature.

Medusa also knew that the two loved her so much that they disobeyed the gods and came with her to an island with nothing, without the luxuries they had previously when they were worshipped as goddesses.

Stheno and Euryale would not only seek revenge, but they wouldn't stop until they achieved it, not caring if it killed them.

Why should Hunter live knowing that her sisters were seeking revenge against him, when he could kill them right there? And then finish the job, killing her.

"I... I... I..." Medusa repeated, opening and closing her mouth, not knowing what to say or do in this desperate situation.

Was this it? Was her life just a tragedy, something destined to end horribly and cruelly?... All because of the envy of a goddess?... Without her being at fault for anything, just for being born?...

Medusa could feel madness returning to her thoughts, consuming her mind quickly and fiercely, a different madness, not from the curse, but coming from within herself.

Her mind was breaking apart to avoid reality, not accepting what was happening, what would happen...

Just when Medusa's mind was about to plunge into the abyss, Hunter's voice echoed again, preventing her from falling.

"Tell me... Medusa." Hunter spoke her name for the second time. "Look into my eyes, what do you see?..." Hunter asked, looking directly at Medusa.

Medusa looked at Hunter's eyes almost as a reflex, just because he had said those words, her mind on autopilot.

The moment Medusa's purple-yellowed eyes, succumbing to madness, looked into Hunter's insane and yellowed eyes, Medusa seemed to take a punch to the stomach.

Her mind went into shock, the madness that consumed her being pushed away by a much worse madness, something so deep and insane that it shouldn't exist... But it did.

The yellowed cracks in Hunter's eyes seemed to stare into Medusa's soul, as if despising her emotions and mocking her madness, something so inferior that had no comparison.

"How?..." Medusa asked incredulously.

How was this being still sane?...

"Is that really the question you should be asking me?" Hunter asked, his voice as emotionless as before. It was as if the madness in his eyes wasn't real, didn't affect him.

Medusa knew it was real, there was no way it wasn't.

Is that really the question you should be asking me?... What did he mean by that? Medusa's thoughts ran wild, her head aching from all the previous events.

Was this a game? Did the gods want to see her suffer as much as possible before killing her? Was it all just a big joke?...

Because nothing could go right even once?... Because no one could help her?...

Medusa's eyes widened... No, it couldn't be?... Could it?...

She knew how cruel the world was, but it didn't hurt to try, did it?...

"Please..." Medusa appealed again. "Please, help me... Teach me..."

Hunter's gaze seemed to change, become calmer, a slight nostalgia appearing in the two yellowed spheres.

"Teach me what, Medusa?..." Hunter asked, his thoughts in the past.

'Teach me what?... Little hunter?...' The crow asked.

"Teach me how I can control this madness!" Medusa shouted.

She didn't know if it was possible, or even something that could be taught, but she could only take the risk... After all, she had nothing left to lose.

'Teach me how I can not be consumed by the blood!' A fourteen-year-old child shouted.

Even with Gehrman teaching him, with Doll helping, the child felt his mind crumbling more and more each day.

"I can help you, but whether you can control this madness or not is up to you," Hunter spoke calmly.

'There's no way, but I can teach you to control yourself, to last as long as possible.' The crow spoke calmly.

There is a way; Hunter had discovered that years later, years after the crow had already died, killed by his own hands, before succumbing to the blood.

"But know that if I help you, it won't be easy... Quite the opposite..." Hunter didn't promise salvation but a chance.

'You will suffer more than ever, and still, the blood will devour you like everyone else...' The crow didn't promise salvation but rather a hell.

Medusa realized then that the being in front of her had never come to the island looking to kill, but to see if she was truly a monster, or someone worthy of help.

The gods hadn't sent such a being; they were too petty for that... Hunter had come of his own accord...

"I don't care! If it's to rid myself of this madness, so my sisters can live, so I can live without fear... I will accept whatever it takes..." Medusa would seize this chance, no matter what...

'I don't care! I won't die here; I won't succumb to this cursed disease! I won't be consumed by this city!' The child shouted; he wouldn't be consumed by the blood...

"If that's the case, then I will help you..." Hunter replied, disappearing and reappearing behind Medusa, touching her back.

The moment Hunter's palm touched Medusa's back, the woman's body returned to normal, the curse lifting, along with her divinity and powers being sealed.

'Then follow me, little hunter, I will teach you what I know...' The crow replied.

Medusa felt so weak that she almost fainted at that moment, but she managed to stay conscious just for a moment, to ask a question...

"What... Is your name?" Medusa asked.

She only now realized how much the being in front of her restrained himself... He could have killed her at any moment...

'What's your name? Or do I need to call you Crow?' The child asked, following the crow...

Hunter looked at Medusa, blue eyes meeting light purple eyes.

"Hunter, you can call me Hunter," he replied, his voice nostalgic.

'Eileen, you can call me Eileen, little hunter...' The crow replied.

Then Medusa fainted, falling into the realm of dreams... Morpheus did not interfere, not even dared to move when Hunter gave Medusa a calm and peaceful dream...

[...]---[...]

Well, Hunter is something inhuman; I've been trying to convey that image since the first chapter, but the little humanity left in him is something he tries to preserve, hence scenes like this one...

I won't give a detailed explanation since I want to leave it more open for each person, but Hunter, even becoming what he is, is still somewhat human.

As always, good night and happy reading!