The Medusa Strain (WIP 2020)

Chapter 11

For once in my life...? I couldn't find Blake anywhere in the house. It was like he had gone poof in the middle of the night and disappeared without so much as a trace.

After I had eliminated the usual list of suspects from my life as a newly awakened demigoddess of both the stars above and the earth below, I decided to temporarily retire to my bedroom to plan out my next move.

And just as I opened the door, Blake came out without so much as a passing warning to me and we knocked heads together as a result—being almost the same height as the other.

"Ow..." we both chorused together as one—the two of us rubbing the exact spot where we both connected without hesitation.

"You okay?" He asked out of quick concern for me—even as I managed to push past him and entered my private domain of domains.

"Yeah...I'll be fine—once the blood stops rushing to my head. Or rather—? My nose." Then I sneezed uncontrollably for the next thirty seconds or so and went to get some tissue from a gold-laminated Kleenex box.

Looking back at him, I found that he had taken up residence on my bed without even asking and my eyes narrowed slightly as a result.

"You comfortable or what, man?" I bit out rather harshly—before he realized his undiscovered error.

"Oh. Sorry." He quickly apologized. "I keep forgetting that you don't like anyone on your bed."

I nodded out of appreciation. "Sorry. Old habits. I wouldn't have minded if it was you, Blake, but tonight is just so...weird."

"You mean with Terra and awakening as a prodigy to...Medusa of all things?" He ventured rather casually—taking a seat across from me; while I stood there—pinching my nose and trying to keep the surge of blood from happening.

In his presence nonetheless. Trust me: I was plenty embarrassed enough tonight in front of the whole world by Terra's conversation with both my mom and Apollo. I could still recall how she mentioned that I had...feelings! for Blake and that was all I could think about since leaving everyone and doing a thorough search of the house—before coming here...

"Why me...?" I answered to the both of us in kind. "I would have been perfectly happy being a normal, Human girl—y'know, but I guess the Fates have their agenda with me in regards to the grand scheme of things."

Blake studied me for a moment and then raised his hand abruptly at me for no real good reason.

Was he doing that to irritate me or just to get on my good side—like always—when we both approached escape velocity in terms of a blowout in any given conversation between us?

"What?" I said with a little more harshness than what was originally intended. Despite Terra's intrusion upon my most private thoughts, dreams, and fantasies, I really did like Blake a lot.

"Being Human...sucks, Jeri. It's a lot better to be a demigod or demigoddess—in your case."

"Why in Mighty Zeus's name would I want that?" I argued lightly for starters.

"I was still able to roast your fleeting ass on a number of fronts."

Blake—of course—didn't know what the Human phrase quitting while you were ahead—really meant in this day and age of the New Gods.

"That's because I let you." He finally admitted out in the open space between us.

"Now you're going to die—for fucking real, man." I promised thinly.

But my friend and secret love interest was indeed the progeny of Apollo and managed to get out of his seat and sprint for the door—before I could even get two steps in towards him.