The Sixth Life of Medusa

40. The Hall of Recompense

The two-headed Desmyr lingered before the villa doors, waiting. Their hunched body sagged under the weight of a great hump, and opening their eyes seemed to take immense effort. Thick yellow gunk clung to their eyelids, stretching into stringy bars before snapping back into place as they blinked.

"Look, the portal is ready," the left head said as she pointed with a withered hand.

Ceto's focus peeled off the stooped escort and travelled to the swirling black hole just ahead. It would lead straight to Olympus. The very top of the mountain. To Zeus himself.

I don't want to go.

I don't want to go.

I don't want to go.

The words clanged in Ceto's head as she remained fused to the spot. Sweat dripped down her temple, and her stomach twisted with nausea despite having only tea that afternoon. Pressing her eyes shut, she drew the content of Phorcys' letter to mind.

Before the ritual, drink the elixir in private and destroy the vial.

I am sorry. I am sorry.

Forgive me for bringing this shame and suffering upon you.

Burn this letter.

"You are soon to meet your merciful benefactor." The second head's voice was harsh and scolding. "Why the reluctance? Where is your gladness?"

"I—" Ceto gulped and took her first damning step forward. "Yes." She flashed a shaky smile. "I am glad."

Consuming the elixir had cleared some fog off her mind, making her recall what had happened that forced Phorcys to defy his punishment and use his powers. Medusa had done something strange, something that had to do with Athena.

Ceto suspected the elixir affected her mind and body in some way. Since Phorcys said nothing about why she was taking it, she moved with blind trust. Not that she trusted the Moirai; no. Phorcys could tell her to burn for eternity, and she would do it. The humiliation she was about to face was nothing—nothing. At least, she'd see his real face and touch his real body.

Still... still, dread and disgust gnawed at the fringes of her mind. She did not wish to see Zeus. The deities gathered. All that watching and mocking commentary. There was no humiliation deeper than what she was about to face, but...

At least I'll see his real face. How many times in the past two hundred years? She attempted to count with her fingers but stopped when her mind revolted.

Remembering too much brought nothing but pain and madness.

Ceto shivered as she trailed after the Desmyr, then she bade Galene, who still lingered at the door, farewell before stepping into the portal.

Unlike portal doors, the Desmyr's portal offered instant travel. One moment, she was in Hesperides, and the next, she stood before the steps leading to Zeus' palace.

The sun was up and gentle on the skin. It was early morning here, unlike the late evening in Hesperides. And deities were standing in clusters in what looked like a garden party. All conversation paused as they looked in her direction, then whispers erupted. Zeus must have sent invites.

Dragging in a fortifying breath, Ceto mirrored the Desmyr's measured gait up the steps while fighting not to fidget under the weight of their stares.

The building ahead was the grandest in all of Olympus. The impossible height of it. The towering pillars. Lush trees and gardens to the left and right. Twin colossal statues that weren't always statues. There had been a terrible war at the beginning...