The Sixth Life of Medusa

50. The Maze [2]

Jaw propped up on his fist and finger idly tapping on the arm of his chair, Perseus watched the girl called May.

He had first seen her on their way to the arena, only looking because the dark goddess' presence had surged and shifted to his left. He had looked beyond the gauze-covered window, and she was there, staring as if she could see into the dim interior of the carriage.

She was plain-faced, the exact type one would glance over even in a small gathering, and possessed a gangly athletic build. Then, he was unaware she was the one called May, only to meet a surprise when he saw her waving at the crowd from the elevated dais. Not only was the girl Athena's target, she was also one of Drys Valon's top performers.

"... are you listening?"

"With every part of my being," Perseus replied dryly.

The Owl glared a hole into the side of his head before she resumed her tiresome lecture on proceeding with absolute caution. Athena had made it a contest of sorts; whoever killed Are's contender among her four selections would be handsomely rewarded. The Owl and instructor Yannis were to ensure that they kill the girl in a way that wouldn't implicate Chronus' Hovel. And the moment it seemed like any of them would jeopardise the diplomatic balance between both schools, they would be eliminated on the spot.

Perseus released a dead chuckle. That was all his life was worth, some throwaway mission to kill an unknown girl.

Rage had simmered since the day he received the mission, his mind consumed by endless thoughts of survival. The dark goddess had been of no help; her only concern was taking the life of the deity she'd shown him in that vision. She had promised power in doses, but so far, he had yet to reap any real benefit save for sensing that odd energy in the air and barely manipulating it.

The muscles of his jaw twitched as he splashed wine into his cup. At least Drys Valon excelled in hospitality. From the moment they arrived at the portal bridge, their service had been the best he'd ever experienced. No condescending tone, polite instructors and the meals they provided were bountiful. They even served wine, the best he'd ever tasted, coupled with a platter laden with a rich variety of fruits, roasted nuts and grains.

"Very nice," he muttered as his attention returned to the maze.

The May girl was... impressive. Tall and quick on her feet, she felled beasts with remarkable precision and speed. All her arrows hit their mark to the wild delight of the crowd. Fifteen kills, from what he counted, and ahead of all her opponents with four or five beasts. But the screecher, unlike the case with other contenders, was steady on her trail. No matter how the maze changed or how quickly she moved, the beast, without fail, followed her path.

Before the mission, they had received a scroll containing details on May. Though incredibly sparse on the side of personal information, one thing stood out to him: the claim that her presence was very faint, something that should be impossible with blood carriers or regular mortals, for that matter. So how was the screecher catching her scent every time?

As he continued observing the trial, he found himself unintentionally rooting for her. Aside from how quick and efficient her movements were, she slayed beasts with a casual dismissal that satisfied him.

He nodded when she felled another beast. The only good beast is a dead beast.

A real pity Athena wanted her dead. He popped a grape in his mouth and bit down.

Kill the girl or abandon everything for the dark goddess. The weight of both choices pressed down on him.

Dragging his eyes from the maze below, he looked ahead. Demeter and Hermes, part of the topmost of the gods of Olympus, sat chatting and laughing. Though uncertain of Hermes, Demeter would probably fuse him to a tree to ensure he suffers a painfully slow death if he's careless. Taking all that risk for Athena?