The Sixth Life of Medusa

53. Are You a Beast?

"It's not working." Lela groaned. Staring at the horizon did nothing to lessen her suffering. Nausea relentlessly yanked at her belly, the cold sweat brought a clammy chill, and dizziness had her in a daze.

The ocean was an endless expanse of surging dark blue, constantly rocking the ship without a moment of reprieve. She had only ever seen it from a respectful distance before, feet planted safely on land while tales of sea horrors whispered warnings in the back of her mind. Now here she was, fingers morphing into claws that dug into the wooden railing of the vessel.

Another wave of nausea rushed up, causing her mouth to water unpleasantly. Falling to her knees, she clutched the vomit bucket as ugly sounds and bile poured out.

"Ugh..." Face contorting, she swiped an arm across her lips and rested her head on cool wood.

What on earth's core am I doing here?

Light footsteps approached and stopped next to her. Even without looking up, Lela recognised them by the worn leather hem of their deep green robe and the aged, sandaled feet visible beneath it.

"Mmmm." Phorcydes drew in a long, refreshed breath. "I've missed this."

It's been two days and Lela has yet to share the sentiment; matter of fact, she was still in the process of accepting the wild reality of heading to another continent. Where were the monsters and tempests that ripped ships apart? Not that she was eager to witness it, it just felt horrid to be this tense, waiting for the sea to go wild.

Trepidation, seasickness, and hope had been her companions for days now. Phorcydes said there might be a chance, and Lela would take even the smallest one.

"I can only begin your treatment after you represent me at the Fate of Heroes. What? You can't go fighting monsters while pregnant. Oh, and there's the part about finding the right man to... you know..." Phorcydes wiggled her brow suggestively and cackled when Lena looked away, shy and embarrassed.

At eleven years old, the possibility of bearing a child had been taken away. The forced sterilisation was a closely guarded secret that Owls only came to learn after swearing allegiance to Athena. As years passed, what had been a passive longing for the impossible had turned to a burning desire and the seed that birthed her loathing for the goddess.

Phorcydes said there was a possibility. She was powerful enough to sever Athena's link, so there had to be a possibility, right? Staggering to her feet, she clutched the railing once more.

It was a small ship holding no more than six crew members and two passengers—wealthy merchants from what she observed—who remained holed up in their cabins since the start of the journey.

There was also another curious observation. The crew members acted like Phorcydes was invisible. Save for the time they boarded and they offered reverent bows in greeting, they stayed clear of the hag. Food and drink had been lavishly provided for Lela, but it hardly mattered since everything she ate ended up in a bucket.

"Horizon staring didn't work." Phorcydes tutted. "Have this," she offered a short twig, "it'd take away your dreams though."

Lela gave a subtle bow as she collected the stick. She was desperate enough to lose dreams for a little break from the vomiting.

"Eating the bark will reduce the nausea. Chewing the stick can replace the need for kunca fleece. Look." She flashed a smile, exposing pearly teeth.

Lena nodded respectfully. It was still difficult to be at ease around the goddess. She had witnessed her at the end of her negative emotions, and the scariest had been the day her brother returned to take his child. Aether had been unstable around the bog for the three days the hag locked herself in her room. Then she had emerged only to subject Lela to harrowing training to improve her morphing abilities. Well, torturous as it was, there were benefits. She never knew she could go beyond simply turning into an owl to modifying her body. Retractable claws, obtaining night vision, and even sprouting wings. The wing part was still a challenge for her, but all her clothes had been modified just in case.