Medea | ✔

01

01 | barbarian across the black sea

"How does your father expect me to kill this... this dragon?" Jason asked, the exhaustion clear in his voice. His tanned skin was dirtied, days (and sometimes nights) of hiking through thick woodland and barren wasteland had left almost no time to wash in the rivers and lakes they'd passed. Not that Medea minded really; this was the last test Aeëtes had conjured up in his mad mind. Once Jason had conquered this task, just like he had with the others, he'd snatch up the golden fleece. Then, he'd whisk her back to his homeland – a land across the black sea called Iolcus. He'd promised to take her back as well. Away from her madman of a father.

"He doesn't." Medea let out a small sigh. She knew her father too well, and the beast in front of them was enormous. No mortal man – hero or not – had managed to kill it. Her father was hoping that Jason would perish, just like the others had. But Jason had something they didn't. He had her. "Not while it's awake, anyway."

"What do you mean?" He asked, his tousled, matted black hair blowing in the wind. As they stood outside the looming cave, she let out a sigh. As much as she was in love with Jason, he had his moments.

"Here." From the pouch looped round her waist, she pulled out a small vial. It looked as if it contained sand blessed by the goddess Psamathe. "It won't kill the dragon, but it will make it easier."

Jason looked at the tiny vial, and its content. An unimpressed look crossed his beautiful features. Medea's chest panged, with hurt and insult. She may have only lived for sixteen years, but she was brilliant at her skills. There was no other sorceress that could match her skill. And who could? She was the granddaughter of the great sun god, Helios. Her aunt, the great sorceress Circe. Her aunt was renowned for her knowledge of herbs, and Medea herself was soon catching up.

"It will do the trick."

"But... there is so little of it." He started to shake the vial, but Medea cried out.

"No!" Worry filled her. If he could not kill the dragon and reclaim the golden fleece, she could not escape to live with Jason. Even at such a tender age, she knew what love was. She'd heard all about it – and she knew Jason was the one for her. Nothing was going to stop her from being with him. Nothing. "Please, Jason. Trust me. Throw the vial onto the floor, in front of the dragon, and try not to breathe in the smoke. I promise you, this will work."

"Okay." Jason nodded. He took a step towards the cave, before his body dived sideways. Medea felt pressure on her lips, for moments, before she watched Jason's tall figure stride into the cave. Her heart thumped, hard and heavy. Her mind going over his future situation. What if the dragon couldn't be slayed? What if her father refused to let Jason have the golden fleece? He needed it to prove to his father he was the rightful heir! Her stomach tightened, frightful of what could happen if he didn't break the vial properly. If the dragon didn't inhale–

A loud roar broke the silence. Medea's heart jumped. She couldn't catch her breath. She couldn't just sit on the side-lines. What if Jason needed her help? With the first task, she'd given him an ointment made up of thyme, opium and honey, mixed with the blood of a phoenix, to protect his skin from the fire-breathing oxen. She'd warned Jason about the dim-witted dragon teeth warriors. All he'd had to do was throw a rock into the middle of the group – the brutes had argued, which had escalated quickly into a brawl. In the end, they had all succumbed to their wounds. He'd planted the teeth of a dragon into the field. This sleepless dragon was the final, and most daunting, task.

Sprinting in, without a second thought, she stopped once she saw the dragon. Lying limp on the ground, she saw no sign of Jason. Heavy breathing filled the dark, damp cave. The only breathing that could come from a gigantic monster. Just the sight of the moss-scaled beast made Medea cautious; walking close to the cave wall. She wasn't a coward, not by any means, but she wasn't stupid either. The beast was only under a temporary slumber – if it awoke, she would have no means to defend herself. She'd given Jason the only sleeping potion she'd made.