Heart Of Stone - Male!Medusa

Discovery

My feet found their way to the shore, the waves lapping gently at the rocks nearby. The smell of salt was heavy in the air as I took a deep breath, trying to release the tension I felt as I exhaled slowly. Other people couldn't help but stare at me, whispering to each other about the scars that traced my skin. It was just human nature to comment on the strange or unusual. I understood that since I used to do the same thing.

Shaking off my thoughts, I wandered my way down to the docks, hoping to find a boat that could take me to some of the small islands nearby. After all, the islands were one of the biggest draws for me, what with so many legends having been created around the Greek islands.

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It had taken time, but I had been lucky. An older man, a retired fisherman if I had understood him right, had agreed to allow me the use of his boat while I was here. Sure, the price he asked was high, but it would be worth it to have the chance to explore without someone staring at me constantly and yet not having to sail the boat myself. He would sail his boat to any island I wanted and stay on the boat near the shore until I got back.

To ensure I wouldn't have to worry, he told me he wouldn't expect full payment until the end of each trip, allowing me to keep my valuables in my room at the hotel and just following me back each afternoon. All I had to do was bring a small amount of money with me so he could buy his food for the trip, ensuring he didn't go hungry while he waited for me to return.

It was the best deal I could hope for, even at more than double what the other sailors had offered.

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The moment I stepped onto that first island, all I could do for the first five minutes was stand there facing the grassy hillside it had and cry. Not tears of sadness, but of joy. For the first time since the accident, I actually felt at peace with the world. Stelios, the sailor I'd hired, had anchored his ship offshore a small distance, just far enough for me to feel that I had some level of privacy.

It wasn't a big island, easy enough to explore fully with time left over to just sit on the shore and let the water lap at my feet. After a few hours, I was rowing back to the boat in the small inflatable raft that Stelios had provided me to get to shore. Smiling at Stelios happily, I thanked him for bringing me here, ignoring the way his eyes flicked from one scar to the next before he smiled at me in return.

During the return trip, we made plans for which island would be my destination tomorrow, me offering to meet him at one of the small cafes for breakfast before we left in the morning. This time, the smile he gave me was real.

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By the third day of exploring islands, I had called my parents and told them I was staying longer than planned. When they asked just how long that would be, all I could tell them was "Until I've seen everything the islands here have to offer."

Stelios had become accustomed to my scars by the end of the fifth day, his eyes no longer wandering from one to another when we spoke. He still didn't join me on the islands, understanding that I needed that time away from people, even if he had yet to question why I sought the seclusion.

Sometimes, things didn't need to be said aloud for another person to understand.

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The seventh island was something I hadn't ever expected to see, Stelios making subtle hints that I shouldn't speak about coming here. With a few hushed words and some hand gestures, I quickly shut my mouth and stopped asking questions, understanding filling me with a mix of both dread and excitement.