The Gorgon Queen

Chapter 7

We buried Papa near the sea. It was fitting, considering he spent most of his days in the ocean. Now it was time for him to be laid to rest among the white sand and rocks.

Mother, my sisters and I-with help from some of the dock workers who knew Papa since he bought fish from them from time to time-took his body down to an open area between two rocky cliffs. There, we buried Papa deep into the Earth and watched as the dock workers filled his tomb with sand and dirt. Soon, his resting place will be nothing more but flat sand, waves rolling on top.

After the hole was filled, mother, my sister and myself placed vibrant violet orchards among the waves. Papa always favored orchards over any other flower. I stood there, motionless as the flowers floated out to sea.

"We're sorry for your loss." one of the dock workers said as he tipped his hat toward us. Mother said nothing, just nodded her head in response. The dock workers looked at each other and with one last nod of the head, they all ventured up the hill, leaving the four of us to mourn.

I closed my eyes and felt the wind gently blow across my face. The sound of the waves was soothing to my scattered mind. I could hear Euryale, silently crying behind me, but I blocked her noises out. Indeed, I was upset over Papa's passing, but all I could think about were the last words he said to me.

Fate. Destiny. The Gods.

Zeus.

And what about these stones?

If only I asked Papa about his hunting expeditions before he got sick, now I would never know. Unless, mother told me.

"It's up to your mother now."

Whatever Papa was hunting, the burden was now on mother's shoulders. I snuck a glance at her and saw that she was staring straight into the sea. Her face deadpanned. I could tell by the way her jaw was clenched that she was deep in thought.

I felt the words form in my mouth but stopped them from coming out. I wouldn't be a good daughter if I were to questioned mother about what her and Papa's job under the sea really entailed. I knew I had to wait until her time for mourning was over. But who knew how long that would be?

And I wasn't a very patient woman.

A sudden wave of dizziness overtook me and I swayed on my feet. Stheno was beside me and gently grasped my shoulders, "Are you alright, sister?" she asked, her face filled with worry.

No, I wasn't alright. The attack from the night before plagued my dreams to the point where I woke up in a cold sweat. Stheno was there in the early morning, soothing my nerves and having me sip on some herbal tea.

Mother noticed the cut on my head that morning before we buried Papa. Heeding Stheno's advice, I told her that I tripped and stumbled into the cabinets above the counter in the kitchen. I was never good at lying and mother could see tell that I was.

Still, she didn't questioned further.

I wanted to tell mother about the attacks. But what could she do? What could any of us do? We were four woman living alone, without a man to protect us. If Papa was still alive, I knew he would find the men and drown them.

At least there was Perseus. He struck down the men without even flinching, even though he was embarrassed to admit how talented he was with a sword. Even though Papa wasn't around anymore to defend my honor, I knew Perseus was.

I looked at Stheno, "Just a little dizzy."

"Why don't we go back up to the house." she was speaking to everyone but when mother focused her gaze on her eldest daughter, she simply shook her head, "I'm going to stay here for awhile." she said.