The Gorgon Queen

Chapter 11

Screams filled my ears as Euryale and I burst through the door. Dropping my basket of herbs, I followed my sister into the kitchen, where we both halted in our tracks.

There, on the floor, blood seeping from her hip was mother. Stheno was beside her, folding pieces of cloth around the wound and applying pressure. My eyes glanced to Stheno's right and I saw a pile of towels that were tinged red. Apparently, mother's wound was severe.

Her face was pale, almost like she was a ghost. She withered and moaned as Stheno apply bandage after bandage, I could see my older sisters hands shaking as she treated the wound.

Euryale went to fetch a bowl of water, the same task she did for Papa. I knelt down beside mother and took hold of her hand.

It was ice cold.

"M-Medusa." Mother's voice came out hoarse. I reached over her body to Stheno's left, where a cup of water was resting. Picking it up, I let go of mother's hand and lifted her head, letting the water slip between her lips.

"Mother, what happened?" I asked, my voice shaking. Mother was looking up at the ceiling, as if it held all the answers. Euryale came back with the bowl and started soaking more cloth. When mother saw her, she cleared her throat, loud enough for all three of us to hear.

"My daughters," she breathed. Stheno stopped wrapping the bandages and looked at our mother, her face tense. "What I'm about to tell you, you must take it to heart. For it has the power to change your lives and the world's."

Euryale lowered the cloth back into the bowl, her brows furrowed, "What is it, Mother?" she asked. Mother tried to sit up, but the pain from her hip was too great and she laid back down. I took a pillow from the chair behind me and propped it under her dark waves.

"Your Father and I, we never told you the real reason as to why we were always hunting," she sighed and continued, "We served the Gods, and by doing so they entrusted us with a task. A task that I'm now realizing was more dangerous than they let on."

"What task?" It was the first time Stheno spoke since I entered the room. Whatever mother was going to tell us, it peaked all of our interest.

"The Deity Stones."

My sisters and I looked at each other, each of us more confused than the other.

"Mother," I said, "What are the Deity Stones?"

Mother's eyes were becoming hazy by the minute. She licked her lips, trying to get the information out before it was too late.

"The Deity Stones. They control the three wonders of the world: Fate, Destiny and Death. The Gods use their power to help decide who gets blessed by Zeus, but they also use them to defeat their enemies."

Mother inhaled sharply, a sudden rush of pain ran through her.

"But the stones are hidden, somewhere that the Gods don't even know. They can draw power from them, but they need them in their grasp to have total control over Mount Olympus. But..."

I gripped her hand, it was even colder than before. "But what, Mother?"

Mother looked at me, her dying eyes meeting mine, "The Gods aren't the only ones who are after the stones. There are others." she glanced down at her wound,

"This is the work of the Furies."

At that word, my sisters and I all froze. We had heard stories of the Furies and their reputation for torturing both mortals and Gods. But the only God who could control over them was Hades.

"That's correct, daughters." Mother said, as if she could sense who we were all thinking, "Zeus and the Gods need to get the stones before Hades does. For whoever has control over the stones, also has control over Mount Olympus, not to mention the three wonders."

"What are we supposed to do?" Stheno asked, her voice a whisper. I could tell that Stheno was trying to be strong, but the last few days had taken a toll on her, and now this new information was slowly setting her over the edge.

"Find the stones, daughters. Return them to Zeus and all will be well."

Mother looked each of us in the eyes, "Promise me, my daughters. You won't let the stones fall into the hands of Hades."

My sisters and I all looked at eachother. Without saying a word, we all agreed. We would so right by Mother and Papa, and by the Gods.

"We promise, Mother." I said.

As the words left my mouth, Mother's hand went limp. Once again, I heard Euryale silently sobbing beside me while Stheno stared at the wound on Mother's hip.

I remained holding Mother's lifeless hand, tears slowly falling down my cheeks. I just made another promise to someone who I hold very dear to my heart.

Would I be able to keep it?