The flames died, leaving hot embers glowing in the dim light. I could hear the beating of my own heart and the ones around me. The Oracle had given us insight on our futures, for how far away it was, we would never know.
"We should be on our way." Orion said, speaking for the first time since we met Aspasia. The Oracle looked at the embers before her, "It will be dark soon. It is not safe for travelers to wander at this time."
Metis flapped her wings, as if to object, "We have to keep moving." Athena said, sensing her campion's urgency. Aspasisa glanced in her direction,
"It is unwise to venture at this moment."
Perseus scoffed, "How do you know? You're stuck down here."
At this, Aspasisa shot him a look that could have killed Zeus himself. Perseus pressed his lips together, ashamed. "I'll have you know, young warrior," Aspasia started, "That my sight can see as far into time as I let it. If I wanted to, I could tell you how your journey ends."
A wicked grin spread across her face, "But I am an Oracle, and such things aren't possible."
"Then why give us hints?" I asked, suddenly annoyed. Why would she tell us subtle hints about our futures if she wasn't going to help us?
The Oracle cocked her head, "If we tell you how your journey ends, you have a chance to change it, and we can't let that happen." she picked up a piece of smoldering wood and rubbed it in between her thumb and forefinger, "Like I said before, child, the world is unbalanced. But that's how life is, unbalanced and unpredictable."
Her eyes focused on mine, "I do mean what I said before, I do pity you. For out of all this paths before me, yours is the one I'm most heartbroken and terrified for."
At that moment, the sound of thunder shook the cave. Pieces of rock cracked off the sides, causing dust to rise. I covered my mouth in order to not inhale the rock.
"Like I said," Aspasisa said, flicking the wood back into the pile, "It isn't safe now, you must rest here for the night."
I looked at Athena and Perseus, who only shrugged. We didn't have a choice.
As we made camp around the simmering embers, Calliope's words echoed through me,
"Beware of Oracles, and there taste for fortune."
* * *
Her breath was coming in short. It hadn't done that in a while. She had mastered her anxiety, practically vanquished it. But now, in this moment, it returned.
She gripped the stone wall, her long fingernails digging into the stone. Her newfound powers kept urging her to be strong, telling her that she was going to be alright.
But would she?
The clanging grew louder. Heavy footsteps soon filled the room. She held her breath and waited, waited for that perfect moment.
"Hello?"
Her blood boiled. She could recognize that voice almost anywhere. It first gave her comfort, but now all it did was sent ice through her veins.
"I know you're here." the voice said. She held in a laugh. This person was all bark and no bite, she knew that. He wouldn't hurt her. He couldn't.
Her power told her to reveal herself, so she did. Slowly, she let go of the wall, letting her fingers trail down the rough surface. Her dress followed behind as she made her way into the light.
The man before her hadn't changed. Maybe a little bulker, some stubble, but he was still the same man she once knew. The same man she once called a friend. A wicked grin spread across her face.
"Hello, friend." her voice was smooth, haunting. The man withdrew his weapon, "You don't have the right to call me your friend."
The was a bright light and white hot pain.
She never felt so much pain in her life before.
* * *
I woke up abruptly, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. I hadn't dreamt of that woman for a few nights now, and now that I have again, it suddenly felt too personal. Almost like she was me. But how?
My back ached from sleeping on the hard surface. When I went to stretch, I felt something warm and sticky on the back of my shirt. I pulled my hand away and gasped as I saw that my hand was covered in a small amount blood.
I felt around to see if I had scraped myself, but I was soon greeted with the vibrant violet eyes of Aspasia. She was holding a knife, staring at me. Her knife had some blood on it.
"Aspasia? What's going on?" I voice shook, for I felt my fear rising.
The Oracle let some of the blood drip into her hand, "When I saw her, all I saw was darkness, and an unforgiving ending," her eyes met mine again,
"I'm doing you and the world a great service by ending your life now."
Aspasia lifted the knife high into the air, it's shiny surface casting an eerie glow in the dying embers.
YOU ARE READING
The Gorgon Queen
Fantasy"I hate snakes. "I know that's hard to believe considering how my story ends. But it's true, I hate them." Before she became a legend, she was only a girl who wanted her life to have meaning. When 18 year old Medusa promises her Mother to find three...
