The Gorgon Queen

Chapter 27

We found ourselves on a trail, a few miles away from the cave. The screams from the Furies had stopped completely, but I my ears still rung.

Perseus dropped Aspasia unceremoniously on the ground.

"I can see that you're not the chivalrous kind." she said as she pushed herself up against a tree.

"Sorry, I'm not really in the mood for gentleness since you almost got us killed." Perseus said, jaw tense. Athena, Orion and I had managed to gather most of our belongings. We propped them up against a nearby tree as Perseus and Aspasia continued their spat.

"I did no such thing! It wasn't I who sent for the Furies." the Oracle brushed a leaf out of her dark hair, "I did try to warn you, but it seems as if you have some trusts issues."

Perseus's face began to beat red with anger, "If you didn't call them, then who did?"

A sly grin spread across Aspasia's lips, "Young warrior, you are not that stupid. You know who did."

Perseus tensed and looked at the rest of us. We all knew who sent the Furies.

"If you're all too afraid to say his name, then you'll never survive the journey." Aspasia said, as she twisted a thread of grass around her finger.

"Hades." I said. I felt every emotion rise in me, for Hades was the one who sent the Furies to kill Mother.

Aspasia nodded without glancing at us. Athena shook her head, "Why would Hades sent the Furies to us?"

The words came out of my mouth faster than my brain could keep up, "He wants the Deity Stones so that he can have control of Mount Olympus." I inhaled a shaky breath, "My Mother warned me about them right before she died. The Furies killed her."

Silence followed my last words. Nobody knew how to respond to this new information.

A firm grip on my shoulder made me look up and the look on Orion's face made all the tension I was holding release.

"I so sorry Medusa." Perseus said. I nodded in return. I shook myself out of my stupor and looked at the Oracle, "How does Hades know about us?" I asked.

Aspasia finally looked up at me, "He has spies everywhere in The Valley. The Furies must've been tracking you for days and then once you were in his domain," she snapped her fingers, "Hades let them go wild."

My head was starting to throb. Now more than ever we needed to get to Parnitha and find the stones and get to Zeus's temple.

"We have to keep moving." I said as I gathered up our things. "We can't stay in one place for too long if there are people watching and following us."

Athena spread her arms wide, Metis flapped her wings at the sudden movement, "Medusa, we lost the original trail when we ran from the Hounds. How are we suppose to find our way to Parnitha?"

I glanced at Aspasia, "You know the land?" I asked.

"I've been in a cave for most of my life." she said, her voice taking on an ounce of bitterness. I knelt before her so that I was eye level, "But you can see if there is any trouble that would come our way, correct?"

We held each other's gaze for a moment, neither one of us breaking. "I suppose." she said.

Perseus hauled Aspasia to her feet as we headed along the trail. As we walked, I noticed Athena kept looking behind her and stopping, her face tense.

"What is it? Do you see something?" I asked. Athena looked at me, her eyes filled with worry. "N-no, it's nothing." she said.

"Are you sure?"

She smoothed down the feathers of Metis as she said, "Of course. Trust me, Medusa everything is fine."

Athena marched ahead, keeping pace with the rest of the group. As I joined them, I couldn't shake the feeling that Athena wasn't telling me something.

If only I trusted my instinct.