Colder Than Stone

Chapter Five

Plutus opened his eyes , confusion was etched across his face. His eyes un-blurred only for him to notice his strange surroundings. He remembered being in battle and then being blasted out of the sky. He could feel the damage on his body, no god was completely invincible.

This must be Erimos. He thought recalling soaring above it  .

This must be where those that anger the gods get locked up ...

Plutus was knocked out of his thoughts when his attention was taken by a tail peeking out from behind the wall , it moved side to side.

" I won't hurt you." He said weakly.

Medusa reluctantly crept out from behind the shadows and looked at the man and she noticed he looked straight back at her. Medusa clamped her eyes shut in fear that she'd turn him to stone.

This must be Medusa then, he remembered the way the gods had snickered and how the ones that felt pity for her could do nothing given that the ones who had put her there were too high to oppose.

"You can open your eyes, your powers won't have any effect on me. " Medusa opened her eyes and noticed he was fine.

"How is that possible? " Medusa asked him.

"It only effects humans" He said eyes closing, Medusa was about to ask him how he'd got there, but she stopped when she noticed he had lost concious again.

Medusa went to the well to the spring to get more water.

I must look hideous to him ...

Medusa looked at her reptilian eyes blinking back at her.

He'll soon be gone if he hasn't been imprisoned here as well, why should I care how I look to this man?

The ground scraped against her tail as she made her way back, it was torture but she had developed thicker skin over time . Another three days past by until Plutus opened his eyes again. His body was still weak but he managed to eat the fish that Medusa cooked over the fire for him. He watched her sprinkle the different fruit juices over it before roasting it for him, never not once looking up at him and it wasn't out of fear that she'd turn him into stone. It was embarrassment.

Plutus went for a walk and stopped under the moonlight, below the hole he had fallen through, He looked up and concentrated with every part of his being to shift into his dragon only to have his body disobey and his skin harden to diamond scales before fading away and leaving him a scrawny shifter without the ability to shift.

The last couple of days had left his body weaker than he thought, the muscle that he had were wasted away from him being asleep for so long and his tanned conplexion was becomming pale.

He knew he needed to leave. He had seen Medusa before she became this creature, he knew about her beauty and he was smitten by it, if he became attatched in any way, it would be catastrophic. He couldn't go up agaisnt the gods or set her free and he couldn't let her discover that he was a god.

Plutus knew of her hatred for them, he knew better than anyone as well how it felt to be betrayed by your own kind. Exiled because you weren't dragon or pure enough... but that was over, he made sure he punished every single one of them when his powers emmerged. He had showed them his other half, His true powerful half.

Psssh , they thought his other half was human because of how weak he used to be...if only they knew.

"How are you feeling?" Medusa asked finally
Mustering up the courage to make eye contact with him.

"Better, but not a hundred- percent , atleast not yet." Plutus ran a hand through his grey hair. His eyes captured Medusas attention , they were a glowing scarlet-red. Medusa stared in awe before realizing and looking away.

"So what exactly are you?" She asked him , bending down and laying fish on a sanded down stone plate.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a dragon. " He said chuckling softly noticing her discomfort amd omitting the fact that he was a god.

"Ohh.." Medusa looked around uneasily. "Did you get banished to Erimos as well?" She asked with a clear of her throat.

"No, I was in battle...I got injured and I ended up here I guess. No worries though I'll be leaving soon.

" You won't be able too, there's no way out. " Medusa said sadly but the idea of him not being able to leave brought a bit of excitement bubbling to the surface . That excitement was shortlived.

"No way that you'd have been able to reach." He said looking up. " but, I on the other hand can fly."

Medusa felt her heart sink, she had enjoyed conversing with this man who didnt point out her flaws and that she had started to become comfortable with , but he had plans to leave and the last thing she needed was another heartbreak to remember in the next couple of decades of loneliness.