Serpent and Stone

Chapter 12

The next day, I ordered Perseus to remain in bed to allow his wound to heal and quickly escaped the tension within the temple walls. I took a deep breath as I emerged out into the clear summer air, stretching my arms with relish.

I already felt renewed, as I strode through the copse of cypress trees bordering the temple entrance, heading on my way to my gardens. For as much excitement and hope Perseus' arrival had caused, it was rivalled by the fear, confusion, and anxiety I felt every moment I spent in his presence.

With every small frown, every pensive gaze, my heart seized up with the thought that he'd realized my identity as Medusa. With every time he mentioned my name and his quest to kill me, I froze, terrified my shaky voice would give myself away.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of the flowers to clear my mind of such thoughts. My feet climbed up the familiar path beat into the mountainside, at last leading up to the perfect piece of land that I had cared for all my life. I called it my garden, though it was much less organized and clearly marked than a traditional garden would be.

It was a large area of fertile, grassy land on the lower side of the Shoulders filled to the brim with medicinal plants, herbs, root vegetables, and fruit-bearing trees. My mother and I had planted the various seeds we wanted in this spot and helped them to grow, but after that we did little but tend to the plants and allow them to spread as they wished.

Soft, green thyme leaves butted up against the trunks of olive trees, bushes dotted with lentil pods lined the soil adjacent to the light, delicate branches drooping with plump, purple figs.

I brushed my hands across the leaves of the fig trees as I passed, letting the interwoven scents of a hundred different fruits and herbs wash over me, calming me with their intoxicating spells.

I walked through the assemblage of plants for several minutes before kneeling close to the ground at the site of what I had come here for: a copse of yarrow flowers, the small yellow petals as tiny as the tips of my fingers.

I plucked several stalks of the flowers, holding them carefully by the stem. The flowers themselves were the part of the plant that held healing properties, and I didn't want to touch them before I had the chance to mix them into a salve at home.

With the yarrow flowers in hand, I made my way back through the beautifully unkempt garden, admiring the various budding flowers and ripening fruits. I turned my head, taking in the view. I was just high enough on the mountainside to be able to see over the canopy of the trees below and down to the sea. The water was calm today, a dark, inky green that made it impossible to view anything that might be lurking below the waves.

I couldn't stop my eyes from darting to the horizon, scanning the line of the sea and sky for any signs of ships. Maybe it was silly of me. Perseus had said no ships would return for two months at the earliest. He was right about now being the start of the season for summer storms- it made sense that no ships would want to dare a sea voyage now.

But knowing all of that logically didn't erase my heightened fear. I knew that I would never be so carefree ever again, not when I now knew that two kings somewhere across that sea were fighting each other for my head.

I abruptly dragged my gaze away, focusing on hurrying back home. I would have to question Perseus once again to find out the reason why these two kings were suddenly desperate to kill me. I grimaced to myself even as I walked between the trees. I had a feeling that the gods were not uninvolved.

When I returned to the temple and walked through the stone archway of the entrance, Perseus was wide awake and waiting for me. I watched him straighten up, his head jerking toward me, as he perceived the sound of my footsteps. I ignored him, moving straight toward my work table to begin storing away the yarrow flowers.