Snake Charmer

Chapter five

Jessica found that she really enjoyed Sam's company as she had no one to talk with apart from her snakes. She didn't mean to follow him all the way to Stanford like some kind of stalker. Her only intention was to put him to the test to see if he was really her Iphicles.
"I think all that isolatan has gotten to me Queenie, I don't know what I was thinking." She whispered to the young snake.
"I do milady you wanted a connection, its natural for humans." Queenie responded. Even with her human disguise she could still understand snakes. Jessica huffed at the word human as she that wasn't what she was.

"I'm not human Queenie I'm Medusa, and as soon as he figures that out I'll lose my head." Jessica said. Queenie disagreed but Jessica was sure that her interaction with Sam was a one time thing. Hunters had never been much of a threat to her, she could easily scare them off with one hiss. Yet nothing seemed to scare Sam, apart from the messages he kept avoiding.
"Milady don't you remember what Athena said?" Queenie asked. Jessica scoffed at the name, the goddess she once adored so much only brought her grief.
"Oh yes I remember, something about how I deserved the punishment because I broke her vow," she growled. " and that true love might set me free if I learned from my mistakes."

Jessica remembered that day all too well, and she closed her eyes at the memory. It was late right after she had Seen the hero Perseus. He had killed her sisters and she was next was there nothing she could do. In a act of desperation she reached out to the goddess Athena. When she was raped by Poseidon and cursed, Athena had gone out of her way to ignore her. But Jessica had hope that her Patron goddess would forgive her or somehow help her.
"Where are you Medusa?" Perseus asked holding his mirror shield.
"Athena please if you are out there I'm sorry I know that you think I betrayed your vow but I really need your help." She begged.

There was no answer in Anger ring through her veins once she realized that Athena didn't care. "My sisters the only family I had left are gone and you are just going to let me die. Please Athena If you just listen to me I can explain everything." She continued. If there was only silence and enraged Jessica took out her anger on the so-called hero. She grabbed him and threw his shield away, he looked away from her covering his face.
" I know you would show up you monster." He spat.
"You know people keep calling me that and I'm really not that mean, however there are some things people don't know. Like the fact that I have a new temper and this new temper has led me to hurt some people!" She grabbed him by the neck and urged him to look at her.

"You turned them to Stone!" Perseus screamed back. He kept avoiding her gaze which only made Jessica angrier, the snakes on her hair all hissed at him.
" you are so right I did but I had no intention of hurting them I only wanted to be left alone, but you Mortals never listen." She hissed. " so the question is am I going to kill the man who snuck into my home and cut off my sister's heads!?" She exclaimed. At this response Perseus turned his head as far as it could go.
"Let ....me...go..you crazy...snake lady.." He squeezed out as she grabbed tighter.
" Why don't we find out maybe you'll taste good." She responded and forced his head to turn back, their eyes met.

The snakes on her head all hissed again louder this time, eager to petrify him. However before she could go any further a loud voice stopped them both.
"Enough!" Athena yelled. Her voice sent them both flying in opposite directions and the goddess helped Perseus stand. Jessica brushed herself off and saw the familiar armor of her patron goddess.
"Athena I didn't manage to..." Perseus began but Athena stopped him.
"No don't you have done your duty, take one of the gorgon's head I shall craft it into my shield in time." Athena responded. Perseus nodded and the demigod vanished as soon as she snapped her fingers.

"Oh so now you answer my calls." Jessica sneered. Her powers weren't effective on Athena since she held up the reflective shield to avoid eye contact.
"I have a plan which is more than I can say for you I was trying to help." Athena responded.
"By chopping my head off!?" Jessica exclaimed. Athena groaned in frustration at her displeasure and disrespectful.
"Ugh you're so naive, I can't just follow you around princess." She spat. Jessica hissed and in bold move she knocked the shield away, and slapped the goddess in the face.
"And you're such...." She began but didn't finish as she couldn't find the words to say. Athena gasped at the surprise attack and looked back at the gorgon in anger.

"Is that your best?" Athena asked her tone dropping.
"Not even close I'm so tired of you ruining my life!" Jessica exclaimed. Athena gasped again and looked insulted.
"I ruined your life? I'm not the one who broke their vow with my greatest rival destroying my image and insulting my image!" Athena screamed back. Her volume made the ground shake but Jessica stood her ground and punched the goddess again.
"I was raped and if you bothered to listen to anything I said you would know that and its because of that stupid rivalry that I'm stuck like this!" Jessica yelled. Her volume almost matched Athena's and her snakes all rose to attack. Athena held up her spear as if she was going to attack but then dropped it to the floor.

Her eye contact never left the ground but it was a grand gesture for the goddess of wisdom.
"You are right but I didn't come to fight I came to speak," Athena said. " there's nothing I can do to change the Fate that's been bestowed upon you," she continued. " but there is something you can do." Jessica froze and told her snakes to stand down, there had to be a catch her.
" what are you going to say that just so I don't look you in the eye, news flash Athena my Powers work on you too." Jessica groaned.

" I know that dear one but I am trying to help I know you don't want it and I don't deserve it, but there is a way for you to be fixed." Athena responded. Jessica turned away in disbelief and told her to just leave.
" No you don't understand I don't want anything from you, my loyalty to you costed me everything." She declared. There was a heavy sigh followed by silence, and Jessica hoped she had been left alone.
" well I'm going to speak anyway if you were able to find true love and learn from your mistakes perhaps this curse will be reversed." Jessica just got scoffed again and turned away even more.
"There's no such thing as true love, its a fairy tale." She declared.

Jessica pulled herself out of the memory and looked down at her necklace with Iphicles's ring. The gold from it had almost worn completely off, yet she still kept it close to her heart.
"Milady are you alright does your ring need to be cleaned?" Queenie asked. Jessica shook her head and petted Queenie, there were a hundred other things on her mind.
"No the memories are just disturbing, I know that Sam can never love me no one can love a gorgon." Jessica said.
"You don't know that for sure." Queenie cautioned and Jessica got off the bed she had been sitting on.

"Yes we do one look and he would end up as the newest statue in my collection." Jessica said. She continued to look at her worn down ring and placed it on her finger, it was still a perfect fit. "The only person that really loved me is gone, my Iphicles." Jessica shed a few tears at the memory of his terrified face. Queenie comforted her and Jessica curled up in her bed to fall asleep. Before she could close her eyes though a splash of water was heard. Her head shot up and she saw the figure of the sea god, her eyes glowed green in anger. Meeting up with Sam had made her forget why her human disguise had happened.

"Oh Medusa its time to have some fun." Poseidon said.
Queenie hissed at him and Jessica had to hold her back along with her siblings when he walked in. "Control them if you know what's good for you sweetheart." Poseidon growled in a sweet yet harsh tone. Jessica wanted to let them just attack him but their venom would do nothing against a god.
"Its alright my darlings, I made a deal I must give him a heir every two hundred years." Jessica responded. The sea god smirked at her words and approached the bed with a lustful glance. A look that would never fail to send chills down her spine.