The Medusa Deception

Chapter 19

MANDY BLINKED A couple of times, but it didn't make a difference. It was pitch black and deathly quiet. Was this purgatory or some kind of hell? She felt around at her sides. She was back on the tile floor in the Starbucks bathroom. Hell was back in ancient Greece.

Still in the same position, she was on her back, legs splayed apart with her shirt and bra ripped open, her heart racing from the near rape. Her ears rang from Poseidon's bellows of rage. She could still feel the weight of him, the anger, the fear.

What the hell, she thought, taking a ragged breath. She'd practically lived a page right out of her mother's history book. Commingled with murderous rage, she felt sorrow. Sorrow for the torment Medusa must've felt at the hands of Poseidon. Nobody should have to endure that. God, she wanted to kill him. And based on Poseidon's wailing, the feeling was probably mutual — not to mention his obvious disdain at her wielding his sacred trident. The list of people wanting to kill her back in ancient Greece was growing. Sure, she had some powerful allies: Zeus, the Gorgons and the Graeae. But they wouldn't always be there, like just now. It was a brutal time to be alive. And lucky me, it could be my new home. Not if I can help it, Mandy vowed.

She took another breath, unclenched her fists and relaxed her jaw. She couldn't lie on the bathroom floor forever. She got to her feet, extended her arms in front of her and shuffled toward the door.

"OUCH!" she yelled, as the toilet rammed painfully into her shin.

Instinctively she bent over to rub it. On the way down, her head struck the metallic toilet paper dispenser. Stars danced in front of her eyes.

"GOD DAMN FREAKING SON OF A..."

Mandy stopped and straightened. The pain in her shin was forgotten, replaced with a much sharper pain in her forehead. Lifting her arm to her temple, she gingerly checked the area and felt a warm, sticky substance. Great, she huffed. Survive a brutal assault from Poseidon only to nearly kill yourself with self-inflicted injuries.

She took a moment to get her bearings. Reaching her arms forward, she found the wall where the dispenser was mounted and followed it along until she discovered the edge of a door. She felt for the handle and opened it, allowing enough light from the hallway to seep in for her to find the light switch.

She returned to the mirror to inspect the oozing gash in her forehead. "Nice going Klutz."

She cleaned up the wound as best she could and headed out into the store. It was dimly lit and totally abandoned, the front doors securely closed and locked up for the night.

Resigned, she sat on a nearby stack of Coke cases and pulled out her phone to check-in with Ryan. Water seeped out of the casing. It was a goner.

Given the circumstances, Mandy decided to take a few liberties, helping herself to some of the available amenities including a bottle of coke, a snack, some bandages, new bra, shirt and jacket. Once the terror had worn off, a bone-chilling cold had taken its place. But now that she was properly clothed and dry, she felt almost human. If only it were true.

She headed to the electronics department and found the cell phone counter. Locating a demo phone similar to hers, she slipped the SIM chip out and replaced it with her own.

There were five new texts from Ryan.

* * *

RYAN WAITED BY the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier, a popular gathering place in downtown Chicago with an amusement park, beer garden and several restaurants that jutted out on a large pier into Lake Michigan. The exchange would occur any moment now. He anxiously scanned faces in the late evening crowd until, finally, he saw them approach.