Serpent and Stone

Chapter 1

When my lonely life of peace and solitude was so violently interrupted, I was picking oranges on the eastern bluffs of the island.

The oranges were sweetest from the trees that grew on the staggered cliffs here. I had once tried to move a few of the saplings to the temple garden, to make picking them more convenient. Though the trees still bore fruit there, they simply weren't the same.

I had no idea the reason why the oranges were better here, but I liked to think that this place was where the dryad spirits of the trees felt the most happy and free. It was not difficult to imagine why. The churning blue waves of the Aegean Sea painted a mesmerizing landscape from the cliffside, the reflection of the sun glittering on the water. The sea breeze was strong and rustled the branches drooping with the weight of the ripe fruit.

I half-wished to move to this side of the island myself. Though I occasionally entertained the idea, it was only a wistful desire. This area was too exposed to approaching ships. Living here would be too great a risk.

I moved along the copse of orange tress carrying a large wicker basket against my hip. It was nearly filled after an hour or so of picking, and it was beginning to grow heavy. The trek from the temple to the eastern edge of the island was several hours long, and it wasn't worth making more than one trip. I was determined to collect as much fruit as I could during this trip. The basket was already full with many more oranges than I could possibly eat before they went bad, but I'd learned to make preserves out of the rest to avoid waste. After such a good harvest as this, my shelves would be stocked with the stuff for months.

I set my basket at the base of a taller tree, deciding it would be the last one. The basket was close to overflowing at this point. It was more for the sake of enjoying the ocean breeze for a minute longer than collecting more oranges that I was delaying my return. A sharp pang of regret burrowed into the pit of my stomach, and I paused again to take in the majestic view. White gulls flew low over the waves and the sun was just beginning its descent from the sky. White foam churned at the bottom of the cliffs as the water bashed against the rocks.

I chided myself for such feelings and turned away. The center of the island was the safest place for me, and that was where I had to stay. It was what mother had wanted, and when had she ever been wrong?

I grasped the lowest branch of the tree, pulling myself up nimbly and continuing to climb. After climbing only a bit more, I reached the branches ripe with fruit. The snakes on my head writhed excitedly at the succulent scent, darting every which way in a tangle of scales and forked tongues. I shook my head in annoyance, willing them to calm down. Though I could typically control them at will, strong smells always put them into a frenzy. As I'd learned quickly growing up, more than sight or hearing, snakes relied almost entirely on their sense of smell.

When they settled down, I picked the choicest oranges off the branches, tossing them back to the ground. I couldn't entirely begrudge my snakes their excitement. My mouth was starting to water at the thought of having oranges with my meal tonight, a treat that I hadn't tasted since last year's harvest. Eager to return home with my haul, I climbed down halfway and then jumped from the tree. I landed lithely on the balls of my feet, my sandals crushing the wild weeds and grasses. I brushed the traces of leaves and dirt from my skirts and crouched to pick up the felled oranges, tossing them into the basket.

Having finished the task, I picked up the basket of oranges and turned inland, toward the forest of pines and cypress trees. The sea breeze whipped past my ears, the fresh, salty air so tantalizing. My heart swelled as high as the waves, and I almost turned back around. Instead I walked determinedly into the forest, leaving the cliffs and the orange trees behind me.

I was nearly halfway back to the temple, when I heard the unusual noise drifting through the woods. I slowed my steps, coming to a pause and frowning. It was a strange disturbance in the usual silence.

I was by no means the only one living on the island of Sarpedon. Several species of deer, birds, rabbits, and even a few wolves inhabited the forests, and that wasn't even to mention the numerous nymphs, harpies, and satyrs. I knew I shared the island with these creatures, however I almost never actually saw them with my own eyes. Though my curse only affected humans, all other creatures seemed to have some innate instinct to fear me and to keep as far away as possible. Mice and birds would scatter in terror at my approach, nymphs and satyrs would dart away long before I even sensed their presence. It was simply another part of my curse, the fear my presence evoked in any living thing. No creature on this island would dare catch my attention, which was why it was so strange that one should be making noise so close to me.

Sensing that something was wrong, my snakes hissed and darted around nervously. I willed them to be silent, straining to hear.

When I recognized the sound for what it was, my entire body froze, my blood turning to ice. It was the sound of voices shouting loudly with anger and desperation- humanvoices. The basket fell from my grasp, the oranges tumbling to the ground forgotten. I remained standing there, completely and utterly frozen in shock, while my mind worked through its turmoil.

Over the years, many lost men and women had turned up on Sarpedon. Fishermen forced to dock by a heavy storm, pirates exiled by their crews, poor sea folk who didn't realize whose island they had stumbled upon. But the sound of the voices I was hearing- there must have been dozens of men on the island. Maybe more. And running under the current of shouts I heard another blood-chilling sound: the clash of swords.

They must have come to the island to hunt me down. It was the only logical explanation, and after so many years of my mother warning me against such a thing it seemed almost inevitable that it should finally happen. They had come to kill me, and be rid of the monstrous Medusa once and for all. My hands started to tremble as the roaring voices slowly drew closer to me, and I took a step backward.

The temple was my home and the safest place on the island, but I couldn't go back now and risk leading them there. And what if they had already uncovered it? If that was true, then there would be nowhere to go back to. There was no time to run and nowhere to hide. I was trapped.

I tightened my hands into fists, taking a deep, shaky breath. No, I couldn't just stand here and wait for them to find me. I had to move, and quickly.

I was surrounded by tall, sturdy pine trees thick with foliage. As the voices and the sounds of fighting grew louder, I picked a tree at random and pulled myself into its branches. I grunted as I climbed up as fast as I could, ignoring the burn in my muscles, the scrapes on my palms. I climbed as high as I dared before the branches would snap under my weight and clung close to the trunk, wishing that I could make myself invisible. My heart hammered in my chest and my breathing was ragged. My snakes clung close to my neck and flicked their tongues nervously, mirroring my fear.

Looking down through the thick leaves, I could just make out the raging battle as it burst through the trees, reaching the spot where I had just been standing. My heartbeat lessened ever so slightly when none of the men seemed to notice my presence, too focused on the battle around them to notice much of anything.

For the moment, I had avoided death.