Medusa's Answer

Author's note: This is the fourth entry in my series that begins with "Medusa's Trophy" and continues in "Medusa's Pleasure" and then "Medusa's Proposal." If you'd rather not, then you can read a short synopsis below.

All characters in this story are over 18 (especially Medusa).

Synopsis of the plot so far:

The Helot slave of a Spartan warrior unwillingly accompanies his master on a quest to kill Medusa. Shortly after they enter her lair, Medusa captures both men. Bound and gagged, the slave watches Medusa seduce the Spartan, petrifying the warrior at the climax of their mating. When Medusa talks with the slave after, the Helot reveals that he had broken his bonds as he watched and chose not to interfere. Medusa and the Helot kiss, and Medusa learns the slave's name: Asklepios.

Medusa spares Asklepios' life, and the two get to know each other. Eventually, the pair mates. However, while Medusa climaxes easily and often, Asklepios finds no completion in their coupling.

In his undersea palace, Poseidon and Aphrodite watch Medusa and Asklepios coupling as depicted in the previous chapter. This inspires the two Olympians to a coupling of their own, but the sex goes badly. Aphrodite becomes angry and leaves. Poseidon worries about what the love goddess might do and resolves to go to his brother, Zeus, for help.

Back on Medusa's isle, she and Asklepios talk. Medusa is wracked with pain as two new snakes emerge from her head. Usually only one appears when she takes a victim, and the second snake is unlike her other head-snakes. Asklepios reveals that he had loved a Spartan woman, and that impregnating her led to her death by the Spartan authorities. Medusa eventually convinces the Helot that his lover's death was not his fault. They then have sex, with both climaxing.

On Olympus, Zeus expressly forbids the sea god from tormenting or harming Medusa in any way. As Poseidon walks through Olympus, he sees murals of his disastrous mating with Aphrodite, as well as many gods watching and commenting on how Asklepios and Medusa's mating is far more inspiring than Poseidon's efforts with Aphrodite. The sea god resolves to take action.

Back on Medusa's isle, Asklepios mates with the gorgon from behind as they watch the sun coming up. As they climax, an earthquake strikes. Asklepios pushes Medusa to safety, but in her panic, Medusa accidentally turns the Helot to stone.

Medusa labored.

She grunted as she stumbled up the hill. The stone she bore seemed heavier than the others she had carried that day. The weather had remained dry and clear, so at least her feet and hands did not slip. Still, the work was hard in the hot sun. Medusa's arms and legs felt a weariness they hadn't known since before the gods cursed her. It mattered not. This would be the last stone.

For four days, she'd labored around the statue that had been her lover. First, she had cleared away the rubble and gravel down to the petrified feet. She'd thought to leave him that way, but once she had the whole stone body exposed, it seemed wrong. The pose was undignified and awkward; the statue might tip, and its engorged phallus stood out; Asklepios had finished coupling with her seconds before - before - no, she would not think on that. Proper Greek statues never showed the phallus erect. Even the manhoods of her petrified would-be killers were hidden beneath the waters of her front hall. Her dead lover deserved what dignity she could grant, and that meant covering his turgid manhood. And so, Medusa labored.

In place of the gravel slope that had buried him, Asklepios would have a stone monument covering and supporting his stone body from the waist down. But Medusa was no stonemason, and she lacked tools, so it had to be a rough construction using the heaviest stones she could carry and place. Dozens upon dozens of stones enveloped her lover's remains in stacked circles filled in with gravel.

With one last heave, the stone was in place, completing the twelfth circle. Another hundred scoops of gravel filled the final circle in. She stood back and looked over her handiwork. Asklepios seemed to be springing like a flower from an oversized planting pot. An unbidden giggle burst out of her.

No! That wasn't fitting! What kind of a person would laugh at a time like this - at a place like this? But another giggle burst out - and another. She crumpled to the ground, doubling over in laughter. She'd wept many times through her labors of the last four days. What did a few tears of mirth at the tragic madness of her life matter? Her labors were done. As her laughing fit subsided, she found herself relaxing for the first time since the earthquake. Gods, she felt weary. Perhaps she should retire below to her cave and -

- A piercing cry rang out, and Medusa looked about wildly for the source. She saw nothing on the hill around her. Then, on its own, her dark snake looked up and hissed. Medusa whirled and looked up. A dark streak dove down from above, flaring its wings out before landing atop the stone arm of Asklepios' statue. Medusa gaped. A hawk! Besides her snakes, this was the first animal she'd ever seen on her isle. She shut her eyes; she had no wish to add this strange bird to Asklepios' statue, or to harm it at all.

Her dark snake had other ideas, detaching itself from Medusa unbidden and climbing the stone circles about Asklepios' statue. It hissed threats at the hawk, but the bird merely warbled back. The dark snake reached the highest, innermost circle at the statue's waist and coiled itself, still hissing. The hawk eyed the snake as it warbled back. Then the bird emptied its bowels upon the statue's arm.

Without any order from Medusa, the dark snake sprang in a lightning strike, but the hawk was faster, leaping up and flying off with a few final, piercing cries. The snake's eyes stayed fixed on the bird, hissing until the hawk was out of sight.

Medusa looked in wonder at the snake as it splayed itself out across the Helot's petrified arm and shoulders. Her pets had their own ways of doing things, but none had ever struck or detached itself without her command before. The snake rubbed and scrubbed away at the bird droppings on the statue's arm. Medusa added her efforts, and soon the statue was clean.

The gorgon stroked the snake's head. "You missed him too?" She looked over and cupped the stone cheek of her lost lover. New tears welled up in her eyes. The snake's head moved atop Asklepios' outstretched hand. A pair of tears fell from the snake's eyes, anointing the statue's fingers. Fresh grief welled up again. The gorgon sat and sobbed.

Eventually, Medusa recovered and stood, facing the dark snake. "You do miss him. But I - I can't stay here - I need to rest."

The serpent reached out and gave her a gentle nudge with the top of its head before settling back on the statue. Another pair of its serpentine tears fell on Asklepios' stone fingers.

The gorgon took a deep breath. "Very well. Stay here - guard his grave. And thank you." With a final stroke of its head, she turned and trudged down the hill towards her cave.

The statue stood, reinforced by Medusa and guarded by the dark snake. Its arm remained thrust out in Asklepios' dying effort to save his lover. The petrified hand locked in the last position it would ever hold -

- And then a finger curled.

~~~~~~~~~~

The late morning sun caught the rainfall from a meandering squall, forming a bright rainbow. Two figures flew into the midst of the dazzling, refracting light. The first was a shining, bow-armed man in a chariot pulled by swans. The second figure carried a trident and rode a dark storm cloud. The two Olympians turned their mounts, flying side-by-side amidst the rainbow.

Poseidon nodded at the sun god. "Hello, nephew." He swept his empty hand in a wide arc at the colors around them. "This is an odd place to meet."

"Your Stormclouds meet my sunlight, Poseidon. It's the only common ground we have. I thought this a better place to talk than Zeus's court on Olympus."

"You thought rightly. And I'm prepared to be gracious. You can apologize for your intrusion here, and not in front of all the gods."

Apollo frowned. "My intrusion?"

"Your intrusion, yes. You broke through my storm clouds, and now you've blinded my looking-glass -"

"- Your looking glass should still show you all your dominion. Did you break it?"

"Don't be coy. Medusa's isle is my dominion. Athena and I made and swore a pact. The Fates sealed it -"

"- Your earthquake broke that pact, Poseidon."

The sea god's chest swelled. "Don't presume to tell me what I can do."

"You did that yourself when you made that pact. You swore to ensure Medusa's solitude and isolation from all but the most determined hero. You were not to attack her. The moment you unleashed your earthquake, you broke that pact. Have you any idea what a mess you've made?"

"I've heard no complaints."

"You've been sulking beneath the waves. Athena is angry, but she's the least of your worries. Your tantrum threatens to unravel the Fates' weavings. It was all Zeus could do to keep them from re-weaving your own fate to a terrible end. Zeus himself is furious; on top of the inconvenience you've caused, you disobeyed his direct command, issued in court, to leave Medusa alone."

The sea god glowered for a long moment as he considered this. Then he glared at Apollo. "And what of you? What have you got to do with any of this?"

"Zeus has charged me with fixing your problem. Until I do, Medusa's isle is my dominion. You will keep your storms and your earthquakes far away from there."

Poseidon snarled, his trident glowing. "You don't command me. Only Zeus -"

" - I speak no command, only foresight. You will leave that isle and anyone on it alone until I'm done fixing what you broke. You will do this because, as the god of prophecy, I'm the only one who can get you out of this. If you interfere any further, the Fates will become your enemy. I don't have to tell you how bad that might get." The swans flapped their wings, and the chariot started to rise away.

The sea god hung his head. Then his eyes narrowed. "You interfered before I sent that earthquake. You broke up my storm clouds to cast your light on Medusa - in my dominion." He sneered up at the departing sun god. "You want her too!"

Apollo's light blazed as he looked over his shoulder. "Pull your head out of the ocean every now and then, Poseidon. Not everyone shares your vices."

"So you don't want her?"

The chariot pulled away farther, but Apollo's voice carried back down. "My dear sea god, what makes you think I was shining my light down for Medusa?"

Poseidon's brow furrowed as the sun god vanished into the blazing light. Too late for a reply, the sea god thundered a parting question: "If not for her, then for whom?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Asklepios reflected, for there was nothing else to do in the void. Everything was emptiness. Everything was cold. There was no river or ferryman. He had no body to command. There was nothing to do and nothing available to do it with. All that remained was the memory of his life, a life of pain and misery capped off by the wild hopes and joys of his final two days. And then, the earthquake had struck, he had seen Medusa's own eyes, and his life had ended as his flesh froze into stone. All his senses were gone, leaving only his mind in this empty void.

Asklepios didn't blame Medusa. Her eyes had been open at his own bidding - such lovely eyes, too. Even in fear, they had an arresting quality transcending the curse of the gods. A man could lose and find himself in those eyes.

Nor did Asklepios feel regret. Had he not acted, those falling rocks would have killed her. Because of what he did, she had survived the earthquake, he was sure of it. What better way to die than in saving someone he -

- A soft tap broke the stillness of the void. Then another. Something had breached the emptiness, and that something remained on his finger - he had a finger! And that finger felt warm - no, it was hot! No, it was cold and hot - an agony of tingling. Like an arm gone numb in sleep, his finger could not respond - but it did have feeling, a feeling that creeped down into his hand. First his hand, then his arm burned with that madness of heat and cold. Then he felt a dull smack as his arm fell and swung against the stone where the trunk of his body should have been.

Two more taps plopped on his head, and the same madness of sensation spread down through his scalp. The sound of wind breached the stillness of the void as his ears burned and froze. A blaze of light filled his eyes before they shut out the sun in their agony.

More soft pats on his shoulders came, and amid the excruciating pain, he felt a weight on them. A quick glimpse revealed the dark snake. Then he felt other light taps on his shoulders and arm that remained stone. But he had no time to think on the snake - fresh agonies ripped through him. A desperate need to scream meant nothing to his geode-like lungs - not yet. But as sensation creeped down, his desperation for breath quickly changed to yearning for the unfeeling void; fresh agonies wracked his body. His vital organs strained against themselves and each other in terrible spasms as each slowly reverted from stone to flesh.

Asklepios couldn't say how long it all took from when life returned to his fingertips until it spread throughout all his body. Even then, his body shivered and shook in agony for hours, exhausting itself against itself as it tried to remember how to work. He could do nothing but breathe. As the agony grew too much to bear, he retreated into a different kind of void where he knew nothing.

Strange moments flashed by, but Asklepios could find no meaning in any of them: the dark snake hissing as it burrowed around him, a terrible pain in his knee, the strangled sobs of Medusa, the relief of a bath, and the softness of the gorgon's bed while insistent hands pressing a pot of water to his lips. Somewhere along the way, a great weariness replaced the strange burning of heat and cold. Asklepios slept as he had never slept before.

~~~~~~~~~~

A throbbing ache in his knee slowly brought the Helot back, but he didn't come fully awake until a warning hiss punctuated a weight slithering across his chest.

Medusa sounded annoyed. "No, that's enough from you! You may not be my pet anymore, but you will not keep me from him!"

The weight settled itself next to him with a sharper hiss, and Asklepios opened his eyes. He was in Medusa's cave, but fractal cracks criss-crossed the ceiling. New piles of broken rock lay scattered across the pools and streams of her central chamber. Medusa stood with her hands on her hips. Though she wore a thick blindfold, every snake on her head glared down at him - no, at the dark snake, which had coiled itself next to him, rearing up and hissing a warning warning.

Medusa's own snakes hissed back in an outraged chorus as she tried to brush them aside with a curt sigh. "Don't start something you can't finish. You're not even venomous, but these are, and they will - what?"

Asklepios' hand stroked the dark snake's head. The serpent settled down, but kept itself coiled next to the Helot.

Medusa gasped. "Asklepios?"

"mmm - " It took an extra effort to open his mouth, for his lips had dried together. " - Medusa. How long has it been since I - ah, since the earthquake?"

She knelt next to the bed without objection from the dark snake. "A week. You - you know what happened?"

The Helot nodded. "I turned you around as I pushed you, and I saw your eyes. I turned to stone."

Medusa's head sank. "I'm so sorry."

Asklepios chuckled, then winced at the pain in his knee as he tried to turn towards her. "I'm not. You survived. I had plenty of time to think on it." He raised a hand and stroked her cheek under the blindfold. "The only large stones were falling toward you, not me. Whatever caused that earthquake was trying to hurt you - kill you. I don't regret what I did."

The gorgon took his hand in hers and kissed it. "I did. I thought I'd lost you forever."

"Forever? But you restored me, didn't you?"

Medusa shook her head. "No. I have no idea how your flesh returned from stone. I can't do that. It happened sometime after I left you with this dark snake to guard you. That was at mid-day, four days after the earthquake. When I returned that night, your flesh was restored."

"I thought you could see through your pets?"

"When I wish to, yes, but I - I didn't wish to. I'd worked about your statue so much, I needed to step away. I tidied up down here and slept. When I woke that night, I tried to reach out to the dark snake, but our bond was lost, and so it remains. I can't control him or see what he sees. Even the flap on my head where he connected to me has closed - like it was never there in the first place."

Asklepios' knee throbbed. He raised his head and look down. "What happened to my leg?"

Medusa sighed. "I had buried your statue to the waist when I left you. When I found you, I had to get you out and drag you down the hill. Your knee hit a stone on the way down."

Asklepios grimaced as he sat up. "This - this will need some work." His stomach growled. "I will need to eat something, too." He rolled to his side with a whimper and gritted himself as he started to rise -

Medusa's hand were gentle, but firm as they pushed him back down. "No. You rest here. Let me take care of you."

"But you don't know how to mmph - "

- Medusa silenced him with a kiss. Then she pulled away. "So talk to me, Asklepios. We'll do it together."

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Asklepios winced as he limped along the bank of the stream outside the gorgon's cave. A bracing splint fashioned from his bedroll and pieces of his old master's spear supported his injured leg. The improvised brace had worked well enough in deep water. Now he tested it on dry land.

The Helot made it only a half dozen paces before he stumbled and fell.

Medusa sighed. "This will not do."

Asklepios panted. "It has to. You can't fight off a dozen Spartans and their servants and help me along at the same time."

The ends of her blindfold flapped against her snake-hair as the gorgon shook her head. "You're telling me what we need, I'm telling you what we have. I should take the ship first, without you, then come back for you."

"Impossible. I have to come aboard with you - the Spartans will be too suspicious to let you near their ship alone. I can hold some weight with this brace. I just need - oh, good thinking, my friend!"

The dark snake swam down the stream, half-wrapped around something. It squirmed as it tugged a large, knobbly stick onto the bank next to Asklepios. Satisfied, it curled itself next to the Helot and nuzzled his hand. Asklepios petted the snake with one hand as he picked up the stick.

Medusa's eyebrows furrowed over her blindfold. "What is that?"

"It was a tent pole for a shelter, or for keeping my master's equipment off the wet ground. It should make a good staff I can lean on. No," He said, waving her away as he pushed off the ground with his healthy leg. "Let me try."

Asklepios smiled down at the dark snake as it wrapped itself up his staff. "Well now, I get a walking stick, and you get a ride. That seems fair." He hobbled along.

The dark snake looked back and flicked its tongue at Medusa. The gorgon snorted.

~~~~~~~~~~

Asklepios flinched as he pulled the last wrapping of the brace off his swollen knee. He was back in Medusa's bed at her insistence. He looked over where the gorgon was making a stew on top of three lit torches.

"Will you at least let me help with the - "

" - No, and stop asking. You did too much today."