outside Athens, 480 BC

[mycursedface]

The Acropolis is burning.

(burn, burn, burn it down)

It is night now, and the glow is turning the clouds above red. A nice red, really, glowing hot even from here, and fading into a dull red. The screams had stopped hours ago (all gone now) and now there is nothing but silence.

(burn, burn, burn the scene of the crime)

At least, from where Medusa is. She is sitting on a rock on a hill a little distance away, hugging her knees to her chest. She's been watching for hours, but the smile on her face is still as bright and guileless as the flames.

(burn, burn, burn away the memories)

Comments

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

A bolt of lightning streaks across the sky, followed by a quick clap of thunder, and then Ouranos is standing at Medusa's side.

He doesn't say anything as he watches the flames, though he's sure his expression says it all.

(He looks very upset.)

[mycursedface]

(burn, burn, burn)

Not that Medusa says anything to him, not for a while (she might not have noticed). But then her fingers flex, claws sliding in and out, and she glances up at him.

"It's cleansing," the Gorgon says at last, happy and approving.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He doesn't look back at her.

The Persians have set up their camp and he can see it all -- all the triumphant looks on every face, all the bloodied hands --

"Cleansing," he repeats, voice low and deep. "That's what you call this?"

[mycursedface]

In an instant she is up on her feet, hands fists by her side and her dark eyes smoldering.

"Yesssss," she hisses with her snakes. "Burn away the blood and memory of violencsse. Has to be balanced. She turned away and coward, coward, coward in her temple. Didn't deign to sssslay me, just stay nice and sssafe and now it burnsssssss."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"Medusa."

His voice is sharp and warning and he finally turns to look at her with dark, stormy eyes of his own.

There's another rumble of thunder in the distance.

[mycursedface]

Her mother speaks to her, like that. Sometimes. But that's Ceto and normal and her father never, ever, ever did and-

Medusa's eyes drop and her wings are refurled against her back.

"Yess, ssir."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He isn't going to tell her that this is wrong and he isn't going to tell her to stop and back down because he understands how she feels and if he had the chance to get even with his son --

Kronos, Kronos, if I ever see you again --

The thought makes him clench his own fists for a second.



Rather than reprimand her, he places an arm around her shoulders.

[mycursedface]

She doesn't like being touched, generally. But he's uncle and Ouranos and makes it thunder and lightning and he's safe and the Gorgon ends up hugging him.

"Replacesss it. Just fire, fire, fire, nothing else." Her voice is muffled and oddly miserable.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"And what of the dead?" he asks gently, squeezing her shoulder.

He can smell the blood and ash on her.

[mycursedface]

Medusa glances up, her wings shifting.

"Gorgon? Daemon. Monster. I can't."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He frowns.

"If you could..."

He trails off, looking back out toward the Acropolis.

"What will they do now?"

[mycursedface]

She steps away from him, her movements almost dreamy.

"Pursue, I guessss. Hunters and prey, but it's about pride, hmm? Itty-bitty backwaters cannot tell the Great King NO. No, no, no, they can't. It is a Lie, and thus Wrong and...

Pride.

And then rebuild from the rubble, maybe the same, maybe different. Depends who wins."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

His hand drops to his side as she moves.

"And what will you do?"

[mycursedface]

Medusa's head bows and she pushes one of her dreadlocks (she'd been so vain of her curls, so vain, and now it is nothing but black snakes and matted dreads) behind an ear. Her movements are quick, darting.

"Fly. Up is up and down is down."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"You will follow the paths of the soldiers, I take it?" he asks, following her movements without blinking.

[mycursedface]

Her eyes flick towards him.

"No."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"Ah. This, then," he says, motioning towards the fire, "is all you wanted?"

[mycursedface]

"Didn't know. Curiousity. Easy prey. Nothing more."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"You're telling me it was a mere coincidence that you found your way here, of all places?"

He's eyeing her skeptically, now, eyes grey and narrow.

[mycursedface]

Ouranos is eyed back.

"Yes."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure I believe you," he says honestly, stepping toward her.

After a moment of silence, he offers her a hand.

"Walk with me?"

[mycursedface]

Another moment's pause, a moment a touch too long of her studying his hand. Then she reaches out and curls her small fingers around his.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

And slowly, carefully, he begins to lead her away from the rock, away from the burning below.

He doesn't let her stop until the red clouds are far out of sight.

[mycursedface]

Fire, fire, fire.

It's all fire now. Memories of hands and broken bones and being-Nothing but the crackle and heat of fire, fire, fire.

So Medusa's smiling, a little.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

When they finally come to a stop, they're in the middle of a field, far away from Athens and the Acropolis and the burning building and the soldiers.

"Sit, Medusa."

[mycursedface]

"Will you?"

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"Of course," he says, and slowly does so, careful to not touch the ground with his hands.

[mycursedface]

That is better and she kneels down as well, ankles crossed underneath her and wings unfurled to avoid dragging in the ground.

Still.

She's watching him.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

And he's watching her, too, with arms folded across his chest.

[mycursedface]

Her slender fingers twist in her lap, the movements quick and flighty.

(i decided someday when the sky was deluding himself about being blue)

"You don't touch."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"We're always touching," he says, eyes drifting toward horizon. At this time of night, there's no line between them -- just dark Earth blurring into dark Sky.

[mycursedface]

"Not hands."

She noticed.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He shrugs.

"No need."

[mycursedface]

"You confuse me."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"I can say the same of you," he says, smiling crookedly.

[mycursedface]

She smiles back, just as crooked.

"It's good for your humility."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He laughs quietly, then, looking a little more somber --

"She won't be happy, you know," he says, indicating the ground below. "They're scorching her soil."

[mycursedface]

Medusa just glances at him.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He glances back, over his glasses.

"Hm?"

[mycursedface]

"There are fires in forests and on plains."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He stiffens for a moment.

I will singe and blacken all that grows from you --

Something dark passes over his features, but it only lasts for a second.

-- and you will regret the day you bore me.

"Natural, not manmade."

[mycursedface]

"Okay."

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

"C'mere," he says, extending an arm out to her.

[mycursedface]

She's a dirty thing now; covered in dirt and soot and blood, curls to mattered dreadlocks, wings more than a little bedraggled. Still. She crawls over and curls up next to him, head on his shoulder.

[father-sky.livejournal.com]

He rubs her arm with a rough hand and holds her close, muttering "it'll be okay, Meda."

For both of us.

[mycursedface]

It'll be okay
It'll be alright in the end

I promise

Different voices in her head, low and male and she trusts them. Trust them, trusts them, trusts them so the Gorgon nods and doesn't move away until the trees have stopped pulling faces.