Page 35 of Crown of Serpents

Perhaps she could use the feast to steal the key and free herself when he was distracted.

But first, he had to return. Had he changed his mind? Lied to her from the start? She still could not quite believe that he had agreed to take her.

The hatch creaked open, and familiar footsteps echoed down the ladder.

Medusa suppressed a relieved sigh. “Took you long enough. Did you go on a little shopping tour through the market?”

Perseus paid her jab no heed and opened the prison door. He placed a bucket of water next to her and tossed some clothes onto her lap.

“You’re filthy. Clean up and make yourself presentable before we enter the court of the king and queen of Joppa.”

Medusa did not need to sniff herself to know he was right. Weeks without a proper bath had left her smelling wretched. Still, she protested, “I’m not playing dress up for you.”

“Either you clean and change, or you stay here. I’m sure my men won’t mind if you filthy.”

Asshole. She had revealed too much, and now he was using this knowledge against her — an invisible leash added to the physical restraints. Medusa grabbed the wet cloth and started furiously scrubbing her arms.

“The rest of your body as well,” Perseus ordered.

She gritted her teeth and lifted her skirt to clean her dirty legs. Being ordered around by this man made her blood boil. But she had to obey to if she wanted to escape.

“Now change.”

She didn’t move. “I can’t with these damn shackles on, and I won’t if you are watching me.”

He knelt before her and gripped her chin with his callused hand. Medusa inhaled sharply at the touch.

“I will open your shackles and let you turn around so you may change, but be warned, my blade will be at the back of your neck the entire time. Attack me — you die. Try to take off that blindfold — you die. One swift movement — you die.”

She would make him pay for this. Maybe she would hunt him and his crew once she had escaped them. Images flashed beforeMedusa’s eyes of her gutting one man after another while Perseus stood chained to a wall. She would make him watch.

She gritted her teeth. “Understood.”

With that, Perseus opened her chains, and they fell to the floor with a thud. Medusa whirled around, yanking her dress over her head in a fury of frustration. She could feel his stare burning into her back, a sensation made her skin crawl.

As she finished changing, she prepared to confront him, but he pressed the tip of his sword against her throat, halting her movement.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

He neither responded nor did he lower his weapon. Instead, Perseus stepped closer, the cold blade pressing harder into the sensitive skin of her throat.

“Turn around again so I can take off your blindfold.”

“What?” Medusa asked, dumbfounded.

“You'll wear a veil in the palace instead of a blindfold. You'll be able to see, but you won't risk petrifying the entire royal court."

She was speechless. Was he truly this stupid? Letting her walk into a crowded room with nothing but a veil? Would he leave her unchained, too? This would make escaping so much easier.

The blade dug deeper as Perseus pulled her against him, his breath hot on her neck. The hair on her arms rose as he secured the veil on her head.

“You will pretend to be a priestess of Apollo, travelling with us. You will tell anyone who asks that your temple sent you to bless our journey. I don’t want to explain to King Cepheus why I have brought a monster to his banquet.”

With a final tug, Perseus removed her blindfold. Medusa blinked, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light. How many days had it been since she had last seen? Now, she stared at the wooden hull of a ship through a semi-transparent veil that made her vision blurry. Would this flimsy fabric truly contain her power? A smirk tugged at her lips as she considered the possibility of Perseus's plan backfiring. She could end him right here, right now. But he held her fast, his body a solid wall against hers, the sword's point drawing a thin line of blood onher neck.

“Don’t get any ideas, Medusa,” Perseus whispered in her ear. “I know that you are fantasising about escaping and getting revenge. You probably wouldn’t care if that means setting the entire palace ablaze, but I won’t let that happen. One wrong move, and I’ll take your head before you can even lift a finger.”

To her own dismay, his threat sent a shiver down her spine. Still, he was wrong about her. She was ruthless with her enemies, not cruel. Medusa had no intention of butchering innocent bystanders for the sake of escaping. At least, not yet. Should they turn out to be just as rotten as other mortals —

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