Page 44 of Crown of Serpents

As the words rolled off his tongue, he paused to wonder. The evening was waning, and so far, Medusa had not tried once to escape. Walking alone back to the ship would have been her best opportunity to flee with only one pair of eyes watching her — especially considering her boast of besting Kleos. Why, then, had she offered him this information? It was as if ... she wished to remain.

Perseus studied Medusa more carefully, but the smooth lines of her face were utterly unreadable. He stared into the ocean-green depths of her irises as if he might find some answers there. They were truly hypnotising.

Could there be any harm if she stayed for their meeting with Aetos and Cepheus’s sentinels? It would only mean that more eyes were watching her. Maybe he could discover that way what she was up to.

Finally, he heard himself say, “Fine, you can stay, but keep quiet during the meeting. You are a prisoner, not crew — no matter what charade we played tonight.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Medusa stood on the deck of one of the three vessels that the king and queen of Joppa had provided them to save their princess. They were hidden in the bay bordering the rock where Andromeda was chained. Medusa was shackled to the mast, a prisoner once again.

She should not be here. She should have escaped the night before when Perseus had given her the chance. But a strange compulsion had kept her there.

It didn’t matter. Once the chaos started, she would be gone.

Amidst the havoc that had erupted after Perseus’ had agreed to save the princess, no one had noticed how much lighter these shackles were compared to Perseus’s original pair forged from the otherworldly material. Still, Medusa couldn’t break free until Andromeda was safe. The girl’s amber eyes, filled with worry as Medusa lied about her supposed brother's murder, haunted her. She had to ensure Andromeda's safety, confirm Perseus's intentions, and then she would vanish.

The pre-dawn air was crisp and still, the only sounds the rhythmic crash of waves against the cliffs and the mournful cries of seagulls. No one dared utter a word as they lay hidden in the morning mist, waiting for Perseus’s signal.He and Kleos had stayed on shore. Perseus would distract the monster once it rose from the murky depths to feast on the princess. Meanwhile, Kleos was to free Andromeda from her chains and bring her out of the monster’s reach. While Perseus engaged the beast, his crew would row out of the bay to cut off the monster’s escape route. The Joppan guards had given them a large, reinforced fishing net with gleaming metal spikes. They would ensnare the beast in this net and likely drag the steaming carcass to shore as a trophy.

She did not pity the serpent even though these men had captured her in a similar ambush. Her sole focus lay on her escape ahead. She could not afford any compassion or remorse clouding her judgment — not even a glimmer.

The first rays of sunlight crested the horizon, illuminating the morning sky and waves in hues of gold and peach. Eos, the blushing goddess of dawn, had awoken. But Medusa had no time to marvel at her serene beauty. A low whistle pierced the silence — Perseus’s signal. The tune was echoed from each vessel — one was commanded by Aetos, the old sea captain, another by his grumpy first mate, and the third galley was manned by the Joppan sentinels.

The sea beast had been sighted. Medusa craned her neck, but the towering cliffs obscured her view. She supposed this was reassuring, considering that the approaching creature would not detect them either, but still — some part of her yearned to see the monstrous threat with her own eyes.

Instead, she stood tied to the mast, suppressing a shiver as a sense of foreboding chilled her bones. The birds around them fell silent as if sensing the impending otherworldly danger. The crew sprang into action. Half of them took their place at the oars while the others nervously fumbled for the lethal net. Even though they moved as quietly as mortals could, Medusa could smell their fear.

Then, a bone-chilling screech ripped through the air, followedby two sharp whistles. A flurry of activity erupted on deck as the men grunted, their oars digging into the water with renewed vigour. The sound of clashing metal was carried on the howling song of the wind as the ship rounded the cliff, revealing a sight that stole Medusa's breath.

A colossal sea serpent towered over the cliffs, hissing and screeching. Its back was barbed and scaled, and the thrashing tail was covered in long spikes that could easily splinter a ship’s hull. Medusa recognised the monster as Cetus — one of Poseidon’s favourite pets. They were utterlyfucked.

Dread filled Medusa’s stomach as the beast snapped for Perseus with long yellow fangs glinting in the morning sun. Yet, the warrior remained undeterred, darting in his winged shoes around the serpent’s head, bravely swinging his sword. She recognised those sandals. He had worn them when he had attacked her as well.

The creature snapped its giant maw, dripping with saliva, but Perseus was quicker. He dove, taunting the beast with another feigned attack. Each miss was met with a frustrated roar, the serpent's fury growing with every failed attempt. The beast whirled, its tail shattering a nearby rock into rubble.

Perseus dove in another daring manoeuvre, plummeting toward the serpent’s swivelling head at breakneck speed, pulling up mere inches from Cetus’s snapping teeth. Medusa released a breath as he soared out of range. Perseus hadn’t even swung his gleaming sword. Instead, he kept the creature occupied, ensuring that the otherworldly yellow eyes remained focused on him and not the two figures on shore. Kleos, who usually towered any man, looked tiny next to the beast. The brute was hunched over a slim figure. Andromeda’s dark skin radiated in Eos’s golden light, not paying attention to Kleos fumbling with her chains. Her eyes remained fixed on the monster hissing and whirling as Perseus engaged it in another dance of flashing steel and fangs. Despite the barbed tail and teeth sharp enough to crunch bones, the princess kept her chin high as she stared down the beast that had come to claim her.

Medusa’s focus shifted back to Perseus. It seemed like such an uneven battle — yet Cetus grew increasingly feral as Perseuswhirled around its head. He was like a fly pestering a cow.

The warships continued creeping toward the serpent, trapping it between the cliffs and them. As the sailors lowered the spiked net into the water, Medusa started working on her handcuffs, probing the chains for a weak link. She had to be ready when the moment came.

Perseus continued soaring through the air, his shoes carrying him with astonishing speed. She had only ever seen Euryale twirl through the air with such agility. His shield glimmered in the morning sunlight, its polished surface reflecting the monster's enraged visage. He pushed the creature to the brink of madness while his crew laid their deadly trap beneath the waves.

Kleos had managed to remove Andromeda’s chains, which clattered to the ground. The serpent whirled its head toward the sound, letting out a thunderous roar that echoed against the cliffs. It spun, ready to snatch its prize, but Perseus intervened, diving headfirst toward the creature's neck. His sword met impenetrable scales, and he slid down the serpent's body, a near miss from the snapping jaws.

The beast's spiked tail lashed out, but Perseus deflected the blow with his shield. The impact sent him hurtling through the air, his body tumbling before he regained control. Medusa's breath caught in her throat, her fists clenching involuntarily.

Her eyes remained fixed on the battle between monster and man. Perseus fought with unwavering determination, each move a calculated dance between life and death. However, the warrior’s movements began to falter, his swings growing sluggish from exhaustion. Every time the creature snapped its jaw, the distance between Perseus and the serpent’s bone-crunching fangs grew closer. Yet, he kept pushing, buying the princess and her saviour more time to climb to safety. They were only halfway up the steep cliff.

The serpent's ferocity grew with every passing second, sensing Perseus’s faltering strength. It knew its moment was coming.

Medusa was so engrossed with the raging battle that her fingers paused on the shackles. Andromeda had almost reachedsafety, yet she had all but forgotten her own escape.

“Nets are in position!” Aetos's voice boomed over the din. “Perseus, lure it in! Now!”

With a last surge of energy, Perseus dove toward the centre of the ship formation, a triangle that trapped Cetus within the bay. Still, the furious serpent mindlessly lurched after Perseus, splashing water and debris. Both winged warrior and beast dove toward the surface, where the spiked net lay in wait. At the last moment, Perseus veered upwards, the serpent's jaws snapping shut on empty air. The ocean floor trembled as the creature's immense weight crashed into it.

“Pull the nets!” Aetos ordered, and the trap snapped shut.

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