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[Warnings for aftermath of rape and death]
Your party wakes up with a jolt and an angry bar owner shoving you all out of her tavern. You step outside, a bit disoriented, and shield your eyes from the overwhelming sun and look over your surroundings. You’re in a busy and crowded plaza on the island Sarpedon. You look around at the people around you that stand out.
A bit near the center of the plaza, a large, likely 7 foot tall anthropomorphic pig-man dressed in a red cloak with the hint of a sash wrapped around his waist peaking through, stands tall. On his shoulders sits a blond, lanky teenage boy with a fist waving in the air, yelling profanities at a masked man in green standing next to two companions. Off towards the side of the road stands two men dressed very differently from each other; one in red and black with a strange hat- likely a professional fool-, the other in a black chlamys with matching black pants. They seem to be in a conversation, the fool weighing an axe in his hands and the other holding up another in display. You look around some more and spot something.
In the corner of your eyes you see a woman. She's stunning and tall, wearing a gorgeous deep green toga and her curly hair reaches just below her shoulders. You feel mesmerized by her looks and something about her presence. Do you approach her?
[ No ]
You pull your eyes away and exchange looks with each other, deciding it best to forget about this woman. A commotion kicks up around you, causing the crowd to grow and circle around a group, pushing your party off the road. You all decide to shrug it off and simply return to the tavern you woke up in, hopefully the owner has forgiven you or at least forgotten.
[ Yes ]
You attempt to approach her, but the crowd starts bustling around you. A commotion seems to have started from the center of the plaza, you glance over and see a brawl- a sword fight specifically- occurring between the masked man and the pig man(likely on behalf of the boy). You turn back and see that the woman is completely out of sight now, gone. You curse in disappointment and, despite it, try making your way over to where she had been anyway. This works much better now, the crowd dispersing considerably in amount. You look around at the leaving heads of people, hopeful to catch a glimpse of her green toga or curly hair, but you’re not so lucky. You sigh in resignation, maybe asking around will help you find her?
[ Don’t ask ]
You decide it isn't worth it and that it's unlikely you’ll find her even if you look. Your party turns around and decides to leave, the disappointment of the lost woman hangs heavily in all of you.
[ Ask ]
The crowd dispersing seemed to help you narrow down people to ask. But now the question, who to ask?
[ The Tavern Owner ]
You attempt to return to the tavern and ask the owner, but upon seeing your party enter, the owner jabs a thumb towards the door with a glare. Your party turns out the way you came. You decide to ask someone else.
[ The Fool and Friend ]
Your party approaches the Fool and man with him, they both look up at you. The Fool gives you a look, a glint in his eye giving you all a feeling of being in danger, suddenly the axe in his hands looks more dangerous. You turn to the man with him instead. He gives you a look that’s more disgusted than angry, but at least it's more approachable than the Fool. You introduce yourselves and ask if he knows anything about that woman. He shares a glance with the Fool then gives your group a greedy smirk, saying he’ll tell you, but for 600 gold. A tempting offer, but your group is bronze-less, so you have to decline. At this, he seems to lose interest with your party and goes back to showing the Fool another axe. You decide to ask someone else.
[ The Pig-Man and Teen/The Masked Man and Companions ]
Your party heads towards the center of the plaza where the fight had been, approaching those that were a part of it. Luckily the fight seems to be over with a clear winner; the pig-man, sitting comfortably on top of the masked man’s back on the ground while the teen boy laughs triumphantly. The pig-man looks your group up and down, likely deciding if you’re a threat or not. The masked man wiggles from under him in annoyance, catching his focus, so he slow-blinks at you before moving his attention to the teen.
“Hey, Theseus, we’ve got visitors.” He says, voice low and monotonous. The teen pauses his onslaught of laughter and teasing to give the pig-man a look that shows he's unamused.
“I told you to stop calling me that, mate. Seriously, that guy’s a prick and I’m way bet’er than ‘im.” The teen switches up quickly, turning towards your group and flashing a large grin to you. “Hello! You can call me ‘Big T’, ‘specially since this guy won’t.” He nudges the pig-man with his foot.
“I’ll stop callin’ you Theseus once you stop usin’ me for fights.”
Big T rolls his eyes yet his grin only widens. “Anyway, this ‘ere’s Blade, my older brother. Bet you couldn't tell, since we look so different, but I've taught ‘im everything he knows. Just don't tell ‘im ‘e’s adopted, it’d shock ‘im shitless.” Blade sighs heavily, grumbling a quiet; “You’re adopted too, y’know.” Big T continues.
“Under ‘im with the mask is big man Dreamer,” Dreamer gives a slight wave, not much more than a flick of his wrist, “-and with ‘im are his companions; Nick and the other one.”
Nick snorts, he’s in a typical toga, but with a broach the design of a fierce flame keeping it together. ‘The Other One’, as Big T has dubbed him, frowns. He’s got a pair of bulky goggles on, possibly meaning he’s an inventor of sorts, but you’re not sure and it’s not important enough to ask. Big T interrupts your thoughts.
“Yeah, I can tell what you’re thinking; we’re lucky ‘e’s got those goggles or else we’d ‘ave to see his ugly face.”
In a quick movement, Dreamer slashes his sword at Big T’s ankle. Swiftly, Blade slams the handle of his own sword onto Dreamer’s hand. There's a sudden sharp shout of pain and then the clattering of Dreamer’s sword dropping and hitting the floor. A purely predatory look gleams in Blade’s eyes as he gazes down at him. A chill runs down your party’s spines, reminding you of how quickly the fight earlier had ended. A moment passes and the look fades off of Blade, he yawns and moves his sword off of Dreamer’s hand, giving him a bored look.
“Feelin’ defensive today, huh?”
Dreamer turns his head away, propping his chin up onto the palm of his hand. “Says the guy that got into a fight in his brother’s place.”
There's a few hesitant seconds of silence until Big T laughs awkwardly. “Yeah, well- anyway! Moving on-” Big T begins a spiral, chatting about anything to help clear the air. His latest adventure, what he and Blade had done a few days ago, how he met Dreamer and his friends, really just rambling to open air. As the topic changes to Big T’s other older brother and how he’s an up-and-coming musician, Blade catches your eyes and speaks up.
“Hey, Theseus, I think they’re tryin’ to ask us somethin’.” Big T clamps his mouth shut and they all turn their gazes to your party.
[ Ask about the Woman ]
“Oh, Gorgo.” Blade gives a pensive look. “Yeah, she lives with her two sisters on the outskirts of town near Athena’s temple, real dedicated to her, too. It's a bit in the woods, but their house is decorated with lots of snakes so it's hard to miss. I’d offer to take you there, but us two,” he motions his head towards Big T, “-aren’t on very good terms with them right now.”
Big T crosses his arms and looks away.
[ Respond ]
“I think you’ve gotta go straight through town then up onto a dirt walkway. ‘Cause she lives near Athena’s temple there’s a split somewhere in the path. Best to just guess which turn to take, honestly.”
After saying this, Blade rolls his shoulders back until one of them pops, humming quietly, and stands. Dreamer takes this chance to quickly climb to his feet and stand a bit closer to Nick and ‘The Other One’. Blade mumbles something to Big T, gives your group one last look, and stalks off. Big T huffs a breath of air- though it isn’t one of anything negative- and looks at your party.
“Alright, well, guess that’s my cue to go with ‘im. If you find Gorgo tell ‘er I said hi- except don’t, she’s probably still upset with me an’ all. You know how it is, you know how it is.” He grins and turns to run after Blade.
“Welp, that’s over with.” Dreamer sighs, sheathing his sword and turning to his friends. “You guys wanna head out now?” The two nod, they all give your group varying types of ‘goodbye’ signals, and they all leave as well.
[ Free period, mill about for a while ]
[ Free period end ]
Your group stands at the entrance of the forest Blade had mentioned to you. You share a look amongst yourselves before heading in.
You walk for about fifteen minutes, stepping over stray tree roots and rocks, for the most part it's decently peaceful and makes for a nice hike. You soon come upon the split in the path. Which way do you go?
[ Right ]
You decide that you can’t go wrong with right, so you start going down along the right path. The path becomes more and more overgrown at the sides, lush with ferns and bushes brushing against your legs. The tree branches hang above you protectively from unruly sun beams and gusts of harsh wind. Small animals scamper in the brush around you, the forest feels calm and comforting and alive.
The path continues and you begin noticing beautifully sculpted statues of snakes. First small ones that blend in around your feet on the ground, then soon after a few wrapped around trees. The deeper in, the more you find. Some rest comfortably on stone podiums, others- much larger- sit coiled on the forest floor. Luckily this means you’re probably close based on what Blade had told you earlier!
You keep going until the path clears away and the forest opens to a sized circle in the brush. In front of you sits a nice cabin-like house, complete with a little stone walkway up to a porch. There's a chimney, but no smoke, likely meaning no one's home. You look around you, appreciating the scenery. There's a large flower garden on the right side of the yard and a vegetable garden on the left. Dandelions and lilacs scatter around the general area as they please. The sight of the cozy home makes you feel warm and safe inside, it’s a wonderful feeling-!
-that unfortunately doesn’t last very long. A petrifying shriek rings in your ears, immediately fueling you with panic and adrenaline. You need to find where it came from, meeting this woman can wait. You sprint back onto the path, barreling through the forest as the shrieks and cries don’t stop. You can hear your blood pumping in your ears, your faces burn in concern and fear for whoever could be screaming in such agony. The shrieks get louder and more and more desperate as you continue. Suddenly you reach the split path again, and the screams are dying down, yet they sound like they’re coming from the left path in the split. You hurry down that way, hoping, praying, this person is safe.
You know deep down that they aren’t. Those screams couldn’t be faked.
You make it further and further down the path, ripping through the branches and roots in your way. The screams have ceased, the only sound now is your party running. Ahead of you, you spot something. The temple of Athena- and two people.
As you get closer, your party comes to a stop and ducks behind a few trees so the people don’t see you. It may pain you to not rush in to help, but it doesn’t look like either people are distressed.
Well, with each other at least.
Two women are settled on the floor of the temple, one caressing the other in her arms as she sobs heavily. The one consoling the other is a large woman, likely eight feet tall when standing at full height. She’s donned in an armor chest plate over her golden toga, a helmet secured over her head, and a large spear rests at her side. Large tears streak her face, but she doesn’t seem upset, as if the tears are just part of her rather than a cause from emotions.
Your party instantly recognizes the other woman, her long curly hair and deep green toga jogs your memory right away. Only this time, she looks much worse than earlier. Her toga is torn and rustled up and her hair is chaotic, strewn everywhere as if it had been yanked on without mercy. Her shoulders shake as her sobs rack through her whole body, her cries sound broken and pained, it's a horrible sight.
You can vaguely hear the large woman speak.
“Fear no more, my dear, I will assure his return to be nevermore. I have you here, wrapped safely in my arms, blanketed from any dangers around you. Here, in my temple, you are secure.” Her voice blares softly, and you realize this woman is Athena herself. “If you all but wish, I shall grant you a way to protect yourself when I am not at your side. A gift, on behalf of my temple not being guarded well enough.”
The woman- Gorgo, you remember- raises her head quickly, shaking it furiously. “No, please, I assure you, your temple is not at fault! To imply that would be to imply that you are anything but perfection! My Goddess, I beg your forgiveness for this discrepancy to have taken place in a sacred place here! Please, this is at my failure, not yours!”
Athena frowns, her eyebrows crease with sadness and she shakes her head. “I apologize, for my omnipotence hadn’t been enough to save you. On my immortality, I ask permission to gift you a way to keep yourself safe when I cannot be here.”
Gorgo cries, tears falling down her face like rain, but Athena wipes her tears away with a thumb and a look on her face you would never see from a goddess. After a moment of sharing a gaze, Gorgo swallows her sobs and nods.
“Yes, I could never reject a gift from you, My Goddess.”
Athena nods and pulls Gorgo into a hug lasting mere moments, though to them it likely felt like eternity. When she pulls her away, Athena’s face turns serious, though never losing its care.
“Gorgo; my dear follower, my love, today I was unable to protect you from the filth of a man’s lust. With this gift I give you the power to protect yourself when I am not with you, the power to turn men to stone with only eye contact. This power will keep you safe, and that is a promise from a Goddess. My dear follower, my love, from now on you will be safe.”
As she finished, Athena holds Gorgo’s face comfortingly in her hands and leans forward, kissing the start of her hairline. It's silent for a moment until a light shines from Athena’s kiss and overtakes Gorgo’s hair.
Then hissing. The light fades and reveals Gorgo’s hair has been replaced by snakes, and her eyes shine pure white, matching Athena’s gold eyes.
“This is the gift I have presented to you, and with it comes a new name. A name to strike fear into danger and protect you the same way your new power will. My dear follower, my love; Medusa.”
And it works. Your party is instantly filled with vague fear, the kind that chills your back with a cold sweat. The kind where you’re laying in bed, home alone, and you hear your locked door creak open.
[ Stay ]
Somehow, the fear doesn’t consume you enough to make you run, or maybe it just paralyzes you. You can feel the overwhelming presence of Athena begin to weigh on you, being in the company of a Goddess likely has repercussions on mortals. It pulls down on you and you can’t tell if it's difficult to breathe or not. You grab the tree you’re hiding behind for support, but your grip is faulty and you slip.
Athena’s head shoots up towards your direction, the tears on her face mimicking flames. Her mouth moves and your ears bleed. You feel a crushing force against your backs, forcing you to the ground.
“How dare you invade a private conversation between a Goddess and her follower! I’ll have my spear through each of your throats for this!”
And she follows through to her word. In an instant, you each feel Athena’s spear pierce through your throats. You can’t breathe and you choke on your blood. You collapse to the ground, lifeless.
[ Leave ]
The fear overcomes you, fueling you like prey under a predator’s gaze. You quickly turn and scamper away. You vaguely feel a gaze on the back of your heads, but the brush around you thankfully seems to shield you from whatever it could’ve been. You run back to the plaza and only stop when you reach the outside of the tavern you had woken up in, the scenes you had witnessed replaying in your minds.
You feel awful for Gorgo- or Medusa now-. The screams you had heard will haunt you for weeks if not months to come, you can only assume from her condition and the gift Athena had given to her of what had happened. Especially in such a place; the forest felt so safe and comforting, and now for Gorgo it has been tarnished, it will forever remind her of the event that occurred. It must have been horrific, an event that only time, care, and security can hope to heal the pain. You sympathize for her, no pain you’ve gone through could amount to what she endured. You hope she can live the rest of her life safely in the cozy home you had happened upon.
Though you think that with the gift Athena had given to her, she’ll be fine.