"Try as you might, Medusa hides amongst the mightiest of knights. Venture to the cave if you dare, but be warned of the other sisters that await you there."

???

IF I KNOW MY HISTORY—which I don't—it took nearly a week to reach the cave of the Graeae, but we arrived a day earlier, thanks to the winged sandals Hermes provided. Perseus could fly, and the time had been friendly to us.

However, the journey wasn't exactly the best. Once you step out of the city, there is nothing for miles away. It's like you're trapped on an endless path. Your eyes dry to the vast sea of sand, never knowing where you should go or when to stop. The scourging sun had drained the waters out of our bodies. Eventually, we ran out of food supplies, and our energy was in critical condition. I knew I was seeing a mirage when an order of big mac with a side of fries sat before me. My mouth watered at the sight of it; I could smell the patty and feel the crispy edges of the fries. The scrumptious meal turned out to be sitting over quicksand, and I would have nearly drowned if it weren't for Perseus. Since then, my wings have carried me, regardless of how tired I am.

On the second night, we arrived by the coastline, where we found an abandoned raft floating by the shores. The woods of it were in bad condition as they were disintegrating. Crustations clung onto the bottom, and seagulls guarded the sails, which were just moldy pieces of cloth. Perseus hopped on and picked up two oars, handing me one.

I caught it. The slimy texture of it made my skin crawl.

"We'll use these," he said.

The raft could withstand our weight, but I chose to stay in the air.

Perseus had no objections as he started rowing toward Cisthene, the island of the Graeae.

The day turned to night, and my wings had given up on me. I rest on the raft, trying to keep my eyes open, but the rocking motion of the raft felt like a mother's cradle to her child. My eyes eventually gave in, which was the last thing I remembered. Fortunately, maybe the Gods have been watching over us as we found ourselves by the shores of the right island before dawn.

I woke up to see Perseus next to me, and before us was the sizzling sound and mouth-watering smell of fish. He made a fireplace and cooked some fish he caught over a flat stone. I don't usually like fish, but now, they taste amazing, and I sucked the bones clean, leaving no flesh behind.

...

After replenishing our energy, we continued heading toward the cave and eventually arrived. A firelight springs out of my palm, taking the lead and lighting the path into the unknown. The cave is dark, dreary, and dry. The air was thick with humidity, and the scent of dark magic was overwhelming.

"You're getting used to your powers," Perseus interrupts the silence.

"I guess I am," I said.

"What changed you?"

"I had a wake-up call."

...

"We were expecting you."

A raspy voice echoes throughout the cave, and we stop before a flight of stairs. Over a hundred steps, it led to the Untold Fate. Dark magic used by the Graeae to cut the thread of life of any living being.

Three figures stood around the magic's energy. They share similar traits as they all had hunched backs, hair, thin and delicate, snakelike skin, and talons as sharp as a spear. They had no eyes in their eye sockets, as they shared a single eye amongst themselves.

Perseus ran up the stairs, and I simply flew, dreading to climb more stairs in this century. We arrive at the top, where the three witches stand in unison, facing us with their horrifying appearance. One of them had spiders living in their eye socket.

"Then you should know why we're here," Perseus responds.

"You seek the whereabouts of Medusa," one of the witches spoke, her voice more wheezing. "To avoid taking the wrong turn, what do you offer in return?"

"Gold," he said. "Lots of it."

"Son of Zeus, gold is meaningless to us," the others join in, the one who's holding the eye in her hand. She used her other hand to conjure a pile of gold and riches before us. Diamonds, silver, jewelry, they are all here. "You have nothing of what we need; therefore, rejection is what you'll heed."

Perseus draws his sword at the witches, and they had already cast their powers on him, trapping his hands and feet as they torture him with countless burning needles.

"You think you can threaten us?" They said in unison. "Fatal mistake, oh son of Zeus."

"Stop!" I stand between them, acknowledging that I'm a little afraid of their appearance. "There's got to be something that you want. Name it, and I'll seek it out in exchange for Medusa's whereabouts."

Their grasp on Perseus loosens as he falls to the ground. The Graeae pry closer towards me then. The smell of rotting flesh and the sight of their eerie movement made my knees quiver.

"Zelus," the one with the eye speaks. Her jagged teeth bit her bloodless lips. The other two joined at her side. "Or should we say, Jonathan."

"It's Zelus," I said firmly, though I was panicking in my mind about the fact they knew who I was. "How dare you insult the name of which was bestowed upon me?"

"Pretend all you want, but the truth will be your undoing shall the time come," she said, the eye levitating in front of us, revealing something I never knew I'd see again. Mom and dad, Ryan, and my siblings. They're in a time when I do not exist as Jonathan but as the child who died in his mother's womb. "Recognize them? Don't you miss them? Don't you want to return?"

"Stop this," my powers circle my fisted hands, waiting for my command. "Now."

They listened, and the visions died down, bringing back the serpent-like eyes that it was before. In an instant, I snatched the eye and secured it with my powers, one that the witches were prohibited from retrieving. They cast their own spells in an attempt to retrieve it. Neither one succeeds as they're all blinded.

Perseus slowly regains consciousness.

"You forced my hand," I said. "Medusa's whereabouts, in exchange for your eyes. Now."

The impact of the magic around the eye deepens to the point they screech in agony.

"Her cave lies amongst the Hesperides in the Western Ocean near Sarpedon," they surrender. "Try as you might, Medusa hides amongst the mightiest of knights. Venture to the cave if you dare, but be warned of the other sisters that await you there."

"Other sisters?" I ask.

"Stheno and Euryale, sisters of Medusa," Perseus return to my side. His left arm is bleeding from the burning needles that the Graeae penetrated him before.

"They are gifted with immortality, unlike their third half," one of the witches said. "Getting passed them will be your first task."

"There is a way, however," another witch said. "Seek the guardian nymphs who could provide you the helmet of Hades. By wearing so, invisibility will help you slip past the deities."

"I don't suppose you know where these nymphs are?"

"We know it all," they said in unison.

"Then tell me," Perseus steps forth.

"They live by the Lake of Desire," an orb appeared in the air, portraying a view of mountains and valleys surrounding a crystal blue lake. "You'll come across this lake along your travel. The artifacts and answers you seek, they will unravel."

I'm getting really sick of their rhyming. It sounds so nineteen hundred.

I kept my word and returned the eye, but the magic on it remained until Perseus and I had left the cave.

They held the eye, clawing on it to set it free, but to no avail.

"We'll be leaving now," Perseus takes the lead and use the winged sandals to fly him down the stairs.

"Remember Jonathan," the witches caught my attention before I could follow him. "A soul for a soul. That's your only way out of this hole."

Those were the words of Sulod. They reminded me I had nothing to offer and would never return home. I spoke nothing and flew from their presence, joining Perseus on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Perseus asks as I land by his side. His eyes searched mine, but I avoided them and headed for the exit.

"Let's go."