Twenty-Five

Ava skidded to a stop. Standing on a staircase in front of her was Medusa.

It didn’t seem possible, but there was no one else it could be. Her hair was a writhing mass of snakes, her skin sallow, her eyes muddy and dull, her chin sharp. But to Ava’s surprise, none of Medusa’s infamous features repelled Ava. To the contrary, she was filled with pity for her Gorgon ancestor. How long had Medusa been on Poveglia, alone? Ava knew what it was like to be shunned, lonely. And Fia was right—Medusa’s hissing hair was actually kind of cool.

Ava looked in confusion from Fia to Medusa. “Why did you scream?”

“Your friend frightened me,” Medusa said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a visitor. Never mind three.”

Ava spotted Layla crouched behind an old gurney. Layla stood up and inched her hands away from her eyes. “Perseus didn’t kill you?”

Medusa gave a hard laugh. “Perseus? Please. I’d like to see him try.”

“Ava! Layla! Fia!” Arnold’s voice echoed through the ruin. “Where are you? What happened?”

“Is that a boy I hear?” Medusa asked. “I can’t turn women or girls into stone, but if your companion is male, you’ll want to keep him away.”

It made sense now that Ms. Demi had told Arnold to wait outside.

Ava spun around. “Arnold, stay back!”

“I’ll stop him,” Layla said and ran in the direction of Arnold’s voice.

Medusa drifted down the staircase toward Ava, her serpentine hair twisting. “I know who you are. You’re Melanie’s daughter. I see her face in yours. And my own.”

Ava wondered if she looked like Medusa to others; perhaps that was why Isabelle and Evelyn had dropped her as a friend. But she forgot this as soon as her ancestor caught her in a warm hug. The little black adders atop Medusa’s head stuck out their forked tongues at her; Ava knew this was how snakes smelled. She smiled and let them sniff her.

“What’s your name, child?” Medusa asked.

“Ava.”

Medusa pointed to Fia. “And yours?”

“She can’t speak,” Ava said. “But her name’s Fia.”

“What happened to her voice?”

“The gods took it away,” Ava said. “They were going to expel her from the Accademia like this. Someone told us you might be able to help her.”

Medusa’s brow furrowed with anger. “Once upon a time I could have, but those days are gone. I’m stuck here on this island. The only power I have left is to petrify and frighten, not to help or heal.”

Ava exchanged an excited glance with Fia. “If we free you, could you get back your powers?”

“You can’t free me. The Olympians’ curse is too strong. But there is a way to restore my powers. According to the Oracle of Delphi, whoever tells me my true story will restore them.”

Layla rejoined them. “Can’t you tell your own story?” she asked.

“That’s our other friend Layla,” Ava said.

Medusa nodded in greeting. “That’s just it, Layla. If I try to, I lose my voice. If I try to write my story, the words fade before anyone can read them. Watch, I’ll show you. I was born—”

Medusa gasped, then coughed. “You see? It’s no use. And even if I could choke out the words, there are parts of my story I simply do not know.”

“There must be someone else who knows your story,” Ava said.

“There are those who know pieces of it. But some of these women have been punished and locked away by the gods and others are afraid to anger them and won’t tell what they know. Only one girl was brave enough to consult the Oracle about how to help me. She even tried to find these women and piece my story together.”

Fia poked Ava, but Ava already knew. “My mom!”

Medusa nodded.

“So she didn’t come here to get back her voice. She came to help you,” Ava said. “What stopped her? You can tell me that, can’t you?”

“That’s her story, not mine, so I can. Poseidon caught her before she could get very far. She would have been expelled from the Accademia and silenced forever were it not for one teacher who interceded with the gods.”

Ms. Demi of course, thought Ava gratefully.

“Silenced forever!?” Layla said. “Just for trying to find out a story?”

“Stories are powerful,” Medusa said. “That’s why the male Olympians shaped the myths to celebrate and protect themselves. Look at those stories carefully. They either transform women into objects that have no voice—like a tree or a spider—or else they turn them into monsters.”

Fia stomped her foot as if to say, Exactly!

“No wonder my mom’s so afraid,” Ava said.

“Your mother was the bravest girl I knew,” Medusa said.

“Until Poseidon caught her,” Ava said. “I hate the gods!”

Layla glanced around nervously. “Ava—”

Ava waved her away. “Fia was right all along! The Accademia isn’t about helping us control our powers for good. It’s about making us behave! If we don’t do what they want or believe what they want, they won’t hesitate to harm us. Look at Fia and my mom. Look at Poseidon, how he tried to crush us!”

Layla threw up her hands. “But what can we do about any of this? The gods are more powerful than we are. It’s the Accademia del Forte, the Academy of the Strong. They’re the strong ones, not us, Ava. They’ll always win.”

“So we should just give up and let them tell our stories?” Ava asked. “Let them say that Fia deserved to lose her voice and be expelled?”

What Layla was saying reminded her of what her mom and Jax kept telling her—to stay safe, she had to let bullies like Owen and Mr. Orion tell her what was right and wrong and how to feel. Well, she’d had enough. She knew what was right and wrong in her own heart.

“No way!” Ava said. “We’re not giving up. We’re going to find Medusa’s real story and get back Fia’s voice. Or die trying.”

“Die trying it is then,” Layla muttered under her breath.

Ava ignored her and turned to Medusa. “I don’t think my mom ever forgot about you. And I don’t think she’s happy.”

“You can’t be happy and afraid at the same time,” Medusa agreed.

“How far did my mom get?”

“Poseidon caught her leaving Poveglia, on her way to San Michele.”

“The cemetery island in the lagoon?” Layla asked.

“Yes. She was leaving to find Hecate, who knows part of my story.”

“Then that’s where I’m going too,” Ava said. “I’m going to finish what my mom started. Your story, Medusa, is my story. I’m going to find it. Then you can get back your power and help Fia.”

“Ava, it’s too dangerous,” Layla said. “The gods will kill you.”

“I have the power to freeze them,” Ava said. “I can protect myself.”

“You can’t count on that to protect you,” Medusa warned. “Our power only works on men and male creatures, not women.”

No wonder she hadn’t been able to freeze Morgan and Anahita!

“And now that the gods know you have it,” Medusa continued, “they’ll come prepared, so they won’t have to look at you.”

“I don’t care,” Ava said. “I’m still going. I’m not afraid.”

Fia stepped to her side, took her hand.

Ava shouted down the hall behind her. “Arnold, can you drop us off at San Michele? He’s a Harpy,” she explained to Medusa.

“Sure, but where is that?” he called back.

“I know,” Layla said. “I’ll come too.”

“I thought you said it was too dangerous!” Ava said.

Layla sighed heavily. “It’s a suicide mission. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you die alone. I’ve come this far. Plus, I want to meet Hecate. I’m supposedly one of her subjects.”

“You’re an Empusa?” Medusa asked.

Layla gave a deep bow. “At your service.”

“Then you two should definitely stick together. Your powers will be useful,” Medusa said. “Especially when it comes to finding Hecate.”

Then she turned to Ava. “Your mom didn’t have friends with her. She tried to help me by herself.”

Could having friends actually make the difference? Ava liked the idea of a team of monster heroes, but she wasn’t sure they could succeed against the gods. At least, she thought, they would all go down in flames together.

“Hold on a second,” Layla said. “How hard could it be to find Hecate on San Michele? The island’s not that large. Is she hiding?”

“Hecate isn’t on the island,” Medusa said with a frown. “She’s beneath it.”