Kairos 23: Heart of Stone

“When did it happen?”

Sitting on his throne with Cassandra standing at his side, Kairos listened as Nessus and Horace gave their report. The dawn had barely risen on Histria, and the captain woke up to dark news.

“Four hours ago, oh my captain,” Nessus said. “Our man killed his fellow guard with a knife to the throat, and then tried to slip inside Prince Critias’ tent to gut him too. Thankfully, your bird was watching from the shadows.”

“I attacked him by surprise, with my talons. Bird to the face.” Horace raised his sharp claws in pride. “Then I plucked his eyes out while he screamed.”

“If Rhadamanthe hadn’t healed him, he would have died from blood loss,” the satyr added.

“One of our own guards...” Kairos muttered, a little disturbed. “Who was he?”

“A former helot called Ephialtes,” Cassandra explained. “He used to belong to Boeotia’s militia before we recruited him. Unmarried, no family to speak of, utterly unremarkable. Those who know him said he was someone quiet and discreet.”

“A ghost then,” Kairos said, suspicious. “Has he confessed his motives?”

“Not yet,” Cass replied. “Could be revenge against Orthia’s royalty, or someone paid him to assassinate the prince.”

Kairos could think of someone. “Make him talk. If he’s a catspaw, I want to learn his employer’s name.”

“I’ll give him to Agron’s tender care then,” Nessus said ominously. “Perhaps dear Andromache also knows some spells that could help with the questioning.”

“Perhaps,” Kairos conceded. “I’ll ask her.”

This caused the satyr’s head to tilt to the side, like a curious bird. “Isn’t she here?”

“Why would she be?”

“I heard whispers that our dear Scylla visits your tent each night, and only leaves in the morning.”

Kairos responded with a strained smile, while Cass’ expression turned undecipherable. “We’re researching ancient magic together,” the captain said. Which was partly true, since they studied the [Petrification] ailment.

“You must have exhausting discussions then,” Nessus replied with an amused tone. “How does it work, anatomically speaking? I mean, she has dog heads. Do her legs bark when you open them?”

“Careful Nessus,” Kairos said, his friendly tone turning icy. “I tolerate your insolence, but don’t make it personal.”

“Sorry, sorry,” the hunter replied, though without any hint of shame. “Truth be told, my captain, I am highly impressed. I haven’t yet met a man who dared to bed a Scylla, let alone more than once.”

“Andromache and I are set to leave for the Garden of Stone, to see if we can lift the curse placed on our people there,” Kairos said, ignoring the jab. “And… to make sure we don’t face a reptilian incident.”

As it turned out, the hydra took Rook’s terrible suggestion of invading the western marsh seriously. The reptile had left Histria two days ago without warning, and Stymphalian birds informed Kairos that she already reached the Garden of Stone. Though Rook believed the hydra could get rid of the gorgons, Kairos worried it might only infuriate them. “Cass will be in charge until my return, as always. I want Critias’ guards quadrupled.”

“How much?” Horace asked.

Kairos frowned at the beast. “How many birds do I want around the prince?”

“How much am I paid for the service?” Horace clarified, never losing sight of what truly mattered. “I want food, and shiny stuff for my nest.”

The [Hero] looked at Cassandra. “How is the foraging going?”

“Very well,” his first mate replied. “We have a surplus of food, even taking into account what we stored for winter. We must decide what to do with it.”

“Give Horace his weight in meat and some ‘shinies’ for his stellar service,” Kairos said, much to the Stymphalian bird’s cackling delight. “As for the rest, send it to our families and loved ones in Lissala. My mother will manage the distribution.”

“I hoped you would say that.” Cassandra smiled warmly. After so many years of raiding to feed people back home, it felt amazing to finally do so non-violently. It would also encourage immigration to the colony, which had slowed down to a crawl since the battle with Orthia’s fleet. “I will do so right away.”

Kairos dismissed Nessus and Horace, remaining alone with his first mate. “Anything else?”

“Yes.” Cassandra’s expression worsened, as she offered him a sealed scroll. “We received Sertorius’ answer.”

The red wax seal had a bull symbol stamped on it, representing the Flavii family. It magically vanished the second Kairos touched it; his [Magical Knack] Skill informing him that a spell protected the content’s secrecy and notified the sender of the reception.

Kairos opened the scroll, and skimmed the content. Sertorius officially invited the Travian to his own wedding in the city of Lyce, alongside whoever he saw fit to bring with him. The captain also learned his future wife’s full name: Julia Flavius Lucina. “Six thousand,” he said with a chuckle.

“The bride’s dowry?” Cass asked with a smirk. “That’s a huge sum.”

And the same one Serras intended to ransom Sertorius for. The Lycean magistrate had a sinister sense of humor. “Cass, look at the guest list.”

Cassandra did so, and immediately frowned. Although neither she nor Kairos could recognize most of them, two stood out from the rest. “King Critias and Queen Euthenia of Orthia.”

Kairos could read between the lines. Sertorius intended to diplomatically resolve the matter with Orthia by providing neutral ground, and asked his future in-law to bring his hostage as a token of good faith. “It seems Mithridates will sit on his offer of a diplomatic meeting.”

“Which he will take as a personal slight,” Cassandra pointed out. “We will leave the colony unattended if we all leave for Lyce, even if the Foresight’s unnatural speed will shorten the travel time. I suggest Andromache, Nessus, and Agron stay behind to protect Histria in your absence.”

Kairos looked at his first mate, and immediately guessed what she wouldn’t tell him out loud. That bringing his lover to his own wedding wouldn’t end well. “I will talk to Andromache,” the [Hero] said as he closed the scroll. “Will you come? Since my mother will be unable to attend, as her best friend, I feel like you should fill in for her.”

“Yes, of course I will be there, Kairos.” Cassandra smiled sadly at her captain. “It’s… it’s such a shame she won’t attend. She dreamed all her life for her family to return to her motherland, and now you’ll marry the local nobility. It’s… it’s really a shame.”

“Cass?” Kairos frowned, as his first mate marked a short pause.

“Sorry, I’m just…” She took a deep breath. “I’m proud of you, Kairos. Of what you’ve achieved, and how far you’re going. I wish I achieved half of what you did when I was your age.”

“What we achieved,” the [Hero] reminded her. “I smell a but.”

“But this marriage will be controversial among the Travian people,” Cass warned him. “Your mother was an exile, but this Julia is Lycean nobility. Some will see it as a betrayal, and Critias won’t be the only one with assassins sneaking in his tent to try and gut him.”

“They’re welcome to try,” Kairos replied, though he would increase his personal guard’s size. He changed the subject, the matter weighing on his mind. “Have you found any winged monster’s remains to feed to the Foresight?”

“We gathered the pegasi bones you found during your last raid, and your birds helped us locate remains they couldn’t devour themselves.” Cass smirked, and asked a question she already knew the answer for. “Why winged monsters?”

“Because,” Kairos said while gazing at his tent’s ceiling, as if he could see the open sky beyond it, “I always dreamt of having a flying ship.”

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Kairos and Andromache reached the Garden of Stone by sundown.

The pirate thought it would have taken longer, having expected a romantic walk, but Andromache had insisted that they move fast. The witch’s eagerness to test her magic against the gorgons had consumed her, to the point that she traveled in her true form to accelerate the pace.

Her arrogance had slowly turned into frustration, once she started casting spells on the [petrified] scouts surrounding the gorgons’ marsh. When Kairos returned from a brief scouting tour, she was barely restraining herself from angrily smashing the statues.

“Mmm…” Rook sulked at Kairos’ side, sitting on the grass.

“What is it?” Kairos asked his partner.

“I can’t climb on your shoulder anymore!” the griffin complained. His growth spurt continued, and at this rate, he might reach a bloodhound’s size by the season’s end. “I’ve grown too big, but I’m not large enough to carry you either! It’s so annoying!”

“You can climb on my tentacle, songbird,” Andromache replied absent-mindedly, as she prepared a new incantation.

“Thanks, but…” the griffin looked at Kairos’ shoulders with longing. “I had my smell on this spot.”

“One or two more years, Rook,” the [Hero] reassured his partner while petting him on the head. “Then we can fly together.”

Rook nodded vigorously. “I’m counting the days. I truly am. But can’t you make it happen quicker, like with the boat?”

“You just have to eat a lot, like the Foresight,” Kairos mused, only for Andromache to flail the ground with a tentacle once her latest attempt failed. The [Hero] glanced at his lover and attempted to comfort her. “Andromache, you did your best.”

His own attempts at using antidotes hadn’t born fruit either. [Poison Brewing 3] could make substances capable of undoing [Petrification] effects caused by weaker creatures, but not by a gorgon.

Unfortunately, his attempt only soured his lover’s mood further. “My best wasn’t enough,” Andromache replied angrily, as she shapeshifted back into a human form and put on some clothes. “All those hours of study, wasted.”

“We didn’t expect it to work,” Kairos reminded her, their travel bag filled with gifts meant for the gorgons. “Why are you so angry?”

“The gorgons’ power derives from a godly curse similar to mine,” Andromache said, as she adjusted her hair. “I thought studying the effect of their stone gaze would give me insight into my own condition.”

Ah… that made sense. Kairos hoped he wouldn’t have to petition another god to free his men though.

“What about your hydra?” Andromache asked.

“She already moved in.” Kairos had found a hole in the stone ring surrounding the marsh,  the statues tossed aside to let something huge enter the area.

“I couldn’t see anything from above,” Rook complained. “It’s all trees and toxic clouds. I felt sick flying over this marsh.”

“I’d suggest going after her, but it’s getting late,” Kairos argued. “There’s a hill nearby, where we could raise a tent and oversee the area.”

Andromache snorted without a word, her mood too sullen to argue. Kairos decided to cheer her up, and looked inside his travel bag. A few seconds later, he brought a beautiful necklace of lion's teeth out of it.

“What is this?” Andromache asked with a disdainful sneer, giving it nothing but a cursory glance. “A gift for the snakes?”

“It is a gift, yes,” Kairos said, before showing her the letters engraved in the teeth: those making up Andromache’s name. “For you.”

The Scylla stood as still as the garden’s stone statues, while Kairos slowly put the necklace around her neck. His hands brushed against her warm skin and hair, but she didn’t move an inch.

“You don’t like it?” Kairos asked once he had finished, worrying he might have misjudged her tastes. Andromache disdained metal jewelry, so he thought something more natural would please her. Especially since she could wear the necklace in both forms.

Andromache ignored his question, her fingers brushing against the teeth. Her gaze turned distant, as if she remembered ancient times long gone. “Did you carve them yourself?”

“Yes.” Thankfully, they came from a normal lion, rather than a Nemean one. “I’m… I’m sorry, I thought you would like it.”

“No one’s offered me such a gift in eons,” Andromache replied, her voice brimming with emotion. “Many men offered me gifts, trying to earn my favor, until I grew bored of them. I had almost forgotten how it felt.”

Kairos said nothing, as the Scylla carefully put her staff on the ground, leaving it for Rook to safekeeping. Then she put her arms around the [Hero]’s neck, and kissed him. Her lips felt good on his own, as he pulled her closer.

“Thank you,” Andromache said upon breaking the kiss, her eyes brimming with desire. “Let us climb the hill, Kairos. No need for the tent. The stars shall be our witnesses.”

Kairos put his arms around her waist, and looked into her sapphire eyes. She immediately sensed his unease. “What bothers you?”

“I received the answer from Sertorius,” Kairos admitted. “I am to go to Lyce in the following days, and marry as soon as I land.”

Andromache shrugged. “So what?”

Her reaction surprised Kairos. “You don’t see the problem with me marrying someone else?”

Her embrace tightened, her nails feeling like claws on his skin. “Will you set me aside if you do?”

Kairos looked into Andromache’s blue eyes, and he saw the cold and cruel sea in them. One that promised furious storms if disrespected.

“No, I won’t.” Jason had abandoned Medea a long, long time ago, and learned a sharp lesson for his mistake. Tartarus had no fury like that of a scorned witch, and Kairos respected Andromache enough not to abandon her. She had come to him at her most vulnerable, opening her heart to him; he would treat it with love and care.

Kairos’ answer pleased Andromache, and she kissed him again. It reminded him of a lioness marking her territory. “You accepted me as I am, Kairos, so I will do the same with you, you ambitious, greedy man. I do not care if you take another for a wife during the day, so long as you join me at night. You will bed her for gold and power, but what unites us is something stronger. When we joined our flesh, I gave you my heart, but you gave me your soul. You owned me, and now you are mine.”

She whispered into his ear.

“If you abandon me, I will slay you.”

She said these words with such intensity, that Kairos could almost taste the burning desire that motivated her. The Scylla was as mercurial as fire; vicious one moment, and nurturing the next. Her overwhelming passion could easily turn into bitter hatred, if he betrayed it.

“I will need to see Sertorius’ family then,” Kairos replied calmly. The marriage was a business arrangement, so the [Hero] could always discuss the terms. “If our relationship bothers them we will have to be discreet, but I could perhaps take you as my concubine.”

“Like you offered Cassandra once?”

Kairos raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

“We share a ship, my foolish human,” Andromache replied with a contemptuous snort, as if he had said something stupid. “We often talk, woman to woman, especially since she rose again. She worried that I put you under a spell.”

“Well, you did,” he replied with a light kiss on the neck, causing her to smile thinly.

“Were you serious back then?”

“I’m not sure.” It had been a jap, but… if Cassandra had said yes on the spot... “Unlike you, Cass’ youth will run out, so she seeks a husband who can provide her with legal and economic security. In the end, I want her to be happy, and I can’t provide any of that.”

At least not yet. Perhaps not ever. The disaster with Orthia taught him the danger of overreaching, and Andromache was more than enough for now. With luck, the trip to Lyce could open new opportunities for Cassandra as well. Now that she had a [Legend], she could secure a partner worthy of her immense talents. 

“You would make our relationship public?” Andromache asked with skepticism. While never the equal of wives, concubines had an official status. “Instead of a secret, shameful thing?”

“There is nothing shameful about us.”

“I am a monster who ate your kinsmen. They will hate you for loving me, or they will think I cast a spell on you.” Andromache’s expression soured. “I have seen it before. It will weaken you at a moment where you need strength.”

Kairos frowned. Unfortunately, she had a point. He still remembered how his mother’s neighbors treated her, upon learning of her werewolf condition. “Perhaps not now,” the [Hero] argued. “But in a few years, when the Travian people have grown used to monsters in their midst, and to your presence…”

If Kairos could become a powerful pirate king, or ascend into a [Demigod], nobody would care anymore. Nobody would dare speak against it.

“Raise your [Charisma] first, my foolish human,” Andromache said with a snort. “I doubt your silver tongue will be enough.”

“I would need to hoard Skill Points for at least seven more levels before I can do that.” Considering how devastating Orthia’s fleet only earned him two, how long would it take to reach that stage? “What will happen if I raise it to A-rank?”

“People will listen, and your diplomatic Skills will grow stronger.” She caressed his cheek. “And they are good already.”

Kairos smiled, until the world turned cold.

An unnatural chill spread through the air, as the two lovers broke their embrace. Rook rose to look at the marsh in alarm, sensing something approaching. Something huge.

The nearest tree collapsed, and the red hydra emerged from the marsh. Kairos’ sigh of relief was short-lived though.

The beast had lowered her heads in submission, like a cowed puppy, and she wasn’t alone.

“How charming,” a sinister, feminine voice echoed from behind the hydra, followed by the sound of hissing snakes. “I am deeply moved.”

Kairos quickly lowered his head and activated [Invisibility], while Andromache attempted to grab her staff, but the gorgon quickly unleashed a dreadful aura. The [Hero] watched himself die, bleeding on the ground, as an irrational fear of death seized him. His body trembled, his breath shortened, his fingers turned cold. His strength abandoned him.

Severe [Terror] and [Drain] ailments! You have a harder time moving, all your stats are reduced by one rank, and your lifeforce is being drained!

Andromache and Rook were outright paralyzed, and it cost them. In the blink of an eye, their flesh turned to cold hard stone. Even the Scylla’s invulnerability couldn’t protect her from the gorgon's power.

It took all of Kairos’ willpower to even move his legs, and even then it felt like wading through frozen waters. The monster’s mere presence suffocated the [Hero], robbed him of his vitality. This was an [Demigod]’s power. Something far beyond what Kairos could match for now.

But he had to try.

“Is this the human you spoke of, my pet?” Kairos could only see the creature’s scaled feet, knowing looking up for a second would be fatal. He positioned himself to her flank and grabbed his spear.

“Yes, mistress,” the hydra said with dutiful obedience, humming the air. She attempted to locate Kairos by smell, her fondness for him overwhelmed by fear.

Activating [Spellblade 3], Kairos managed to fight off the gorgon's influence long enough to jump at her, spear raised. Though [Legend Slayer] should bypass the monster’s defenses, he had to look down to avoid her gaze, making hitting her harder. He prayed for a critical hit.

Invisible restraints seized him in midair, grabbing his legs, arms, and throat. They felt like serpents slithering on his skin and below his armor. Kairos closed his eyes before the invisible restraints could raise his head at the gorgon, and attempted to summon the wind with his spear. The invisible serpents forced his hand open before he could do so, the spear falling on the ground.

No...

“It was smart of you to use [Invisibility], mortal. As you can see, I am quite fond of it myself.” She had gotten far enough that Kairos could smell her breath. “Look at me, human. Look into my eyes, like you looked into hers. Do that, and I will let you live as my pet… you may even survive my loving embrace.”

“I can make it wor—” Kairos never finished his sentence, as an invisible snake entered his mouth and prevented him from speaking. He could barely breathe through his nose.

“Hush.” The gorgon put her hands on the [Hero]’s cheeks, but it was far less tender than Andromache’s embrace. He felt cold scales against his skin, and sharp claws drawing blood. “Don’t speak. Open your eyes.”

Kairos didn’t.

“You would not bear my gaze, even to save your life?” Her tone turned playful. “How about an alternative then? If you open your eyes, I swear on the gods to free your Scylla and your griffin. I will let them go unharmed. They will be spared, even from my pets.”

It was obviously a lie. The gorgon wanted Kairos to join her garden, another statue for her collection. And yet… one didn’t swear on the gods carelessly, as the [Hero] could tell from experience.

If the Travian captain opened his eyes, he would probably turn to stone, but there was a slight chance the ancient evil might follow through with her promise. However, Kairos would never pass into the great beyond, nor reunite with his loved ones in the afterlife. He would turn to stone, his mind going dark.

If he kept his eyes closed, the gorgon would lose patience and kill him the old-fashioned way. Andromache and Rook would remain frozen for all eternity, joining the other statues until the sun died out, but his soul would rejoin his father, siblings, and uncle in the great beyond.

Kairos couldn’t see any way out; he struggled vainly against his restraints, and he couldn’t talk his way out. He thought of Travia, of his mother, of his family, and all his dreams unfulfilled. How could it all end so easily, after so many struggles and sacrifices? All it took was meeting the wrong person at the right time, while trying to help his men.

But if he was doomed anyway, he might as well try to save his loved ones.

Kairos accepted the inevitable, mustered his dignity, and opened his eyes.

The Travian captain didn’t turn to stone, but he almost wished he had. The creature he faced was the most horrifying he had ever seen, and only had the vaguest shape of a woman. The gorgon was a two meters tall monster with yellow scales for skin, and clawed bronze hands. Her hair was a mass of vicious green snakes, her lipless mouth revealed sharp fangs and boar-tusks, and her eyes two green emeralds shining with a malevolent glow. She had golden wings on her back, and wore white chiton for a dress; a white serpent eating its own tail served as her belt.

Though he didn’t turn to stone, Kairos immediately activated [Observer].

Euryale, the Far-Roaming

Legend: Vision of Hell (Demigod).

Level: ???

“You actually looked,” the gorgon mused, and to Kairos’ confusion, she seemed… impressed. “My, how interesting.”

The invisible force restraining Kairos instantly vanished, making fall to the ground, and the dreadful aura subsided. The cold receded, and the [Hero]’s strength returned.

[Terror] and [Drain] canceled.

Kairos immediately grabbed his spear, though he didn’t try to attack. Instead, he kept his eyes down, focusing on the gorgon's feet.

“Wise, but useless,” Euryale said with cold amusement. “I will not kill you, Kairos Marius Remus. Not tonight. I had my fun.”

Kairos carefully raised his eyes at the gorgon, and when he didn’t turn to stone, realized that she would indeed let him live. He massaged his throat, and finally managed to utter a word, “Why?”

“I wanted to see if you would fight for her, or run away.” The gorgon glanced at the petrified Andromache. “Actions speak louder than words, and you did not even hesitate. I am pleasantly surprised.”

“You said you would let them go.”

“I did.”

The gorgon snapped her fingers, and lifted the [Petrification] status afflicting both Andromache and Rook. The griffin immediately let out a screech of fury, while the Scylla finished grabbing her staff, pointing it at Euryale.

The gorgon laughed, unimpressed. “Enough, Scylla. I came to add you to my collection, and make your human my servant… but I changed my mind.”

“Why?” Andromache rasped, who didn’t lower her staff. She glanced at Kairos, who shook his head. As Nessus had warned him before, a fight with the gorgons was futile; the creature was too powerful for them, at least for the moment.

“You are not the only woman whom the Olympians turned into a monster,” Euryale replied, with a hint of sympathy. “A human openly loving you, in spite of your monstrosity… I admit my heart of stone beat for a moment. Some small part of me still knows compassion.”

While Andromache scowed, Kairos glanced at the hydra. His former ‘master’ shyly looked down at the ground to avoid his gaze. The more powerful [Demigoddess] had utterly dominated the beast, crushing her ego and turning her into a cowed pet.

Euryale noticed the interaction, and enlightened the [Hero].

“One of my Skills [enthralls] any reptile who sees me.” The [Enthrall] ailment mentally dominated the victim, making them serve their master’s will. “If I do not turn them to stone first, of course.”

“I thought there were two of you,” Kairos asked with a frown, Rook leaping at his side. The griffin was terrified, but would defend his partner anyway.

“My dear Stheno is a restless one, and moved to another island. Be thankful. She killed more humans than my late sister Medusa or I ever did. Now, why have you come to my land?”

Kairos looked at the petrified patrols. “These are my men.”

“They intruded upon my domain. Certainly, if thieves entered your home, you would punish them too.”

The Travian captain frowned, sensing an inconsistency. “I can understand for the first patrol, but the others should have turned around when they saw their predecessors.”

“Yes, but time and rain turned a few of my statues into lumps of stone. I decided to repair my fence with fresh new material.” Euryale chuckled in amusement. “Have you come to beg me to release them?”

“Not to beg,” Kairos said, kneeling. Andromache reluctantly imitated him. “To trade.”

The gorgon laughed. “Why trade when I can take?”

“Because it will benefit you more in the long-term.”

“You speak like a merchant, yet you are a rogue. I would be unwise to listen to you. However… I have the feeling you have interesting tales to offer.” Kairos thanked the System for granting him the [Monster Lure] Skill, even with its downsides.

The gorgon raised a hand, inviting them to follow her into the marsh. “Come to my home, both of you, and be my guests under the auspices of Xenia. You shall tell me of your proposal, and I shall entertain it.”

Nessus had been correct.

In the end, all Kairos had to do was to ask nicely.

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A/N: chapter made possible by you, dear patrons.