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Authors: Priscilla Poole Rainwater
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o' clock stubble. He was dressed in a black shirt and black dress pants, and was one of the few guests not wearing a costume. “Arrogant bastard, he chooses to mingle amongst us, but still looks down his nose at us like we're beneath him.”
“Who's that?” Rena asked, silently agreeing that the man did seem to have an uppity demeanor about him.
“That vainglorious bastard, is none other than Hades himself.” Medusa replied in a casual voice. “He rarely leaves the Underworld, especially after Persephone left him for Thanatos. But I hear she left Thanatos too. Heard he's living with his mother again.”
Silent for a moment, Rena searched her memory. As a young girl, she had read (somewhat passionately) many books on Greek Mythology, and the name did ring a bell. “You mean Hades' wife left HIM, the God of The Underworld, for Death?”
Glancing at her, Medusa smiled. “I like you. Do you know how hard it is to find a human who knows ANYTHING about us, in this day and age? Most people think we're just made-up characters for Disney cartoons, or figures in video games.”
Looking at her wide-eyed, Rena's entire body suddenly went numb as the realization finally hit her. The woman wasn't spinning yarns just because it was Halloween. The reason every 'costume' she had seen looked so real was because they weren't costumes at all. Especially the Centaurs. No one, she reasoned, could be that good with makeup and outfits, not even the best Hollywood studios had to offer. Unable to understand why she wasn't already up and hauling ass, she stammered. “Oh my God....you're really real. I mean...you really ARE Medusa...aren't you?”
Waving both hands down the side of her curvaceous body like Vanna White, Medusa chuckled and said, “None other, sister, none other.”
Still wide-eyed, Rena glanced back at the snakes that were once again dancing happily on the woman's head and croaked, “That means....they're real too.”
“Yes, they are. Don't be frightened, child, I told you they aren't poisonous. But if they bother you that much...” her voice trailed off. Closing her eyes for a moment, she began chanting in a language Rena didn't recognize. Several seconds later a shimmering haze appeared above her head, then cleared.
Blinking her eyes in disbelief, Rena found herself staring at a beautiful afro instead of a head full of reptiles. Regaining her equilibrium, she was silent for a moment, then spoke again, with a note of awe in her voice. “You know what...I think I liked it better the other way. The natural look.”
Smiling with genuine warmth, Medusa closed her eyes again, began chanting, and several seconds later, the head full of snakes reappeared.
Unable to speak above a hoarse whisper, Rena said, “I swear to God I should be freaking out right about now, but I'm not. Go figure. I mean, learning that there are beings that were thought to be nothing but myths...finding out they actually exist among us...that's on the same level as hitting the big lotto or something. But there is one thing I don't understand.”
“What's that, Rena?”
“Why would all of you run the risk of mingling with us mortals? Risk being discovered?”
Silent for a moment, she finally replied in a faraway voice that seemed to transcend time and space. “Let me explain why we look for mates in humans. It's quite simple, really. You have, for lack of a better term, royal blood flowing through your veins, without even realizing it. As do the other mortals in attendance here. You, and them, are very special people, you have no idea just how special. I would guess each of you are one in a hundred million.”
Stunned, Rena could only stare back at her, listening raptly.
“You're aware of what inbreeding does to children who are a product of such a union, right?”
“Yes. Birth defects, to put it mildly.”
“Exactly. You see, there are so few of us immortals, we
“Who's that?” Rena asked, silently agreeing that the man did seem to have an uppity demeanor about him.
“That vainglorious bastard, is none other than Hades himself.” Medusa replied in a casual voice. “He rarely leaves the Underworld, especially after Persephone left him for Thanatos. But I hear she left Thanatos too. Heard he's living with his mother again.”
Silent for a moment, Rena searched her memory. As a young girl, she had read (somewhat passionately) many books on Greek Mythology, and the name did ring a bell. “You mean Hades' wife left HIM, the God of The Underworld, for Death?”
Glancing at her, Medusa smiled. “I like you. Do you know how hard it is to find a human who knows ANYTHING about us, in this day and age? Most people think we're just made-up characters for Disney cartoons, or figures in video games.”
Looking at her wide-eyed, Rena's entire body suddenly went numb as the realization finally hit her. The woman wasn't spinning yarns just because it was Halloween. The reason every 'costume' she had seen looked so real was because they weren't costumes at all. Especially the Centaurs. No one, she reasoned, could be that good with makeup and outfits, not even the best Hollywood studios had to offer. Unable to understand why she wasn't already up and hauling ass, she stammered. “Oh my God....you're really real. I mean...you really ARE Medusa...aren't you?”
Waving both hands down the side of her curvaceous body like Vanna White, Medusa chuckled and said, “None other, sister, none other.”
Still wide-eyed, Rena glanced back at the snakes that were once again dancing happily on the woman's head and croaked, “That means....they're real too.”
“Yes, they are. Don't be frightened, child, I told you they aren't poisonous. But if they bother you that much...” her voice trailed off. Closing her eyes for a moment, she began chanting in a language Rena didn't recognize. Several seconds later a shimmering haze appeared above her head, then cleared.
Blinking her eyes in disbelief, Rena found herself staring at a beautiful afro instead of a head full of reptiles. Regaining her equilibrium, she was silent for a moment, then spoke again, with a note of awe in her voice. “You know what...I think I liked it better the other way. The natural look.”
Smiling with genuine warmth, Medusa closed her eyes again, began chanting, and several seconds later, the head full of snakes reappeared.
Unable to speak above a hoarse whisper, Rena said, “I swear to God I should be freaking out right about now, but I'm not. Go figure. I mean, learning that there are beings that were thought to be nothing but myths...finding out they actually exist among us...that's on the same level as hitting the big lotto or something. But there is one thing I don't understand.”
“What's that, Rena?”
“Why would all of you run the risk of mingling with us mortals? Risk being discovered?”
Silent for a moment, she finally replied in a faraway voice that seemed to transcend time and space. “Let me explain why we look for mates in humans. It's quite simple, really. You have, for lack of a better term, royal blood flowing through your veins, without even realizing it. As do the other mortals in attendance here. You, and them, are very special people, you have no idea just how special. I would guess each of you are one in a hundred million.”
Stunned, Rena could only stare back at her, listening raptly.
“You're aware of what inbreeding does to children who are a product of such a union, right?”
“Yes. Birth defects, to put it mildly.”
“Exactly. You see, there are so few of us immortals, we
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