章節 72: DA : Chapter 72: Doubts of the Heart III
That got a scowl from Andy so Medusa quickly backtracked a little.
"Not like that! I know, you just said that she's your daughter even if she didn't grow inside you. I just meant that you still must have given her a purpose if you've taken the time to slowly create her."
...
That seemed to pacify the goddess enough for her to explain as she walked past Medusa and laid a hand against the pillar. Medusa also noted that the girl twitched at the contact to her container meaning she could probably feel her mother's presence.
"She'll be the first of my own form of Hunters," Andromeda explained as she carefully looked at her sleeping daughter. "They'll hunt after those that have been Black Listed and end them in my place."
"So like Percy's wolves getting free reign to rip apart poachers and other possibly unsavory company within their territories," Medusa commented as she stepped closer as well.
"Mmhm," Andy hummed as she tapped one of the screens showing a heart rate and other readings. "Yes and to do it I gave her a variety of abilities. She is strong enough to overpower any human and most demigods but her focus will be speed and agility. Thanks to Percy she'll have excellent senses and have more energy during the night."
"Wait," Medusa interrupted as she looked at the goddess. "So you just recreated and perfected the vampire?"
"What? No, she isn't a vampire," Andy retorted but then Medusa pointed at the fang tips visible. "That's probably inherited from Percy, now let me finish!" she huffed before taking a moment to get back into her lecture mode.
"Anyways, that's as far as her abilities inherited through Percy's blood should go. On my end I gave her the ability to sense emotions related to my domain so she can easily pick out those that are Black Listed, can manipulate her age like me, and she has the ability to see fantasies."
"What?" Medusa asked only for Andy to scowl at her more. "Sorry."
"What I mean by that is that she can see a person's most hidden desires making it difficult to lie to her and play on that to get close to them. Seduction is a powerful weapon and a good majority of her targets will be easier to disarm if you play on their hidden desires."
"So she'll be a master seductress and assassin," Medusa wrapped up.
"Essentially," Andromeda agreed with a nod before she got a pensive look. "Thing is … I'm not sure if I should even awaken her."
"Why not?" Medusa asked with a frown before she paused to think about it.
Sure, in a way Andy went behind Rhea and Hestia's backs to have a child with Percy which would certainly raise a few issues. But then again, though it was a cold way of looking at it, this girl isn't Percy's first born.
Though true that their council was completely unorthodox with its ruling and laws, they still held themselves to some standards reminiscent of past monarchies thanks to their tutoring with the past protogenoi.
Even though they had two queens, everyone on the council still knew that Rhea was First Lady in a sense and held that authority. Sure, on a personal and relationship level both Hestia and Rhea were equal in Percy's eyes, but in their court of law Hestia still differed to Rhea.
Being that case, it was an unsaid fact that Rhea would carry Percy's firstborn … unless Percy made sure to get both queens pregnant on the same night and leave it up to who was born first.
Knowing him he just might actually but the issue was that how this new child would be seen? Medusa knew neither Rhea nor Hestia would hold ill will or try to harm the girl but that would do little for possible feelings of betrayal.
Not to mention this girl could put Percy on the crosshairs depending on how he viewed her which would undoubtedly be like a proper father.
"I see the problem …" Medusa mumbled softly as some more thought as Andromeda nodded gravely. "… But I still think you should awaken her … and tell all three of them."
"What!?" Andy nearly shrieked as she looked at Medusa in shock. "Are you crazy!?"
"But hiding it will only hurt in the long wrong and besides, if you don't awaken her, what will you do?" Medusa countered. Andy paused to try and find an argument but Medusa didn't let her. "She's already created and obviously alive. What? Are you going to lock her away forever?"
"No!" Andy snapped but Medusa kept the pressure.
"Then are you going to kill her? Toss her in Styx's lake to make sure her essence is destroyed forever?"
Andromeda gasped in horror at even the idea while Medusa pointed at the girl.
"She's your daughter so are you going to give her the chance to live or not?" she asked heatedly.
Andromeda remained silent for some time as Medusa continued to watch her, wondering where the goddess' thoughts were going at the moment. She didn't think Andy would actually consider disposing of her daughter in any shape or form but then again the situation was rather precarious. Still after nearly five minutes of silence Andy sighed as her shoulders slumped.
"I don't know."
Medusa pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation before forcing herself to calm down. It wouldn't do to go on shouting at the obviously distraught goddess. From what she could see, it would be cruel and unrealistic to ask Andy to get rid of the girl but at the same time, if she did awaken the girl now of all times, the reactions would be the worst.
"That's it!" Medusa snapped as she grabbed Andy's hand and started to drag her out of the room. She would have preferred to shadow travel them but being in the office connected to the mind of a primordial, no form of teleportation would work unless one had express permission by said god.
"Where are we going?" Andy asked, putting up little resistance even as they left the lab room with the slumbering immortal.
"To find Rhea and Hestia," Medusa answered, giving an extra tug as Andy suddenly pulled back in shock.
"Why?" Andromeda asked in confusion as she slowly started to put some resistance, knowing that Medusa was nowhere near actually strong enough to pull Andy anywhere if the goddess didn't want to.
"Because you don't have the luxury to hide this and wait for a better time," Medusa said as they arrived again at the bottom floor before turning around to face the apparently confused goddess.
"Andromeda … we are declaring war in little more than three weeks. The Olympians have already noticed Ares being absent and are definitely starting to notice the shifts in power.
Once Phoebe stops cloaking the mountain from their senses, they will send demigod and monster forces after us.
We on the other hand do not have an army but a select group of warriors and their personal forces to fight this entire war. Warriors including you, me, and the majority of the council.
The last thing we need is you basically driving yourself mad by denying yourself and then upsetting the queens too. We need to be united even if that means facing the music now."
That broke whatever resistance Andy had been trying to dig up as the goddess bowed her head in acknowledgement. Medusa nodded as she continued to lead the goddess out of her office and they quickly arrived at the door leading out but before they could they were startled by a sudden knocking.
"Were you expecting anyone?" Medusa asked with a glance to Andy.
"No …" she replied as she narrowed her eyes for a moment. "… But its Jason."
Without further ado the door swung open to reveal said god dressed in a white button shirt and faded jeans, his drakon leather boots gleaming as if freshly polished.
Medusa though noted a slightly hollow look in his eyes which made her frown marginally, though she remained quiet as the god stepped closer. He did a quick scan of the library before focusing on Andromeda.
"Hey Andy …" he said softly before glancing to Medusa. "… Medusa."
"Jason," the pair replied together before quieting down to wait for what the primordial needed of them, or more specifically, Andromeda.
"So," he started as he ran his head through his hair. "I was wondering if … if you could do a check for me before I head out for that mission."
Medusa raised an eyebrow in curiosity before looking to Andy but the goddess gave her a 'later' look.
"Are you sure?" Andy asked with clear concern even as she flagged down one of her birds.
"Yes," he replied with a slight slump to his shoulders. "It needs to be done. You know as well as I do that the oceans are the only dangerous place for us right now. If we don't want this war to draw out for decades then we need to destabilize Atlantis"
"But … of all the ways to do this," Andy started but Jason interrupted.
"And this would get the results the fastest."
Andromeda looked a little annoyed with him but pushed it off with a sigh as she took a new tablet from one of her birds. Medusa noted that this tablet had a gold marker meaning 'Mystic' or godly but what was strange about it was that the heart at the edge wasn't the more common pink or white or the rare gold as most of the other tablets.
This one was a deep blue and most alarmingly had actual cracks running through the little heart. Then, as Andromeda tapped the screen to life, a name appeared which surprised Medusa as she leaned closer to see.
"Still heartbroken," Andromeda said with her own sad sigh before tapping the screen to make it go dark and handing it to her waiting bird. "She'll be susceptible enough if you know how to behave," she added with a grimace of distaste that Jason mirrored before he nodded and turned around.
As he started to walk he paused when Andy spoke up.
"Jason … why did you volunteer for this mission?" Andy asked softly as the retreating god stiffened.
He remained silent for a minute before he asked, "Tell me … what is Eos feeling for me right now?"
That made Andy frown but she still signaled to her birds nonetheless. In less than a minute she had another different tablet, also with golden markers and glowing red hearts. She tapped them to get a quick read and frowned before giving the tablet back and looking to Jason's back.
"Well, to put it bluntly, horny and wondering how to get you in her pants."
Jason nodded without looking at them. "I thought as much." He then continued walking and soon left the office, the sound of the door closing echoing throughout the tower.
There was silence for several minutes before Medusa looked to Andy. "What was that all about? I didn't know there were any other missions going on besides securing contacts with the Canadian and possibly British government and bringing in a few more of the stronger titans like Selene and Helios."
"It was part of the council discussion last night," Andromeda answered as she frowned at the door. "Like Jason said, the oceans are dangerous for us right now. Poseidon has a full kingdom and army, not to mention that Oceanus wasn't caught again, and then there's them," she practically growled making Medusa flinch as the slight building of divine pressure around the goddess.
Luckily she reigned it in quickly but not before thoroughly reminding Medusa that though she was strong enough to fight gods, she still held no candle to any member of the council.
"But any kingdom will always have those discontent with the rulers over time, especially with the history of violent take overs prevalent in our particular history. Jason simply volunteered to sow more seeds of doubt and mess up their Sea Court."
"So he's willingly going to find her and try to seduce her?" Medusa asked incredulously. That wasn't at all like the Jason she'd come to know in the years spent training together.
"I wish he hadn't … but he might be one of the few who can. She's never personally met him so she won't recognize him plus, as much as it saddens me to say, he's one of the few that might be able to relate to her," Andy explained.
"Even after what Hemera said, he's still keeping his heart closed off to Love and I'm guessing something went on with Eos that made it worse."
"But how could Eos make it worse?" Medusa asked. "I mean, she's so warm and bubbly and soothing … like the mornings!"
Andy snorted at the reference to that goddess' domain before continuing. "Yes and I thought hanging out with her could help Jason and it was for a while but, well, it looked like she was more of a fangirl than genuinely interested.
I hadn't really checked up until now but it was pretty obvious that she was feeling more lust than anything and Jason already had to deal with that during his hero years, especially after the wars.
With his own heart break and then all that attention for the wrong reasons, I guess he's starting to give up hope on finding that special someone that wants him for him."
Medusa remained silent at that, looking to the door as well, before sighing and then returning her attention to Andy. "Okay … well it's his decision in the end and as long as he can live with it, we can't really comment. As for you, we still have two queens to speak to."
Andromeda groaned but didn't put up a fight as Medusa continued to drag her on. She was not looking forward anymore to this conversation than the goddess was but it needed to be done soon, otherwise things might only get worse for Andromeda and then spill over to the council as well …
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Don't forget to throw some power Stones, to keep the story going.
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