GodKiller

Ch.4 Familiar Ground

***Becks***

I had woken this morning in peace. And that felt foreign to me. Medusa wasn't here. I had quickly found her note and panic spread through my chest. What was going on?!?

I was at the Inn in the blink of an eye, hoping helplessly she was there eating. I spotted Rue behind the bar.

"Rue, RUE!" I hissed between labored breathes. "Please! Tell me you've seen Medusa!"

His eyes were cold and calculating as they studied me skeptically. "Why? Need a punching bag for your morning workout?" He accused.

"What? No! I'd never hurt Dusa. But I do think she's in trouble." I handed him her note I found this morning.

I watched his eyes dart left to right as he read it. The contempt left his features and worry took them over.

"Fuck." He hissed.

"Fuck what?!?" I demanded. "What do you know?!? Where is she?!?"

"Isn't it obvious lover boy? She told you right there in this note."

"Well pretend I'm dense! What did she tell me!" I growled.

"Won't be hard to pretend there." He rolled his eyes. I growled again.

"Easy. Easy. She says she going to kill her demons. She told me about the night terrors. The violence. It was eating her up inside. I thought it was you hurting her and honestly I was ready to skin you alive and use your spine to pick apples in the orchards of hell..."

My eyes narrowed at his words.

"HOWEVER.." He continued dramatically. "She explained a bit yesterday that it was actually her hurting you and she hated herself for it. See right here. 'Im going to kill my demons'?"

I nodded fervently. " But what does that mean?!?" I was struggling hard to process and understand what he was telling me.

He huffed. "What does she dream about Becks? Who has given her the mind rabies?"

I forced my brain to work. She never told me much herself, but sometimes I'd wake up and hear her talking in her sleep. She would cry out to Athena for help...and she relived Poseidon's rape over and over every night. It had to be ..

"Athena and Poseidon."

"Mhmm. So who do you think she has labeled as her demons?"

"Athena and Poseidon!" I felt the color drain from my face. No! She wouldn't, would she?!?

"You don't think...." I trailed.

"Oh yes. Yes I do. Those are the monsters in her bedtime story. Only they're as real as you and me. And she knows that. Get to Ember and the others. Yal better save her before she kills herself trying to save herself!" His face was strained and his voice pitchy. If the god damn goblin king was panicked shit was really bad.

I turned to bolt from the Inn and find Ember when she walked through the door with Skoll behind her. I ran up and grabbed her shoulders ranting and raving. Skoll quickly dislodged me. They made me breathe before continuing, which was hard. Medusa could be dead! She was on a death march! She needed us NOW!

Twenty minutes later, we all were shoved in at a large dining table talking it out. I scanned the faces of my friends. Eidon, Kyrie, Skoll, Ember, Ceann, Lina, Phee, Amina and even Rue wore masks of panic and fear.

"What would make her do this?" I asked aloud.

Ember sighed. " I think me."

My eyes bore into her.

"Whoa, I didn't tell her to take on gods, I told her to kill her demons, meaning to try and forgive and forget. Not for those bastards, but for herself. She deserves happiness."

"Oh fuck." Amina added. "This would be on me too. I told her to kill her demons as well. Then I told her a little about my past...my demons. And how I slaughtered them all, in cold blood." She looked so guilty.

"Let me get this straight. Your telling me this was all a misunderstanding? Because if any of you've forgotten, she spent decades secluded in the darkest dankest recesses of the world so figurative speech doesn't really work on Medusa! She doesn't understand insinuatives!"

My blood was boiling. I need to shift. And now. Before another word was uttered I tore my way through the Inn, my skin burning with the rage I felt. I barely made it through the door as fur grew from skin and I fell onto four legs. I barked, growled and raged across Asylum. My emotions so powerful that my inner beast took the responsibility of expressing them.

Night had fallen by the time I could regain control. Guilt ate me alive that I had wasted so much time, but my animal would not let me shift til now. I stopped in at our cabin for clothes and her scent still lingered. I buried my face in her pillow and cried. I cried hard and ugly. My mate was gone. The other half of my soul and I had squandered precious time.

When I made it back to the Inn, I saw Ember and Skoll standing outside. Her face was angry, her arms were crossed and her eyes danced with fire. Skoll was standing straight, his shoulders squared. His face was a mask, but I could see the anger in his eyes as well.
Ember suddenly turned my way.

"Becks! We've been waiting for you. You've got Amina, Skoll and myself for now. I sent a message to A.K and Morrigan with Eidon so expect them to catch up to us, but let's go get Dusa."

"Go where Em? I have no idea where to even start searching." I ran a haggard hand through my hair.

Ember smiled. "Good thing I do."

I stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"Well, many of the old temples and places of worship of old don't exist anymore. But Athena's prized Temple, Acropolis, still sits pretty in Athens."

"You think Medusa will go there? I'm pretty sure that's where she served Athena, and where Poseidon...." I left the rest unsaid.

"Then absolutely that is where she will go. If she seeks to confront the past, that's where it all started." Skoll added.

Amina emerged with a bag slung over one shoulder.

"What's the plan?" She asked.

"So far, it's to start in Greece...Home of Athena." Ember replied.

"How are you sure she's gonna go for Athena first? Why not Poseidon?" Amina questioned.

"Fuck, good question!" I snapped, my eyes falling back on Ember.

"Simple, she knows Acropolis personally. It's like her old stomping grounds. Finding and getting to Poseidon will be much harder. She's going to start off on familiar ground." Ember clarified.

I hated to admit it made sense. "Well, we ready?" I asked.

Three curt nods answered me. Ember brought her hand up and a very familiar accessory came into view. I stepped back as a huge red door came flying up from the ground.

"Let's get our girl back." Ember said determinedly.

"Hell yeah!" I replied as I rushed through the door, followed by Ember, Skoll and finally Amina.