Sweat trickled down the muscular man’s forehead, he tried to contain his heavy breathing out of fear that the beastly woman will hear. But it was too late; the woman had already felt his presence.

The home of Medusa was much more spotless and beautiful than the stories have ever told; it had reminded the dark-haired man of a utopia. This was nothing like what the stories have said, it was the opposite of dirty and gore. The place was grand with a garden of fresh flowers, varying from lilies to the aconite, which was a type of plant used by the ancients to create an extremely toxic poison.

A pond of clear water was amidst the area of nature, and in the pond was a fountain made out of limestone. Water poured out of the centerpiece of the fountain, which was a ferocious looking tiger. The details on the tiger were suspiciously realistic. The home was hidden away but if you tried hard enough you could find the home made out of marble pillars.

From far away a pair of piercing eyes watched the human study his surroundings like a hawk. The eyes stared at the mortal with pity; he was the first one to come today.

This human was just like every other one, foolish enough to think they could enter Medusa’s lair and come out alive with the treasure that Medusa was cursed to protect with her life. She could smell fear; hear the pounding heartbeat of every human that dared to enter. It was either a man who thought he could defeat her or a woman that was sacrificed to bribe Medusa into handing over the treasure.

Finally satisfied that he had explored every inch of the impressive garden, he followed the trail of quartz flooring into the palace made of smooth marble. He reached out to touch one of the pillars, feeling the cool material underneath his fingers.

“Please, Goddess of Luck, Fortuna, and God of War and Battle, Aries. Bless me with the luck and skills to defeat this beast and bring home the treasure.”

The man held his shield close to his chest, his sword clutched in the other hand. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, lighting up the room along with other torches that clung to the ivory white walls. The warrior stepped on the dark rose-colored rug that almost covered the entire floor. He stared in astonishment at the magnificent palace, as grand as the home was, he couldn’t help but feel the loneliness of it. There were no personal decorations that could give off any characteristics of Medusa. It was just filled with wealth and artifacts that must’ve been kept in this same place decades ago. He could’ve just taken a few necklaces and chalices lying on the floor, and that would’ve been enough to pay the town’s debt. But he came here with the mission to bring all of it back and a few pieces of jewelry were not going to suffice.

Inside the palace were even more stone statues, it reminded him of the many statues outside. These were Medusa’s previous victims, it ranged from young to old. From the statues' current state it retold the story of each person’s last action, their positions were either them hiding behind their hands or begging for mercy. It sent another chill down the warrior; he must focus otherwise he would only become like them.

As the young man explored the room, one thing caught his eye and it was the throne in the middle of the room. It was obvious that it was made out of pure gold; the seat was lined with velvet the color of blood. The throne was decorated with rubies, and it intimated him even more. He touched the back of the throne, and the gold felt icy cold.

“I see you’re admiring my seat,” The young man immediately retracted his hand from the sudden presence.

“Who’s there?” The warrior regained his composure and stood in a fighting stance.

“What a foolish question to ask, you have come to my home and dare ask who I am?” He searched for the owner of the voice, but it seems as if they have hidden in the shadows.

“I know who you are.” The fierce man does his best to remain confident; he has to be the one who finally slayed the beast.

“Good, then you should know the dangers of coming here. Run now if you can, young man.”The room was filled with tension; the creature had been walking among the shadows, and he could feel sinister eyes following his every movement. The alarmed soldier tried to stay unbothered by the fact that he couldn’t see his enemy.

The man roared back, his voice echod inside the vast room. “I am a man of honor, and I won't back out of my decision to defeat you and take your treasure for my village. I am not a coward like you. Show yourself, stop hiding and reveal yourself!”

The room became silent. As the beast lets out a low chuckle, the room’s temperature had suddenly dropped. The young fighter could feel the hair standing on his nape; he tightened the grip on his sword.

“Very well,” The young man backed up against the golden chair, preparing for the appearance of his enemy.

The man looked around cautiously once more and then closed his eyes. He knew that if you ever got caught staring into the eyes of Medusa, you would be instantly turned to stone.

At this moment the man felt anxious, he was finally going to meet the beast from the stories that he had grown up listening to. Was Medusa as hideous as the stories had said? Did she have snakes for hair? Did she even look like a normal human being, or did she have the body of a snake? So many questions filled his mind, and he wanted to open his eyes so badly but he knew he couldn’t risk it.

“What a handsome young man…” A warm hand caressed his left cheek. The man flinched from the touch, was that a human hand? There were so many thoughts racing through his mind that he had almost forgotten that he came here to defeat the great Medusa.

“I am not scared of you! I have trained to fight in the dark for 10 years; I assure you today will be your last day of living!”The man swung his sword in front of him; it made no contact with the woman.

The woman grinned at the mortal silly words. She had heard those words many times before; she was much older and experienced than this ridiculous boy. If every time someone had made those promises come true then she would be dead by now, but she wasn’t.

Medusa leaned in and whispered into the brave warrior’s ear, “You would kill me? How could you harm a young woman like me?”

The man felt the warmth of the woman’s body pressing onto his. He turned red as he felt her brush against his side. He wasn’t expecting to feel the body a woman, and this made him even more curious. “I will not fall for whatever you are doing,” He says calmly.

“But I’m not trying anything, I’m just so lonely. And now a handsome man like you have come here, how can I resist?”She whispered seductively into his ear. With one of her hand, she played with the man’s dark brown hair.

Medusa smirked, and she knew whatever she said had made the man hot and bothered, his face flushed a deep crimson. Maybe if she could get him to open his eyes, he could see her current form. Then it would be so much more fun to toy with this mortal.

“Come on, open your eyes