Monster's Ball :Shadow In Time (7 page)

Taking a seat at an empty table, Medusa motioned for a waiter dressed like Frankenstein, and asked if he would bring them some Ouzo and cold water.

Glancing at the man, Rena thought it was a nice touch that the entire staff had dressed up for the event as well. Looking back at Medusa, she took a seat, unable to tear her gaze away from the realistic looking snakes on her head, which continued to writhe slowly, and somewhat hypnotically. Her intense dislike for all reptiles making her shudder, she thought about a date she had had once. The man had taken her to a theater to see 'Snakes on Planes', but she had ran out of the place twenty minutes into the movie. The man had never asked her out again.

As if sensing her thoughts, Medusa purred, “Don't worry Rena, they aren't poisonous.” Taking a small bite of her baked cherry tomatoes with Feta cheese, she added, “They only strike when they feel my fear, or, as you humans sometimes say, when I'm royally pissed. When they strike it can be very nasty, as painful as any bite would be, but it won't kill.”

“I'm sorry, that's so very rude of me to stare.” Rena apologized.

“It's perfectly understandable, dear.”

Taking a bite of her lettuce leaves stuffed with rice and lambs meat, Rena looked at the regal woman thoughtfully for a moment, then reminded herself to play along with the charade. It was, after all, a Halloween party. “If I may say so, you're certainly not like the Medusa I read about in school. I never pictured you being so…well, beautiful. The stories I read, they were about how Athena made you so ugly that just one look from you turned people into stone. And I thought Perseus took your head and presented it to Athena. So how can you be here looking like a runway model?”

“Perseus? That lying sack of horse crap!” She snorted indignantly, then poured a generous shot of the Ouzo and tossed it back in one gulp. “That was a lie that bitch Athena started! You see, Perseus is nothing more than a cheating ass of a camel. I mean, he makes even Zeus look like a vestal virgin, compared to his whoring hide! Perseus, at the time, was wed to Andromeda, who's an uptight shrew. He's also screwed Athena, and any other goddess or human that would spread their legs for him. Personally, I don't know why anyone would sleep with him. He’s not only uncultured, but he's an unwashed brute as well!”

The Sci-Fi channel should hire her as a writer!
Rena thought as she leaned forward, enjoying the story the woman was weaving. Picking up a piece of mystery meat from her plate, she took a bite. Despite the fact it was like chewing a piece of rubber, she liked the taste.

“I see you like the Htapodokefteds.” Medusa commented as she poured more Ouzo for them both.

“Yes, it has an unusual texture though. What is Htap..doke..whatever, anyway?” She asked, taking another bite.

“Octopus balls.” Medusa said, tossing back another shot.

Face scrunching, Rena snatched a napkin up and put it to her mouth, spitting out the morsel with as much dignity as she could muster. Grabbing her Ouzo, she drank it in one gulp, grimaced, then took a sip of water. “I didn't know Octopus' had balls, yuck!”

Throwing her head back, Medusa laughed uproariously, the sound seeming to reverberate throughout her entire body. Even her snakes seemed amused as they danced about her head wildly for a moment. “You're the bee's knees, Rena.” she sniffed, the laughter finally subsiding. “I was just kidding. Actually, it's baked baby squid.”

Lowering her head in embarrassment as her face heated up, Rena sputtered, “Oh.  You were saying about Perseus?”

“Right. Anyway, the first time I met him, my mother, Gaia, was having an earth day celebration. I was very young then, and true to the rumors about him, he came on to me. The only head he wanted from me was his extremely small cock in my mouth. He was obsessed, and didn't like to hear the word ‘no’! But he learned fast, real fast.” she snickered, reaching up with one hand and allowing several of the serpents to wrap around her wrist.

Mesmerized, Rena listened intently.

“My babies here, well, they gave him head alright, didn't they? Bit his tool so many times he couldn't use it for months.”

“Get out of here!” Rena laughed, thinking to herself,
Forget the Sci-Fi channel, the best writers in
Hollywood couldn't come up with stuff this good.

“Oh, it's true. It was also the first time he could truthfully boast that he had a huge cock, because it swelled up to five times its normal size.” she laughed. “You should have seen him screaming for the healer like a woman in labor! The way he ran around holding his dick, screaming that if it couldn't be saved, he would rather die!”

Laughing so hard tears ran down both cheeks, Rena picked up a clean napkin and dabbed at the salty discharge.

“Ahhhhh, the laughter is more enchanting than the siren's song.” a deep, sexy voice came from behind them, a voice that made Rena's nipples harden instantly.

Turning, she looked up to see a tall man, muscular, but not overly so, dressed in skin tight black leather pants, with an impressive bulge in them. His torso was bare, and his chest was adorned with tribal tattoos that stood out on his very pale skin, seeming to change shapes as he moved. He possessed a ruggedly handsome face with a tiny, precise goatee, his somewhat spiky blond hair was cut short, and he wore gold hoops in both ears.
Dayum! Is EVERY man in this joint hot as hell?
She wondered.

“Who's your lovely friend, Medusa?” the man asked, never taking his eyes off Rena. In fact, his emerald eyes roved over her, causing a pleasurable shock to run through her.

Feeling her clit beginning to throb, Rena clamped her legs together tightly, which only served to make her discomfort worse.

Licking his lips suggestively, the stranger asked, “Where have you been hiding this tasty looking morsel? Do you not know, Medusa, that something so sweet should be shared?”

Mesmerized yet again, Rena found herself unable to tear her gaze away, and was dimly (yet pleasurably) aware that she was having an orgasm, right then and there. Simply from the sound of the man's voice!

Inhaling deeply, the man closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. Looking down at Rena again, he favored her with a seductive smile. Mmmmmm, something smells...enticing. Would you like to come play with me, Rena?” he cooed.

Shuddering with delight, Rena felt another mild orgasm spreading through her loins. Whimpering helplessly, she couldn't help but wonder,
If this man can make me feel like this just by looking at me and talking to me, what could he do to me with his hands...his lips...his tongue....and....

“Demyan, STOP IT!” Medusa's voice cracked like a whip, snapping Rena out of the trance.

“What....happened? I...” Rena muttered, looking around in confusion.

“You'll be alright, dear.” Medusa said, then turned her attention back to the man. “You know perfectly well the ground rules Thoth laid down! He wouldn't approve of you putting her into one of your perverted trances, and I don't approve either, for that matter.” she hissed as the snakes on her head began dancing wildly.

Visibly disappointed, the man frowned and seemed on the verge of protest, then simply lowered his head submissively. Turning, his gaze swept the crowd, then seemed to settle on a woman dressed as an Egyptian Priestess, who was alone. Grinning rakishly, he made a beeline for her.

“Damned incubus. Sneaky, horny bastards, every one.” Medusa muttered.

“Incubus?” Rena parroted, feeling decidedly strange.

“Yes, incubus.” Medusa repeated. “They'll do anything to get laid, including hypnotic mind control.” Arching one eyebrow, her voice changed from disgust to one of thought. “But I guess every breed of male does that. Whatever. At least they're not as bad as the succubus. They put the capital 'S' in stalker.” she said, pointing to a group of breathtakingly beautiful women who were huddled together a short distance away.

Glancing at the group, Rena thought that every one of them looked almost desperate as they whispered amongst themselves and drank in the sight of every normally dressed male in attendance.

“When one of them zeros in on a desired partner, they'll latch on to him and will move the heavens and earth to get to the poor man. They'll create chaos, and even kill in order to have him and keep him. The only thing that can stop a succubus is for the victim to form an unbreakable bond with another woman, which is nearly impossible once she gets her meat hooks into him. Unlike the incubus, who just want to bust a nut and move on, the succubus won't stop until she drains the life force from her victim, which in turn is how an incubus is born.”

“Then why...” Rena started, but was interrupted.

“I know what you're thinking, dear, but the only reason Thoth allows them to attend is because he doesn't snub anyone, immortal or otherwise.”

“Tell me more about the incubus.” Rena asked, beginning to grow more curious than disoriented.

“There's not much else to tell. Let's see....Ok. The incubus can find a mate as well, but because their desperate need for sex is so...strong, I guess, they can go insane if the mate refuses them. The succubus are pretty much hopeless though, they're driven by the need to feed off sexual energy, and it's a more powerful need and compulsion than the most desperate of crack addicts to get a fix.”

“I see. So they're the Greek mythology version of fatal attraction? The succubus, I mean.” Rena asked, giggling softly as she watched her new friend pour another stiff shot
. Home girl can throw back some drinks!
She thought.

As if reading her thoughts, Medusa chuckled and said, “It's not ambrosia, but Ouzo gets the job done I suppose.”

Taking in her surroundings again, Rena spotted two men, one of which had the most fiery red head of hair she had ever seen in her life, the other sporting a shock of blond hair. Both appeared to be pleading with a tall black woman, then followed her as she turned and bolted with a look of utter disgust on her pretty face. But what amazed Rena the most was their costumes, which were more realistic than anything she had seen thus far, including Medusa's. They were 'men' only from the waist up, their lower bodies were those of a horse. “Now THAT'S amazing.” she stammered. “I mean, I saw guys dressed up like that in college, but that looks...REAL. I mean really REAL!”

“They're Centaur's. Wild and savage when someone pisses them off . Medusa explained. “All they're really concerned about is their territory and mates.” Pointing at the receding red-haired one, she continued. “That's King Eamon. Before he took over leadership, the Centaurs were nothing more than lustful drunks.”

Noting the man's powerful upper body, Rena saw he was wearing golden cuffs on both biceps.

“King Eamon is a moody bastard who rules with an iron fist, but he's also a good and fair leader. In the last three hundred years he's worked hard to improve their reputation. Aleksandr, his second in command, is loyal, and also a damned fine leader. That's him, there.” she said, pointing at the blond. “My guess is that woman they're following is their soon-to-be mate. They mate in trios, and when a triad is formed, they mate like many of us, for life.”

“I don't know, she doesn't look too happy.” Rena said, almost believing what she was being told.

“My my..will wonders never cease!” Medusa grinned as she looked at a gorgeous male with shaggy blond hair, his face peppered with five 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.