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Chapter Text

PROLOGUE: CHANGE OF FATE

*****

A very long time ago in a distant land, a group of men from one of the many kingdoms of Greece, headed for an opening in the mountainside.

It was a cave opening lit by two torches in gold snake-like holders, and a few of the men were uneasy, praying to the Gods to watch over them as they waited to enter the lair of Medusa. None of them knew how many of them would come back out of the lair alive.

Their leader, King Midas, didn’t care if the Gods would protect them or not. He was the great-grandson of the first King Midas, and he was determined to make the Gods, particularly Apollo, pay for what they’d done to his family.

‘If what the three witches told me is true,’ he thought, having gone to the Stygian Witches for information of where to find what he needed for his revenge against Apollo. ‘Then what I seek will soon be in my grasp.’

Midas turned to face his men while figuring a silver gem that hung on a gold chain around his neck, which he’d been told to guard with his life until told otherwise by the mysterious woman that had given it to him before he’d set off on his quest with his men. When that would be, even he didn’t know, and at the moment he didn’t care since his quest was more important.

“My friends,” he said. “Soon, we will enter the Lair of Medusa, and there, we’ll find a weapon that even the Gods themselves fear. To arms!” And he drew his sword.

His men all cheered and drew their weapons, and their shields were at the ready.

Pleased, Midas stormed toward the opening, and he entered first, his men following.

*****

The men walked along a long cavern that was more like a tunnel, lined with flickering torches until they reached a pair of heavy wooden doors that were inlaid with gold snake patterns.

Midas nodded to two of his men and they grasped the snake-shaped handles, opening the doors, and they all entered the room beyond.

*****

The room was massive with lit torches on the walls, red/gold silk hanging from the ceiling, all kinds of gold inlaid wooden chairs, couches, tables, and even a couple of beds.

There were also statues scattered around the room, all in different positions, and they were all males. These were victims of Medusa, and both Midas and his men were determined to not be added to her collection.

“Remember, men,” Midas said in a low voice, “her magic only work if she can make eye contact. So, eyes down. Spread out and stay in your pairs.”

Just then, a female voice started laughing, echoing around the room so that they couldn’t be certain of where she could be hiding.

“Show yourself, monster!” Midas demanded, searching the shadows, briefly catching movement to the left. “Now!”

Medusa laughed again.`“Oh, King Midas, why?”` she asked, giggling.`“Do you seek me? Or do you seek something else?”`

“Why should I tell you?” Midas scoffed, still searching the shadows for movement.

`“I’m curious,”` Medusa answered.`“The men who enter my lair come for different reasons. Some for my head, some for glory, some for vengeance, and others because they’ve lost the will to live and they want their suffering to end. What is your reason?”`

“A weapon,” Midas answered reluctantly. “You possess a weapon that even the Gods fear, and I am here for that weapon.”

Medusa laughed once again, and this time, she stepped into the light, revealing that she wore a red/gold veil over her eyes so that they couldn’t be seen. But they could see that she was smiling in a way that left them all uneasy.

She was tall with the body of a model with green snakes for living hair, and she wore a revealing sleeveless red/gold dress while her feet were bare.

“I know the weapon you seek,” Medusa informed them. “But it is not the right time for you to have it yet.”

“What do you mean?” Midas demanded of her.

Medusa explained that she’d been visited by the same woman that had given him the gem. “And with the Harp of Morpheus, we will sleep until the time is right.”

Midas hesitated and glanced at his men, finding that they were willing to follow him lead, and he faced her. “Ok, we’ll do it.”

Pleased, Medusa directed them to find places to sit or lie down as she produced a gold harp. She set it on a table, and it started playing on its’ own, sending them all into a deep sleep that would last until it was time for them to awaken.

And it would be a very long time indeed.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER ONE: ABDUCTION…AGAIN!

*****

In the lounge that the nine survivors were using as their home base, they had been taking a short time out to recover and come to terms with the situation they were currently in.

For the past five hours, they had been fighting against vampires, a spider woman, took part in a twisted war, and had dealt with the Gingerbread Woman. And in the same amount of time, they’d lost Lauren, Jesse, DeStorm, and Liza. Just to obtain four out of nine gems needed to stop the Sorceress and go back to 2017.

Currently, they were all sleeping in different parts of the room: Andrea, Tyler, and Artie were all sleeping on the floor, where they had been talking after Tyler had thrown up the sugary sweets and baked goods he’d had to eat in the pervious final death challenge, and Artie had helped Ernie find Liza’s body and place it elsewhere within the mansion. In a different corner, Ernie, Gabbie, and Tana were fast asleep in some chairs.

On one of the couches, Joey was fast asleep with his head resting on the back of the couch while he had one arm over Dawn’s shoulders, and she was sleeping with her head in his lap. On the other couch, Alex was also fast asleep. What none of them knew was that the tea that Alison had given to them earlier had had a sedative in it that had caused them to fall asleep, and they also didn’t know that their protector, who was also a vampire, had added a bit of her own blood into the tea, too.

Alison entered the lounge and looked around at the sleeping YouTubers. She was pleased to see that they were already looking better, which she had been counting on, and she went over to Alex, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him up. “It’s been ten minutes.” ‘Actually, it’s been longerthen ten minutes, but they don’t need to know that.’

Alex blinked and nodded as she went to wake the others. “Right.” He got up, stretched, and went over to the other couch, and he was surprised to feel much better and stronger then before. He shook Dawn’s shoulder, waking her up, and this woke Joey up, too. “It’s time.”

“Right.” Joey removed his arm from Dawn’s shoulders so that she could sit up, and their friends gathered around.

Tyler picked up the scroll he’d received after the last final death challenge, and he unrolled it to reveal the clue to the next gem. “‘Go to where you were welcomed and be ready for a fight, more than one life depends on it’.”

“That makes no sense,” said Gabbie.

“Actually, it means the foyer,” Andrea pointed out. “That’s where we were welcomed by Dorian.”

“Back to the foyer,” Tana muttered and they followed Alison out of the room.

*****

The group cautiously entered the foyer, not sure of what to expect, and they began looking around for anything that hadn’t been there before.

“Here’s something,” Alex announced, having found a small bronze box under a table, and picked it up as his friends gathered around. He set it on the table and lifted the lid to reveal both a note and a jeweler eyepiece. “That’s odd.”

Artie took both items out and handed the eyepiece to Ernie before reading the note. “‘Through a crystal tear, the truth will be revealed, but be warned: The armored Greeks have awaken’.”

“‘Armored Greeks’?” Joey repeated, perplexed. “What ‘armored Greeks’?”

A pair of double doors were slammed open, making the group jump, scream, and they spun around as a group of men in red leather armor, and armed with swords and shields, entered the foyer.

“You just had to ask, Joey,” Dawn groaned while Joey was looking sheepish. “You just had to ask.”

The Greeks didn’t charge the group right away, instead, they waited until they were joined by a man with red/gold armor, and on a gold chain around his neck was a silver gem.

“The next gem,” Tana whispered. “That’s the next gem.”

The Greek leader faced the group and pointed his sword at them. “Seize two and bring them to me.”

The Greeks charged forward and the group screamed and scattered to avoid being captured, and Alison was doing what she could to stop the Greeks and help her friends.

So far, the group was able to avoid being captured with a few close calls, but they couldn’t avoid the Greeks forever, especially with all the running they’d been doing that night.

Joey and Dawn dodged a pair of Greeks and bolted for the stairs. They almost made it when they got grabbed from behind, sword pressed against their necks as they were dragged toward the doors.

“Help!”

“Let go! Help!”

“Joey! Dawn!”

The group tried to save their friends, but the Greeks were too fast, and they escaped with Joey and Dawn. The doors slammed shut, and the only thing left behind was a gold stone on the floor.

“No!” Alex banged on the doors and tugged on the handles, but the doors were locked. “No! We’ve got to get them back!”

“And we will,” Gabbie promised, picking up the stone. “Once this clue has been solved.”

*****

Joey and Dawn struggled against the Greeks as they were dragged down a hallway and hauled into the ballroom. They both were alarmed to be back in there, but there was nothing left of the vampires, not even the body of their late friend, Lauren, and seated on the gold throne on the platform was the Greek Leader.

They were shoved to the floor before the platform, grunting in pain when their knees hit the hard cold floor. Great, they had been captured…again, and now they had to survive until they could be rescued by their friends.

The Greek Leader removed his helmet to reveal that he had dark hair, dark eyes, and he smirked as he set the helmet aside. “Ah, so my men were able to grab the Light-bearer and her friend.”

“Honestly, does every villain in this place know more about me and this Light then I do myself?” Dawn wondered, getting really annoyed with the whole Light-bearer business, and the Greek Leader snickered. “Ha, ha, really funny.”

“Who are you?” Joey asked, hoping to find out as much as they could about what their friends may have to do in order to save them andget the gem from this guy.

“I am King Midas,” Midas answered, chuckling at their surprised expressions of recognition. “Ah, I see you both know the name of my great-grandfather, and you probably also know about how he was cursed by the Sun God Apollo for a time.”

Dawn nodded. “Yeah, I recall the myth, everything he touched would turn into gold,” she recalled. “Even his own daughter was turned into gold because of his greed. I also recall that Apollo took back the curse once he learned his lesson, but only after having the ears of a donkey for a time.” And Joey snickered. “Yup, I definitely remember reading something about him having donkey ears that he’d had to hide with a cover of some kind.”

Midas rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, that’s what happen to him,” he said testily and stood up, stepping down to the floor, he nodded to two of his men, who forcefully hauled Dawn and Joey to their feet. “But that isn’t what’s important right now,” he continued, pacing before them. “A clue was left for your friends to solve, and when they solve it, they will come here to face a challenge to rescue the both of you from a unique location.”

“What location is that?” Joey asked uneasily, and the uneasiness grew when the King nodded to the wall with the unusual design that they had been examining earlier with Liza, but hadn’t gotten to figure it out at the time. “Where does that lead?”

“The Lair of Medusa,” Midas answered and he was amused by their alarmed expressions. “Don’t worry, she has strict orders from the Sorceress not to harm the bait. But whoever goes to her lair to take part in the final death challenge in order to rescue you both, that’s an entirely different matter. Cover their eyes.”

“No, wait!” Joey and Dawn both protested, struggling as a pair of black blindfolds were tied around their eyes, making it impossible for them to see. They heard a rumbling sound, figuring that the wall had been opened somehow, and they were forced forward toward the unknown.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWO: SOLVING THE CLUE

*****

Meanwhile in the foyer, the group gathered around Gabbie, who was holding the gold stone that’d been left behind by the Greeks that’d abducted Joey and Dawn mere moments ago. They weren’t entirely sure of whatto do next, but they were hoping that they would be able to get the doors open by solving the clue.

“So, we have a jeweler’s eyepiece and a gold stone,” Tyler said, thinking. “What did the note say we were suppose to exactly?”

Artie double-checked the note that he was still holding. “Um, ok. ‘Through a crystal tear, the truth will be revealed’,” he read again. “Maybe, one of us has to look through that eyepiece at the gold stone.”

Gabbie handed the stone to Ernie, who peered through the eyepiece at it. “There’s symbols on this,” he reported. “Greek symbols. Anyone know how to read Greek?”

Alex held out a hand for the stone and the eyepiece. “Let me see,” he requested and he accepted both, peering through the eyepiece at the stone. “Oh, these are Greek numerals, which means this involves math.”

“Let’s go to the library and write the numbers down so we can solve the problem,” Tana suggested, and they hurried back to the library to get to work.

*****

Unable to see anything, Joey and Dawn were shaking in their boots as they were hauled down what was either a hallway or a tunnel, they couldn’t tell for sure, only that it was cold, and the Greeks wouldn’t answer their questions. They nearly fell over when the Greeks suddenly stopped and they could hear something creak open nearby, most like a pair of heavy doors.

“Get in there!”

Before either Joey or Dawn could react, they were immediately shoved into an open space, and they both went sprawling across the floor while the doors were slammed shut behind them.

“Joey?” Dawn asked desperately, trying to feel around, finding only cold smooth stones under her fingers. “Joey? Are you nearby?”

“I think so,” said Joey, sitting up and he tried to find the knot on the blindfold. “Stay put, I’m going to get this blindfold off first.”

“Be careful, Joey,” Dawn warned, also sitting up. “If we’re in Medusa’s lair, then I rather you not get turned into a stone statue.”

Joey chuckled. “Don’t worry, I know the myth just like you do,” he said reassuringly, finding the knot, and once he undid it, he pulled the blindfold off and blinked in the torchlight while keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. “Ok, I’m going to help you, Donny. Just stay where you are.”

“Ok.” Dawn remained seated on the floor, doing her best to remain calm, but it wasn’t easy, especially when she couldn’t see, and the fact that they’d been shoved into what was referred to as the lair of Medusa, wasn’t helping either. “Please hurry.”

Getting to his feet while keeping his eyes downward, Joey made his way over to Dawn, who wasn’t too far from where he’d been, and touched her shoulder, startling her. “Easy, it’s just me,” he said reassuringly, and he felt her relax under his touch. “I’m going to get that blindfold off.” He then went to work on the knot, and got the cloth off. “There.”

Dawn immediately hugged him, and they got up together, finally getting a good look at their location: it was massive with lit torches on the walls, red/gold silk hanging from the ceiling, all kinds of gold inlaid wooden chairs, couches, tables, and even a couple of beds. There were also statues scattered around the room, all in different positions, and they were all males. “Medusa’s victims. We gotta get out of here.”

“Agreed.”

They turned to go and nearly ran into a small circular table with a note on it. Exchanging a look, they read the note together. “‘Welcome to my lair. Until your friends come to save you, you both will remain here as my guests. I will be seeing you both soon. Medusa’.”

“Ok, I don’t know about you, but I rather not be a guest of Medusa,” Joey stated and Dawn agreed. “Definitely time to get out of here.” And they hurried to the doors, but when they pulled on the handles, they found that the doors were locked. “No!”

“There has to be something we can use to get out of here,” Dawn said desperately, looking around at what was available. “There’s always a way out. What can we use?”

“I don’t know,” Joey admitted, feeling really scared for once. “This – this is different from what we had to deal with before.”

Just then, they heard soft laugher coming from the shadows and Medusa stepped out into the light, and both Dawn and Joey immediately turned away and shut their eyes to avoid making direct eye contact, so that they didn’t see the veil that she was wearing over her eyes.

“Oh, don’t avoid looking at me,” she said as she approached them. “When Athena cursed me, she did have the decency to ensure that I wouldn’t harm any women, so, you’re quite safe, Light-bearer.”

“Well, I’m not going to take the risk,” said Dawn, keeping her eyes tightly shut. ‘Great someone else who knows about the Light that’s suppose to be inside me!’ “I rather not get turned into a statue.”

“Me either,” Joey agreed, keeping his friend close and his eyes firmly shut.

Medusa chuckled, clearly amused by them. “I’m sure that King Midas told you both that I wouldn’t harm you since that would go against the rules set down by the Sorceress, so you both are quite safe,” she assured them, gently running her fingers over their backs, and they both cringed away. “Hmm, earning your trust won’t be easy, I see, but you both will open your eyes, eventually and see that I’m right.”

“No a chance,” Dawn vowed. “Just – just let us out of here, please?”

Medusa shook her head. “I can’t do that,” she informed them. “Neither of you can leave until two of your friends come down here for the final death challenge, and then, only one of your friends will be able to leave with you both.” She then went to a table that had a gold harp on it. “Well, since you both will be here for a while, how about I play some music that will help you both relax?”

“Not interested.”

“Sorry, no choice since this is the Harp of Morpheus,” said Medusa and she strummed the strings.

The moment that they heard the name ‘Morpheus’, Joey and Dawn immediately clamped their hands over their ears in an attempt to block out the music that was now coming from the harp. They knew that Morpheus was the God of Sleep from Greek mythology, and if Medusa really had something of his, then they were going to fall asleep whether they wanted to or not.

Unfortunately, the music was magical, and despite their best efforts to block it out, both Joey and Dawn were starting to become drowsy. They did their best to resist the magical effects, but it was becoming increasingly hard to focus, and when Medusa was suddenly standing in front of them, it was too late to hide their eyes, so this time, they could see the veil hiding her eyes from view.

“You see?” Medusa asked in a soft soothing voice was she wrapped her arms around their waists and directed them to the nearest bed. “I won’t harm either of you, and now you both can rest until it’s time for the final challenge.” She coaxed them onto the bed, where they both fell into a deep sleep. “That’s right, just rest and sleep.”

*****

Meanwhile in the library, Artie found a book on Greek numerals and brought it over to the table, where Alex and Ernie were working on writing out the numbers on a piece of paper, and saw that there were plus and minus signs next to the numbers.

“It looks like we need to do math to solve this,” Tyler remarked.

“Good thing I found this book,” said Artie, setting the book down and opened it. “This should help.”

Working on the math, they soon came up with the answer: 610.

“Let’s see if that’ll unlock the doors,” Gabbie suggested and they hurried back to the foyer.

*****

Once the group was back in the foyer, Alex and Ernie went to the double doors and found that it was locked with a combination of the same Greek numerals. “Moment of truth.” They imputed the numerals for 610, and much to their relief, the doors opened. “Yes!”

Now they could go and rescue their friends!

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THREE: YOUTUBERS VS. GREEKS

*****

The group made their way down the hallway until they found a pair of Greeks waiting for them outside a pair of double doors. They weren’t sure of what to do when the Greeks opened the doors and gestured them into the ballroom, and Alex felt his heart sinksince this was the veryroom that Lauren had been killed in by the vampires.

‘Oh God,’ he thought, bracing himself as they entered and saw only the Greeks, but there was no sign of the vampires that’d been in there before or any sign that Lauren had been there, and he wasn’t sure if he should be relived or devastated.

“If you’re wondering about the vampires,” said Midas from the throne. “They left and we did find a body of a young woman, but we put her in a different room to give her a funeral of sorts,” he informed the group, who found some small comfort in this, especially Alex. “Now, I’m King Midas, and I expect that you are looking for your two friends. Am I correct?” he inquired.

“Where are Joey and Dawn?” Andrea asked, surprised to see that their captured friends weren’t there waiting for them. “What did you do with them?”

“They’re quite safe for the moment,” Midas assured them. “Whether they remain safe will depend on how you handle the challenge that I have for you to solve.”

The group exchanged uneasy looks, wondering what kind of challenge they were going to face.

“And what challenge is that?” Gabbie inquired.

“Hidden around this room are three pieces that go to that wall,” Midas explained, nodding to the wall with an odd design on it. “Split up into teams of two or three, and the two teams to complete the design will be safe, while the losing team will immediately go into the final death challenge without a vote. If you all fail to find the three pieces before thirty minutes are up, I will choose who will go into the final death challenge. So you know, your friends are waiting for you in the lair of Medusa, which is where the final death challenge will take place.”

The group was floored. Seriously, if four of them won the challenge, the remaining two would go into the final death challenge, and if the time ran out before they could complete the challenge, then Midas would make the choice for them?

“Guys,” Artie said, and they gathered around him and when he spoke, he kept his voice low. “Ok, so we all know the story about how Medusa can turn men into stone, and that means it only men will most likely be going into the final death challenge.”

“We can’t break the rules this time,” Tyler pointed out, “not if we want to go through what Liza went through at the claws of that creature.”

“No one will break the rules, but I have an idea that should help us have control of whowill go into the lair to rescue Joey and Dawn,” said Artie, having been thinking of a solution ever since he first saw the Greeks. “Here’s what we’re going to to do…” Once they had the plan, they turned to face Midas. “All right, we have our teams.”

Midas nodded and turned an hourglass over. “Go.”

Alex and Tyler headed to one of the ballroom to search, while Gabbie, Andrea, and Tana, searched a different part of the room, and Artie and Ernie searched another corner of the room.

*****

Fifteen minutes were gone by the time that Alex and Tyler found the first piece, which they found in a pile of colorful cloth, and they hurried over to the design, placing it in the right spot before heading out to find another piece. A few minutes later, Gabbie, Tana, and Andrea found the second piece, hidden inside a potted plant, and added it to the design.

They went back out to find the third and final piece, which Artie and Ernie were having troubles finding, and when there is only five minutes left, Alex and Tyler found the third and final piece inside one of the two coffins, placing it on the design, and the wall slid aside to reveal the opening to a hidden hallway.

“Congratulations teams one and two,” said Midas, standing up and clapping before facing the twins. “You two, however, will be facing the final death challenge. Prepare them.” And two of his men escorted them away.

*****

A few minutes later, they returned and both Artie and Ernie were wearing red armor over their clothes with swords strapped to their sides.

“The challenge you face will only end with one winner, who will receive from Medusa, both your friends and a particular weapon that I am in need of,” Midas explained to them. “Bring me the weapon, and you will have back your friends andthis gem.” He then nodded to the opening. “Go in there to Medusa’s Lair, your remaining friends will remain here until some of you will return.”

Grim-faced, Artie and Ernie followed Alison into the hallway with their friends wishing them all good luck, and they knew that they were going to need it. For if they failed, then more then one person was going to die.

When the clue that Tyler had received mentioned that more then one life would depend on a fight to come, Artie had a nasty feeling that two of them were probably going to have to fight each other, and then when the Greeks grabbed Joey and Dawn, it became clear to him, that if there was a fight, there would be only one winner who would be able to get their friends to back to the group.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOUR: FIGHT OF THE TWINS

*****

The twins followed Alison down the torchlight lined hallway, noting that it was becoming colder the further they went. They were starting to wonder if they were heading underground when they reached a pair of heavy wooden doors with a gold snake design on them, and the handles were shaped like gold snakes, too.

“Alison, when this challenge is over,” Artie said to her when she looked at him, “and whichever of us wins, get them and the weapon out as fastas possible. No one needs to see what Medusa will do to the loser. Can you promise us that?”

Alison nodded. “Of course,” she agreed and they could tell that she was wishing that there was another way to do all of this, but there wasn’t, and they already seen what would happen if they broke the rules…again. Although, the twins had bent the rules by making it so that they would go into the final death challenge instead, but it was the only option that they had. She then pulled the doors open and they entered the chamber beyond.

*****

The moment that they entered the lair, the twins spotted Dawn and Joey lying on a nearby bed, and they hurried over to them, relieved to see that they were still alive and were just unconscious.

“Joey, Dawn, wake up,” said Ernie, shaking them until they did regain consciousness, and they got them to sit up. “What happen?”

“Ooh, some kind of magic harp or something,” Dawn muttered, still feeling groggy. “Why – why are you two wearing armor and have swords?”

Artie sighed. “Midas had us all searching in teams to find three pieces to this design and the losing team would come down here to take part in the final death challenge to save you two and get some weapon that Midas wants in exchange for the gem,” he informed them.

“Oh no,” Joey groaned, “and you two lost that challenge.”

“On purpose actually,” Ernie admitted. “Artie suspected that if we all failed to find the pieces that Midas would force two guys down here to pay the price, and given that Medusa is known only to zap men…” He trailed off with a shrug.

Both Dawn and Joey were disappointed to hear this, but before they could say anything, Medusa came out of the shadows with the veil covering her eyes, and they all quickly faced her while Alison moved to their sides. “That’s her. That’s Medusa.”

“Welcome,” said Medusa as her snake hair moved around her head, and she held out a note. “Your instructions.”

Artie took the note and they read it. “‘You must battle each other, and the first combatant to draw blood three times will win and receive the weapon that even the Gods fear, while the loser will remain in Medusa’s lair, and will suffer a fate worst then death’.”

“I wish you guys didn’t have to do this,” Joey told the twins regretfully. “It isn’t right.”

“We know, Joey,” Ernie said with a sad smile, “we know. Just remember, the Sorceress is behind all of this, and she’s the true enemy no matter what happens.”

Alison herded Dawn and Joey to a spot near the doors while Artie and Ernie moved to the center of the room, drawing their swords, and faced each other.

“Begin!” Medusa called out and they immediately began to fight, their swords clashing, sending sparks flying a few times, and they seemed to be dancing as they fought, trying to find an opening.

This went on for several minutes, each of them coming close to hitting the other, but just barely missing, and then-

“Ack!” Ernie gasped and clutched his bleeding arm with one hand. “Ow!”

“Sorry!” Artie exclaimed, hating that he had to hurt his own brother, and knew that he would have to do it two more times if he was to win, not that he wanted to.

Ernie shook his head, gritting his teeth against the pain, and he held up his sword. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” he gasped. “It’s just a flesh wound. Come on!” And they resumed the fight, and after a few minutes, he managed to get his twin on the leg.

Artie yelped in pain, but they kept fighting, now tied, and they weren’t going to stop until one of them won the fight.

“I can’t watch,” Dawn moaned, covering her face with her hands, and Joey pulled her close in an attempt to shield her as the twins managed to draw blood a second time from each other, and he knew that when one of them got in the final hit, then that twin would win while the other would die at the hands of Medusa.

Artie and Ernie kept fighting, which was becoming harder with the blood from their injuries making the floor slippery, and yet, they weren’t going to stop until one of them got the final hit. Ernie ducked and avoid two strikes by his brother, and he managed to slice him across his sword arm, resulting in Artie crying out and dropping the sword.

“We have a winner!” Medusa announced and she gestured to Ernie, who glanced at Artie and got a nod from his twin, and he approached her cautiously. “Here,” she said, handing him something wrapped in gold silk. “This is what Midas seeks. Take it and your friends, and go in peace for I can promise that your brother will not suffer what will happen to him.”

“What do you mean?” Ernie asked while glancing at his twin. “The myths say-”

“Myths can be misleading,” Medusa responded. “Your brother will be turn to stone, but he won’t die, not right away. Instead, he will go into an enteral sleep that will be entirely painless and peaceful, I promise.”

Ernie knew that he was suppose to take comfort from this, but he couldn’t, and he glanced at his brother again. “Artie…”

“Go,” Artie insisted. “Just go and don’t look back. Get out of herenow.”

Nodding, Ernie hurried over to where Dawn, Joey, and Alison were, and they all ran out of the lair, the doors slamming shut behind them.

“What you told my brother,” Artie said as Medusa gracefully approached him, and she clearly wasn’t worried about the blood she was stepping through or that it was staining her clothing. “It’s true?”

Medusa nodded as she gently stroked his sweat-covered face, making full eye-contact. “Yes,” she said in a soft, soothing voice, “it all true. You will slowly sink into an eternal sleep while I feed off your life force. Completely peaceful and painless. You will no longer suffer.” As he became entranced, she then took a step back, and slowly raised the veil. “Time to rest and sleep.”

Artie caught a glimpse of her golden eyes that began glowing, and then everything went completely black, with him knowing only complete peace as he began to slowly sink into an eternal sleep, and his life-force was slowly and gently drained away.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIVE: A GEM WON AND A FRIEND LOST

*****

Meanwhile in the ballroom, the group was becoming increasingly antsy as they waited to see who would come back through the opening with Alison.

Would it be Artie or Ernie? And would Dawn and Joey would be with them?

They knew that the plan that Artie had come up with was a risky one, and there was always the possibility that the Sorceress would punish them again somehow for bending the rules in order to save their friends.

Especially since it was clear that she was keeping tabs on them after what happen to Sampson and Liza, and none of them wanted to imagine what she would do to them next.

“What’s taking so long?” Tana wondered, pacing a little while the others were sitting on chairs that Midas has provided fro them. “What could they possibly doing in that lair?”

“Tana, just sit down and save your strength,” Gabbie suggested, pulling the saloon girl into the seat next to her. “They’ll come back when it’s over.” ‘But which ones are going to come back, that’sthe question.’

Alex was considering going into the hallway and start searching when they heard running footsteps, and soon Alison returned with Ernie, Joey, and Dawn. “They’re back!”

And soon they were doing a group hug with Gabbie, Tana, and Andrea fretting over the cuts on Ernie’s arms.

When it was asked of what happen to Artie, the returnees couldn’t answer, and the issue wasn’t pushed since it was clear that Artie wasn’t going to come back to them.

After assuring the girls that he would be okay, Ernie then went to Midas as he descended from his throne, and he held out the wrapped item. “Here, the weapon that Medusa promised you,” he said grimly. “And as you promised, you get it while we get the gem.”

Midas took the wrapped item and removed the necklace from his own neck, handing it to Ernie, and a nearby Greek also presented Ernie with a scroll.

“Yes, as we agreed,” he said with a nod. “With this, I will have my revenge on the Gods that ruined the life of my great-grandfather all those centuries ago. Keep the sword, son,” he added. “You never know when you might need it. Now go.”

Clutching the gem to his chest, Ernie grimly nodded and went back to his friends, and together, they all left the ballroom to return to the lounge.

*****

Once they were back in the lounge and Ernie had placed the gem in its slot on the gem map, which glowed silver, he removed the belt that held the sword, and let the girls sit him on one of the couches to get the armor off so that they could treat his injuries.

Alison left since the sight and smell of the blood was starting to affect her and she didn’t want to hurt any of them with her craving, and none of them blamed her for her caution.

While this was going on, Tyler picked up the sword, mumbling something about “cleaning the blade”, and left the room with it while Alex focused on Joey and Dawn, who were sitting on the other couch, and they both were looking like they weren’t able to keep it together much longer.

“Hey,” he said softly, sitting on the table in front of them. “What did the Greeks do to you two when you were taken?”

Grateful that he wasn’t asking what was happening to Artie, they shared about meeting Midas face-to-face, ending up in Medusa’s lair, and then that she put them under some kind of sleep spell or something since they couldn’t remember anything else until the twins had woken them up before the final death challenge started.

“Artie figured that only males would be sent into that challenge,” Alex remarked, sharing with them the plan that their friend had came up with. “And he rather it be him and Ernie since both Tyler and I had already gone into final death challenges. Plus, when Midas said that there wouldn’t be a vote, that pretty much clinched it.”

“Stupid Sorceress and her stupid rules,” Dawn grumbled. “If she shows up again to give us a hard time about something, I’m gonna haul off and hit her, I – I swear that I will.”

“I’ll help hold her down,” Joey offered and they all snickered at the image of them dog-piling the Sorceress, and using her as a punching bag for the hell that she was putting them through.

When Gabbie asked what was so funny, they shared with them what Dawn and Joey were wanting to do to the Sorceress, and soon they were all laughing.

Andrea confessed that when she was luring Dorian out of the ballroom, she’d been imaging Alex punching him for going after Lauren.

Hearing this, resulted in them all laughing again, even harder, and soon tears were streaming down their faces at the images of what they all wanted to do to the Sorceress.

It was probably the last time any of them were going to get to laugh that night, but it was worth it.

To Be Continued…

*****

I have so many, so many regrets.

So many lies, so many broken ties.

I wish for my old life.

Wish I could fix my strike.

Cause no one truly escapes the night.

Oh, won't you help me escape the night.

Oh baby help me escape the night.

Escape the night.