The Gorgon's Daughter

And so it was that Andy, the vintner’s son, and (Y/N), the Gorgon’s daughter, struck up a peculiar sort of friendship. They each found the other fascinating and foreign.

Andy did, indeed, come to visit (Y/N) the very next day, bringing two copies of the same portion of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, along with more grapes. With his back turned to (Y/N), he endeavored to teach her to read. (Y/N) was fascinated to learn that there were stories from her time, about her ancestors, so many years later.

Not Andy’s favorite story, he had chosen The Oresteia because there were so many copies available in the reading hut, two would never be missed. He was really the only adult who spent much time there anyway, most of his compatriots were illiterate.

Having gone through letters several times, he made his first go of reading the words along with (Y/N). “’The gods I beg for deliverance from these toils-‘“

(Y/N) interrupted, excited, “-What is ‘toils?”

Andy smiled to himself. “As in works or labor. The Watchman is a faithful servant of Agamemnon-“

(Y/N) didn’t know the word. “-Agamemnon? Is that a god?”

Andy shook his head. “No, he is a king, and the subject of the play. Be patient and just watch the words. ‘From my watch a year long, through which, upon the house of the Atreidae, like a dog-‘“

(Y/N) had lost Andy again. “-What is Atreidae?”

Andy shook his head, amused. “I don’t know. It says in the scribbled notes on my copy that watch dogs in the region often spent the night on the roof, which seems silly to me. How can they protect a castle if they are on the roof? I know the Watchman works in Agamemnon’s house, so maybe it’s Agamemnon’s surname? I haven’t read this play in a long while.”

(Y/N) accepted his explanation. Perhaps she knew the word, but Andy was twisting it with his bizarre language. “Continue.”

And so it went, each few days, as Andy slowly helped (Y/N) learn how to match the sounds of the words from his language to the marks on the parchment. (Y/N) came to eagerly await the visits of the strange, handsome, young man.

Andy found the small pieces of information about (Y/N)’s life enthralling, whenever she let one slip. He was so taken by her desire to learn, by her good company, that he decided to let her wait until she was ready to tell her story. In the meantime, he had to work doubly hard in his father’s vineyard, to make time for his visits.

Andy also found he had to make regular trips to the river every morning, as (Y/N) continued to haunt his dreams. Though he had developed a manner of tolerance to her influence in person, when he was alone at night he let himself be swayed and his mind indulge itself. It was a manner of torture, really, to want for something that could never be. As such, he resolved not to speak of anything of its kind to (Y/N). More than his secret desire for her, he wanted to avoid hurting her.

(Y/N), for the first time in her life, found herself possessed of strange, whimsical daydreams. She imagined that one day, she might grow legs, perhaps sew her eyes shut, whatever it took for the strange, human man to want to hold her. She fantasized about what it would feel like to have his large hands, doubtlessly much warmer than hers, touching her. What it would be like if he liked touching her.

By no means a fool, Damica knew exactly what was happening. Though she could not give voice to her concerns, she was worried for her friend. She had seen what humans did, and yearning for the love of a human man could only end in disaster for a Gorgon.

Thus, for a long time, Damica remained wary of the interloper. Her opinion was swayed when, after a few weeks of visiting, the man brought some meats, and offered her a piece. Seeing that the rest was left for (Y/N), she cautiously took a taste, and found it delicious! Perhaps this human was not like the rest?

Notes