A most powerful vision…
I have managed to convince Tix to take off his protective glasses. He wears these glasses to block his psychic vision abilities, just as I used to wear a similar pair when I was a gorgon. However, it strains my heart to see him in the same situation, when his vision does not necessarily wound or kill – that we can only look at each other through a thin, shading lens…
But Tix trusts me, and I him, so after some explanations on his part (his unblocked vision caused his aunt, his guardian to turn suicidal after a certain amount of exposure) and logic on mine (I have had psychic training), he removed his glasses. I am probably the first person who has seen his eyes since he was a teenager… and they are absolutely beautiful. The irises are multicolored – hints of blue, green, hazel and brown, with a slight violet tint near the edges. His lashes are long as well. I could finally see the emotions in them – the worry, the look of steel that comes after so many years of being a soldier… and finally, the love… a soft warmth that I’ve truly only seen a few times before…
Then, the first vision struck. It was a short one, an image from my past, from when I had petrified the overzealous boy. His name… I recall it now. His name was Sevruun – he was eighteen, two years older than I was at the time. He was very competitive, arrogant, but also good-natured (not like my former squadmate, Buroko), and I held no grudge against him, save that of a competitor. He became stone… but it was temporary. I believe that this vision of my past served as a warning from the gods… that I should tread carefully in this endeavor with Tix.
Tix was worried, and put his glasses on immediately, but I related the story to him, how the experience shaped me in both negative and positive ways – I was driven from the first family I’d had in several years, but I also gained a better knowledge of my own capabilities, so that I was able to stand on my own. I also reaffirmed my faith in his own psychic abilities… that if I were to be taken over so deeply by what I would see, he would be able to get me out. An anxious look crossed his face as he took his glasses off again. Those beautiful eyes filled my sight… and suddenly, the world was gone…
I was flying, far over the ocean, like a great bird, or like Hermes with his winged sandals. Below me, I could see a young man, almost a boy, flying below me, and he *was* wearing winged sandals. I realized that this was not the god itself, but one favored by him. Further inspection showed that he was carrying a great, shining shield… another gift, this time from a goddess. I was shocked – I was looking at Perseus, the “hero” who had killed my mother.
He approached a great rock outcropping, and as I followed, I could see that some of the stone was… oddly shaped. Like it was once living. Sitting on a flat, round stone was a woman, and as we approached, I could hear, over the sound of the waves, the hissing of snakes. My heart leaped to my throat, as I had heard that sound for so many years of my life. The woman was a gorgon, and I flew closer, knowing that this was merely a vision, that nothing could hurt me. I flew up to her, and it was if I was not even there – I could see her face… and I knew it, somehow. This was my mother, Medusa – and she was beautiful. I remembered what Rival had said before, while he had fallen in love with me, even as I was – perhaps this was what he saw. And I could see the lady that she once was, the one that I look like now.
“Stay back!” she called out, but she was not speaking to me. I turned, and saw that Perseus had landed. He had turned, holding the shield at an angle so that he could look upon my mother. “Stay away, young man! My look will turn you to stone, and only the gods may dare to change you back!”
“Please,” the boy replied, and I was astounded at his voice – it was so young. “This is something I have to do. I should have never gone to the banquet without a gift, so I was sworn to let the king, Polydectes, name my gift. He told me that I should bring back your head. The gods have aided me to do so… but I never wished to kill anyone, only to protect my mother from that wolf of a king.” My mother listened, and her horrible, beautiful face twisted in sadness.
“You are but a boy,” she replied. “Have you no father to protect her?”
“My father is the god of the sky,” he answered. “But he is only working through his children to help me. I am her only hope.” My mother’s snakes hissed, and a single tear fell down her cheek.
“Then you must strike, boy, and do not hesitate. I have a daughter, and had one day hoped that the gods would take pity and let me see her, but if they aid you, then I must obey.” She knelt before the boy, and bowed her head. I wanted to cry out, to hold his sword at bay, to do anything to stop this death… but I could not. The sword flashed down, and my mother’s head was on the ground. To my great astonishment, shared with Perseus, there was a great whinnying, and a shiny white winged horse, streaked with gore, sprang from my mother’s neck. I knew him – it was Pegasus, the lightning-bearer of Zeus, who I now could confirm as my brother, born from my mother. Perseus cautiously approached, and stuffed my mother’s head into a sack that did not change to stone. He flew off, and I was left with my mother’s corpse…
And then I was back in the tent, gripping Tix’s hand so tight that I’m amazed that I did not break any bones. I let go, my breath heaving in my chest, and told him briefly of what I had seen. He was concerned, but also accepted that I had found a great truth in what his eyes had shown me. Seeing my fatigue, however, he put his glasses back on and we both rested.
I think about what I’ve seen… and I wonder if it is a true vision. It may be that Perseus was merciless, or that my mother never spoke to him at all, or that she was even asleep when he approached… but I would like to think that Perseus at least saw that my mother was more than just a monster, just as others have done with me.
And this experience has not wavered my resolve in terms of braving Tix’s power – on the contrary, I will try even harder to resist and compensate for what I see in Tix’s eyes. To be able to see his emotions there… it is worth every vision.
