Aleysia stared at Medusa's face, and fear tightened in her chest. She knew Medusa. She knew her far too well, and that's what terrified her the most.
"No, no, no," Aleysia said, shaking her head as if she could push the thought away. "I don't want it. No."
Medusa reached for her instinctively, her voice gentle, almost soothing. "Sweetheart, you don't even know what I'm thinking."
Aleysia let out a broken laugh that turned into a sob. "Oh, I know," she said, tears spilling freely now. "I know you. And no. I don't want it."
Her hands clenched into Medusa's clothes as if afraid she might disappear. "You're thinking about sacrificing yourself to make all of this stop, aren't you? Don't you want to wait? Don't you want to see what happens when Gaia's warning finally reaches Olympus?"
