I would be lying to myself if I tried to claim that I had gotten a restful night's sleep. In fact, it might have been the worst night's sleep I'd had since the restless nights following my return home after the accident. I'd spent the entire night tossing and turning as I thought over the tale Medein had told me on the island, replaying the words over and over as I pictured the expression he'd had at my refusal, no matter how polite I tried to be about it, to believe his story to be the truth.

Even now, with the sun peeking through the windows of my hotel room, I could clearly see the way his golden-green eyes seemed to almost shatter from the sorrow that had flooded them. How could he be so broken just from me refusing to change my mind about an old legend from well before even our great grandparents' grandparents were born? Why did he put so much importance on something so ancient, so distant from either of us?

But the problem I had was that he did. He did put that much importance in it and it troubled me that he also put so much importance in whether or not I believed him about it. Because for some reason, what I thought of as mere myth and legend, to him it was obviously the same as if I had told him that he himself was a lie. This myth was obviously something that he'd been raised on, at least up until he'd been left alone on that island, whatever age that had been.

Once again, I could only wonder at how long he had been alone there, lost and forgotten, perhaps even afraid of being found. But then, why had he not continued to hide from me as well, the way he must have when other people snuck onto the island? I'm sure I wasn't the first to go there in recent years, even though it was definitely not part of the usual island tours.

The amount of trust he must have been placing in me nearly floored me just thinking about it right now. I'd never really considered it before, how much he had trusted a total stranger not to hurt him, not to use him or leave him behind. Sure, he was stronger than me, but he was so sweet and gentle at the same time.

And what had I done with his trust? Sure I hadn't abused his trust, taking whatever I could of value that he considered his and leaving him behind or otherwise trying to take advantage of him... But had I really been kind when I had refused to even try and understand just why he believed as he did? Had I treated him kindly by basically ignoring that which was not as I had been taught? I could have at least asked him to allow me to think upon his tale over the course of the next day or two before deciding what I would believe, rather than denying it outright.

Especially since, the longer I thought about it, the more curious I was about just where his version of the legend even came from. Whether or not it was correct, my curiosity had been kindled during the night, leaving me wondering if whoever taught it to him had made it up or if it had been passed through multiple generations. And if so, just how many generations had it been around for? Was it word of mouth only, in which case I wondered how much might it have changed from one generation to the next until it was told to Medein, or had it been written down at some point? Why had they made Medusa male instead of female like all the other Gorgons had been? And why had Perseus been changed to Percia? Or vice versa as Medein had believed it to be...

And if it really had been changed so long ago, how had they covered up such a huge rewrite to history, even if it was just in the form of a legend?

~~~~~~~~

Confusion filled his eyes as Medein tilted his head at (y/n), not sure why she had started the day off by asking him to tell her his version of the myth once more, stopping him from time to time as she asked questions to get more information about certain parts. It was almost like she might actually be starting to believe him, even if he could see how unsure she was about everything he said.

Still, she was at least listening to him this time, truly listening, and that gave him hope that somehow he could get her to believe. From there, perhaps he could tell her the full truth, that he was, in fact, the Medein from the legend. And maybe, somehow, he could convince her not to leave him behind, forgotten and alone once more.

Or at least, convince her to keep coming back to him whenever she left his side.

~~~~~~~~

I mentally cursed the remaining language barrier between us once more, knowing that there was more he was trying to tell me but the lack of words was getting in the way again. Still, I was getting a better understanding of the story than I had before. I'm sure that with more time, I would be able to understand the rest of it.

All I needed was time...

But my time here was about to run out, my mother's voice as I answered the ringing of my room's phone echoing in my head, the phone itself dropping from my limp hand.

"You need to come home, the sooner the better. (Y/n), your father... It's his heart..."

--------

"You're sure you want to wait here?" I asked Medein, my teeth worrying at my lip as I glanced at him one more time before zipping my luggage closed. Seeing the man nod yet again, I gave a quick sigh and hugged him. "I promise that I will come back as soon as I can. I'll call when I am able to, okay? You remember what I said about how the phone works?"

"Yes," his voice, barely a whisper, tickled against my ear as his arms wrapped around me. "Be safe. Be safe to come home soon."

"Oh, Medein," I said softly before giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll miss you. Please stay safe, too."

Slowly stepping back and out of his arms, I reached for the handle of my suitcase and got ready to leave. I was thankful that it had wheels, realizing how much heavier it had gotten since I arrived so many weeks ago. What had once been just a case full of clothing and travel items had now expanded to include various gifts, souvenirs, and notebooks filled with memories. The only thing missing was my original journal.

"Please, if anything happens while I'm gone or if you need any help... Call me." With those last words, I forced myself to turn away, walking through the door and eventually out to the waiting taxi. Turning for one last look at the building, I whispered one more goodbye to the man I had grown to love during the time I had spent here, surrounded by so much beauty.

"Farewell, Medein, until we meet again."

~~~~~~~~

He'd wanted so badly to go with her, to stay at the side of his beloved, but something had told him it would be a bad idea. The way his arm almost ached where the bracelet rested against his skin did nothing to make him feel any less concerned, urging him instead to take this as a chance to recharge the item's magic and perhaps find a way to make it so he wouldn't need to constantly return to that cursed island again each time it was required.

Could the altar even be safely moved if he could find someplace else to hide it? Was it worth the chance to try, to risk it not working at all if he tried to move it? What if it didn't work again even if he moved it back? He only had so long to figure it out before (y/n) would return.

She'd promised to return and he would keep his faith in her. After all, she'd returned every other time she'd promised him. He had no reason to doubt, simply because she was going further away this time. No, he refused to let any doubt or worry get to him. She wasn't Percia and she wouldn't vanish just because he couldn't see her for a while.

Besides, she had to return. She loved him.

~~~~~~~~

I hurried into the hospital, desperate to get to my father after the call I had received shortly after landing. Things had taken a turn for the worse and he'd been rushed into emergency surgery. They weren't sure what had happened to cause the sudden decline, after having been completely stable up to that point.

It was almost like someone came along and suddenly knocked down a vital pillar in a building and all we could do was watched painfully as it collapsed in front of our eyes.

"Mom! Where's Dad? What's happening?!" I shouted as I ran into the room after having checked in at the front desk, freezing as I took in the tear-streaked face in front of me.

Red-rimmed eyes with hints of mascara outlining the tear tracks down her cheeks, her face framed by hair that for once was a mess, and an outfit that was rumpled and creased where she'd obviously slept in it told me immediately just how serious this was. She hadn't been this worn down looking since her own father had passed away some years ago after being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. No, things were definitely not going as well as they had been before I left Greece.

Hearing footsteps suddenly breaking into a run as an alarm went off down the hallway, I felt my heart drop and the air around me grow cold. Turning slowly to look towards the door, I wondered if this is what tunnel-vision was supposed to be like, the window in the door almost seeming to fill my vision as I watched nurses running past almost in slow motion. It was the growing darkness that seemed to eat away at the edges of my vision that had me reaching for the nearest seat as I felt hands grabbing at me, keeping me from collapsing before I found myself shakily lowered into the chair I had been struggling to reach.

"Mom, what's happening?" I whispered before the shadows on the edge of my vision grew and I could suddenly see nothing at all.

~~~~~~~~

It was hard for him to wait as one day after another passed, a week slowly creeping by as he waiting for the phone to ring. Not that he was not doing anything during that time, having built an identical copy of the altar that rested within his cave.

And oh how much it had pained him to return to his island alone, wondering if he would be trapped yet again now that his beloved was not with him. But still, he had gone there even as he felt a burning pain where the bracelet rested against his skin, trusting that she would return and take him away from the island once more. That she would rescue him from his prison, freeing him one more time so that he could remain by her side years into the future. And if he was successful in his plans then perhaps he could be with her for centuries.

But first, he had to figure out how to make the altar work. He'd made an offering his first day on the island, something he hadn't done in centuries. He'd promised, in addition to the sacrifice he made, to give whatever god or goddess was listening anything they wanted. Anything but his (y/n), if only they would help him find a way to charge the bracelet without having to return to the island each time.

Thus far, nothing he tried had worked. Perhaps, if he made another offering to them, maybe he could convince them to tell him what he needed to do to let him stay by (y/n)'s side without having to worry about turning her to stone. And without having to worry about her leaving him.

--------

He'd been told nothing other than to wait. Even though he had offered anything and everything he had, other than (y/n) herself, he had gotten nothing in answer but to wait. Not even told how long to wait or why he was waiting. It was almost enough to drive him to madness, especially now that his love was not here to soothe his thoughts and emotions that suddenly had him wishing to rage against the world that would imprison him and keep him from her side.

And so rage he did, his fists hammering upon faces he had long ago frozen in stone, breaking apart the bodies that no longer breathed and held no heartbeat. It did little to ease the pain as he wondered if he would yet again have to wait centuries for someone who was never going to come.

But still, wait he did. Each day he would wake up and head to the beach, hoping that today would be the day he was waiting for, the day that she returned to him. And each day, he would watch as the sun slowly sank below the horizon before returning to the pile of torn sheets that served as his bed, staring achingly at the statue that had replaced Percia's beside his own.

He'd agonized for a time over the idea of replacing the statue with one of his beloved, before finally taking the time to ever so carefully take the statue of Percia and move it out of the main dwelling and place it near the altar itself. He'd been careful to make sure it was in a place it would be safe, someplace he would not tear apart if he should find himself in another rage, though he prayed to whoever would listen that (y/n) would return to him before such a thing happened again.

In the space beside his own statue stood a new one, carefully carved from the best looking stone he could find on the island. The one that had called to him and told him it would be perfect for what he had in mind. Although he'd almost gone with the soft rose tinted stone, thinking of the warmth it would have represented, it had instead been the grey stone shot through with streaks of white crystal. It reminded him of how she'd looked standing under the tree's shadows with beams of light filtering through to dance upon her skin like the sun was worshipping her.

And just like each day since he'd placed it there, he wondered if he should bring the statues both outside to stand under the sun, not liking how the beauty of her statue was muted by the lack of real light. It belonged in the light of day, just as she did, the sun once more worshipping her beauty. But at the same time, he couldn't stand the idea of something happening to the statue, even if just the weathering of time upon its surface.

Looking at the warm sun outside, Medein stood in thought for a time before finally grabbing the bracelet and slipping it on, turning back towards the main room of his home.

"Just for today, so I can enjoy how she looks in the sunlight again."

--------

He spent hours sitting in the sun, watching the light shimmer upon the streaks of crystal that graced the statue almost like the scars that lined (y/n)'s skin. And to him, they were equally beautiful. Each one was a work of art to his eyes, one created by him and the other by the gods themselves.

How else could such an ethereal being walk among the humans if not by the hands of the gods? It was humbling to realize that it was likely the gods that had sent her to him, perhaps as a way to let him know he was forgiven for turning his back upon them. Or maybe it was to bring her to someone who would love her and protect her as she deserved. Someone who would worship her like the goddess she deserved to be.

And Medein would devote his entire existence to her if she would but return to him.

~~~~~~~~

I could feel the sun, warm upon my skin as the boat cut through the water, the scent of the sea filling the air. I could almost envision how the island looked, the leaves of the trees looking like emeralds as the gentle breeze shifted them in and out of the sunlight.

The sound of Stelios shifting about behind me as he steered the boat caught my attention for a moment before an arm came around me, holding me gently as the boat began to slow down.

"(Y/n), come sit. We are almost there. You should rest before we make it to the beach if you plan on finding this man you told me of. It wouldn't do to use up all of your energy before you even get out of the boat, dear," the softly spoken voice of Tomas spoke from beside me.

It still shocked me that he had shown up at my father's funeral, unexpected and uninvited, but still a blessing to a grieving mother and daughter who had too much to deal with and not enough time to do so. Even more shocking, he had quickly agreed to take me back to Greece when he heard I wanted to return, even after finding out the reason why I was returning.

"Please sit, I doubt Medein would want you to return to him exhausted," he whispered, almost managing to hide the sorrow in his voice as he spoke of the man who had taken his place in my life. Gently, he guided me to the seat nearby, releasing my arm as I finally sat and began to rest.

Even though I was afraid, I was also eager to return to Medein, hopeful that he would still look at me the same way he had before I'd left him alone for so long. I could only pray that he would still love me, that he hadn't found someone else to take my place. After all, he'd had over a month now to grow tired of waiting for me.

It seemed like no time at all before I heard Stelios speak out from where he steered the boat.

"We've arrived! This is as close as I can take the boat. You'll have to take her the rest of the way in the raft, just as she always did before," the words were gruff, but I could hear the sorrow he had buried deep within his voice.

I didn't want them to feel bad for what I had lost. I just wanted them to realize that, no matter what I had lost, I had the chance to gain so much more if I could just grab on. I just needed a little help in reaching for it.

~~~~~~~~

He'd been about to return the statue to his home when he heard it, the sound of a voice calling out to him. However, it was not a familiar voice that he had been waiting to hear for so long. Far too long, in fact. But they were calling him by name and the only living person he had told his name to was (y/n). Perhaps this person knew where she was?

Or maybe they were the reason she was unable to return. Had they kept her imprisoned like Medein himself had been, kept from being with the person who mattered most? Just thinking about it had Medein almost seething with rage, his lips curling into a snarl as he turned towards the beach, their beach, to confront the man who would trespass on his island.

It was only as he was about to walk out from the trees that lined the area that he saw her, almost hidden behind the male that was walking with her along the beach. He could almost feel his heart breaking as he saw how she clung to the man, one of his arms gently wrapped around her shoulders as he called out Medein's name over and over again.

Feeling his face fall into a cold mask, Medein walked out into the sunlight, trying to steal his heart for the words he just knew were coming. He wasn't sure whether to be thankful he'd put on the bracelet that day or not, but he was at least glad that he wouldn't have to see her eyes glimmering at him, hidden behind dark sunglasses as they were.

He almost laughed as he recalled her teaching him that word when he'd asked about the shiny object she wore over her eyes that day. She'd worn it before, but he'd never bothered to ask until then. But today, today they hid her eyes as he walked towards her, the man beside her stopping as soon as he noticed Medein approach.

"Why are you here?" He watched her grow still as he spoke, almost missing the trembling that ran through her body. No matter how heartbroken he was by her having another man at her side, he did not want her to fear him. Not her, never her. "Why did you return, if you already have someone else at your side?"

"I lost my chance to be at her side like that. I was there and I messed up. It took far too long for me to realize how foolish I was and by the time I did, my chance to have her back was gone. Snatched up by another, someone who was able to look past the surface and see the amazing person she still was. The person she will always be. Now, the questions is will you still be able to see her that way, even if she never sees you again?" As he spoke, he slowly pulled the sunglasses from her face, revealing eyes that were at once familiar and unknown to Medein.

The familiar shape of her eyes, the way the lashes framed them, even the color of them were all the same. But now, now the pupil looked like it was trying to take over, a huge black circle that almost swallowed that narrow band of color as it tried to take in the world around her. But that would never happen again, her eyes blind to everything she'd once taken in with so much joy.

Never again would she draw what she saw, never look upon a field of flowers before capturing the image in her camera, never again gaze upon him with love in her eyes. She was blind to the world and it left him feeling crushed that he would never be able to see her look at him with love in her eyes, no matter how much she might love him.

Turning towards the man at her side, Medein could only tell him the truth that was within his heart.

"I will always love (y/n). Even if it meant I would suffer pain until the day I died, I wouldn't... Couldn't stop loving her. Just as a fish needs water to live, my heart tells me that I need her. I couldn't imagine trying to live without her in my life and should she ever choose to leave me, that is the day that my world would come to an end," conviction filled him as he spoke, telling both of those who listened just how much he meant each word.

"Good, because otherwise, I wouldn't be able to leave her here with you, no matter how much she begged me to," the man said before turning to her once more, pulling her into a gentle hug before he turned back to Medein. "Take care of her. She means a lot to those of us being left behind."

Finally, the man faced the sea and walked to the small raft he had arrived in, climbing in and beginning to row towards the larger boat anchored in the distance.

"Medein?" Her voice shook as she slowly lifted an arm in his general direction, her hand trembling as she took a single step forward. He hurried forward, pulling her into his arms as she nearly lost her balance in the shifting sand.

"Shh, I'm here. I have you. I will always be here for you, I promise."

--------

It wasn't until much later that he realized the gods had answered his request. Just not in the way he meant.

Even without the bracelet, she would never see him, never turning to stone by his gaze. He never had to return to the island to charge the bracelet, because he never left it, staying there with (y/n) as she slowly grew familiar with the island. She stayed by his side, even when she finally realized the truth of what he was, the bracelet resting upon the altar as it charged that day.

After all, where could she go? Nobody came to the island, and even if they did, he wouldn't let them take her. Not after everything they had both been through to be able to stay together. He would not let the sacrifices be in vain.

Now he just needed to figure out what it would cost to grant her immortality, so that they could have their forever, together.