Demigod Twin Chapter 26: The Gorgon Sisters

Chapter 26: The Gorgon Sisters.

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(Iphicles' P.O.V)

Two whole attributes. And not just any attributes—ones with synergy. Even in the middle of a life-or-death battle, the thought nearly makes me yell out loud, 'Hell yes, combine them now!'

But I keep my composure, responding mentally instead. ‘Do it.’ To my delight, the system answers, meaning I can communicate with it telepathically.

[Two Mythical A-grade attributes combined. New S-grade Attribute: Celestial Photosynthesis gained.]

[Celestial Photosynthesis: Absorb all three types of celestial light energy (Solar, Lunar, Star) and process them into power.]

Good. Now, let’s see what this can do.

My wings buzz faintly, their delicate edges catching the faint glow of lunar light. Tiny specks of starlight shimmer within the silver, and I feel the energy seep into me.

Almost instantly, the exhaustion weighing me down begins to lift. My stamina surges, and the cuts and bruises scattered across my body start to heal. The pain fades, replaced by a steady, thrumming warmth.

The lunar light flows down my leg, pooling at my feet. Without thinking, I slam my heel into the ground. A silver shockwave ripples outward, scattering the corpses around me. Their decaying forms crumble into skeletons and dust, leaving the grove eerily quiet.

So Lunar Light can disrupt spells? I wonder if it works on anything else. Still, it's perfect as a support skill.

The Wraiths sisters hiss in unison, their smug smiles vanishing.

“How dare you wield the Moon Goddess’s purifying grace?” the eldest snarls, her voice sharp and cutting.

“And yet you covet the Starry Titan’s domain,” the middle one growls, her serpentine hair writhing in agitation.

“An anomaly! A heretic! A curse!” the youngest exclaims, her voice dripping with excitement. “The perfect toy! Stay with us, sweet boy, and avoid the gods’ wrath for your existence!”

I wipe the blood from my mouth, my glare unwavering. “I’m flattered, really. But I’ve got plans.”

I hurl a feather—not at them, but at the ground beneath their floating forms. It lands with a soft thud, and a pulse of lunar light erupts, disrupting the spell they use to summon the corpses.

“Nooo! My toys!” the youngest shrieks, her voice piercing. The green mist around them swirls violently, twisting into a whirlwind.

“He made our dear Medusa cry!” the middle sister yells, her tone indignant.

Wait. What? Medusa? It can't be the same one I'm thinking of...

“Worry not Medusa, Euryale. He shall pay, the stupid boy!” the eldest shouts, pointing a finger at me. The wind howls, surging with enough force to threaten pulling me into the green whirlwind.

"Not happening you ugly crone." I stab the tips of my wings into the ground, anchoring myself.

But my victory is short lived as the tornado expands, reaching my position, and I’m yanked into its rotation.

The grove vanishes, replaced by a maelstrom of violent green winds. Debris pelts my body, leaving cuts and bruises that my regeneration struggles to heal. It’s a meat grinder, and I’m trapped in the middle.

“We shall strip your body of its flesh and blood! So says Stheno, eldest of the Gorgon Sisters!” the eldest shrieks. The winds intensify, peeling away my skin.

I watch in horror as my blood drains into the mist, followed by chunks of flesh. The pain is unbearable, like a billion ants devouring me alive. I can’t even shield myself with my wings—doing so would loosen my grip, and I’d be torn apart.

So I endure, silently cursing the ogre for taking so long.

Regeneration has always been my most vital attribute, replacing what’s lost to the mist. But it comes at a cost—my stamina is draining fast. The starlight bolsters it, but only to a point. Once the energy absorbed through Celestial Photosynthesis runs out, I’m dead.

Just as I prepare to unleash a burst of lunar light to disrupt the tornado, it unravels. I’m back in the grove, bloodied and gasping for air.

I look up to find the sisters frozen, their glowing eyes flicking toward the edge of the grove.

The Lunar Lotus is gone.

A tired but relieved chuckle escapes me. “Good job, Atalanta.”

The sisters’ rage is immediate and terrifying.

“Thief!”

“Defiler!”

“You will suffer!”

Their forms twist and contort, their misty bodies merging into one monstrous shape—a three-headed harpy. Its wings are tattered shadows, its talons like black iron, and its three heads are crowned with writhing serpents.

Oh, hell. Don’t tell me I was right.

The middle head opens its fanged jaws and lets out a bone-rattling screech that paralyzes me.

“Iphi! Don’t look at the eyes!” Ori yells from my back.

Dread fills me as I already know what Ori is warning me of.

But it's too late. My gaze has locked onto the youngest’s eyes—black pools that seem to pierce my soul.

A cold sensation creeps up my body as my legs begin to turn to stone. I can’t even close my eyes, thanks to the middle head’s paralyzing screech.

The harpy lunges.

Desperately, I release a burst of lunar light, shattering the paralyzing and petrifying spells. I barely dodge as its claws rake the ground where I stood, gouging deep scars into the earth.

Rolling to my feet, I retaliate with a barrage of feathers, but they’re swatted away by the harpy’s whipping serpentine tail. It lashes out again, faster this time. I block with my wings, but the force sends me skidding backward.

My left wing is dented, grounding me. An aerial fight is out of the question.

So, petrification, paralyzation, and strength rivaling Heracles at five years old—when he lifted a bull and tossed it over the palace. Great.

“I could use some help here!” I shout, hoping my companions haven’t fled after seeing this monstrosity.

The harpy descends slowly, its three heads speaking in unison, a chorus of rage and hunger.

“You will feed us, thief!”

“You will bleed for us, defiler!”

“You will belong to us, liar!”

I dig my heels into the ground and charge, my wings blazing with starry silver light. I strike at its weak points, slashing with my wings, punching and kicking with lunar energy. But the harpy laughs, its serpentine tail intercepting every blow.

Its claws catch me once, tearing through my side and hurling me into a tree. My arm snaps, bone exposed. I pop it back into place with a grunt, the wound healing instantly.

I roll to my feet, grit my teeth, and keep fighting, though my attacks are futile. The damn tail is too fast, too flexible.

Then, just as the harpy rears back for another strike, the ground beneath it erupts with white light.

A massive spell circle flares to life—Ori’s magic. But it’s different from anything I’ve seen him use before.

The harpy screeches in agony as spirit energy wraps around it, binding it in chains of white light.

“Nooo! Don’t send us back!” Medusa hisses in terror.

“It’s not fair!” Euryale, the middle sister, screeches in indignation.

“You don’t belong here either!” Stheno roars, pointing at me.

“I told you I didn’t want to fight,” I say, waving as the light intensifies. The spell crushes down on the harpy, dragging it, screaming, into a portal of darkness.

Silence falls.

Ori stumbles into the grove, panting. “That… took more out of me than I thought. Never communing with reaper spirits again. Still, it worked. I sent them packing to the Underworld where they belong.”

I shoot him a *‘really?’* look, and he scoffs. “Yeah, yeah, you did all the hard work. Just be glad we survived a fight with the Gorgon sisters. Even as undead wraiths, they were formidable enough to wipe out an entire tribe of orcs. You’re lucky they underestimated you, Iphicles.”

Wraiths. Spirits of the dead who escape the Underworld to haunt the living.

“You’re wondering why Hades, God of the Underworld, allowed the Gorgon sisters to roam free,” Ori says, reciting a prayer for the wraiths’ victims.

Exactly. History tells of Hades’ hellhounds dragging ghosts and phantoms back to the realm of the dead.

“Look,” the ogre says, pointing at the grove. The ever-present green mist is dissipating. “They created a territory with a veil strong enough to deceive even a major god. That takes divine power. Something’s not right here.”

“I agree. Realistically, the challenge wasn’t worth the reward,” I reply, getting to my feet.

Atalanta scoffs, grinning at the glowing Lunar Lotus in her hand. “What do you mean? That was too easy, considering the situation.”

Before I can retort, the ground rumbles.

“What now?” Ori grunts, as we all look around.

Dust rains from above. The trees shake. The mountain itself begins to crumble.

“Hold on!” I grab their arms and fly above the collapsing ground, dodging tumbling boulders and falling trees.

From the rubble, something massive rises—a monstrous goat, its body made of stone and twisted wood, its horns like gnarled trees, and its red eyes glowing with fury.

It turns its gaze on me.

“DISGRACED PRINCE,” it rumbles, its voice like the earth breaking apart.

“THRICE YOU HAVE DEFIED ME. THE FIRST CRIME FORGIVEN, THE SECOND CRIME CURSED. THE THIRD CRIME, DIVINE JUDGEMENT. FOR YOUR ACTIONS, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED.”

Ori turns to me, his face pale as ash.

“Iphicles… what did you do to piss off Pan?”