The Stone Curse and True Love

Aiden quickly escaped from the Gorgon, his heart pounding. He grabbed his phone and called Gabriel, Drake, Adam, and Ethan. "Guys, I need help! Hailey's been turned to stone by the Gorgon! Meet me in the library now!"

He didn't wait for a response before sprinting back to the library's hidden chamber. As he arrived, he found Gabriel and Drake already there, looking around warily.

"Aiden, what's going on?" Gabriel asked, his voice tense.

"There's no time to explain," Aiden said urgently. "We need to be careful. The Gorgon is here somewhere."

Just as he finished speaking, the Gorgon appeared, her eyes glowing with a malevolent light. Before any of them could react, Gabriel and Drake met her gaze and were instantly turned to stone.

"NO!" Aiden shouted, backing away as the Gorgon advanced. He turned and ran, his mind racing. He knew he needed help and couldn't do this alone.

He found Adam and Ethan in another part of the library. "Adam! Ethan! We have to go! The Gorgon is here, and she turned Hailey, Gabriel, and Drake to stone!"

Adam's eyes widened in horror, but before he could say anything, the Gorgon caught up to them. With a single glance, she turned Adam to stone as well.

Ethan grabbed Aiden's arm. "We need to get out of here, now!"

Aiden nodded, his mind whirling. "We need the blood of the Gorgon to reverse the curse, but we can't face her alone."

Ethan's eyes were filled with determination. "We'll figure something out. Let's go."

The two of them sprinted out of the library, the echoes of their footsteps mingling with the silence left by their friends turned to stone. They knew they had to come up with a plan—and fast—before the Gorgon claimed more victims.

Aiden and Ethan rushed through the dimly lit corridors of the school, the silence amplifying the urgency of their mission. Aiden's mind was racing, the weight of his friends' fate heavy on his shoulders.

"Ethan, Ms. Mary is the Gorgon," Aiden said, his voice tight with tension. "Somehow, we need to get her blood, but I don't know how."

Ethan placed a reassuring hand on Aiden's shoulder. "Don't worry, Aiden. We need to be wise in times like these. Let's think properly."

They stopped to catch their breath and strategize. Ethan's eyes lit up as a plan formed in his mind. "I have an idea. I'll stand in front of the Gorgon—Ms. Mary—and as she sees my eyes, you can stab her from behind and get the blood."

Aiden hesitated for a moment but then nodded, trusting his friend. "Alright, let's do it."

They made their way back to the library, where the Gorgon—Ms. Mary—was lurking, eager to turn more students to stone. Ethan stepped forward, his heart pounding, and faced her directly.

"Ms. Mary!" Ethan called out, drawing her attention.

The Gorgon's eyes locked onto Ethan, her malevolent smile widening. She began to use her power, and Ethan felt himself slowly turning to stone. Just then, Aiden sprang into action, his phoenix wings unfurling. He lunged at the Gorgon, stabbing her from behind and collecting her blood in a vial.

Ms. Mary screamed in pain, thrashing wildly as she fought back. Aiden's wings spread wide, and with a burst of fire from his mouth, they both soared into the air. The Gorgon, writhing in agony, managed to leave a final message as she struggled against him.

"You can't turn back the person you love the most, you filthy Phoenix! You will die in that grief!"

Aiden ignored her words, focusing on the task at hand. With a final, powerful blast of fire, he defeated the Gorgon, who fell lifeless to the ground. Aiden quickly returned to the school, clutching the vial of Gorgon's blood.

Racing through the halls, Aiden made his way to where his friends stood frozen in stone. With careful precision, he applied the Gorgon's blood, and one by one, they returned to their normal selves. Relief washed over him as he found Yodha in Ms. Mary's room, also turning her back from stone to flesh.

But when he reached Ethan, nothing happened. Panic gripped Aiden as he tried again, but Ethan remained a stone statue. The weight of the Gorgon's words pressed heavily on him.

Gathering his friends, Aiden recounted what had happened, leaving out the detail of his true identity as a phoenix. The group listened in shock and concern.

"Ms. Mary said something before she died," Aiden said, his voice trembling. "She said, 'You can't turn back the person you love the most, you filthy Phoenix.'"

Mia stepped forward, her eyes narrowing in thought. "We need to decode this sentence: 'Por kuris vera amo de ŝtona malbeno vi bezonas vera kiso.'"

Hailey's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "It means, 'To cure true love from the stone curse, you need a true kiss.'"

Everyone turned to Hailey, astonished by her revelation.

"True love's kiss," she repeated, her voice filled with hope. "That's the key to breaking the curse."

Aiden felt a spark of hope ignite within him. He approached Ethan's stone form, his heart pounding. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in and gently kissed Ethan's lips. A soft glow surrounded Ethan, and slowly, the stone began to melt away, revealing his human form once more.

Ethan blinked, looking around in confusion before his eyes settled on Aiden. "Aiden...?"

Aiden smiled, tears of relief streaming down his face. "You're back, Ethan. You're back."

The group erupted in cheers, their joy echoing through the halls of Wood Smith High. They had overcome the Gorgon and saved their friends, united by their courage, love, and unbreakable bond.