Ryumen

My birth was never meant to be.

Some call me a mistake.
Others call me a prophecy.
But my blood tells a different story.

In my previous life, I was no one—
A man with an empty existence, forgotten by the world.
No one respected me. No one greeted me with warmth.
I was invisible, a shadow passing through life, unnoticed and unwanted.

When I died, I thought it was the end.

But in that exact moment, my death changed two fates.
One was mine.
The other… belonged to an ancient being from mythology—Medusa.

Once, she was doomed—a cursed Gorgon, betrayed, hunted, and fated to fall.
In countless timelines, in countless myths, she was slain.
But in this world, something changed.

Perseus did not kill Medusa.

She ascended—not as a monster, not as a victim,
But as a Queen.

And I… I was reborn as her son.

Now,

I am hunted by gods who see me as a mistake that must be corrected.
Despised by mortals who whisper my name as an omen of misfortune.
Rejected by a world that never wanted me to exist.

Because I am something that should not be.

A fracture in fate.
A living contradiction.
A walking defiance of the gods’ will.

To Olympus, I am an error. A flaw in the great design.

And so, they seek to erase me.

To wipe me from history, to crush me before I can claim a place in their world.

But this time, I refuse to disappear.

My Mother is Medusa

Ares, the mighty God of War, son of Zeus, conqueror of countless battlefields, stood there like a child who had just been caught breaking a sacred vase. His sword—his divine, blood-soaked sword—was still in his hand, but he suddenly had no idea what to do with it.

Ares chanced a glance at Medusa's face—nope. Bad idea. That smile of hers was still there, calm and unreadable. Ares would rather face a hundred Titans than that smile.

So he turned his eyes to Reazel instead.

Reazel was looking at him like he was the biggest idiot in Olympus. And considering how many idiots Olympus had, that was quite the accomplishment.

"Uh…" Ares finally muttered, clearing his throat. "So… how are things?"

Reazel tilted his head. "Did the God of War just try to start small talk?"

Ares shifted uncomfortably. "I—look, let's all be reasonable here. Mistakes were made."

Reazel raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You mean, you made a mistake?"

Ares glared. "I did not say that."

A serpent in the crowd mumbled, "He totally did."

Ares gritted his teeth and ran a hand through his hair. Why was this happening to him?

He was the God of War, for Zeus' sake! He was supposed to be feared! Respected! Mortals were supposed to tremble at his presence, not exchange judgmental glances like he was some fool who had just walked into the wrong tavern!

He opened his mouth, then immediately closed it. How did one even begin to explain this?

That lasted about another half second.

Then he considered just... standing there and hoping Medusa forgot about this whole thing.

Yeah. No. That was never happening.

Ares felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck.

Ares swallowed. Then, without any warning—

His sword hit the ground as he dropped it dramatically.

"Whoops," he said, very unconvincingly. "Didn't mean to pull that out. Complete accident. Slipped right out of my hand."

Medusa tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable.

The serpents whispered amongst themselves.

One of them muttered, "Did he just—?"

Another replied, "I think he did."

Somewhere in the distance, a single cricket chirped.

It wasn't an evil laugh. It wasn't a victorious laugh.

A slow, soft chuckle that sent absolute terror down Ares' spine.

"God of War," she mused, stepping closer, her smile widening just a fraction. "How strange. I thought you were braver than this."

Not when it came to the woman whose wrath even the gods feared.

But, well… he wasn't exactly stupid, either.

So he did the only thing a self-respecting war god could do in this situation.

And ever-so-gently picked up his sword and placed it back into its sheath.

"Right," he said. "Glad we could clear that up."

Then he turned—very, very slowly—to Raphael.

"And you," he said, "what in Olympus did you just try to pull?"

Ares exhaled sharply through his nose. "Fun, huh?"

Medusa rested a hand on Reazel's shoulder, her gaze still locked on Ares. "My son does as he pleases."

Ares took a very careful step backward.

Chapter 7