Mika: Hello! Welcome back for another chapter!

Aeria: You seem a little tired.

Mika: You can thank stress and essay overload for that! Now before I continue forward, I need to give a warning about this chapter: There will be a brief discussion about rape and mentions of the bystander effect. While there are no graphic descriptions of the assault, I wanted to inform everyone just to be safe. This is a subject matter that I take very seriously, not just because it ties into the one of the original tales of Greek mythology, but also because I believe it should be handled carefully. I will put another warning at the end of this intro as well.

Pit: Don't you have some shout outs as well?

Mika: Oh yeah! Shout outs go to KingGryphon, SmashBrosFan96 Jr, and all of my wonderful readers! With that being said…Pit, could you say the disclaimer?

Pit: Ok! Mika does not own any of the KI characters, except for Aeria.

(Warning: This chapter contains a brief discussion about rape. If you are uncomfortable with this subject, you can either skip to the end of this chapter or avoid reading this chapter completely.)

Chapter 7: Dark Secrets

From that point on, Pit grew even more curious about Medusa's past. He continued to help the Underworld creatures whenever he could, hoping that his actions would help the Goddess open up a bit. Everything changed, though, on one particular evening. Aeria was summoned to Medusa's throne room. Pit had just finished for the time being, so he went to the lower balcony to relax. He heard Medusa speaking to Aeria on the balcony above him. Unlike the past few occasions, though, Pit could hear Medusa speaking clearly. "Aeria, there's something I wish to tell you." The hybrid spoke in reassurance, "I will always be here, Mistress." Pit couldn't explain why, but he had the feeling that Medusa was aware of his presence.

The Goddess of Darkness finally spoke, "Many years ago, I ruled Skyworld alongside my sister. We had just earned our titles as Goddesses. Our interests were completely different as well. Despite our conflicts, though, we still cared for each other as sisters." Aeria was quiet, likely to allow Medusa to continue when she felt comfortable. "Everything had changed one night. I was not nearly as fascinated with the humans as my sister, but I was curious enough to watch over them in disguise. That was when…he found me." Pit could sense the atmosphere becoming more tense. What happened?

"I didn't know my uncle Poseidon very well, but I was aware that he would always get what he wanted…" Medusa's voice was trembling. Aeria sounded worried, "Mistress?" The Goddess of Darkness continued, "That vile God…he hurt me. He held me down and I tried to fight him, but he was too strong. I was…I was crying for help… There were humans around us and I begged them to help…but they simply stood by." Pit felt numb with shock and horror. He heard quiet sobs above him. "They let him hurt me… They let him…rape me…" For several moments, all Pit could hear was Medusa's crying, he assumed Aeria was giving her comfort.

Medusa spoke again, "After that night…I hid in my Temple. I couldn't bear telling my sister." Aeria questioned gently, "Why?" Medusa let out a quiet sigh, "In the days following, I had discovered…that I was pregnant." Pit felt his heart racing. "I couldn't hide the child from my sister once he was born. I tried to tell her what happened, but she refused to listen. When she attempted to take the child from me, I attacked the humans. In the end, Palutena won by placing a curse on me and banishing me to the Underworld. As for my child…Palutena took him too." Aeria asked her Goddess, "Shouldn't you tell him?" Pit couldn't hold back a gasp when Medusa replied. "He already knows."

Pit hurried out of the Temple, desperate to escape from what he heard. Pandora tried to stop him. "Pit? Where are you going?!" Her words fell on deaf ears as the angel kept running. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. Pit stopped once he was out of breath. The angel called out, "Viridi! I need your help!" After a few moments, the Goddess of Nature answered him. "What's wrong, Pit?" The angel ignored her question. "I need you to pull me out of here! Please!" Viridi hesitated, but obliged.

Inside Medusa's Temple, Aeria watched as Pit left the Underworld. "Mistress Medusa…?" The Goddess of Darkness stared at the fleeing angel. "I'm sorry…"

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