MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

Adam took the pack of cigarettes that was technically worth 300 million dollars with a trembling hand.

'Holy shit.'

He remembered being so happy at having gotten his first 80K dollars from his Gigolo job but now he was once again reminded that this was literally baby numbers when compared to the true fortunes of the world.

"Is it some kind of drug?"

He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a simple cigarette could end up costing so much to make. Though, if the effects she mentioned were real, it certainly seemed worth it.

She tilted her head, genuinely confused by that question, "If by drugs you mean medicine or other similar substances which have a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body… Then yes it is. But, and I believe this is most likely the case, if you are referring to an illicit substance whose sole use is to induce some feeling of well-being at the price of addiction then no, it is not."

She sneered, "I believe the human body and in particular our brain, is one of the most beautiful things in the world. The capacity to think, act and do things for ourselves is such a wonderful ability. As such, by principle, I refuse the act of escapism. Be it through the usage of drugs, alcohol, or even entertainment."

She pointed at the pack in his hands, "This… will not allow you to escape to some imaginary dreamscape full of illusions. In fact, this will be the total opposite of something like that. It sharpens your mind to the utmost and forces you to face your reality. It brings you serenity and has a positive effect on both the body and the soul. Even the people next to you can get some of the positive effects just by being near you when you use these.

"Of course, once again, don't take my word for it. You can ask your mother or even your aunt. But, I believe that these will be able to help you and this is just a taste. If you accept for me to be one of your mentors, I can teach you alchemy and even regularly bring you the most expensive elixir used by the richest hunters' families to nurture their children."

"You honestly sound like a shady drug dealer right now."

Adam looked down in thought. He had just met Piaget today, but he had to admit that he was in awe and filled with admiration for this woman.

For her to create something worth more than 300 hundred million dollars and simply give it as a gift showed how overwhelmingly rich she was.

Wealth, power, influence, and much much more. She was also someone highly ranked in the hunter world.

In short — She was the ultimate Sugar Mama.

"I do not trust you."

"And you should not. Trust is something that is built over the course of a long period of time and many trials spent together."

"I do not understand your reasoning."

"I am someone who wishes to nurture the greatest hero to have ever existed. Better than the centaur Chiron or the Shadow Queen, Scáthach, and even the great Wizard Merlin [1]."

"So this is only for yourself?"

"Of course, it is for me." She looked at him as if he was a deranged lunatic. "Be it my love for humanity or my desire to bring forth the greatest hero, this all stems from my own selfish desires. I have no intentions to hide this fact."

Silence fell once again before Adam decided to make his thoughts known.

"You… I think I know who you are."

Her eyebrows rose at his words and she couldn't help but open her mouth, "And who do you think I might be?"

"The Gorgon, Medusa."

She closed her mouth and looked at him. But this time she was really looking at him.

"I am surprised."

"When we first met you made an analogy. Something about cutting your head in your sleep… That was the first clue to your identity."

In the myths, because the gaze of Medusa turned all who looked at her to stone, Perseus guided himself by her reflection in a shield given to him by Athena and beheaded Medusa as she slept.

"You said you were once an apostle."

Medusa was in the past, a priestess of Athena—

"You hate the gods."

— This part was very blurry and Adam did not know which version was real but no matter how the story started, they all ended in the same way. Athena guides Perseus and helps him kill Medusa. [2]

"Finally, your words about Sigmund Freud made me remember his interpretation of Medusa's myth by him." [3]

This time, Piaget, or rather, Medusa couldn't help but blush slightly, "This punk once saw me while I was bathing. I would have never thought that he would go on and write such things."

"So you do admit."

"I have never tried to hide it. But few humans make the connections themselves."

To this, all Adam could do was give a bitter smile,

"I feel like I have been forced to play a game of [Guess whose mythical or historical figure I am] with all the people I have met till now."

Now, Adam was sure that he would be traumatized and would never believe anyone without looking at their status information.

It was like all the new people he met nowadays had to be special or be related to someone special, at the very least.

"Now that we established that you are Medusa I can guess why you want me to become a hero."

He crossed his legs together and leaned back in his chair, "Is it hatred? A feeling of validation? Or searching to affirm yourself? Either way, you are trying to prove that even a monster in the mythos can become the teacher of a hero."

The winds stirred,

"How far from the truth am I?"

She closed her eyes, "You would do for a very fine psychologist."

"I know."

He smiled with confidence and she simply scribbled on her pad before closing it shut.

"You are right, Adam. At least partially so."

She smiled thinly, "A monster, one known as evil, the ones who need to be slain. Wouldn't it be absolutely incredible if such a monster became the teacher of a hero?"

Adam looked down at the pack of cigarettes before looking back up at Medusa.

"What if I do not become the hero you hoped?"

"Oh. You certainly will. But even if it fails, it will be of no matter. Time is not something I need to worry about, after all."

"I see. Very well. I am willing to have you as my sponsor for now I guess."

She smiled as the two shared a handshake, "You will see Adam. You will soon realize that this was the best decision you could have ever made in your life."

Adam shrugged, "Well, we will see about that in the future."

His brows creased slightly as he thought up on a thing he had forgotten due to the direction their little talk went, "Now, about that exam?"

"You pass."

"That easy?"

"The power of nepotism is great, don't you think so?"

She laughed and stood up from her seat, her height barely reaching half of Adam's,

"I believe new greetings are in order. I was once the fairest maiden of them all. I was once the ugliest monster there was. I rose and became the teacher of many. My name is Medusa and in this generation… I am the 13th Zodiac — Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer."

———

[1]: There are many great teachers in the myths. But I believe those three are the most known worldwide. Chiron taught people like Jason, Hercules, Asclepius, and Achilles. Sad that he taught Jason because Fuck Jason. But whatever.

Scáthach taught Cu Chulainn

Merlin Obviously taught King Arthur.

[2]: This one is very interesting. There are basically four versions I know of. I will summarize them.

1 - Medusa was born Gorgon with her two sisters. No relationship with Athena.

2 - Athena actually changed Medusa in Gorgon to help her and give her the means to defend herself.

3 - Medusa is Athena's priestess and she willingly laid down with Poseidon in Athena's temple

4 - She was Athena's priestess but got raped.

One important thing to note is that Versions 3 and 4 are actually the most 'recent' ones as they were written by Ovid, a Roman poet.

[3]: Honestly too long to describe and very weird. Long story short, Sigmund wrote an interpretation of Medusa's myth. It's called Medusa's Head. An article where he equates Decapitation with Castration. Freud maintained that the terror of Medusa was a reflection of the castration complex aroused in the young boy when the sight of the female genitals brought home the truth that females have no penis.

I honestly don't know what my man was smoking but it must have been weird.

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