Euryale was often too proud to skulk about, but having seen her younger sister, she had proceeded to follow from behind at a distance.
She and her other self enjoyed toying with their younger sister, who was closer to humanity than they were.
Dear sweet Medusa. So tall, so bountiful of form. Euryale and her other Self had once been the ideal form girls and women were expected to take after in Greece, but after spending time in Chaldea and meeting various Servants from around the world, it had seemed humans had started coveting more developed forms.
And while their Master was always nice and friendly towards them, her other self often noticed how Master’s gaze lingered on their younger sister.
Which was enough of an excuse for them to tease her incessantly.
Watching her younger sister pause and quickly scurry around, watching corners and jumping at shadows, before quickly ducking into one of the as of yet unused rooms, a faint click catching Euryale’s attention.
Euryale crept close, until she was right near the door, and started to hear some of the voices drifting through the door.
“……..llowed, were you?” she caught a husky female voice asking, hints of Authority woven into the words of the mystery woman, but also seemingly cursed.
Odd. While Medusa had some powerful friends, she tended to avoid those with Authority, since Euryale and her other self had done too good a job of establishing a sense of dread in her.
“Why must we hide from our sisters?” a pure and innocent voice quickly followed. This one held a strong Authority, without the cursed taint.
There was a heavy sense of ‘US!’ that almost compelled Euryale to open the door. Something she only felt when working with her other Half.
“I don’t think so, but who knows what our Dearest Sisters are capable of here.” The familiar quiet voice of Medusa replied, anxiety quite apparent in her tone.
“And young one, because our Dearest Sisters enjoy toying with those who are not Goddesses like them, so I’m trying to keep you both free of their influence until you’ve established yourself here.”
Euryale pressed as close as she dared, straining to hear every detail, in hopes of figuring out who these mysterious women her sister was conspiring with.
While she could summon her other self and they could just barge in and ruin whatever their younger sister had planned, it was more fun for the both of them if they knew everything first.
—————
Watching from the safety of the invisibility shroud that Hades’ Cap of Invisibility granted any one within its circumference, the young King of Heroes and his eternal friend Enkidu watched the young Greek Goddess.
“Why are we watching her creep around, my friend?” The Lancer was used to indulging the older Gilgameshs’, but they often didn’t have a chance to spend time with the younger incarnation, so they quickly taken to the idea of helping the young King out when he had asked.
“Because the girls in the room she’s spying on deserve a chance to find their own place in Chaldea, and this one and her sister aren’t inclined to blow up Chaldea like Ishtar does when you feel the need to keep her in line.” The young Gil stated, amused at the whole situation.
Enkidu smirked. They didn’t have any issue with the Babylonian Archer per se, but as one of the few servants literally designed to humble those like her, they felt a sense of responsibility.
Taking the young King’s words to heart, they readied their name sake.
The young Gil shushed his long-time friend.
“You don’t need to do anything yet. Just watch her and her almost identical sister, and ensure Medusa and her other incarnations are allowed some peace.”
Gil focused his stare on the back of Greek servant’s head.
“Like my elder Archer incarnation, those two need to learn that just because they are divine in nature, doesn’t mean they automatically rule the roost.”
Realizing what the young Gil was asking, Enkidu smiled and relaxed.
Ah, give those two the Gilgamesh treatment. Right.
“In that case, I will happily oblige.”
Suddenly, Enkidu raised a finger.
“However, you must be the one to inform both the other Gilgameshs’, as well as the acting Director of Chaldea and our Master.”
The young Gil sighed.
“If thats your price, I guess I must pay it.”
————————
“You weren’t followed, were you?” Gorgon, the Queen of Magical Beasts, asked her Rider incarnation as she entered the room.
She still wasn’t used to the idea of having to fear for her safety. Due to her inhuman form, she could tower over most Servants, and her Avenger classing made sure most Servants who liked to mess with others, so few beyond the King of Bullies had the power to even try.
But what cruel twist of fate had let her Master summon those two? The only two individuals who had managed to instil a sense of fear into her divine Beast form.
“Why must we hide from our sisters?” The ‘youngest’ incarnation of herself asked, quiet and curious.
Her youngest self was a strange mirror of herself.
Gorgon, she who was formerly Medusa after having finally shed the skin of Humanity.
Medusa Lily, the impossible Black Serpent born of a Grail and Beast’s interference, who was as much a Goddess as she was no longer human. She even had the Authority that was so reminiscent of their Sisters.
“I don’t think so, but who knows what our Dearest Sisters are capable of here.” Medusa replied anxiously, eyes downcast before turning to their younger incarnation.
Medusa, the Rider who existed in the in-between, too human to be a Goddess, too much of a Monster to be human.
“And young one, because our Dearest Sisters enjoy toying with those who are not Goddesses like them, so I’m trying to keep you both free of their influence until you’ve established yourself here.” Medusa informed their younger self with a bittersweet smile.
“I think she’ll be fine. She reeks of their Authority. She is exactly the Sister they wanted.” Gorgon spat, remembering all she had done for her Sisters, and how they had still treated her.
Judging by the sad look on Medusa’s face, she also agreed.
The young Lily tiled her head, thinking.
“But when they came to greet me after my summoning, they treated me like a long lost sister. Did they not for you two?”
Gorgon’s glare quickly faltered into a shocked expression.
Those two devils have already got their hooks into the Young One?
“What….did you…….tell them…..?” Gorgon spat each word, violence dripping from every word as her hair began to hiss, the snake-like mouths and fangs becoming very prominent, as she used her tail to gain height on her younger selves, wings flaring out in an intimidating fashion.
She noticed Medusa’s own hair was twitching, though not to the extreme degree Gorgon’s was.
Lily tilted her head to the other side.
“Nothing? Medusa asked for this meeting after I spent time with our Sisters.”
Gorgon held the pose which had often helped her break the morale of most heroes who had tried to ‘save’ her sisters, before sighing and returning to the relaced yet alert pose she had taken near the bed.
“Good. Keep it that way. Asking you to stay away from them now will just bring attention to Medusa and I.”
Gorgon turned her formidable gaze to her Rider incarnation.
“What do we do now? Is it worth asking for our Master’s help?”
Medusa shook her head, sighing.
“No. Unless it gets to the point where you want to devour all of Chaldea, Master wants us to work out any issues we have like humans would, or failing that, just slug it out in the Training Rooms.”
Training rooms…..Gorgon had heard someone mention those recently.
“Didn’t some Servants want to hold a fighting contest?”
The idea of all that bloodshed almost made her forget about the issue they were currently dealing with.
Almost.
Medusa nodded.
“Quetz-san said any and all are welcome, so long as they are willing to play by the rules, or atleast follow some vague directions. i don’t see our Sisters……getting into…”
Medusa trailed off, lost in thought.
Gorgon stared, intrigued. Medusa was often very concise, and not prone to trailing off mid sentence. She adjusted herself on the bed, laying on her stomach, laying her wings down over herself.
“Lily, you think you can convince our Dearest Sisters to go to Quetz-san’s show, when it starts up?” Medusa lowered herself to look her young Lancer self in the eyes.
What was Medusa thinking? Their sisters were well known manipulators, they weren’t known for getting their hands dirty.
“Sure?” Medusa Lily replied, confused, hands tugging at the hood she wore.
A scheming smile crossed Medusa’s face, which intrigued Gorgon.
“Then please go invite them. I need to talk to Gorgon about something else.” Medusa quickly replaced the scheming smile with one filled with genuine warmth, as the young Lancer was slowly led out of the room.
Once only Medusa remained, Gorgon turned on to her side, clawed hand idly drawing eldritch patterns on the bed covers.
“So?”
A bright scheming smile blossomed across Medusa’s face.
“How do you like the idea of being able to fight with our Sisters, but they will be expected to fight honestly?”
A savage and ferocious ‘smile’ broke forth across Gorgon’s features.
“You have my attention.”