Jason released the bowstring and the arrow shot forward with a sharp whistle, slipping through the ship's narrow wooden corridors, flying past masts, ropes, and barrels. The instant it struck Medusa's body, the tip detonated in a dry, contained explosion, briefly illuminating the dimness with a burning flash.
The shockwave forced the gorgon to step back a couple of paces, her heels scraping against the deck as smoke swirled around her. However, when the smoke cleared, the only thing left in sight was her upright figure, unharmed… and far angrier than before, with the snakes of her hair writhing in a symphony of threatening hisses.
"You damned insect!" she spat, her voice laden with venom and contained fury.
Without wasting a second, Medusa lunged forward with brutal speed, her movements so fast they barely seemed human. Jason, seeing her coming, pivoted on his heels and ran toward the hold, where he had prepared his trap, feeling the pressure of the chase snapping at his heels.
As he fled, the argonaut did not stop fighting. He twisted his torso just enough to draw the bow, fire, and refocus on his run, releasing a couple more explosive arrows that burst behind him in calculated bursts. He wasn't trying to damage her directly, not yet; each shot was another piece on the board, an invisible guide pushing the gorgon exactly where he wanted her.
Medusa, for her part, defended herself with instinctive ferocity. Her scales deflected part of the explosions, while the snakes of her hair intervened, writhing and hissing to absorb the impact. Even so, she advanced without stopping, closing the distance with relentless determination, like a predator already savoring the blood of its prey.
Finally, they burst into a wider chamber of the ship, where the air seemed to open slightly amid so much wood and chaos. When Medusa was close enough, her snakes rose in unison and expelled a cloud of poisonous gas that spread like a tide of mist.
Jason reacted instantly. Without hesitation, he fired an arrow at one of the side walls and, upon impact, the explosion tore open a massive hole in the wood. The sea air rushed in forcefully, dragging the gas outward before it could fully envelop him, leaving behind the salty scent of the ocean mixed with the dissipating toxic trace.
The chase did not stop until both reached the hold. Jason crossed the threshold first and, with only a few seconds of advantage, moved to the far end of the room. With a firm gesture, he dismissed his bow, and in its place summoned a pair of golden bolas that began to spin around his left arm, tracing faster and faster circles, ready to ensnare.
The sound of Medusa's steps echoed through the wood before her figure emerged at the entrance. The gorgon did not hesitate and lunged straight at him. But the moment she crossed the exact point, Jason released the bolas, which shot forward with precision and wrapped around her body, immobilizing her directly beneath the net loaded with flasks hanging above.
The gorgon roared and began to struggle, her muscles straining with monstrous strength. However, Jason was already one step ahead. In a fluid motion, he summoned a knife and hurled it at the net's fastening point, and the rope gave way instantly.
By the time Medusa managed to free herself from the bolas, she barely had time to look up. More than a dozen glass flasks fell onto her and shattered on impact, releasing a rain of brews that dissolved into dense, glowing vapors.
The reaction was immediate. Medusa began to cough, her breathing turning erratic as the effects of the substances overtook her. Her movements grew clumsy, her gaze lost clarity, and the snakes of her hair, once frantic, fell silent, slipping inertly until they hung asleep around her face. Little by little, the hold filled with a thick, numbing vapor, like an artificial fog wrapping everything in a heavy lethargy.
And even so… she did not fall.
Medusa remained standing, swaying but firm, resisting an amount of sedative that would have brought down an entire herd of elephants.
In the divine theater, Calliope was commenting on the battle between them with her usual enthusiasm. She made a theatrical gesture when she saw that Medusa had fallen into Jason's trap.
"The gorgon has fallen completely into the argonaut's deception!" exclaimed the muse to the audience. "Stripped of her snakes and her deadly gaze, Medusa is completely disarmed!"
Back in the fight, Jason watched her, caught between surprise and tension, adjusting his breathing as he assessed the situation.
"That was enough to put an entire herd of elephants to sleep…" he murmured, more to himself than to her.
Without wasting more time, he made a gesture with his left hand, the fleece on his arm responding as a golden spear emerged once more, shining and solid as if forged by the gods. He held it with both hands, adopting a firm stance, prepared for the outcome.
His eyes did not leave the gorgon.
"You really are a monster…" he stated, with a mix of respect and determination.
Even though Medusa was still standing, the trap had fulfilled its purpose: to weaken the gorgon and neutralize the snakes. Now, without the deadly venom and with her petrifying gaze rendered ineffective, Medusa was in her most vulnerable state since the battle began. With no intention of wasting this opportunity, Jason prepared to attack.