Okay, guys. Huge content warning for this chapter: rape. I just wanted to give you a heads up.

Becoming the Gorgon

Thalia was stuck in that cage for two days, during which time she received two bathroom breaks a day and no one was allowed to visit her. She watched Finn, Shamhat, and Dinarzade each fail to talk their way past the on-duty guard. Masrur stopped by and gave her a small nod after intimidating the guard into submission, and she felt his silent encouragement. She'd always assumed he tolerated her presence because he didn't care enough about her to tell her to go away, but now she realized he might genuinely appreciate her company.

On the third day, Kil came to release Thalia from her cage.

"You wreak," the girl complained, waving her hand in front of her nose. "Get out and take a bath. Lady Maader wants to see you when you're finished."

Thalia crawled out of her enclosure, struggling to straighten her stiff legs. The fact that Lady Maader had requested to see her after all this time raised her hairs on end. She remembered what had happened to Fatima, how he had angered their master and had his body sold as a result, but stopped herself. She refused to allow her thoughts to go in that direction. The witch only cared about one thing— profits. In that regard, being caught with Sinbad wasn't as bad as freeing dozens of slaves. She hadn't done anything that would damage her own value, either. The monstrous woman probably wanted to personally issue a whipping because she would get some kind of sick joy out of making Thalia suffer. That was all.

The bathtub was large and warm, and Thalia was surprised to have it all to herself. Most children weren't allowed to use this bath— it was Lady Maader's personal one. This special treatment was strange, but it was nothing Thalia couldn't explain away. She told herself the woman wanted to soften her skin before the whipping so that the lashes dug in deeper. The rich soaps she had been provided with had to serve that purpose too. She didn't allow her imagination to get carried away. None of this was definite evidence that she would end up like Fatima.

After the bath, Thalia was still brushing her damp hair when Kil came for her, carrying a folded swath of sickeningly pink fabric. Sneering, she tossed the bundle in Thalia's lap.

"Put this on."

Thalia lifted the garment up by its shoulders, appalled at its plunging neckline. She turned her attention to Kil, staring at her incredulously. Thalia refused to acknowledge her growing suspicions about the significance of this dress, swallowing the bile rising in her stomach.

It doesn't mean anything. None of this means anything. That witch is just messing with my head.

Thalia knew she wasn't.

"I'm not walking around like that."

"You will. You don't have a choice."

Thalia glanced at the fabric one final time, lowering it back into her lap. "If I refuse?"

"I'll have guards come in here and dress you," Kil snapped.

Thalia stared blankly at the wall in front of her. Perhaps some small part of her had believed if she hadn't put on the dress, she would have been tortured instead. She wasn't sure that was any better, but at least the damage wasn't permanent. Wounds would heal. What was about to be done to her couldn't be undone.

"What are you waiting for?" Kil crossed her arms in front of her chest expectantly.

Thalia had failed over and over and over in her life. She had failed her people, and she had failed herself. Her only success in sixteen years was bringing Sinbad over to her side. Even that much had been asking too much. This result was inevitable, because no matter how much hope Sinbad had given her, Thalia had known deep down that her existence was never meant to be a happy one. Every small joy she claimed for herself was eventually ripped from her. She had fought for nothing.

If Thalia had learned one thing in her years as a slave, it was that when she couldn't fight, it was better to submit. She hadn't lost everything yet. She would still come out of this alive, and that was her goal— not to thrive, but to survive.

She donned the low-cut negligee, which offered no protection from the air's chill, leaving her trembling pathetically before a girl nearly a head shorter than her.

"Let's go." Kil marched purposefully ahead as Thalia followed, shivering with her arms wrapped protectively across her chest. The children she passed were too young to understand what was happening, and they ran up to her, praising her outfit and telling her she looked like a princess.

She had never felt less like one.

They eventually arrived at the west wing, the part of the building with bedrooms for especially important visitors, and more recently…

This was where Fatima had been raped. Thalia fought back a sob.

Pausing outside an open door, Kil motioned for Thalia to step in the room. She obeyed, hanging her head low. If she offended Lady Maader any further, it might not just be Thalia's body that the woman sold.

"Echo, I have good news for you," Lady Maader purred, pulling Thalia against her warm chest. "You're going to serve a patron personally today."

Thalia's body remembered this touch. It had been comforting, motherly. Even now, her limbs grew weak, and she wanted to sob in this woman's arms, opening up about her despair. Perhaps Thalia had been wrong. Perhaps there was enough love in this woman's heart to spare a useless princess from a dreaded fate.

"Please don't do this," Thalia whimpered, burying her face in the woman's bosom. "I was wrong. I know I was."

"Oh, my dear Echo…" Lady Maader stroked Thalia's hair tenderly, easing the girl's trembling. "I thought this whole time you were lost beyond reach, but you are still my child, aren't you?" The woman hugged Thalia against her firmly for a minute before speaking again, this time her voice devoid of its seductive affection. "Serve this man well and make money for your mother. This is your atonement. I'll forgive you if he reports you were satisfactory."

"No." Thalia backed away from Lady Maader, shaking her head. The woman had managed to fool her again. Thalia had known this witch was a monster all these years, and she'd still given in during a moment of weakness. She set her jaw. "I won't. I'd rather die."

"Echo," Lady Maader's eyes gleamed dangerously in the dim lamplight. "You seemed to be quite eager to pursue these kinds of activities the other night. This is simply insurance that I'll get my money's worth out of you before you do something destructive."

Lady Maader left the room and ushered someone in: Marcus. Thalia's heart leapt with joy. Marcus had promised he wouldn't buy her without her permission. Lady Maader must have lied to him and told him Thalia had approached her about a sale. If she just explained the situation he would understand.

"Marcus," she cried, running up to him and clutching at his shirt. "I'm so glad it's you!"

His hands slid up her back, gliding over the satin fabric of her dress before tugging her closer. He smelled musky and woody, the complex scent of expensive perfumes hitting her nose. Thalia stiffened in his arms as he began to silently undo the button holding her dress closed in the back.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," he whispered in her ear, sliding one shoulder of her dress down her arm.

Thalia panicked. She had to stop him. He was misunderstanding.

"Marcus, someone lied to you. I haven't agreed to this." She pushed at his chest, forcing him to give her space. "Go back and tell Lady Maader to give you a refund."

"Echo…" He stared down at her, his sea-blue eyes cold and unfamiliar. "You really think you still have a choice?"

Of course she had a choice. It was her body. He had promised—

"I told you didn't I? If I see someone else threatening my property, I won't hesitate to claim what's mine." His sweaty thumb stroked her bare shoulder with a tenderness that contrasted unsettlingly with his words.

"No one is threatening your property," she assured him, pushing firmly on his chest. "I don't even belong to you. Lady Maader is my master."

"Not anymore," He gave a sickening smile, uncovering her other shoulder. "She clearly can't handle so many slaves. I've decided to take you off her hands."

Thalia had to stop shoving him in order to hold the front of her dress up, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

"She's handling me fine," Thalia lied. She was reluctant to defend the woman, but she was also terrified of being sold. Terror won out over reluctance.

"Clearly not." Marcus firmly grasped her arms, prying them away from her chest and down to her sides. "She's let a wolf among her flock, and he's gone after the most vulnerable sheep."

"Wolf?" She shoved him again as he began to tear at her dress. "You're the one acting like a predator. I told you to stop."

"I told you to stay away from that guy," Marcus growled.

Suddenly, Thalia understood. He'd found out about her and Sinbad being caught together in the middle of the night. He was jealous. If that was the case, she just needed to set his mind at ease. It didn't matter that he had no right to treat her like this. All that mattered was convincing him to stop.

"Nothing happened, Marcus. We were just talking when we heard someone coming and panicked."

"I believe you," he whispered, dragging her back into an embrace. "My sweet, obedient Echo wouldn't let another man touch her."

"Let's stop this then," she pleaded, resisting the urge to squirm away from him. "Let's just sit on the bed and talk like—"

"I'm sick of talking." He grabbed her chin and roughly brought his lips to hers, sending her into a state of shock. Her entire body locked up. This wasn't right. Marcus protected her from the men that would do something like this. He wasn't one of them. For two years, he had been her friend. For two years, he had let her cry on his shoulder. She had been alone with him countless times. He'd given her flowers. He wasn't a monster. She knew he wasn't.

She tried to speak, but his mouth was still smashed angrily against hers. His hands tore at her dress, successfully fending off her feeble attempts to fight him. Soon, she was naked and vulnerable, her limbs refusing to cooperate. Finally, he shoved her on the bed, his hands hot and moist.

"This isn't you," she pleaded. "You don't have to do this."

He was acting like a monster, but there was a genuinely good guy in there. Where had he gone?

He pushed back his hair, letting out a low breath. "You're right. It's not me. It's you. You did this to yourself."

He began to take off his own clothing. If Thalia had a chance to escape, this would have been it, but she wasn't thinking straight. It didn't even occur to her to run. She'd already been overpowered by him, and she'd done the only thing her body knew to do when faced with a larger adversary— she had submitted.

First he removed his shirt, revealing a bare chest with a sickly sheen. She usually thought of his skin as being golden, but right now it was sallow. As he began to take off his pants, she looked away, not wanting to see what was underneath. Its presence was still inescapable. It emitted a stench that exploded into the air— more pungent and more nauseating than mere sweat. The smell invaded her nostrils, making her stomach churn, and Thalia prayed she would puke. Maybe he would be too disgusted to continue if she did.

She felt the bed shift underneath her as he climbed next to her, grabbing her legs roughly and shifting them onto the mattress.

"Echo…" Marcus murmured, propping himself up next to her. Thalia's body was frozen, and she could only move her eyes enough to look at his face. He smiled down at her condescendingly. "Do you know why I like you?"

Thalia swallowed, her tongue getting caught in her throat. She couldn't answer him. She couldn't even shake her head. Nothing would move.

"You're so easy to manipulate," he confided in her. "I give millions to charity each year, but all of that is for appearances. What I really like is control, and you are the perfect victim. No one loves you. No one wants you. You're all alone, and you'll put up with anything for a little kindness."

Thalia trembled in fear as he stroked her cheek. What had appeared as affection before now seemed more like contempt. He was just like Lady Maader, only instead of torture, he used insults. He built her up just to tear her back down, leaving her too off-balance to stand up to him. He really was a monster.

"I know you'll be angry at me for this, but you're going to forgive me. All I need to do is dangle our friendship in front of you, and you're come crawling back like you always do. I love that about you, Echo."

He was wrong. She would never forgive him. If she had to spend the rest of her life alone, she would never so much as look in his direction again.

As he climbed on top of her, she found the strength to make one last attempt to stop him.

"Get off me," she demanded, shoving against his chest with all her might. He was too heavy. It was useless. "I said get off!"

Ignoring her, he forced himself between her legs, a strange grimace crossing his face as he entered. Thalia's limbs became too heavy to move again, and she could do nothing but stare into the flame of the lamp on the bedside table.

Her thoughts took her back to Attica, where if news of this got out, she would be scorned. She would have to find a way to suppress news of what had happened in this room. No one could know. Her prospects couldn't be ruined if no one ever found out she wasn't a virgin. Maybe she could even come up with a way to fake her virginity on her wedding night. The country needed stability, and a ruined princess was anything but stable. This would not be the end of her. This would not be the end of her country.

When it was over, Marcus sat on the edge of the bed, pensive. Thalia sat up, crossing her arms over her chest as his semen seeped out of her a little at a time. It dawned that she might get pregnant from this encounter, and she stifled a sob. She didn't want to carry this monster's child. She didn't even want to look at him, but she did. She looked into his eyes, blue like the seas, and saw no regret in them.

"I had to do this, otherwise, you would never understand your place," he whispered. "I'm going to buy you. I'll treat you like a queen, and as long as you stay my sweet, obedient Echo, I'll never have to do this to you again."

Thalia wanted nothing more than for this man to leave. He was a stranger to her now.

"Just go."

Marcus stood up and put his clothes back on. Once he left the room, Thalia began detachedly inspecting her body for marks. Fatima had been covered with bruises. The world could see that he'd been abused after what happened to him, but Marcus hadn't left a single mark. Looking at her, who would be able to tell how he'd damaged her?

Next, she checked the sheets for the red spot that she'd always been told accompanied the loss of virginity. The sheets were pure white, like untouched snow. There was no evidence at all of the crime that had just occurred, and somehow, that stung more than anything else. Would anyone believe her if she told them that Marcus Alexius, Reim's beloved philanthropist, had done this to her? Of course not.

On the bright side, the lack of proof would make covering up what had happened on this day simple. The world would look at her and never see the difference…

… but she was irrevocably changed.

She'd known this moment would come. She'd been desperately trying to avoid it for years. Now, here she was, on the other side. What had all that fighting been for? What had she been dreading? The world hadn't ended. She wasn't broken. All she felt was numb.

Thalia put on that disgusting dress and shuffled out of the dreadful room in the direction of her dormitory, ignoring the pleas of the smaller children wanting her to play with them. She couldn't. She just needed to lie down for a while. Then she would feel whole again. Then she would feel normal.

Once back in her room, she shed the sickly pink dress and put on something familiar, crawling into bed and burying herself under the safety of her sheets. She lay down for maybe an hour before two of her roommates poked their heads in.

"Echo…" Shamhat's voice was heartbroken, but her pity just made Thalia angry. Thalia had been the one victimized, not her. She had no right to be sad on Thalia's behalf. "We heard what happened."

"Who did it?" Finn demanded. "I'll fucking chop his—"

Thalia forced herself to sit up and faked a smile. "I think you're confused. Nothing happened. I explained that I didn't want to do anything, and he and I just talked for a while. That's all."

"So no one touched you?" Shamhat asked.

"No one… touched me." Thalia's voice wavered as she spoke. She was still shaken, ready to burst into tears at any moment.

"You're lying in bed for fun?" Finn frowned, picking up the ripped garment Thalia had left on the floor. "This dress tore itself?"

Thalia could have explained away why she was lying in bed, but the matter of the dress was more complicated, and she wasn't in the state to try to sweep it under the rug.

The color drained from Shamhat's face as stared at the tattered gown. "Oh my god…"

Finn sat on the end of Thalia's bed, her jaw set. "I'm gonna fucking say it. That woman is a monster."

"Who?" Shamhat settled down next to her.

"You know fucking who. Maader Umm Mariadel. I-" Finn faltered, her voice cracking. "I've defended her for so long, but I can't anymore. Echo didn't deserve this. Not even Fatima did."

Thalia should have been happy. Finn was finally acknowledging what a terrible woman Lady Maader was. Thalia had gained an ally. This was a victory.

Her heart continued to buzz with static numbness.

Shamhat stared at her hands in her lap. "I've been thinking the same thing, but I didn't want to say anything because I was scared…"

"Echo!" Dinarzade stumbled against the doorway, flushed and dripping with sweat. Panting, she held up a small jug.

"I just… got back from… the herbalist." She stumbled toward Thalia, prying the lid off. "Drink this… it's a contraceptive…"

Thalia accepted the bottle, carefully avoiding brushing hands with Dinarzade. She stared at it for a moment. Medicine was expensive. Dinarzade shouldn't have been able to afford this. She was a slave. She didn't have any income.

"Where did you get the money for this?"

"Don't worry about it. Just drink it."

Thalia nodded and brought the liquid to her lips, relief flooding her. She wasn't going to have to raise Marcus's child.

The first time she walked into the cafeteria, she could feel the eyes of the older children on her. They all knew her body had been sold. Some praised her for serving Lady Maader so faithfully. Thalia lied and explained to each of them that all that had happened in the room was talking. Others avoided making eye contact. She represented the looming reality that they could be the next victims of their master's greed.

When she sat down at the table with Sinbad, she was relieved to see he appeared relatively unharmed. She could tell by the way he winced when he moved that they had done something to him, but she didn't dare ask about it in front of his roommates. Their conversations that night died quickly. Thalia's mind was too far off to give more than one word responses to anything he said.

On her way back to her dorm, he called after her.

"Thalia!"

She paused, slowly turning around to face him. He stared her her, his shoulders slumped and guilt written over his face.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you."

Thalia forced a smile. Finn, Shamhat and Dinarzade had figured out what had happened on their own, but the fewer people who knew the truth, the easier it would be to cover this up. "Nothing happened in that room. I'm fine."

He let out a relieved sigh and pulled her into his friendly, familiar embrace.

Thalia knew Sinbad would never, ever do anything like that to her. He'd more than proven himself trustworthy. So why was it that this time, when his arms wrapped around her, instead of feeling safe, she felt like she was underneath that horrid man once again?

Details Thalia hadn't even realized she'd noticed began to flood her senses— the sensation of Marcus's skin sticking to hers, the nauseating feeling of his weight pressing down on her… all those memories tumbled around in her mind, flooding her with rage, terror, helplessness, and shame.

"Don't touch me!" she cried, violently shoving Sinbad away and curling into a ball. She was fully aware she had just given the truth away. She was also fully aware that she'd just made him feel like a monster. She couldn't do anything about either of those things. She was too busy struggling to breathe, to control the angry sobs that forced their way out of her throat.

That was the first time what had happened actually hit her.

A/N: Okay, so... I didn't want to give Marcus a villain speech or anything (I mean, who tells their victim they're manipulating them?), but I was afraid if I didn't spell out that he had been deliberately and consciously manipulating Thalia, he would come off as being just being crazy or obsessed. My writing skills are not quite up to par to give his character the complexity I wanted to convey.

Also, currently Shamhat and Finn fall off the face of the earth. They did not stay when they got their freedom. They go their separate ways and I'll address that when I get a chance to edit the next chapter. Thanks if you went back and read this, and if this is your first time reading my fic, hello! It's nice to meet you! Be glad you didn't have to suffer through what was originally 6 chapters worth of events packed into 1!