Sea of Monsters Chapter 12:

Grief and Atonement

Gray clouds covered the sky, causing unrest to surround a certain stretch of land in the distance. It was here the Golden Hind appeared via Medea's teleportation spell. The air on the ship became heavy, and the clouds merely set the appropriate mood for them. Their grief and disbelief was written all over their faces. The loss of Asterios and Perseus weighed heavily over them. Drake took a deep breath as she stared at the Chaldeans, she knew exactly what to tell them.

"We'll hold a funeral for Asterios later today." Drake said.

"That would probably be for the best…" Ushiwakamaru replied.

An uneasy feeling ran through Tatsuko's body. Someone was very quiet. Ritsuka would normally say something by now. The female Master turned to look at her partner, only to note the blank look on his and Euryale's faces. Soon after everyone saw the same thing.

"Guys, I know both of you are hurting right now." Okita said.

"Asterios….he…..he's…." Euryale muttered.

"He's gone." Stheno said.

"But he didn't have to die…." Ritsuka said.

Medea gently put a hand on his shoulder and stared at him calmly. "It wasn't your fault."

"But I could have…"

"But nothing." Medea said sternly. "We don't have the time for your grief right now. You need to clear your head."

"How can you even say that?!" Alexander shouted.

"That really is cold of you." Anne replied.

"Everyone, let's all calm down now." Mary chimed. "Anne and I just joined you guys, and we can tell you're all going through a tough time, but yelling isn't going to make anyone feel better."

"Oh, be quiet!" Medea shouted. "Don't act like you know what we're going through!"

"Enough!" Medusa shouted. "We can't be arguing right now!"

"Medusa's right…" Tatsuko said. "If we just argue, then we'll be just shouting in circles…."

Medea looked at everyone, and noted they were all looking at the situation they were in. The Caster was the first to nod. It was then they heard the sound of thunder off in the distance. Drake turned and clicked her tongue. As if they didn't have enough problems, a storm was now brewing, and it was coming towards them quickly.

"Everyone, get into position!" Drake shouted. "Storm's coming!"

"What about your crew?" Mashu asked. "Should we not bring them up?"

"They won't be needed here." Drake replied. "Now you should try to brace yourselves."

Everyone looked at her in confusion, only for Euryale to stare at her in realization. "You can't be serious!"

"We have no real choice!" Drake said. "The only way out of this storm is to go through it!"

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief. This probably wasn't going to end well…..

"Get ready!" Drake shouted. The Chaldeans and the others immediately sprang into action by wrapping their waists with rope to keep them from falling overboard. They then proceeded to hold on to whatever was heavy enough to make sure they could not roll around. Now all they could do now was wait for the storm to hit as they sailed through it. Mashu looked at Ritsuka, and saw him still staring blankly in the distance. The Shielder immediately took his hand, and held it in her own, immediately calming him down. Medea glanced at this, and took note of his demeanor. If this was all it took, then he can probably start the process of grieving at the right time.

A flash of lightning caught Medea's attention. Everyone looked around and saw the next bolt flash closer to the ship. Soon they could feel the waves getting choppier and choppier, with the ship rolling a bit to the movements. This went on for almost an hour, with everyone now getting a hang of the roughness of the sea yet they did not loosen their grips on their posts.

That was when the faint blue glowing started.

Everyone looked at where the glowing was located, and noted it was close by. Soon, everyone could only hear different things in their ears, for most, a shrill shriek rang and blared in their ears, but for two people in particular, they could only hear voices that whispered.

"Murderer….."

Medea's eyes widened in shock. That voice….there was no way it could be him….

"Monster….."

A chill ran down the Caster's spine. Another voice…it was another she recognized…..

"No…." Medea muttered. Not a moment later, several ghosts appeared, startling almost everyone, and causing Drake and Tatsuko to shriek in terror. The female Master leapt into Drake's arms, forcing Anne to untie herself and ran to the wheel to steer the ship. Everyone else aside from Medea and the two shrieking women drew their weapons for a fight, only to not move when they saw the ghosts swirling around Medea, as if they were taunting her.

Ritsuka could only stare at the ghosts with a horrified expression. It was only now as he heard their whispers that the black haired boy realized where they were.

"Traitor….."

"Kin-slayer…"

"Stop!" Medea shouted. "Leave me be!"

"Witch….!"

Medea growled at that. She continued to take their insults in silence, confusing everyone. Ritsuka because of what was being said, and the others because they could only hear the shrieks, and wondering why they surrounded the Caster and she shouted at them.

"Why….? Why did you do it?"

"Oh be done with your taunts and insults!" Medea shouted. The spirits did not listen to her demands, and only started to get louder.

"Murderer!"

Medea held strong from that one. However she couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen to her. Something dreadful….

"Monster!"

"Traitor!"

Medea started to tremble. Ritsuka saw this, and noted how her demeanor was starting to change. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what was happening, Medea's starting to become vulnerable. He then turned to the others in disbelief. "Why are you all just standing there watching?! They're insulting her!"

"What are you talking about?" Alexander asked. "They're just shrieking at her!"

Ritsuka stared at him in surprise. "Are you joking?!"

"I cannot hear them either, Senpai." Mashu said.

"Kinslayer!"

"Witch!"

"Why?! Why did you do it?!"

Medea let out a whimper as she started to shiver. As the cries of hatred and anger towards her became too much to bear, the Caster covered her ears and fell to her knees.

"Just stop…" She begged.

"Get away from her!"

Everyone turned in shock from that shout. They all saw Ritsuka glaring angrily at the ghosts, gritting his teeth as he untied himself from the rope and limped towards the ghosts and Medea, his very steps were slow, but they had power within them.

"You dare…?" One of the spirits asked.

Ritsuka ignored the ghost's question as he ignored the pain his ankle was in, and limped closer towards them. The male Master soon stopped right in front of the ghosts, standing as still as a statue as he stared at them. "Leave her alone."

"Do you know what she has done?" One of the ghosts asked. "Do you know of her crimes?"

"Oh I know alright." Ritsuka said. "But it doesn't matter. She's been through so much already."

"Why? Why defend this traitor?" A third ghost asked.

"Because she's a comrade." Ritsuka said. "Isn't that enough?"

"Fool! She will betray you, just like she did us!"

"My my, aren't we a very scary ghost." Stheno said. The Assassin walked to Ritsuka's side, followed by Euryale, both Servants stared at the ghosts with impatience.

"I have no idea what you all are saying to these two." Euryale said. "But I am in a very bad mood right now, and I don't want anything else to set me off."

"Now go on. Shoo." Stheno ordered. "If you do not, there will be dire consequences."

"You heard the Goddess Stheno, so please leave." Ritsuka said. "Otherwise I cannot guarantee you will be here much longer."

The ghosts stayed in place for a few moments, as if sizing them up. However, it would seem that the spirits decided to cut their losses, and started to disappear one by one. However, one ghost turned to look at Medea as it disappeared.

"This is not over….Not until you atone for your sin!"

And with that, the final ghost disappeared. It was then that everyone turned to Ritsuka with confusion written on their faces.

"What was that?" Okita asked.

"It would seem that the ghosts had a pretty interesting connection to a certain someone." Stheno said.

"Sister, I believe Okita was referring to why Ritsuka and Medea seemed to be hearing voices when all we heard were shrieks." Medusa replied.

Ritsuka ignored the remarks and turned to Medea. The black haired boy then offered his hand to the Caster as he stared at her gently. "It's over, they're gone now."

Medea looked at him with widened eyes, still shaking and shivering like a frightened child. She slowly took his hand, and he helped her up, and as that happened, the rain stopped and a light shimmered upon them. They all looked up and saw the clouds finally starting to part, and the sun shining again.

"Okay the storm is finally gone." Anne announced. "And you two can stop holding each other."

The two women did just that, and Drake cleared her throat. "Sorry, I'm just not a fan of ghosts."

"In any event, I suggest we all trade places with the human crew for right now and spend some time below deck." Medusa said. "That way we can…process everything…."

"Mary and I will stay up here." Anne said. "You guys just take as much time as you need."

The Chaldeans and the twins nodded slowly and made their way to the hatch. As soon as it opened, the crew of the Golden Hind came up with confused and bewildered stares as their allies made their descent below decks.

"Cap'n what in the hell happened?" Bombe asked. "And where are we now?"

Drake looked at her crew sadly. They didn't know what happened, and she knew they wouldn't like what she had to say, but she knew they deserved to know.

"You guys aren't going to like what I have to say…."

An hour passed since the Chaldeans and the Goddesses went below deck to process everything they had witnessed today. It was here that Euryale sat alone, staring at the wall blankly. The Archer sighed in grief. The only thing on her mind was Asterios, smiling at her and all the times they spoke. Her body shook as she continued to think about him, and it was all she could do not to break down and sob.

"Is now a good time?"

Euryale turned to see Stheno, Medusa and Mashu standing before her. The Archer nodded and scooted over. "I could probably use the company…"

The three women took that as their sign to sit down next to her.

"Asterios was a great person." Medusa said. "His death…..it weighs heavy on all of us…"

"I know. I could see the look on Ritsuka's face, and it definitely hit him just as hard." Euryale said. "How's his ankle by the way? He was walking on it when he wasn't supposed to put any weight on it due to the sprain."

"It has been bandaged up now." Mashu said. "He is also lying down now at the request of Doctor Roman."

"Well, at least he's getting some rest." Euryale said.

"Umm, Ms. Euryale, is it okay if I ask you how you and Ms. Stheno met Asterios exactly?" Mashu asked.

"We simply entered the center of the labyrinth." Euryale answered. "We were catching our breath when he finally caught up to us. We were prepared for anything, but what we weren't expecting was for him to just drop his weapons and stare at us."

"What happened after that?" Medusa asked.

"I was the one to walk up to him first." Euryale answered. "When I did so, I called him by his name, and he looked surprised."

"It is because he was not used to anyone using his name, right?" Mashu asked.

"Yes, that is why." Euryale answered.

"And after that, Asterios formed a huge crush on Euryale." Stheno said teasingly.

"At least I found someone!" Euryale replied.

Stheno raised an eyebrow in amusement. Euryale saw this, and widened her eyes in realization. "You tricked me!"

"I did no such thing." Stheno said. "You were the one who was telling us how you felt."

"Ummm, please stop fighting." Mashu replied. "Asterios would not want you to argue."

The twins looked at the Shielder for a moment before laughing. Mashu looked at them in confusion and tilted her head. "Why are you laughing?"

"We weren't fighting, Mashu." Stheno answered. "We were just teasing each other."

"Really? But to me it sounded like you were fighting…."

"This is something we do whenever one of us is sad." Euryale said.

"Whenever they did that, they would make me watch." Medusa replied.

"And your height made it easier for us to notice you." Stheno said.

Medusa grinned. "Maybe you should keep that in mind if you ever want something off the top shelf ever again."

Euryale and Stheno looked at Medusa in shock for a moment before grinning back at her in amusement.

"My my, you've gotten bold, little sister." Euryale said.

"To think you'd be talking back to us like this." Stheno continued. "Where did this courage come from, I wonder?"

"Let's just say I got a boost in confidence a while back." Medusa said mischievously.

"Well, it's actually nice to see you keeping up with us for a change." Euryale said.

"And since I'm a Rider, it's going to be hard for you two to catch up to me." Medusa said mischievously.

Stheno laughed. "You're still too young to be this cocky, dear little sister."

"Well she's not so little anymore." Euryale replied.

"Then does that make her the big sister and you two the little sisters?" Mashu asked curiously.

The Gorgon sisters immediately laughed at the response, causing Mashu to tilt her head in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No you didn't, Mashu." Medusa answered. "You made a very good retort."

Mashu thought for a moment before realizing that Medusa was right. However, the fact that they laughed still confused her. "But how was it funny?"

"It was because of how well timed it was." Medusa answered.

"I….do not fully understand." Mashu replied. "And how is this supposed to make Euryale feel better?"

"Euryale is the sort of person who needs something like this to distract herself from her grief." Stheno "It's out of love that we do this."

"I…can you please elaborate?"

"That's a bit difficult." Medusa answered. "It's something that you have to feel for yourself."

"I…still do not understand fully, but I hope to try." Mashu said.

"Then how about we change the subject." Euryale said. "How is Ritsuka feeling?"

"Senpai is….not doing well…" Mashu replied. "I wanted to talk to him, but he said he wanted to be alone…."

"Now that is strange." Stheno said. "I can tell he is definitely not someone who would grieve alone."

"How do you know?" Mashu asked.

"It's sort of something that you can instinctively know." Stheno answered.

"Then maybe I should go to check up on Senpai." Mashu said. Before anyone could say anything, the Shielder got up and left to find the male Master.

"Is he really alone?" Stheno asked.

"No, he isn't." Medusa answered.

"Then who is he with?" Euryale asked.

Medusa took a deep breath and looked to her sisters calmly. "Someone who shouldn't be alone right now."

Around the same time Medusa, Stheno and Mashu were speaking to Euryale to cheer her up, Medea sat alone in a corner of the ship. The Caster hugged her knees to her chest, shaking and trembling as she thought of today's events. The death of Asterios made her weep internally, but she had to put on a brave face to not show weakness in front of the others. However, she could no longer keep that facade up when those ghosts showed themselves before her. She couldn't help but mull over everything that was said about her now, nor could she brush it off.

"Maybe she was right." Medea muttered. "I'll always be alone….."

"Ummm, I know that I'm the last person you'd want to talk to, but is it okay if I sit next to you?"

Medea turned to see Ritsuka putting weight on his good foot while tiptoeing on his bad ankle. The Caster turned to face him in annoyance. "I thought we told you that you shouldn't be moving around so much."

Ritsuka flinched. "S-sorry…."

Medea sighed. He doesn't really mean any harm, so maybe she should just let him do as he pleases. "Come, sit next to me."

Ritsuka nodded as he slowly limped over to sit next to Medea. The male Master slowly tried to do so, but he was having difficulty trying not to put any pressure on his sprained ankle. He was, however, able to sit down after a few attempts, and propped his injured leg with a small pillow next to him.

"Why are you here?" Medea asked.

"We just lost Asterios. And those ghosts said some nasty things to you." Ritsuka said. "You've been hurting all day, and my gut was screaming that you shouldn't be alone."

"I have a hard time believing that." Medea replied. "Why are you really here?"

"It's the honest truth." Ritsuka said. "I just want to be with you right now."

Medea looked closely at the male Master's eyes, and was shocked. He was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry." Medea said. "Everything that has happened today made me a mess of sorts."

"That's quite the understatement." Ritsuka replied. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now…."

Medea scoffed. "I suppose that you think that maybe I should talk about all this because it would be good for my conscience or something."

Ritsuka shrugged. "You know, now that you mention it, maybe that won't be so bad."

Medea took a deep breath. This was merely a waste of time, but if it meant he could leave sooner, then she might as well play along. "Do you still blame yourself for Asterios dying?"

"No." Ritsuka said. "However, I still feel like something ripped my heart out and stomped on it….."

"I feel the same way." Medea replied.

"How…are you handling it?" Ritsuka asked.

Medea trembled. "I….cannot find the words for how much pain I feel over his death."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Ritsuka said.

"Your condolences aren't necessary. But….I do appreciate it." Medea said. "Now, I know that you prefer to try and keep mention of your childhood down to a minimum, but how…how did you cope with stuff like this?"

"I've never really had something like this happen to me, so I can't really say." Ritsuka said.

Medea chuckled. "Okay, maybe not exactly. But in all seriousness, how did you cope when things happened?"

Ritsuka went silent. The Caster raised an eyebrow at this, only to see Ritsuka shift uncomfortably.

"I never really coped. I always just…..buried my grief down….."

Medea stared at the male Master in shock. She could see Ritsuka starting to shake a bit. For the first time, she felt hurt seeing him like this. "You don't have to say anything. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Then let's change the subject." Ritsuka said. "Actually….I have a question for you, but I don't want to upset you more than you are already….."

"At this point I'm beyond caring." Medea replied. "Just ask your question."

Ritsuka took a deep breath. "Are we where I think we are?"

"Yes. This is indeed Colchis. My home…"

"And how did all those ghosts know you?" Ritsuka asked. "I don't think it's possible that they'd be still at sea like this since you never killed them."

"There's….more to it than you think…"

A chill ran up Ritsuka's spine. He saw the look in Medea's eyes and immediately thought of what she was implying. "Medea, what do you mean by that?"

"How much of the Argo's story do you know?" Medea asked.

"Pretty much everything." Ritsuka answered.

"What you know is partly true." Medea replied. "The escape from my father's fleet ended worse than the myths said."

Ritsuka couldn't say anything. Medea waited for a moment to see if he would say anything, but when she saw he wouldn't, she took that as a sign to continue.

"As I have told you before back in Chaldea, Aphrodite cursed me to fall in love with Jason. I helped him get the Golden Fleece, and escaped with him and his crew in the Argo. Now the myths say that after I cut my little brother up into tiny pieces that my father stopped everything and tried to get everything left of my brother for his funeral pyre. However, that isn't the full truth. Are you ready to hear the full truth about what happened that day?"

Ritsuka slowly nodded. Medea then took a deep breath, and sighed.

"This is what happened after I threw the chopped up pieces of my brother." Medea said. "Like in the story, my father jumped into the sea to retrieve those pieces. However, a huge storm appeared as if the Gods were coming down upon him. That storm sank so many of my father's ships, including his flag ship."

"A storm? How is that possible?" Ritsuka asked.

"I don't really it myself but…..I think…..I may have accidentally called one upon them when I killed my brother…."

"So….it was all an accident…" Ritsuka muttered.

"My father didn't see it that way." Medea countered. "And neither did those ghosts."

"Did your father survive at least?"

"Yes. He survived." Medea said. "However, I think his ghost haunts these water's because he lost the fleece, or perhaps…."

Ritsuka watched as the blue haired Caster pulled out a simple looking necklace out from her robes. "What's that?"

"It's a necklace that my father made for my brother." Medea answered. "This might be the real reason why my father isn't resting in the afterlife."

"How does that equate to a piece of your brother?"

"My brother loved it so much that he would never part with it." Medea answered. "So from a certain point of view, one could say it was a part of him."

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "I….I don't know what to say…"

"And this is all that's left of my brother. I….I couldn't part with it, so I took it with me." Medea said. "However, there is something that I want to ask you while you're here. How is it that you could hear the ghosts like me, when no one else could?"

"I've actually talked to Roman and Davinci about this a few minutes ago. And we have a theory as to why that is." Ritsuka said. "How much do you know about Eastern Magecraft?"

"I've heard about how it works, and I have definitely heard that there were some incredibly powerful people called Onmyoji who could use Magecraft." Medea answered.

"Well the theory we have is that I could come from a family that was descended from Onmyoji." Ritsuka replied.

"That's possible." Medea said. "However, do you really want to know more about this?"

"I don't know." Ritsuka answered. "What I do know is that I want answers from Doc about my heritage. But I won't force her into it until she's ready to look me in the eye, and tell me everything."

"And what happens if what she says isn't something that you want to hear?" Medea asked.

"I….don't know." Ritsuka replied. "All I know is that Doc is hiding things from me, and this is one of those things."

"And if you learn that you're from some powerful and influential family, what then?" Medea asked. "Would it please you if you were born into a high pedigree?"

"Not really. I don't really care if I was theoretically born into a wealthy, powerful family of Mages." Ritsuka answered. "All I really care about is the truth."

"Why aren't you more excited about learning about this?" Medea asked. "You figured out a part of what your Magecraft specialties entails, and a possible lead on your heritage. How are you not enthusiastic about it?"

"Because to me, that's the least important thing right now." Ritsuka answered. "I only have two things that matter right now…."

Medea raised an eyebrow. "And what would those two things be?"

"To survive and live, for one thing." Ritsuka answered. "Maybe take a vacation to see the world. Probably go to Tokyo to see the sights, maybe?"

"So you won't stay with Chaldea?" Medea asked.

"Oh I will." Ritsuka answered. "I might even make it a full time job."

"Why?" Medea asked.

"I just like helping people." Ritsuka said. "And with Chaldea, I can do that without any concerns."

"Oh? And Mashu didn't have an influence on your decision to stay?" Medea asked.

Ritsuka blushed brightly. "I-I-I-"

"You don't need to say anything." Medea replied. "I know you're attracted to her, and you both do bring out the best of each other, however, I don't approve of it."

"Why?" Ritsuka asked. "And also I don't see how this is relevant to anything…"

"Oh but it is." Medea replied. "In case you haven't noticed, you're somewhat reenacting what happened with Jason and me."

"I…what?" Ritsuka said. "What are you going on about?"

Medea groaned. "Oh, you foolish boy, I'm referring to Kiyohime!"

Ritsuka went silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "So that's what this is about…I guess I can understand how this does seem to be similar, but….."

"But what?" Medea asked.

Ritsuka hugged his knee as if it were his only source of comfort. "I…..I just don't want to hurt Kiyohime's feelings. I can't stand hurting others, well, unless it's those that deserve it of course. And I…..I'm scared of being hated….."

Medea stared at Ritsuka, and felt the chord finally strike her. For the first time, she didn't see him as a nuisance, nor a secret blowhard. He wasn't some pompous man who secretly looked down on others, nor did he have any ill intentions. It was only now that she got to see him for what he truly was.

Ritsuka truly was a good person at heart. He may have his flaws, his own insecurities, and fears. All that he truly needed was someone to help him find himself. Realizing this made her feel….something she hasn't felt for a long time.

"Wait, hang on…" Ritsuka muttered. "Why are we talking so much about me here? I came here to make you feel better!"

Medea couldn't help but smile. "Oh you succeeded on that front. Do not worry about that. However, I was trying to finally understand you a little more."

"Understand me? I don't think there's much of me for that." Ritsuka said.

"That's where you are wrong." Medea countered. "You're not the person that I assumed you were. And I also understand this; You are scared that Jason was right, and that you, him and Tatsuko are the same."

Ritsuka flinched. "I admit, that thought has been gnawing at me. I really am scared that he was right….."

The male Master widened his eyes as he felt something wrap around him. He then looked up, and realized he was being embraced by Medea.

"I want you to listen to me, okay?" Medea said. "You are nothing like Jason. And I am sorry for not realizing this sooner."

"Medea, you have nothing to apologize for." Ritsuka countered.

"That's where you're wrong." Medea replied. "You've been nothing but patient and kind to me, but even so, I've been treating you so horribly…."

"Medea…."

"I don't know how I can atone for the things I've said about you." Medea said. "However, I promise I will make up for my mistake."

Medea released Ritsuka slightly solely so she could stare at his face. "You are just a kid who carries a heavy burden. And I should have seen that before now. You deserve better than this, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka stared at her in shock. "You….used my first name!"

Medea chuckled. "I must say it definitely sounds better than calling you "boy" or by your last name."

"Ummm, did… did we come at a bad time?"

The two of them turned around to see Mashu and Tatsuko standing not far from where they were.

"How long were you there?" Ritsuka asked.

"We only got here as Medea said you weren't anything like Jason." Tastuko answered.

"I apologize for our eavesdropping…" Mashu said.

"It's perfectly okay." Medea replied. "Now, what did you two need?"

"We were looking for Ritsuka earlier." Tatsuko said. "But Bombe just came down to tell us the memorial for Asterios is ready."

"Then we should get up on the deck." Ritsuka said.

"Here, let me help you up." Medea said. The blue haired Caster and Mashu helped the male Master back on his feet, with Mashu hanging onto him so he can have some support. As they made their way towards the hatch, Medea couldn't help but smile peacefully as she looked at the Chaldean Trio speak to each other. The blue haired Caster thought of what her younger self had said to her, only to push it away.

She wouldn't succumb to her bitterness anymore. She would prove her wrong.

OC: Well this was an unexpected turn of events. What do you think, Vlad?

CV: She's finally warming up to the boy. Took her long enough.

OC: Definitely, just like it took me long enough to make another rough draft scene for Lostbelt Six considering I'm playing it right now.

CV: You've been having a hell of a time with that chapter lol. Like me now that I got Fire Emblem Engage.

OC: Well it's been inspiring me quite a bit. HOWEVER, I cannot, in good conscience, say that I agree with a lot of Nasu's decisions here, especially regarding...that abomination walking around in Mashu's arc. For those who have played it, you know who I'm referring to. And I will have to admit we are changing some things about the story of Lostbelt 6, however we will also try to remain faithful to it as well because the rest of it really is phenomenal so far.

CV: Right, but that is still a long way ahead, so let's focus on the moment for now.

OC: Yeah, sorry about that. ADD is a bitch. Anyway for the first scene we literally picked up where the Golden Hind landed, and boy was that first part tense.

CV: Basically just mentally torture Medea over the course of about 2 hours.

OC: That's putting it mildly. For those wondering why we went this route, believe me this wasn't exactly the original plan. Our original plan was for her to fall off the ship during the storm and a Lagiacrus comes in to try and kill her but Ritsuka and Medusa come to her rescue. However, after thinking about it, we decided that a better approach would be for her to confront some ghosts of her past and have them basically torment her to show that she does have some regrets, even if she tries to deny it.

CV: Yeah, turns out being forced to face your biggest fears isn't exactly pleasant.

OC: No it is not. And Tatsuko and Drake had to face it in the form of ghosts. However, we also did something interesting. We had only Medea and Ritsuka understand what was being said. This is to give Ritsuka his own moment of finally having enough and going to help Medea again to show that he doesn't care about her taunts or anything. To him, she's a comrade, and he doesn't take kindly to those who harm them. Even if they have grievances.

CV: If you're looking for the 'why' of that, then it was because it fit the moment better.

OC: Not only that, but we also had Euryale and Stheno have their moment by helping Ritsuka get rid of the ghosts with nothing but words. They've been taking a back seat since they really aren't that powerful, but we wanted to give them SOMETHING to do.

CV: For characters that in game were instrumental for the plot, they're kinda just… There for most of the story. So here we decided to give them a bit more.

OC: Yup, and we also showed a hint at what Ritsuka's Magecraft actually entails. I know a lot of people won't be happy that he has a background like this, but there is an important message to this little part. It shouldn't matter whether you come from an influential background, or from the slums. What really makes you a regular person, is the content of your character. So while Ritsuka might come from a family that practiced Magecraft, that doesn't mean he isn't the same old Ritsuka people know and love.

CV: He just has a bit of added flavour, like a vanilla ice cream that you sprinkled chocolate chips on.

OC: Exactly. And I find it interesting that the first way he learns of this is through hearing ghosts, and being able to get them to stop harassing someone. That boy literally ignored the pain of his sprained ankle to help Medea, and he did so when no one else would.

CV: He told pain to fuck off and I respect that.

OC: And the fact Medea nearly broke actually hurt. She's a very confident woman, so for that to happen is kinda hard to watch. However, it does lead to an interesting development, but we shall save that for later, and get onto scene 2. This one was actually kinda hard for us because Euryale and Stheno weren't really that memorable for the longest time so we needed to figure out a way to have them stand out.

CV: Never try to make an entire scene focused around them, you'll break yourselves.

OC: Which is why we added Medusa and Mashu into the mix. It made a lot of sense for Medusa because her older sister was grieving, and she wanted to help her through it. Mashu we decided because we wanted to show Medusa acting like a guide for her since we wanted someone who didn't really know the twins well to interact with them. And considering Mashu is wanting to learn more about how people interact and live, she kind of became our best bet.

CV: She was the anchor basically.

OC: Essentially. As for why Stheno wasn't so upset about Asterios? Well she kind of was upset, because he did protect her and Euryale, but compared to Euryale, who had a closer bond with the big floofy boi, she knew she had to be the strong one and help her grieve. She might be a troll, but she's a sister first, and foremost, and it's really a shame they don't show that side more often.

CV: If she appeared a bit more then maybe, but I haven't seen her in a long time.

OC: Fair enough. And we decided that the way Stheno helps Euryale through her grief is by playfully teasing her to distract her. This is something they'd definitely do, so we decided to finally let the troll do her work.

CV: We had to let her do it eventually.

OC: And Euryale definitely clapped back with her own remarks. And surprisingly, Medusa got in on the action too. I know, I know, Medusa would never do that in lore, but this is her after character development from Chaldea and her memories of the Heaven's Feel route, so she's much more confident and we wanted to show that by having her teasing her sisters a bit knowing they'd probably approve.

CV: It seems like it runs in the family. Now I wonder how Gorgon would diss others.

OC: Oh God, I don't want to think on that! So how about we enter the stage for scene three! This is the big moment that Vlad and I have been waiting ages to do, and it finally reared its head. Ritsuka and Medea having a one on one conversation with each other, and Ritsuka actually confiding in her about his opinions and his turmoil.

CV: Without Medea being a total ass to him, I might add.

OC: Yep. And we also learn that the waters they are trekking are none other than those of Colchis itself. Which really stings for Medea. And the reason for this being where they are is because this little place will become very important to the Okeanos arc later, and we wanted to show exactly what we had in mind.

CV: The waters they are trekking… Was that intentional?

OC: No it was not. I only just realized it now.

CV: Well anyways, that last scene besides being Medea and Ritsuka's first moment of friendship also serves to set up the Chekov's Gun for Okeanos.

OC: And we also made a startling revelation about what really went down when Medea escaped on the Argo. I know that a storm appearing and sinking the ships wasn't in the original myths, nor in the Nasuverse proper, but considering Myths don't tell the whole truth anyway, we decided to add that part because in a way it would make some sense. Her father could have ordered the other ships to give chase while he alone would get the pieces of his son back, meaning something else had to happen to prevent them from catching up.

CV: Besides, every myth might have 100 different variations so it's not like a little change will hurt anyone.

OC: And we also learn that Medea kept a necklace belonging to her brother. It kinda makes sense in a way because she was obviously guilty over his death when she first murdered him, so to keep a piece of him as a reminder of her crimes seemed to fit her character as a way to remind her of the crimes she committed.

CV: Guilty over his death when she murdered him. Yeah that checks out.

OC: Hey it's the truth. However, we also delve more into Ritsuka's mind and how he doesn't really care about the idea of his theoretical birth family. He just wants to know what Doc was hiding from him, and that is enough for him.

CV: This is literally the basement from AoT.

OC: Except Ritsuka doesn't even try to commit genocide, he's preventing it.

CV: Until the Lostbelts.

OC: True…..well in any case at least for right now Ritsuka is safe for now. And we also learn exactly why Medea isn't so keen on Ritsuka's and Mashu's romance. Ironically it isn't because she thinks Ritsuka is going to take advantage of her, but rather because Kiyohime would be the problem. Look, just because Kiyohime would support a harem doesn't make her advances any less creepy. Besides she'd prefer having him all to herself anyway, and considering the issues that would arise, that is perhaps one of the worst case scenarios.

CV: Little did they know, Kiyo was hiding under the boat as they spoke.

OC: Fucking hell I can't catch a break with that blue haired mana prism! Oh well, at the very least we also have Ritsuka reveal why he hasn't done anything about it, and it's actually pretty realistic in my opinion. He's scared of his friends starting to hate him and basically leave him alone. He just wants to have friends around, so he doesn't mind anything that'll make him uncomfortable if it means no one hates him.

CV: No horny, just happy.

OC: And it leads to perhaps the biggest moment of the arc aside from the death of Asterios. Medea finally realizes Ritsuka is genuinely a good person, and that he's not some guy trying to be a hero. He's just a kid who's fighting because he has no other choice, and she realizes how poorly she treated him. Personally I really liked this moment because it now means Medea is now trying to redeem herself, and in the process is now considering Ritsuka a friend after everything he's done. Originally we were going to have this kind of moment happen much later in Okeanos to signify Medea learning her lesson, but as we wrote this chapter, we kind of thought doing it now as they both grieve over Asterios, who was someone that they both got along with and was their bridge. So with his death, they decide to grieve together, and in the process, Medea decides to finally let go of her prejudice of the male Master and make attempts to truly help him and Tatsuko.

CV: Turns out joined pain can bring people together in strange ways, and that's kinda what happened here.

OC: Pretty much. And I can't wait to see how this develops. However, that will have to wait for another day. Right now we have reached the end of this week's chapter. Thank you all for reading, and please stay tuned next week for the next. Owen Chaser and Cosmic Vlad, signing off.