Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons by Paul Ruditis Page B

a round metal receptacle outside the establishment where they had purchased the joyous chocolate. “San Francisco! A city named for a holy man. In a land we never dreamed existed during our earliest days on the planet.”
    San Francisco
. It was such a strange place with modern conveniences the likes of which Medusa had never even imagined. She was having trouble taking it all in. Chocolate and peanut butter were only two of the amazing things she had experienced since they appeared.
    Mechanical vehicles of various sizes and colors clogged the streets around them with bells and horns and roaring noises unlike any she had ever heard before. People pushed past her on the sidewalks staring at small devices in their hands as they walked, barely raising their eyes to see what was in front of them. Some were having one-sided conversations with unseen companions, often with odd buttons clipped into their ears.
    The buildings around her were larger than any temples she had ever visited during her previous life. Even that monstrosity of the Parthenon could not match them in size or grandeur. She enjoyed the fact that these towering structures were so much more impressive than the Temple of Athena. It was just one more way that she felt she had won out over that shrew of a goddess.
    “You are partially correct,” Stheno said. “We have come to San Francisco to seek vengeance on the oppressors. But that is an evil that happens the world over. No, we have come here specifically because this is the home of the Charmed Ones.”
    Medusa perked up at the title. “Charmed Ones?”
    “Protectors of the innocent, like us,” Stheno said. “Very powerful witches. We tapped into their powers to bring you to life. Until you are back at full strength we will be at our strongest in the city that is their base of operations. But I see no reason for that to stop our plan. We’ve already put it in motion.”
    Medusa adjusted the dark glasses that covered her cursed eyes. They were uncomfortable and it was taking far too long for her to become accustomed to them. But that was nothing compared to the discomfort Medusa felt about the plan that Stheno spoke of. “Can’t vengeance wait? I’d like the chance to experience this modern world first. At least have some more chocolate.”
    Stheno wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Yes, sister dear. Vengeance can wait, but the women of this period cannot. Oppression still rages on. You saw it in the images we shared with you. Things have gotten better since our time.
Far
better. But not good enough. Women continue to be treated as an inferior class. Witches are still forced into hiding. We waited thousands of years until the magic would allow us to reunite. I do not want to waste another moment.”
    Medusa sighed. Stheno had not softened in all that time. She was still as bull-headed as Taurus and just as dangerous. But she had managed the impossible and returned Medusa to the living. For that, she would always be grateful. She would also feel indebted to her big sister. Medusa adjusted her glasses again. “Tell me about this man you spoke of earlier.”
    Stheno smiled. Her demeanor immediately shifted. This was the playful girl Medusa remembered from their childhood. It was a shame the joyousness came from such a dark place.
    “He owns that massive tower across the street,” Stheno said with a nod toward the hulking glass and steel structure. “Along with a quarter of the city. He is singularly responsible for many of the jobs in San Francisco and around the world.”
    “An estate owner?” Medusa asked.
    “He does own a lot of property,” Euryale noted. “But that’s not his primary source of income. They call him a media mogul. He oversees a vast empire that provides news and entertainment to the masses.”
    “And this is bad for women?” Medusa asked. “It’s bad for witches?”
    “His entertainment programming routinely degrades women,” Stheno explained. “His news