The Dawn of the Betrayed

The prophecy had been spoken long before Eury and Selene were born, at least that’s what they had been told. Whispers of it were woven into the lullabies their mothers sang, carved into the stone walls of their hidden sanctuary , far beneath the earth’s surface. Farther still from the humans.

"When the dawn turns red, the Betrayed shall rise. And from blood shall come the end."

It had always been a riddle, a warning passed from one generation to the next among the descendants of Medusa. The Gorgonae had lived in secret for centuries, hiding from the world that would see them as monsters. Unlike their ancestor, they had no writhing snakes atop their heads, but their eyes held the same power—the ability to turn flesh to stone. It was a gift and a curse. And it was one they were not keen on sharing with the human world anytime soon.

And now, on the morning of the eclipse, Selene and Eury stood on the edge of their sanctuary, watching as the sky bled crimson, just as the riddle had predicted.

Selene tightened her grip on the dagger in her hands. It was old—older than their grandmother’s grandmother—crafted of celestial silver, the only metal that could pierce the flesh of their kind. Across from her, Eury stood with her arms open, her expression unreadable.

“It’s time,” Selene whispered. Her voice wavered.

Eury smiled. “I know.”

A gust of wind swept through the cavern, carrying the distant echoes of their ancestors. The others were waiting behind them, watching, holding their breath. No one dared to interfere. The prophecy was sacred, inevitable. Anyone who attempted to interfere would surely suffer a fate worse than death.

Selene had always believed in fate. Until now. Until this moment, where she was expected to strike down the only person who had ever truly understood her.

“You betrayed us,” Selene said, but the words tasted bitter in her mouth.

Eury tilted her head. “Did I?”

“You spoke to the humans. You told them where to find us.”

“I did.”

Selene’s fingers clenched around the dagger. “Why?”

Eury exhaled slowly. “Because hiding is not living, Selene. We have spent centuries underground, cowering like prey. What kind of life is that?”

“The kind that keeps us alive.”

Eury stepped closer. “And what if we were meant for more?”

Selene’s mind flashed back to their childhood—when Eury would steal away to the surface, fascinated by the humans, speaking of a world where they wouldn’t have to live in fear. She had always been reckless. Always dreaming of a life beyond the shadows.

Selene, on the other hand, had trained for this moment her entire life. She had learned to wield the celestial dagger, studied the ancient texts, prepared herself for the day the prophecy would demand its price. But now, standing here, she hesitated.

A shadow passed over the sky as the eclipse deepened. The dawn was a blazing red, setting the world on fire in its glow. Selene felt the weight of a thousand generations pressing down on her. She was meant to fulfill the prophecy. She was meant to be the hand of justice, to stop the Betrayed before their people were wiped out.

But Eury wasn’t afraid. She stood there, calm, expectant. Like she knew something Selene didn’t.

“Do it,” Eury whispered.

Selene hesitated. Her sister was the traitor. The prophecy had to be fulfilled. But why did this feel so wrong?

Then, in the silence, the first scream rang out.

Selene turned sharply, her breath catching. In the distance, beyond the sanctuary’s entrance, she saw the glint of metal. Soldiers. Human soldiers. Hundreds of them, descending into their world with torches and weapons, their eyes hidden behind mirrored shields.

The attack had already begun.

Panic rippled through the gathered Gorgonae. Some fled into the shadows. Others raised their voices in incantations, calling upon the old magic. The sanctuary trembled as ancient wards flickered and cracked.

Selene turned back to Eury. “You led them here.”

Eury’s eyes were bright with something Selene could not quite discern. “No,” she said softly. “You did.”

The weight of realization crashed over Selene like a wave. The prophecy had never named the Betrayer. It had only spoken of betrayal. And as she stood there, dagger in hand, hesitating, the truth became clear.

She was the Betrayer.

By waiting, by allowing doubt to cloud her mind, she had doomed them all.

Eury stepped closer, pressing her forehead against Selene’s. “It’s not over,” she murmured. “Not yet.”

Then, before Selene could react, Eury spun and ran toward the invading soldiers.

She didn’t fight them. She didn’t run. She simply let them see her. And in an instant, her golden eyes flared to life. The first row of soldiers froze mid-step, their forms solidifying into stone. The second row fell just as quickly, their mouths still open in silent screams.

Selene wanted to call out, to stop her, but it was too late. Eury was already lost in the storm of battle, her power burning too brightly, drawing too much attention.

She was buying them time.

Selene turned, her heart pounding. “We have to move! Now!”

The Gorgonae who remained surged into action, disappearing into the tunnels that led deeper into the earth. Selene lingered for only a moment, her eyes locked onto her sister’s form as the soldiers closed in.

Eury met her gaze one last time. And then she was gone.

The sanctuary collapsed behind Selene as she ran, sealing them away from the surface. The dawn had come. The prophecy had been fulfilled. But not in the way anyone had expected.

Because the Betrayer had not been Eury.

It had been Selene all along.

Selene did not sleep that night. She sat in the cold dark of the tunnels, listening to the distant echoes of stone cracking, the remnants of her sister’s sacrifice. The surviving Gorgonae whispered in grief and rage, their numbers halved, their sanctuary lost.

Days passed. Weeks. The dust of their past life settled, and the new reality set in. They would not recover. Not in the way they had before. Selene had become the face of their undoing, their leader by default, though none dared to speak it aloud.

Eury’s voice haunted her thoughts.

"It’s not over."

No, it was not. But there was no hope in those words now. Only inevitability. Only the bitter truth.

Selene had been the instrument of their undoing. And the dawn would never come again.