Picture Story: Law & Disorder Pt. 5

"Hello, Persephone," said the newcomer as she entered the interview room. "I am Dr. Georgia Hwang."

Persie looked her up and down and frowned. "What are you, some kind of shrink?"

Hwang nodded. "I am a psychologist, yes. Technically, I am with the FBI, but I confer with the NYPD on special cases."

The girl barked a sharp laugh. "'Special' being a cute code word for 'nuts.'"

Hwang's brow furrowed. "You have made some rather extraordinary claims, Persephone. Detectives Benton and Gabler asked me to talk to you and see if we can sort out the truth."

"I told them the truth," Persie countered belligerently. "If they don't want to believe it, that's their fucking problem."

"So, you insist that the victims of the Sculptor were all turned to stone," Hwang replied evenly. "And the statues that have been found are actually the missing women."

"That's the fact, jack."

Hwang paused to withdraw a crime scene photo from the folder on the table. She slid the picture across the table toward Persephone. "Do you know who that is?"

Persephone stared at the photo for a few seconds. "That's Belinda. She's one of Zeus' brats."

"Zeus as in the chief god of the ancient Greek pantheon?"

"The one and the same."

Hwang frowned pensively. "You believe that the victims of the Sculptor are all the children of mythological deities?"

"Yes, except they are not mythological," Persie replied with a smirk. "They are real. The victims of the person you call the Sculptor are all demigods. Like me."

"You believe that you are also the child of a Greek god?"

"I am a daughter of Poseidon," Persei insisted. "And I don't just believe it; I know it for a fact."

Hwang nodded slowly, and slid another photo across the table. "Who is this?"

A hint of sorrow tinged Persie's expression as she stared at the photo. "That's Phoebe - she's a daughter of Ares. We trained together at..." She caught herself and leaned back. "We used to hang out together."

Hwang placed another photo in front of Persie. "Who is this woman?"

Persie's brow furrowed in thought. "I think her name is Ama. She's the daughter of some African god... maybe Anansi? I don't know the Ashanti pantheon all that well."

"African?" Hwang pressed. "Not Greek?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "If the Greek gods are real, doesn't it follow that other gods would be real, too?"

Hwang smiled. "Expecting us to believe any ancient gods are real is a big ask."

Persie shrugged. "Like I said, that's your problem." She licked her lips. "I'm thirsty. Can I have some water?"

The psychologist hesitated a moment, then said, "Sure." Hwang glanced at the mirror behind her and nodded. 

The door opened a moment later, and Detective Benton handed a cup of water to Hwang. The psychologist placed it on the table and watched Persie pick it up to take a sip.

"So, the, um, being that you claim turned these women to stone," Hwang began. "Based on the context, I assume you are referring to Medu-"

"Don't say her name!" Persie interjected. "She has... creatures that serve her. One of them might be listening."

Hwang smiled ruefully. "Some people might think that sounds a bit paranoid, Persephone."

Persie laughed darkly. "You're not being paranoid if they're actually out to get you."

"'They' in this case being a snake-haired monster from Greek mythology," Hwang pointed out. "Some people might find that claim a little hard to swallow."

"Yeah, I wouldn't expect you to believe me without proof," Persie conceded. "That's why I asked for the water. So that I could show you this..."

A column of water suddenly erupted from the cup in Persie's hand. Instead of splashing all over the place, the water formed a globe that sort of rolled around on top of the column, defying gravity and several other laws of physics.

Persie looked askance at the shocked psychologist and smirked. "See, as a daughter of Poseidon, I have the power to command water..."