Picture Story: Law & Disorder Pt. 6

"Those certainly do look like the Sculptor's handiwork," Detective Benton pronounced. 

Persephone (aka 'Persie') Jackson, a person of interest in the Sculptor case, had led the detectives to a location frequented by the person she claimed was the perpetrator of Sculptor's crimes. Though her claims regarding the identity of the Sculptor were rather extraordinary, the detectives had to admit she had offered extraordinary evidence to establish her own credibility as an informant.

"It's kinda ballsy," Detective Gabler said with a scowl. "Putting them in a display window on full view... like trophies."

"That's pretty much what they are," Persie replied with a shrug. "For centuries, she has been turning people to stone and posing them in her lairs - both as a warning to would-be heroes seeking to kill her, and to show off her victories."

"Would-be heroes... men as well as women?" Benton asked.

"Oh, she will turn anyone to stone," Persie affirmed. "Anyone who comes after her, or anyone who catches her eye... but she definitely favors beautiful women as targets. I think that's because beauty is what Athena took from her..."

"Let me get this straight," Gabler said with a skeptical frown. "You're saying that Medea Theopoulos, owner of the Hardbodies fitness center chain, is actually a snake-haired monster from Greek mythology?"

Persie rolled her eyes. "Do you think a 'snake-haired monster' could wander around the streets of New York without someone noticing?" She paused a beat, pursing her lips. "Well, in New York maybe she could... but in her case, she has the ability to mask her appearance and look normal for a time. It's some sort of magical trick she learned from her sisters."

Gabler blinked. "Sisters? You mean there are more than one of them?"

"The Gorgon sisters," Benton interjected. "As I recall, there were three of them altogether."

Persie nodded. "That's right. But you don't need to worry about the other two... they tend to keep a low profile. I don't think they are aware of what Med... what their sister is up to - her plan to expose the gods by turning their daughters into statues."

Benton pointed across the street. "Those are all the daughters of gods, then?"

Persie frowned. "Nah... they were probably just ordinary mortals."

"Ordinary mortals," Gabler echoed. "You mean she's been going after... uh... non-demigods, too?"

"Were you not listening to what I said, like, two minutes ago?" Persie replied with a grimace. "She has been doing this for millennia, and she will petrify anyone who strikes her fancy. Most of her victims are hiding in plain sight - because who in the modern world would ever suspect a statue is more than just a statue?"

Persie turned away from the windows and hugged herself to suppress a shiver. "The demigods, the ones that you identified as victims of the Sculptor... she put those where they would be found because she wanted them to be found..."

Benton nodded, frowning pensively. "Makes sense."

"Right, got it," Gabler said to someone over her phone. Then, to her partner, "Another statue has been found..."

* * *

The statue had been left in an alley that connected a parking lot to several businesses - a prominent location where someone was bound to stumble across it in short order. The Crime Scene Unit had already gone over the scene by the time the detectives arrived.

"Lakhi Varma," Gabler read off the driver's license that had been found at the statue's feet. She handed the evidence bag to a CSU technician and turned to Persephone. "Did you know her?"

"Yeah," Persie affirmed in a hollow voice. "We met at a party last year, and hung out a few times. She was the daughter of a Hindu god... Vishnu, or maybe Krishna. I don't remember... I not really up on the Hindu pantheon."

"Hindu, not Greek?" Benton asked. "Why did she come to New York?"

"Why does anyone come to New York?" Persie countered with a rueful smirk. "It's, like, the center of everything..." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was no doubt craving a lotus cigarette, but all of hers had been confiscated at the precinct. "You would be surprised how many half-breeds - children of gods - are living in New York..."

"Yeah, you all party together and have a good old time," Gabler muttered impatiently. "Listen, we are going to need more than just your word if we are going to present this to the DA's office. They will laugh their asses off."

Benton frowned in thought. "Maybe we could put a cop undercover in Hardbodies, as a customer, or a fitness trainer. Have her get close to Medu... Medea Theopoulos. Maybe even act as bait to lure her out..."

"Your undercover cop would need to be a demigod," Persie said. "That is, if you intend to use her as bait. She can tell who has the blood of gods."

"Riiight," Gabler replied with a smirk. "I'll call up personnel and ask them to fax over a list of all the demigods we have working on the force."

"Actually," Persie interjected. "I might know of one..."