Besotted

The legend, the myth, the monster?

A/n: sorry for the late update

The story of Medusa is skewed with the way the world has changed. In ancient times it made sense to have a random guy chop off the head of a monster. It was okay for a goddess to curse a girl that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some say the curse put on the girl was to protect her from men who wish to harm her others say that it was a big misunderstanding. There is even a debate that the girl had dreadlocks and that she was mistaken to have snakes for hair because of the unusual hair style being seen in ancient Greece.  It's always up to interpretation when it comes to medusa's story. Yet, no one has asked Medusa herself what's the truth or much less Athena. So I will tell you the truth of Medusa story and how our goddess of wisdom isn't as vengeful as she seems. Medusa was a maiden in the city of Athens a girl that was found but not birthed.

One evening a scholar by the name Agapetus and his wife Cleona were on their evening constitutional. " My dear we are blessed to have my wits and your beauty what more is it you require?" Agapetus huffed holding his wife's arm. They were once again speaking of Cleona's dreams of a childbirth. " well, you know the other mothers judge me for being married for so long and being without a child. One women even had the audacity to refer to me as cursed!" she spoke softly to him. She sighed looking up at the moon hovering over the hills. " you are not cursed we have many things to be thankful for and we have done nothing to offend the gods. If we are to have a child then it would be so." he came behind his wife his hands on her shoulders. She turned to him in dismay tears in her eyes as she rested her hand on his. " maybe, I should make an offering to the goddess Hera and ask for her help. I am grateful yet nothing would fill my heart more Th-" she stopped as a cry filled the air. It rang out from beyond the forest line a cry that would wake gaea. " a child that is a baby!" she sprung into the trees leaving her mind behind as she ran. " CLEONA" agapetus yelled running after his wife into the darkness of the woods.
She sprinted as fast as her legs could go following the child's crying. Her heart thumped against her chest to save the child behind the voice but also filled with hope the gods have heard her prayers. Then through the trees she found a hill and at the top was horrors.  Bodies of ripped flesh and the aftermath of a beast most obscene. At the top of the hill was a home surround by the massacre and a door discarded. Her eyes were filled with fear at the sudden realization of the people surrounding her. People who came from the far south dark skin was hard to depict from the blood that stained the grass. Then the cries of the infant rang out breaking her fear and reawakening her purpose. She ran inside to see the source of the cries. Although her eyes were blurry with tears she could see the child illuminated by the moon hidden behind a curtain in the kitchen. She bent down to pull back the curtain to reveal her. A small infant just a newborn still covered in blood and milk as she fussed. It's obvious that the blood of the birthm ust of sealed the fate of her family. Her brown skin wrapped in a blanket of animals unlike she's ever seen. The animals were spotted, stripped, and hairy surrounded by strange markings. She went to pick up the child when out rang her husband yelp for help.

Agapetus was not built for running in the woods. Although fit he rarely got out beside to grab new books for his research. He was fast enough to see where his wife went. Yet, he wasn't quick enough to stop her from putting both of them in danger. He stepped through the trees grumbling about his snadles being ruined by the mud. He looked over the hill in shock of the massacre before him. " Athena protect us" he looked around at the bodies scattered around the hill. He held his hand over his mouth in fear of the dead or of the cause whose to know. He just knew that whatever it was it had it's fill but couldn't have been far. He quietly climbed the hill to the cabin predicting his foolish wife went inside by following her footsteps of mud and blood. Although before he could pull his wife to the safety of the woods and eventually the city. He heard a growl and a snap come from behind him.
He turned behind him in the shadows of the trees sprung forward a leopard. It's maw covered in the blood of the people it sent to Hades. It walked forward sniffing the ground more than likely pulled back to its previous hunting ground by the sound of the infant. Agapetus froze in fear he has heard of this leopard attacking nearby residents by his colleagues. It was typically in the mountains but it seems the mistake of his fellow man hunting it's kin drove it to the city outskirts. He knew that this leopard wasn't going to just go away. He knew them to be smart creatures that rarely backed down from a fight on their territory. It was time to get his wife and leave this place hoping to pass through without alerting the beast. He stepped back with all his courage only to step on the hand of the homeowner. He slipped yelping ins surprise at the sudden imbalance caused by his wet slippers and the blood covered hand. "AGH!" he yelled falling back on the door step of the home.

Cleona had no time to think and grab the baby without a second thought. Using her peplos to wrap and hide the baby on her chest and hopefully soothe her cries. She came to the door to see her husband on his back frozen in fear. She looked towards where his eyes stared unmoving to see the beast staring back at them. It was wounded by its previous battle but not enough to deter it from the area. It growled at them eyeing her lumpy chest and licking it's maw. She gripped her husbands shoulder kneeling down beside him. " don't move" she whispered to him as she knelt slowly to grab a broken fence post. With the shard of a broken vase, her ripped peplos by the trees, and a broken piece of wood she quickly made a spear. Although her husband was a man of books her intelligence came from living amongst who her husband would call "uncivilized ". She went back to her husband as he stayed in the same spot clearly processing what his next move should be. The leopard had seemed to have inch closer not taking it's eyes off of them. She ready her spear and grabbed her husbands hand. " On the count of  IV I want you to get up and run in the opposite direction" she opened her Peplos to show him the child. Medusa was quietly clinging to her breast as she slept unaware of the current danger. Agapetus knew what his wife was planning but he knew that only one would walk away from this place. Although he loved his wife he had never seen her so determined. As such he knew what he had to do to prevent her from being determined to die.
"1" she started counting down eyes on the leopard preparing to pounce. He looked at the spear in her hands and too a deep breath. " 2" she pulled him up with her and ready her spear. Then before she could shout three Agapetus yelled out a war cry of his own snatched the spear from her hands and pushed her out of the way. The leopard launched forward its jaws open caked in blood jumping at her husband. He struck up and into the the leopard as they both toppled into the house behind them. Cleona looked in horror and disbelief that her husband would risk his life to save her and the unnamed child. She knew him not to be the bravest person but she knew that this wasn't the time to sit in fear. She held the small infant close and sprinted for the city. She ran into the darkness tears pricking her eyes as the tress cut her arms. She didn't stop it was if the moon was lighting her way back to the city. She burst through the trees. In a panic she screamed and yelled for help as she ran to the town's center. She screamed and cried till the city was ablaze with oil lamps and sounds of running feet. A solider standing duty along with the fellow men approached her in a rush asking her of the situation. In her tears either blood cover her ankles and sticks in her hair she pleaded to them to go into the woods and save her dear Agapetus. The men rallied a hunting party along with a few soldiers and left into the forest. A few of the townfolk and women came to help her get cleaned up as they waited for the news. The women who she knew from before that judge her for being childless stood in shock as they saw the small child in her peplos. She held the infant close not letting anyone near the baby until she was relaxed enough to feed the child. She held the child close and she prayed to the gods to protect her love.
For hours she waited for news as she held Medusa close to her. She was numb with feelings of helplessness that she wasn't able to help him. Then suddenly a knock came at the door her hostess Attie  her friend who worked with her in selling wine went to open the door. There stood the solider from before but not her Agepetus. She rushed to him for answers of what the  evening  meant for her. He looked at her taking off his helmet and sighed sadly "I'm sorry Cleona if we have come earlier maybe..." he was cut off by her sobs as she crumbled to the floor. She sobbed bent over the child she risked her love and life for.

A/N: TUNE IN NEXT TIME TO READ PART 2 of Medusa's back story. Let me know what you think down below in the comments and I'll update y'all next time until then goodnight.