Medusa's Truth

Chance Encounter

I felt him coming before he ever landed on my doorstep.

I gave a sigh of exhaustion and turned away from my clay sculpture. 

It had been years since I went into hiding. I enjoyed the solitude, broken only by my two sisters and the occasional intruder. I could endure the solace very well, and used the time to further my crafts. I could weave, I could sculpt, I could play the lyre. I was content here, yet that never stopped the monster-hunters. 

A glance at my face could turn a man into stone, a fact they couldn't forget or forgive me for. I attempted to assuage their fears by remaining in my home, yet even that could not temper their pride. 

So, one after another, the hunters came. Each time, Athena's gift kept me safe from the passion and violence of man. 

This newest arrival was different. I tiptoed around my house, silent as the grave, to get a better look at him. 

I immediately recognized the sandals he wore, adorned with little wings. They belonged to Hermes. His helmet, tucked under the arm, was also recognizable. It was Hades' cap of invisibility. 

I pondered the situation for a moment. What did this young man have to gain by removing a cap of invisibility? He was breaking into my home, he should know he would be unwelcome. Wasn't he afraid of me?

I hesitated a moment, then decided to call out from the shadows. 

"Why have you come?" I asked.

The young man jumped as my voice echoed in the cavern. He spun around for a moment, confused, then his face broke into a smile.

"I seek a monster, the man-killer, Medusa." He answered. 

I receded further into the shadows, frowning in dismay.  

"I am not a monster, nor am I a man killer. I only want to live in peace. Enter at your own risk, for while I do not wish to harm you I WILL protect myself." I say.

I see the man hesitate. He is extraordinarily handsome. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes. 

"I wasn't expecting to find such a polite monster, but then Athena told me to expect the unexpected." He says.

I pause as I hear my goddess' name. "Athena sent you?" I ask.

"She gave me these gifts too!" He explained, showing off his helmet and pointing his feet.

"Who are you?" I ask at last.

"My name is Perseus. I am on a quest to save my one true love, Andromeda. She is to be sacrificed to Poseidon's sea monster, Cetus." I could hear the urgency in his voice.

A wave of dizziness washed over me and I put my hand against a wall to steady myself.

"Oh, Athena. I see now why you sent the boy." I whisper.

"Boy? I am no boy." I hear the indignation in Perseus' voice. 

I steady myself and stand up straight. "Forgive me," I say. After that, words fail me.

There was a moment of silence, broken by Perseus. "Why DID Athena send me?"

I hesitate before speaking. "I was not always as I am now. Of my sisters, I was the only mortal gorgon, and beautiful, exceptionally so."

Beautiful, oh blessed Athena, that word was bitter on my tongue.

"I was pursued by many men, but Athena allowed me to become a virgin priestess in her temple. It was an exciting opportunity. I was happy and proud to be chosen."

I paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "But Athena wasn't the only one who took notice of me. One day a man came to temple. He wanted me, but I refused. I wanted only to remain loyal and faithful to my goddess. The man revealed himself to be a god, Poseidon. He wasn't used to being told no. He thought it was a joke."

My heart begin to beat rapidly in my chest. My voice shook as I continued. "He thought it was a game at first, that I wanted to be chased and seduced. I had to be very firm with him. Poseidon didn't like that."

My voice now sank to a whisper. "He knocked me to the floor. I fell and grabbed a hold of Athena's statue and screamed for her, screamed for mercy from Poseidon as he...well, there's no point in relaying the whole sordid story. I'm sure you heard."

Perseus' face was pale. "He-took you." He fumbled with the words, unsure what to say or how to say it.

I turned away, feeling the agony of that day. "Athena found me hours later. I was broken, defeated. She took me in her arms oh so gently and held me."

"She...wasn't angry?" Perseus asked.

"Angry?" I asked. "Athena was furious! A virgin priestess assaulted in her very own temple, she was filled with rage."

"I meant," Perseus began again, "she wasn't angry at YOU."

A smile touched my lips. "At me? Whatever stories have you men been telling among yourselves? No, of course not. I was pledged to Athena, I was loyal to her. She was many things that day, but never angry with me."

"Didn't she curse you though?" Perseus asked. "Didn't she make your face hideous, and give you the tusks of a boar and turn your hair into snakes?"

I laughed then, a real laugh that echoed off the walls around me. "Make me hideous? Give me the tusks of a boar? No man has seen my face since that day, not without turning to stone. Wherever did they get that idea from?"

Perseus' face relaxed. He smiled when I laughed. "So, you're still beautiful then?"

I examined my face in a nearby mirror. I still had my full, plush lips. My high cheekbones caught the light and my dark eyes were deep and mysterious. My hair, though, my hair was different. I no longer had hip-length, silky tresses. Instead, it fell only to my shoulders and was full of green snakes. They lay quietly now, but if I was in danger they would strike with fury.

"I am as I was before," I answer. "Except for my hair, that part you got right. It wasn't a curse though, or a punishment. Athena wanted to make sure no man could use me ill again, not even Poseidon. Now, any man who looks upon my face turns to stone and dies. If they try to get around Athena's gift by, say, blindfolding themselves..." I ran a hand through my hair and the snakes gave a gentle rattle. I smiled. "Let's just say I have more than one way of protecting myself."

Perseus was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, I truly am." 

"But?" I asked.

Perseus screwed up his face into a scowl and threw his helmet on the floor. "Poseidon is obviously a monster! How do we defeat him? Why did Athena send me here? He-he shouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. Not you, not Andromeda, no one!"

I didn't know how to answer him. There didn't seem to be any obvious answer. 

"Let us sleep on it," I answered. "We will pray to Athena. Maybe she will come and answer our prayers."

Perseus grudgingly made camp on the floor while I swept back to my chambers. Curiosity prickled at the top of my spine.