Page 12 of Meduso
“So, the Fates led you here to this island. I wonder what their intent is. Perhaps you were meant to meet my son, Perseus. He is a very special boy. The son of…” Before Danaë could even finish her sentence, Perseus had cut her off.
“Let’s save that story for another time, mother. It’s getting rather late.” Perseus stood up out of his seat.
The son of who?
Clearly, Perseus was not proud of his father. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have minded his mother sharing this information with me. I was now intrigued to learn about his father, but knew better than to press on about the subject. My attention shifted back to Danaë.
“Well, only if you insist. Do you plan on heading home?” she asked.
Perseus nodded.
“Where is Meduso to stay?” she questioned.
“He can stay with me for a while or at least until he gets tired of me.” Perseus winked in my direction as he said this. “I find myself to be quite tolerable. Don’t you agree?”
“Only time will tell…” was my rebuttal. I didn’t intend to be as witty as my reply may have come off as. It was meant to be spoken as a matter of fact.
Danaë placed her hand over her mouth in an attempt to conceal her laughter. “Well, have a good night, you two. And welcome to Seriphos, Meduso. The island isn’t exactly exciting, but never the less, the people here make it quite charming,” she shared.
“Thank you for the warm hospitality,” I stated.
Perseus then hugged his mother before we departed. We travelled back down the trail side by side. I had assumed we were heading to Perseus’s dwelling, but we were apparently going elsewhere.
“Would you like to set up a fire on the beach? I’m not tired yet, and I figure you aren’t either from all the excitement you’ve had today,” he suggested.
“Yes. I would like that very much.” Truth be told, it didn’t matter to me whether we stayed on the beach or went back to Perseus’s place. I was starting to grow fond of his presence and enjoyed his company, no matter where it was.
And so, we descended the trail and walked along the shoreline until we were at a spot on the beach where Perseus knew that no one would disturb us at.
“Hang here for a moment and I’ll fetch us some wood,” he requested.
Before I could even respond to Perseus, he bursted into a sprint with quick acceleration. In a matter of a few seconds, he returned with an enormous stack of wood that I would imagine that even four strong male humans could not carry in a single trip. His abnormal agility and brute strength were astounding. This did not make any sense to me. No human could attain such a feat. Something was amiss, and I found myself determined to get to the bottom of it.
Perseus neatly arranged the wood in an organized fashion and created the fire. I sat in the sand nearby and could not keep my eyes off of him, admiring his skills. I was drawn to his gracefulness as he ran, and the way his face scrunched when he concentrated with great focus in order to light the flame. It was very charming to me.
Once the blaze was high enough, he sat across from me with the fire between us, keeping us warm from the chill of the night.
“Have you lived here at Seriphos your entire life?” I found myself striking up the conversation.
“Pretty much. My mother and I arrived here for the first time, when I was an infant.”
“Oh? And where did you come from before then?” I was curious to know.
“I’m not sure.”
“Your mother doesn’t know?”
“It’s difficult to talk about,” Perseus revealed to me.
“I don’t mind. I’m a good listener,” I shared.
Perseus chuckled at my comment.
“I’m serious. I’ve spent my whole life listening to tales, stories, and lessons told by the Graeae and my parents. They have lived far longer than I could ever imagine, being immortals.”
Perseus’s expression changed and he became stern. I feared that he was actually taking pity on me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
I shook my head and interrupted him. “There’s no need to be sorry. You’ve done nothing to apologize for.”
