Page 63 of Meduso
I held on tightly to Pegasus as we continued to fly towards the only place left for me to go, which was home at Seriphos. Andromeda clung to me from behind, wrapping her hands around my waist to hold on. “So, are you going to tell me how you miraculously turned eight men and a sea monster into stone?” she asked.
I let out a deep sigh, afraid to have this conversation with anyone. However, I felt a kindred spirit with Andromeda. I assumed I could trust her. After all, how could we not trust each other? I saved her life and took her away from her homeland at her request. If anything, Andromeda owed me so much, including her undying loyalty.
“It wasn’t me that turned those men into stone.” I then reached with one hand to hold up the sac that contained Meduso’s head. “It was this. The head of the mortal gorgon is in here. Surely, you’ve heard of the tale of the gorgons?”
Andromeda nodded. “Yes. A handsome brother and his two sisters who defied Athena and were thus cursed with the body of snakes and forever turning mortals into stone for whomever gazed into their eyes.”
To hear this version of my lover’s legacy spoken of gave me a sinking feeling within my gut. I hated the idea of Meduso being painted in such a terrible light. As if everything that had happened to him was ill-fated and deserving for his actions. I knew this was not the case at all.
“But the brother and his two sisters did not defy Athena like you think. They were truly innocent in all that had happened. There was a complete misunderstanding,” I shared.
“So, you actually managed to hunt the gorgons down and behead the mortal gorgon? You really are a hero,” Andromeda seductively whispered into my ear. Her admiration for me continued to grow with each new story she learned about me.
“I wouldn’t call myself a hero.”
“Now you’re just being modest. Of course, you’re a hero. Not only did you save me and all of Aethiopia, but you managed to slay the monstrous gorgon to avenge Athena. If you’re not ahero, then what are you?”
I dwelled on this for a moment, trying to find the right words to say before responding. “I’m just lost, is all. I lost the love of my life and I’m not sure what else there is to live for,” I admitted.
Andromeda pressed the side of her face into my back, an attempt to soothe and comfort me. “You mentioned earlier that your lover, Meduso, had been sacrificed. That it was the will of the gods. What did you mean by that?”
“I’m not sure how else to say it, so I’ll just be completely up front with you. The male gorgon, I beheaded, his name was Meduso…”
Andromeda lifted her head, placing one of her hands over her mouth in disbelief. “You mean to tell me that Meduso, your lover, was in fact that gorgon that you beheaded?”
I gave a very long and slow nod, not wanting to elaborate much else on the subject. It was too hard of a discussion to now have with her. I was not capable of divulging my true feelings and sentiments with her.
“I see…” Andromeda pondered for a moment. I could tell something was not quite right to her. Perhaps she was confused over how I could possibly love a gorgon. How a man could love such a foul creature. That I must have been misguided, or better yet, maybe even cursed. Could I have been beguiled by the creature? Did I fall under the gorgon’s spell, and was forced to love the monster? Little did I know that these were her very exact thoughts.
She assumed that the gods did not want me to be with Meduso. So, they must have known I was not truly in love with the gorgon. Having Meduso sacrificed was the only way to free me from the emotional clutches Meduso must have held over me. That the gods led me away from the gorgon and into Andromeda’s arms. She thought I was meant to be hers and only hers.
After several hours of flying into the night, Pegasus eventually landed on the beach of Seriphos. I led the horse and Andromeda into the nearby forest, tying Pegasus to a tree in the clearing.
“Is this your homeland?” she asked.
“Yes. This is Seriphos. Come. We have no time to waste.”
I escorted her into the village. I first checked my mother’s stone home, only to discover no one was there. I then searched around the village for her whereabouts. As I entered Dictys’s home at the northern-most end of the village, I was relieved to find that no one was there, either. The place was completely empty. My last thought was to make sure they weren’t in my own home. I returned back down the village path and peeked into my house only to see that it too was vacant. Once I stepped into my bedroom to verify no one was there, I immediately regretted it. It was a huge mistake on my part. The very moment I laid eyes on my bed, memories of Meduso and me curled up next to one another, wrapped in each other’s arms, flashed across my mind. I shook my head in a desperate attempt to dismantle these thoughts.
As I strode back down the path of the village with Andromeda, I heard soft footsteps approach from behind me. I turned to see that it was a young boy chasing after us. “Perseus! You’ve returned!”
“Anatolius!” I shouted as the boy sprinted towards me. We embraced in a hug before I released him from my grips.
“I knew it was you! I watched you from my window, but wasn’t sure if I was imagining it or not. I cannot believe you’ve returned,” Anatolius stated, before glancing over at Andromeda. “And is this a friend?”
I smiled at the boy. “Yes. This is my friend, Andromeda.”
Andromeda extended her hand to the boy, in the most amicable way possible. “Nice to meet you, child.”
Anatolius accepted her offer and shook her hand back. “You too!”
I was still anxious over everyone’s absence, wondering where most of the others were. I felt the need to cut the introductions short and get right to the point of my return. “Anatolius, where are my mother and Dictys?”
The boy’s face immediately shifted into a frown. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?” Perseus asked.
“Your mother, Dictys, and a few others left the island a few days ago. They are all safe.”
