Page 64 of Meduso
“Thank the gods!” I exclaimed.
“Your mother refused to take the king’s hand in marriage,” Anatonius revealed. “King Polydectes then threatened her to reconsider and so she and all those who defended her fled, seeking refuge at one of Apollo’s temples on the adjacent island of Sifnos. She will likely be found by the king’s men in the near future and there is no doubt of the actions the king will take when he does find her. But you have returned Perseus! You can put a stop to all of this!”
I kneeled on the ground so that I was at eye level with Anatonius. I placed my hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Thank you for your loyalty, Anatonius. But I must ask a favor of you. I need Andromeda to stay with you for the time being.” I then glanced over to her. “Andromeda. I need you to remain here in the village.”
Andromeda stepped forward, shaking her head in protest. “But…” she began.
“No. It is for your own safety,” I interrupted. “I must go to Polydectes’s fortress to end this once and for all. There will likely be many guards on duty, and I need to be swift in making my way towards the king. You would only hold me back,” I coolly said to her, as a matter of fact. It may have been condescending, but it was the only quick way for me to get my point across to her.
Andromeda had no choice but to give in. “Very well. I will remain here. But promise you’ll return back to me.” She lunged forward, throwing her full weight into my body, holding onto me for dear life. Her face was just inches from mine. She stared directly at me, but I refrained from giving in to her desired intimacy and turned my head to the side.
“I’ll come back. I promise,” was all I uttered. I simply kissed her on the forehead before running away from the village.
I trekked through the forest and snuck into the heavily guarded fortress from the rear entrance. It was surprisingly not difficult to get through. Apparently, the king was busy hosting a banquet that was occurring in the Great Hall. I overheard a few of the townsfolk chatting as I snuck around the corners inside.
I peered around a large column to see all of Polydectes’s men gathered at the tables around the room, eating and drinking with merriment. The king was sitting on his throne at the very center table of the hall. I knew it was now or never. I reached into the bag attached to my hip, grabbing Meduso’s head by the hair, yanking it out. I counted softly to myself.One… two… three.
I emerged from the column, exposing myself to everyone at the entrance to the hall.
Screaming and yelling like an enraged mad man with my eyes closed, I drew the attention of everyone there. Not a single eye was blind to the head of the beautiful man that I held in my hand. Meduso’s eyes glimmered like topaz and every man and woman in that hall perished. King Polydectes could not even say a word, for he too was turned to stone.
I placed the head back into the tote, before opening my own eyes. I had no sympathy for anyone that was also petrified, even some of the village folk. The fact that these people could celebrate and be merry with such a tyrannical king and support him, meant that they allowed Polydectes to threaten my mother, and were okay with it. And therefore, I felt no remorse for perishing them.
I then stepped forward. It was still hard to believe what I had just done. I moved towards the throne in the center of the room, where the king sat still, now frozen forever. The King of Seriphos was no more.
Not long after the incident, news of King Polydectes’s death travelled far and wide. My mother, Dictys, and some of the other villagers returned to Seriphos by boat just a few days later. My mother’s hands were spread out, arms wide open, as she stepped onto the shore. I grabbed her in a tight hug.
“My Perseus! You have returned and saved us all!” she cried out.
I smiled. “I had no choice, mother. I could not sit idle and allow King Polydectes to commit the atrocities he was able to get away with. His time had come.”
Andromeda also came forth, escorting Pegasus towards us.
“And who is this lovely creature?” Danaë asked.
“His name is Pegasus. Is he not magnificent?” I asked.
My mother could not help but shake her head and smile with amusement. “I was not referring to the horse, although it is marvelous. I was talking abouther,” she raised her hand in the air towards Andromeda, who presented everyone with a pleasant smirk.
“Oh. This is Andromeda, princess of Aethiopia.” I reached for Andromeda’s hand and lifted it towards my mother to hold. “Andromeda, meet my mother, Danaë.”
The women exchanged introductions and became lost in pleasantries while I became distracted by something else coming from the sea. Dictys dragged his boat onto the shore before stepping towards me, wrapping his hand around my shoulder, patting me on the back. “I knew you had it in you, boy. All of Seriphos owes you gratitude. This place can once again be the tranquil island it was always meant to be.”
“Yes. But the island is in need of a new king. A humble one,” I explained. “And that king should be you, Dictys. I trust that you will serve our people well.”
The old fisherman nodded. “It would be my honor. Except I refuse to live in that barren fortress. I will still remain in my house in the village, among my people.”
My mother stepped from behind, disrupting our short reunion. “Come. Let us all return home. I will cook us a splendid meal and you can share all about your adventures and travels with me. I want to hear every last detail.”
That evening, everyone drank wine as I shared everything that had happened once I left Seriphos, including how I was supported by Hermes, Hephaestus, and Athena themselves on my journey to slaying the mortal gorgon.
“And tell me about this gorgon. Was he a hideous, fearsome creature?” Danaë asked.
No. He was the most beautiful creature I ever laid eyes on. He was the love of my life and his sacrifice is what led to all of you being able to live and breathe at this very moment. This was what I wanted to say out loud to my mother and everyone, but the words never came out, for some reason. Instead, I would keep this information to myself.
I would go on to live a peaceful life, becoming a king myself. Just as the Oracle at Delphi had prophesized, I would eventually kill my grandfather, the King of Argos. It was a fluke accident in a stadium where I competed in various games. The discus throw, which was my worst event, would lead to King Acrisius’s demise. I threw the heavy discus off course, striking the king in the head, as he sat in the crowd, watching the competition. Acrisius would have no time to dodge the flying object. Upon impact, he was instantly dead.
Andromeda and I would be married and grow old together, admiring the accomplishments of our nine children: seven sons and two daughters. Even in my progressive age, not a day went by where I did not think about Meduso. Every night, I would make it a habit to go outside and gaze up at the glorious mosaic of stars in the night sky. Over the years, I was able to recognize that Artemis had rearranged these glimmers of light.
