Page 15 of Meduso
“You have to lie and deceive the fish in order to catch them?” I asked.
Perseus turned around, snickering at my comment. “Yes, Meduso. It’s okay for us to deceive the fish. They are a gift from Poseidon. He has given all of us permission to treat the fish in this way,” Perseus explained to me.
At the mention of Poseidon, Perseus became a blur to me. My surroundings were disappearing and my mind was taking me elsewhere.I was on a beach somewhere. I couldn’t quite tell exactly where. The water was a more marine blue on this shore I was now at. Looking out into the ocean, a large man was emerging from the water. He was a well-built, gorgeous, and an attractive human. His chest was exposed and bare. I found myself striding towards the man into the water, placing my hands against the thick, curved muscles of his chest, almost in a passionate stance.
“Meduso! Are you alright!?” Perseus shouted.
I came out of the trance shaking my head. I was back here in the boat again, far out in the Aegean Sea.
“Yes. I’m fine,” I replied.
“Your eyes. They turned completely silver!” Perseus explained.
This must have been another one of my visions that the Fates had given me. What could it mean?
“Yes. It happens once in a while. It’s nothing to worry about,” I stated, trying to alleviate any worry he may have had.
“Are you sure?” Perseus raised his brow.
“I’m sure. Let’s continue with the lesson.” I stirred them away from the topic and back to fishing.
As Dictys continued to provide me with details on the migration patterns of different types of fish and strategies for the optimal ways to catch each of them, I was only half-listening. My mind was still completely distracted by the vision I had just seen.
Where and when did this scene take place?
Who was the man coming forth from the sea?
Why did I place my hands on him in what seemed to be a loving and passionate gesture?
The man wasn’t Perseus…
I then frowned at the last thought. I became ashamed at the idea of having my hands pressed against another man in what seemed like an impure way. A flood of emotions and past reminders of my parents overcame me. I recalled what they had informed my sisters and me of on multiple occasions.You must stay pure if you are to serve Athena.
There were still so many questions swarming in my head that would have to go unanswered for now. I forced myself to glare over the edge of the boat into the serene, brilliant blue water. I closed my eyes, reminding myself of my surroundings, protected by the Aegean Sea. My mind became cleansed once more and I diverted my attention back to Dictys and Perseus.
“Now that we’ve gone over the basic concepts of angling, let’s discuss netting,” Dictys went on. “Perseus, why don’t you take over from here?”
“Sure! So, Meduso, netting is a skill we use when we are in need of abundant fish. A net should be arranged in the following way.” Perseus held the net high in the air, fully spread. “Make sure there are absolutely no tangles or knots before you toss it overboard.”
He then threw it out into the sea, and I watched the net sink beneath the surface of the water. “Now we just sit and wait for several minutes. Then we pull it back up to see what we’ve captured. If the gods are watching us in the moment, they will bless us with a great deal of fish!”
And so, the three of us sat in the boat, patiently waiting and hoping for Poseidon’s deliverance.
“Dictys, I would love to hear about you and your brother, King Polydectes, and how he became the ruler of Seriphos,” I expressed with interest.
The old man gave a heavy sigh. “Very well. I will tell you my story. There was once a King of Magnesia in Thessalia, named Magnes. He was a tyrant of sorts and acted as most kings of our time do. Beyond his wife, he was fond of many nymphs, specifically the Naiads who originated in Seriphos. As it turned out, this king became extremely enamored with a particular nymph who became his mistress. She gave birth to two young males, with Magnes serving as their father. A scandal this would truly be, if anyone in the kingdom of Magnesia had learned of Magnes’s betrayal and his laying with a common Naiad nymph.”
Perseus and I sat intently listening as Dictys continued on.
“Because of this, he separated himself and all emotional ties to the nymph and his two sons. He banished them from Magnesia. The boys’ nymph mother was forced to raise her children on her own. As a result, she migrated back to her home on the island of Seriphos. The boys grew up being the only males on the island. The eldest of the brothers was crowned King of Seriphos with the blessings of the nymphs and the gods. His younger brother was offered to serve alongside the king as a member of his counsel. However, he had no desire to serve with the king. The boy grew fond of the beaches of Seriphos and the Aegean Sea. He wanted to live among the townsfolk and so the king allowed this path for his brother and let him grow to become a skilled fisherman and a loyal servant of the sea.”
“And…?” I began, expecting a little more to the tale.
“And, that’s it. That is my story,” Dictys stated. “Some people have long stories and some have short ones. Mine is rather short. But you two… your stories have only just begun. Will they end up being long or short? Only time will tell, but you both have the power to craft it.”
Perseus and I glanced at one another as Dictys mentioned this, trying to imagine our own stories and what would unfold in the future to further develop them.
I still had no idea about Perseus’s past. Yes, he told me he and his mother arrived at the island of Seriphos when he was a baby, but he failed to tell me where they came from prior to arriving here. Plus, there was the awkward moment last night when Danaë was about to reveal the details of Perseus’s father, to which Perseus interrupted her before she could even share that information. What did he have to hide?
