EPISODE 67

IN WHICH PERSEUS FACES THE GORGONS

Previously: Perseus has used his cunning and has succeeded in finding out where the Gorgons are hiding. Athena has offered him her shield so that he may confront Medusa without looking at her straight in the face.

Perseus was walking sure-footed towards the den of the three monsters, but Hermes did not feel so easy in his mind. That’s why he had gone away: to seek help. Soon enough, he rejoined Perseus along the way, carrying a huge sack on his shoulder.

Hermes asked him: “Are you quite sure that you have everything you need in order to win?”

With the insouciance of his youth, Perseus answered: “Oh, well, we’ll see when we get there!”

Hermes shook his head unhappily and sat on a rock. All of a sudden he, the spirited and impulsive young god, was feeling much more sensible than Perseus. “Perhaps as a result of learning more things and of discovering the world,” he mulled, “I am becoming a little wiser?” He took the sack he had been carrying on his shoulder and threw it over to the young man. “Catch this bag, you might need it. You will find inside the helmet which makes one invisible, the one belonging to my uncle Hades, the king of the Underworld. I borrowed it from him. There is also a long and mighty sword, a sword so sturdy that even the Gorgons’ thick, hard skin will not be able to withstand it. As for the sack itself, it is magical: it takes the form of whatever you slip inside it.” Then he slowly took off his shoes and held out the winged sandals to Perseus. “I will lend these to you as well. You can return everything to me later.”

This time, Perseus was properly armed to wage battle against the Gorgons. Happy as a child in front of new toys, he put on the winged sandals, drew the long sword out of its scabbard, grabbed hold of Athena’s shield and put on the helmet of Hades. He instantly became invisible and flew away towards the Gorgons’ den. “Do not forget,” Hermes cried after him, “you can only kill Medusa. She is the only one of the three Gorgons who can die, the other two are immortal, do not attack them!” Perseus, however, was already far away. Hermes’ words were lost in the wind. The messenger god decided to follow the young man in order to keep an eye on him.

The Gorgons lived on an icy island battered by raging winds. Perseus flew first of all across the ocean, until he noticed an island with beautiful cold and deserted beaches. There he discovered an absolutely incredible landscape and he knew that he was approaching the Gorgons’ lair. There were animals of every kind and some men as well. But as he approached, he realized that these were statues of stone. Each had met the gaze of one of the Gorgons and had been immediately transformed into a statue! Perseus landed and began to walk amidst the statues of stone. He was touched by the fate of all these wretched creatures and his anger rose up inside him. When he reached the cave where the Gorgons lived, they were all three asleep. Perseus observed them on Athena’s shield, which served him as a mirror. They were even more appalling than anything Perseus had been able to imagine. Their heads were aswarm with snakes writhing in every direction and their necks were covered with dragon scales. They had enormous golden wings and their hands bore talons of bronze. He flew above the sleeping Gorgons, yet his hand was reluctant to strike. If he missed his target, what would happen once the monstrous sisters were awake? And, what is more, which of the three was Medusa? Hermes again came to his aid. He indicated Medusa to him with a motion of his hand. Perseus then brandished his heavy sword while keeping a keen eye on Medusa on the mirror-shield.

And Athena, who was also watching discreetly from the heights of Olympus, guided his hand. His magic sword came crashing down and lopped off Medusa’s head with one clean blow. He came down immediately, grabbed the head, catching hold of it by its vile snake-hair, and slipped it inside his sack without looking at it. He had thus escaped the terrible gaze which turned people into stone.

Instantly, an incredible winged horse emerged from Medusa’s body, by the name of Pegasus. For a moment Perseus stood there dazzled, his breath taken away by the winged horse’s beauty. He stretched out his hand towards the animal to catch it, but the horse immediately flew away towards Olympus and disappeared from Perseus’ sight.

In the meantime, the other two Gorgons had woken up and were getting ready to go after Medusa’s murderer. Would Perseus manage to escape his pursuers?

 

To be continued…