THE-GORGON-OF-ATHENA

 Medusa heard footsteps approaching the lonely cave she had been exiled. They just wouldn’t leave her alone. Hadn’t she suffered enough? She mused in resignation. Whatever happened she would take it. She had had enough of the misery.

Clutching the golden dagger Athena had gifted her before everything went awry, to her chest, she walked to meet the intruders. The men were about twenty in number.

However, to her surprise, as they looked at her face, they turned into stone, their faces contorted into terrified expressions.

Shocked, she walked towards the now stony figures. She saw Hereus, her beloved cousin. Holding his face, she tapped, hoping it was a nightmare.

Sobs racking through her body, she caressed Hereus’ face. What had happened? What had she done? She ran down to the nearest body of water she could see. She gasped as she stared at her reflection.

Her beautiful face had transformed into an ugly one with wrinkles, her skin was now cracked, her beautiful hazel eyes had been replaced with stony ones and her beautiful black hair was now a mass of serpents.

She screamed in agony as memories of every single event assaulted her, ‘Ahhhh!! Athena, I loved you. This is what I get for being loyal.’ She started to laugh like a maniac.

A monster she was now, a murderer, an unwilling one but she had to carry the guilt. If only she could play that part well.

THREE YEARS AGO

‘Medusa, there is a letter for you,’ a voice bellowed from the stairs. Medusa roused from her slumber, putting on her sandals.

Giggling, she ran to get the letter. She had applied to be a priestess of the great Athena, the goddess of war and hunting. She was quite nervous. What if she hadn’t made it?

Taking a really deep breath, she tore the seal and started to read the letter. She had been accepted as a goddess. She squealed in delight, alerting her mother, Cassia.

Cassia hugged her daughter, ‘Daughter, I am so happy for you. You finally achieve your life-long dream.’ Medusa sighed, looking at the worry on her mother’s face. ‘I am aware of what this means. I want this. I would never change it for anything else, Mother. Give me your blessings.’

Almost moved to tears, Cassia clung to her daughter, ‘My adorable Medusa, I would have preferred you stayed with me and married one of the numerous respectable suitors you have and birth many children.’

Sniffling, she continued, ‘But I respect your decision, daughter. May you find favour in the sight of Athena.’

Soon after, she left for the temple of Athena. Her sweet temper and kind heart made her a favourite of the people. Many thought her worthy of Athena while few pitied her for wasting her good genes.

News of the sweet kind priestess reached the ears of the gods. Athena visited the temple in the guise of a starving little girl, to whom Medusa had attended, like royalty.

This moved Athena who gifted Medusa her golden dagger, a symbol reserved for her soulmate. Athena revealed herself to Medusa who was shocked and bowed to her goddess.

Lifting Medusa, the goddess magically drew a tattoo of an arrow on Medusa’s palm. She had fallen in love with the kind-hearted beauty. Athens disappeared shortly after, however, she kept visiting her favourite priestess, making Medusa's colleagues angry.

News had reached Athena’s rival, Poseidon, the god of water about Athen’s favourite priestess. His curiosity was piqued, he wondered who could have defrosted Athena’s hardened heart.

He left his palace alone to check the priestess out. He was mesmerized by her beauty. She had the most ample curves he’d ever seen, her long silky hair was calling to be touched, and her face was almost as beautiful as Aphrodite’s.

Wary, Medusa bowed to greet the god, Poseidon, who disregarded the laws by kissing her hand. She recoiled like she had been burnt. Poseidon, slick and promiscuous as ever, did not hesitate to propose marriage to Medusa.

The ever-loyal Medusa refused politely, reminding him about the rules. Angry and lustful, Poseidon grabbed Medusa and stripped her. Somehow, no one could stop Poseidon as he raped her on the stairs of the temple, maybe out of fear of Poseidon, or because they hated Medusa, no one could tell.

Feeling ashamed and dirty, Medusa lay, crumpled on the stairs. Athena suddenly appeared before Medusa who started to cry uncontrollably. Furious, Athena screamed, ‘You betrayed me!’

In tears, Medusa tried to explain herself, trembling. There seemed to be some hesitation in Athena’s eyes however it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Medusa cried out as the former cursed and banished her to a lonely life forever. She had lived a perfect life for Athena but she got the short end of the stick; raped, wrongfully cursed with her rapist living freely, blamed for a situation in which she was a victim.

Laughing like a maniac, she walked the lonely cave, waiting for someone to kill her out of the misery the woman she adored, put her in.