<u>Book V</u>
That very night, even as
she was still covered in
the blood of Pegasus,
Medusa led her love
to Athena’s temple.
Their eager hands pawing
at one another’s forms,
peeling away their clothes
with frantic ecstasy.
Before her own statue,
Lord Poseidon thrusted
his full measure into
enraptured Medusa,
ending her maidenhood.
Mighty waves crashed against
the shore in synch with the
divine lord of oceans.
Medusa moaned loudly.
Her mind flooded by dreams
of being Poseidon’s wife,
Athena’s own statue
torn down and her temple
gifted to Medusa,
the new Olympian.
Then Poseidon finished.
Medusa laid there in
ecstatic afterglow.
They nuzzled their faces
together in passion.
Then a white owl hooted.
With Bubo on shoulder,
an irate Athena
descended from on high.
Sea god and Medusa
rose to their feet laughing.
Medusa’s chuckle hissed.
“Oh? What will you do now,
miserable Wisdom?”
she snarled gleefully,
“What power do you have
over a divine king?”
But grey-eyed Athena
glared forward in silence,
her sorrow and fury
plain to the naked eye.
Then Poseidon bellowed
mightily in answer.
The longer his laugh went,
the more trepidatious
poor Medusa became.
The endless pit inside
of her deepened and grew.
At last Poseidon spoke.
“The high-whore-priestess of
scared virgin goddess!
Listen little mortal,
you are nothing to me
but venue for vengeance.
My impertinent niece
has needed correction
for far too long a time
She had forgotten her
place when she challenged me
for the right’s to Athens.
She further defied me
with callous victory.
But what is most perfect?
Indignant irony.
The sole reason you weren’t
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.taken at my first whim
was your scorned protection
of one Lady Wisdom.
I was only tender
in my courtship of you
as to evade my own
brother’s retribution
for slighting his precious,
perfect, peerless, princess.
Behold the hurt and hate
blazing in her blue eyes.
Athena, that feeling
you feel is called ‘defeat’.
I couldn’t have done it
without you, Medusa.
You will never be queen
of any place or man,
but beware the fair skies
and tremble at thunder.
The gods will happily
have you as our own whore.”
With those cruel words, he left.
Medusa’s heart shattered
and she wept profusely.
Goddess and her priestess
lingered on in silence.
“Athena, I’m sorry!”
Medusa pleaded but
Athena was unmoved.
“Medusa,” the goddess
spoke, voice cracking with rage,
“Look upon this image
to witness your true self.”
Then Athena removed
cloth covering the shield.
In it’s reflection stood
a horrid serpentine woman
whose hair was a hissing,
deadly nest of vipers.
Her immaculate skin
became as slimy scales,
and her legs as a tail.
Medusa had become
the monster she always
feared was destined to be.
Medusa’s monstrous screams
echoed across Athens.
Then with bitter grimace,
Athena spoke to her.
“Fear not,” Athena said,
“Now no man, mortal or
divine shall ever touch
you again, my failure.”
Medusa was blinded
with broiling fury.
As she slithered away
all her eyes could witness
was the “jealous goddess”
who had betrayed her trust.
All living things became
stone in her sight because
nothing outside herself
had any further worth.
With her gorgon sisters,
horrid Medusa fled
to Serifos Island
where the three hid away
from the hated, cursed world
in a reclusive cave.
There they remained until
the day a hero came,
with the shield of reason,
to slay the dread monster
of vanity and set
free creativity.