by Amanda Brack
Medusa returned to the lair where her sisters resided and surrounded herself with the statues of the ill-fated foes that dared face her.
Around the same time, the hero Perseus had begun the quest given to him by King Polydectes.
Many of the gods wished Medusa dead, so they armed Perseus with many powerful tools and weapons that could help him defeat her.
The smith god Hephaestus forged him a mighty sword.
Hades, the god of the Underworld, fashioned a helmet of invisibility to help him move stealthily.
And Hermes, the messenger of the gods, gave him gold-winged sandals to help him move with greater swiftness.
Athena, whose curse had brought on Medusa’s powers of destruction, provided Perseus with a great mirrored shield.
Perseus stormed Medusa’s lair, armed with his gifts from the gods.
He confronted the angry gorgon sorceress, whose serpents hissed and whose ferocious gaze threatened to kill him.
Remembering the shield given to him by Athena, Perseus had an even greater weapon than Medusa’s horrific glare.
He protected himself behind his mirror shield, only looking at Medusa through the shield’s reflection.
With that, he delivered a powerful swing of his sword and cut off Medusa’s monstrous head.
But Medusa had been carrying Poseidon’s child, and from out of her neck sprang Pegasus, a vast flying horse.
Then, using his winged shoes and invisibility helmet, Perseus evaded Medusa’s sisters and escaped the lair.
Perseus and Atlas
With Medusa vanquished, Perseus continued on his quest. He traveled as far as he could go, until he arrived at the western edge of the world.
At this time there was a Titan named Atlas who ruled over the ends of the earth. King Atlas was powerful and vastly wealthy.
He owned huge tracks of land that were unrivaled in their lush and fruitful beauty.
Of all the sprawling lands that Atlas owned, he treasured the Garden of Hesperides the most. The garden contained a tree of golden apples.
Perseus arrived at Atlas’s gates, weary and hungry from the long journey. He asked Atlas for food and shelter so he could rest and regain his strength.
But the great Titan would not help. He had been told a prophecy that a descendent of Zeus would arrive at his garden and steal the precious golden apples.
Atlas turned Perseus away, throwing him from the gates in the process.
Shocked and angered by Atlas’s treatment of him, Perseus pulled the head of Medusa out of the bag that he had been carrying.
He turned and pointed the hideous face of the powerful gorgon monster at Atlas.
Atlas was immediately turned to stone, and with that, the great Mount Atlas was formed. The weight of the sky and the stars would be forever planted on his shoulders.
Safe from harm, Perseus continued his quest, using the winged sandals gifted to him by Hermes to fly off to Ethiopia.
Perseus and Andromeda
Perseus continued on his great quest, flying over the seas by way of his winged sandals.
On his journey, he glanced down and saw a woman chained to a rock.
He almost continued on his way, thinking that she was a statue, but her hair blew in the breeze and Perseus saw how lovely she was.
He flew down to her and asked her what had happened.
Her name was Andromeda, and she was the daughter of Cassiopeia and King Cepheus.
Andromeda explained that her mother had been exceedingly boastful, claiming that she and Andromeda were more beautiful than even the fairest of the Neired sea nymphs.
This insulted the Neireds, who felt Cassiopeia’s hubris deserved retribution.
The sea nymphs brought their concerns to Poseidon.
Hearing the Neireds tell their story, Poseidon became angered and annoyed by Cassiopeia’s mortal vanity.
In response, he first flooded the lands that Cassiopeia and King Cepheus ruled over.
Then he unleashed a great sea monster in the form of a serpent, sending it to avenge the Neireds.
The sea monster caused immense destruction.
Not knowing what to do, King Cepheus sought the advice of an oracle to help ward off the beast. The oracle told him that he must offer the sea monster his daughter, Andromeda, in sacrifice.
King Cepheus was torn and could not imagine doing such a thing to his daughter. But the pressure from his subjects was too heavy, and he reluctantly agreed to sacrifice Andromeda, chaining her to the rock where Perseus had discovered her.
Andromeda finished telling her story and Perseus understood how terrible her situation was.
Suddenly, Andromeda’s parents appeared on the rock, and the ocean began to churn and swell. From the depths of the sea, out came the horrific serpent, baring its razor-like teeth.
Andromeda’s father became hysterical with fear and worry.
Perseus told him that if he would give permission to marry the girl, he would save Andromeda. King Cepheus agreed to Perseus’s terms.
Perseus flew up to the monster, wielding his sharp sword in front of him.
He slashed the creature,
cutting him into pieces.
When they returned home and were safe, Andromeda and Perseus were married.
Cassiopeia and King Cepheus offered the couple the whole of their kingdom to rule over.
They all lived happily, except for Cassiopeia, who was still punished. Poseidon transformed her into a cluster of stars and scattered her across the sky.
Perseus and the Prophecy
After a jubilant wedding, Perseus and Andromeda continued along their travels.
They stopped in Larisa, where there was a great festival of games and competitions. Perseus decided to enter into the games.
Little did Perseus know, his grandfather, Acrisius, had been hiding out in the very same city and was attending the very same games.
Perseus began the games by joining the discus-throwing competition. He threw the discus with great strength.
Unfortunately, the discus veered off course and struck Acrisius in the head.
Acrisius died instantly, fulfilling the prophecy he had feared from so long ago.
Perseus discovered what he had done, and to whom, and became distraught. He buried his grandfather with a heavy heart.
After this terrible event, Andromeda and Perseus decided to return from the quest and bring the head of Medusa to Polydectes.
Upon their arrival, they encountered Dictys, the fisherman brother who had saved Danae and baby Perseus from so many years before.
Dictys told Perseus that Polydectes had tricked him. The wedding had been a farce, and Danae had been forced to act as Polydectes’s servant while Perseus was away.
Perseus was horrorstruck. He had left his mother at the mercy of Polydectes and unintentionally caused her to suffer hardship while he went on his exciting journey.
Furious, Perseus stormed the palace to confront Polydectes. As he entered, he warned his mother to move out of the way and close her eyes.
From his bag he pulled out Medusa’s hideous head and unleashed her powers of destruction.
Polydectes and his men were caught off guard and shrieked in horror as Perseus stood before them with the gorgon head.
Each was turned to stone forever, and Perseus was victorious.
Artemis and Apollo
Artemis and Apollo were twin gods, born to Zeus and Leto.
Leto’s pregnancy had been difficult. Hera had been jealous of her relationship with Zeus and had sent a serpent to chase and harass Leto.
The serpent followed Leto across the earth, preventing her from finding a safe place to rest and bear her children.
Finally Leto found refuge on an island and began to give birth.
Artemis was born first and immediately began aiding her mother through her labor, acting as her midwife.
With Artemis’s help, Leto gave birth to Apollo. Thus Artemis became a patron goddess of childbirth
, as well as virginity, guardian of young girls, and helper of women.
Artemis was also the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, and wild animals. Zeus was delighted with his daughter and gave her whatever she wanted. At her request, he gave her permission to never marry and remain a maiden forever. He gave her the wild mountains to watch over as her domain and had a beautiful silver bow and arrows made for her.
Apollo was also one of his father’s favorites. He was a handsome young man and powerful god, and he was renowned for his skill in music, poetry, and philosophy.
The twins grew to be skilled archers and hunters at a young age.
They were devoted to their mother and remained grateful to her for suffering through their difficult birth.
Apollo sought the serpent that had chased Leto during her pregnancy and killed it with his spear.
Once, a giant named Tityus tried to steal Leto and take her as his wife.
Leto fled and called to her children for help.
Artemis and Apollo ran to their mother’s side, and together they slayed the monstrous foe.
Zeus then banished the giant to eternal torture in the Underworld for good measure.
At this time there lived a woman named Niobe who was queen of Thebes and the daughter of Tantalus. Niobe refused to honor Leto or Artemis and Apollo at Leto’s temple.
Niobe had children of her own: seven sons and seven daughters. She proclaimed that she was a better mother than Leto, and so she refused to worship the goddess.
Leto was greatly offended by Niobe’s boastful words, and she told her children to defend her and her honor.
The twins agreed and set out to punish Niobe.
They found Niobe’s sons at play by the front gate and crept up silently behind them.
Together they unleashed a torrent of arrows onto the boys’ heads.
When it was over they had killed all seven of Niobe’s sons.
Niobe came, and when she saw what had happened she cried out in anguish. She cursed cruel Leto and told her she had won their contest.
Then in fury she relented, and again challenged the goddess. Niobe said that she still had seven daughters, which was more children than Leto, and so she was still the best mother.
The sisters came out to see what had happened and saw their brothers dead on the ground.
From their perch, Artemis and Apollo shot at them with arrows.
Soon all but the youngest daughter was dead.
Niobe begged for them to spare her youngest child.
But it was too late.
Niobe was consumed by her grief at the loss of her children. Her sorrow was so great that she was transformed into a statue that would cry for the rest of eternity.
Artemis and Orion
As Artemis and Apollo got older, Artemis began spending more time with her friend Orion, who was Poseidon’s son. Orion was a strong, handsome man and a skilled hunter.
Apollo felt left out and was jealous of their close friendship. This made him angry, and he decided to punish Artemis and Orion.
The next day, Orion took a swim in the river before he was to meet Artemis for their daily hunt.
Meanwhile Apollo challenged Artemis to an archery contest.
He pointed out at the water where Orion swam far off in the distance, too far to see him clearly. Orion’s head looked just like a rock sticking out of the water. Apollo said that whoever managed to hit the rock would be the winner of their contest.
So Artemis drew her bow and let fly an arrow, faster and straighter than any mortal on earth could shoot.
The goddess’s aim was true, and she struck her friend on the head, killing him.
When his body floated to shore, Artemis was heartbroken. As a reward for his loyalty and companionship, she put his body into the sky as a constellation, and there it remains as a tribute to their friendship.
Artemis and Actaeon
Actaeon was a man who did not fare as well in his dealings with Artemis. He was the grandson of King Cadmus of Thebes, and it was well known that he was a handsome young man and a brave hunter.
One day when Actaeon was out hunting, he wandered off away from his friends.
In his wanderings, he found a lovely cool spring. It was so sweet and refreshing that he waded in.
There he stumbled upon the goddess Artemis bathing. Her nymph handmaidens tried to shield her from his sight, but they were not fast enough.
Actaeon had seen her radiant beauty, completely unrobed.
Artemis was embarrassed and infuriated by this disturbance.
She tried to reach for her bow, but it was too far away.
Artemis then turned to Actaeon and sent a mighty splash in his direction.
When the water touched him, he was transformed into a deer. Frightened, Actaeon turned his fluffy tail and fled into the forest.
His own hunting dogs caught his new scent, and soon they chased him down and tore him to pieces. And this was his punishment for spying on the terrible, beautiful goddess.
Atalanta
There was once an Arkadian huntress who was smart and strong. Her name was Atalanta, and she was well loved by the goddess Artemis.
When Atalanta was an infant, her father, Iasios, had left her to die in the forest. He had decided that he wanted only sons for children.
A motherly bear came upon Atalanta and took her in.
The bear cared for the baby until she grew bigger and stronger.
Eventually, Atalanta was found by hunters, who raised her as their own for the rest of her childhood.
Atalanta grew up to be a fierce and independent young woman, one who did not need a partner to provide for her. She could do it on her own.
She came upon a centaur, who tried in vain to court her.
She would have none of it, and she shot him with her arrows.
Later, she asked Jason if she could join the Argonauts. She wanted to be a part of the powerful group and have her chance at hunting the Calydonian boar. The Argonauts balked at the idea of a woman hunter and said no.
Atalanta ignored them and joined the hunt anyway. With her cunning and hunting prowess, she was the first to draw blood from the massive boar.
Meleager, a member of the Argonauts, skinned the boar and tried to give the hide to Atalanta as a trophy for her accomplishment.
The other men were angered by this, so a perilous fight broke out and all the men were killed.
At the funerals, traditional games and competitions were held in the men’s honor. Atalanta entered a wrestling contest and came out victorious. Her notoriety spread, and she was now someone people recognized as a valiant huntress.
She became so well regarded that her father returned, asking for her to come back home with him.
When she returned with him, he insisted that she marry.
Atalanta was about the refuse outright, but instead she placed a bet with her father. If a suitor were able to beat her in a footrace, then he would have the privilege of marrying her. If he failed, she would cut off his head.
For a while, this arrangement worked out very well for Atalanta.
Many men took on the challenge of the footrace, wishing to make Atalanta their bride. None of the suitors could outrun her, and as promised, she swiftly beheaded them.
But one day, a new suitor named Melanion came along, and he truly loved her.
He knew he was no match for Atalanta, and that if he tried to race her on his own, he would be sure to lose. He prayed to Aphrodite for her help in winning the race.
Aphrodite listened to Melanion’s request and agreed to help him. She gave him three golden apples and told him to use them during the race to help distract Atalanta.
This offer of assistance did not come without a price. Aphrodite made Melanion promise that, in return, he must make a sacrifice to Aphrodite when the race was over.
