Gifts from the Gods
Perseus whispered a prayer as he descended the rough-hewn rock stairway into the gloomy torch-lit cavern below.
He kept his eyes averted as he stepped on near-silent feet through the ancient cavern, dodging through and hiding behind stalagmites that sprouted from the ground, reaching tall to join the stalactites above, from which water dripped in a continuous rhythm into pools in the pitted floor. Some met in the middle—giant columns in a subterranean cathedral.
His ears strained to hear anything unusual. There! Was that a soft step? A slither of scales as sinuous bodies rubbed against one another? Sibilant hisses? A shudder of fear skittered down his spine as he continued his hesitant journey through the cavern.
He raised his bronze shield, gifted by Athena, gazing only at the reflections in the highly-polished surface. In his other hand, he clutched the adamantine sword, its edge keen and sharp. On his head, he wore Hades’ helm of darkness to help him melt into the shadows. Both gifts from Zeus. But could the gods be trusted? Would these gifts truly aid him in the task set him by Polydectes?
He crept around the cavern, using the shield to see around the stalagmites, and finally saw her, reflected in all her monstrous glory, sneaking up behind him—Medusa, the gorgon, snakes slithering and hissing around her head.
Perseus squeezed his eyes shut, blindly swinging the blade in an arc. She didn’t stand a chance as the adamantine edge took her head cleanly from her body, from where leapt the winged horse, Pegasus.
As Medusa’s body fell, Perseus heard the screams of her sisters, Stheno and Euryale. He scooped up Medusa’s head, placing it into the knapsack given to him by the Hesperides, the nymphs who tended Hera’s grove.
He melted into the shadows, racing towards the light of dawn, where Pegasus stamped his hooves impatiently, afraid of the cries of the remaining gorgons.
Perseus threw himself onto Pegasus, who broke into a gallop before rising into the sky with a swoop of his wings, leaving the island of Sarpedon far behind them.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleWow, Carrie. What a great story for a “Reflections” theme. Of course, the Medusa myth would be perfect for such a prompt, and you’ve told it well. I knew most of the story already, but I didn’t know that Pegasus was born of Medusa. Pegasus was always a favorite of mine – the winged horse. I loved your description of the caves. I could just see the stalactites and stalagmites!
Thank you, Fuji. I’ve been longing to write about Perseus and Medusa for ages, just waiting for the right prompt to come along. You know how I love my Greek mythology. I’ve always loved Pegasus too—so majestic! I knew about his emergence from Medusa, but I’d forgotten about it until I was doing my research! I forget far too much these days! Glad you enjoyed the story anyway 🙂
Carrie, I liked how you built up the drama and kept the reader on the edge of her seat! Mythology is so interesting!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you, Margarida. Yes, I do love my mythology. When I base stories around old myths, it gives me a sense of magical realism. There is so much material to work with to reconstruct the stories, and it is interesting to see the changes in the retellings by other people. Seeing people’s interpretation of the story in art is very interesting too. In the picture I’ve used, for instance, the shield already… Read more »
Hello, Carrie. Your mythology story always makes me fall in love with it. I really enjoyed it, especially the build-up of the drama. Well done.
Thank you, Lotchie. I’m glad you enjoyed the story 🙂
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI do so love your mythology stories, Carrie, and what a story this is! The perfect build-up to a dramatic ending and filled with amazing descriptions. One of your best!
Thank you, Linda. I’d forgotten how many details there are to this story, so cramming it into 350 words wasn’t easy!