Book V

  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

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  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.