Slowly, she edged backwards into one of the many crevices of the cave and out of sight. A moment later and he too was standing in her lair.
With her heart trembling, Medusa waited for the boy to make his move. Any men who had previously been allowed to get this far charged on, confident that having made it through the garden, their success was guaranteed. But not this one. For all the ichor of the gods running through his veins, she could feel the nerves clouding his mind.
‘Who are you?’ Medusa said. ‘Why did the Goddess send you?’
Her snakes were poised. The sensation of terror had gone as quickly as it came. It was not fear of this man, she realised, just memories of the Goddess that caused her body to react so. He was just a man, a boy, like all the others she had been forced to kill. Now securely past the mouth of the cave, his breath created a warm fog that drifted inwards to the cool of the shadows. She cursed herself for allowing him to get this far. Now she would have to drag his effigy out into the garden before ridding herself of it that way. Extra work. Extra time spent looking into those cold, stone eyes.
‘I know you are here. You should turn back,’ she called into the darkness. ‘You have been sent on a fool’s errand. No man escapes here, no matter who sent him.’ The same near-silent buzzing continued, although she heard the air tighten in his lungs. Medusa tried again. ‘Go. While you still have the chance. Do you hear me? You do not want to face me, boy. Run, while you still can.’
Another pause. An intake of breath perceptible only to her. A quiver in the air before even the first word had formed on his lips. She waited for the bold statements. The declaration of heroism. A list of all his conquests. A rhetoric of the reasons that he would be the first to succeed where all others had failed.
She planned to reveal herself, to turn him the moment those words began, but the words he spoke were not as expected.
‘Who are you?’ he said.
The words sounded foolish and childish as they spilled from his mouth. He had words he should have said, words he had recited in his head. Strong words, praising the gods. Giving thanks to his father and siblings. Perhaps even shouting their name as he slipped the sword across the beast’s throat. But that was what he had expected. A beast. Guttural growls and spitting hisses. He expected the tongue of a serpent, not the tongue of woman.
An explanation tried to form in his head; he must have stumbled upon another island. One where the Gorgons kept their prizes. Perhaps she was a woman held captive by the beasts. Perhaps she needed to be rescued and, as such, would become part of his reward. It was his turn to speak and ask the questions.
‘Who are you?’ Perseus asked again. ‘My name is Perseus. I have come from Seriphos.’
‘I am the one you seek,’ the voice replied.
‘I have come for the Gorgon Medusa.’
His words were met with a laugh that bounced off the walls of the cave, distorting the direction from which it came. ‘Tell me,’ she said. ‘What did you do to invoke such anger in the Goddess that she would send you to me? You must have riled her a great deal.’
‘Angered?’
‘Athena, she sent you, did she not?’ the voice pressed. ‘I can smell her on you.’
Perseus was having difficulty focusing. His mind was muddled by the turn in the encounter.
‘I am the son of Zeus. The Goddess Athena is my half-sister. She sent me on my voyage with her blessing.’
‘Her blessing? Be careful. It is as likely to change as the wind.’
A game was being played. He could feel it, and then he heard it. Subtle and low and as quiet as the hum of Hermes’ wings. The flicker of tongues. The hissing of snakes.
‘You are the Gorgon.’ His pulse surged at the knowledge that he had been so close to the monster all this time and not even realised the risk.
‘Like I said. I am the one you seek.’
With the speed of a true hero, Perseus whipped his sword out in front of him and turned in a circle. Laughter echoed as he swung blindly in the air.
‘You should save your strength,’ the Gorgon said. ‘You will never get close enough to strike. My snakes will see to that.’
‘I do not believe you.’
‘Then try. I am over here.’
A sound rang out. A stone, clinking against the floor. Perseus’ eyes rushed in the direction of where a small stone juddered along the ground, coming to rest a little way from his feet. It was a trap, no doubt, but he was unlikely to manage his task while rooted at the entrance of the cave. He stepped further inside.
Perseus cast his eyes around him. The cavern was larger than the Graeae’s had been and light filtered in from various cracks and fissures allowing him to see a little better. Several passageways weaved off in different directions. In one of these, who knew, hid the monster.
‘If you are the Gorgon, then why not strike me down now? Why continue on with this foolish game if all you wish for is to kill me? I didn’t know you liked to toy with your victims.’
‘I suspect you know very little of me at all.’ She spoke as a matter of fact. ‘Tell me, Perseus, son of Zeus, half-sister
