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Perseus 2: Born for greatness 2/2
🕑 Added 2021-09-09 13:01:11 +0000 UTCOn the way back to Seriphos island, Hermes left Perseus, having nothing else to teach him. Riding Pegasus, the demigod flew to the kingdom of Aethiopia. This mythical Aethiopia was ruled by the tyrant Cepheus and his queen Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia, having boasted that her daughter Andromeda was in beauty equal to the Nereids, drew the vengeance of Poseidon, who sent an inundation on the land and a giant sea serpent: Cetus. The oracle of Ammon announced that no relief would be found until the king exposed his daughter Andromeda to the monster, chained to a rock, naked except for jewels.
As Perseus flew towards Andromeda, he saw the king and the queen watching anxiously from the shore nearby, and alighted beside them for a hurried consultation. On condition that, if he rescued her, she should be his wife and return to Greece with him, Perseus took to the air again and, diving murderously from above, took out Medusa's head. While the sea monster turned into stone and sank in the stormy blue waters, the approaching demigod saved princess Andromeda and freed her from the chains.
Cepheus and Cassiopeia grudgingly welcomed Perseus as their son-in-law and, on Andromeda's insistence, the wedding took place at once. The banquet was organized quickly but everything was perfect, and the two had all day to know each other. Andromeda always hated her distant parents who never even talked to her and wanted to marry her to a man from another kingdom, a certain Agenor. Perseus promised her she would be loved and no one would take her away from him. They were in love.
The festivities were rudely interrupted when Agenor entered at the head of an armed party, claiming Andromeda for himself. He was doubtless summoned by queen Cassiopeia, since she and Cepheus at once broke faith with Perseus, pleading that the promise of Andromeda's hand had been forced from them by circumstances, and that Agenor's claim was the prior one. Cassiopea gave Agenor permission to kill in her palace and the man charged Perseus. In the ensuning fight, Perseus struck down Agenor and spared his life, but the man sent his other men to attack him. Perseus killed his first opponent, using Hermes's teachings to his advantage but, since this was his first fight, he could not win outnumbered.
Perseus was forced to snatch the gorgon's head from where he put it and turn the remaining men of Agenor to stone. Agenor took off his armor before the stone corrupted his skin and fled without clothes, making the other guests laugh at him.
Now free from cruel rulers and barbarian contenders, Perseus was free to love Andromeda. The hero took his princess on Pegasus and fled in a temple of Aphrodite where he swore eternal love to his wife. Perseus took her virginity and impregnated her with his powerful seed.
On their journey, the newlyweds stopped on the most beautiful islands to make love as much as they could before Andromeda's womb grew too much. One day, three cyclopes who lived nearby spied the couple while making love on a beach. After Perseus found them, they demanded forgiveness and promised to serve him, since they have never seen a woman as beautiful as Andromeda.
While the cyclopes swam, Perseus and Andromeda reached Seriphos island on Pegasus. There he found the king's brother Dictys, the fisherman who saved him and his mother Danaë from the sea many years before. Dictys informed Perseus that king Polydectes took Danaë after he departed; of course, he never wanted to marry that Hippodeameia. Dictys hid Andromeda in his house, while the hero went straight to the royal palace to free his mother while telling his cyclops to attack the king's men in case they would've try and hurt him.
King Polydectes was banqueting with his companions when Perseus arrived, announcing that he had brought the promised gift for his king's wedding, just in time, after four years. Greeted by a storm of insults, the demigod told his mother Danaë to close her eyes and then took out the gorgon's head in front of the guests right before they put their hands on their swords on king Polydectes' order. The men turned into stone, and Perseus finally saved his mother while the cyclops outside killed Polydectes' goons.
After raising Dictys to the throne of Seriphos island, Perseus freed the cyclops from their debt but they decided to remain on the island, peacefully. Athena and Hermes came to collect the divine gifts. Hermes took the helmet and the flying sandals together with the sack; Athena took Medusa's head and, after fixing it on her aegis, brought it away. Medusa was then lifted by the curse in the afterlife and turned into a constellation. Dictys married Danae and had many children. Athena then depicted Medusa on her shield, like many other men did in the centuries ahead.
Perseus later reigned in Tirnys and conquered the two halfs of the kingdom his evil grandfather splitted with the brother. With the help fo the three cyclopes, he unified the kingdom, fortified the island and built Mycenae, where he reigned with his wife Andromeda. Perseus and Andromeda had many children who, in their turn, had even more heirs. They had a long and happy life, and Perseus reigned wisely on his kingdom. Their son Electryon in particular had many sons and daughters, one of which was Alcmene... many years later, Alcmene would have been wife of Amphitryon and lover of Zeus who gave her his son: Heracles.
And that's it! Yes i could've explain how he defeated his grandfather and how he stupidly died but i didn't want to make a third chapter only for that! All you need to know is that, for some reason, Perseus story didn't end in tragedy lol
Comments
Husky
Which version? In most versions he dies of old age
CanisLoopy1
Really good artwork, especially Pegasus, Andromeda, and the battle scene. The last panel presaging the labors of Heracles - excellent! Had to look up how Perseus died. WTF?!
