The old king Acrisius suddenly felt uneasy and came to visit his daughter, who was locked in a high tower.
When he reached the bottom of the tower and heard the laughter of a baby from within, he trembled all over. The fear of death dispelled his paternal love. The king ordered his soldiers to place his daughter and the infant in a large chest. As a father, Acrisius could not bear to kill his daughter and grandson. He cast the chest into the sea, leaving their fate to destiny.
Under the command of the Oceanid, the dolphins lifted the large wooden chest, and gentle waves carried it to the beach of an island.
A fisherman discovered the chest. This devout believer, guided by an oracle from the Oceanid, took the mother and son home.
Princess Danaë thereafter lived incognito on this island. Her son was named Perseus, the beginning of a heroic epic.
The fisherman adopted Perseus, treating him as a gift from the Oceanid and teaching him as if he were his own son.
Tyche did not wish for this child, born of chance, to become a rift between Zeus and Leto. She used her divine power of fate to conceal that past. However, she did not interfere too much in Perseus's childhood. Flowing with divine blood, Perseus grew up as an ordinary child until the trials of fate descended upon him.
The king of this island was Polydectes. Perseus's adoptive father was the king's brother. On one occasion, when the king visited his brother, the beautiful Danaë caught Polydectes's attention.
But Danaë's heart belonged to another, and she repeatedly refused the king. Enraged, Polydectes attempted to forcibly take Danaë while her brother was out fishing. However, Perseus dealt with the soldiers sent by the king with little effort.
Failing in his attempt to abduct her, Polydectes devised a new plan. He demanded that every resident of the island offer a horse as a sacrifice to the sea gods. This island in the sea revered various sea goddesses, including Tyche, Eurynome, and Athena. The king bought all the horses. Perseus searched every market but could not find a single horse, so he promised the king he would offer anything in exchange.
Seizing the opportunity, Polydectes demanded that Perseus bring back the head of Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters, as a substitute for the sacrifice. Ignorant and fearless, Perseus agreed to the king's demand. After bidding farewell to his adoptive father and mother, he went to Athena's temple for his customary prayer. To Perseus's surprise, Athena, the goddess of strategy and protection, actually appeared in the temple!
Athena's appearance was not entirely unexpected. The rainbow goddesses had conveyed greetings from the chief deity to the new leader of the Oceanids. The ambitious Athena also wished to strike a blow against the lineage of Pontus and readily agreed to Tyche's request.
"Perseus, your adoptive father devoutly worships the Oceanid. The life-giving goddess of the sea has heard that you will embark on an unknown journey and has entrusted me to bring you Pegasus, the winged horse."
A soft mist of water splashed from the waves. The winged white horse leaped from the deep-sea currents and nudged Perseus's cheek.
"The three Gorgon sisters are the offspring of Phorkys, the father of sea monsters, and the dangerous Keto. Their bloodline is powerful, not comparable to mortals."
"The eldest of the sisters, Stheno, possesses claws harder than iron and golden wings, with strength enough to shatter boulders. The second daughter, Euryale, has the speed of a gale and fangs like a wolf, capable of tearing apart any obstacle in her path. These two sisters inherited the bloodline of Pontus and cannot be killed by mortals!"
"And their beloved youngest sister, Medusa, is mortal. However, her talent surpasses that of her two sisters. Anyone who catches sight of her face turns to stone. With your frail mortal body, you cannot defeat these snake-haired monsters."
Perseus showed no fear. He looked directly into the goddess's eyes and said, "Goddess of strategy, I am no coward. I will keep my promise and bring back Medusa's head, even if I die in some unknown corner for it, I will have no regrets!"
Golden light flickered in Perseus's eyes. The bloodline of King Zeus began to awaken. The power of the primordial gods emanated from this human. That incomplete yet noble divinity caused even Athena to cast a second glance. The wise goddess guessed that this human was a descendant of the gods, and her attitude towards Perseus changed imperceptibly.
A dazzling radiance emanated from Athena, and her beautiful form vanished from the temple. In the place where the goddess of strategy and protection had stood, a exquisite shield was left. The shield shone like a mirror, clearly reflecting Perseus's face.
Athena's oracle echoed in Perseus's ears, "Perseus, go to the dwelling of the three Graeae witches and seek their help. These old hags, who share the same origin as the Gorgons, know the secrets of the Gorgons. Remember, the strongest is also the weakest!"
Perseus set off fully equipped. The speed of the winged horse far exceeded his imagination. The whistling wind made Perseus dizzy. In an instant, the witches' abode at the edge of the setting sun appeared before Perseus.
The rocks here were as sharp as blades, and perpetual twilight shrouded this land. The witches, whose mission was to torment humans and spread terror, had encroached upon the domain of the Furies. Under Tyche's instruction, the Furies severely punished these witches, taking away their eyes and teeth, leaving only one eye and one tooth for the three witches to fight over.
The earth abhorred the Graeae and forbade the witches from setting foot on it. The sea also rejected them. The witches had no choice but to hide at the distant horizon where it met the sky. Under the sky's demand, daylight also withdrew its light from them, allowing them to live forever in darkness.
The shield in Perseus's hand reflected the sunlight, causing the three witches to panic. Their only eye was burned by the stimulus of the sunlight, it slipped from their grasp and rolled to Perseus's feet.
The three witches, having lost their eye, hastily crawled on the ground searching for it. Perseus picked up the eye and said, "Old hags, your eye is in my hand."
The witches pleaded anxiously, "Young man, pity us old women. We who have seen the light cannot bear the darkness. Please return our eye to us, and let us keep the hope of being favored by the light."
Perseus knew the identity of these three witches. He asked them, "As long as you tell me how to kill Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters, I will return it to you."
The witches hesitated. The three Gorgon sisters shared the same origin as them, and from the young man's words, it did not seem like he came with good intentions. The three witches remained silent.
Unwilling to waste time, Perseus pretended to destroy the eye. His threat finally made the witches unable to sit still.