Aidan Piercey
Writing Assignment
9/4/2017
Perseus and Medusa
Perseus was the son of Jupiter and Danae. He was prophesied to be the death of his grandfather, and his grandfather attempted to escape from his prophesied doom. He locked the mother and the unlucky boy in a chest and caused it to float out into the midst of the sea. Perseus’s grandfather was relieved, and he pushed the memory of the unlucky boy and his mother out of his head. But this hasty act did not succeed in killing Perseus and his mother. As the chest floated out into the swirling sea, a fisherman spotted the chest and rescued the trapped duo. After hearing his grandson had been rescued from this dreadful death, Perseus’s grandfather again endeavored to rid the world of Perseus. After Perseus grew older, his grandfather challenged his to kill the renowned monster Medusa, and again believed he had escaped his coming doom. Perseus got ready to set out on this dangerous quest to slay the monster Medusa. He was unsure how to complete this task, and was then visited by two of the gods. They gave him gifts and instruction. He was to find the grey sisters, and ask them for directions. After that, when the time came to slay the monster, he was to use a polished shield as a mirror to see the monster, and to use the sword he was given to strike her. No second blow would be needed. He was then to wrap the head in goatskin, so as to avoid the monsters eyes. If he looked in the eyes of Medusa he would turn to stone. He was also given sandals that would allow him to fly. They then said goodbye, and Perseus set off.
Perseus flew for days over the hills and seas. He watched as the clouds shot by, and he felt the wind in his face. He flew all the way to where the grey sisters sat, passing around an eye and a tooth. Perseus greeted them, and asked where the monster Medusa lay. “For!” he exclaimed, “with age comes knowledge.” The grey sisters took offense at this, and they ignored Perseus’s question. They began to pass the eye, and groped for the tooth. As one held out the eye, Perseus snatched it from her hand. He threatened to throw it into the river if they did not tell him where to find Medusa. The sisters wailed, and they told him they knew not the way, but gave him directions to where to find the giant Atlas, and he handed them back the eye. Perseus flew off with the aid of his magic sandals. He soon landed in the garden where the nymphs were, and soon spotted them singing and dancing. They beckoned for him to come and dance with them, but he refused and told them of his business, and asked for directions. They told him they did not know, but that the giant Atlas would tell him. They walked up a hill, and saw Atlas, straining under his heavy load. The nymphs told him of Perseus’s journey. Atlas told him he saw Medusa, lying with her sisters. He also told Perseus that he would need a hat that would cause him to be invisible. Perseus inquired how he was to find the hat, for he was a mere mortal, and only immortals can find the hat. Atlas told him that his daughters were immortals, and that they would give him the hat. For now all Perseus could do was wait, and dwell on the thought of killing the monster Medusa. After the hat was found, Perseus placed the hat on his head. Perseus then flew away to where Medusa lay.
Perseus spotted Medusa laying by her two sisters. Perseus looked at Medusa by using the polished shield he had been given. As he neared her, he saw she had once been beautiful, and he pitied her. But after seeing her brazen claws and the vipers in her hair, he remembered his mission, and he struck her with his sword. He then wrapped her head up in goatskin to conceal her eyes, and shot away from the evil place. He had slain the renowned monster Medusa, and had again foiled his grandfather’s plan!
Aidan Piercey
Writing Assignment
9/12/17
Perseus and Andromeda
Perseus continued over the ocean after slaying the dreadful Monster Medusa. He flew far and there was no t much to see. But this dull scenery changed as he neared a cliff where the sea broke its incessant rolling, and the calm turned to thundering lashing crashing foam forever throwing itself against a pile of untidy rocks. As Perseus looked upon this lifeless picture of nature, a movement caught his eye, a movement much smaller than the huge waves thrashing the unmoving rocks. No, it was a human, the only sign of life among the lifeless unfeeling rocks. Perseus for the first time in what seemed an eternity followed a charted course. He shot down toward the person, and found a woman tied down. The sea spray flung itself furiously at her, but was barely able to reach far enough to touch the life among the rocks. The woman cried out, but not at Perseus because of his hat of invisibility. He flew down unnoticed toward the bound victim. He found her very beautiful, and found it pointless to hide in front of her. He quickly tore the hat from his head, and the terrified girl became even more terrified at the sight of another human being appearing on the rocks after her being left there all night. Perseus inquired why she was stranded upon the rocks with no one with her, and why she was bound. The woman told him that she had been framed for a crime she had not committed. She had angered the sea god, and she had been left to be consumed by the Black Galley. Perseus was indignant after hearing her tale, and he took his sword and cut through her bonds as one cuts through flax. He was again aided by the gift of the gods. After being freed, instead of asking Perseus to rescue her, she begged him to leave.
Perseus told her that he would not leave, but she begged him still. She said that they would both suffer the awful fate of being consumed by the beast of the sea if he did not leave. She said that she would obey the gods and stay where she was, stranded with no one to help her. She had angered the gods and would receive her fate for no reason. Perseus insisted that he would stay and slay the horrible Black Galley. He would not let this helpless woman be killed for a crime that was not committed. As they conversed the sun rose above the blue see and brought the darkness to an end. Many that day rubbed their eyes and began a new day, going about it as if nothing was going wrong. But something was grievously wrong. The sea continued its endless thrashing of the shore, and a monster awoke that morning, ready to consume a helpless human, and not ready to find Perseus bounding toward him, with his sandals carrying over the blue sea. The Black Galley decided he would consume two victims that day, and quickly moved towards Perseus. But Perseus was defiant. He had never given up a task, and he never would. If he would die fighting the Black Galley he would accept his fate. He would carry any wound with pride, but if his pride was wounded, there was no way he could bear it. He quickly and nimbly approached the Black Galley. As Perseus neared it, the woman bent down behind a rock, ready to be consumed by the Black Galley. “These Rocks will no longer hold life” she thought to herself. She found herself to be right. She would escape yet. She heard a long wail, and she looked up. Perseus was flying back toward her, holding aloft his sword which he had used to save her from what had seemed to be inescapable doom! Perseus picked up Andromeda, and he watched as the waves broke again against the shore, confused by the sudden departure of the only life among the rocks.
Perseus shot upwards like an arrow, and quickly climbed the rocky cliff without touching its slippery surface. The rocks watched as the two shot upwards, and they seemed to mourn over the loss of the only life among them. Andromeda waited to wake from a dream, and find herself tied again to the rocks and watch the approach of the Black Galley, and have no rescuer to help her. But she never awoke, for she was awake, and Perseus was a real hero. There was no Black Galley anymore. Suddenly, they heard a faint sound of weeping, which had earlier been veiled by the relentless crash of the waves against the turf. It was now unfurled in front of them in the most sorrowful manner. For a moment, they did not sense anything other than the feeling of sorrow that hung over the gloomy group of people that wept and waited for the death of a guiltless villager. They waited for the sound of the Black Galley devouring her. They had no sense to what rescue had happened far below their place of mourning and waiting. A few had “dreamed” that they saw the monster being slain by Perseus. They now saw that those who had been called insane had been more sane then their accusers. For there before them stood, completely intact, the girl who had been unjustly sentenced to death by being consumed by the beast of the sea. Andromeda’s mother shot towards her like a bullet, all the grief swept from her face, and replaced by a joy that few have experienced. She embraced her daughter, and her father joined the two with a face so full of joy that mourning had left no trace. The men of the city circled around their “imagined hero.” They asked much of his adventure, and he told them freely of it. The father of Andromeda asked for Perseus to be his son in law, and to stay with them. Perseus accepted the offer, but did not consent to leave his homeland permanently. He had his own family that he wished not to desert. The father asked him to stay with them for a year, and Perseus consented. After what seemed like an eternity to Perseus passed by in twelve months of staying in this foreign land. A wedding feast was held, but not all were merry. A few men felt that Perseus should not just desert them with the girl. They plotted against him during the feast, and their plot took sudden and vicious action. They insulted Perseus and rushed upon him. Perseus remembered Medusa’s head, and he quickly unveiled it with a flourish straight at the men. Just as they were about to attack Perseus, they quivered, stuck fast to the ground, and turned from humans full of life, to lifeless stone. Twelve they were in number. Perseus called for them to be rolled away, and this was quickly done. That was the last anyone saw of those men. After the feast concluded, Perseus went to bed and dreamed. He dreamed Minerva the goddess asked him for the gifts that had been given to him, the sandals, the sword, and the shield, so that she could return them to their owners. Perseus reluctantly gave these items up. Each one of them had saved his life, and now he would lose them forever. When he awoke, he searched for them, but never found them!
Aidan Piercey
Writing Assignment
9/20/2017
Perseus Returns Home
“Timber!” A giant tree falls, crashing down from the stance it had once held. It breaks its kingly arms against the trunks of fellow trees. It bends the sapling as it clears its way toward the ground. It watches as men dodge out of its path and rejoice as they watch it falling from the long held position it had held towering above the other great trees. It had once held great dignity, but now it met public disgrace as it was lowered lower down than a mere sapling. This great tree had once comfortably housed birds in its trunk, and insects had dug great caverns through its trunk. Children had found disappointment after staring up at the hopelessly high branches. The tree finally hit the ground. Its leaves quivered as it struck the lowly soil and groveled before the workmen. The men began to hack of its bark, skinning the tree until the pure wood shone bright in the sun. The great tree was then cut so as to fit a load of men and supplies. A lesser tree was driven into it and other great trees, and soon men dirtied the wood with the mud and sweat that followed work. This happened to many trees, and soon they were floating in the water. Sobbing could be heard from near the boats, but it was not lamenting for the kingly bows, but instead for the parting of humans from humans. Perseus was returning to his home. The rock where the people had mourned for the expected death of a beloved girl was now struck again by the sound and feeling of grief. Andromeda began to walk with Perseus to the boats. She was followed by wave after wave of grief-stricken people. The matter of months had shot by like a masterfully fired arrow. They walked near the place where the waves had struck the cliff. This is where Andromeda had once been housed, waiting for her seemingly inescapable doom. The people watched as she set off from the shore in the great fleet of floating trees, which were no longer thought of as honorable, but as mere servants of the captain and the crew. The sounds of lamenting floated across the water, but were silenced by the crashing of the waves against rocks. Only the calls of the people could be faintly perceived by the ear of the crew. Soon the island disappeared, along with the rock from which Andromeda had been saved from.
The mighty galley shot through the waters of the swirling sea, and Perseus found it much more difficult than flying around with the sandals he had been given. They were tossed by many storms and they found themselves many a time off course. The sea would not let Perseus return to his home without mishap. But he found it all worthwhile when he spotted the shores of his homeland. It had been seven years since he had last seen its great shores. He had left a mere lad, and had returned a celebrated hero. He stepped onto the sandy shoreline, his ships floating majestically behind him. He quickly walked inland. Saplings had grown to trees, boys had turned to men, and bushes had spread. The fawn had grown horns and had found a mate. Chicks had learned to fly, and they had built themselves great nests on the trees that had once been saplings. The memory of Perseus had been forgotten by earlier friends. He had been thought dead. But when he walked past, the memory of him reentered their minds. “But this cannot be! Why would he leave for seven years before returning? It seems he has found a wife. No, it cannot be.” These were the thoughts of all he passed. But after he found his mother and father, he was greeted as he should be, and this caused others to believe and greet him like a hero. After the greetings had been said, he again met trouble just as on Andromeda’s island. He was at a party, just as before. He began to boast of how he slew the Gorgon, and this was not met with belief. The host challenged him to show them the head, for it is easier to boast of something than to do it. Perseus took this as a challenge, so he took the head and tore off the goatskin. Before he had wrapped it up, he was surrounded by statues. Around that table, grass grew. Wild animals sniffed the strange humans. Moss covered them, and as far as we know, they sit there still today. A while later, a tournament was announced, and Perseus signed up. He wanted to try out sports after so much danger, and he believed himself a worthy sportsman as well. One sunny day, all was bustling as people traveled to where the sports were to be held. The athletes prepared themselves for the challenges, and when he was with the pother athletes, Perseus noticed an old man. He was sitting in front of the crowd on a beautiful chair, and his beard trailed down his chest like a never ending path. It blew like a flag in the wind. Perseus studied the man, and found his face familiar. Then, suddenly, as if meant to interrupt his daydream, he was called to start the challenges. Perseus had grown strong from all of his challenges, and he found it easy to outdo the other atm hletes. After showing himself by far the best sportsman, having won four events, he was praised by the crowd and even the other athletes. As he was surrounded by the crowd, a flood of memory flew over him! The kingly looking man was his grandfather! Perseus wished to prove himself a great sportsman and reveal himself to his grandfather. But it was not to be.
Perseus stepped up to the place where he and the other athletes were to hurl. Perseus felt as confident as a lioness chasing a sick animal. He proudly stood beside the other hurlers, and it was soon his turn. He squared his shoulders, wound up, and hurled as far as he could. As he hurled, the crowd gasped. A wind was stirred up at sea, and the hurl curved, and a thump and a cry sounded. Men rushed from the crowd. Perseus’s grandfather had been hit. Perseus’s head swirled as he saw his grandfather, his features twisted in pain. He ran, but before he could reach the kingly old man, he had swooned. And so, his grandfather died by his hand. The prophecy that Perseus’s grandfather had tried to twist and snap had bent itself so as to complete its task. It had curved itself around like a snake, closing itself closer and closer no matter how hard Perseus’s grandfather had tried to change it. Perseus saw this all, and he wept. After this day, many people mourned for the man. His memory was fixed in Perseus’s mind tighter than any other. After a while, Perseus became king, and he ruled with Andromeda, who would always remember that day when Perseus had risked all to save her. And now, the memory of those two have passed from many people’s minds, and the memory of Medusa, and the rock where Andromeda had been bound. Even the trees have forgotten their comrades, those trees that had once stood, but had been brought low to be used by Perseus to return home again.
Aidan Piercey
Writing Assignment
10/6/2017
The Promise of Jason
“So you wish for me to train the boy!” exclaimed the Centaur, “and I will do as you ask. He will stay with me until he is old enough to venture out on his own. He will be well cared for.”
“Thank you, noble Centaur” cried the king, “I know you will train him well.” The king then left the cave without a word. No second thoughts. He hurried down the side of the mountain. The centaur watched as the king hurried down the cliff, and the boy stood and watched by his side.
“Come boy,” mumbled the centaur. “You and your father have gone through much, and it is time for some rest.”
And so the training began. The boy grew in stature and knowledge, and he also grew more ready to leave the cave at the top of the mountain. He was trained well by the centaur, and was especially skilled with medicine, so the centaur named him Jason the healer. But it was not to be forever. The two became good friends, and once the boy was grown, he found the ultimate test to his training and friendship.
Jason watched as the sun set over the hills, and the bright colors painted the world outside of his little cave, the centaur, whose name Juno, watched by his side.
“Juno,” said Jason, “I wish to go out of this cave, for I tire of just watching from up here. I wish to be part of the life down there, and even regain the kingdom that was stolen from my father long ago. You have trained me for what seems to have been a lifetime, and now I wish to test your teachings out in the real world, and not just play-act my life in this cave.”
Juno stood thoughtful by the side of the young man, whom he had raised as his own. His old wise heart was struck with sadness, but he knew it would be best to grant this wish and let young man leave the cave, as a bird leaves the nest once it has been fledged. He looked at the pleading face of Jason, and he knew it was time to let him go, and use the training he had received to succeed in the world beneath him.
“You may leave the cave, but on one condition. You must promise me two things.”
“Yes sir, anything!”
“You must promise me two things,” Juno repeated, “that you will never speak a harsh word to any soul, no matter how they have offended you. The second is that you will always keep your word, and never lie nor turn back from a promise. If you keep these two vows, you will exceed greatly in your life out in the world.”
“I will!” cried Jason. Later that day, Jason said farewell to the noble centaur that had trained him for so long. The two parted, never to see each-other again.
Jason descended the mountain, torn between joy and sorrow, for he had left the cave that had trapped him, but had also left the only friend he had. He was free, but also alone. After finding himself at the bottom of the mountain, he made straight for the city that he had been born in. He walked on for a while, leaving behind the jagged rocks and steep trails, and he neared a river that ran through the forest. He also neared an old woman, looking with eyes wild with fear at the churning and swirling waters. Jason stepped on a twig, and the woman turned quickly, much quicker than any normal old woman. Her eyes connected with his, and the two stared for a moment.
“Don’t you know better than to frighten a feeble old woman like that!” she cried out, indignant at finding her fear meaningless.
Jason was about to reply, when she suddenly broke out into a hideous laugh.
“You have come at just the right time!” she cried. “Help me over the river at once!”
Jason was about to step into the waters and refuse the order he had been given, but then he remembered Juno, and he walked over to the ancient woman. He was about to give her a hand, when she sprung nimbly up onto his back, and struck him and yelled at him as one does to a stubborn donkey. Jason kept his temper, and he put one foot into the swirling water. The old woman clung onto him like a leech, and he began to wade through the waters.
The flood began to push him downstream, its swirling currents attempting to knock him from his feet. He continued on, and one foot in front of the other, he began to make progress. The waters soaked Jason, but the old woman was kept dry. Suddenly, they neared a rock, and a spray shot out from it. The old woman turned to avoid it, causing the edge of her dress to dip in the water.
She began screaming as if Jason had thrown her into the current, and she beat her benefactor with her bony hands, and tried to think of the worse insults possible.
But all that came out was: “You lazy ox, you soaked me!”
Jason readied himself to insult her and fling her into the water, but he remembered Juno, and he only said:
“Even the strongest horse may stumble. We are nearly to the other side. Please be patient.”
Finally, they reached the other side, and the old woman sprang off his back as nimbly as she had sprung on, dry and unharmed.
Jason heaved himself over to a rock, and he leaned on it, soaked and bruised. A cut bled where a sandal should have been. He had lost it in the current. He looked up to where the old woman had been, but in her place stood a beautiful goddess.
“Because you have helped me” said the goddess, “I will repay you by helping you in your time of need.”
Jason was about to thank her, but she disappeared. Jason got up, and began to walk toward the city. When he entered, he found himself a source of attention, which he did not mind. As he strode through the city, he asked a man why everyone was staring at him.
“You have been prophesied about” answered the old man. “It was written in ancient times that one who entered the city with one sandal would take the throne!”
Jason strode right up to the castle, and after being received, he found the king, who greeted him courteously. For many days he was given food and lodging in the castle, and Jason began to doubt the rumors he had heard. However, he soon found the tales to be very true.
One day, Jason was walking with the king.
“My good Jason!” cried the king, “I have a problem that has been haunting me for many a day and night, and I come to you first to ask for advice, for you are intelligent and will solve the problem more quickly than my counselors.”
Jason asked what the problem was, enjoying being called wise, above even the wisest of wise men!
“I have one whose presence I loathe here in my castle. Please tell me a way I can rid myself of him.”
Jason thought for a second, and the answer struck him.
“I would send him after the golden fleece,” Jason answered casually.
“Thank you Jason!” cried the king. “Normally I would reward you, but I believe you will not have time for that in between preparation for such a journey!”
Jason, fuming with anger, prepared to fire an angry remark, and turn back from his word, but he remembered Juno, and he held himself back.
Later that day, he prepared for the journey. Between thoughts of anger and worry, he was glad he had not disappointed his teacher, the noble centaur Juno.
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