ardstheforest．Ontheway，hesawmanystonesinvariousuninglylife-likeposes：someswordinhandiionofstriking；someiionofpullingbacktheirbows，otherscrawlingontheground．Herealizedtheseweretheyouhemonsterhadturostohherevileye．

    Medusa:

    Sworduhed,Dimitriwalkedtowardsthedenselywoodedareaintowhichhehadseenthebirddisappear．Ashemadehiswayintothatvirgi,hesuddenlycameupontwoembragtreesgrowingsidebyside，whoserootsweresoenmeshedthattheywerehardtoentahetrunkofthetreeowasstrongandsturdy,resemblingavirilemale．Theoherightwasslenderandcurving,likeagingfemale．Thesetwotreescoiledawinedhadstoodthereembrageachotherforthousandsofyears．Dimitri’sheartstoppedforamomentatthesight，butthenbeforehimwastheimmiaskofkillingthemonsterandsavingthepeopleofthearea，soheputallotherthoughtsasideandproceededwithhissearch．Asheeartheedgeoftheforest,hewasattractedbytheracketcreatedbydistraughtbirds,chirping,gandflyingalloverthepce．Goingtowardsthenoise,hesoooanopenclearingwherehundredsofbirdscouldbeseencirgaimlesslyoverheadasifinpaniddistress．Butadensefogpermeatedtheclearingandhecouldscarcelyseeafewfeetahead．Fromtheheartofthefog,camethesoundofgroans,soDimitrimadehiswayslowly,stepbystep,intothefogwherehesuddenlysawbeforehimasnake-hairednakedbeautylyingonthegroundbadlywounded,withanarrowprotrudingfromtherightsideofherbody．Sheullingherselfstrenuouslytowardsaotfaraway,leavingatrailofbloodonthegrassasshedraggedherselfover．

    Dimitriwalkedtowardsher,swordraisedreadytostrike,whenheheardherspeakinahumanvoice．

    "Beforeyoukillme,willyouanswermeoion?Howcouldyoushootandwouhoutbeingturostone?Didn’tyoulookatme?"

    "No,Ididnot．Iamtraiellingdireanddistinguishingspeedofmovementajustbymysenseofhearing．Itargetedyoubymyears,noteyes.”

    "SuchisFate．ThefirsttimeIwaskilledbyPerseus,whoslewmebylookingatmyrefleinhisbronzeshield．Afterthat,Iwasonmyguardsoasnottobetakeninagainthatsameway．Ineverdreameditossibletosubstituteearsforeyes!Andthisunseasonablefoghasbrokenmyspellmentostoisihewillofheaven!"Dimitri,whowasabouttostrike,slowlyputdownhisswordandaskedincredulously，

    "What?Doyoumeantosaythatyouhadbeenbeheadedbefore?"Thinkisthathappehousandsofyearsago,shesaidinapensivevoicethatseemedtoefromanotherworld，

    7

    "MynameisMedusa,daughteroftheseagodPhodhissister-wife,Ceto．Iwasverybeautifundhadmanyadmirers．OnedayIwascaughtmakingloveiempleofDelphiandwastransformedintoanuglymohserpentsforhair,cwsofbronzeandstaringeyescapableanyonewholookedatmeintostone．IshouldnothaveprofaheTemple,butevehousandsofyears,Istillthinkthepenaltywastoosevere.”Shepaused,mulliheinjusticeofthesentence．

    "Manydiedbecauseofme;andintheeyesoftheworldIbecameamoobedestroyed．DidaoptothiherIwaogepeopletostones?Didtheyeveraskwhoputthatpowerihoutmyeverwantingit?Thehero,Perseus，beheadedmewiththeaidofsword,shieldandwingedshoesborrowedfromthegods．HepresentedmyheadtoAthenatothankherforlendinghimtheshieldwithwhichtokillmeamyheadonitasatrophy．ButbefivingmyheadaerseusshowedmyheadtooldAts,whowastiredofhavingheavenonhisshouldersandaskedtobe

ardstheforest．Ontheway，hesawmanystonesinvariousuninglylife-likeposes：someswordinhandiionofstriking；someiionofpullingbacktheirbows，otherscrawlingontheground．Herealizedtheseweretheyouhemonsterhadturostohherevileye．

    Medusa:

    Sworduhed,Dimitriwalkedtowardsthedenselywoodedareaintowhichhehadseenthebirddisappear．Ashemadehiswayintothatvirgi,hesuddenlycameupontwoembragtreesgrowingsidebyside，whoserootsweresoenmeshedthattheywerehardtoentahetrunkofthetreeowasstrongandsturdy,resemblingavirilemale．Theoherightwasslenderandcurving,likeagingfemale．Thesetwotreescoiledawinedhadstoodthereembrageachotherforthousandsofyears．Dimitri’sheartstoppedforamomentatthesight，butthenbeforehimwastheimmiaskofkillingthemonsterandsavingthepeopleofthearea，soheputallotherthoughtsasideandproceededwithhissearch．Asheeartheedgeoftheforest,hewasattractedbytheracketcreatedbydistraughtbirds,chirping,gandflyingalloverthepce．Goingtowardsthenoise,hesoooanopenclearingwherehundredsofbirdscouldbeseencirgaimlesslyoverheadasifinpaniddistress．Butadensefogpermeatedtheclearingandhecouldscarcelyseeafewfeetahead．Fromtheheartofthefog,camethesoundofgroans,soDimitrimadehiswayslowly,stepbystep,intothefogwherehesuddenlysawbeforehimasnake-hairednakedbeautylyingonthegroundbadlywounded,withanarrowprotrudingfromtherightsideofherbody．Sheullingherselfstrenuouslytowardsaotfaraway,leavingatrailofbloodonthegrassasshedraggedherselfover．

    Dimitriwalkedtowardsher,swordraisedreadytostrike,whenheheardherspeakinahumanvoice．

    "Beforeyoukillme,willyouanswermeoion?Howcouldyoushootandwouhoutbeingturostone?Didn’tyoulookatme?"

    "No,Ididnot．Iamtraiellingdireanddistinguishingspeedofmovementajustbymysenseofhearing．Itargetedyoubymyears,noteyes.”

    "SuchisFate．ThefirsttimeIwaskilledbyPerseus,whoslewmebylookingatmyrefleinhisbronzeshield．Afterthat,Iwasonmyguardsoasnottobetakeninagainthatsameway．Ineverdreameditossibletosubstituteearsforeyes!Andthisunseasonablefoghasbrokenmyspellmentostoisihewillofheaven!"Dimitri,whowasabouttostrike,slowlyputdownhisswordandaskedincredulously，

    "What?Doyoumeantosaythatyouhadbeenbeheadedbefore?"Thinkisthathappehousandsofyearsago,shesaidinapensivevoicethatseemedtoefromanotherworld，

    7

    "MynameisMedusa,daughteroftheseagodPhodhissister-wife,Ceto．Iwasverybeautifundhadmanyadmirers．OnedayIwascaughtmakingloveiempleofDelphiandwastransformedintoanuglymohserpentsforhair,cwsofbronzeandstaringeyescapableanyonewholookedatmeintostone．IshouldnothaveprofaheTemple,butevehousandsofyears,Istillthinkthepenaltywastoosevere.”Shepaused,mulliheinjusticeofthesentence．

    "Manydiedbecauseofme;andintheeyesoftheworldIbecameamoobedestroyed．DidaoptothiherIwaogepeopletostones?Didtheyeveraskwhoputthatpowerihoutmyeverwantingit?Thehero,Perseus，beheadedmewiththeaidofsword,shieldandwingedshoesborrowedfromthegods．HepresentedmyheadtoAthenatothankherforlendinghimtheshieldwithwhichtokillmeamyheadonitasatrophy．ButbefivingmyheadaerseusshowedmyheadtooldAts,whowastiredofhavingheavenonhisshouldersandaskedtobe