Medusa’s Odyssey

I was lost in the game. Kassandra had finally reached the Petrified Temple in Lesbos after days of traveling across the seas with her crew. Being relieved that her quest was almost over, she encountered Medusa, the evil monster that turned people to stone and never had a heart. After a long battle, Kassandra eventually killed Medusa and received the Legard Harpe of Perseus sword and then I got the notification that my Amazon package arrived! While retrieving my package outside of my apartment, I was curious to learn more about the evil monster Kassandra defeated. You see, I was first introduced to Medusa by the Percy Jackson books. I was ten at the time and only saw Medusa as Percy’s obstacle during his quest. I did not bother to go deeper into Medusa’s story until a few years later when I saw her playing her usual role as a monster but this time as a boss in a video game. Kassandra was the protagonist in this game and would fight mythical creatures. 

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, I was open to playing different games, especially those that had long storylines due to having all the time in the world while being indoors. I came upon Assassin’s Creed (AC) Odyssey because I was intrigued by its claims of having a big open world map of ancient Greece. Toward the end of the game, Kassandra fights the minotaur, Cerberus, the Cyclops, and Medusa. I recall the day that I defeated Medusa I gained a weapon in-game and my Amazon package had just arrived. Afterward, I called it a day, turned off my console, and was curious to learn more about Medusa. 

The way the Percy Jackson books portrayed Medusa was correct but it did not give her any justice. Being a ten year old you believe everything and anything that is placed in front of you. When watching the movie I was able to understand that the good guys would always prosper and come out on top while the antagonists would always be defeated no matter what. After watching the first film I got attached to everything Greek mythology and began to read the series of books. I genuinely believe that if it wasn’t for the first Percy Jackson film, I would have never gotten hooked on reading books at a young age. Especially after learning about Medusa’s tragic story years later, I would research about it on Google, YouTube, etc. 

From that day I went through a rabbit hole to understand Medusa’s story. On the internet, I would watch videos, movies and read articles and excerpts on her. Come to realize Medusa was not always evil and that people are not what they say they are. Medusa before the transformation was a beautiful woman who was then punished by Athena because she was raped by Poseidon in her temple. When I discovered that this had happened I was blown away because I would have thought that Athena would punish Poseidon rather than the Medusa. She was the victim and she knew that, yet all the punishment went to Medusa instead. To me, Athena’s action was interpreted as her not being a support system to someone who would possibly do it to her.

I came to the realization that even in the modern world of the 21st century similar events occur. Clear evidence presents itself yet the perpetrator gets a slap on the wrist or no penalization at all while the victim has to live in fear knowing that their perpetrator suffered no consequences and is free. In sadly, more recent news, a 13-year-old girl in New York was raped, leaving her rapist to receive a sentencing of 10 weekends in jail and 10 years on probation. He pleaded guilty to the crime and has done similar crimes to minors, yet he received a sentencing that many receive for committing nonviolent crimes such as DUIs. This is one of numerous cases worldwide where perpetrators are given a slap on the wrist. As said before, the issues that arise in Medusa’s story are very relevant to the issues that women still face to this day in modern society. It focuses on sexual assault due to Posiedon Raping Medusa and represents how women are turned against each other due to Athena not being an Advocate. Women being turned against each other has been happening for centuries and only benefits the patriarchal society that many live in today. By women fighting each other we are keeping our power and influence at a low which is what they want in order to stay in comfortable power. In recent years, Medusa’s story has been reinterpreted towards a more feminist standpoint. In a way, I see Medusa also as a symbol of powerful women who are not afraid to stand up to the patriarchy.

I’ve had various thoughts about Medusa from a young age and it has developed ever since. From thinking she was a soulless monster who got what she deserved to someone who went through tremendous trauma and even after her death, was used as an object. If it wasn’t for the Percy Jackson books I would have never found myself with a medium-sized shelf from Ikea in my room with books. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey had also reintroduced me to Medusa which influenced me to further continue my research on her story. Her story has many cultural and moral lessons that are related centuries ago and now in the 21st century. It shows how nothing has changed except that people can become more aware of what’s happening around the world due to the internet and change is a possibility. 

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