Perseus was flying back to Seriphos with the Medusa's head safely packed away in the kibisis when he saw something unusual and glided down to investigate. It was a girl chained to a rock on the edge of the sea. Landing near her, he asked how she came to be in this predicament. This is what the maiden told him.

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    Her name was Andromeda. She was the daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia. Cepheus had a beautiful wife, Cassiopeia, and unfortunately he had boasted that his wife was more beautiful than the Nereids, daughters of the Sea God Nereus. The Nereids had complained to Poseidon, who had sent at first a flood, and then a sea monster to ravage the land.

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    An oracle had told Cepheus that he could save his people from this monster if he sacrificed his daughter to it. So there was Andromeda, chained to the rock, awaiting the arrival of the sea monster and the end of her life,

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    The waves surged higher as the girl spoke. The monster was coming, and she screamed at Perseus to flee and save himself.

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    "What a brave girl," thought Perseus, "to think of another's safety in her dreadful plight." Gripping that useful adamantine sickle tightly, he flew high to get a clear view of whatever was coming up from the sea. When the monster thrusted its head above the waves, he swooped down like an eagle and slashed its head off. The sea boiled with its death throes, and blood stained the waters of the Red Sea.

 

    Perseus released Andromeda from her chains, and took her to her father, who was amazed and delighted by what he had seen.

 

    Of course, Perseus and Andromeda fell in love and wanted to marry. There was a problem, though. Cepheus had promised his daughter to his own brother, Phineus. Andromeda wasn't keen on the idea. Marrying her uncle did not appeal to her; so she and Perseus convinced her father to let them marry immediately. However, as the wedding ceremony began, Phineus arrived with heavily armed soldiers and threatened to unleash them unless he was given Andromeda.

 

    Perseus unwrapped the head of Medusa. He showed it to Phineus and his gang, and they all turned to stone. The wedding ceremony continued. 

 

    Leaving the bride with her parents, Perseus flew on to Seriphos, to complete his task and save his mother from Polydectes' unwelcome attentions. Polydectes greeted him with scorn. 

  "Here's this wastrel who swore he would bring me the head of Medusa. He's sneaking back empty-handed, of course!"

 

    "Not quite," answered Perseus, and shouted, "All who love me, close your eyes!"  He revealed the terrible face of the Gorgon and turned Polydectes and his sycophants to stone.

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    With the death of his brother Polydectes, the sweet-natured Dictys, who had looked after Danae and little Perseus through the years, finally found the courage to tell her that he had loved her from the moment he first saw her. To his great joy, he found that Danae loved him too. Perseus, now thoroughly in command of operations, declared his mother and Dictys the rulers of Seriphos.

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      Returning Athena's shield and the Cap of Hades to the Goddess, he gave her the head of Medusa in its protective kibisis.  Athena placed the Gorgon's head in the centre of the aegis, the tasselled garment she wore when she wanted to strike terror into the hearts of enemies. He returned the winged sandals and the adamantine sickle to Hermes, and then he was free of obligations except to his bride. He and Andromeda began visiting the Greek city states.

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    In Larissa, Perseus competed in an athletics contest, throwing a discus in one of the pentathlon events. He wasn't very good at hurling the discus. It flew out of the back of his hand and into the crowd, hitting an old man, and killing him.

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    It was Acrisios, whose conscience had so tortured him about sending his daughter Danae and his grandson off in a leaky boat to die that he had left his Argive kingdom and sought anonymity in Larissa. The Delphic oracle had been right again.

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