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Stheno, Medusa, and Euryale had been playing hide and spook among the garden of deadly nightshade their mother kept. Stheno the eldest was growing bored, but remained to supervise her sisters. Medusa who appeared to be the eldest was in fact the middle child, and quite favored for her ghastly appearance. Euryale the youngest appeared the most innocent, but could be quite frightful herself. The three girls looked up and halted their game heading inside as they heard their mother calling.

“Come in my little anklebiters!” She yelled and the sound was accompanied by the hissing of snakes. Their mother usually enjoyed sitting down with them and giving her three little hellions hissstory lessons. She had already explained to them how they were named after their famed ancestors, today’s tale would be a different one. “Come, come, slither over here and sit down!”

Eagerly the three young gorgons sat down leaning in to hear their mother's story intently.

“Today I’ll tell you the tale of your great, great, great aunt Agapea! This isn’t just her story though my little monstrosities, no this is the tale of why no gorgon will ever be a friend or aid to any son of Cerberus! This is a lesson of great importance!” Their mother hissed out.

Curiosity drove the girls to focus intently on their mother’s words and soon they were swept easily into the tale. A tale that began…

“Long, long ago, when humans and monsters still co-existed your great, great, great Aunt Agapea did a very foolish thing. She fell in love with the mortal human Euclide, he was not just any mortal but a heroic one who fought for goodness and truth. Naturally their love was a rocky one, they were ill suited, but in matters of the heart even her black one was swayed and fell to the hero. They lived in his world and she abandoned hers, together I suppose they were content, but humans are not an accepting breed. They came for Agapea determined to cut her head off…the classic human method for killing our kind. Luckily human emotions run deep, her heroic Euclide stepped before their blades and fought off his own kind to protect her. Tragically of course his own kind cut him down, but Agapea managed to save him and took him back into her world. He lay dying and she was powerless to stop death, to heal him. She begged the gods, the demons, she begged any fate who would or could to save her love. None would though, none were moved by her plight, and so in desperation she knew she would have to help herself.”

“Agapea went to the garden of the hesperides, she knew it was dangerous, a great risk that could garner much wrath. Still she had to try whatever she could to save her beloved and so sneaking past the great hundred headed Landon, a fearsome dragon, she snatched six golden apples of immortality from the tree.”

“A soft hiss from Agapea’s hair awoke the dragon and in her frantic escape she dropped one of the apples. Luckily she did manage to escape and returned to her beloved who clung just barely to a fragile thread of life. Eagerly she fed him one of the five remaining apples waiting for its miraculous powers to work. Yet the fates mocked her, for the juices of immortality had dried up and her beloved remained unhealed. Desperation driving her she gathered the remaining four apples and fled to Hades to find her ancestor Medusa who’s blood could heal her mortal love. At the gates of the underworld she encountered one of the sons of Cerberus and this mighty monster refused her passage unmoved by her tale of sorrow.”

“Finally she struck a bargain with the dog and for three golden apples he decreed she could visit the underworld for three days, but no longer or she would remain for eternity. Quickly, Agapea took advantage, entered with only one golden apple left, and sought out Medusa. Her search ended at the twilight of the first day and her cry of anguish was no doubt heard in the underworld when she found her ancestor. Medusa was indeed there, flanked on either side by her two sisters. Her head was gone, and her body was stone, as were her sisters, and Agapea knew no matter how hard she wished, stone would not bleed. Every fate seemed to cruelly work against her and her beloved, that night she went to see the heroes who had passed hopeful that one of them would know of some magical way to save her Euclide’s life.”

“On the second morning Agapea found the hero Perseus who had slain her ancestor, she was furious to see he still had her head with him and demanded he return it.

‘I cannot’ Said the hero.

‘Why not?’ Demanded Agapea furious to be denied in her hour of need.

‘I cannot allow the Medusa’s head to be returned to her, she would cease to be stone then!’ He exclaimed with righteous indignation.

‘Please great hero, I beg of you to give me Medusa’s head, I need but a drop of her blood to save the life of my love.’ Remembering she still had one golden apple she quickly produced it and held it before him. ‘I shall give you this golden apple in exchange for Medusa’s head!’ She declared and knew she would be successful the moment she saw the gleam in the hero’s eyes.

‘Very well…’ He nodded and held out the head to her, ‘but I must warn you, though you may be her kin, beware of Medusa, her heart knows no love, and her blood will not be given freely.’

Happily Agapea took the head and handed the hero the golden apple. ‘Leave that to me, my thanks hero.’

‘Aiding a Gorgon…what has the underworld come to?’ He muttered and shook his head watching her slither away.

“Certain now that her love's life would be saved, Agapea quickly returned to the statues of her ancestors. Timidly, she lifted the head and placed it back on Medusa’s cold, stone body. Yet the body remained stone, a complete statue, but a statue still. In the hands of Medusa’s sisters, however, appeared daggers their blades as honed and sharp as could be. Quickly Agapea realized her own blood would have to bring Medusa back from her stone imprisonment. She took one of the daggers and sliced her palm open before touching the statue of her ancestor, and under her bloody palm the stone became flesh.”

“Now the Medusa sprang to life and gazed down upon her descendant realizing who it was who had freed her.

‘Thank the fates! You are free, and now I would but beg for a few drops of your blood to save the life of my beloved!’ Agapea declared bravely facing her ancestor.

‘I would be free before I grant you your hearts desire, who is this beloved who you would risk so much for?’ Medusa hissed untouched by her descendant's tale of love.

‘My hero Euclide, he saved my life, and I would save his. If I help you to escape will you give me your blood so that I might keep him from death?’ She asked hopefully, the coldness in Medusa’s eyes made her concerned and Perseus warning rang in her head.

The Medusa did not look pleased but hissing she nodded and pointed towards the gates of the underworld. ‘Help me evade the son of Cerberus who guards the gate and I shall give you what you desire.’

‘Done!’ Agapea declared and happily lead Medusa towards the gates. However upon reaching them they saw that no sons of Cerberus guarded the gates.

Medusa turned upon Agapea realizing she did not need her and snarled. ‘I shall give no drop of blood to save a mere human hero! I shall spare you as my descendant and give you this advice, go home and mourn no human male!’ With that Medusa’s shade escaped the underworld with a wicked laugh.”

“Enraged by her ancestors cruelty, lies, and deceit she rushed back to the hero Perseus. Upon finding him she told him of Medusa’s betrayal and begged him to go after her and force her to comply.

‘I cannot match Medusa without my beloved Pegasus to carry me into battle against her. I warned you of her treacherous nature young gorgon, this fault is your own.’ Perseus was no fool, however, and saw that this was a chance to escape the underworld. ‘However, should you find Pegasus and bring him to me, we will endeavor to find Medusa and bring her blood to you,’ he promised.

The second day was drawing to a close but Agapea saw no other way, it was her last chance to save her love's life and so she agreed. ‘I will bring Pegasus to you.’ With that she turned and left in search of the winged horse's shade.

The horse she found by nightfall but how to bring the wild creature to Perseus, she did not know. Finally she wandered into a green pasture and hung upon a great tree was a golden bridle. This was what she needed to tame the Pegasus, but a mighty Chimera guarded the tree. The third morning dawned and Agapea decided to plead with the Chimera, tearfully she told her fellow monster her tale. Two of the heads believed they should allow her the golden bridle, but the third head refused. Agapea tried to appeal to the third head and finally realized she would have to drive it to distraction. She went into the woods and slew a doe who’s meat she took back and threw at the three heads. At once they began to quarrel for the tasty morsel and wasting no time Agapea snatched up the golden bridle and slithered as quickly as she could to the Pegasus. Smiling, she placed the bridle upon the winged horse and lead him back to Perseus. The two shades were content to be reunited and Perseus flew with Pegasus free of the underworld and in search of Medusa’s shade.”

“Agapea waited in vain hope. After all her labors for her love she had nothing to show for it. Still the third day drew to a close and she knew she had to leave the underworld or risk being trapped there forever. She approached the gates with a heavy heart but a different son of Cerberus stood there. Cruelly the dog refused to allow her passage though she told him of the bargain that had been struck.

‘I gave a son of Cerberus three golden apples for the right to visit the underworld for three days!’ she exclaimed urgently.

‘Ha! Those of Hesperides? For three such apples, I would allow you a peaceful existence in the Underworld! But I see you have none to offer, so to Tartaros with you, for attempting an escape!’ the son of Cerberus snarled, unwilling to hear of the bargain struck.

‘A bargain was made! A bargain was made!’ cried Agapea in despair, for she was so close and yet so far now from saving her one true love. Yet the sons of Cerberus would hear nothing of her plight. ‘It was due to souls like you that our brother was cast out!’ Roared a second son of Cerberus as they cast the weeping Agapea into Tartaros.”

“So you see my little hellions why a gorgon will never trust a son of Cerberus, why no dog is a friend or ally of ours? Your poor great, great, great aunt Agapea did not even find comfort when her beloved hero Euclide passed away. As a hero his soul was locked away from hers, separated into the Elysian Fields where hers could not go. Let her hard work encourage you always to try no matter how desperate the situation, but let her tragic ending serve to remind you not to place your trust freely. Now, run along and frighten someone else for a while my little monstrosities.” Their mother smiled and shooed them off, her snakes hissing as she finished the tale.

The three girls rushed off to play among the swings in the nearby scareground each of them lost in deep thoughts of the tale of their ancestor. Euryale sat on one of the swings and Medusa and Stheno slithered around the see-saw. Just then, a son of Cerberus came up behind Euryale and thinking himself quite the clever prankster he grinned and tugged her hair causing her to fall off the swing. Like all gorgons, however, Euryale’s hair was a mass of snakes and one struck out and bit the son of Cerberus. Yowling drew the boy's brothers to him, and Euryale’s cry had drawn her sisters to her. The two trios faced off and, glaring at each other they knew no friendship would ever be born among them. As the girls took off towards home they promised to always watch out for one another, and to someday have their revenge on the Cerberus triplets, not only for what they had done to Euryale, but in the name of their great, great, great aunt Agapea.