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The tale of Medusa has long been twisted and distorted, portraying her as a wicked, monstrous villain. But the truth is much more complicated and tragic.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8EGJsLFtH
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Medusa was once a beautiful maiden, beloved by the powerful goddess Athena, her lover. But their blissful union was shattered when the lustful god Poseidon set his sights on Medusa, attempting to seduce her. Poseidon used violence against Medusa when she refused to give in to his advances, forcing himself on her in the temple of Athena.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlPg39RFoj
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When Athena saw Medusa being assaulted sexually, she became very angry and jealous. Rather than punishing Poseidon for his heinous actions as a fellow god, she turned her wrath upon Medusa, cursing the once-beautiful maiden by transforming her hair into writhing serpents.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kWgY6ppLs
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Cast out from the temple and her beloved's embrace, Medusa found herself alone and reviled, her very gaze possessing the power to turn people to stone. It was in this state of exile and anguish that she encountered the hero Perseus, who was tasked with beheading her.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAYWMFeQ7J
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However, the truth was not as simple as the legends suggest. Perseus did not slay Medusa, but rather, Medusa chose to vanish from the mortal realm, gifting Perseus with an artifact that would aid him on his journey.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CN2VyChlZ
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That is, until a young woman in her twenties named Aleysia, a beautiful woman with her nosy attitude, love to talk, and really dark past, comes into her life just like that.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcVqdl8r7G
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When they start to get close and Medusa finally braces herself to tell Aleysia about herself, to Medusa's relief, Aleysia embraces her wholeheartedly, their love overcoming the boundaries of the mortal and the divine. Their new happiness is short-lived nonetheless, because Medusa's past comes back to haunt them.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFAFEwwrLK
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Athena, the powerful goddess who used to be Medusa's lover in the past, finds out that her lost love has fallen in love with a human and understands that Medusa never cheated on her; it was Poseidon's act. Driven by possessive jealousy, Athena is determined to reclaim Medusa, refusing to allow a mere human to possess what she desires.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdmvdvkOMH
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At the same time that Athena is after Medusa, Poseidon, the god who used to love her, comes back, his desire for her stronger than ever after accidentally seeing Medusa in Dionysus's grape garden.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDl5eyomMUy
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Even though Athena and Poseidon are always plotting to separate Medusa and Aleysia, the two lovers remain stronger together, for their love evolved in the fires of trouble.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPdV1yvRlT
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Torn between the unrelenting demands of the gods Athena and Poseidon, Medusa finds herself at a crossroads. Faced with the threat of having everything she holds dear destroyed, the anguished demigod is driven to a desperate act—seeking out the legendary hero Perseus with the intention of sacrificing herself to appease the warring deities. 66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDiRKkluHr
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However, Aleysia's pain and anguish at the thought of losing Medusa do not go unheard. The mighty Zeus, father to Athena and a brother to Poseidon, bears witness to the havoc his kin have wrought upon the mortals caught in their divine web. Angered by the gods' callous disregard for the well-being of humans, Zeus intervenes, granting Medusa relief from her cursed being.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72rThCQfYj
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With a wave of his hand, Zeus lifts the burden of Medusa's curse, restoring her to her former beauty. But that's not all he does for her. He also gives Aleysia the gift of sight, clearing the darkness that had been over her for a long time. And in a final, unexpected twist, Zeus reveals that, as a demigod, Medusa now possesses the ability to make Aleysia bear her child, a testament to the power of their love.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAJEdkvv2z
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"Do you mean she's immortal now?" Medusa asks Zeus, and her voice is full of both fear and astonishment.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcViYWz6fHb
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"Cheap price for your love, right?" The god smiles and answers. His words are a gentle warning that the price for his help is he wanted for Medusa and Aleysia to take care of the humans when the god failed to do so.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6hb6aCMZq
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Why did I write this?66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jkQj9mHLM
For too long, she has been portrayed solely as the monster and villain in someone else's narrative.
But what about Poseidon, who violated her in the sacred temple?66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrglw7Cf89
What about Athena, who cast her out, punished her, and turned her into something feared without ever asking what really happened? Without caring why?
Why is Medusa always the cursed, never the wounded?66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVUU3QAuBU
Why is she always seen as the danger, never as the betrayed?
She was once a human woman. She was once a devoted priestess. A victim.
And yet the world remembers her only for her curse, her eyes, and her snakes—never her sorrow. Never her truth.
Medusa deserves more.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEUa4avv9v
She deserves to be the protagonist.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1LfNVcRU9
She deserves to reclaim her name—not as a monster, but as a woman whose story was twisted by gods and history alike.
This is her story, finally told on her own terms.
I wrote Medusa's Lover for this purpose.
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