‘He is praying to me all the time,’ said her father.
‘Because he can’t do anything for himself,’ she replied. ‘Because we keep helping him.’
‘Then one more visit won’t hurt, will it?’
‘He doesn’t learn if we do everything for him,’ she said.
Her father shrugged. ‘He’s human, he doesn’t have time to learn anything important.’
‘Then just let him die,’ she said. ‘So I don’t have to put up with Hermes again.’
Zeus sat on his throne, gazing into the middle distance, as though he were considering her suggestion. But she knew this was a deceit he usually practised on Hera, who never believed it either.
‘I can see you aren’t actually thinking about it,’ she said.
‘He’s your half-brother,’ Zeus replied. ‘You could show a little familial loyalty.’
‘When does anyone show familial loyalty to me?’ Athene asked. ‘I have helped Perseus three times already. Maybe he should do something for me.’
‘Dearest,’ said her father, who couldn’t be tired because immortals didn’t sleep. ‘He can’t help you because you are a goddess and he is a man. What could he possibly have that you would want?’
‘Nothing,’ she replied. ‘That’s why I’m sick of helping him. He can’t do anything for me, he can’t do anything for himself, he’s useless. He’s just a bag of meat wandering round, irritating people.’
‘I think that’s a little harsh,’ said Zeus. ‘He’s handsome, isn’t he?’
‘They all think they’re handsome,’ she said. ‘I’ve seen better.’
Zeus looked rather offended but tried to conceal it. ‘What would you be doing instead?’ he asked.
‘I could go to Athens,’ she replied. ‘I want to see how my temple is looking and make sure they all know that they are mine and I am theirs.’
‘That’s very sweet,’ said her father. Athene frowned. ‘You can do that as soon as you’ve helped Peri—’ He broke off.
‘Perseus,’ she said. ‘I knew you didn’t know.’
‘Of course I knew,’ he said. ‘I was just testing you.’
‘Why?’ she asked. ‘I’ve spent more time with him than his mother has lately.’
Zeus shifted his weight and she stared.
‘That’s it, isn’t it?’ she said.
‘What is?’
‘You still want his mother,’ she said.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, she’s too old.’
‘Well, that’s what I would have assumed,’ said his daughter. ‘But that’s it.’
‘No.’
‘Well, if you don’t want her for yourself any more, you still don’t want her to marry some king.’ Athene refused to let it go.
Zeus sighed. ‘No,’ he admitted. ‘I don’t want her to marry that king.’
‘Or anyone else.’ Now she had puzzled it out, she was triumphant. ‘That’s why you washed her up on Seriphos with that man who doesn’t desire women.’
‘Coincidence,’ the king of the gods replied.
‘It is not,’ she said. ‘You forgot he had a brother, that’s all.’
‘I am omniscient,’ he said. ‘I don’t forget things.’
‘You just forgot your own son’s name.’
‘Will you please go and help him decapitate one single Gorgon?’ bellowed her father. ‘It is hardly a difficult request, is it? Is it? I knew Hermes would only do half the job because that’s always the problem with him. Takes the message, doesn’t bother with the task at hand. But I thought you would help me. You are my daughter. I supported you in your petition for Athens. And now you throw obstacle after obstacle in my path.’
Athene couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘I have already helped him three times,’ she cried. ‘Why don’t you go and do it?’
‘Because I am ordering you,’ he shouted.
‘Well, then I have to, don’t I?’
‘Yes,’ he said.
‘I want the chance to help a mortal man I like in return,’ she said.
‘Fine,’ Zeus replied.
‘Anyone I want,’ she said.
‘You can choose whoever you like,’ he agreed.
‘Even if the other gods are against him?’
‘Yes.’
‘Whenever I decide?’
‘Yes.’
And with this agreement, she left Olympus and reappeared behind Perseus, out of sight.
Herpeta
α: We sensed him coming. We could feel his uncertain steps on the rocks; we felt them in our bellies as we nestled on the sand.
β: We sensed him coming. She was asleep. We were awake, but she was asleep. It’s important that you know this, because he will try to claim there was a battle. But there is no battle to be had between an armed man and a sleeping girl. Don’t forget.
γ: We sensed him coming, but we didn’t know what to do. The sisters were outside the cave entrance, as always. We could hear them murmuring to one another and we could smell the charred meat left on their fire.
δ: We sensed him coming. We should have woken her. I wanted to wake her but the others wouldn’t let me.
ε: How did we stop you from waking her? I don’t remember you saying anything about it.
ζ: We sensed him coming. He was drawing closer and we could feel something was different about the way he moved.
δ: That’s what I’m saying. I felt something different. Different and dangerous.
ε: You felt a man creeping across the rocks and tiptoeing through the sand. You hadn’t heard a man here before. You’d heard Gorgons and sheep and small creatures, birds and so on. The only thing you felt was that this was new, that he was new.
δ: New things are always dangerous. If you’d listened to me, she might have been safe.
ε: You are such a liar.
η: We sensed him coming. And there was someone else, too. Someone behind him.
ε: We didn’t sense her.
δ: Of course we didn’t sense her, she’s a goddess. And the goddess of wisdom, sly and determined. How on earth would we sense her if she didn’t want us to?
θ: We sensed him coming, but we thought the Gorgon sisters were just outside.
ε: We didn’t notice they had gone.
δ: Where did they go?
ε: Oh, I thought you knew everything without being told? Didn’t you sense that as well?
δ: There’s no need to be unkind.
ι: We sensed him coming. And he would have been stopped before he came anywhere near our cave if the sisters had stayed nearby.
ε: They were tricked by a goddess. Athene took them away from the cave.
δ: How did she do that?
ε: She made them believe their flock was in danger. She drew Euryale away and up the shoreline. She howled and raged like a wild dog, and Euryale thought her sheep were lost if she didn’t fly straight to them.
δ: Is that what that noise was?
ε: Of course.
κ: We sensed him coming. We didn’t know she was in danger but we knew something was wrong. His weight was wrong. He was carrying things a mortal could not carry.