Medusa let out a short but unrestrained laugh at the last part of Trianna’s comment. “I'm sorry. I just never heard someone say that before.” she smiled brighter.
“Thank you.” she nodded politely. She wasn't crazy enough to use her real name in public, or introduce herself that way to a complete, but polite, stranger. “Oh, you noticed.” she blushed. “I grew up in Athens but I traveled a lot before settling down here.” she explained.
"What? It's true! Have you, or anyone else for that matter, seen Zeus or Apollo or hell, even Artemis down here on earth for a really long time? No! They only came down to smite badmouthers or rape women in the case of a lot of the men. Chivalry went even deeper into the Underworld the day Medusa was cursed." Trianna snorts.
"OH! You're Greek? I actually speak a little bit of Ancient Greek. Just enough to confuse archaeologists, though. Semi-fluent speaker of Japanese!" she says cheerfully.
“I am not arguing.” she smiled at the younger woman’s spunk. Though her expression quickly soured at the mention of her curse. “It was already in the pits of Tartarus before that.” she couldn't help but hiss. “Though I am curious how much you know about that story.”
“I am and I am fluent in both ancient Greek and modern Greek.” Medusa smirked, glancing at Trianna over her sunglasses.
"I know, I just feel very passionately about ancient Greek mythos." Trianna says with a slight laugh. "True enough, true enough."
She pauses at the last part of Melanie's words then lays out what she remembers. "I know that by some accounts she was raped and by others she willingly laid with Poseiden. What lays consistant is that it was Athena's temple, and she cursed Medusa to become a hideous creature. Some accounts say that it was mean to be a boon to help protect her from even the gods advances. Perseus shows up later and chops off her head, though I like to think he failed like all the others. Even if the myths state that she died and from her blood - because surprise surprise, she'd gotten knocked up because of Poseiden before she was cursed - came Chrysaor and Pegasus."
"Erm- χαῖρε, I think is how you say hello. I could be remembering wrong. χαῖρε καί ὑγίαινε is something along the lines of 'good morning,' right?" she asks.
“You are quickly becoming the most interesting person I’ve spoken to all day.” she smiled slightly, pulling out an empty chair. “Please, sit. I don't have anywhere else to be.”
Medusa tried to stay strong as Trianna retold her own story but it still hurt to hear it again. “I’m surprised that you know the assault version. But you are right about the nature of the curse having two sides. Of course, I won't pretend to understand Athena’s mind on that matter. She is the Goddess of wisdom, after all, not me.” she chuckled softly. “However, you did forget one little detail. Medusa was the high priestess of that very temple before the attack.” she added as a smirk came to her lips. It had been such a great accomplishment at the time that even now she couldn't help but be proud of it. “As much as I would like to agree that Perseus failed to kill her, he still would have had to draw enough blood from her body in order for Chrysaor and Pegasus to be born.”
“Well, that depends on who you are speaking to.” she explained, chuckling at the accent. “Generally χαῖρε is a very casual way to greet someone. But χαῖρε καί ὑγίαινε actually translates to “you are very brave”.” she corrected.
(obviously, I know neither versions of the Greek language so I apologize for any misleading information.)
(I only know fragments of both from reading bits and pieces of the Iliad and the Odyssey [both the original Ancient Greek and the modern Greek transliterations; plus the English translations]. I actually know a bit of Latin lol, and I do better with that than with Greek)
(Also, did you use google translate for the second phrase? Because even if you did, it means "Rejoice and be well" which is still the original translation for the ancient Greek version- [sorry I'm just very into linguistics lol] Not like Trianna would know but still; sorry if I'm coming across as nitpicky 😅)
Trianna grins casually. "Well, I'm glad to hear it."
"I studied ancient history my first time in college and have a degree in history. I've also done some of my own research. But yeah, I doubt anybody could understand Athena's plans. I'm willing to bet she barely knows, since wisdom and intelligence seem to be seperate when it comes to the gods." she replies.
"Medusa wasn't raped because of her position in the temple, only because of her looks. I focused less on who she was in a religious setting and more as, y'know, an actual human being." she chuckles. "And as for Medusa's death. . . well, I can at least hope she got to go to Elysium, though because of her cursed nature she likely went to Tartarus."
"Ahhh. . . it's been a while, as I said." she sighs, embarrassed.
(Wow! Then you are an expert. The only other language I am admittedly still learning is Spanish…)
(I did look at google translate but it didn't list ancient Greek as a language so I looked up another translation site and that's what came up. Don't worry. I’m glad you actually know the language so you can correct me.)
Medusa couldn't help her growing smile as Trianna spoke. “It's not often that I meet someone interested in history. Especially this kind.”
“Careful, dear. We don't want her to get mad at you.” she teased, laughing at her comment on the intelligence of the old gods. “She was born from Zeus’s head. Personally, I think she might have been smarter than most of the others.”
The snake-haired woman sighed at the rebuttal and adjusted her jacket. “Well, you're not wrong but if you remember Poseidon and Athena had a rivalry because the people of Athens chose to name the city after Athena. Men, especially gods, have such sensitive egos.” she pointed out. “I think, at first, it was her appearance that attracted him but when he found out who she was… He used her to also get back at Athena. Why else would he choose the temple?” she inquired. “That's very kind of you to hope that. But Elysium is usually reserved for heroes, like Perseus. The best-case scenario she could hope for would be the Asphodel Meadows.” she sighed dejectedly.
“It's alright. I haven't really spoken either variant of the language since I came here.” she assured.
(Nowhere close XD I just have some knowledge, is all)
(I meant even in modern Greek lol- sorry for the miscommunication there; alright!)
"I'm just interested in knowledge, really. History is the greatest source of knowledge. Well, the second greatest. The first greatest is books." Trianna smiles back.
"Oh phooey. Who cares what old grey-eyes thinks of me?" she snorts. "Just because she's smarter doesn't mean she gets to be cruel. That intelligence should tell her that vengeance and violence aren't always the answer towards the mortals that can't control what happens to them."
"True." Trianna agrees, rolling her eyes distastefully at the mere thought of a man's ego. "I suppose that would make sense, though didn't they agree to try not to be petty? Or am I thinking of something else?"
At the mention of Asphodel, she huffs warily. "I guess that's better than Tartarus, but not by much. And besides, Perseus wasn't a hero. He was a murderer."
(lol, it's ok. If we end up using Greek again I’ll just use google translate.)
“I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree. The first greatest source of knowledge is experience.” she smiled almost coyly. “Nothing against books, but they can only give you second-hand knowledge of someone else's experience, and who is to say that the way you experience what they are writing about will be the same?”
Medusa covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, though her consistent companions writhed in amusement. “You are lucky that they don't seem to listen as closely as they used to or you could end up with snakes of your own for saying things like that.” she joked, highly doubting that Athena would use the same spell on a blind girl. “Besides… Even if she did know that I heard that her hands were tied in giving such a punishment.” she tried to explain. “Poseidon was her father’s brother and king of the seas and oceans. Therefore he held a higher rank so Athena couldn't accuse him of what he did. And not to mention defiling her temple… That was inexcusable. I believe that it was possible she had no choice either.” she pointed out somberly.
She hummed at the question and shrugged. “I am not sure… Athena may have agreed to such terms but unless Poseidon swore to Styx not to be petty, I don't believe he would have kept such an agreement.” she said thoughtfully. “However… There was also the time when Athena turned Arachne into a spider over that weaving competition. I always found that to be fairly petty as well.”
“You would be part of a small crowd to believe that. However, the only way to know for sure would depend on where you end up in Hades yourself and see if you see him anywhere.” she reminded. “Personally I don't think Asphodel would be so bad. Especially if the stories about the river Lethe running through there are true. There are many things I would like to forget.” she sighed, leaning back in her chair.
(Alright, sounds like a plan!)
"Very true!" Trianna laughs.
"Eh. At least I'd have eyes that can see again." she jokes.
At hearing Melanie's explanayion, Trianna hums in thought. "Sort of like, 'Father and Big Brother are always watching you.' Like in a dictatorship. And I suppose that would be true, though she never meant to defile the temple. She could have gone with a lighter sentence."
"True enough, with all those points." she chuckles darkly.
"Surprising, honestly. Though I suppose you're right about where you end up." she sighs. "As for the Lethe, I would rather drink from Mnemosyne than that. I would want to remember, instead of becoming a wordless shadow in an infinite plane of grey immortality, stranded in a state in-between dead and forgotten."
“Perhaps.” Medusa hummed, actually wondering how her curse would have taken effect on someone who was blind.
“I… I suppose though I have no idea how the hierarchy of “government” would work. Especially between each other.” she admitted. “I believe Zeus was always the final say and chances are likely that he would have believed his older brother over the daughter he tried to eat.” she pointed out. “As far as getting a lighter sentence… I don't think that would have happened. Don't forget how much power the gods had. Poseidon could have used even a minute amount of his power to make Medusa seem like the guilty one.” her hands trembled at her side as she cleaned them into fists at the thought. Though she was surprised how conversationally she was talking about one of the most terrible days of her life.
“You must have had a happier life than I then.” she smiled almost regretfully at the comparison.
"It's simply a dictatorship. Zeus makes a decision and everyone has to listen or, well. . . to Tartarus with them." Trianna sighs. "And I guess that's true. After all, Poseiden and Zeus, well. . . they were probably the worst out of all of them. Besides Aphrodite."
"Not neccessarily. I just don't want to forget who I am, where I came from, because if I forget who else is going to remember?" she asks.
“Well, I won't argue with your analysis.” Medusa shrugged. “As I said, I don't often think much about the details of those things. But I understand what you mean. Especially about Aphrodite. She was so vain and selfish.”
“I suppose that’s a fair argument.” she nodded. “But for me… the things I have done and have been done to me are things that I would not wish on anyone. I can’t forget while I am alive but when I'm gone, I would like to be at peace. I can not be at peace and remember my life.” she explained.
"Yeah. . . the way she treated everyone as toys and tools really gets on my nerves." she sighs.
Trianna focuses her nearly dead eyes where she guessed Melanie's eyes were. She wanted to reach out a hand, but figured that might be a little weird. "Whatever has happened to you, whatever you've done, I'm sure someone will forgive you. Someone always does, no matter what you did."
“Yes.” she nodded. “The only good thing that she did that I can think of is bringing Pygmalion’s sculpture, Galatea, to life.”
Medusa chuckled softly at what she supposed was intended to be an assurance. “Thank you for saying that but no one has forgiven me for much of anything since I was young. Whether it was an accident, done in anger or thoughtlessness, or even something that was not my fault.”
"Yeah. . . even then, though, she was still trying to cause a bit of strife, I think. What other reason would she have to listen to a wish like that?" Trianna chuckles.
"Well, that's stupid of them." she states prominently. She believed it, too.
“Possibly. It also could have been her own vanity as well. After all she did pose for Pygmalion.” she shrugged. “And her son is Eros, the god of love.”
Medusa laughed again. “Not all of them.” she admitted, adjusting her sunglasses to prevent an accident. “Some are simply unable to physically do so… But I doubt that they would if they could.” she said referring to those she turned to stone with her gaze.
"True. And isn't Eros literally a primordial god? I'm sure that 'Aphrodtite's son' business started much later." she snorts.
Trainna raises a stubborn eyebrow.
"They're stupid." she repeats firmly.
“Well… I never gave much thought to that. But Aphrodite was born of the sea, possibly a primordial herself.” she mused. “And it wouldn't be impossible for her to have adopted him in a sense.”
Medusa chuckles again as Trianna unknowingly comes to her defense. “Would you say that if you knew what I had done?” she asked, surprisingly calmly.
(boop)
(Shit lol; adhd sucks)
"True but she came along after Eros did according to some myths." she chuckles. "I guess, but I'm not sure adoption was widely practiced in Ancient Greek culture."
"Yes." Trianna says bluntly. "Your past does not make you who you are. It's who you are now that matters."
(It's ok.)
Medusa laughed, actually impressed by Trianna’s knowledge. “Well, you certainly know your history. And better than most that I've come across.”
“That… That's kind of you to say but I am afraid that my past has a bigger impact on who I am now than you seem to think.” she admitted softly. “Besides, how can you be so sure that I am… different from how I used to be?” she asked, though she was fairly certain that the other was going to bring up how remorsefully she had spoken of her past.
"As I said, I'm a history major." Trianna chuckles. "It's my business to know history better than most."
"Well, if you're not any different than how you used to be, why bring it up?" she shrugs. "One who has no intention of changing feels no need to bring it up - meaning they simply don't talk about it. Since you're talking about it, it means you've changed. Or at least you want to change it."
“And learning mythologies count as part of being a history major?” she pointed out, teasing.
Medusa raised a brow at the unexpected tact Trianna had taken but nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose so… and I do want to change but I am not sure if I can.” she sighed, knowing that her curse would likely never be undone and therefore she would always be considered a monster. “There are just some things that I think no one can change.”