Chapter Text
There was a reason he chose Athena. She was different. She did not see beauty as anything physical. It was an abstract concept to her. She was not renowned for her looks like the other Goddesses were. She was not haunting like Artemis, elegant like Hera, stunning like Aphrodite, or devastating like Persephone. Athena was sharper. However, her presence was still holy.
Athena praised intelligence in all of its forms. It didn't matter to her if you were ostracized amongst others. She was too. Athena was ideal. Clever. Strategic. Audacious. A warrior. Cunning. But, she was a Goddess and not a God. People of Greece often remarked that it was a 'great shame'. She would have been perfect if she were a God. They still worshipped her, but not with the fervor she deserved.
Perhaps he did not care because he knew that cruelty existed among all genders. What was between your legs did not exclude you. The Goddesses were a force to be reckoned with. Persephone was harsher than Hades would ever be. Aphrodite was kind, but she would smite thousands for her loved ones. Demeter starved the Earth for her daughter. Hecate was a necromancer. Athena faced the Gods head-on. He was always a fan of bravery, but it had been snuffed out of him long ago.
He ignored that thought and continued to clean Athena's temple. The cloth moved easily over the marble. There were no stains. There was no sense in cleaning it, but Harry was devoted. He had always been. She took him under her wing and allowed him to stay in this holy site surrounded by her grove of olive trees. He scrubbed and scrubbed until his bones ached and he could see his reflection in the material.
Then he finally adjourned his work and headed into the grove. The grass there was vibrant, alien. It felt nice and cool to his exhausted feet. The olive trees overhead were calming. They were surreal, even though he'd been among them for years. Owls frequently nested in them and snakes cooled themselves in their embrace. They were sacred to the Goddess. The owls flocked to him and affectionately nipped at him, while the snakes chose him for warmth.
Today was different. It was eerie. There was a faint mist in the grove that he had never seen before, and everything was completely silent. There were no owls. There were no snakes. He felt a chill run up his spine. Something wasn't quite right. He steeled himself to deal with intruders. It was part of his job as the caretaker of the temple. He told himself to be brave, except he couldn't. He saw a shadow move behind a tree and it didn't belong to anyone he knew.
"Who are you?" He breathed, "This is the temple of Athena! You aren't welcome-"
"I should have been," a voice growled from somewhere behind him, "But the people decided an olive tree was better than a horse."
Poseidon. He didn't need to turn around to know that. Years ago they'd both been competing for Athens. Poseidon gave the citizens a horse and Athena gave them an olive tree. Ever since then he'd held a grudge that he couldn't quite get rid of. Perhaps he was here to wreak havoc on her temple? With a deep breath, he turned around to face the God and ignored the pounding of his heart. It thumped wildly against his chest. "Olive trees can live for centuries and feed more people than horses," He said in defense of Athena, "I don't think my Goddess would like you being here."
Then Poseidon looked at him. Really looked at him. Dread slowly pooled into Harry's stomach as he recalled the horror stories he heard about Zeus and Poseidon. He tried to run, but it was to no avail. The God's hand shot out and kept its steel grip on his arm so he couldn't escape. His smile was something Harry would never forget. It was cruel. Disgusting. Unholy. "You know," the monster said, "I was just going to flood this place, but I think I've come up with something...better."
He destroyed him and violently desecrated the temple of his beloved Goddess. He left him lying there with nothing. No clothes. No dignity. No safety. All violently torn, as easily as paper. Harry sobbed and for hours the world knew nothing of his story. The marble that was once his home was now cold and harsh.
It was the next day when Athena discovered him. She immediately covered him with her robes and spent hours on the floor stroking his wild, black hair. She didn't ask for an explanation. She wasn't angry at him like he thought she might be. When he tried to apologize she shushed him. When he tried to tell her that he had a moment of weakness she would hear none of it. She said that none of it was his fault and that sometimes the beings you prayed to could be the biggest monsters of all.
After the comforting, she gently took his face in her hands and murmured, "I will do anything for you. Just let me know how I can help."
He laid his head down her lap and stared up at her as he thought. Athena sat there silently as she waited for him to think it through. He focused on her golden skin and dark, wavy hair as he described what he wanted. What he longed for. "I want to feel safe. Like...no one can ever touch me again without my consent. And if they don't want to respect it, I want to destroy them. Instantly. I want them to feel terror. To piss themselves at the thought of me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
That night he was transformed. His smooth, brown skin became covered in flecks of green scales. The pupil of his eyes split down the middle like a viper's. His teeth sharpened and suddenly all of his senses were better. He slowly reached up to touch his hair and reared back in shock when he felt thrashing scales instead of the wild raven's nest he was used to. The snakes that rested there spat out a variety of words at him.
"Hey!"
"Watch it!"
"I'll bite."
"Warm."
That night Harry became Medusa.