One night, while performing her routine prayers in the temple, Alkmeni was drawn by the sound of the great doors opening.
A goddess, enveloped in a soft glow, appeared in the sanctuary, her face obscured by the radiance. Kuaishu Ge.
Alkmeni, believing the goddess had come because of her prayers, trembled and prostrated herself on the cold stone floor.
Before the princess could voice her grief and indignation, the goddess spoke, "Alkmeni, descendant of Perseus! Do not let hatred consume the rest of your life. Look forward, and do not let the past cause you to miss the future."
"Goddess! Please avenge me! I am willing to pay any price!"
Alkmeni's long-suppressed pain surged forth like a tide, "The king's blood cannot have been shed in vain. We did nothing wrong! Why did those rebels raise their swords against us?"
The goddess did not answer Alkmeni's question. The princess believed that everything she possessed was rightfully hers, and her bloodline was nobler than that of the rebels, which was why she could not accept that her esteemed brothers had died at the hands of commoners.
"Your grandmother, Andromeda, was a selfless princess and a loyal wife. It seems her virtues have not been passed down to you."
Tyche was not overly disappointed. The early stages of civilization were always accompanied by conspiracy and oppression. Perseus kept his promises, and Andromeda was brave and fearless, but their virtues were not inherited by Alkmeni.
"Alkmeni, it seems you have made your choice."
Among the dice, the divinity abandoned by Perseus retracted its light, and Alkmeni did not receive divine recognition.
Tyche turned and left, ignoring Alkmeni's pleas, and disappeared into the waves.
If the temple doors had not truly opened, Alkmeni might have believed she had dreamt it all.
Amphitryon returned victorious, bringing with him the heads of his enemies. And the resentful Alkmeni, having avenged herself, settled down to be his queen.
Alkmeni did not love Amphitryon; she merely used this marriage as a pawn for revenge. After achieving her goal, she became melancholic.
Before long, the blessings that Hera had bestowed upon Perseus and Andromeda resulted in Alkmeni and Amphitryon quickly having a son. The divinity that Perseus had abandoned was received by his great-grandson, and Amphitryon named his son Heracles, meaning "glory of Hera."
Tyche's eyes seemed to foresee Heracles' magnificent life, and his end would be like his great-grandfather's, a nirvana in flames.
The legend of Perseus spread widely among humans. A prince named Jason and his companions embarked on a journey to find the Golden Fleece, following the legend.
Jason should have become a king, but his uncle usurped the throne that belonged to Jason after Jason's father died. To prove his ability to lead the city-state to his uncle Pelias and his subjects, Jason, who was learning martial arts from the centaur Chiron, accepted the trial of retrieving the Golden Fleece.
At this time, the gods' struggle for faith had intensified. The coastal and island nations were the exclusive territories of the sea gods. On the vast land, the gods, in order to gain more faith, followed Apollo and Poseidon's lead and integrated more deeply, appearing as city-state protector gods.
This was undoubtedly what the laws hoped to see. The more the gods and humans were bound together, the more important the status of humans became. These capricious deities would also become more restrained, no longer causing trouble for the laws.
Jason and his companions sailed the Argo into the misty sea. Perseus used the Golden Fleece to lure away the eldest two of the three Gorgons, but the Golden Fleece ultimately did not fall into the hands of the snake-haired maidens. It was caught in the crossfire of the sea gods' battles and swept away by the waves to some unknown corner.
Alkmeni's son Heracles and Aeacus' son Peleus rowed in the front cabin. Every sailor on the great ship Argo enjoyed great fame in human city-states, yet this mist-shrouded sea baffled these heroes. There were no wind gods in the mist, and the waves had lost their vitality, no longer propelling the ship forward.
Helpless, Jason, who was at the helm, had to request the gods' help.
"Athena, Goddess of Protection and Strategy, please manifest your power and help us escape this predicament."
Athena, on the figurehead, held a round shield, on which the gorgon head of Medusa was prominently carved. The goddess looked into the distance with a resolute expression. Under the heroes' sacrifices, the statue's eyes became lively, and Athena's oracle sounded in the heroes' ears.
"Heracles, your grandfather Perseus was favored by the goddess Tyche. As a descendant of Perseus, you will also be treated with favor. Tyche's subordinate Medusa once bestowed blessings upon your ancestor. This honor still flows in your bloodline. She will keep her promise and listen to your call, leading you out of this predicament."
The heroes' spirits were lifted. They had been trapped in the fog for too long, and their food was running low. If this continued, everyone would starve to death on the ship!
The young Heracles followed Athena's instructions and went to the ship's side. He loudly called out Medusa's name, hoping for a response.
Medusa, on the Island of the Unseen, was playing hide-and-seek with Iris. The call that reached her ears made her pause. She emerged from her hiding place in the trees and listened intently to the faint sound.
Iris, the rainbow goddess, descended from mid-air and asked curiously, "Medusa, are your followers calling you?"
Medusa said suspiciously, "I just heard a call from a descendant of Perseus, and it seemed to be nearby."
Upon hearing this, the rainbow goddess immediately spread her beautiful, delicate butterfly wings and flew into the sky. She reached the Argo from above, hidden by the mist, and saw Heracles still calling out.
The familiar divinity made Iris unable to resist approaching. The blessings of the gods flowed in Perseus' bloodline. This human was simultaneously noticed by so many deities; it was unprecedented.
Iris folded her wings and cast a rainbow to guide the Argo. Heracles quickly had his companions sail towards the end of the rainbow.
With the rainbow's guidance, the Argo successfully passed through the mist and arrived in a calm sea. On the nearby reefs, Sirens, wrapped in seaweed, stretched out to look at the large ship. Their submerged fish tails stirred up splashes of water, sending seductive laughter to the guests who had traveled from afar.
Medusa waited for the human who called her to arrive. She spotted Heracles among the crew at a glance and smiled, saying, "Rash descendant of Perseus, who guided you to the domain of Lady Tyche?"