"So wait, in order to kill the Kracken, Perseus had to first kill something else?" Luke interrupted.

Nodding, Jareth summoned a crystal to his hand and twirled it around. "Yes, the only way to beat the Kraken was by using the head of Medusa to turn him to stone. Nothing else would allow a mortal to defeat it. Of course, defeating Medusa wasn't going to be an easy task either."

"What's a medoosa?" Melody asked.

"Medusa, sweetheart, and she at one time was a beautiful priestess but she was punished by Aphrodite," Jareth explained.

"Why was she punished?" Luke inquired.

Smirking, Sarah watched her husband carefully. She knew it was because she was caught with Poseidon in Aphrodite's temple. The stories varied. Some said he seduced her, others said he raped her. Either way, she was punished. She was interested to see how Jareth explained that to the children. "Well, husband, why was she punished?"

Looking to his wife, it was clear she wasn't going to help him explain this. "Well... You see, most of the gods were petty and cruel, so even the smallest thing would set them off. Rember Thetis was the one that wanted to sacrifice Andromeda to the Kraken just because her mother said her daughter was lovelier."

"So what silly thing did she do?" Liam pushed.

"She made a mess in the temple," Jareth said quickly.

"A mess?" Melody laughed."She punished her for making a mess. But she could have just cleaned it up."

"Well it was a big mess and it had been Medusa's job to guard and care for the temple so she didn't do her job. As I said they punished for silly things." Jareth added. The children seemed to accept his explanation, so he continued. "Now to punish her, Aphrodite turned her into a creature so hideous that one look from her would turn a man to stone."

"Father."

"Yes, Luke?"

"What did she look like?"

With a flick of his wrist, Jareth tossed a second crystal at the center of the room, and the image of a lovely young girl about 15 appeared. She had long raven hair and bright green eyes. "She was quite lovely for her age," he commented.

"No, no!" Luke exclaimed. "Not before she was punished. What did she look like after?"

"I don't wanna see!" Melody buried her head in her father's chest.

"Shhh," he rubbed her back soothingly. "It's alright. I won't be showing this one. I can't actually. Not even the gods or Fae could look at her. It was said that her lower half was the body of a snake complete with a rattle on her tail. She kept her upper body though her skin was green and scaly and her hair was made up of hundreds of small snakes."

"That sounds gross," Liam commented.

"Sounds gnarley to me." Luke grinned.

"Gnarley?" Jareth eyed his wife.

"Must have picked that up from Uncle Toby." She replied sheepishly.

"Yes, they've picked up quite a lot from dear Uncle Toby." Jareth shook his head. "Anyway, once Zeus learned of her punishment, he banished her to the isle of the dead. He didn't want her wandering into a city and turning everyone to stone. Plus she would help guard the gate to the underworld."

"So did Perseus kill her?" Liam asked.

"He did, but we're not to that part of the story just yet."

~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~

In Olympus, Zeus was pacing as he watched events unfolding below. Athena approached him cautiously. She was certain he probably wasn't pleased with her golden owl trick. "You called for me, Father?"

"Athena, come, daughter, walk with me."

"He's in a good mood it seems." Jareth hooted from her shoulder.

Ignoring him, she took her place at her father's side and walked down the corridors. "Tell me, did your little friend tell Perseus about Medusa?"

"No, he was already on his way to see the Stygian witches to ask for their advice when Bubo joined him and his friends." She replied while inwardly bracing herself for him to yell about the fact that Bubo, the real one, was on her shoulder.

"I see, so he learned of her from them." Zeus nodded and rubbed his beard. "See that he's also aware of the fact that her blood is dangerous. He'll need a way to safely transport her head."

"He has his red cloak" Jareth hooted.

Athena placed her hand on his beak to silence him. "He was told by the witches that his red cloak would be immune to her blood because he held the eye."

Smirking, Zeus looked at the owl on her shoulder. "He held the eye?"

"Yes, Bubo took it from them and gave it to Perseus so he could question them safely," Athena explained. "What is the eye and how did those old women get it?"

"The eye is an ancient relic that was made by Ares specifically for them. The hags were born with just one eye and one tooth between them. One of the sisters is known for her blood lust and attracted Ares's attention. As a reward for helping him with one of his conquests, he turned their eye into a crystal with magical powers. Not only did it gran them sight but knowledge as well. That's how they know it will make my son's cloak immune to Medusa's blood."

"So they really are wise." Athena mused. "Do you think Perseus can defeat her?"

"He has all he needs, now he just has to figure out how to use the gifts we gave him." He sighed. "Speaking of gifts, that was creative of you, giving him a fake version of your friend."

"He's only fake in the fact that he has gold wings and gears. Bubo on Earth is very much alive and communicates with me, keeping me appraised of our young hero's journey." Athena rubbed Jareth's head. "May the fates be kind to young Perseus."

~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~

"So the gifts from the gods would help him beat her?' Luke grinned.

"Yes, but he wasn't aware of that at the time," Jareth commented. "After leaving the witches, Perseus made his way to the Isle of the Dead. He took 3 men with him while Thallo and the others remained ashore. In order to cross the river Styx, he had to pay Charon the ferryman. The Skeletal ferryman took the men to the Isle and then they had to fight for their lives."

"Did Medusa attack right away?"

"Did any of them turn to stone?' The boys blurted out questions excited to hear about the fight.

"Patience boys, patience." Jareth stood and placed Melody on his throne while he walked around to stretch his legs. "They were being watched the moment they stepped off of the boat. But not by Medusa." He paused and paced the room silently, drawing out the suspense.

"Who was it?" Melody cried.

"Dioskilos, guardian of the isle. He was watching closely, with both his heads." Jareth stated. "He watched as they explored and found the stone statues that used to be men. When their backs were turned he lunged out of the shadows and killed one of the soldiers. Turning, Perseus and the other two fought the two-headed dog and..."

"Wait," Sarah interrupted. "I thought the Underworld was guarded by a three-headed dog named Cerberus?"

"You are correct, Precious," Jareth smiled. "Dioskilos is a smaller sibling of Hade's pet. He guarded the Isle while his big brother guards the Underworld. But I'm glad you know your stories." He clapped his hands together and looked at the children. "Now, as I was saying, Perseus used the sword from Hera to kill the beast."

"Poor puppy," Meloy said sadly.

"I know you don't like hearing about puppies dying, but he really was a mean dog. Unlike his brother Cerberus, he didn't even listen to Hades. He was left on the isle because he liked killing things." Jareth said softly as he knelt in front of her.

"He was a bad puppy?"

"Yes, he was a very bad puppy. And Perseus killed him quickly. He didn't suffer."

"I don't like it but I guess I can forgive Perseus since the puppy attacked him," Melody replied.

Jareth kissed her forehead and stood back up. "Once Dioskilos was dealt with, Perseus and the remaining soldiers entered the abandoned temple. It was dark except for a few torches. They walked slowly and carefully, watching and listening for any sound or movement." Jareth crept around the room as he told the tale. "The only sounds they heard were their own footsteps, their breathing, and the rapid beating of their own hearts."

The boys and Melody were on the edge of their seats listening to their father. Sarah smiled as she watched them. Knowing what was coming she also tightened her grip on Liam so that he wouldn't fall from her lap.

"Just as they reached the top of the stairs..." He paused and looked around. "Fwoosh!" All three jumped and Melody squealed. "An arrow shot by them striking one of the soldiers in the chest killing him instantly."

Jareth jumped back and acted like he was hiding behind something. "Perseus and the remaining soldier ducked behind pillars and used their shields are mirrors to look around." Jareth held his arm up as if he had a shield. "They just couldn't get a get view of her, and all they could hear was the loud rattle of her tail which echoed around the room."

Deciding to help with his storytelling, Sarah tossed a crystal over her shoulder and laughed when all of them jumped at the sound of a snake's rattle.

"What was that?" Luke asked as he looked around.

"I thought Medusa was dead!" Melody cried.

"She is dearest. Your mother is just having a little fun at our expense." Jareth told her as he glared at his wife.

"I was simply helping by adding sound effects," Sarah replied innocently.

"Anyway..." Jareth shook his head and looked at the children, ignoring the rattle that could occasionally be heard. "Where was I?"

"They couldn't see her," Liam told him.

"Ah yes, they couldn't get a get view of her in their shields. The soldier moved to one side to try and get a better view and his shield was hit by an arrow, throwing him off balance. While trying to recover from the blow he lookup and his eyes fell upon Medusa. He barely had time to scream before he was turned to solid stone."

"Oh no!" Melody cried out."Perseus is alone!"

"Yes, he was the only one left. He watched as the soldier turned to stone and looked around trying to come up with a plan. He dashed to another pillar trying to grab a quick glimpse in his shield. But he wasn't fast enough. She shot an arrow hitting his shield and causing him to spin around. He quickly closed his eyes and ducked down. As he looked around all he saw were stone statues and a few pillars. Then he had an idea."

"What was his idea?"

"If you would be patient and listen, Luke, I will tell you." Jareth chuckled. "He tossed the shield to one of the statues and moved so that his reflection was in it and he hoped visible to Medusa. Sure enough, she fired several arrows at the shield, knocking it to the floor. When it hit the floor, he was able to see her bottom half in its reflection and how close she was. Perseus held his sword, ready to strike, and waited. Slowly she slithered closer to where he was hiding and when she was just about to reach where he was..." Jareth stopped and looked at his children. They were hanging on his every word. "He closed his eyes and swung his sword. As her head was separated from her body a horrible scream left her throat and just like that, Medusa was dead."

Jareth sat on the edge of the pit and moved his hands over the pillows like he was looking or something. "As he stared up at the ceiling, Perseus felt around until he found her head and carefully wrapped it in his red cloak. Then with her head slung over his shoulder, he returned to the shore. The only one to survive this quest."

"So he took the head and beat the Kraken right?" Liam asked.

"No our hero's journey wasn't over yet." Jareth smirked. "someone had followed him to the river Styx and continued watching after he returned with the head."