This is the beginning of Perseus' Quest; he has just been given the task to slay Medusa.

For those who don't know the tale: King Polydectes wants to marry Danae, the mother of Perseus. However, knowing that Perseus would always be there to protect her, the King plotted a way to get rid of Perseus. The King would then give the strong, young demi-god a task: to slay the Gorgon that has been terorrizing his land.

Perseus' first stop was the local temple of Athena. And as he gave his tribute and prayer for protection, Athena would come down and see Perseus personally. She came to warn him that if he is to defeat Medusa and her powerful magic, he'll need to prove himself to the Gods above. True, he is strong, and the blood of Zeus coarses through his veins, but he will not succeed on his strength alone. And as a show of faith, Athena will begin to offer Perseus her Mirror Shield.

And Perseus...is uneasy.

This Mirror Shield is an amazing boon, and yet, he doesn't know why. He will take it and continue his quest, thankful for the aid of the Gods themselves, even if he must earn it, but why does he feel that Athena's gaze is...condescending? He can't describe it. She doesn't say anything rude and her tone isn't cold, but Perseus can't help but feel that the Goddess has nothing but disdain for him.

And his instincts were right.

For you see, Perseus is the son of Zeus, and so is Athena. But Athena wasn't birthed like a mortal, she was conceieved with a Nymph and Zeus, in fear of siring a male to succeed him, tried everything in his power to keep her from being born. He failed, as you can see, and while their relationship eventually was patched up, Athena can't help but resent mortals. Mortals who did not have to fight for their right to be born. Especially Zeus's half-God children. Many of them were hunted by monsters and such, but Athena often looked the other way, not caring for whether they lived or died, because Zeus would just bring more into the world anyway.

But Athena has need for Perseus to complete his quest.

Because, here's a rarely talked about part of this story; Athena was the one who cursed Medusa to begin with. Her crimes?

Well, she boasted about her ability to weave, claiming to even be better than Athena. And she defiled her temple! Well, 'defile' is a funny word for being sexually assaulted by Poseidon, but clearly it was her fault! For...seducing him!

Many champions had gone to face Medusa, and none had prevailed. And the Gorgon grows stronger. And she has gained the attention of other Gods. Athena knows it is only a matter of time before Zeus realizes this was her creation and she'll be forced to face a Godly Punishment for sure.

But then, she noticed another of Zeus' spawn, Perseus, and the disgraceful King who lusts for his mother. And, well, a small vision to inspire King Polydectes and now Perseus is on his way to do her dirty work. (Okay, this part is purely a part of my own fanfiction, lol)
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