From the shadows, a figure emerged. It was Athena's handmaiden. Her elaborate hairdo was gone and in its place were writhing hissing snakes. They were uncoiling and leaving the handmaiden's head. She looked triumphant.
Medusa.
Athena was livid. "How dare you show yourself in court! I took you in because you begged to be my handmaiden to pay for the desecration of my temple."
"You punished me, the victim but you were too cowardly to punish Poseidon for his indiscretion!" screamed Medusa. "I'm free! At last! It was I who meddled with your divine magic and cursed Althea. I begged you to free me from your so-called 'blessing'. You didn't but I knew you would do something if it came to your precious reputation. I've figured it out! That's what makes you gods doesn't it? If people don't believe in you and your benevolence, you would die!"
"LIES!"
"I'm no longer a monster. And I will make sure that people forget you."
Medusa removed her shades and looked at the gods. They didn't turn into stone as a mortal would have but they froze, unable to move. Medusa produced a cap. Althea thought she saw outrage in Athena's eyes.
"That's my helm of invisibility," said Athena, outraged. "You sneaky thief!"
Medusa put it on and disappeared. Althea reacted quickly. Using her hearing to judge where Medusa was, she set a foot out and tripped Medusa. The cap fell off her head with a metallic clang. Althea picked it up. It was much heavier than it looked. She closed her eyes and struck out towards Medusa.
The gorgon fell to the floor face-first and didn't move.
"Dump her in Tartarus," said Zeus.
Althea was lucky. Somehow the time in Daedalus's labyrinth passed just enough for her to reach her wedding in time. She set aside the niggling suspicion in her mind that everything had gone too smoothly. Were there pieces of the puzzle that she did not know? Was she being set up?