Forgotten Under the Sea - The retelling of the myth Perseus & Andromeda

         Cetus jumped out of the ocean and dived back in, with a big smile on his face. His fins and his beautiful pearl white sharp teeth glistened under the sun. His long tail splashed the water every time he jumped out of the water. After chewing off few flying fishes, he swam deep into the sea to find his friends, the sea nymphs.

         As he reached the bottom of the ocean, where the underwater garden was, he saw no one playing in the garden like they used to do. The benches were empty, only seaweeds were swaying underwater.

“Oh no, something must have happened.” Cetus quickly glanced around and swam toward the cave nearby where the nymphs lived. The nymphs never forget to take a swim in the garden unless something big happened.

Cetus swam as fast as he could toward the cave but realizing he wasn’t the small sea monster anymore all he could do was swim around the cave or try to fit his head inside the entrance and watch what was happening inside.

“But lord Poseidon! Cassiopeia boasted to us that her mortal human daughter is more beautiful than us! How can you just leave her alone?”

Poseidon paced back and forth inside the cave. “Then what do you wish I would do?”

“Punish Cassiopeia’s entire kingdom for her arrogance.”

“Very well then.” Poseidon caught a glimpse of Cetus who was listening to their conversation. “Cetus, I have a task for you to complete.”

YES, something fun to do finally! Cetus thought. “What is your command, Lord Poseidon?”

“Go down to Ethiopia and devastate the kingdom as much as you wish.”

Cetus was excited; he was never involved with any vengeance plan by the gods, but he calmed his excitement and replied calmly. “Gladly my Lord.” He swam out of the cave and jumped with joy, finally, the god has asked him for a favor!

For days and nights, Cetus raged through Ethiopia, chewing down the houses and scaring people in the kingdom. However, one day Cetus was ordered to stop the raging and was called by Poseidon. Cetus became worried, did he do something wrong?  

“Yes my lord?” Cetus peaked inside the cave timidly.

“Cetus, you had done a very good job of what I told you,” Poseidon said sitting on his throne. “The king of Ethiopia, Cepheus has consulted an oracle, and it was ordered by Zeus himself to if they king sacrifice Andromeda, the princess and the daughter of Cassiopeia the monster would stop raging their kingdom.”

“I see.”

“The king has done so, the princess is now tied to the rocks on the coast. And I will like you to go and kill her.” Poseidon leaned his head on his hand.

“But the princess is innocent.” Cetus replied. He didn’t want the blood of innocent people.

“It’s the order of the gods.” Poseidon turned away.

“I will do as you say.” Cetus swam toward Ethiopia and left the cave, feeling heavy down inside. How is he supposed to kill a beautiful princess? He wondered.

         He popped his head out of the water, swimming along the coast, trying to find the rock that held Andromeda. It wasn’t hard to spot Andromeda; her hands were chained to the biggest rock on the coast and her face was wet with tears. When Andromeda raised her head the glance at the ocean, Cetus quickly dived back into the water and swam behind the rock so he won’t scare Andromeda.

         “ I’ll eat her when she’s asleep.” He thought, leaning his head on the rock, gazing upon the sky. There he noticed a small dot flying up on the sky. “Hmmm wonder what that is…” The dot got gradually bigger and bigger; it was a man wearing a wing sandal flying in the air.

         The man landed on the rock, wanting to see what happens, Cetus moved behind to another rock where he could see exactly what was happening to Andromeda.

         Andromeda flinched when she saw the man; he asked why she was chained to the rock. Although Andromeda didn’t want to talk at first to this stranger, she reluctantly told him the entire story and how the monster will come to kill her soon. While she was still talking, Cetus accidentally sneezed, the ocean trembled and the waves crashed onto the shore, it revealed his presence to the man and Andromeda.

         Andromeda screamed in fear. Then Cetus realized Andromeda’s parents were nearby too.

Wow, they just came out of nowhere like that man with winged sandals.

Both the parents were miserable and wretched, especially Cassiopeia whose eyes were flooding with tears for sacrificing her daughter.

Then the man in the winged sandals offered the parents a deal, “There are plenty of times for tears, but our hours are short, the monster will arrive soon. I’m Perseus, son of Jupiter and Danae. I have conquered Gorgon with snake hairs, I am daring and I fly through the airs. I should be preferred to all the suitors as a son-in-law for your daughter.”

Cetus scoffed, “Such an arrogant young man, just like queen Cassiopeia.”

Perseus continued, “If the gods favor me, I will like to make a bargain. If I rescue Andromeda with my courage, she must be my wife.”

The parents readily accept the offer and promise a kingdom as a dowry.

Well, I guess this is the perfect time to fulfill my mission. Cetus swam away from the rocks as far as he can, and accelerated his speed and swam toward the rock where Andromeda was. I didn’t want to kill Andromeda, but that arrogant Perseus would only cause more trouble to her.

As Cetus swam toward Andromeda, Perseus pushed off from the ground flying in his winged sandals and drew his sword; he was soon out of Cetus’ sight. While Cetus was wondering where Perseus went, he felt a deep, painful stab in his spines. When he stopped and turned around to check his back, another blade went slice his side of the neck. Angered by the pain Cetus jumped up and down in the water, trying to catch Perseus. But no matter how he tried, Perseus seemed to take one step before him, Perseus seemed to be everywhere, it felt like hundreds of Perseus was fighting against one.

Cetus felt sick, with so many wounds around his jaws, back, tails, he felt he would throw up. He used the little energy he had to aim at Perseus, he vomited out seawater mixed with dark purple blood as it showered Perseus and damped his winged sandals. However, Perseus quickly landed at a rock. When Cetus came near Perseus drew his sword several times in and out of Cetus’ vulnerable body.

Wounded deeply, Cetus sank deep into the ocean. Perseus has won. He failed his mission.

Far away he saw the nymphs swimming up. He could see Perseus taking out the Gorgon’s head and placing it on the seaweeds. The seaweeds turned into hard corals when the Gorgon’s head touched the seaweeds. He asked for help to the nymphs with his fainting voice but they were so fascinated and distracted by the Gorgon’s head they couldn’t hear him.

Cetus was left there, alone in the cold water. Dead.

The gods pitied the beast that was brutally killed by Perseus and who was forgotten by the nymphs in the cold sea. They placed him among the stars so people would not forget him, thus the constellation Cetus was born.

In the end, as Cetus predicted, Perseus accidentally killed Andromeda’s parents with the Gorgan’s head, turning them into stones. How would Andromeda felt living with a man who killed her parents? Maybe she lived happily, or maybe she lived a life worse than death.


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I hope you guys enjoyed this story. It's actually a piece written for my Latin class but I liked how it turned out. I did write numerous short stories for my Latin class, mostly retelling myths and historical events, if you guys are interested in I'll polish them up and share them here! Tell me what you think about this story in the comments!

Rose <3