ither day nor night. She never saw the bright children of
Helios driving his flocks to their pastures in the morning. She never
beheld the stars as they look out from the sky, when the sun sinks
down into his golden cup in the evening. There no clouds ever passed
across the heaven, no breeze ever whispered in the air, but a pale
yellow light brooded on the land everlastingly. So there rested on the
face of Medusa a sadness such as the children of men may never feel;
and the look of hopeless pain was the more terrible because of the
greatness of her beauty. She spake not to any of her awful grief, for
her sisters knew not of any such thing as gentleness and love, and
there was no comfort for her from the fearful Graiai who were her
kinsfolk. Sometimes she sought them out in their dark caves, for it
was something to see even the faint glimmer of the light of day which
reached the dwelling of the Graiai, but they spake not to her a word
of hope when she told them of her misery, and she wandered back to the
land which the light of Helios might never enter. Her brow was knit
with pain, but no tear wetted her cheek, for her grief was too great
for weeping.

But harder things yet were in store for Medusa, for Athene, the
daughter of Zeus, came from the Libyan land to the dwelling of the
Gorgon sisters, and she charged Medusa to go with her to the gardens
where the children of Hesperos guard the golden apples of the lady
Here. Then Medusa bowed herself down at the feet of Athene, and
besought her to have pity on her changeless sorrow, and she said,
"Child of Zeus, thou dwellest with thy happy kinsfolk, where Helios
gladdens all with his light and the Horai lead the glad dance when
Phoebus touches the strings of his golden harp. Here there is neither
night nor day, nor cloud or breeze or storm. Let me go forth from this
horrible land and look on the face of mortal men, for I, too, must
die, and my heart yearns for the love which my sisters scorn." Then
Athene looked on her sternly, and said, "What hast thou to do with
love? and what is the love of men for one who is of kin to the beings
who may not die? Tarry here till thy doom is accomplished, and then it
may be that Zeus will grant thee a place among those who dwell in his
glorious home." But Medusa said, "Lady, let me go forth now. I can not
tell how many ages may pass before I die, and thou knowest not the
yearning which fills the heart of mortal things for tenderness and
l