er all the
world, and over the wide western sea: him we must ask to answer your
question. Take off your shield, which is so heavy, and sit down with us
among the flowers, and let us think how you may slay the Gorgon.'

Perseus gladly unslung his heavy shield, and sat down among the white
and purple wind flowers. Aegle, too, sat down; but young Erytheia held
the shield upright, while beautiful Hesperia admired herself, laughing,
in the polished surface.

Perseus smiled as he watched them, and a plan came into his mind. In all
his wanderings he had been trying hard to think how, if he found the
Gorgon, he might cut off her head, without seeing the face which turned
men into stone. Now his puzzle was ended. He could hold up the shield
above the Gorgon, and see the reflection of her face, as in a mirror,
just as now he saw the fair reflected face of Hesperia. He turned to
Aegle, who sat silently beside him: 'Maiden,' he said, 'I have found out
the secret that has perplexed me long, how I may strike at the Gorgon
without seeing her face that turns men to stone. I will hang above her
in the air, and see her face reflected in the mirror of the shield, and
so know where to strike.' The two other girls had left the shield on the
grass, and they clapped their hands when Perseus said this, but Aegle
still looked grave.

'It is much that you should have found this cunning plan; but the
Gorgons will see you, and two of them are deathless and cannot be slain,
even with the sword Herpe. These Gorgons have wings almost as swift as
the winged shoon of Hermes, and they have claws of bronze that cannot
be broken.'

Hesperia clapped her hands. 'Yet I know a way,' she said, 'so that this
friend of ours may approach the Gorgons, yet not be seen by them. You
must be told,' she said, turning to Perseus, 'that we three sisters were
of the company of the Fairy Queen, Persephone, daughter of Demeter, the
Goddess of the Harvest. We were gathering flowers with her, in the plain
of Enna, in a spring morning, when there sprang up a new flower,
fragrant and beautiful, the white narcissus. No sooner had Persephone
plucked that flower than the earth opened beside her, and up came the
chariot and horses of Hades, the King of the Dead, who caught Persephone
into his chariot, and bore her down with him to the House of Hades. We
wept and were in great fear, but Zeus granted to Persephone to return to
earth with the first snowdrop, and remain with her mo