I looked over tonight and saw my beautiful wife, Andromeda. I locked eyes with her, and we both smiled, reminding me that everything had been worth it...
Once I found Pegasus after my mission to kill Medusa, we took off to return to my home of Seriphos Island. We were flying through the sky when I could tell he was beginning to grow tired. I yelled to my winged horse, "Why don't we take a short break up here? It looks like there is a kingdom we can stop at." As we neared, I noticed it was raining heavily, but at least it was a place to stop. We landed on the flooded ground, and I looked around to find someone to thank for our unexpected visit.
I asked where I could find the king and queen, but only got nervous and unsure responses when I asked those around me. Finally, someone pointed to a sobbing woman and her husband, who was trying to comfort her, but was clearly upset himself. I approached them and said, "I apologize for stopping in your kingdom so unexpectedly. My flying horse was tired and I thought it was a good idea to stop and rest. I can you see are upset and have other things to deal with, though, so we will be on our way."
The woman sniffed and turned towards me, saying, "You have nothing to apologize for. You are welcome to stay as long as you need. I am Queen Cassiopeia and this is King Cepheus. We are trying to figure out how to get our daughter Andromeda back. She is chained to a rock near the ocean so Poseidon will stop the flooding rain. That is, if Cetus has not eaten her yet." She began sobbing again, and fell back into her husband's arms.
Although I did not understand much of what the queen had just told me, I proudly boasted, "Well, if you must know, I am a hero. I bet I could save your daughter from this Cetus." I saw a flicker of hope return to the queen's eyes, and I knew she and her husband had just accepted my offer.
I found Pegasus and told him of our new mission. I decided to sort through my sack to bring only the essential items. The lighter the load, the easier it would be for Pegasus to fly and escape. I packed my sword, my shield, the winged sandals, and the Cap of Invisibility I had received from Athena for my quest to slay Medusa. Huh, I forgot I had this helmet. Maybe it would have helped when I went to slay the Gorgon.
Once I had everything packed, I climbed aboard Pegasus and we took off to the ocean. It did not take long to spot Andromeda, naked and chained to a rock. I told Pegasus to land near Andromeda's rock, but made sure we were hidden in case Cetus was near. I decided to wear Hermes's sandals, rather than put Pegasus's life in danger, for when I got closer to this mysterious Cetus.
After putting on the sandals, I put on the Cap of Invisibility and grabbed my sword. I quietly flew over to where Andromeda was chained and waited hovering for Cetus to return. Before long, I saw a sea monster emerge from the water, and I swiftly flew behind it. I drove my sword into the monster's back, and it fell backwards into the ocean. Dead.
I landed on Andromeda's rock and removed the helmet. The princess burst into tears of joy, and exclaimed, "Thank you for saving me! You are my hero! We will be married at once." And the rest was history.
Tonight, I looked over at Andromeda, and remembered all we had been through together. Nine children, both becoming constellations, sharing the sky together... but that adventure was the one that started it all.
Author's Note: My Storybook has been leading up to the story of how Perseus met his wife, Andromeda, so I wanted to focus this story on how he found her. In the stories of how Perseus saved her, there is not much explanation for how he knew she needed saving. The most specific reason I found is that he happened upon her when he was returning to his home of Seriphos Island. I wanted to give him a reason to go and find her so it would not just be a random meeting, which is why I decided to have Perseus and Pegasus stop in Aethiopia and meet Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus. I thought this would add to Perseus's characterization as a hero, as he is being sent on another mission.
One part of Andromeda's story I found interesting was that it may be the origin of the princess and dragon motif. I wanted to highlight this at the end of my story by focusing on how Perseus is the hero who saves a helpless princess from a terrible monster. I wanted Andromeda's reaction to being saved to be stereotypical of a princess being saved by her knight in shining armor.