Perseus

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**Perseus** is a minor character in *Escape the Night* Season 4. He is killed by The Minotaur after failing to kill The Gorgon. He is portrayed by Tyler James.

## Role

#### ***Episode 6 - The Maze of Terror***

Perseus attempts to force The Gorgon to look at her own reflection, but learns the legend is a rumor. The Gorgon uses the controlling stone The Collector gave her, to make The Minotaur kill Perseus.

## Legend

As an infant he was cast into the sea in a chest with his mother by Acrisius, to whom it had been prophesied that he would be killed by his grandson. After Perseus had grown up on the island of Seriphus, where the chest had grounded, King Polydectes of Seriphus, who desired Danaë, tricked Perseus into promising to obtain the head of Medusa, the only mortal among the Gorgons. Because the gaze of Medusa turned all who looked at her to stone, Perseus guided himself by her reflection in a shield given him by Athena and beheaded Medusa as she slept.

As he was flying over Africa in his return home, Perseus encountered Atlas the Titan, a mythical giant, who challenged him. In their confrontation, Perseus used Medusa's head to turn the Titan into stone. Perseus continued his journey home and, as he passed the kingdom of Ethiopia, he came upon the beautiful and helpless maiden Andromeda, chained to the rocks waiting to be devoured by a sea monster.

The beautiful Andromeda was the daughter of the Ethiopian king, Cepheus, and queen, Cassiopeia. One day, the vain queen had bragged that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs. The sea nymphs fell angry to hear that and complained to Poseidon, the god of the sea. A furious Poseidon unleashed the sea monster Cetus to frequently ravage the coast and devastate the land of Ethiopia in order to avenge the insult to his wards, the Nereids. The desperate king Cephus appealed Zeus, who suggested the sacrifice of Andromeda as the only way to appease the wrathful Poseidon.

Thus it was that our hero Perseus found himself face to face with the beautiful Andromeda chained helplessly onto the rocks, awaiting her doom. Perseus immediately fell in love with the lovely maiden and promptly killed Cetus the beast, who had been licking his lips at the prospect of having a delicious meal.

Perseus took Andromeda to her father Cepheus and asked for her hand in marriage. This infuriated Andromeda's uncle Phineus, to whom the maiden was already promised. During the ensuing quarrel, Perseus turned Phineus into a stone by showing him the head of the Gorgon Medusa.

He then returned to Seriphus and rescued his mother by turning Polydectes and his supporters to stone at the sight of Medusa’s head. After that, Perseus made Dictus the fisherman king of the island, to thank him for his kindness and generosity all the years Perseus lived on Seriphus. A grateful Perseus gave his flying sandals, mirror, and magical cap to the god, Hermes. He also gave his great trophy, the head of Medusa, to goddess Athena, who placed it upon her shield.

The whole family finally decided to leave Seriphos and return to Argos, keeping it a secret from King Acrisius. There, one day, Perseus took part in a sport competition. While throwing the discus, he accidentally struck his grandfather and instantly killed him. The old prophecy had come true, no matter how Acrisius tried to avoid it.

After the death of Acrisius, the Kingdom of Argos naturally passed on to Perseus, who thought himself unworthy of it, since he had caused his grandfather's death, even by accident. So he gave away the kingdom of Argos to Megapenthes, in exchange for Megapenthes' kingdom of Tiryns.

Perseus and his wife Andromeda happily settled in Tiryns and became the parents of seven sons and one daughter. According to Mythology, the descendants of Perseus ruled Mycenae, the most powerful town of Peloponnese in the Mycenaean times. Another great Greek hero, Heracles, was also a descendant of Perseus while his son Perses is said to have traveled in far away Asia to become the ancestor of a new race, the Persians.