I, Medusa by Ayana Gray

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[00:00:33] Helps other readers discover this vibrant community where laughter, reflection, and thoughtful wrecks make reading feel fun again. Love y'all. Mean it. Come.

[00:01:03] Yeah. Okay. Well, um, hey, hey guys. Um, it's another episode of The Reading Black Girls Podcast. Just another episode with the girls. We're back. I know. We know you missed us. Right? We missed y'all too. Um, if you didn't know, We're The Reading Black Girls, I'm Kayla. I'm Alex. I'm Nish. I'm Aziza. And it's still us. It's still us.

[00:01:33] It's still us. It's still us. It's still us. We're here to discuss, would you guess? Books. And honestly, the book that we're going to talk about today is arguably one of my new favorite books, to be honest. Hi, Q. Hi, Q. This was a top 10 2025 read for me. I'm not going to hold you. I have to expand it to like top 20 because it was too many good books this year. But she's up there.

[00:02:02] She's absolutely there. She's up there on the list. Definitely. But such a great new release this year. I'm really excited to even get into it with y'all. For realsies. And it seems that we're having a little bit of a resurgence of these reimaginings, retellings. And we love that. Thank you. Is it the sign of the times? Like, yeah. I think so. Absolutely. Recession indicator. Yeah. We're getting retellings. We're getting vampires.

[00:02:31] It's 2008 all over again. We're so back. All over again. We're so back. The kids yearn for Tumblr era, millennial aesthetics. Like, we're so back. And they don't even know it. But they know they need something. They don't know exactly what. But they need that. Their body knows. Yeah. And the publishers know. The authors know. Which is why we're here today to discuss.

[00:03:00] Like me said, it was a top read by the Ayana Gray. I, Medusa. Oh. I mean. Crazy. Crazy. The title. Like, need you say more? Honestly. Honestly, get into the book. Like, the book itself. Stunning. The cover. The cover. Stunning. The construction of the book. Yeah. Let's get into that. Let's open her up a little. She's got gray edges.

[00:03:29] She's got black and gold sprayed edges. And this is like the standard. Like, this is not no special edition. This is just how she comes. That's how she comes. And then, not only that. You take this little. You take that beautiful little jacket off. Mm. Maiden. What the heck? I love that. Monster. See that? Green. Stunning. And it's like sprayed with like that gold. Those flecks of gold. Love. And then there's like little. Emblem on the back.

[00:03:59] Read what it says on that. On that. Right. Niche. Maiden. Mistress. Monster. Myth. All. Fabulous. Spurn. Now, I'm not going to lie. I thought this book was. Before I started reading it. Because Iona Gray like put out. We've got Beasts of Prey. Which the people love. I haven't read it yet. But it's literally right behind me. The whole trilogy. It's a good one. Yeah. It's a good one.

[00:04:28] But I thought this book was YA. This is not YA y'all. This is not YA. This is like. Really? New adults. Yeah. It's more new adults. Just. Yeah. Because I was reading. I was like. It does have like YA elements. Mm-hmm. Because she's young. Young girl. Coming. It's a coming of age story. So. Right. Mm-hmm. But it definitely dips into that new adult. Adultish realm. For sure. Totally. That's our girl. Medi.

[00:04:58] Honestly. There were a lot of. There were a lot of moments. moments. Where I was literally just in my mind. Like. I don't know if y'all know that little Giff. It was like. I just. Yeah. Crying. I was like. I was literally banging on the glass. Like. There was a lot of moments like that. Right. Yeah. So many things. In such a short amount of time. Yeah. Because the book is only 300 pages. It's a really fast. Quick read.

[00:05:28] And honestly. The. I really liked the audio book. Hmm. I did a really good job with the audio book. A lot. But. No. I knew it was crazy because. I was. Reading on my Kindle too. And. I have all of my highlights. I highlighted so many things. I don't highlight. Because I don't like to stop. Right. I'm in the middle of the story. I'm like. I gotta keep going. I don't have time to highlight. Hopefully I remember something. You be in that flow state. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

[00:05:57] Yeah. That's literally me. But. I highlighted at least like 10 different things. That's a lot of highlights. I was highlighting a lot at the end. Yeah. Hello. Heavy. Dog. Theo. It was heavy. Now. If you have not read. Right. Read. I'm Medusa. By Iona Gray. Go ahead and make sure you. Grab that. Please. Yeah.

[00:06:28] Link in our. In our bio. Link in our. Description. Obviously. Um. Wow. But if you have. Go ahead and stay with us. And even if you haven't. And you don't care about spoilers. Like me. Then. Stay with us. As we discuss. Because we're about to get into it. Um. Trigger warnings. For sure. Definitely check out the trigger warnings. Because. Please. Please. We're begging you. Um. But yeah. Let's talk about her. So.

[00:06:59] First of all. First of all. I still have. Quite a few questions. That I'd like answered. Oh. Okay. I will be. Putting them into. Uh. A little. Perhaps an email will be sent. I don't know. If I remember. Somebody remind me. But I'm sitting here thinking. I'm like. Okay. Why was she the only one who. Had to be immortal? Right. Why is she the only one? Where? Who was immortal. I didn't like that for her. But apparently. That was exact. Like that was accurate.

[00:07:29] In every. To the actual mess. In every story of Medusa. She is mortal. She's always mortal. But it's like. Never knew that. But like. As a daughter of two gods. Why? Right. And then I'm sitting here thinking. Because remember like. You know her mama was talking about. All her other little children. And I'm like. Was it because he was having affairs? That's what I thought too. Was that what happened? That's possible. What. What. Lo-key. Was getting up to. Mm-hmm. Maybe a sailor. That. Happened to.

[00:08:00] Wash up. Wash up on shore. One of the. Enslaved workers. She would have been a demigod. Like. Don't play. We know our mythology. Remember. I thought that. Sometimes. The children of gods. Just end up being mortal. Yeah. That's. Yeah. Like Zeus has kids that are just mortal. He does. So. Aries. This is really the daddy. Okay. That's fair. It's just the genetics game you play with the punit square. Like it's just. You know. Just what you get. When the cookie crumbles. Okay. Good point. Biology.

[00:08:30] Alex. The punit squares. I mean like. It just. Green eyes. Recessive. One square. I like. Towards the beginning. I was like. Oh. Maybe she's like. Not their kid. Maybe she was a kid that just like. Washed up on the shore of the island. But then they kept saying. Oh. She looks like. Yes. Super alike. Like. Like Cito and the sisters and stuff. Like. She looks like their family. Like their kin. Right. And that's why I was like. Oh. Okay. So you is. You know. You know. My mother's daughter. But.

[00:08:59] It was giving very much. Like half sibling. Mm-hmm. No. But her sisters. Her sisters. That was their baby. Did not play about her. That was their baby. Okay. Were you at the beginning. Were we nervous. That it was going to give like. A Cinderella. Where like. She was like. The ugly stepchild. Yes. And like. The sisters also. Yes. Absolutely. I was very concerned. I was laughing at her dancing. Like in the very beginning. I was like. Oh. But that was just little sibling. Little. Yeah. You know. You gotta make fun of your siblings. Apparently.

[00:09:29] Because they wrote for her. I'm saying apparently. Oh. Yeah. You do. Don't play with her big sister. Urale. And Steno. Steno. Yeah. Don't play with them. They were. They was like. Don't play with my little sister. I loved their relationship. I really did. I really did. We love. They looked out for each other. Yeah. Because no one else. They had to. They looked out for them. Yeah. They was stuck on that island. Child. They were drunk. Because she not happy. Your daddy crazy. Your daddy. Crazy.

[00:09:59] Slapping the mama. Crazy. Abusive. During dinner. During dinner. At the dinner table. You're going to slap my mother. In front of my green beans. Have some freaking coof. Medusa speaking her mind. No decorum. I'm like. Medusa's the only one here who has to eat. Can you let her enjoy her dinner? None of y'all need to eat. They're doing it for the plot. And that's why. And that's exactly why they was fighting. They didn't have to eat. They were like. Just creating drama for nothing. It's theater. We're back in the dining hall.

[00:10:29] The servants are here. Let's put on a show. They have nothing but time. So. You know. You can do a little acting. I feel like. I always sit down to eat. I did really like when they like. Hosted their little. Their little dinners. And their little balls. And. Because I just know it was crazy in there. Oh yeah. I know all. All them people that they invited. The whole court that pulled up. I'm like. The new gods.

[00:10:58] The old gods. Poseidon walking around his big head. And. And. And let's. Yeah. Poseidon. Oh. Come to the front. To the. Right now. You're not getting a baddie chain. You're actually. Never. Never. You're about to get jumped. Mm hmm. Yeah. By all of us. Right now. I. Mm hmm. That. Ooh. I know he was necessary for the plot. He's a monster.

[00:11:28] But he's a monster. Truly. He's a monster. And he was a monster from the first couple chapters. To the end. Yeah. No matter what. He showed. Medi. In any type of way. That was all a lie. All a facade. Like he was. He was. He was running game. Yeah. He was running. He was running the mess out of that power imbalance. Yeah. He was milking it. Poor Medi. Just. Yeah. So. Naive. Not her fault. Right. Like she knows nothing. Right. She's never left.

[00:11:58] She truly knows nothing. You're. You're just a girl. You're just. She was just a girl. And you're being taken. First of all. Hang on. Before I can even get to Poseidon. Them get. Them. Being chosen. By. The prince. Aries son. Aries son. Yeah. He doesn't. We don't need to recall his name. Yeah. And then her. Accidentally doing a murder. Kind of.

[00:12:27] She really. I just was like. Okay. Medi. Okay. Medi. You got some. You got some guts in you. Because. You said. Oh my. Immortal sister is going to get locked into this abusive marriage. I'm going to save her. With. With two rocks. Right. With two little rocks. With two shiny rocks. With two jewels. You're going to go bribe an abusive man. By yourself. Who's rich in his own marriage. He has a whole kingdom. Okay. He brought a line earlier today. Right. Mind you.

[00:12:57] She had already talked to her good sis. Sis was like. It's cool. Like I'm. Right. She was like. Chill. Chill. Chill. I'll be. It's not that deep. I just got to get up out of here. And Medi was like. No. Not with him. You can get out another way. But not with him. No. And she couldn't stand for it. So she was like. I'll. I'll. I'll deal with it. I'll put Madison to my own. Let's be. Like. If your sister. If you peep game. You peep this man. And your sister was like. Well. I'm trying to get up out this house.

[00:13:27] So. You just gonna have to let me rock. Would you have. Have. Ruined your sister's. Betrothal. And life. Right. Right. I might have to. I might have to. I'm not saying. Medi's wrong. I would have. You know what I would have said. How is she right? I would have brought in. Steno real quick. Steno would have. I would have brought the other sister with me.

[00:13:57] And here's the other thing. Yeah. Had Medi just been a little. More careful. And just remembered to like. Grab her bag. It actually. And the other goblet. It actually would have been fine. Because it would have looked like. He had just been a drunk. Oh yeah. She just. Let's have to sell. She just didn't clean up the scene. Like she just kind of messed up a little. Right. And then. And now it's all coming back to me. I mean she didn't think she was gonna kill him. I think that's why. She didn't. She just went in there to ride him. She wasn't prepared. I mean do people often get. Blinded by wine. I just. I was kind of like.

[00:14:27] I'm sure it burns. I'm sure it burns. Right. I thought it was just. Really strong wine. It was that god. Goddess. God wine. Yeah. The Olympian wine. Or whatever. Not Olympian. But like maybe like. But it was super fermented or something. Like they did say that. Yeah. I'm sure that does hurt your eye. So okay. You're saying. The sea salt. Right. That was through the grave. It was strong. And it got in his. You're saying that you would. Little eyes.

[00:14:57] Blinded him. And killed him. He had to move on. Well. He smacked his little head. His abusive little head. On the corner. His abusive little head. Yeah. And then died. That had to happen. Right. Okay. You know. One thing like. One thing about Medusa. Which I appreciated. She was very consistent. Her ideas of right and wrong. Were just very. It's black and white. Yes. Very much. But she's just like. It's very. It's very simple to me. She hated injustice.

[00:15:27] I didn't want my sister to go with him. I accidentally killed him. Go tell Athena I accidentally killed him. Yeah. Well because Theo was like. Theo was like. Theo was busted. They found a carving knife. The one that I gave you. Like. I'm like. Theo. I'm going down. Mind you. You know. That's her only friend. Literally. That is her only friend that she has. So of course. She's sitting there like. Okay. Which. Okay. I get. I get.

[00:15:55] But I kind of feel like she could have finessed. Like. I don't know. I actually wasn't mad. I don't know how she would have finessed that. I thought she should have went and told Athena immediately. I feel like she. She could have finessed it. I really felt like she should have told Athena immediately. Not that Athena is known for being kind. Like if you're already familiar with the story of Medusa. We know Athena is not. None of the gods are. They're. They're terrible. But. I was like. You know. Maybe if she goes and explains herself. It'll be fine. And guess what?

[00:16:25] It did work out. Yeah. In the beginning. It did. Athena was like. I'm impressed. She's so fun. And she was like. How did you feel when he was dying? She's like. I liked it a little. I didn't feel bad. And I drew it again. And I drew it again. Perfect. The scales of justice. I'll be taking you to Athens. Yeah. Girl. She said. You passed your interview. No third round.

[00:16:55] No fourth round. Come on. I'm hired on the spot. By the very CEO. Like. She got her body pain. Yeah. And then. Dad. Dad. Dad. Mad. We now know for. Very good reason. Yeah. Sisters. Sad. But. She had to get up out of there. She had to get up out of there. And they were good sisters. Because even after that. They still made sure to send her off. With her hair did. Hair laid.

[00:17:24] I love that. I love that. I did too. That retwist. Yeah. Her little charms in her long. Like. I was just like. Yes. Beautiful. Which I feel like. This is what we wanted. The love she got from. Just like her sisters. That was personified. In her hair. And that's why it was like. One of the things she loved the most about herself. Because yeah. I am not my hair. I am not a skin. I am not your expectations.

[00:17:55] No. Yeah. Period. That's how we're like. Sorry to show up. You know her locks was. I know her locks was moisturized. Like. They were. She smelled good. Smelled real good. Look good. Rose. Thank you for making that so. Black. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Thank you. That's what we needed. Because I'm sorry. Like.

[00:18:24] We've read so many tales of Medusa. And all these other gods. And it's always this like. Blonde hair. Straight. Flowing down. They actually like. Brush it with a brush. At night. It is? This is what the girlies needed. So like. Yeah. We were young. It makes sense. Mm-hmm. It makes sense. It makes sense. Let me fix my hair. And then she finally gets to Athens. And her.

[00:18:53] Her world is just. Blown open when she goes to Athens. Athens is very tea. Very tea. Yeah. It was giving like. Transplant. Of like New York. Like. Correct. Yeah. If she pulled up in Times Square. And was looking around. That is exactly how our sis was standing there in Athens. Looking like. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. She said. I had never seen this many different people in my life. Never. They were different colors. Like she. Yeah. And I'm sorry.

[00:19:22] Her getting hemmed up. At that little stand. That little fruit stand. It was giving Aladdin vibes. Yes. That is exactly what I thought of. It was like. Street. Yeah. She said. You have my coins. Right. She said. Whoa. Give me the money for them three figs. Or you gonna lose a hand. Oh. It's straight. It's around here. It's straight. She said. I didn't even know it was like that.

[00:19:50] I would have bought some coin. Right. Or her little. Her little rocks. From the island. Oh. Yeah. That's a good point. I'm like. Why you have your two coins this time? She didn't even know how the world worked. No she did not. She didn't know anything. They really should have told her. Like gave her a crash course when they was doing her hair or something. Like just to give her. Put her on some games. Remember her sisters wouldn't know. That's true. They wouldn't really know much. Would her parents even know? But they knew something.

[00:20:20] Because Medusa didn't even know what sex was. Yeah. And they did keep that from her. Yeah. And they. Because she was the baby. We're like. Oops. Sorry sister. Right. They're like. My bad. They're like we tried to tell you. But. When? Like. You need to tell some things out for our girl. The other day we went for a walk. And time got away from us. Like. They just never found a good time. And because of that. Medusa found herself in these really. Precarious. Bruh. Situations.

[00:20:50] And. I appreciate. The author. Especially. The author's note at the end. Was just. Fantastic. But like. Making sure that she spoke to like. Rape culture. Yes. Like. The girl. Like. What is it? Medi and. What was her friend's name? Apollonia. Apollonia. Medi and Apollonia. You know. When they were together. They had been drinking. Having a good time. They separated.

[00:21:20] You never separate from your friends. Never. Ever. Never. From your friends. Like. We are going to the bathroom. You already know. Let's go. Group trip. We're all going. Yep. We're all going. Mm-hmm. And then. Like. And I. You don't even know these people. I barely know my. And let's be serious. Let's be serious. She barely knew her way around the city. At all. Right. I don't even know why she thought. But then again. You gotta think. When you're drinking.

[00:21:50] You're also not. And you're right. She was drunk. They were drunk. She said. I just need a little fresh air. I'm gonna go to the bathroom. He said. Oh. The bathroom's down the street. And as soon as he said that. Blocks. I said. Oh my god. My stomach. She was like. It was way further than just down the street. I got real nervous. Oh. I was getting mad nervous. I was like. Okay. Something. Mad nervous. Especially when she left him with those soldiers. I said. Something bad is about to happen. Because. Either something's gonna happen to Medi right now. Or something's gonna happen to Apollonia. Or both of them. I. I just knew that was all bad.

[00:22:19] But anytime Poseidon would just pop up. In his other forms. Or like a. Yes. Young boy. Like whatever. I was like. And I did like. I kind of did like. Like that. Like pop up. Where she like. She. I feel like it added to the story. Because. I mean. He was over there pulling strings. Like. He really was. He was making her trust her. He was some crazy stuff. Yeah. Like he. He saw her. He. He. Preyed on her. You know. Weaknesses.

[00:22:49] And her. Naivety. Yes. That word. Naivety. And. That's so real. I'm like. Honestly. Yeah. Sick men like that do that all the time. They do that. They do that. They do that. Like. Not him grooming her. Yes. Grooming. Very much. The. The. Ridiculous. Age difference. Right. And that's why her sister. As he is old. When they were talking.

[00:23:19] And she was like. Well you know. Like. I. I was doing this. She was like. He was. He's thousands of years old. Right. You were drinking Olympian wine. It was. Never. Ever. Ever. Okay. That's why a victim can never be blamed. Especially in a situation like this. Poseidon. Was. Dead wrong. From. Jump. And he knew it. He knew it. And it was a real shame. It was a real. Shame. And even more disappointing. Was.

[00:23:49] Athena's. Reaction. Yes. Apollonia. Being assaulted. That was. Writing on the walls right there. And all the other women agreed. Right. Yeah. And that. That. I said. Oh. When they did that. When Apollonia came back to that gate. And she's literally in tatters. Like. You can tell she is in distress. And they were just like. Whore. Yeah. Like. Immediately. You did it. Shame. What? What?

[00:24:19] They're throwing you out. Yeah. They're like. You've been tainted. What? How is that her fault? How did she choose that? Exactly. They were like. Well. She did admit to saying that she was drinking. Okay. So were the other priestesses. Right. And that's another. Y'all drink wine more than water. Right. It's a festival. What was I supposed to do? Right. We were all celebrating. Oh. And don't get me started about Callisto. Y'all remember the other girl Callisto. She was with.

[00:24:49] How did you forget? Shut your mouth, bruh. And Athena. Yeah. Because Athena's a villain in her own right. Yes. Callisto. Then it's Callisto. Yeah. Because not. Our sis literally pulls up and she talking. She talking mess as soon as she sees her. Okay. Talking about her hair. Talking about her being dirty. Like. Oh. I said oh. Nasty. Just nasty. And this was like.

[00:25:17] Callisto and Apollonia knew each other since childhood. Like they were actually. Right. Homegirls for a long time. And Callisto was like. Yeah. I'm telling. I'm telling. What? That was so. Oh. I said you are such an evil spirited woman. Yeah. Girl. And when. And when Maddie got her licks in with that girl. I was like. Go on girl. You were like. Get her again. Get her for me. I said and hit her again. Right. Get her again for me. She rocked her world.

[00:25:46] She rocked her little snitch world. I was like. Yeah. And it's what she deserved. Yeah. Yeah. Because you didn't have to do that. No. I think it just. Goes to show like. No matter. What you do. You can be the kindest person. The smartest person. The best person. Someone can always find a reason to not like you. And. You just gotta be okay. Like okay. You stay over there. I'm gonna stay over here. Yeah. Because I did nothing to you. Why are you acting.

[00:26:16] Why are you being weird to me? Right. You being weird to me. What you being weird to me for? Reason. Cause you got my dad back here. She was just a hater. Yeah. She was. Just like. And you know what? That's why I did appreciate Athena's last test. Like a real test. I actually really liked that one. It was a what would you do. In real life. Y'all know that show? With John King Ones. Yeah. What would you do? That was a good one. I was like Athena. Athena you smart smart lady.

[00:26:46] That was a good. I said yeah let's see. Cause our girl. And she was like you ran for. You ran away to get someone else to fix it. Right. To get someone else to help. You weren't even gonna help her. Right. Medi was the only one that was actually gonna help this lady. Everyone else dismissed. Medi stay. Come get your baddie chain. Come get your baddie chain. Right. Right. You will have entered priestess hood. And she was lit. Medi was lit. That moment she was so lit. I was like go off queen. Like you did that.

[00:27:15] She did that on her own merit. Like she worked hard for something. And she got it. And like she stuck by her own values. And like it was right. Like she really. She hates injustice. Like and she always like supports women. Like love her for that. And she was just so happy. Literally everyone from the. From all of Athens. Coming like Medi. Right and wrongs. Yes. Right and wrongs. And everyone was supporting Medi after that. They were like we want your blessings babe. She was the crowd favorite. You're the best priestess babe. But honestly.

[00:27:45] As soon as that lady. As soon as that lady had came up to her. When she was like feeding the poor. And was like oh please pray for my daughter. As soon as she did that. I was like Athena not going like that. She's not like having to share the shine. You know how these gods and goddesses are. So stingy. I thought it was the other time. When like the other people started coming. Because when she first prayed for like the mother and the child. That's when the other priestesses were like looking at her cross-eyed. And like. Yeah.

[00:28:15] Which I was confused about. Because I thought. That was their job. Right. Like the name of the game is to help people. It doesn't matter who does it. But no. They were. Because. They were just supposed to be like passing out food. And she was doing like a little extra. They said you doing too much. And that just speaks to. You know how like sometimes older women. No matter the industry that you're in. Sometimes they just feel like. Because they had to. Scrounge and scrape. And do all the hard things. They should do.

[00:28:45] They should also have. These trials and tribulations. Versus. Just. Maybe. Making it a little bit easier. For the next generation. That's coming after. So real. Like real. Yeah. Womanhood. Sisterhood. Real friendship. As soon as like. They were looking at her sideways. I was like. Dang. Now she gonna have to. It's not. I'm like. It's. Betty. It's not looking good for you sister. It's not looking good. And like. She just wasn't hip. She just wasn't really hip. Like she just knew that they didn't want to like. Talk to her like that. But she's not. Right. Like watching her back.

[00:29:15] Like. Right. Because. Like why did she need to? In theory. Why would she need to? The priestess. Like. Everybody's acting weird towards her. I ain't like that. I'm like. It's because she's black. It's because she's black. Well. I'm gonna hold you. I was kind of imagining. A lot of the other priestesses. As being. Black and tan too. But you right. They probably weren't. Because of the way that. What's her name? Callisto. Yeah. Because they were. Pretty much all.

[00:29:45] In the beginning. You know. Athens was pretty diverse. So I think it was a mix. It was probably mixed. But we also know. Betty was dark skinned. And I honestly. Thought it was because she was. It may have been. Partial of that. But I honestly. Thought it was just like. She's young. She's favored. And they're like. You're doing a lot. Because all things. Little. Okay. Right. Like you step your game up. Right. You wish you could get. You wish you could get. You wish. Favors from Athena. Period. You and her like this. Y'all don't know Athena.

[00:30:15] Like I know Athena. That's what Maddie said. That's what she was telling me. And the people were like. The people were like. I'm sure Athena listens to your prayers. More than the other priestesses. That's why we're coming to you. That's. Yup. But come to find out. It was. Not true. It was Poseidon. A man in the way. When I tell you that pissed me off so bad. I was like. Oh. I'm not gonna lie. I stopped for a second. I had to sit there for a moment. Yeah. I'm just. I know Medusa was sitting there. With her jaw just. On the floor. Because mine was.

[00:30:44] I said no he didn't. Oh. Mm. Like you really was playing the long game. Just. Who do you think helps cure that child? I had so and so. They owed me a favor. Apollo owed me a favor. Like. Demeter owed me a favor. Ugh. Like. I hated that man. All that I did in her pants really. A man will do. A man will do these things. To get what he wants from you. Yeah. He'll do the things. Just to discard you.

[00:31:13] Right after. Mm. Mm. This was. Just sickening. There was a lot of layered lessons in this book. I guess. A lot of layered lessons. My gosh. Poor me. I like how she painted it that way though. I don't know. She just really like stretched out the story. To make you see all the details. And it's like. Nah. Like. Like. Poseidon was dead wrong to. From beginning to end. And Medi was literally just a girl. And she did nothing wrong. Yeah. Right.

[00:31:43] And I do like. That she like. Like we know. I feel like as we. As I got older. I found. We all found out like kind of the real reason why Medusa was the way that she was. It had to do with those. Was it men and the sailors and all that. But. Of course. Like. Yeah. Let her embrace her monster side. I'm sorry. I kind of was excited. When she finally like. I was. I thought that that was going to happen sooner. Me too.

[00:32:12] It was very much at the end. Like I was reading it. I'm like. Wait. When is she going to. When is that going to happen? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I really like. Because I think this was one of the first Medusa retellings. Where. Mm-hmm. We learned so much about her back. Correct. Because everybody knows. Everyone knows that. That's true. Yeah. Everybody knows. So I love that Iyana Gray focused on her story up until that part. Yeah.

[00:32:39] And gave so little focus on her end. Mm-hmm. Because we know that a hero beheaded her. Like that's how she always dies. And I'm sorry. Which even the way. Did you notice that she didn't even name him? Name him. She didn't. And she didn't need to. Which I appreciate. She didn't need to. That ate down. That ate down. And she's just like. This isn't about all that. That is an important story of a girl. Right. This is a story of her life. Not of her death. This is her story. Right. Not of her curse. Someone else's. Of her life.

[00:33:09] And I love that we got to see her fall in love. Now I was mad at her when she left Apollonia. I was mad. Oh. I know it was to save her. I thought you would have liked that. Because you don't like it always so like. Cookie cutter like. Straight forward. Like. If you were already going to have to die. That would be enough. So I was like. I did not want her to have. To leave. Because. I was like. You don't know if they're going to. You don't know what them boys going to do. And honestly. First of all. She should have just.

[00:33:40] Pushed the priest stone. Down the stairs. And let the stone crack. He's dead anyways. And then just throw the pieces out to the ocean. Correct. I don't understand. Why. Well she didn't know. Trying to get rid of a body. This was like her first like. Real time trying to get rid of somebody she killed. I've never gotten rid of a body either. And I would have. Oh. That would have been my first thought. He's gone. We've got to break this up. And spread the pieces. Like. That's just like. Oh. The quickest way. Okay. That's her. This goes back to Medusa's sense of right and wrong.

[00:34:10] My goodness. She said. I don't care. Here's the thing. Apollonia. Love you girl. Love you down. In love with you. But somebody's got to stop this man. Because. She can't sleep. Stop him. She can't sleep with knowing that he's still out. Yes. Exactly. And she knows what it's like to be taken of advantage of. Taken advantage of by a man with power. A man that you trust. A man who you may hold in high regard. He hates that. And he betrays that to us. But she's like. Apollonia was like. Girl. Did that trigger you? Like. Right. She's like.

[00:34:40] I can tell. I can see it. In your spirit. You're disturbed. Yeah. You're not just upset. You're furious. You're enraged. As we all should be. Right. When someone in power abuses it. Like. We should all be enraged. And we should all be moved to action. And that's what Medusa did. And we should all turn them into a statue. So Apollonia should have helped. If there would be. I mean honestly. The amount of statues that would be around this place. It'd be very nice. Yes. That ability.

[00:35:10] Oh. Now the other thing. I like that they were able to control their powers. Oh yeah. Yeah. Because I've never read that in other stories. I was like. Yeah. She had a choice. She wasn't doing it indiscriminately. She was choosing exactly who she turned to stone. I also didn't realize in other stories that she had sisters. Me either. I didn't know that they were. I heard of Borgoth. They turned to. I didn't realize that they were. Right. I was like. Ooh. You're rowdy. When her sister said. Oh. We turned. Well. She was like. Oh.

[00:35:40] Athena did that to you. I have something to say about it. So she turned me to stone. And I cried out. So she got me two. I was like. Oh. Sisters. They weren't doing nothing. But her sisters did what needed to be done. And they was like. We not going to leave you alone. Baby sis. I'm sorry. The tag team. The tag team was crazy. Yeah. I love that. I loved every. Now. Now they did get a little. And they're like. Okay. I'm not going to lie.

[00:36:09] That whole lead up. Clock in. Clock out. That whole lead up made me. Very upset. Poseidon walking in. All macho. Casualty. Like. She asked for it. She wanted it. Medusa crying like. Oh my gosh. In front of everyone. I knew I had this now. I told. Did you say stop? Did you say no? If you change your mind. You change your mind. And I'm so glad her sister said that. You can revoke consent. At any point in the process. Correct.

[00:36:40] Right. Any. Point. In the process. You can revoke your consent. Poseidon knew that. He ignored that. Zeus knew it. He didn't care. And that's why I think it was. Stenos that said like. Injustice. Often. Escapes. The. Like. Misses. The men. Who deserve it. Oh. Or justice. So teeth. Yeah. Serving. I was like. True words.

[00:37:10] Have never been spoken. Yeah. And I mean like. And not only that. Thousands of years younger than this. This. God. He's lived a thousand different lifetimes. And you've been here for what? 17. 17 years. Oh. But she's in the wrong. On one island. Right. Right. Man. Oh. I'm getting mad already. I know. It makes you so mad. I've got my fist balled up. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:37:40] Like. I mean. I mean. I'm getting sad. That part. Athena said. Literally assault her. His own niece. Threatened to assault her. Man. But. Those Greeks were crazy. They were crazy. Insane. Those Greek gods were literally doing anything. They had nothing but time and power. Athena didn't even care that he necessarily assault her. He just. She just cared that it was her person. Correct. Like she was an object. This was my thing. My turn. My ticket. Right.

[00:38:09] And she had a fit about it. Right. It was like. Oh. It wasn't about me. It was about like. Your power. And your control over me. She's like. That's. That's not cool. Athena. Yeah. I don't rock with you for that. Right. I do like that. How. Like. When all. Like. The other sisters were turned. And like. Their parents fled. Which is crazy. And like. They were. They were just on that island alone. We gotta go. And they were like. We're alone now? Like.

[00:38:38] I guess it's not that bad. Like. Right. We could be stuck here. The problem is. We're just in the building. Together forever. Like. We'll just kill them. Right. And then he was like. We won't really do that. So I was like. Yeah. We will. We will. And it gagged me when they were like. Yeah. We're gonna let one go. And so you could tell people not to come back. And they were like. And everyone started coming back. Everyone kept coming back. Oh my gosh. We had extra people come in the next few weeks.

[00:39:07] That was actually pissing me off. I was like. That's commentary too. I'm like. You always feel like. You. Like. The men always feel like they need to go. And prove a point. And to conquer something. Correct. Like. Get out of here. What you should have done. Was. Was mind your business. Literally. And stay on your boat. Cause now look at you. You're a statue. Bottom of the ocean. You're a statue on an island. The beach is so crowded. We're running out of room. How are y'all pulling up to the beach? They had to find somewhere else.

[00:39:35] You didn't see all them statues when you was rowing your boat? And you thought. That you were gonna be so different. Right. You were gonna conquer the Gorgons. Okay. Alright. Okay girl. Now look at you. So. You should be embarrassed. But you can't. Cause you're stoned. A mess. They just didn't learn. They just didn't learn. And then. Medusa. You know. She wanted. She wanted more. She was like. Y'all are immortal.

[00:40:04] And that's great. But. That's great. Right. I have a limited lifespan. I don't want to do this all the time. I miss my boo. And I miss my boo. Mm-hmm. She's like. I don't have my best friends on this island anymore. Which. Okay. That was really sad. I did kind of tear up when Theo. Like. Yeah. When she accidentally did that. I was like. Oh. Yeah. When he was the one. You just knew. Right. Oh yeah. He was too close to her. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Because she had already saved.

[00:40:34] She had already saved him once. Right. His time was. His time. Was it. When the fates have decided. The fates had already decided at that first time. They cut that thread. Yeah. I didn't even. I didn't really think that she was going to do it though. I thought like. No. The siding was going to kill him just. Because he could. Or something. Yeah. No. She had to do it. That had to be her first kill. Unfortunately. I did like that she got to experience like. Love. Mm-hmm. That was.

[00:41:03] I really did enjoy that. And. Yeah. The fact that she was able to find her girl. Oh. I smiled. I was smiling so hard. I'm glad they got their little. Yeah. They got their little piece of happiness. Like. They did have it. Yeah. They did have it. They had it. She experienced. The widest range of human experience. So. Shout out. That's a short amount. Yeah. It's just. Very tragic. Oh. Man. You're making me sad. Thinking about it.

[00:41:33] I'm not going to hold you. Yes. No. Because Medusa is a sad story. It's a tragic story. Turned her into a villain. And it's so unfair. Because she's such a misunderstood. Character. Mm-hmm. And so I'm. That's why I'm so glad that we got this retelling. Yes. It's like. Yes. It's. It's a fictional character. But like. There's a reason her story has been retold. And retold. And retold. Mm-hmm. And so now we get like this more. Full. Picture. Of.

[00:42:03] This girl. Behind. The myth. The monster. The maiden. Like. And it was. Her. I don't want to say her life was beautiful. But like. Wow. Like the lessons we got. Mm-hmm. From it. Mm-hmm. Were. Very. Well written. Like. I got to give it up to Ayana. Yeah. Shout out Ayana. Like. She did her big one with that. Yeah. Fantastic. It was really. Really. Well written. Yeah.

[00:42:33] Honestly. You could. You could do some more. Do another one. Like. What should she do next? What should she do next? Who would we want to see? If she were to stick with Greek mythology. Because she's already kind of done with the African mythology. With Beast of Prey and stuff. I would like to see Hercules as a young black man. I'm getting. I'm getting. I'm getting. That is a great idea. His real story. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Oh yeah. Not no Disney. Not no Disney.

[00:43:03] His real story. Yeah. That's adversity. Yeah. That would be good. That would be. We don't get that. We do not get that. I haven't heard of a Hercules story in a minute. No. Not a thing about it. Because I just remember they did like. Remember like. I don't know. Like 2020. 2021. They did like. A Song of Achilles. Like. Yeah. Cersei. Y'all remember Cersei back in the day? Mm-hmm. And is Cersei and Medusa's cousins? Listen. I thought they kind of were. I can't even lie. Yeah. They're related.

[00:43:32] They were definitely giving cousin vibes. So Albertine's grandmother. Grandmother. Was her grandmother. And my grandmother. Mother. They were sisters. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely giving that. Yeah. No. That. That would be a good story. Right there. Dang. Ayanna really dropped the mic with that one. Because I'm thinking about. The N. She could do a. What is it? Hera.

[00:44:02] Oh. Hera. I would like that. So. But I want her to do. Raggedy. No. I know. But like. But like. Let's talk about. Why she's like that. Let's talk about. This. That would be. Let's get into the reasons why. Female rage story. Like I think that would be a good story. Female rage. You want to talk about unhinged? Yeah. Yeah. She would make our chaotic characters list. Yeah. If we got. If we got her story. Absolutely. Like this is. Some woman art thou lose type shit. You know. Or some. Some. You know. You know. We.

[00:44:32] We. We. We. Lighting up cars. Mm-hmm. You know. We like that. We like that content. We like that. I love that. Okay. Okay. I kind of would like a Hephaestus story. I love Hephaestus. And I feel like he's a really. Underrated God. Like. God. So I would like to hear more about him. But honestly. She can write about. Just about any of them. I know. Me. She'd probably love a good Hades. And. Persephone. I'm not going to lie to you.

[00:45:01] We have so many of those. We really do. I want one more. For. And then. Let's move on. Let's move on to the other sisters. Because they're insane too. And so is the mama. And actually. I was about to say. Yeah. We should just like. Get a list of all of them. And just throw like a dart. Let's just. Right. Because I feel like. Whatever she decides. You remember how Katie Roberts did her Mount of Olympus series. Like that. Like that. Or something like that. It would be so deep.

[00:45:31] That would be so good. That would be good. I would decide. Because I mean like. That Katie Roberts series really got away. Like. I don't know what book y'all stopped at. But like. It's not good anymore. It wasn't it. We asked her to. Yeah. I don't know. Iyana could probably make it like. 10 times better. Absolutely. Oh. Okay. Well. If you're listening. Still. Those are our next ideas. We would love that. And.

[00:46:01] Thank you. For this story. Thank you. I love it. Definitely in our top. This year for sure. Definitely. Yes. A fabulous 2025 release. Fab. Fab. Fab. Fab. Fab. Fab. Fab. Loved. Loved. Loved. Well. This has been another episode. Of the Reading Black Girls podcast. If you liked it. Loved it. Hated it. Let us know in the comments. We love you anyway. I just.

[00:46:30] I don't know how you can hate this. Anyways. But let us know if you do. Please. We'll see you back here next time. So. Love y'all. Bye. Bye.