When Percy receives the head once again, he realizes what Poseidon means and offers to use it to stop his mother's abusive husband Gabe Ugliano. He then sends her head to his father, Poseidon, who eventually sends it back to him, telling him he will have to make a choice when he finds the package. He is confused as to why Medusa's head didn't turn to dust and Annabeth Chase explains to him that it is a spoil of war like his Minotaur's Horn. In a fight with Medusa, Percy Jackson cuts off her head, killing her. Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightning Thief Athena took the head and created a shield from it that was named Aegis. With his mission fulfilled, Perseus gave the head to Athena as a tribute. Once Perseus returned, he learned of King Polydectes' unwanted advances on his mother and turned him to stone. When Phineus objected, he was turned to stone by the sight of Medusa's head which Perseus showed him. After Perseus saved her from the monster Cetus, she had agreed to marry him instead. Perseus had also used it on Phineus, the original suitor of Andromeda. But the more commonly accepted story is that Perseus left Atlas under the sky as he knew he couldn't best Atlas. Some stories claim that he used it to turn the titan Atlas to stone. On his travels home, Perseus used the head of Medusa to turn his enemies to stone. Perseus then used the Helm of Darkness to escape from the other two Gorgons before using the winged sandals he received from Hermes to return home. When Perseus arrived at the lair of Medusa, he cut off her head while she slept, causing Pegasus and Chrysaor to spring from her neck. Athena provided a polished shield so Perseus could see Medusa without looking directly at her. Zeus himself offered Perseus a sword and the Helm of Darkness to hide him from the Gorgons. On his quest, Perseus was given advice and many gifts from the gods. Perseus agreed to the challenge and left right away. Polydectes told Perseus he wanted the head of Medusa, something that countless others had tried and failed to retrieve.
When Perseus arrived, he asked Polydectes to name any gift and that he would retrieve it. Polydectes would use the opportunity to send the boy away while he himself courted the boy's mother. He knew that Perseus could not provide a proper gift. The banquet was actually a plot of Polydectes. Some time later, Perseus, a demigod son of Zeus, was invited to a banquet by King Polydectes, who expected everyone to bring a gift. Medusa lived on an island with her sisters, the three becoming known as the Gorgons. Medusa alone was cursed to be so ugly that anyone looking at her would turn to stone. When Medusa and Poseidon desecrated Athena's temple, Athena cursed Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, to turn into monsters with snakes for hair. Medusa was once a beautiful woman who was a lover of Poseidon.