\cf4 \ATXht10307 Cassiopea\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , queen of Ethiopia, claimed to be more attractive than many of the
immortals, and unquestionably more so than all the\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11406 Nereids\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 . Challenging them to a beauty contest, she afterward claimed to be the winner. The nymphs demanded satisfaction from\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht5 Poseidon\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , and the god responded by unleashing a terrible flood against Ethiopia and, then, a sea monster that devastated the country. An oracle declared that the only way to placate the terrifying creature was to sacrifice the princess\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht10128 Andromeda\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , and the people forced her father \b \cf4 \ATXht10314 Cepheus\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 to chain the girl to a rock. It was there, on the seashore, that\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11618 Perseus\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 saw her on his way back
from his expedition against the\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht10706 Gorgons\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 and fell in love with her at once. He told Cepheus that he would free his daughter if he gave her to him in marriage. The hero killed the monster and wedded Andromeda
, but then had to fight the forces of \b \cf4 \ATXht11621 Phineus\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , the girl's uncle and betrothed, who demanded that she keep her word. Perseus got the better of his adversaries by holding up the head of the\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11307 Medu
sa\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 and turning them to stone.
