Perseus now went back to Argos, his homeland. When Acrisius heard he was approaching the castle, he fled to the Pelasgians. Perseus followed him and found him there. He implored him to return with him to Argos and promised that he would do him no harm. This reassured Acrisius and he agreed to follow him.
On the day fixed for their departure a contest was arranged by the Pelasgians in which Perseus took part. He engaged in disk throwing and Perseus struck his grandfather upon the foot with the disk, which led to his illness and death. Thus the prophecy was fulfilled.
Perseus lived long and happily with his wife Andromeda, who bore him six sons and two daughters.
Chapter XII
Cadmus
Agenor, hearing of the extraordinary abduction of Europa,[19] called his son Cadmus to him and ordered him to bring back the maiden or never again enter his house. Cadmus wandered over the earth for a long time, but could nowhere find his sister. As he did not dare to venture home without her, he consulted the oracle and asked where she might dwell.
The oracle replied: “In a lonely field you will find a young steer which has never worn a yoke. Follow it, and where it lies down in the soft grass to rest, there build a city. It shall be called Thebes, and the country round about, Bœotia.”
Cadmus left the cave in which he had heard the voice of the deity and soon found the steer which had never worn a yoke. He followed it with his companions, humbly supplicating Apollo. The steer led him afar, but at last stopped, turned its head towards him and his companions, and loudly lowed. Then it laid down in the soft grass.
Cadmus knelt down, kissed the soil, and greeted the surrounding fields, mountains, and forests. Then turning to his companions he said: “Arise, and bring water that we may make an offering to Zeus, the all-powerful.”
There was a forest nearby which had never been touched by the axe. In the centre of this forest they found a cavern, grown round about with bushes, from which an abundance of water gushed. This cavern was the lair of a dragon. The body of the monster was swollen with poison. Fire darted from its eyes, its crest gleamed golden, its tongue was thrice cloven, and there were triple rows of teeth in its jaws.
As the men, suspecting no danger, made their way through the forest, they heard the plashing of water. Joyously they hastened towards it and came to the cavern. But hardly had they dipped their buckets into the water before the dragon awoke from its sleep. It raised itself and beheld the victims who had approached it so unsuspectingly. Suddenly the men heard a frightful hissing, and as they looked around they saw the dragon’s bluish head emerging from the cavern. They dropped their buckets. Their faces grew deadly pale and their limbs trembled. In the meantime the dragon coiled its scaly body and arched itself over the men so that they could not fly. Not one of them escaped. The monster tore some with its teeth, killed some by strangling them in its coils, and the rest were killed by the poisonous breath from its throat.