Pegasus and Bellerophon: An Ancient Tale of Love

This is my take on the story of Pegasus and the man he loved.

             His sleek, white coat glistened like a million diamonds as the unadulterated sunlight shined down on him.  A gentle brook bubbled beside him as he made a small nest for himself so he could sleep after a long day’s journey.  He had almost fallen asleep when he heard a twig snap.  Feigning sleep, he kept his head down and his eyes closed, but his ears were on alert.  SNAP!  There it was again along with a weary sigh.  Whoever this intruder was they did not seem happy with what they were about to do.  Then a lean, muscled figure stepped into the forest clearing with a gold bridle in his hand. 

                In a flash, he was on his feet baring his teeth at this intruder, who dared to disturb this peaceful afternoon.  “Calm down, boy.   Pegasus, whoa boy,” soothed the intruder.

 Pegasus could not believe his ears that this dark bronzed man would talk to him as if he were some dumb beast.   “Do not treat me as other dumb beasts!  I am the son of Poseidon and Medusa and I deserve the respect you would give to your fellow man.  You most certainly will not use the bridle on me.”

The man dropped the bridle in astonishment at the deep, yet pleasant masculine voice that had come from Pegasus’ mouth.  “I am sorry Pegasus.  Let me introduce myself, my name is Bellerophon. Athena sent me here to ask for your help to defeat the chimera, which is terrorizing her beloved city, Athens.”  Mentioning the chimera caused the would-be hero to shudder.  Pegasus understood how Bellerophon felt about the chimera.  A beast in every sense of the word, the chimera’s body was a twisted version of a female with three heads.  Pegasus watched the man sit dejectedly on an ancient stump; it was quite obvious that the man felt he already failed in his quest.  Something stirred in Pegasus’ chest, a feeling he had never felt before; he wanted to help this man succeed.

 It seemed his heart decided for him, Pegasus trotted over to Bellerophon.  “Get on.  I will help you in your quest.”  A dazzling smiled like Pegasus had never seen before spread across Bellerophon faces as he hoisted himself up on Pegasus’ sturdy back. The closeness of Bellerophon caused a weird tingling sensation deep inside Pegasus and his body flushed with a foreign feeling.  Shaking his majestic mane, Pegasus took off for Athens.

Along the way, Pegasus and Bellerophon planned a battle strategy to conquer the chimera, but they also shared their personal stories.  Pegasus told Bellerophon that he did not know his mother as she was killed by Perseus.  Bellerophon revealed his darkest fear that he would not be able to redeem his family name due to his grandfather sharing Zeus’ secrets.  This was why Bellerophon jumped at the chance to defeat the chimera and win back the gods’ favor.  In just a few hours’ time, Pegasus and Bellerophon became close friends, each with their own demons they wanted to exorcise. 

Closing in on the chimera, they smelled her before they saw her.  The air was thick with soot and the smell of charred flesh.  Pegasus and Bellerophon had discussed the most deadly aspect of the chimera"she could breathe fire.  “She is here.  We will circle overhead which will gain her attention,” said Pegasus to Bellerophon as they soared on the winds in a low circle.  Without a warning, a blast of fire came out of nowhere singeing Pegasus as he maneuvered himself out of the line of fire.  “Get your arrows ready.  I am going to dive in and surprise her, while you jump off and attack her from behind.”  Bellerophon gave a tight nod and prepared himself for the assault.  Pegasus with the power of a god’s son dived in a graceful pirouette making it easy for Bellerophon to jump and drop to his knees.  Pegasus came face to face with the green, scaly three-headed woman, who immediately swiped Pegasus with her talon-like claws.  He backed up missing her attack only by an inch.  Out of the corner of his eye, Pegasus saw Bellerophon walk in a crouch until he was directly behind the chimera.  Again, Pegasus distracted the chimera, whose full attention was on the white, winged horse.  THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!  Bellerophon released three arrows, each one hitting one of the chimera’s three heads.  Exhausted, Pegasus fell to the ground in pain.

Seeing his companion fall, Bellerophon rushed to Pegasus’ side.  On his knees, Bellerophon clearly saw what had made his friend fall.  Pegasus’s side had several deep scratch marks with black poison seeping out.  Bellerophon’s heart pounded in his chest.  Fear gripped him.  He did not want to lose this friend, who cared about him despite that he had the god’s disfavor.  “NO!  Pegasus, stay with me!  Please!”  Tears leaked from his eyes as held on to Pegasus.  Then an idea formed in his mind.  Athena owed him for destroying the chimera and she would grant him a favor.  “Pegasus, listen to me.  I know it will hurt, but if you can get us to Mount Olympus, Athena owes us a favor.”  Pegasus knew how childish Bellerophon’s hope was and knew there was no point to even try.  The problem was Pegasus could not deny this man, whom he came to deeply care about, anything.  With some help from Bellerophon, Pegasus got to his feet.  His friend perched gently on Pegasus’ back so he would not cause him anymore undue pain. 

The closer they got to Mount Olympus, the harder it was for Pegasus to breathe.  Bellerophon kept murmuring endearments and encouragement.  All of a sudden, there was a crack of thunder and the winds became violent.  Pegasus could not stay up any longer and they began to fall.  Bellerophon tried to wake Pegasus, but it was no use.  Knowing he was going to die no longer mattered, as long as he was with Pegasus.  He closed his eyes and waited for the end, which never came.  Opening his eyes, Bellerophon saw a beautiful, strong woman with dove grey eyes staring down at him.  He noticed that even though Pegasus and he were on the ground; they were not dead.  Athena had saved them.  “Rise, my hero!  You have angered my father Zeus in your vain attempt to reach Mount Olympus.  I, on the other hand, see the foolhardy, yet brave attempt to save your friend.” 

Bellerophon prostrated himself before the warrior goddess and pleaded, “Please save him.  It is my fault that he is hurt.”  He knew tears were streaming down his face and knew he should be embarrassed, because it was not “manly”; however, his thoughts were only for Pegasus.

“I will grant you your boon that I owe you, but I must tell you that the Pegasus before you is dead.”  Anguish and pain washed over him in a tsunami of emotion.  Before Bellerophon could say anything, Athena cut through his pain with her next words.  “His equine body is dead, Bellerophon, but the man inside is alive.  Look!”  Afraid to turn his eyes to Pegasus, Bellerophon hesitated, but in the end he obeyed the goddess. 

Standing there, where Pegasus had been moments before, stood a golden man with hair so blonde that it appeared white.  Bellerophon stared in wonder at the man, who he knew was Pegasus; his heart would always recognize Pegasus despite his form. Pegasus stepped forward into Bellerphon’s open arms.  “I never thought this would be possible to be embraced like this,” whispered Pegasus in awe while Bellerophon held him close. 

“I never thought it was possible to care for someone…to love someone as much as I do you!”  Bellerophon turned his head to give Athena his thanks, but she was already gone.  Pegasus looked into Bellerophon’s warm brown eyes and knew that he waited his life for this man. With a kiss so tender, Bellerophon and Pegasus united and became one with the favor of the gods, because a love so pure could only be blessed by the gods.

Author's Note

I am dedicating this story in memory of my cousin, Danny, and the LGBT community. My cousin, who I loved, wanted acceptance from his parents that never came. In his depression and sadness, he committed suicide. He had a big heart and was just one of those people that you love instantly. Since intolerance is so prevalent around the world, people, like my cousin, deem themselves and their love wrong and deserving of death. Love is tolerance. No matter what "they" say remember there is always love and I LOVE my friends and everyone in the LGBT community. I hope you enjoy! No negative comments, if you do not believe this way, keep your opinions to yourself.

Reviews

[LA Lorena]

A lovely story, and a perfectly fitting tribute to your cousin. Love comes in all forms, shapes and sizes. It is not our place to judge, at least I don't believe it is. Respect and acceptance for others, as we would hope to find for our own differences, whatever they may be. A highly personal write, I applaud you for this, and for standing up for what you believe in.

Just a side note in regards to your Author's note - while I understand your not wanting to hear negative comments, I think you weaken your convictions and risk losing legitimacy by telling those whose opinions are different to keep them to themselves. In order to stand up to your convictions, you cannot shelter yourself from negative criticism. You are advocating tolerance.... you have to practice it.

[BlackCl0ud]

Though, I myself can't put my finger on why, I've taken this story into my heart . . . I do love Greek and Roman Mythology and as a strong believer in complete equality I loved the modern twist, plus the fact that the gods accept it . . . ~BlackCl0ud

[WhoIsAmelia?]

Really beautiful! I love what you did with such a classic tale, but I think it would have really made the ending powerful if you developed the relationship between Pegasus and Bellerophon a bit more in the beginning, because that felt a little rushed for me. Otherwise, absolutely splendid!

[RidingTheWind]

I love the ending, and I think it's a nice twist on a Greek myth :)

[E.Gleaves]

Really cool story. I'm adapting a greek myth myself for a final project in a seminar I'm taking. When describing actions you use a lot of adjectives. for example when Bellerophon sits dejectedly on the stump. Instead of saying he is dejected try and show how dejected he feels by giving an image. Like maybe saying Bellerophon's body looked like crumpled paper as he sat on the stump. I'm not saying use that image but an image is always stronger than a simple adjective. Another thing I noticed is that you said crying isn't manly. To the greeks I think it wasn't looked down upon in the Odyssey Odysseus spends half the story in tears lol.

[lawrence bear]

i too love this greek mythology story, it was a nice read and wonderfully crafted.

sorry to hear about your cousin, I'm sure he is looking down on you and is proud of what you are doing, writing, its a therapy in some ways, we all loose someone close and dear to us, and I am sure they would want us to continue on, and not give up what we love doing. May the gods be with you on your quest to become a published writer/author.
thank you for requesting this tale, a story that will become legendary, a timeless classic in our hearts.

lawrence

[Erinne S.]

This was an inspiring piece. Beautifully told and I loved every minute of reading it.

~Erinne

[David W Moore III]

Very endearing write. yes the beginning was a bit choppy with pegasus' motivations but the rest of the story more than made up. Fantastic alternative to the original. And one that would not have been out of place back then either.

[Dice3]

Inspiring....thats really a good stroy, sorry about ur cousin also.

[Sunni Davis]

I've always been fascinated by Greek mythology. Your view, your take on this story was just beautiful. I could see the images with vivid clarity I'm also a hopeless romantic and I belive in love-any love- as long as its deep and pure. Wonderful story!