Ooh! How about Yandere Perseus who falls in love with a Medusa!Reader who actually means no harm but is often hunted down by other warriors and he decides to protect her from future warriors trying to harm her?
Normally, he can’t look into her eyes, but I headcannon the stone petrification won’t work unless the snakes are active or if the reader is in a fight or flight response to activate her stare and makes her eyes glow (She has slit eyes when normal but they glow a bright yellow when turning enemies into stone).
Now being a monster who’s scorned/feared by everyone around them, the reader is gonna be hella touch starved and believes that Perseus’ Yandere tendencies are normal and she’s okay with it, so she never feels the need to use her stone stare but she does tend to her snakes from time to time and lets him pet them. Plus he often cuddles her, brings her very expensive gifts, and just keeps her safe.
Yandere Perseus x Medusa reader
Check out my MASTERLIST for more!
Okay okay, so I'm imagining that Perseus is sent on a mission to slay our girl Medusa. Perseus goes to her cave to kill her but finds the beautiful woman singing lullabies to little girls. Perseus hides behind the large group of statues and observes you playing with the little girls, splashing water at them from the pond. Perseus felt betrayed as he looked at you; you were nothing like the elders had described you- cold blooded, cruel, savage, brutal, monster, certainly not a monster. Sure, you had a head full of snakes for hair, but you weren't a monster. Would a monster splash her feet around in the koi pond and tickle the little girl? Would a monster cut up fruits and feed it to the children? Perhaps if the young ones were her own offspring, but they didn't look like you and when you told them to go home now, you further confirmed his theory.
As the children left, you walked towards the pond and began pulling your robe open. The moment you dropped it on the floor, standing stark naked in all your glory, a gasp left Perseus's mouth- he had never seen someone so beautiful.
But the sound startled you, and you immediately turned around and asked "Who's there?" Of course, Perseus ducked when you looked in his direction, he had been warned about your eyes, how they'd turn anyone who looked into them into stone. "You either leave right now, or I will hunt you and I will kill you."
Perseus smiled from behind the rocks. "You sound better when you sing." The demigod could hear you scoff and look for him, and he quickly pulled out his handkerchief and tied it around his eyes. "I'm not here to hurt you." Perseus walked from behind the statues. He could hear you walking- you were near. "I wouldn't worry about that. If you leave right now, you live to see another day. In fact, why don't you go down to the village and tell them that you killed the beast Medusa? Go and boast about that."
Perseus dropped his sword and raised his hands in surrender. "I promise you- I'm not here to kill you." You stopped moving. "You promise?"
Perseus nodded, thinking he finally got through to you. But then you laughed, and even though he knew you were mocking him, he was still mesmerised by your voice. "Promise of a man mean nothing to me! You're all a bunch of liars. You come in here, armed with a sword, invade my privacy, peek at my nude body and claim you're not here to hurt me?" Perseus dodged the punch you threw at him. "Tell me, boy. What are you here for then?" He again dodged the punch you threw at him, but due to the veil on his eyes, he stepped back a bit too far and fell, accidentally pushing the stone sculptures down, breaking them.
"I admit, I was sent here to kill you but-" He rolled away when you tried to kick him, "-but! I saw the villagers had lied! I was sent here to kill a monster, but I see no monster. Oh-!" You had got him this time, holding him by the throat, squeezing it.
You got on top of him, your legs on either side of his waist as you continued to strangle him. "Stop- I- I don't want to hurt y-you-!" Perseus tried to speak but you squeezed his neck harder. With one hand, you suddenly ripped off the handkerchief from his eyes, and Perseus instinctively closed his eyes.
"I gave you a chance to run away. I tried to be merciful. Now you will either open your eyes and turn into stone, or I will break your neck and you will die. I suggest choosing the first option- its hard work to dispose off a body." Perseus struggled for both air and the urge to open his eyes. Suddenly, his hand gripped something. "I- choose neither!" In a flash, Perseus grabbed a stone from the rubble and smashed it against your head, making you cry out in pain before you lost consciousness, falling right onto the demigod's chest.
After a couple of minutes, when Perseus had finally caught his breath, he called out your name. "Medusa?" But you were still knocked out. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around. To his surprise, you were still lying on top of him, and that too nude.
Had you... attacked him naked?
Perseus chuckled. You really were something else. But you were still nude, and Perseus was nothing but a gentleman. So, he bravely took a look at your unconscious face (and he noted how your snakes were also knocked out), before turning you over. His eyes immediately went to the blood dripping from where he had hit you. Tutting, he looked around and saw your robe. He brought it back and covered your body with it. Then, he lifted your body into his muscular arms and carried you to the little pond in the cave. Setting you in his lap, your head resting in the crook of his arm, he dipped his handkerchief in the water and cleaned your wound.
Perseus smiled. Here he was sent to slay a monster, and found a beauty instead. The more he looked at you, the more he fell in love. Your soft petal lips that he just wants to smash his lips against. Your soft, supple skin that he wants to sink his teeth in and listen your euphonious voice sing his hymns. And for some reason, he wants to run his hand through your snakes, they just looked so cute. But like I said, Perseus is a gentleman.
When you finally gained consciousness, you were not expecting to find a man staring at you. "Oh-!" He immediately closed his eyes when he saw you had woken up. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare!" Your breath hitched when you realised it was the same creep from before. Without hesitating, you punched him again, but even with his eyes closed, Perseus caught your wrist. "This again? You're gonna end up hurting yourself again, Medusa."
You yanked back your wrist, and he held up his hands in surrender again. He hadn't killed you yet. So, what was he still doing here? You suddenly looked down and remembered you had been naked before, and not clothed like now. As if sensing your fear, Perseus spoke again. "Hey, don't worry! I didn't touch you or anything. I just put the robe back on and was cleaning your wound- sorry about that- when you woke up! I swear, I didn't do anything unbecoming of a man!"
He had seen you naked... but you didn't feel him do anything foul to you. But he had seen you naked.
Blinking away the tears, you pulled the robe tighter around you. "What. Do. You. Want?" You sniffled.
Hearing your little sniffle pained his heart, and he reached out a hand to caress your cheek. Too busy crying to notice him, you flinched when his hand touched your cheek. "Don't cry... is your head still hurting? I'm really sorry." His hands, they were rough, calloused and...warm, made you lean into it. "Its okay. You're okay." When his thumb began to rub circles over your cheek, you couldn't help but sigh-
You jerked away, looking at him with shock. What the hell was that?! Why were you leaning into his hand?
You shook your head. "I asked you what do you want from me! If you're not here to kill me, then what are your intentions?!"
Perseus sighed. "Look, my name's Perseus. I was sent here to slay you. But I don't think there's any need for that. The elders sent me here because they said that you were a child killer! But I saw the way you were playing with those girls before... you know, when you were singing-"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Right. It's just that, I think people have made you out to be this big bad monster that you're not. And I know the villagers would never accept you as long as you have those... snakes on your head." He bit his lip before continuing. "I was tasked to come back with your head. But since I have no intention of killing you, I'll go back and say that I changed my mind- got scared when I reached the cave."
You crossed your arms. "I told you to leave before. Why did you waste my time if you were gonna leave anyways?"
Perseus smiled. "Yes, but you see... if I don't return with your head, that means you're still alive. And then they will send someone else to kill you. I fear, that one day, someone might finally end up doing that. And I don't want."
You rolled your eyes. "You don't need to worry about me. You've seen the fate of those before you. I can handle myself."
"I'm sure you can. But I could've killed you today. So what guarantee do you have that the next guy they send won't be able to do the same? Hm?"
"Then I'll die fighting."
The thought of you dying didn't sit well with Perseus.
"No. I won't let you die. Not like this. Not like some monster that they paint you to be."His tone was heavy.
"And why do you care so much?!"You finally shrieked.
The both of you sat in silence for a couple of moments. "I... I'm not sure. Perhaps I feel you've been treated unfairly. And not just by the villagers. By someone else too."
Your eyes widened. "Just... just leave. Leave me alone." You stood up and were about to leave when Perseus caught your wrist.
"I- How about this? You let me protect you from any man they send to kill you, and if I defeat him, I'll have my peace of mind. If I die, then you get rid of me." You scoffed and yanked your wrist back. "So you endanger yourself for "peace of mind"? Please, I've heard better lies from kids."
"Then what do you have to offer?"
"Nothing. I don't want your protection."
"Hmm, you do. Oh! How about a proposition? I protect you, and in return, you sing for me."
"Medusaaa!" Perseus whined. "You're being unreasonable."
"And you're being a pest. Now leave." You were getting a headache from this man-child. If only he wasn't so strong, you would've turned him into stone already.
"Please, I won't leave this cave until you agree!" Perseys tried to reach for your hand again, but you smacked it away.
"God! Can you be anymore insufferable?!"
Perseus looked at you sadly, before breaking out in a grin. "Yes. So please agree with me." When you begin to walk away, he started again. "Medusaaa-"
"Shut up! Fine! I agree to your nonsense! Do whatever you want! I don't care if you die or live!"
"Thank you!" Perseus's smile was too bright for you and you turned to go to your bed. Man-child.
"What now!" You yelled at him, turning back to look at Perseus scratching his head.
"Um... could you walk me out to the cave entrance? You see, my eyes are covered-"
Perseus ran, not wanting to anger you further. He'll figure his way out... maybe.
There may be a part 2. Maybe.
