Writhing Dread

The Writhing Dread was a, a type of hybrid beast created by the Isu as part of the Olympos Project, meant to act as a guardian for the Atlantis artifact that powered it. The creature consisted on a possessed human, corrupted and powered by it's Prize. In the event of the creature's death, the artifact could possess the next human to touch it.

Creation
The Writhing Dread, alongside the rest of the creatures in the Olympos Project, were considered "pets" by a certain Isu faction that saw themselves gods.

Mythology
The most famous of the Writhing Dread's incarnations was in Greek mythology, under the name Medusa. In the legend, she was finally slain by Perseus with his harpe.

End of the "curse"
By the 5th century BC, the creature resided in the Petrified Temple within the depths of the Petrified Valley on Lesbos.

During the time of the Peloponnesian War, an expedition traversed within the Valley and encountered the creature. All but one of the expedition party members were turned to stone by the Writhing Dread. Only the misthios Zetes remained, having used his spear's length to avoid her petrifying gaze. In the end a Daughter of Artemis arrived and dealt the final blow to the creature. Afterwards the woman was entranced by the artefact dropped by the creature and transformed into the new Writhing Dread.

At the height of the War, the misthios Kassandra gained entry into the Petrified Temple with the Gorgon Disk obtained from the Daughters of Artemis in order to find Ligeia, the Daughter of Artemis "taken" by the creature, on behalf of her lover Bryce. Finding the Ligeia, now the Writhing Dread herself, Kassandra was forced to kill her after she petrified and destroyed Bryce.

Legacy
After killing the final incarnation of the Writhing Dread, Kassandra claimed the artefact in order to seal off Atlantis.

The Medusa incarnation of the Writhing Dread and her encounter with Perseus endured as a myth into the modern day.

Weapons and characteristics
The Writhing Dread was a monstrous woman with Snakes for hair, equipped with a Sword of Eden. She was capable of projecting a beam that would gradually petrify its targets, which she could then control once turned into statues. Through the power of her Sword she was also capable of shielding herself with a barrier, teleporting and shooting off energy blasts.

Appearances

 * Assassin's Creed: Odyssey