Sam froze. He couldn’t help it. The thought that he was facing a monster straight from myth and legend—the queen B herself—caused his limbs to feel like they were made of stone even though the Gorgon was too far away to catch him in her malignant gaze. His mind required a reboot that cost him precious seconds. Seconds Sam didn’t have because Medusa was already slithering toward the bridge that separated her island from his.
[WARNING! You will be within range of Medusa’s petrification beam within fifteen seconds… It is recommended that you activate the [Shades] feature of the [Mask of the Argonaut] to increase your chances of repelling the ocular curse.]
The notification popping up between Sam and the Gorgon might have saved his life. It certainly worked to push his mind into gear so that his limbs stopped feeling like they were already made of stone.