Medusa is generally described as a human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair; those who gazed into her eyes would turn to stone. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, although the author Hyginus makes her the daughter of Gorgon and Ceto.

Medusa debuts in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 3, "We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium," as portrayed by actress Jessica Parker Kennedy, who previously starred alongside another actor from the Disney+ series in a pirate show from 2014.