Kid Icarus is set in a time when man and gods coexisted, living in harmony in the kingdom of Angel Land which was ruled by two goddesses, Palutena the Goddess of Light and Medusa the Goddess of Darkness.
Palutena lived in the Palace in the Sky and administered light, assuring that man was able to grow crops successfully and live in peace. However Medusa, Goddess of Darkness, hated humanity and sought to undo the good Palutena had done; drying up crops and turning people into stone.
In anger Palutena transformed Medusa into a hideous monster and banished her to the Underworld. Medusa promised revenge, planning to take over the Palace in the Sky. Medusa joined forces with the monsters and evil spirits of the Underworld and soon her army began to surpass that of Palutena's centurions.
A war between Palutena's forces and Medusa's monsters soon began. Medusa led a surprise attack upon Palutena's army which suffered heavy losses, many of the centurions being turned to stone.
It was then that Medusa took possession of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Mirror Shield, the Arrow of Light and the Wings of Pegasus, which she gave to her most powerful followers. Palutena was imprisoned deep within the Palace in the Sky, now ruled by Medusa. The previously peaceful realm of Angel Land was quickly turned from a paradise into a land of darkness ruled by the dark god Medusa.
