Disclaimer: I do not own Jareth (wish I did) or any other character from Labyrinth or Clash of the Titans. This is a crossover with the original movie, not the crappy remake.
Chapter 1
Jareth sat on his throne, one leg draped over the side, as he thought about various things. His thoughts were interrupted when his children came running in. "Father!" they called.
Looking up, he saw all three rushing towards him. He sat up smiling. "And what are you three up to?"
"We found this in a storage room." Luke, the eldest boy, held a golden mechanical owl out for his father to see.
"It looks like your owl form," Melody, the blonde girl grinned, her green eyes shining.
"So it does," the king smiled as he took the owl. "I wondered where this fellow had gone."
"Does it do anything?" Liam, the youngest and smallest of the three children, asked.
"Oh, this little guy is a hero. His name is Bubo and he helped a brave human save a Kingdom from the mighty Kraken."
The eyes of his children lit up. "Tell us the story, father!" Liam cried.
"Yes, tell us." Luke agreed.
"Please, father!" Melody smiled sweetly at the Goblin King. If he had thought of refusing, he would have changed his mind the moment she looked at him with those shining emeralds. Like her mother, Melody knew how to talk him into almost anything.
Chuckling, Jareth sat back and examined Bubo. "Very well. I'll tell you how Bubo came to be and my part in this tale."
~*~*~*~
Centuries ago when the Greek gods were all-powerful, Zeus, the King of the gods, had forbidden his children from having any kind of contact with the Fae and many other magical beings. But like most families, there's always one that doesn't listen. Athena, goddess of wisdom, saw how foolish it was to avoid and hate such beautiful and powerful creatures. While visiting a small village, Athena came across a young Fae that was playing with a group of human children.
He was rolling in the grass with them and laughing happily. His wild blonde hair was filled with clover and dirt, but he didn't seem to care. The children chased and tackled him repeatedly. As she watched him play with the children, she became increasingly curious about him. Where did he come from? Why was he here in a village so close to her father's main temple?
Spotting the goddess at the edge of the forest, the lad stopped his games and brought the children before her. "Kneel before your goddess children," he instructed as he, himself knelt at her feet.
Athena watched as the children knelt beside him. "Rise, children." She blessed each of them and sent them on their way. Turning to the young Fae, who was still on his knees, she ran her hand through his blonde locks, picking out the clover. "Tell me what brings you here, so close to my father's temple?"
The young Fae looked up at her with his odd blue eyes. "Simply looking for some fun. I want to see the world and enjoy myself before I'm forced to follow in my father's footsteps."
Athena placed her hand under his chin and made him look up. "You choose a dangerous place to look for fun." She smirked and stepped away. "My father would kill you in an instant."
Standing, he approached the goddess slowly. "Then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't find me, then." Leaning against a tree, he studied her. "Are you going to tell him I'm here?"
"I have no idea what you're referring to. I just took a walk a found some children at play, nothing more." She smiled as she walked deeper into the forest.
The young Fae laughed as he watched her go. He was certain this was going to be a very entertaining trip.
~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~
"But Father," Liam interrupted as he pulled on Jareth's pant leg, "who was the young Fae?"
"It was Father you dummy," Luke said before his father could answer.
"How do you know?'' Liam demanded.
"Because he said he was part of this story." Melody cut in.
"Children," Jareth's tone was firm and scolding without being loud, but all three instantly became silent with their heads down. "Do you wish to hear this story?" He asked as he fiddled with Bubo.
"Yes," the three replied in unison.
Looking at them, he sighed. "Then cease this arguing, please. I will happily answer your questions. There is no need for bickering and name calling. Understood?"
"Yes, Father," all three answered as they looked up at him.
"Good," Jareth said as he went back to messing with the owl. "Now, Luke is correct. I was the young Fae that Athena came upon."
"Why were you there?" Melody asked.
"That's not really important to the story," the King replied.
"I beg to differ," a voice called from the doorway. "Background can be very important to a story, wouldn't you agree, my King?"
Jareth and the children looked to see the Goblin Queen enter the room. "You are correct, Sarah, but I was trying to keep this story short."
"I see." She approached the thrones and sat on the throne beside the one the king was currently occupying. "And why wasn't I invited to your little story time?"
"Apologies, my love, the children found this," he held the owl up for her to see, "and they were curious about it."
Sarah examined Bubo and couldn't help being impressed by its craftsmanship. "He's beautiful."
"His name is Bubo, Mother," Liam exclaimed as he climbed up onto her lap.
"Bubo? What an interesting name for an owl." Sarah grinned. "Now carry on with this story, husband. I'm curious about it all."
"As you wish, my Queen." Jareth bowed his head to her and closed his eyes as he resumed his tale.
