Guilty By Blood

"She had nothing to do with this," Zosime could hear her father's pleading voice.

"You should have thought of that before you tried to kill me," said the unfamiliar voice. The man's voice was filled with rage.

She rapidly opened her eyes and was blinded by the brilliantly lit room, Zosime quickly closed her eyes and a headache slowly began to form. She wanted to rub her temples and relieve the pain but she couldn't, something was preventing her from doing so. The young woman began to struggle to free herself but when she did Zosime could feel her arms being squeezed tightly by large hands.

Her eyes open wide with horror of what had her in their grasp. She lifted her head with shock and confusion. Why am I at the palace? She thought as she stared at the red pillars connecting to the polished white floor. The room that seemed to have a sun of it's own was decorated with golden bull heads along the tall, intimidating walls and big murals of death, a monster with horns ripping the flesh off of men and women with its teeth. Zosime shook with fear and whimpered, she wanted to turn around and run as far away as possible.

Then her arms were squeezed once again, Zosime looked behind her and saw the notorious Nikon looking down at her. His face was the perfect example of what the god of war, Ares, would look like. His bone structure was strong, his skin tan. His dark wavy hair was dusted with dirt. His scruffy chin covered part of a nasty scar that puffs out at the left side of his face, barely missing his eye. But this did not destroy his image, but instead merely gave him a godlier look: a terrifying, yet beautiful mortal. But Zosime did not see past his scar, she did not see the beauty in him in any way. His expression was dead; lifeless, but as she stared into his ocean blue eyes she began to see his emotions slowly unravel for all to see.

She wished she didn't see. She prayed for her goddess to have pity on her and tern her into a Kingfisher so she can fly far away from the man's gaze. The solder's eyes were red with anger and starving for lust. But for what? Was it lust for her body? Or to feel her warm blood oozing in his hands? Or is it hunger for both? Or was it much more sinister? Zosime hopes that she never finds out.

Then a wretched scream echoed off the palace walls and into Zosime's ears. The sound raddled her shoulders, "father!" her instinct kicked in. She stomped on Nikon's foot and punching him in the groin. He loosen his grip, she began to run towards the source of the scream.

Turning the corner she encounters a statue of the Minotaur looking strait in her eyes. She heard stories about the creature and its blood lust owner. "Why can't this be a dream?" Zosime said a low voice. Another scream ripped through the air followed by an angry voice. She quickened her paced and went to the next room.

Room after room her father's screams became louder and more violent. The palace's large structure, she thought, was a labyrinth in its own right and if not for Strephon's screams Zosime would be trapped inside its walls forever. In the last room she entered was a room of gold walls and deep red pillars, matching the pool of blood surrounding Strephon's crumbled body.

"Bampás!" She sprinted to her father and cradled his head, ignoring the man with the bloody whip.

Strephon breathed, "Zosime, you must get out of here, run!"

"Not without you! I'm going to get you out of here." Zosime began to cry. How can she get him out of this evil place? His face all bruised up, long bloody gashes marked his back, hands tied tightly to his neck, and his legs were bent in an unnatural way. She knew he was going to die. Her tears dropped to Strephon's forehead washing away some of the blood there. "I'm scared," she whispered to her father.

"Me too," he whispered back, fear in his eyes.

Then she felt Nikon's hands on her neck yanking her off the ground. He was ready to tear her throat.

The man with the whip breathed, "Zosime I'm so pleased you have come." The man sleeked his hair back, the young and strong face of the king was revealed. " You know I had completely forgotten about you. If you had come any later I would have killed your pathetic father."

Her hands fumbled on Nikon's large ones, trying to relieve the pressure on her throat. "What have we done to anger you so?" Zosime choked as tears burned her cheeks.

The king glides to her and wipe away her lightly freckled cheeks. He replied, "you have not angered me child, your father did, he betrayed me, and he must be punished." the king raised his hand to stroke her long brown hair. He continued, "and because of his betrayal, you must be punished as well; for you share the blood of a traitor."

Zosime began to cry even harder, she felt weak and pathetic. She knew she'd never see her home, her beautiful Evergreen Plane Tree, and the golden rays of the sun ever again. King Minos walked towards Strephon and grabbed his bloody hair and lifted him up.

The old man let out a painful moan as he was dragged towards his little girl. He could hear her screaming at Minos to stop as he was shoved in her face. "Did he ever tell you what he did; what he failed to do?" The king asked Zosime. She sobbed a "no" and shut her eyes. Minos squeezed his grip on the man's jaw. "He didn't? Well I guess I have to tell you the events that happened here. Your father tried to kill me with Hemlock seeds, he paid my taste tester 10 silver coins to fake it. But unfortunately for him I had two taste tester's and the outcome was most disturbing. It didn't take long to beat the information out of the boy about your fathers bribe."

Zosime's eyes widen in disbelief. How could he do something so reckless, he wouldn't do that!

"No. I don't believe you!" She screamed, her cheeks stinging from her tears. "Bampás, tell me it's not true."

Minos frowned and tugged on Strephon's ear.

The old man responded, "I wanted to stop the killings, I wanted to save the children of Athens," he wheezed, "I never meant to drag you into this." He felt like he was going to pass out.

The king drops him and the man hit the ground violently. "But you did", the king looked at the young woman, though her face was stricken with tears and forlorn; he lust for her body. After he banished his wife, Pasiphaë, to her birthplace, she cursed him to ejaculate poisoned creatures and so destroy his lovers. It has been a while since a woman has crawled into his bed; a demented idea came to him. "I'll give you a choice: be imprison in the Minotaur's Labyrinth, or imprison in my sleeping chambers?"