All rights reserved. BY RICK RIORDAN
Chapter 3: Immigrant Song
When we were on Delos, I once asked Leto what made the gods so different from the Titans.
"Were you evil too?" I asked her, innocently.
She laughed.
"I wasn't good or evil Artemis," she replied, still smiling. "I was one of many who didn't join either side of the war. But in the time I've lived, I see what the gods have brought to this world."
She took a pause, and her expression turned dreamy.
"Kronos called his rule the 'Golden Age'," she recalled. "In his time, mortals would live long, happy lives. They were free of any burdens and didn't strive to make things better. Thus life stood still."
"That doesn't sound so bad," I muttered.
"It wasn't," she agreed. "You could relive a moment over and over again, and it would never lose its beauty."
"But there was a terrible price humanity had to pay for this way of life," she continued. "As the Lord of Time, Kronos could see the future. He saw the fates of mortals. He knew who would live peacefully under his rule and who would rebel against it."
"So once every year, he would send for all newborns to be judged on Mount Othrys. If the judgment passed in their favor, they would live their lives. If it didn't, if they were destined to bring change or disrupt his rule, he'd condemn them to a fate worse than death."
She looked at me. "Pray you never have to see a mother separated from her child, my dear. It is a great sorrow to deal with."
I nodded. It sounded sad. I had helped nymphs and dryads deliver their babies on Delos. I had seen their loving eyes when they held their babies.
To see that change… the thought made me shudder.
"Anyway," she continued. "When your father arrived, he changed that. All mortals would have a chance to live, regardless of their fate. They live short, tough lives; but they truly live. That is the difference between us and them. No one will tell you this my daughter, but you will soon realize it yourself- mortals are superior to us."
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Minos was living proof of the fact that gods made mistakes.
He was born into a family that had descended from Zeus himself. He ruled over a kingdom so great that he held a monopoly in the trades along the Aegean sea. Riches beyond measure filled his land. His wife Pasiphaë had many suitors and bore him many children.
But as fate would have it, a curse from a certain sea deity (someone who had visited me very recently) had enchanted her into falling in love with a bull. When the newborn was delivered, he was half bull and half man. He was named Asterion by his mother, but others resorted to simply calling him the Minotaur. Minos had him imprisoned in a magical labyrinth so that he may never see the light of day.
Other than the Cretan Bull, he had three other sons- Catreus, Androgeos, and Glaucus. Androgeos had been killed on one of his expeditions in Athens, which resulted in the Aegean king sending nine boys and girls to Crete as human sacrifices to the Minotaur. Catreus and Glaucus remained, although I didn't know much about them.
Also by Pasiphaë, he had three beautiful daughters- Euryale, Ariadne, and Phaedra. Euryale had been married to a wealthy and powerful man and had led a happy life, until her sudden death about a decade ago.
Contrary to what people said, we gods didn't exercise absolute control over our powers. We were simply personifications of it, human hope embodied into beings. None of us paid any attention to this land and had allowed evil to find a footing here. Evil I had to deal with.
It had been ten days since Poseidon's visit. Fortunately enough, he had granted the ship safe passage through the sea. The captain announced that we would be reaching Chania tomorrow morning.
Why does it have to be a boy? I complained internally. What have I ever done to the Fates? Stupid Apollo and his stupid prophecies!
You could've listened to me and not attended that council meeting, said another voice. But nooooo we had to screw it up-
Oh yes. I forgot to tell you about her. The only one who stayed with me when everything was gone. My very own sarcastic voice of doom.
Shut up. I am no Ares, I thought back. Ares had been missing for a few meetings. By few, I meant like a dozen. As I was busy talking with myself, I retired to the brig.
When I did fall asleep, dreams found me.
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I was standing in a dark corridor. Around me were nothing but ancient walls, lined with torches that cast a dim, red glow on my surroundings. The ceiling was high up.
Suddenly I heard a loud growl from behind me. I started running.
There were twists and turns and ups and downs. The style of the architecture changed as I ran past. The high ceiling came closer and closer to the walls of the maze, some completely touching them.
Then, I came to a dead end. I heard hooves trampling on the stone floor behind me. Turning around and saw a shadow creep in front of me. I could make out two horns and a snout, with a nose ring. The beast in front of me smelled the air. And then its glowing eyes turned to me.
The scene changed and I was in a well-lit room. There were carvings on the wall. When I looked closely at them, I realized that they were scenes from the Titanomachy. In the middle of the room was a table, with a map spread out on it. But it wasn't any map. It was like the one we had on Olympus, which reflected the world outside in real-time. This was a war room.
I heard footsteps approaching, and I ducked under the table. The door opened and three figures stepped in. They had huge, reptilian feet.
"- with Minos. He has allocated another three acres of land to the Cause," one of them was saying. His voice was deep and gruff, reminding me of Pan's panic. They all stood around the table.
"Has it been done, Otis?"
"Yes," another voice replied. "Helios has faded. Selene will too, in time."
I swallowed.
"Till then, keep the chariot safe," said the first voice. My spies tell me that the Olympians have sent someone to recover it. Ephialtes, how is our guest in the jar?"
"He is weakening day by day," replied Ephialtes. "We didn't need Damasen after all."
"Do not speak of him!" the first voice snapped. No one spoke for a few moments.
"A presence," I heard Otis whisper.
"I sense it too," Ephialtes agreed.
The scene shifted again before I could be discovered.
I was at a beach. A small boat lay beside me. Its owner was nowhere to be seen. I peeped inside.
"WOOF!"
Startled, I immediately went for my weapon, but then realized I was dreaming.
A hunting hound growled at me from inside the boat. It wasn't a threatening growl, it was just its natural instincts acting out. The dog was probably trying to sense my presence. Hunting hounds could do things like these.
"Come on Sirius," said a male voice behind me. The hound barked excitedly and jumped out.
I turned to see a boy with black hair, walking away. He wore a simple knee-length chiton. But he wore it in such a way that it covered his entire body, unlike other men. He was carrying a fishing net.
The dog joined him at his side.
"Good catch today," he told the dog. "Maybe I'll feel a little generous and tip you off something at lunch."
The hound barked and wagged his tail excitedly. They walked away. My dream dissolved.
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When I woke up, it was late morning. Then I remembered the dream. Helios had been kind to Apollo and me. He was one of the few deities who had accepted us when we came along. I said a small prayer for his soul to find peace.
Aunt Selene. You can still save her.
"Ladies and gentlemen," announced the captain from the stairs. "Welcome. To the Land of Minos."
To the reader who has reached this far, I hope you are well. Thanks to the Guest readers who take their time to read and review this. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. The fourth chapter is planned out, now I just need to write it. Also, if anyone from team sees this, pleaseeeee add markdown support :') all the manual formatting is killing me. On that note, let's call it a night.
Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin.