Chapter 9: Crete:
Theseus' POV:
Phaedra and I arrived in Crete.
"Welcome, Theseus, I am King Minos, and this is my daughter, Ariadne!"
"Hi," says Ariadne.
"So, what is the problem," I asked.
"A monster," says King Minos, "half man and half bull! We call it the Minotaur! It devours anyone that tries to fight it!"
"Aren't bulls supposed to be vegetarians," asks Phaedra, "did this thing not get that rule?"
"Theseus, will you stop it," asks King Minos.
"I will try to talk to it," I said, "I might be able to convince it to stop its horrors!"
"You are so brave," says Ariadne.
"Yeah, well, he's been fighting since we left home," says Phaedra.
Ariadne's POV:
The moment I saw Theseus, I knew he was the one! I fell in love with him, and I want to marry him... but if the Minotaur kills him... I may never see him again... so I'm going to help him!
"I know what you're thinking," says Circe.
"Circe," I asked, "what do you mean?"
"You think I don't know what my favorite niece is up to," asks Circe, "you want Theseus all to yourself! Too bad you don't have a chance!"
"What do you mean," I asked.
"Why do you think that Phaedra hangs around Theseus so much," asks Circe, "because she likes nearly dying? She loves him too!" I then thought about it... what if Theseus and Phaedra are... "So, if you want Theseus, you must also get rid of the competition!"
Phaedra's POV:
I was walking when I ran into the Princess. "Oh, your Highness," I said.
"Call me Ariadne. So, are you and Theseus... close?"
"We've been friends since we were kids," I said. She looked at me. "Is it that obvious?"
"So, you are in love with him," asks Ariadne.
"Yeah... but... I can never tell him," I said.
"I have a friend I'd like you to meet," says Ariadne.
. . .
"So, who are we going to meet," I asked.
"My brother," says Ariadne.
"And how is he going to help," I asked. I looked and realized I was in a maze. "What's going on?"
"Do you know why my Father hates the Minotaur," asks Ariadne.
"Because... he's a man-eating monster," I asked.
"After ascending the throne of the island of Crete, Minos competed with his brothers as ruler. Minos prayed to the sea god Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull as a sign of the god's favor. Minos was to sacrifice the bull to honor Poseidon but owing to the bull's beauty he decided instead to keep him. Minos believed that the god would accept a substitute sacrifice. To punish Minos, Poseidon made Minos's wife Pasiphaë fall in love with the bull," says Ariadne, "she even used a wooden cow disguise to mate with it, the result was the birth of my brother, come out, Asterius!" Then the Minotaur came.
"What are you doing," I asked.
"I'm sorry, but Theseus needs room for only one woman in his life," says Ariadne. The minotaur then grabs me...
To Be Continued
In the next chapter, Ariadne takes Theseus to meet Daedalus.