Theseus and the Minotaur

Ariadne awoke early the morning of the arrival of the Athenians.  Every nine years her father, King Minos of Crete, sent for seven girls and seven boys to feed the Minotaur.  This beast lived in a labyrinth beneath the castle that Ariadne and her father dwelled in.

          As she ate breakfast in her private dining hall, she couldn’t help wondering why they even bothered feeding such a beast as the Minotaur.  She knew what her father would say:

        “The Minotaur is technically your brother, Ariadne.  Don’t you want to avenge Jason’s death?”

        Ariadne sighed. Jason, her brother, had accidently been killed in Athens, and to stop Minos from sacking his city, King Aegues consented to Minos’s wish.  Today was the third time Athenians had been sent to Crete.  Ariadne was tired of it.

        “Madam?” A slave girl entered the room.

        “Yes, Tia?”

        “The King wishes to have you by his side when he greets the Athenians,” Tia bowed.

        “Thank you, Tia,” Ariadne muttered, “You may go.”

        Tia slowly backed out of the room.  Ariadne rose from her chair and followed.  Once she reached the docks, she realized that her father was already greeting the youths.

        “Oh, and this is my daughter, Ariadne,” the King said in mock politeness.

        Ariadne curtsied, “How do you do?”

        All the kids looked frightened and didn’t answer, except for one young man who stepped forward.

        “We are fine.”

The King laughed cruelly, “So brave that I will give you the special pleasure of dying first!  What is your name, Brave One?”

        “Theseus, prince of king Aegeus, ruler of Athens.”

        Ariadne and Minos both gasped.  Ariadne had fallen in love with Theseus when she first spotted him, but a prince!?  Minos was ecstatic.

        “The Prince!  What Luck!” he jeered.  “Well, come take a tour of your ‘chambers’ then!”

        Minos led them to the opposite end of the castle.  An iron door stood open, and a collective gasp arose from the Athenians.  Their ‘chambers’ were actually the dungeons!

Theseus stepped into his cell, mind racing.  He had to save himself and the other youths.  He also had to marry that girl, Ariadne.  Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the corridor.  Ariadne came jogging toward him. 

        “Here is some thread, and a sword,”  Ariadne panted, “To kill the Minotaur.  I will hold the end of the thread and it will roll to the center, but you must promise to marry me.  It is your job to defeat that cursed beast.”

        Theseus promised and Ariadne led him out to the labyrinth.

        “Good luck…” Ariadne whispered and leaned against the wall, holding the end of the thread.  Theseus gripped the sword and followed the ball of thread to the center of the labyrinth.  Sure enough, the Minotaur was sleeping upon a bed of bones.  It awoke when Theseus accidentally crunched a bone. 

“ROAAARRRR!!!”

Theseus slashed and sliced until the beast was worn out.  He finally defeated the Minotaur with a heavy blow, and quickly followed the thread all the way back to Ariadne.  She hugged him, smiled, and led the way to the dungeons.  Together, they freed the Athenians and boarded the exact boat that they arrived on.  King Minos was furious, but he did not pursue them.

 Unfortunately, they never got married.  Dionysus came to Theseus in a dream and told him that Ariadne was to be his wife.  Ariadne was left on an island and later became Dionysus’ wife.  Theseus became King of Athens, for his father had killed himself a little before he had arrived.  Ariadne and Theseus lived happily ever after.

~ Abigail L. D.