Minotaur (17 page)

We ended up staying for two days, attending dinner parties where Theseus related our adventures to universal applause, praise, and admiration. I said little, uncomfortable with the attention.

I know Theseus’s exploits have been sung about and retold many times over the years. Some of those stories are about his adventures before he reached Athens. None of those stories in the decades and centuries that followed mention me. Theseus, to his credit, did relate our adventures with a certain level of truth, although he was prone to exaggeration and embellishment. I guess other storytellers and poets believed that the stories sounded better with just Theseus in them. For many years, I featured in them, but over time, as Athens became the most powerful city in Greece, my contribution was conveniently forgotten. I was not, after all, Athenian. I wasn’t even Greek.

I didn’t resent it at the time because I—or my appearance at least—was part of the tales. I think I would’ve felt a little aggrieved if I hadn’t been mentioned at all. Although I was not vainglorious like Theseus, I was in Greece to increase my status. That and to avoid the wrath of Minos.

Theseus turned down several more invitations. He was eager and impatient to reach Athens and to claim his title as Prince of that great city. I, on the other hand, wasn’t in such a rush. Ismthmia, I realized, was a place where I could build my reputation and wealth, enough that I would be able to claim Phaedra as my bride.

Theseus insisted we move on however. I had promised to accompany him to Athens, and I wasn’t about to break my word. I have broken many things in my time but never my word.

It was another fifteen leagues to Athens from Ismthmia. Perhaps another five or six days. Theseus and I had been rather ignorant when we set off, thinking we could get from Troezen to Athens in the same amount of time it had taken us to travel to Ismthmia.

We were slowly becoming more proficient travelers though and more realistic in our expectations. We set off again, our heads held high, ready to embrace our destiny.

Ω

The road to Athens was much busier with traffic than the earlier part of our journey. Many travelers were headed to that place, largely comprised of traders seeking to make their fortunes. We encountered several families on the road, but there were others like us too—adventurers, heroes. We swapped stories with many we met, ensuring that our fame spread. We passed through the cities of Megara and Eleusis only long enough to replenish our supplies.

There seemed to be fewer bandits on the road, primarily because travelers were not so isolated. As a result, we didn’t encounter trouble until we were only a few leagues from Athens.

The path branched at that point. The main route headed further inland. It was a safer, wider route used by most travelers. Theseus, however, had a strong desire to see the ocean. He’d often been told stories of this coast from his mother and wanted to see it for himself. So we took the smaller route that led to the coast.

By this point, we were dusty, tired, and footsore. Our tunics were soaked through with sweat. After walking for an hour, we came to a cliff top with a majestic view of the Saronic Gulf. The island of Salamis loomed massively nearby. Further in the distance was another island—Aegina. I knew that many leagues past that was Theseus’s home city of Troezen, almost directly across the gulf.

We stood side-by-side, gazing out at the white-topped waves whipped up by the strong wind threatening to blow us off the cliff. The wind was not unpleasant, drying the sweat from our bodies.

After standing there for several minutes in silence, I thought of where we’d come from. A thought occurred to me.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to take a ship?” I asked. “I mean from Troezen to somewhere along this coast. It would’ve been a lot quicker too.”

Theseus smiled. “That’s exactly what my mother said. She warned me the road was too dangerous, but I wouldn’t listen. I knew I had to take the road. To make a name for myself so my father will be forced to recognize me. My mother didn’t understand.”

“I see,” I said. And I did. Knowing Theseus as I did by now, I knew how his mind worked. It would not have done for him to arrive in Athens as an unknown boy. He wanted to make an entrance. I confess, so did I—I just wasn’t as driven as he.

“Not everyone thinks as heroes do, Asterion. You and I are the same. We are both heroes. And heroes find their own path in life. We do not always do what others tell us to do.”

“We do when it means our exploits will be sung about,” I said wryly.

Theseus missed the tone in my voice. “And isn’t that what it’s all about?” he said happily, clapping me on the back. I almost toppled off the cliff and hurriedly steadied myself.

“Come,” he said at last. “Athens awaits.”

As we walked along the cliff, we encountered a strange sight. A large bronze tub sat on the edge of the cliff. It was curious to see such a thing in a location like this. Wary, but with our interest piqued, Theseus and I decided to investigate.

As we got closer, we realized we weren’t alone. A man sat beneath a nearby cypress tree, peeling an apple with a knife. He set them down and stood, smiling at us invitingly. A few paces from him was a fire with a large pot bubbling merrily away.

“Greetings, friends! You must be wary from your travels. Please, feel free to use my tub to wash the dust of the road from your bodies. The water is fresh and warm.”

We exchanged names. His was Sciron. Despite my initial mistrust, he seemed like a decent sort of man. I liked him immediately.

“Why do you offer this service?” asked Theseus warily. “What is the price?”

Sciron inclined his head and spread his arms warmly. “No charge. I do this as a service to my fellow man. I was once a trader and accumulated great wealth. Now, I attempt to give something back.”

Theseus considered this. I could tell he didn’t trust Sciron like I did, but it would’ve been rude to refuse such hospitality. Besides, after a tiring few days on the road, a soothing bath was a welcome invitation. It was hard to resist.

“I’ll go first,” I offered eagerly.

Sciron smiled at me warmly. “Please, young warrior. In the interests of privacy, go behind the cloth, disrobe, and then you will be free to use my bath.” He indicated a large blanket that was hanging between the branches of two trees. I stepped behind it and stripped, keeping my helmet on for obvious reasons. It was doubtful whether Sciron would be keen to offer the same hospitality once he saw my horns. I emerged moments later and stepped gratefully in the tub. It was as Sciron promised: warm and fresh.

I relaxed in it for as long as I could while Sciron chatted idly to us both. Sciron disappeared a couple of times, excusing himself by saying he had to fetch fresh essences for the water. He was gone for quite a while, but his absence went unremarked.

I got out, and Sciron handed me a towel while Theseus went to disrobe. Sciron retrieved the pot from the fire, using it to fill the tub with fresh hot water.

Theseus returned and plunged into the bath while I retreated behind the makeshift barrier to get changed. I had an unpleasant surprise. My clothes and all my equipment, including my club, were gone. I thought that perhaps Sciron had been exceptionally kind and had decided to wash my clothes, but why hadn’t he asked? I suspected something wasn’t right.

My suspicions were confirmed by a scream. I pushed aside the barrier, prepared for a fight even though I was naked and unarmed.

I was initially confused by what I saw. Theseus stood on the cliff face, naked as I, his back toward me, looking at something below. There was no sign of the bronze tub. Or Sciron for that matter.

“What happened?” I asked, darting my eyes about hurriedly, searching for danger. “Where’s Sciron?”

Theseus turned to face me. “I knew this was too good to be true. As soon as I hopped into the tub, Sciron attempted to tip me over the cliff.”

“What did you do?” I forced the words out of a suddenly dry mouth, already knowing the answer.

“I did to him what he planned to do to me,” he said, watching me carefully for my reaction. “I sent him to Tartarus.”

A surge of anger washed over me. At that point, I was heartily sick of Theseus. Sick of him killing people seemingly on an idle whim. I seized him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

“You didn’t have to do that, Theseus,” I raged. “You don’t always have to kill.”

Theseus grabbed my hands but made no other effort to free himself. “Stop, Asterion,” he gurgled. “Look over the cliff. See the truth.”

I frowned and shook my head, thinking I hadn’t heard properly. Still clutching Theseus by the neck, I approached the edge of the cliff and looked down.

There was a huge creature far below us with a mottled green shell. It appeared to be a giant turtle, a monster from an earlier age, more massive than any beast I had ever seen, its enormous bulk crouching atop a cluster of rocks above the reach of the thrashing waves. It was surrounded by clusters of white, which looked like branches of trees whitewashed by the sea. It was also feeding on something. I realized it was Sciron.

With hands suddenly gone numb with shock, I released Theseus. He dropped to his knees, grasping his throat and breathing hoarsely. Eventually, he recovered his composure and stood to face me.

“I’ve said it before, but it seems you are hard of hearing,” Theseus replied coldly. His eyes blazed. “Those who seek to harm me will get what they deserve. Sciron tried to kill me. I just turned the tables on him.”

I closed my eyes and clenched my fists for fear that I would hurt him again. With an effort, I restrained myself.

“Before you judge me, brother, look more closely at what lies below.”

Despite my anger and frustration, I did what he asked. On closer inspection, the pile of white objects that I initially took for tree branches were actually bones. Human bones.

My rage started to leak out of me.

“It would seem that Sciron has been at his game for some time,” said Theseus. “That son of a goat lured weary travelers here, threw them to the turtle below and kept their belongings.”

It was true. Undeniably true. I still couldn’t help but feel angry at Theseus. Once again, he’d solved a problem with violence, without remorse, almost like he relished it.

I took a deep breath, letting the anger pass.

Theseus looked me up and down and smiled. “Now, I think we’d better find our clothes before another traveler comes this way.”

Ω

I was forced to concede that killing off the bandits that inhabited Greece at that time was making us rich. Sciron had accumulated quite a pile of treasure that he’d taken from unsuspecting travelers. As well as a sack of coins, there were bracelets and necklaces set with precious gems, weapons, armor, and a pile of clothing large enough to fill a decent sized room. It was quite sobering and a little disturbing to think that these items had once belonged to those whose bones decorated the rock island inhabited by the giant turtle. We filled our pouches and sacks with as much as we could easily carry—enough to make us both extremely wealthy—and buried the rest.

We found Sciron’s treasure—including my own equipment—after a thorough search of the area. Hidden further back in the forest behind the cliff was a large stone house disguised by tree branches stacked against it. If we hadn’t suspected that Sciron had a stockpile somewhere, we would’ve never found it.

I later discovered that Sciron was quite an infamous brigand, wanted in Athens and other cities for his crimes. He’d been operating his scheme for years but had never been found, moving every few months to avoid detection, presumably leaving his treasure unguarded or perhaps under the protection of the giant turtle that dwelt at the bottom of the cliffs. Maybe the turtle followed Sciron about given that he was a source of constant fresh meat?

Theseus smiled smugly at me when he heard that Sciron was a wanted criminal. Eventually, word also spread that Theseus had done the bandit in, thus further enhancing his reputation.

I had originally thought that it would take me at least a couple of years to gather the wealth and prestige I needed to return to Crete. I had a vague idea that I would use the money to buy a small ship, approach Crete by night, and rescue Phaedra. I would then set myself and her up on an island far away from Minos.

Sciron’s wealth filled me with hope. I would be able to return far sooner than expected. Theseus and I would arrive in Athens rich men indeed.

I also began to reconsider my feelings toward Theseus. He was what he was. He wasn’t an evil man; he just had a slightly warped sense of justice. He hated bandits, outlaws, and brigands with a vengeance and was determined to punish them using their own instruments of death. He thought it rather fitting. I considered it a little barbaric.

I longed to reach Athens by now. I’d had my fill of adventures for the moment and wanted nothing more than to spend a few uneventful weeks in that city without being surrounded by death.

We set off again. Night was beginning to fall when we came across a house built of rough-cut blocks standing by the side of the road. We were tired, having made good progress that day. We guessed, correctly, that we would reach Athens after another day’s travel.

It was a little cold that night. Both Theseus and I didn’t relish another night out in the open, especially when we were so close to Athens. We were about to knock on the door of the house, willing to spend some of our wealth on a bed and hot food for the night, when the door opened, seemingly of its own accord.

A man stood there, small, wizened. He had a gray wispy beard with hair that matched. He squinted heavily at us.

“Hello,” he croaked, his voice dry as a sun dried leaf. “Do you seek a bed for the night?”

Theseus and I looked at each other. I knew what Theseus was thinking. This old, shriveled man couldn’t possibly offer us any threat.

“We do indeed,” said Theseus. “A bed, a hot meal, maybe a goblet of watered wine by the fire. We’ll be on our way come sunrise and can pay with good honest coin.”