GREEK GOD
FOLLOW-UP...

Minos, king of Crete, had fought against

Athenian. He came with a large fleet of ships and armies, and had

burning merchant ships in the harbor, and has taken control of the whole country

and the beach even up to Megara, which is located to the west. She has been

emptying the fields and gardens around Athens, he had set up his tent in

near the wall, and has sent a message to the Athenian rulers that tomorrow

he will march into their city with fire and sword and will kill all

their youth and will tear down all their houses, even to the Temple

Athena, who stood on a great hill above the city. Then AEgeus,

the king of Athens, with the twelve elders who were his servants, went to see him

King Minos and treat him.

"O mighty king" they said,

"what have we done so you want to destroy us from

earth?"

or as some say

the guy he sent him against a certain wild bull from your country to

killed by the beast, I do not know; but you cannot

denying that the young man's life was taken from him through AEgeus' plan

it's." it's."

"But we did deny it—we did

denied it!" exclaim the elders. “Because at that time our king

he was stopping at Troezen across the Saronic Sea, and he knew nothing

about the young prince's death. We manage the city affairs ourselves when

he's abroad, and we know what we're talking about.

Androgeus was killed, not by order of the king but by the king's nephew, who

hope to stir up your anger against AEgeus so that you will

banished him from Athens and ceded the kingdom to one of the

they." them."

"Will you swear that what you

tell me that's true?" Minos.

"We will swear" they said.

"Well," said Minos, "you must

heard decision. Athena has taken away my dear treasure, the treasure that

it can never be returned to me; so, in return, I

asking from Athens, as tribute, the possession of which was the dearest and

most precious to his people; and it will be cruelly destroyed like

my son is destroyed."

"The terms are difficult," said the elders,

"but fair. What tribute did you ask for?"

"Did the king have a

son?" ask Minos.

The face of King AEgeus lost all its colors and

he trembled as he thought of a little boy who was with his mother back then

Troezen, across the Saronic Sea. But the elders know nothing

about the boy, and they answered:

“Ow, no! he has no sons;

but he had fifty nephews who ate his treasure and longed for it

the time will come when one of them will be king; and,

as we have said, they are the ones who killed the young men.

prince, Androgeos."

"I have nothing to do with

those people," said Minos; "You can handle them

as you like. But you ask me what tribute I need, and I will

telling you. Every year when spring arrives and the roses begin to bloom,

You must choose seven of your noblest youth and seven

your most beautiful girls, and will send them to me with

the ship your king will provide. This is a tribute you have to pay

to me, Minos, king of Crete; and if you fail for one time only, or

delaying even one day, my army will tear down your walls and burn

your city and bring your men to the sword and sell your wife and children

as a slave."

"We agree with all of this, O

King," said the elders; "because it is the smallest

of two crimes. But tell us now, what is the fate of the seven young men

and the seven girls?"

"In Crete" Minos replied, "there is a

the house is called the Labyrinth, which you've never seen before. In it

there were a thousand rooms and winding paths, and anyone who entered was a little

alone into it will never find his home. Ke

in this house seven young men and seven girls will be driven, and they will

abandoned in there—"

"To perish because

starving?" exclaim the elders.

"To be eaten by a monster called

humans are Minotaurs" Minos said.

Then King AEgeus and the elders covered their faces

they cried and slowly returned to the city to tell

their people are about the sad and terrible conditions that can only be

saving Athena.

people perish rather than entire cities destroyed" they said.

Years pass. Every spring

when the rose began to bloom seven young men and seven girls were placed on the ship

the screen was black and sent to Crete to pay the tribute the King requested

Minos. In every house in Athens there is sorrow and fear, and

the people raised their hands to Athens on the top of the hill and shouted,

"How long, O Air Queen, how long is this thing?"

Meanwhile the little boy in Troezen is across the street

the sea has grown into a man. His name, Theseus, is in the mouth

everyone, for he has done many courageous acts; and

eventually he came to Athens to find his father, King Aegeus, who did not

never heard whether he was alive or dead; and when the young man

it introduced himself, the king welcomed him to his home and everyone else

glad that such a noble prince had come to live in

between them and, in time, to rule their city.

Spring is coming again. Black sailing ship

it was rigged for another voyage. The rude Cretan soldiers

paraded in the streets; and the messenger of King Minos stood at the gate

and yelling:

"But three days, O Athena, and your tribute

it will be due and must be paid!"

Then in every street the door of the house was closed and

no one went in or out, but everyone sat quietly with

cheeks were pale, and wondering who would be chosen this year. But

the young prince, Theseus, did not understand; for he was not told

about that tribute.

"What does all this mean?" her

crying out. "What right did the Cretans have to demand tribute in Athens? and

what tribute is he talking about?"

Then AEgeus took him aside and with

tears told him about a miserable war with the King

Minos, and about a terrible peace. "Now, don't

say again," isak AEgeus, "better some people die even

that way than all must be destroyed."

"But I'll say more

many," cried Theseus. "Athena will not pay tribute to

Crete. I myself will go with these young men and girls, and I will

kill the Minotaur monster, and challenge King Minos himself on top

thrones."

"Oh, don't be rash!" word

king; "Because no one was pushed into the Minotaur cave

who ever came out again. Remember that you are Athena's hope, and don't

take this great risk upon yourself."

"You I am hope

Athena?" theseus. "Then how can I do

besides leaving?" And he immediately began to make himself ready.

On the third day all the young men and girls of the city were

gathered in the market, so that those who are to be taken may

raffled. Then two brass vessels were brought and placed before the King

Aegeus and the messenger who came from Crete. Into one of their vessels

put as many balls as the noble youths in the city, and into

the other vessels were as many as the girls; and all the balls were white except

only seven in each vessel, and it was black like black wood.

Then every girl, without looking, without looking,

extended his hand to one of the ships and took out a ball, and

those who took the black sphere were taken to the black ship, which was waiting in the

beachfront. The youths also drew the lottery in the same way, too,

but when six black balls had been taken, Theseus quickly advanced forward

and said:

"Wait on! No more balls drawn.

I will be the seventh young man to pay this tribute. Now let's go

get on the black ship and leave."

Then the people, and King Aegeus himself, were,

go to the beach to say goodbye to the young men and girls, who they

there was no hope of meeting again; and all but Theseus

crying and heartbreak.

"I'll come again, father," he said.

"I hope you can do it,"

said the old king. "If when this ship comes back, I see a screen

white stretched over the black screen, then I'll know that you are still

alive and well; but if I only looked at the black screen, it would give

know me that you have perished."

And now that ship

apart from his moorings, the north wind filled the sails, and seven youths and

seven girls are taken to the sea, to the terrible death that awaits

they're in far-off Crete.

DF