"You are different from the others," came the deep, growling voice from the darkness. "I know that you have come here to kill me, rather than to be sacrificed as is the custom here on Crete."

     The dark stone walls of the Labyrinth echoed the creature's bestial tones, and the boy felt anxiety for the first time in many months. The creature was concealed by the twisting and lightless passages, and his direction was difficult to determine. But the boy grabbed the hilt of his sword, feeling the moulded serpents press into his palm, and continued forward, the ball of thread unravelling through the fingers of his left hand as he went.

     "Do you know who I am?" came the voice again.

     "I know who you are, monster!"

     The creature laughed. "So tell me then, who is this monster you seek to destroy?"

     "You are Asterius, once king of the minotaur, now prisoner of King Minos of Crete. You eat human flesh, for the minotaur are anthropophagi, like satyrs and sirens, harpies and numerous others."

     "You think that is me, that monster that you have described?"

     The boy walked on, knowing that Asterius was not far ahead of him.

     "Do you deny that you feed on the flesh of men? It is the way of your race!"

     "I feed on the flesh of men," roared the minotaur. "I am sent nothing else to eat. I am a prisoner here; a prisoner of men. They choose to send me their criminals and their sacrifices, and revel in making me feed upon them like an animal. Who are you to judge me for this? If your own people send men and women to be eaten by me, they may as well be the anthropophagi."

     The echoing clip-clop of the hooves of Asterius sounded from the left of the boy, and he turned his head quickly round, to peer into the darkness. Only two eyes could he see, glimmering in the black shroud of the Labyrinth. He unsheathed his sword and prepared for the beast's charge. It did not come. Only the creature's voice met the boy's anticipation.

     "My people realised centuries ago that man is not the barbaric invader that he seemed to be when first he arrived. Our initial encounters were violent, and he did kill many of our kind, and in return we treated him as an animal, and fed upon his flesh. Once he had found his place and settled, he left us well alone, and we saw a great civilisation rise on our island. We knew then that mankind was a thinking creature, a creative being, who could be reasoned with."

     The boy had expected no such talk from his quarry, who now stood no more than two metres away, though still hidden in the blackness.

     "But you led five tribes of minotaur against Knossus."

     "Minos broke the centuries old treaty between our people, and tried to force us from the caves in which we had lived since before the arrival of man." The minotaur's voice sounded angry, but then became quiet and melancholy. "When men first arrived, we thought them to be wandering animals. Now, men see us as animals, and I am the captured prize of my enemy. So, why are you here to kill me? Who are you?"

     The boy relaxed the grip on his sword, and starred into the glimmering points of light which were all he could see of Asterius.

     "I am Theseus of Athens, son of Aegeus, Poseidon and Aethra of Troezen!"

     The minotaur laughed. "You have two fathers? How did that come about?"

     Theseus smiled with Asterius at first, before remembering that this was the monster he had sworn to destroy.

     "Aegeus is my earthly father, but Poseidon, the god of the seas and oceans, supplied my godhead."

     The minotaur sighed.

     "So you are the son of a god? Like Heracles, son of Zeus?"

     "I wish that I was like Heracles. I have tried to live up to his example. I met him once, as I was growing up in Troezen. He was gentle and strong, and told many tales of his exploits. I idolise him."

     "Yes," said the minotaur thoughtfully. "He is a great man. He came to Knossus, you know, many years back."

     "To capture the great bull which ravaged Crete!" interrupted Theseus.

     "That's right. At that time, man and minotaur still lived peacefully beside each other on Crete. I was among the guests at a banquet in Heracles' honour." Once again, Asterius sighed. "It was a great feast. Heracles and I had a wrestling match in the courtyard of the palace, surrounded by on-lookers. Of course, he did not use all of his skill and strength, for it would have made a short lived spectacle if he had. But he relaxed his godly powers too much, and I butted him to the ground. In a moment of anger, he stood up, grabbed my horns and threw me through the window into the banquet hall, where I landed firmly on a table, scattering the food amongst the surprised diners. In the next moment, Heracles charged into the room to see that he had not hurt me badly; but on seeing the scene before him, of shocked guests drenched in soups and wine, and covered in vegetables and bits of meat, and me lying across a table shaking my head to rid myself of the ringing in my ears, he collapsed on the ground in riotous laughter."

     At this, the minotaur himself bellowed a great laugh, and Theseus could not help but join him. When the laughter had subsided, Asterius asked quietly;

     "What do you know of Heracles movements now?"

     "He lives in Lydia, with queen Omphale. More than that, I do not know."

     The two were silent for a couple of seconds.

     "I hear little of the outside world in this damned construction," said Asterius finally. "My victims are rarely in the mood for talking. I usually decide to put them out of their terror and get the job over with quickly. Are you hoping to be Heracles' successor, Theseus? Are you to keep the world safe from bandits and monsters while he lives with his oriental queen?"

     "I have tried my best," Theseus quietly replied.

     Asterius walked forward, and finally his great shape was made visible. His muscled torso, topped by a bull-like head, and the great curving horns, would doubtless have made him a terrifying figure to most men. His shaggy legs and hooves, which clopped against the stone floor as he walked, made him all the more sinister. But a gentle smile graced his lips, not the rabid grimace of a beast. This creature, thought Theseus, was invited to royal banquets, and wrestled with Heracles as a friend.

     "You are the son of Aegeus, King of Athens," said Asterius. "Surely you have responsibilities to attend to. Are you heir to the throne?"

     "Yes, I am that." Theseus thought for a while as the minotaur looked on silently. "The life of a king is not for me. There are so many things in this world that need the attentions of someone courageous; a crusader. I cannot rest in stately comfort while the world struggles for law against the chaos from which we have risen."

     "A pretty speech," smiled Asterius. "But think on this; one good man can kill one bandit, and then another bandit, and maybe a monster, like me, and he will have fought against the chaos, but other bandits will fill the vacancies left by those destroyed. On the other hand, one good king can lead his people into a lawful existence, teaching them how to live and fight the evils that exist in the world, and be an example to the rulers of other kingdoms. When Minos threatened my people, I did not enter Knossus with my club swinging, on a solitary crusade. I gathered together my people, and we fought together. My people are still out there, waiting for their chance, and Minos has not dared to make another assault on our lands, for we were strong together."

     "Your example has merits, minotaur," said Theseus. "But my idol is Heracles, and he was one man who did make a difference. He fought for the whole world, not a kingdom."

     "Heracles had no kingdom," replied Asterius. He paused. "Why did you come here?"

     Theseus was quick to answer. "Minos demands, in tribute, seven young men and seven maidens from Athens every ninth year, all to be sent here as your victims. This is said to compensate for the killing of Androgeus, Minos' son, on the command of my father. I am here to end this custom."

     "By slaying the monster, instead of Minos?"

     "We cannot wage war on Crete. We would be defeated."

     Asterius walked slowly round young Theseus, his hooves producing a steady hollow beat, his bullish tail swinging restlessly. Theseus nervously turned on the spot, always facing the creature, his hand now holding tight the hilt of his sword. Finally, Asterius stopped.

     "How did you arrive here, Theseus? How did you manage to enter the Labyrinth."

     "I came as one of the youths sent by Athens."

     "And they allowed you to enter with a ball of thread and a sword?"

     "No. When I arrived, my sword was hidden on my ship. However, Princess Ariadne, daughter of Minos, agreed to aid me. She managed to secrete my sword just inside the Labyrinth, along with this thread, which is tied to the lintel stone at the entrance."

     Once more, the minotaur began it's orbit of Theseus, and he watched it carefully. Finally, it spoke.

     "So, you have come here to destroy me for the good of your people; the people of Athens. Your father must by now be an old man. If tragedy should befall him, would you accept the throne?"

     "There are others who can rule..."

     "But how many who can rule with your courage?" Asterius' voice was loud and emphatic. "How many who can rule with your sense of justice? Who could bring your people together the way that you could? You idolise Heracles, but you are not Heracles! His time has passed, and men have changed. Few men now live lonely lives in the wilderness. Cities have become great, their populations vast. Therein lies the greatest weapon men have with which to defeat the chaos outside. The life of a minotaur is longer than that of a man, and in my lifetime, even before the twenty years or so that I have been condemned to this imprisonment, man has grown from wanderer to builder. Heracles was a wanderer. He helped open the way for the construction of citadels, the gathering of armies and the establishment of economies. A new type of hero is needed. A hero who can lead people."

     Theseus was stunned to be receiving such advice from this creature. However, he quickly reminded himself of his duty, and that the minotaur had killed many Athenians in these dark tunnels.

     "What do you know of man's affairs?" he asked. "You who lived in caves, and was banished into this Labyrinth?"

     "A good deal more than a young man who has spent most of his adult years amongst bandits in the countryside, away from the men he claims to protect. Kill me if you must, for you would end a tortuous existence, but when you return, see your people, and take them into a new era. Fight the chaos with your people."

     The two stood watching each other. Theseus thought hard about the minotaur's words, and his own life up to this point. His destiny hitherto had been shaped by his love of Heracles, but perhaps it was time to mature beyond that. But ruling Athens? It was a daunting prospect, and at first Theseus was frightened by it. But the more he felt the fear, the more the challenge and the possibilities excited him.

     "I see something of what I have said has sunk in. Perhaps a man could be made of you after all."

     The minotaur knelt before Theseus, and spoke in a quiet, humble voice.

     "I am old, and I face this prison for the rest of my years. Strike your first blow for the people of Athens. End the sacrifices and my despair together. But first promise that you will use the god-spirit within you to build an empire in Attica, with the city of Athens at it's centre."

     Theseus raised his sword above the minotaur's neck, the sword that had been handed down from king to king since the founding of Athens.

     "I promise," he whispered.

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