THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR
Once upon a time in a land named Crete there lived a king named Minos. He had a huge army, a beautiful daughter and a GIGANTIC palace but he still got bored sometimes. But whenever he was bored, he took his army and attacked Athens.
In desperation, King Aegeus offered Minos a deal. If he stopped attacking him king Aegeus would send 7 boys and 7 girl every 9 years to be eaten by the Minotaur. King Minos thought about it as his people were fed up of having each other eaten.
The Minotaur was a bloodthirsty monster that lived in the centre of a labyrinth in Crete that King Minos had built. King Minos loved that monster. He loved to give the Minotaur a treat now and then so he hastily agreed.
Nine years past swiftly. It was nearly the dreaded time to send 14 young people to be eaten by the Minotaur. EVERYONE in the Athens was crying. Prince Theseus of Athens was very young. He had heard about the Minotaur before. He thought that it surely can’t be right to send young children to be eaten by the Minotaur even if it is to avoid a war. Theseus told his father that he was going as the 7th boy from Athens. King Aegeus tried to stop him but he couldn’t. He told his father he was going to slay the dreaded beast once and for all.
Theseus took his place as the 7th Athenian boy. His father told him to put down the black sails and put up the white ones if he survived. Then he went on the boat and set sail for Crete.
When he arrived on Crete,the dreaded King Minos said that they wouldn’t be eaten till tomorrow so they had some time to enjoy the palace. Princess Ariadne was there when they greeted. She wrote a letter to Theseus. Heres what she said:
you saw me today as i am princess Ariadne and i will help you! Meet me in 1 hour and i will help you with defeating the Minotaur
So he agreed.He met her at midnight and The princess gave him a ball of string and a sword. “Remember a deal is a deal she said”.
It was the next morning and the Athenian children were shoved into the labyrinth. Theseus told the others to stay at the gates and let him slay the beast. He spread out the trail of string and searched for the Minotaur. Suddenly in horror he saw the beast appear from around a corner. He slayed it swiftly and quietly and grabbed the end of the string. He ran out of the labyrinth and Princess Ariadne unlocked the gate.
They started to set sail for Athens and Princess Ariadne was with them. Theseus forgot to put down the black sail and put up the white sail. When King Aegeus saw this he said on the edge of a cliff,”my son has failed and is dead” and he jumped off the edge of the cliff. Thats why that sea is called the sea of Aegeus.