Excerpt from Part 1: Theseus and Ariadne
Theseus has been slogging away killing the Minotaur
Gods! it stank down there!
dark as hell too
the floor all slippery with shit and blood
the creature dodging around
its hooves sliding in the mess
he never knew where it would be
horns sharp as two daggers
hooking and trying to gore him
in the end his sword got to its neck
at last its knees buckled
the monster sank down
death blood trickling from its nose
dripping onto the filthy floor
one last breath whooshing out
with a dark groan
What a dance!
Theseus leant against the wall
took a few shuddering great breaths
as he gazed at the beast lying there
the great roan head
with its two golden horns
big round eyes glazed in death
lifeless on the floor
Oh gods! now the bloody labyrinth
he’s got to get out of here
it’s a long hike
he grasps that silver cord
Thank God!
but it’s a long way up there
all those damn twists and turns
and uphill too
he stays leaning against the wall a while
getting more of the foetid air into his lungs
waiting till his tired muscles stop spasming
the cramp in his gut dissipates
the beast stays dead
he fumbles
his bloody sword clangs on the stone
picks it up again
wipes it on the creatures neck
sheaves it and then
grabs Ariadne’s silver cord
very tight in his right hand
thinks those seven
lovely girls and boys
locked in the cages upstairs
are going to be very happy
they are all going to be surprised to see him
only pretty Ariadne might have to feign
some surprise at his return
by the time he got back up to the top
the cord was a big ball
so before he pushed open the doors
he stuffed it deep in his tunic
(Daedalus’ maze was so good
no one ever bothered to lock them
nobody had ever made it back up)
the blinding bright sky
hurt his eyes
after so long in the gloom
he blinked out across the wide paving
no one about only a few hens
and a dog stretched with laziness
lying on the warm stone
so he shouted Hoi!
and a servant came running
his jaw dropped to see the hero
return scatheless from doom
and he shouted Theseus is here!
and King Minos and Princess Ariadne
and all the court came running
gathered round him in a crowd
buzzing with astonishment
actually he thought Ariadne overdid it a bit
her eyes so very wide and her mouth open in shock
it was a legendary feast
the King the Princess and Theseus
all three seated at the high table
in front of them giddy with relief
the fourteen Athenians lined a long table
each gazing out across the assembly
of all the knights and nobles of Crete
there to honour them
and celebrate the hero’s feat
as great platters of roasted beef
still steaming from the sacrificial fires
were carried round the hall
and dishes piled high with sweetmeats
almonds grapes and dates from Africa
lads bore craters of dark red Cretan wine
to fill and refill the men’s dry throats
as they shouted and jostled with joy
a minstrel with his lyre began to sing
an extempore account of the tale
how Theseus had sailed across the sea
to slay the terrible Minotaur
to rescue the flower of Athenian youth
free Athens of its dreadful duty
bury forever the ancient reparations
exacted every seven years
by that cruel old treaty
and clear lovely Kriti of the …
he couldn’t get it quite right
but he knew by now they were all drunk
nobody listening to him
he’d fix it later
now just keep on singing anything
meanwhile sweet Ariadne
had moved a little closer to the hero
quite subtly but he could feel her shift
a little closer to him
and he could feel her eyes on the side of his neck
he turns and smiles at her
a wicked grin which makes her blush
and sit up very straight indeed
she really is most beautiful
Theseus is very taken
earlier he had watched her lovely gestures
in the sacred dance
her pearly skin bare breasts
slim neck entwined with precious jewels
as her soft arms raised high
held aloft the writing pair of serpents
while her feet trod the holy maze
Ariadne Queen of the Labyrinth
quite exotic for an Athenian
even one who’d been around
as much as our hero had
these Cretans were wild