"You'd better have a good story, or I'll start screaming." "Just let me borrow the tunic, and I promise to come back and tell you everything." "I'm a better king than I am a father." "If you want to open the door to Olympus and become an immortal, you must learn to be both." "Tell us where you've hidden our ring, or we will kill him." "They are the Magi." "Go on... cut me." "Timing is critical for you, Lord Pallas, to snatch the throne." "Why would Lykos want to meet with me in person?" "Son." "What's wrong?" "I've not been completely honest with you." "I'm no ordinary man." "I carry a demon's curse, a curse I've passed on to my son." "What sort of curse?" "A prize of the gods." "He will feel it when he comes of age, as I did." "Where is this son?" "Inside you." "How could you possibly know?" "I no longer feel the beast gnawing at my soul." ""Beast"?" "Listen carefully." "You're not to speak of this to anyone." "Run." "Hide in the forests of Troezen or the sacred mountains to the north." "Do not hurt the boy, or you will be punished by the gods of the ancients." "Raise him in secret until I find you." "How will you find us?" "This will lead me to you." "Keep it hidden from the boy until he comes of age and wants to leave you." "I can't do this on my own." "If you don't do as I say, you will be hunted down by my enemies and killed." "Who are you?" "Aegeus..." "King of Athens." "Return the ring and our quarrel is ended." "The ring is mine now." "The Lexicon is a curse, Aegeus!" "A cruel trick of your gods." "Ahh!" "A curse to your kind... a miracle to mine." "I protected you and your mother, let the Magi witch live so that she could tell her kind that I still had their ring." "That's why she didn't go looking for you." "She did... and when she found us, she killed my mother." "But she didn't find the ring." "Why did you abandon us?" "I looked for you... for several years, but your mother hid you too well." "If that was true, then why did you tell your younger son and the world that he carried the Lexicon?" "A king... must rule the hearts and hopes of his people." "If anyone knew the Lexicon was no longer in my control," "I would lose my authority." "Then why did you give it up?" "I couldn't govern with that beast at my back." "You've faced him." "You know what he's like." "Believe me, the affairs of state are burden enough without that terrifying creature clawing at my soul." "So, like the Magi witch, you started to believe the Lexicon was a curse, a cruel trick of the gods, and wanted to get as far away from it as possible." "The Lexicon is a miracle of the gods, not a curse." "Then why didn't you rear me as your own, help me unlock its secrets, so that we both could benefit?" "I tried." "Believe me." "I searched for you for years, everywhere." "No." "You lost your nerve, convinced it was a demon's curse, left it in the belly of a stranger, then lied to your family and the world." "I did what I thought was right for Athens." "I put my people before me." "And me." "Don't you dare turn your back on your king." "You're my guest... but you must live by my rules." "You're not to leave the palace." "A guard will accompany you everywhere you go." "Is that understood?" "Perfectly." "That went well." "He's a rude... arrogant... animal..." "With no respect." "And smarter than I'd imagined." "What?" "He is your son, after all." "The ring." "After spending most of the morning prizing this from our son," "I'm not letting it out of my sight." "What are we going to do?" "To start with," "I was hoping you'd do a better job of convincing your new son to work with me to solve the Lexicon." "He's a savage!" "A creature of the woods!" "Remember... we can't force him." "He has to give himself willingly." "I shall have to try a different tack." "You're not at all what I expected." "Queen Medea." "So you know who I am." "I should thank you." "Your son told me it was you who asked him to rescue me from King Minos." "Rescue you?" "He abducted you." "His Dorian dragged you here against your will." "No, I escaped from King Minos's camp myself and scaled these walls alone." "How was your time with our enemy?" "Mercifully brief." "And Daedalus, King Minos's architect?" "What pact did you seal with him?" "Daedalus helped me find the ring, that's all." "And how did you keep the ring from King Minos?" "I can see why you're suspicious, but whatever the Priest of Gaia's told you," "Daedalus was not my ally." "So it was just a chance encounter in the woods, then?" "Yes." "But you nevertheless followed him to King Minos's camp." "We were apprehended by his men." ""We"?" "Ah, yes." "You, Daedalus, and the Oracle of Gaia, who you'd recruited to help solve the riddle of the Lexicon." "I don't want to solve the riddle of the Lexicon." "I want to get rid of it." "Then why did you have this ring?" "I wanted to return it to my father." "What for?" "To get his blessing?" "To have him absolve you of your responsibility?" "I didn't ask for this curse." "There must be a part of you that wants to do the right thing, or you wouldn't have hidden the ring from King Minos." "The Lexicon is the only thing keeping you alive, son of Aethra." "You have a simple choice." "Work with me to solve its riddle, or face the wrath of the desperate people of Athens." "What does it say?" "Perhaps we should discuss this privately." "Should we discuss this privately?" "We are discussing it privately." "So we are." "I mean just the two of us." ""On the next full moon," ""when the sun sets, and where the wings meet the sky..."" "Why is Lykos writing in riddles?" "In case the message falls into the wrong hands." "But it's confusing." "What if we go to the wrong place?" "What do you make of it?" "It's the temple on Mount Pelion." "Its wings are said to touch the sky." "The next full moon is in four days, and he wants to meet at sunset." "Tell me she isn't useful." "How do we know it's not a trap?" "For heaven's sake, of course it's a trap." "The question to ask is whether we can turn Lykos's trap to our advantage." "How do we know the message is even from Prince Lykos?" "We don't." "It sounds like another one of King Aegeus's ham-fisted schemes." "I wouldn't be surprised if he were the sort to hide men in wooden horses." "So what do we do?" "We play along." "For now." "His heart undoubtedly belongs to our enemy, King Minos." "My own son a traitor?" "Why?" "Let's see now." "You abandoned his mother to a miserable life in hiding and saddled him with a demon's curse, so he thinks, which got his mother killed." "I gave him life." "Then walked away." "I'll have him executed as a Minoan spy, traitor and degenerate." "Or... crowned as your new prince and heir." "What?" "Threats and extortion will only get us so far." "If we're going to solve the Lexicon, we have to win his heart." "But an heir?" "He's your oldest son, isn't he?" "That makes him heir to the throne." "He can't be trusted." "Who can?" "Look... if you embrace him, genuinely behave like the father he never knew, give him all your love, and win his trust, perhaps then he'll willingly work with me to solve the riddle of the Lexicon." "But first... we need to win over your court, your generals and priests." "How?" "By introducing him... draping the royal robe on his shoulders." "He doesn't even have a name." "Well, then you, as his father and king, will give him one... in a naming ceremony." "What will I call him?" ""Hero,"" "sent by our mother, the goddess Athena, to deliver us from this siege, a Hero to sweep King Minos's armies back to the sea, a Hero to sit alongside me..." "His king, his father." "My true son, my firstborn, my champion..." ""Hero!"" "Let the firstborn child of King Aegeus, son of Pandion, father of Athens... blood of the golden halos of the night, be forever known..." "As "Hero..." "Prince of Athens."" ""Prince of Athens"?" "It's a disaster!" "You don't know that yet." "I know that the years spent grooming Prince Lykos so that one day he'd take me through the doors of Olympus have come to nothing." "Perhaps this new son will treat us just as favourably." "Medea has him wrapped around her little finger." "And once she has the power of a god, what do you think she'll do to us?" "What should we do?" "When King Minos responds to Lykos' message, his scribe will bring it to me, then we'll have all the evidence we need." "How shall we use this evidence?" "To spark a military coup, we'll need to incite the generals while they're in session with the King." "To strike first." "Once you confirm that Aegeus is dead," "I will step in and reestablish order." "And once you've assumed the throne... you think this new prince will empower you?" "He won't have any other choice." "Yes, a Dorian abducted your new heir to the throne" " and brought him here." " Are you sure?" "Why do you treat me like a fool?" "I must be absolutely certain." "Hero said he made his own way here, scaled the walls alone." "So what?" "You have him now, don't you?" "If you don't tell me the truth," "I'll have you buried alive." "Lykos, listen to me..." "No, you listen to me!" "I have loved you more than any son could love their mother." "I have sacrificed my blood, my freedom and my life for you, and not because I wanted the Lexicon or the throne of Athens, but because I wanted your love in return." "And this is how you repay me?" "I've always loved you, Lykos." "After all, I am your mother." "Then show it." "Reject this impostor and give me back my life." "Each time I took a step closer to solving the riddle of the Lexicon, the beast took a step closer to me." "My court became anxious, worried they might lose their king rather than gain the mystery of the gods." "Some started to plot behind my back." "So you buried the ring and my mother in the forests of Troezen." "Only until I could reclaim it... and her." "How did you choose my mother?" "I asked the Oracle of Gaia, a blind old woman, for a sign." "She told me to go to the beach at Faliron, pick a shell from the sea at low tide." "The next woman I found would be my bride." "My mother lived in Faliron?" "You didn't know?" "No, I..." "I knew she was brought up by the sea, and that her father was a fisherman, but she kept names and places to herself." "She was protecting you." "This is that shell." "I've kept it close to my heart ever since, wondered about her every day." "It's yours now." "It was mined in Verno." "Your mason said it's the biggest he's ever seen." "It's perfect." "What's it for?" "The bull's tongue needs a sting." "How are you feeling?" "Never better." "I can see as well, or as badly as ever before." "I have all the dates I can eat, and mercifully," "I'm left alone to do my work without interference." "Will you make the deadline?" "No, of course not." "Not enough time, not enough bronze, not enough men." "But you've turned most of the army into blacksmiths." "Sadly, not all are suited to the role." "Well, how can we hurry it along?" " "We"?" " Please, Daedalus." "We are running out of time!" "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it might not be ready for several weeks." "Tell Lykos that if he delivers himself to me, alone, ready to work with my priests to solve the riddle of the Lexicon and open the doors of Olympus to me," "I will spare Athens and its people, and deliver him intact to serve as my... regent." "Is he likely to come alone?" "Probably not." "I doubt he'll even show up at all, but you never know." "The promise of a quiet life might give him pause." "His message said in four days." "Ah, yes." "Well, in that case, we'll hold off on the bronze bull and see if anything comes of this." "Perhaps you'd like me to bless the note with Gaia's sweet prayers?" "I don't think that will be necessary." "What have you got to lose but your pride?" "Heaven knows you've lost enough of that over the years." "Sacred mother of Earth and sea..." "Carry this message swiftly to Lykos..." "Prince of Athens." "You gave him the shell?" "Yes." "He believed every word." "Good." "We need to paint a picture of a father who cares, who loved his mother, and would have loved him if he had found her." "Yes." "Now perhaps I can move things along." "I asked your father not to show you his scars, but he felt you should know what lies in store." "Can I come in?" "What your father should have told you was that he didn't know me then." "If he did, he wouldn't have given up the Lexicon so easily." "He was searching blind, without the expert guidance of a master sorceress." "I've heard about your talents." "Really?" "From who?" "The Priests of Gaia." "I fear we may have got off on the wrong foot." "I shouldn't have doubted your integrity." "My son tells me you did in fact find your own way to our door." "So if you wanted to get rid of the Lexicon, why did you come?" "I thought my father might be a different sort of man." "A man with all the answers?" "Perhaps." "Or were you looking for his permission to rid yourself of it?" "That too." "Trust in me, Hero." "Let me help you solve the riddle of the Lexicon and realize its glory." "How?" "By bleeding me to death as the priests of Gaia did?" "It'll be easier with the ring." "The ring carries an even greater danger." "One we will face together, but unless you give yourself to me willingly, heart and soul," "I cannot help you." "How can the Lexicon help me?" "Don't you want to live as a god?" "No." "But I can see that you do." "So I can deliver us from this terrible war, save Athens and its people." "Who else will you usher through the doors of Olympus and make immortal?" "Just you and me, Hero." "We would walk this world like Athena and Apollo." "And if we fail?" "I will purge this beast from your soul nevertheless." "No." "I will make you safe." "No." "The Lexicon is a curse." "It will corrupt us all." "An army approaches." "Its leader is an enemy of the gods." "What sort of army?" "An army of the future, more powerful than any we can imagine." "Beware." ""Beware"?" "If it's an army of the future, how can it approach now?" "The Oracle sleeps in the arms of the goddess." "Her muses have danced away." "Thank you, Priest of Gaia." "I haven't come for a vision." "Then what is it you want, mystic?" "You know me?" "The Magi are not welcome in a house of God." "Where is the Oracle of Gaia?" "She walks with the son of Aegeus." "Quiet!" "Run from this place, mystic, before the gods exact their revenge." "Your gods hide and cower." "I'm not afraid of them." "Then you should fear us." "Ahh!" "Where did they go?" "I don't know!" "Where?" "King Minos's camp." "When?" "A few days ago." "Does Medea, Queen of Athens, know?" "Yes." "Ahh..." "Don't be afraid." "I might've found a way to get into Athens." "But first you have to help me slip away." "What are you planning?" "I'm meeting Athenian emissaries in the temple on Mount Pelion." "How did you swing that?" "I switched a message intended for Minos, who thinks he's meeting them in a few days to discuss terms for surrender, but they'll be meeting me tomorrow instead." "Huh." "First, you have to create a diversion so that I can slip away." "What sort of diversion?" "Go on." "Cut me again." "I will hurt you more if you do not fight back." "Cut me." "Go on... cut me." "What are you doing here?" "I need you, and I know you need me." "Very slowly, moving around... inside." "Looking for a meal." "I will hurt you more if you do not fight back." "You want to get rid of it, don't you?" "Just as your father did." "Yes." "I will take it from you and set you free." "Yes." "Thank you, Ariadne." "Don't you dare!" "Not until you've untied me." "For some reason, I can't seem to untie this." "You would give the Lexicon to her?" "To anyone." "Anyone." "Then let me take your seed." "What?" "First, wet my lips with yours." "No, no, no, no, no." "Use your tongue." "I will cut you, Athenian." "Stand back." "Guard!" "I need help here." "Where did you find that bird?" "It flew into my room, Majesty." "And who were you taking it to now?" "Pallas, Priest Xerxes, or my son?" "Neither." "None." "If you haven't been feeling nervous lately, you should start feeling very nervous now." "Lykos... you poor fool." "Where did you arrange to meet?" "What difference does it make now?" "Minos would kill you." "The only reason he's even responding is because he mistakenly thinks you carry the Lexicon." "Do I have your word that you won't leave the palace tomorrow?" "Tomorrow?" "I arranged to meet him at the next full moon." "It's not for two days." "I suppose it's not surprising he wants to see you sooner." "Who knows about this?" "Only your scribe, which obviously means Pallas knows, too." "Kimon is loyal to me, not Pallas." "Have you tested that loyalty?" "I don't have to." "Lykos." "Does Pallas know that you're trying to negotiate terms for surrender?" "He will use it against us." "Lykos... tell me he doesn't know." "I'm sorry, Mother." "We are very lucky I intercepted this." "But now I must act quickly." "The enemy is preparing a major offensive." "What sort of offensive?" "They're building something." "Mechanical." "Why can't they fight like men?" "I'm sure they will, once they've breached these walls." "We should strike first!" "Our troops are anxious, Majesty." "Some think that Daedalus, the Minoan genius, is behind this trickery." "Too anxious to fight?" "I hope you're not considering terms for surrender." "How dare you use that word in here?" "What theatre is this?" "It's a Minoan carrier pigeon." "A message sent by carrier pigeon from King Minos, agreeing to meet secretly with a representative of this court." "Whatever for?" "To negotiate terms for surrender." "Who would do such a thing?" "Someone who's had his eye on this throne for many years." "My brother?" "This is utter nonsense." "How could you possibly suspect me, your most devoted supporter?" "I asked myself the same question." "You wouldn't have done it without support of your own, of course." "Isn't that right..." "Priest Xerxes?" "I'm sorry, Majesty." "I don't fol..." "No one would dare plot against my husband unless he had followers within the court, and, of course... the church." "I suppose there is a logic..." "You're a man with his ear to the ground." "Perhaps you've heard a whisper or two?" "Come to think of it..." "Lord Pallas has been behaving oddly." "Just the other day, he asked me about his olive tree." "What?" "It's sick, and he wanted to cut it down." "Xerxes..." "But he doesn't have an olive tree." "Exactly." "He means you, Majesty, that you're sick and you need cutting down." "Is this true, Pallas?" "Of course not!" "I'm afraid so." " Brother..." " Guards!" "These are lies." "Let me see that note." "Where is it written that I have...?" "Save your speeches for your trial." "Take him down." "What do you want?" "To repay my debt, return your tunic and tell my story." "Thank you for rescuing me the other day." "Sometimes, I don't know who our soldiers are fighting for anymore." "Do you live alone?" "My father and brother were killed defending our city." "My mother died giving me life." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Are you a Minoan spy?" "No." "So what is your story?" "I'm alone." "Like you." "And lonely." "The people I love are gone." "Like you." "And perhaps also like you..." "I dream of a life without fear..." "In a world of simple pleasures... without pain and poverty, like you..." "Where my son could grow up with his father at his side..." "And I could give myself completely to a woman." "Just like you." "A woman that I would never leave..." "Either in this life or the next." "What's wrong?" "I have not been completely honest with you." "I am no ordinary man." "I carry a demon's curse..." "A curse I will pass on to my son." "What sort of curse?" "A prize of the gods." "He would feel it when he came of age, as I did." "Who are you?" "Son of Aegeus... your king." "That's some story, Minoan." "If you need shelter, you can stay here." "You risked your life for me and I remain in your debt, but no more of your stories." "The Athenian spy?" "Captured in enemy territory?" "When?" "A short time ago." "Well done, my daughter." "Well done." "What does the goddess of the Earth and sea think about this?" "I'm sure the whole of Olympus rejoices at your success." "Our success." "What shall we do with him?" "I've already sent him for execution." "No!" "No?" "No, y-you..." "You mustn't hurt him." "As I said before, he's cursed." "We will all pay the price." "Ah, yes, the curse thing." "We have to let him go, otherwise we all die." "No, we should imprison him." "Yes, keep him away from Athens, particularly King Aegeus, while we work to get into the city to kill Aegeus, but we should not kill the Athenian." "Is that the goddess of the Earth and sea giving the orders, or is it you?" "Me?" "Uh, no!" "Her, of course." "I know you have a soft spot for this young fellow, but believe me, there will be others, and you may even... fall in love with your king..." "No." " No?" " I mean..." "Yes." "I..." "I may well fall in love with my king, if I haven't already, that is, but that's..." "That's not my point." "What I meant was, no, it's not about love." "It's about the curse." "Execute the Athenian!" "No!" "No!" "Where is he?" "I want to watch." "We should all watch." "Never mind." "Give me the sword." "I'll do it myself." "No, no, Majesty!" "At least let me consult the Keres, to ensure they will usher his soul!" "No, no, no, no, no!" "No, you can't kill him!" "He carries the sacred Lexicon inside him!" "Mercenary?" "Mercenary!" "Mercenary..." "Do you see her clearly now, Father?" "She is a liar and a cheat!" "The Athenian was the real firstborn son of Aegeus?" "Was he?" "Was he?" "Yes!" "Yes." "I mobilized the largest army the world has ever known to hunt the Prince of Athens while he's sitting in my prison?" "Where is he now?" "I..." "I don't know." "He wanted to get into the city to meet his father, the King." "Now I know why Medea wasn't able to take the Lexicon from her son." "But that means, of course, that she will soon have her claws in the new prince!" "And doubtless solve the Lexicon quickly." "We must attack at once!" "Get up!" "Daedalus!" "We must attack today." "Now!" "There's not a moment to lose." "Why are you dressed that way?" "I'm testing a prototype." "No!" "It's a diversion tactic, designed to scatter the enemy!" "Works pretty well, I think." "Father, where is the Oracle?" "Find her!" "What did you do?" "Did you give it up?" "If you've cheated me, thrown away your gift, denied Athens its birthright," "I will burn your body on the city walls, you coward!" "You think I'd do what you did?" "Who's the coward?" "You or me?" "I am your king!" "Aegeus!" "Let him go." "So, Hero... what did you do?" "I made up my mind." "Oh?" "Unless I can find the courage to face this beast myself..." "I will pass the curse on to my son and destroy my future wife as he destroyed my mother." "I will not do that." "You give yourself willingly?" "I do." "Unless you trust me completely, this will not work." "I trust you."