Chapter 8

"Well, stop stalling and let's get on with it!" Loki said, earning her a slap on the head from the noble elf sitting next to her

"Very interesting for Bell…I wonder why is that" Hestia muttered

"Yeah come on, I can't wait!" Tiona excitedly said

Just like Bell, the Amazon is obsessed with the story of heroes. She still remembers when Bache reads various stories about them when she was little, one of the few things she can do to relax outside of training and battle.

Zelretch chuckled and snapped his fingers

An island floating in the middle of the sea

A kingdom stood, and there's one empty throne for the position of a king

And there're 3 brothers, competing for the throne

In the middle of the night, one brother stood alone on the beach spreading his arms wide into the open sea and shouted to no one

"Lord Poseidon, I plead to you! Please, I need your help!"

"Poseidon!?" Hestia yelled while Hermes raised his eyebrows in surprise

"Ummm…you know him goddess?" Bell curiously asked from his sofa

"Of course I knew him, he's from the same territory as Hermes, Zeus, Hera, and I" Hestia nodded

"He's a god that reign over the sea" Hermes added

"So, the same as Lord Njord…" Finn said, earning a nod from the messenger god

"Hmmm, so it seems that it is possible that we might meet our counterparts from your world?" Freya asked, directing her gaze to Zelretch who only chuckled in amusement

"Who knows Lady Freya, it will depend on the stories"

Several minutes after the man shouted his pleas, a vortex appeared right in the middle of the sea before it suddenly explodes…revealing a man

The man has a long straight black hair which reaches his back and long black beard. He wear no top which shows his muscular figure, and in his right hand was a massive golden trident.

This man, without a doubt is a god

Poseidon, the lord of the sea

"He's not that muscular here….." Hermes said

"Yeah….that world's Poseidon looks like a bodybuilder" Hestia nodded

"Minos, my nephew, what is it that you seek from me?" the god asked

"Nephew?" Riveria asked

"Yes, that man…Minos, is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Europa" Zelretch nod

Then, there's a momentary silence

"WHAT!?" Hestia, Loki, and some of the adventurers yelled

"That man is the son of Zeus!?" Hestia yelled, earning another nod from the amused vampire

"My my…what a scandal" Freya chuckled

"Wow…a son of Lord Zeus" Bell said, awed at the revelation. He, of course, knew all of that had been achieved by Zeus and Hera Familia. Though he never meet either Zeus or Hera, he really respect them for what they had achieved in the past.

"Lord Poseidon, you knew the tradition of our people in this island of Crete. Currently, I'm competing against my brothers for the throne of the kingdom…and I fear that our rivalries have reached the point where it's only a matter of time before…" Minos is not able to finish his words, but the god of the sea understand what he means

"I see…and you wish to resolve this dispute peacefully?" Poseidon asked

"…yes, and I wish that you can help me with that"

"…and how can I help you with that, child?"

"Whenever the gods sent snow white-colored animals, our people interpreted that as an approval from the gods…"

"And you want me to give you one?"

"…yes"

"Hmmm, sneaky bastard" Loki hummed while Riveria nodded in agreement

"Indeed, he concealed his true intention…which is securing the throne for himself while reasoning that he wants to avoid bloodshed with his brothers..." the elf said

"Hahahaha, you must admit that he's very brave to demand such thing from a god" Hermes chuckled

"Ummm…but is he really gonna get offended because of that? I-I mean…he's his nephew, right?" Lefiya said

"Well, it really depends on the gods. Some might get offended, some might not" Hermes answered the young elf's question, shrugging his shoulder

"Don't underestimate the pettiness of a god, Lefiya Viridis" Zelretch cryptically said, causing Lefiya and Bell to gulped

Poseidon doesn't say anything for a whole minute before he finally speaks

"…very well. Though I should not have involved myself in this meaningless dispute…you've shown more guts than your brothers, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon"

Minos was surprised that the god would agree so easily with his request. Suddenly, he feel a presence behind him and he turned his head to see what it is.

It's a snow white-colored bull

Minos was stunned by the sheer beauty of the bull that he can't even form any sentence to describe its beauty.

"There, a proof that you've got my favor. However…I do have one condition"

Minos finally came to his sense and intently listening to what the god will demand from him

"With this cow, there's no doubt that you'll be crowned as the new king of this island. As tradition, you'll be asked to offer a sacrifice to the gods for fortune. This is my demand, Minos, son of my brother, Zeus.

"I want you to sacrifice the bull in my honor. Simple isn't it?"

"That's…a very light demand" Finn lightly said

"Yeah, I have expected the demand to be more…serious" Gareth said, stroking his beard

"Huh, never thought that Poseidon could be that generous…" Hestia muttered, earning a nod of agreement from Hermes who says

"True…but, I assumed you all can see it right?"

Bell was confused

"Uuh…see it?"

"The bull…is a divine beast" Aiz, who's sitting next to him, stated

"Correct. It was directly created by Poseidon, therefore the bull received some sort of divinity due to its creation" This time, it was Freya who confirmed Aiz's answer

"Urgh…Lili feel something bad would happen…" Lili muttered

Minos wholeheartedly agreed with Poseidon's demand and a pact was made. After that meeting, Minos returns to the city along with the divine bull as a proof that he's the chosen king. The people of Crete rejoiced and hailed him as their new king. To prevent any upraising, Minos banished both of his brothers away from the island.

As months passed by, the bull starts to grow on Minos and he felt great sadness that he has to sacrifice it. When the day for the sacrifice finally came, Minos backed down from his promise and instead sacrificed a normal bull.

Feeling betrayed by this act, Poseidon appeared from the sea and set his sight straight to the city and proclaimed

"You have betrayed me, Menus! This curse I will lay upon you: your wife, Pasiphae, will fall in love with the bull I had given to you and she will mate with it"

"….okay…that's fucked up" Welf said as he rubbed his forehead

Most of the audience can't even utter a word, except for Freya who's growling. GROWLING. Even Ottar looks concerned as he observes his goddess.

"That…is a despicable thing. A blasphemy for everything that I reigned over" the goddess of love said, with a tone that sent a chill on everyone

Moment like this that reminded everyone of one thing

Freya is also a goddess of war

While everyone was affected by the goddess's fury, only Zelretch that remain unaffected

"As I doubt you all want to see the act, I'll skip that part!" the vampire cheerfully said, ignoring a heated glare from the silver-haired goddess

As Poseidon had said, Pasiphae did fall in love with the divine bull and…well, have a child with it.

And thus, the child was born. A hybrid of a bull and a woman. The baby was born with white hair, red eyes, and two horns.

Minos was greatly perplexed on how to deal with such massive scandal. Therefore, he allowed Pasiphae to raise the child in secrecy within the castle and when the child is getting to big to hide, Minos ordered Daedalus to create an impossible maze that no one can get out from, The Labyrinth, and moved the boy there.

Right before the child was permanently relocated, Minos said this to they boy

"…I'm sorry, but it is must be done. As my sincerest apology, I will give you a name

"Asterios. Your name is Asterios"

And the boy was permanently locked inside of the Labyrinth

From that point on, the boy will be known as….the Minotaur of Crete

"T-that's…"

It looks like everyone was lost for words, their minds still processing of what they had just witnessed.

"A minotaur…."

"Yes. That boy is the Minotaur of my world, surely you can guess from his appearance alone" Zelretch confirmed

"….that…was abhorrent" Hermes murmured with his captain slowly nodding her head in agreement

"…"

The other deities doesn't say anything. It is easy to see that they're still in shock.

"How awful…" Riveria whispered

"….you okay, Bell?" Ryuu asked, feeling quite concerned for the boy sitting next to her

"U-uh…yeah, I'm fine!" Even though he said that, his face said differently

"…you liar" Aiz softly said, patting the boy's head and causing him to fidget slightly

"Lord Ouranos…" Finn said to the wizened god

"No…nothing like this ever happened here. The Dungeon birthed all of the monsters, even the 3 Grand Quests" the god answered, already knew what the Braver wanted to ask from him

Hearing the god's answer, all of the adventurers sighed in relief. The existence of the Xenos already cast a little bit of doubt within themselves…they can't imagine what will happen if beings such as Asterios exist in this world

"…so that's why you said that…why this particular one will interest Bell…." Hestia muttered

"….that's kind of fucked up, …" Welf said which Zelretch just shrugged off

"Well, the boy has a lot of luck of with minotaur right? I just want him to the one from my world"

That earned the vampire glares from some of the audience

While that's all going on, Bell can't help but feel a tad bit angry with what he had just seen. The Minotaur-no…the boy was a victim. He's the victim of his 'father' greed and Poseidon's spitefulness, and now the boy must pay the price for all that. It's reminds him of the Xenos, who never asked to be born that way and had to endure the scrutiny of both the monsters and humanity. Not to mention…the boy's name…

Is it a coincident? That they would have the same name and the same description? The Minotaur of Zelretch's world…and his fated rival

There was a young boy

Since infancy, he was raised alone by his mother…a princess of the Kingdom of Troezen, Aethra. Every time he asked his mother about the identity of his father, his mother always avoid the question…telling him that she will tell him someday when he's older.

Thus, as years pass by the boy became a very fine and brave young man. His mother, satisfied with his growth told him that it is time for him to know more regarding his parentage. She led him to a very large rock which is so huge that it probably need 8 full grown men to move it.

"…before he departed, your father gave me a task. He said 'Should our son grow up to be a heroic man, he should be able to move this rock and retrieve what I buried under it'"

"I see…so this is a test" the young man said

"Then…it is safe to assume that my father is no ordinary man, is it mother?"

"…yes. You will understand after you finish this task" his mother replied

The young man nodded and positioned himself behind the rock. He firmly touched the rock and pushed it with all of his might…and the rock moved, revealing the items buried under it.

A pair of sandal and a sword, which he retrieved

Smiling, his mother finally revealed the identity of his father

"Your father is Aegeus, the King of Athens. Bring this items to him, Theseus, and claim your birthright as the true heir for the throne of Athens"

"A very abrupt change, don't you think?" Hermes asked

"Indeed…I thought we're going to watch the mino-no…Asterios's growth in the 'dungeon'" Riveria said. It is not a question, but Zelretch decided to clarified it for convenience sake

"There will be nothing to watch if we only watch Asterios's life in his dungeon. After all, he's the sole inhabitant of that Labyrinth. And why did I show you Theseus? Try to guess" the vampire chuckled

His audience only looked at him questioningly without giving any answer to his previous question…until a certain white-haired boy raised his hand.

"They…they will meet each other…Asterios and Theseus"

"Correct!" Zelrecth applauded, a grin on his face

"Now…enjoy the rest of the show"

Spurned by his mother's encouragement, Theseus decided that he will embark on a journey to the city of Athens.

"There're 2 ways to reach the city of Athens…either by land or by sea" his mother explained to him, pointing at the map etched on the wall

"Using the land route is a very dangerous ordeal as you need to take the road along the Gulf of Aegina (Saronic Gulf) where the 6 entrances to the Underworld are located. Each entrances is guarded by a very powerful guardian, some said that they are actually spirits from the Underworld themselves…

"Or you can go through the sea route. Not only it is the safest path, but you can also reach Athens within a month if the weather's clear and the sea's calm. As your mother, you should know that I will recommend you to take the sea route…but you're an adult now, so you can make your own choice" Aethra said

For the brave and ambitious Theseus, there's no doubt about which path he will take

"I'll go with the land route. By reaching Athens using that infamous path, any shreds of doubt will vanish in an instant!" Theseus resolutely said.

A proud smile appeared on Aethra's face, happy with bravery of her son. However, she also worried for his safety…as any mother should be.

"Very well…you can depart whenever you're ready"

"Ah, the brashness of youth!" Gareth smiled

"Heh, of course. Without any challenges, there will be no fun in life!" Bete scoffed with Tiona agreeing with him

"But…it is also overcomplicated things" Mikoto said and yelped in surprise when the famous Braver, Finn, agreeing with her as well

"Correct. While there's no doubt that it is more fun that way, he's purposely putting himself in a more dangerous situation"

If this is several months ago, Bell will have an objection regarding that statement as he thinks that going on an adventure is a fun thing, no matter the risk. But…after that incident on the 27th and 37th floor…he can't help but winced at the memory, something that was noticed by the two sitting next to him.

"…?" Aiz gave him a questioning look. Understandable as he hasn't tell her anything about his disastrous expedition

Ryuu, however, understand with what he's going through and placed a hand on his shoulder as a sign of support.

After several days of preparation, Theseus departs from his mother's homeland.

After 5 days of travelling on foot, he finally arrived on the first site that his mother had warned him about. A small city with so few inhabitants that he can count them using his fingers.

Epidaurus

"Epidaurus…a place of worship for Apollo and Asclepius"

"Hoho, so Apollo exist in that world as well" Hermes grinned while Hestia's face scrunched in disgust

"Urghh….Apollo. Hope he doesn't appear in this scene…"

Seeing that there's nothing that can stop him from continuing on with his journey, he decided to go on without any thought. The moment he neared the forest, a shadowy figure stopped him on his track.

It's a man of average height with unruly black hair. He is lame on one leg and only has one eye, bearing a resemblance with the infamous Cyclops. In his hand, a massive bronze mace.

"I see…so you are Periphetes. The son of Hephaestus and Anticleia"

Hestia and Welf spat out their drinks when they heard 'son of Hephaestus', and unfortunately for Lili…she's in the firing line

"What!?"

"S-son of Lady Hephaistos?!"

"Calm down. The smith goddess that you know doesn't exist in my world, instead…she's actually a he" Zelretch chuckled

The two calmed down a little when they heard that. Hestia purposely ignoring Loki who's making a funny face to mock her.

"I heard stories about a bandit that lurking around this area. Stories said that he robbed travelers of their belongings before he killed them in cold blood!"

Theseus glared at the 'cyclops' standing not far away from him. The target of his ire doesn't seems affected at all, instead it looks like he's brandishing his mace.

His intent was clear

Therefore, Theseus shall not show him any mercy

"Come! Even though you're a demi-god, I shall defeat you with my own hands!"

Soon a battle ensues

While Periphetes wields massive strength, his movement was restricted by one of his limping leg. No matter how powerful he is, it is useless if he can't hit his opponent. Theseus is young and very agile, with all of him movement was clearly planned. Every time Periphetes swing his mace, Theseus cut him with his father's sword. The battle goes on for 30 minutes until Periphetes unleashed a massive roar before falling to the ground.

Though his enemy is defeated, Theseus won't take any chance with a demi-god…and with one clean cut from his sword, he separated Periphetes's head from his body.

He keep the bronze mace as a spoil

"Hmmm…although many would call it dishonorable to kill a downed opponent. I think it is perfectly reasonable for him to do so" Finn commented

"I agreed. You shall not give your opponents any chance to retaliate" Ottar nodded, agreeing with what Finn just said

Some of the members of Hestia Familia shows discomfort at the scene, while Bell doesn't really react at all. As both Familia and its members are still young, they haven't really seen any particular gruesome sight. For Bell though, he's slowly getting used to it after the battle against the Tamer on the 27th floor.

Theseus finally reached the second site, Isthmian.

There's only one road that connect Isthmian with his next destination and not far away, and he can see two pine trees stood quite close with each other. Suddenly, his instinct screamed at him to move which he obeyed by rolling away on the ground. When he stood up, he can see a small dart that pierced the very place he stood at few seconds ago.

"…this!" he cursed as he inspected the dart

The dart was laced with sleeping drug

Theseus threw the dart away and said

"On my way here, several traders told me of a rumor. It is rumored that a very cruel bandit has took residence in this area. He will put his target to sleep and will tie the victim between two pine trees that he bent into the ground…

"The bandit then will let the trees go, which will tear his victims apart due to the sheer force of the pine trees being released….a very despicable act"

After saying that, he released his sword from its sheath and pointed it at a nearby brush

"Sinis, son Polypemon and Sylea…I shall deliver upon you your overdue punishment!" and threw his sword into bush at such speed that it almost can't be seen with naked eyes and then….a scream

And lo! A bare chested man with long brown hair and messy beard came out of the bush, clutching his bleeding leg that had been pierced by Theseus's sword

"H-how do you-" the man, Sinis, stammered but got cut off by the younger man

"I can hear your heavy breath, idiot" Theseus said as he approached the downed man

Sinis shrieked in fear, trying to crawl away from Theseus. Unfortunately for him, his long unkempt hair prove to be his misfortune as Theseus used it to roughly pull him away towards the two pine tree.

Theseus, with his strength, bent the trees into the ground with ease and tied the bandit between the trees. Sinis is begging for mercy but got completely ignored by Theseus.

"You reap what you sow, Sinis" Theseus coldly said, his sword in his hand

He lifted his sword and about to cut the rope

And—

"As I doubt you'll appreciate that sight, let's skip that part" Zelretch said

"That's…brutal, I must say…" Tione commented, her body's tense

"I must agree with the young lady…while that man may deserved it….for some reason I can't bring myself to agree with the method" Hermes said, his pale-faced captain nodding in agreement

"Urgh…I think I'm gonna puked" Hestia groaned

After dealing with Sinis, Theseus headed north where he come across a small town, Crommyon. The people of the town, having heard the rumor of a wandering hero begged for him to help them.

"A massive pig?" Theseus ridiculously asked

"Yes…an enormous pig. So enormous it can swallow a fully grown man whole…" an elderly man said

"Just few days ago, one of our farmer get killed while tending his crops…"

"It is said that the sow was breed by an old witch named Phaea!"

"But…a legend said that it is a spawn of Typhon and Echidna"

Having gathered all the information he needs, Theseus set out to deal with Crommyon Sow. He found the sow sleeping in a forest not far away from the town, a half-eaten corpse positioned beside it. The sow, sensing Theseus's presence, stood up and snarled at him. With a speed that should not be possible for it size, it charged directly at Theseus who narrowly dodge it

The sow, unable to halt itself, crashed into the open field…after tearing down over a dozen trees in the process.

And then, a battle

Theseus realized that he's putting himself in great danger by fighting the sow in an open field like this, but unable to retreat back to the forest as the pig keep charging at him non-stop. He already got hit 5 times at this point and probably break 2 or 3 of his ribs in the process.

"Keep dodging it won't solve anything…" he muttered tiredly. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Then…I'll face it head on!" the hero yelled as he directly charged towards the charging sow

When they're about to collide with each other, Theseus ducked. Without checking the situation, he quickly changed his posture so he look upwards and lift his sword…and he got showered by blood. The moment he ducked, he positioned himself under the massive sow. As the sow already shown that it has a hard time stopping its charge in short notice, Theseus's sword, aided by the sow's own speed ripped open its stomach from down below, killing it instantly.

The people of Crommyon celebrated the death of the sow and gifted Theseus with many gifts ranging from jewelries and even their children. Theseus rejected all of them and only asked for a small portion of preserved food that he can consume until he reach his next destination, the city of Megara.

"Hohoho, that was intense!" Gareth laughed while Finn just smiled

"That pig can give Level 4 or even Level 5 adventurers some trouble…" Riveria said

"That's kind of terrifying you know…a monster like that wandering around freely" Welf sighed

"Yeah…luckily, all monsters on the surface are weak as heck!" Loki nodded

"Except for…you know..." Hermes muttered, causing Loki to scowled

To reach the city of Megara, travelers that used the land route and wants to reach the city as quickly as possible must pass through a narrow cliff-face pathway that directly border with the open sea. But, rumors of people disappearing in that place spread and travelers start to avoid that particular path.

For Theseus, he really wants to reach Megara as soon as possible…so he decided to take the 'haunted' path. There, he found an old robber named Sciron who demanded ridiculous thing from him.

"Wash my feet, and I'll let you pass!" that was his demand

Feeling tired and desire to avoid any meaningless conflict, Theseus sighed and knelt to wash the robber's feet. Seeing that, Sciron grinned maliciously and lift his right foot with the intention of kicking Theseus into the sea.

"Die!"

Only for him to kicked an open air

"Huh?" then, he feel a hand grasping his shoulder…tight

"Y-you! Ho-"

"Your next line is: 'How did you dodge that!?' Right?" Theseus said

"How did you dodge that!?—huh?"

"Simple" Theseus nonchalantly said and kicked the screaming Sciron down into the open sea…nope, he fell into an open mouth of a giant turtle.

"You're too slow" with that said, Theseus headed to Megara.

"Wow…that's cold" Tiona snickered

"I mean…he kinda deserved that right?" Tione commented as well

"Yup!"

For Bell, his eyes are sparkling with admiration.

'He's so cool!' the boy thought

While it kinda unnerved him on how easy Theseus killed someone, the way Theseus acts and fights really amplified his heroic image.

'Now he's happy…' Aiz thought, slightly bewildered with how quick the boy cheered up

After resting in Megara for several days, Theseus continued on with his journey.

He reached the town of Eleusis, a holy site where many people from various lands and cities flogged together to worship the gods. Several traders had warned him to avoid passing through the town as the King, Cerycon, is a brutal and cruel man who challenged any passers-by to a wrestling match and killed them after he had beaten them.

He decided to ignore the warning either way

And he…kinda regretted it now

Standing several feet away from him, is the most muscular man he ever seen. He stood there bare chested, showing his muscle and biceps for all the world to see. Not only that, the way he posed…is annoying, with his long slightly curly hair waving in the air

"I challenge you to a wrestling match!"

"….is there anything I can do to avoid this?"

"None!" and Cerycon charged

The blonde king is strong, there's no doubting it. Of all opponent that Theseus has faced, Cerycon gave him the most trouble. The king have an impressive strength, great endurance, and vitality. They wrestled for about an hour until Theseus lifted him up and dashed him into the ground, killing the king.

Cerycon had promised that anyone who's able to beat him will have his kingdom. Theseus reluctantly took the throne for a short period of time. He gladly returned it to Cerycon's grandson, Hippothous, a son of Poseidon, when he asked Theseus for his grandfather's throne.

Eleusis is the last stop before he finally reach the city of Athens, and the only thing that separate the two cities is a large plain which many called as the plain of Eleusis. On his third day in the plain, he encountered a man called Procrustes, who have 2 beds of different size.

"Hey! You must be tired right? How about resting her with me? I have another bed right here" Procrustes said, offering Theseus a kind smile

"Sure…why not" Theseus sighed and stood right next to Procrustes

"Oh dear…the bed doesn't fit you isn't it"

"Yeah…I have long legs"

"Hmmm…I can help you with that!" suddenly, Procrustes yelled as he swing an axe towards Theseus's legs

Theseus, knowing something like this could happen any time after experiencing it so many times in his journey managed to dodge the blow as he jumped on to the bed.

"I see…so you're the rumored 'The Stretcher'" Theseus coldly said before roughly grabbing Procrustes's head and slammed it to the bed's wood structure

"Oh dear…looks like you can't fit in to the bed…that legs of yours are too long anyway" Theseus sneered as he placed Procrustes on the bed and grabbing the bandit's axe

He swung the axe and—

"And cut. Doubt you all want to see that"

"…is it just me or Theseus has finally snapped?" Welf asked his fellow adventurers

"No, I don't think so. I feel that It is just his nature to make his enemies paid back for what they had done or intending to do" Mikoto answered Welf's question

"But…is it heroic for a hero to take revenge?" Bell whispered, gaining the attention of the others when they heard him saying that

"…a hero, no matter how heroic they are, in the end is still a human. They still have human desires and revenge…is one of them. A perfect hero? There's no such thing as that…" Hestia said, showing her wisdom regarding the subject

"Goddess Hestia is correct, Bell Cranel. Many heroes are heroic and brave figures, but you should know that almost all of them were driven by desires that many would consider as selfish" Zelretch nodded

"I-I see…I think I got it now" Bell nodded in understanding

'Heh…I can't wait to see how much you will change after we finish with all of this' Zelretch mentally grinned

He wants to see it, he wants to see the change within the boy. Will he remain the same after all he had seen? Or will he change and become something greater?

"Well, that's the end of Theseus' 6 Labors…we're getting closer to the end now" Zelretch said to his audience

Theseus finally able to reach Athens 4 days after the incident with Procrustes. However, he doesn't immediately present himself to Aegeus, his father and the King of Athens, although the king had his suspicion regarding the powerful young man.

A power struggle in Athens forced Theseus to capture the Marathonian Bull which he brought back to Athens and offered it as a sacrifice. He was lauded as a hero by the Athenians and he finally revealed his identity to his father, which Aegeus joyfully accepted. The Pallantides, Aegeus' younger brothers grew jealous of Theseus's popularity and reviled him for spoiling their plan to succeeding the previously childless Aegeus. They set an ambush, intending to kill the young hero with their numbers. However their plan was spoilt by a herald named Leos, who informed Theseus of their intention. In the middle of the night, he secretly heads out to the place where the Pallantides are setting their ambush and fell suddenly upon them. He slew them all.

One day, an envoy from the island of Crete arrived at Athens…creating a somber mood in the city. Theseus can't help but be curious about that.

"Years ago…Athens held the Panathenaic Games. You knew about that right?" Leos said after Theseus asked him about

"Yes, I heard that various city-states sent their best athletes to take part right?"

"Correct…and of them was Androgeos, son of King Minos of Crete. He was strong, and skillful as well. He won many of the games outright and became the crowd favorite…this earned him the Pallantides's resentment….and they assassinated him"

Theseus sighed in exasperation

"Of course…they must be involved"

"Yeah well…as you can see, King Minos was wrathful when he heard what had befallen his son. He sent the massive Cretan fleet and laid siege on Athens. He demanded for the murderers of his sons to be brought to him…at that time, we don't know who the assassins were so we can't fulfil that request…"

"…and what happened after that?"

"As a solution, King Minos proposed this: the seven most courageous youths and the seven most beautiful maidens of Athens were to board a boat and sent as tribute to Crete…none of them ever returned.

"It has a nine year interval…today is the third occasion"

"I see…" Theseus narrowed his eyes and left to meet his father

"Ahh…so we see Minos once again…" Lefiya unhappily muttered. She still crossed with the King due to his greed which lead to Asterios's suffering

"…which mean we will Asterios again soon" Bell said softly, earning a small nod from Ryuu and Ais

"Hmmm…seven youths and seven maidens? I really don't like where this is going…" Hestia whispered

"Don't be so surprised Hestia…things like this still happened even until now" Freya chuckled

"She's correct you know…one such example is Rakia" Hermes added in, causing Welf to scowl a little bit when he heard the word 'Rakia'

"…you want me to send you as one of the tribute?" Aegeus incredulously asked his son

Theseus nodded, no shred of doubt can be seen from him

"…why?"

"…you need to even ask that?"

Seeing that his son already made his mind, Aegeus finally relented and allowed him take the place of one of the chosen youth

"Don't worry father, I shall stop this madness…if I make it, I would return with a white sail!"

And so he went to Crete where he's to be treated like any others and was stripped of his weapons when they sailed. After 2 days of sailing, they arrived in Crete and told to line up as they stepped into the harbor.

Theseus with his enhanced hearing, can heard the whispers uttered by the Cretan when they see the tributes from Athens

'Another tributes…'

'Feel bad for them…'

'They'll be devoured….'

'Minotaur…'

'I see…the tributes are…' Theseus thought as he clenched his fists hard as he's being led to the waiting chamber that had been prepared for them

"…so that's what it is" Finn muttered

"T-they're going to be eaten!?" the pale-faced Lefiya shouted. The two Amazons sitting next to her still have their mouth gaping, shocked.

"…I think I'm gonna be sick" Ryuu said. Bell and Ais nodded in agreement with her statement

"…you're…" Theseus' eyes widened when he saw who it is that wanted to see him

It's a beautiful young woman with long black hair that reached her back and emerald colored eyes. She wears a black robe that covered her entire body and she's smiling at him.

"It's nice to meet you face-to-face, Theseus, the Hero of Athens" her voice is soft and comforting

"…Princess Ariadne"

"We don't have much time…I heard that you'll be the first one to enter the Labyrinth tonight. I…like you…so I asked Daedulus on how a person can get out of the dungeon that he created. Here…take this" the princess said as she handed Theseus a ball of thread

"Just keep it for now…I'll explain it later tonight"

"Wh-what?"

"Good bye for now Theseus" and she left, leaving a stunned Theseus behind

"Hohoho, that reminds of someone!" Hermes said

"Uuhh…the story kinda resembles the tale of Argonaut now" Tiona laughed

"The clown hero who wants to save a princess and got saved by her in return" Freya chuckled

Bell blushed when he heard that as it kinda resembles him as well

Just as Ariadne said, the Cretan picked him as the first person to go into the labyrinth. He was surprised, however, when Ariadne herself is the one that gonna escort him to the labyrinth.

"…I persuaded my father to allow me to escort the first tribute. He agreed" Ariadne said, blushing a little bit

"…to go to such length…you're incredible" Theseus breathed

"Why, thank you!"

When they finally reached the entrance to the labyrinth, Ariadne say

"Daedalus told me that it's very easy for a person to get lost in this maze…that is why he recommended the use of thread as a sign. Tie the thread to the doorpost, go forwards, always down, never left or right…that's what he said"

"I see…that's more than enough. I offer you my deepest gratitude, Princess Ariadne! Shall I be successful in this adventure, I'll take you with me back to Athens and make you my wife!"

"My my, how very bold of him" Freya laughed

"Now, that's what a man should said!" Hermes laughed as well

"Urghh…so shameless!" Lefiya cried, blushing, while the Amazon twin are laughing at what they're seeing

'Uuuh…I wish the captain would propose to me like that!' Tione thought

"He's…picking up girl at time like this…" Ryuu looked stunned

Bell winced and blushed a little bit when she said that, while Aiz just looks confused

The moment he enter the labyrinth, he quickly tied the ball of thread to the doorpost as Ariadne has instructed and brandished his hidden sword which he managed to hid from the guards. After making sure that he tied the thread correctly, he headed deeper into the dungeon…clutching his sword tightly in anticipation.

He go forwards, ignoring any other paths just as Daedalus had told. He's here to slay the Minotaur, not to die due to getting lost in the maze.

After 15 minutes of walking, he realized that directly lead him into the heart of Labyrinth as he can see some sort of structure…a temple…and lo! A massive figure is sleeping while leaning his body on one of the pillar that support the building.

The figure, sensing his presence, woke up from his nap and stood up…showing his entire body while giving a mighty roar

Theseus finally got a good look on him

He has long wavy white mane, tanned skin, two black horns, and a very muscular body. He is wearing iron armor, much like a corset, over his bulky and scarred body, iron rings around his arms, a red piece of cloth from his waist to his feet, split into two sections. Around each ankle is an iron ring with an attached chain, linking heavy metal orbs which he appears have no problem wearing. In each hand, he holds an axe with an incredibly long pole. He also wears an iron mask which resembles a bull's head.

"So it is you…the Minotaur of Crete" Theseus said, pointing his sword at the Minotaur

Bell gasped when he saw Asterios's appearance

"T-that's Asterios?"

"…with how he looks…he's starting to remind me of the Xenos" Finn whispered

"Aye…the sensation…it almost eerily similar with the black Minotaur we faced before" Gareth chimed in

Meanwhile, Zelretch laughed quite loudly which attract the attention of the deities and adventurers to him

"…why are you laughing?" Hestia asked

"Hahahaha…forgive me, it just reminds me of something…or someone" the vampire chuckled as his red eyes focused on Bell

"Isn't this reminds you of something, Bell Cranel?"

"…" Bell didn't say anything in response

"A hero…facing off against a very powerful Minotaur…" Ryuu whispered, her eyes widened when she realized what that means…after all, she had witnessed the fight quite similar just few months ago

Aiz just narrowed her eyes

"….A….h-hero"

Theseus' eyes widened when he heard that deep growling voice coming out of the Minotaur.

"You…can speak" it's not a question

"…." Instead of replying, Asterios grabbed his iron mask and took it off from his face.

With the mask off, Theseus can clearly see the face of his adversary and he gasped. Instead of a hideous and menacing face he had expected, he saw a face that reminds him of an innocent young boy.

"You're…"

"….M…my name…is Asterios?...that's wha…what my father called me…before he locked me here"

"Asterios…a fitting name"

"I…had dreamed of this moment…ever since my father bestowed me with…this name"

"And you wore that name with pride…the name given by a person that imprisoned you here…don't you hate him? For treating you like this…" Theseus said

"I…I did not love my father…but…he paid tribute to me…with the most important…name….and…I was saved"

Theseus remained silence as he kept listening to what Asterios wants to say to him

"F-for a king…like him….to bestowed a monster…like me… with this beautiful name…I feel unworthy…" Asterios continued

"That's…why…I have been waiting…for the time…when…I can stand tall…and proud...I searched for salvation….of being slain…by a hero"

That's the true nature of Asterios

The outline of his life was that of a monster that would be defeated by a hero from birth. Even if his essence was not wicked…since his past deeds were evil, his fate was to be brought down by a hero.

After several minutes of silence, Theseus finally speaks once more

"I want to save you" he threw these words with his keen thoughts put into it

"I, Theseus, will definitely save you"

Asterios nods his head in gratitude with a small grateful smile on his face and prepare himself for the upcoming battle

Bell can't help but shed some tears as he watches the scene that currently playing right in front of him and it's not only him. Haruhime, Hestia, Tiona, Lefiya, and even Welf have tears coming out of their eyes.

'He doesn't deserve such a cruel fate!' Bell thought, his eye sights are blurry due to the tears. Aiz, seeing this, grasped his left hand with hers right while Ryuu grasped his right one.

"…this is indeed a tragic tale" Loki muttered

"Yes…the moment he was born…his fate had already been determined" Riveria said

Even Bete and Ottar can't help but pitied Asterios... although they don't' say anything to convey that feeling

For Theseus, it is the hardest fight he ever experienced…not even fighting Cerycon was this hard. Had he lower his guard for even a second, Asterios would have his head.

Their battle lasted over an hour with neither side gaining any significant advantage over one another…until Theseus managed to trick Asterios to swing his double axes deep into the ground. With his weapons stuck in the ground, Asterios take a few steps back. Sensing that this is his only chance, Theseus used the buried steel axes as a foothold and propelled himself towards Asterios with a sword in his hand

Asterios was stunned by the daring action…Theseus had just threw himself directly into Asterios's range of attack. But, it proofed to be his undoing as Theseus managed to stab him in the throat…sending Asterios down to the earth.

Panting, Theseus stood up and sat next to the dying Asterios. He is the victor of their fight, yet he doesn't feel any satisfaction or pride from it.

"…"

"…thank…you" Asterios rasped

"…?"

"For…saving…this monster…"

"I did not see you as a monster…sometimes, I think the gods are…the true monsters…"

"…"

"...do you have any other wishes, Asterios?"

"…I…do…I have…never seen…the open sky…the stars…I…wished that…I can see…them….in this last…moment"

"…it's unfortunate…as I don't have the power to grant your wish"

"D-don't…be….you...have saved…me…..I'm…forever in…your..debt"

"…yeah"

"….I…wish…you…luck…Theseus…good…bye"

And he died

Asterios, The Minotaur of Crete, is no more

Yet…Theseus unable stop bitter tears flowing down his cheeks

Notes:

Writing this chapter is actually harder than I thought LOL, as I'm not really familiar with Theseus's story. I decided to save the conclusion of Theseus's journey for the next chapter as I feel that it will spoil the established atmosphere. I also excluded Medea from Theseus's story due to conflicting story. Some said that both Medea and Theseus are part of the Argonauts (Fate wiki listed them as members of Argonauts), yet in the real myth they don't recognize each other (Medea only know him as Aegeus's son).

As always, I apologized for any grammar/structural errors. Hope you enjoy the story! Please give your thought in the review, thank you!