Ariadne's string

Chapter 1: Part 1

I looked out the window of our ship. Endless blue greeted me. I could barely differentiate the sky and the ocean. Watching the waves made me seasick, so I turned around again. It was the only window we had in the small prison cell. The kids around me were huddled in a corner, shivering from the cold or fear, I don't know. The wooden planks beneath us were thin, letting some water in. My knees were soaked and freezing cold. I always sat on my knees, so only a bit of my clothes got wet. Our cell had a rotting wooden door, but escaping wasn't going to help. There were at least fifty men up there, and I couldn't bring these kids into more danger. Six boys and five girls, all under the age of twelve. I couldn't believe the cruelty.

I remember when I came back from war, and my father had said that the horrible king Minos had taken twenty four of our town's children. I shivered too, thinking of what was to come for us. I had willingly gone with the eleven children this month, taking my responsibility as a princess of Athens. No more children were going to be kidnapped and brought to their death. I didn't know exactly how I would stop this, but I would try. To be fair, I didn't know what I was fighting. But that didn't matter, because I was going to defeat it. I'm going to end this.

We heard a shout from above, and I stood up. I don't know if it was good news or bad news, though. My tired legs almost buckled. I helped the kids up, a few of them were crying. I hugged them, trying to reassure them.

"We'll be fine, I promise." I wiped the tears off of a little boy's face.

"But what if I never see my mommy again?" He sobbed, and I didn't know what to do. I just murmured comforting words, turning to the whole group. I was the oldest here, I had to be mature, even though I didn't feel it. I watched as the soldiers that held us captive came down to the cellar where our little prison was. I stood in front of the children, scared.

"Get out one by one," the first man said. I looked at him, his brown eyes annoyed. I waited for all the kids to go out first, watching as the men tied their hands and sent them above. When it was my turn, I stepped out, glad to be out of the sickening cell. I wondered if we had reached land, and I was right. Once they had tied my hands with rope, I finally saw daylight again and stepped out into the afternoon sun. I squinted, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. I walked over to the kids, who were now looking up at the sun. I looked up ahead, where land greeted us. A huge expense of mountains and trees, so high they looked like they touched the clouds of Mount Olympus.

When we finally docked, I was filled with fear again. I had no idea what I had to fight, what I was up against. No time to analyse strategies or practice sword fighting. I didn't even know how much time I had until doomsday. Probably not a lot.

Getting off the ship and walking to the palace was a blur. People talking and whispering on the side as the soldiers escorted us to the castle, walking in rows until everything hurt. When we finally reached the palace, I knew I would never forget it. It was huge, adorned with gold towers. Lush trees with ripe fruits were on the sides, and the sun made the garden and castle seem godly. I could tell king Minos was wealthy.

The king, his wife, and his four sons and four daughters, were at the entrance to greet us. Seeing them made me want to throw up. They were the ones taking children, demanding to give them up or else it was war. The king looked proud, standing next to his tall son. I wanted to end him, slit his throat, and make him feel pain. I'd heard stories about king Minos, a lot from my parents, and none were good.

He stood next to his sons, who were each holding a hand of one of their sisters, standing in pairs. Most of them had golden blond hair, like their father. They all stood seriously, smirking at us, but one pair caught my eye. The last two, presumably the youngest boy and the youngest girl, weren't smiling. He looked about nineteen, and she looked about ten. The boy looked at us with pity. He had messy dark hair and a strong build. His sister was cute, with long, straight, blond hair and big eyes. She looked very stubborn. She was whispering something at him, which made them both giggle. I somehow knew it wasn't about us. It almost made me want to smile.  

Their mother was beside them, slim and timid. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was pulled into a messy bun. Rumours said she had not been the same after Poseidon cursed her. I didn't know what he had done, but it must've been bad.

The soldiers started talking to the king, telling him about us, about me. But I wasn't listening. I'd caught the boy staring at me, probably wondering why I was here, since I was noticeably older than the group. I looked back at him and he quickly looked away. I kept peeking at him to see if he'd look back, and our eyes met. He had soft, green eyes, and I felt as if I could get lost in them. I don't know how long we looked at each other, a silent understanding passing through us. But soon, the soldiers were pushing us inside the castle, and I lost sight of Theseus.

From inside, the castle was even mightier. Tall columns rose up, creating arches. Everything was covered in gold or silver. There was a huge table in front of us, filled with food. Bread, olives, plump fruit, grapes, cheese, meat, and more than I had ever seen in my life. I thought Athens was rich, but I'd been humbled. King Minos addressed the kids and I, who were also marvelling at the castle.

"Children of Athens, I welcome you to Crete! You are my guests now, so feast upon this meal, and enjoy it. But first, let us burn an offering to the Gods, who have made this possible for us."