Ariadne's string

Chapter 3 Part 2

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The next morning, all the children were panicking. I was pretty anxious myself, but I did my best to calm them. I knew I could never let them in the labyrinth, and I would find a way. Minos' plan was to release us to the Minotaur at dusk. When we walked through the castle, we could hear the roars of the Minotaur below us. The whole day was a celebration for the people of Crete, but I felt sicker and sicker as the hours passed.

All too quick, it was time to go into the labyrinth. The king gave a long speech, which I didn't listen to, to the whole city of Crete. We were all standing in front of the castle, just as when we first arrived here. The castle looked pale in the dark light of the sinking sun. King Minos finished talking and then turned to us. "Children of Athens. You have been brought here with the highest honors. You are a token of the truce between Athens and Crete. Now, you will be fed to my beautiful pet, the Minotaur!" He opened his arms, and the crowd cheered.

Soldiers escorted us into the castle, our hands tied since the afternoon. I hadn't seen Theseus or Phaedra at all today, and I was worried, but if all went according to plan, we'd be fine. Right now, I had one goal. Keep the kids alive. We were led down a dizzying amount of staircases, until we had reached a level where I couldn't hear any noises from above. I hated feeling trapped. We stood in a small room with nothing apart from a huge, bolted door. The entrance to the labyrinth. There was a loud rumble, and it felt like the whole ground shook. The soldiers laughed.

"We'll take it from here, thanks." I recognised the voice that came from behind the staircase. Theseus. I smiled slightly. A small girl started crying next to me, so I knelt down to reassure her while the soldiers talked with Theseus.

"Of course you may, Your Highness. It is just highly unusual."

"Well you might want to get used to it then. I'll make Phaedra stand guard with me, and we'll be fine."

"Has the king approved of this?"

"My mother has."

"Very well, then. Good luck, young princess." Both soldiers then laughed again, I realised they were making fun of me. I waited until their footsteps were gone, and then I turned to all the kids. They looked so scared. "Hey. We're going to be okay. These people here are good, and they're going to help us escape." They nodded. I turned to the two eldest kids. "You guys are in charge now, along with Phaedra. All of you, listen to them. Follow her, she'll lead you to a ship." They all nodded again, some started smiling. Theseus brandished his sword and cut our handcuffs. I hugged all the kids again. Theseus turned to Phaedra.

"Wait until I tell you to, then run upstairs with the rest. Always stay ahead, and make sure there are no other people. Use our secret passages. You know where to go."

She hugged him. "You better be there. I don't want to be alone."

"You won't be."

Then Theseus turned to me, grabbing another sword from his belt. My sword. I loved it more than any other, and it was the only one that felt right in my hands. I took the silver hilt as he offered it, turning it over, and admiring it. I'd missed it. The blade was shining and even sharper than I remembered. I smiled, gently tossing it from one hand to the other. I'd taught myself to sword fight with both hands, so if my right was injured I could still fight with my left. "Are you ready?" He asked. I was scared, but I said, "Yes. They'll be safe?" I turned to the kids.

"I'll make sure of it." Theseus looked at me, his green eyes sincere. I hugged him, clinging on to his clothes. I didn't want to let go. He ran his fingers through my hair, and gently pushed me back. I stepped towards the door.

"I still don't understand why I can't help you. I can go in now and help you, no one will know."

"They might. You could die, I could die, and there's too much on the line."

He hesitated, then admitted I was right. This was it. Theseus handed me a torch and lit it. The light bounced off the walls, and I felt its heat on my face. I looked at all of them and said goodbye, promising to be back. As I bolted open the door, I heard Theseus call out, "Wait!" He pulled something out from his pocket. It was a ball of yarn, bright red. I glanced at him, confused.

"Daedalus gave it to me when he first made the labyrinth. We always spent our free time together, now he's old. He told me to use it when the time was right. I never understood what the yarn was for, but I know now. Tie it to the door, and you can always retrace your steps. Good luck."

I gave him one last hug as I tried to process his words, and did what he told me to do. I shoved the ball of yarn into the belt I made of rope. I smiled at the others as tears slowly welled up in my eyes and I walked in, closing the door behind me.