The Labyrinth

2: Aegeus and Medea

They landed with a great thud. There was a gaping whole in the ceiling, where the metal torn and spat the boys out. Now, they were splayed out on the ground, staring at the point of a knife.

"Who are you?" The man bellowed, towering over Victor and Peter like a giant, holding the knife in a clenched fist just above their noses. His hair was perfectly gelled into a silver quiff, with his beard forming all down his jawbone and his chin. His eyes were dazzlingly blue, and his forehead was creased — great charcoal grooves marking the skin. The man looked afraid, but ready to attack at any moment.

Terrified, Peter grabbed onto Victor and scuttled back along the ground to the corner of the

room. "We're.... we're..." He stuttered, shaking and quaking as he gripped onto his brother tightly.

"You work for Minos? I knew it! He's spying on us!" The man exclaimed, stamping at the ground and grabbing the woman's knife. Diving over the orb, charging at the boys, he let out a great roar. This man could make a lion seem weak. The snake creatures followed in the air, aiming straight for the boys, hissing loudly, snarling with jagged teeth, ready to bite and tear with unbelievable force. The muscles in their smooth wings bulged and pulsated with every beat, flying at an incredible speed towards their victims.

"Stop!" Cried the woman as she knocked the man to the ground and yanked the creatures back by the tails. The creatures skidded to a halt, turned and flew slowly back to their leader. Hiding behind her calves, they whimpered and lowered their heads beneath their wings in shame. "Stop! Look at them!" She pointed at the boys, now curled up terrified in the corner, hiding their faces from the terrible man. Even Peter — the brave, heroic elder brother — was petrified. The woman edged closer, followed by her creatures, speaking slowly and cautiously, "How did you get here?"

"We....we....were just exploring. We were on the roof, and then...and then...we went down the tunnel and ended up here." Peter replied, shielding Victor from the strangers. Victor was cold, shaking like a cat and scared stiff by the chilling creatures just meters away. He could not bare to look.

"You mean...you mean you come from above?" The woman's face dropped suddenly. Approaching the boys with sheer fascination, it was as if she had never seen another human being before.

"London. We're from London."

The woman gasped. "Oh, King! They're from the earth!" She turned to the man, who had been standing sulkily in the corner. Now he was approaching the boys slowly, amazed and glowing in admiration.

"Aegeus. I am Aegeus — king of Athens."

"Athens?" Peter muttered, "Isn't that in Greece?"

Aegeus laughed — a great, booming laugh that shook the walls and floor, displaying rows of pristine pearl teeth. It reminded Peter and Victor of their own father's laugh. Wiping a tear of joy from his eye, he chortled, "Oh the Athens you know isn't the Athens we know! This is a whole different world, boy!"

The woman chuckled too as she stroked her creatures lovingly, running her fingers over their smooth, silk-like skin and letting them nestle their heads and wings in her lap, "And I am Medea."

Victor now turned to look at these strange people in awe. His face was pale and colourless, dabbled with beads of sweat. His eyes were bloodshot. "Wha-what are those?" He asked fearfully, nodding at the animals in Medea's lap.

"Oh!" She laughed, "I'm sorry if they scared you! These are my drakones. They carry my chariot everywhere — they're very kind really." One of the drakones scuttled forward to Victor and, with his right hand, he slowly traced his fingers on the edge of its enormous wing. The other hopped forward too, nuzzling his head under Victor's arm. Victor laughed, and soon, the colour seemed to come back to his face.