Annabeth Chase and the Necklace of Harmonia

An Old Man Spills the Beans

I look at the old man in confusion. "How do you know about me? How do you know my name?" He was nothing like the image I had in my head. For one, his eyes weren't gaping holes like you would expect from someone who stabbed their eyes out with a brooch. And he wasn't dressed like you would expect an ancient king to dress. He wore a tailored suit that wouldn't look out of place on Wall Street. Frankly, he looked like Colin Firth in What a Girl Wants.

He had folded up his newspaper and placed it on the arm of his chair. "Why, my dear," he gave me a smile that seemed genuinely warm, "It is because I am the one you seek." I look him up and down, even more confused than before. "I am King Oedipus of Thebes, son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta, parricide, matriphile, blessed and cursed by the gods." He indicated to the chair opposite his with his hand.

"But...but how do you know who I am and that I'm here?" I ask in confusion as I sit down "I thought you were blind, that you stabbed out your eyes with a brooch from Jocasta's dress?" The waitress brought over a tea set and Oedipus poured for us both. He took a sip before sighing in what seemed to be frustrated disappointment.

"Ah... I see you read your Sophocles literally. I would expect better from a child of Athena, especially her favourite." I felt my cheek blush slightly in embarrassment at the mere suggestion I was mother's favourite. "Don't believe everything you read, my dear, especially that which comes from the styluses of playwrights. It was Laius' servants that blinded me, and Jocasta didn't hang herself until our sons killed each other in their fight for the throne. I say that was Laius' fault; he always wanted the throne to himself and he knew my boys were prone to arguing since they were yea high." He made a motion with his hand at about table height. "He played them against each other and took the throne as if he was doing Thebes a favour."

I nodded along. "Do you know why I'm here?" I tried to interject, but he just continued on rambling on as if he didn't hear me.

"And as for Sophocles and Euripides, pah to them. As much as Euripides got parts of my life right, he caused the lovely Phaedra so much pain with how he portrayed her on stage. The first play was bad enough, making her out to be as lustful and promiscuous as a courtesan. But the second wasn't much better, even if he won first prize with it. Phaedra did not such thing as accusing Hippolytus of sleeping without her consent, ever. That damned nurse told Theseus that Hippolytus slept with Phaedra, all the mess happened and the poor dear took her own life out of shame for what happened. She is eternally guilty for what happened to that boy, for his death to be so... well, you probably know how he died." He looked down solemnly for a second. "And don't even get me started on Freud; do I look like someone who wanted to sleep with their own mother?!?!" he said irately. "You must be wondering why am I mentioning this when you're on a time sensitive quest for Aphrodite? Because I will only tell you where the necklace is if you grant me a favour in return; quid pro quo if you will."

I sighed in frustration "And what will this favour be? I really need to get this quest over and done with so I can find Percy."

He just smiled "Why, ask Aphrodite why she made the nurse tell Theseus that lie. What was her motivation for doing so? I care very much for the poor girl and knowing why could ease her pain a little. And as we know, as a child of Athena, you won't be able to resist asking. Just like I was fixated on finding out the truth all those years ago, the question will itch in your head until it is answered. And as for your Percy, don't believe that Aphrodite will be as helpful as she promised; remember Hera and that time you ventured into the Labyrinth?"

I nod "As you wish" I said simply "Now, where is the necklace?"

He nods gravely "It is in the possession of a foe both of us have faced, in her lair under the Classics department of Columbia University." I sigh in relief, as that was close to where camp was situated. But I struggled to think of a foe that I had fought that he had too faced. Oedipus was famous for his interfamilial relations, he wasn't a monster defeating type like Hercules or Theseus. "Be careful dear Annabeth. For she is just as tricky as she is monstrous. She killed many a man before I defeated her, and she will be extremely cruel to you if she gets her paws on you, so please be on your guard." I nod meekly, the fear inside creeping out slowly as my mind tried to work out who this 'she' was exactly. Why did everyone have to play the pronoun game?

He smiled wistfully. "One is reminded by our conversation of a quote by James A. Owen; 'All stories are true. But some of them never happened.'. That is how the Greek myths are; they are in essence true as the mortals know them, but the details recorded by playwrights and poets aren't always strictly accurate, they twist the facts to suit their purposes. So as Sophocles wanted to warn the Athenian demos against the dangers of prideful hubris, he produced my story on stage as a metaphor for his theme. You should know that, considering what has happened in your life since you were little, how no one believed you about the spiders at night, how they blamed you for the monsters when you did nothing wrong, how you ran away at the tender age of seven; mortals do not possess the ability to comprehend our world so they have to change things to make it fit into their sphere of comprehension, that's why the Mist exists, and that's why they pushed you away." I inhaled sharply. How did he know things in that much detail? The only ones who knew that much were either dead or knew that I would not forgive them for divulging such things.

"Yes, I know much about your life Annabeth. I know things that you don't realise yet. That is my curse now, that of the prophet Tiresias who I so foolishly cursed; for my mind to open to all sorts of knowledge but my eyes to be closed forever. So, I warn you, as you continue down the path the Fates have set out for you, you will have to face your greatest fear alone to be able to succeed. Farewell dear Annabeth and remember your favour to me." He picked his broadsheet newspaper back up and appeared to begin to read it again, and I knew the conversation was over. I stood up and left, anxious just to get things over and done with.