The Labyrinth

The Minotaur

   "LIVIA," The voice called, "are you there?"

   The voice was music to Livia's ears. It was her brother's voice, after all.

   "Yes," she answered happily. A few days ago, her brother had realized that she was here. That she had been here all along. A part of Livia wanted to call her brother dim-witted for not having noticed her presence in the room all these years, but that would've been unfair. After all, he couldn't see her.

   Livia had come to labyrinth in search of her brother. She had been blessed with finding her brother. Laughing with joy, she had thrown her arms around his broad shoulders, only to find that the Minotaur would not react. He never felt her embrace, never went as far as realizing that she was in the room. No one had ever said that the gods weren't cruel.

   She may have been blessed with finding her brother, but she was cursed to simply watch her little brother from afar, like she really was only one of the labyrinth's walls. She watched him as he got sadder and sadder every morning, all alone in the labyrinth.

   The Minotaur had recently begun noticing all the little clues she left in his room. A few days ago, he had finally dared to speak out into the silence, "Livia?"

   For the first day in years she could talk back to him. It seemed to be that he could only hear her voice if he was aware of her presence.

   "Yes, my little Asterion?"

   "It is you," he had whispered back, the gentlest of smiles on his face.

   Asterion was the name that Livia had given the Minotaur. Her brother had never been given a name, instead receiving the title of the Minotaur. He wanted a name, and Livia had given it to him.

Asterion.

   There were many things that people did not know—or even care enough to know—about Asterion . For one, he had never killed. Livia knew that her father, the great King Minos, sent people into the maze every year. People who never came out again.

   The village people claimed to hear screams and roars, which they translated into stories of an unfortunate victim and a vicious, vicious monster. But Livia knew otherwise.

   Asterion always tried to lead the people home, but they were afraid of him. And so they would run off, screaming and pleading the gods for mercy. The Minotaur always roared with frustration after they left. He had only wanted to help.

   People were scared of her brother, scared of his monstrous height, his burly frame, of his face that was not quite human and his body that was not quite bull. Unlike Livia, they did not know that the Minotaur they so feared was but a mere child.

   Asterion had been in the Labyrinth for ten years, from the very day the queen gave birth to him. While his physique was one of a giant, he was still a child who longed for playmates and a family. Not that anyone other than Livia really cared.

   A loud, low sound echoed through the Labyrinth. Livia bit her lip.

   They were coming.

   "TODAY," the voice boomed, "we have a volunteer among us. His name? Theseus, son of King Aegeus!"

   Livia paled. This was bad. No one ever volunteered, unless they were extremely sure that they were capable of killing the Minotaur.

   Of killing her brother.

   She had to stop him.