Heroes of Olympus

by Philip Freeman

  Medea was driven into exile with her son. Theseus’s uncle Pallas and his fifty sons tried to slay the hero, but were defeated. Theseus was now sure to be the next king.

  Every nine years the king of Athens was forced to send seven young men and seven maidens to Crete as victims for the monstrous, man-eating Minotaur. Many years before, Minos, king of Crete and son of Europa and Zeus, had attacked Athens. Athens was forced to surrender and to agree to send fourteen young people to a terrible death every nine years.

  The Minotaur was born because Minos disobeyed Poseidon. After the old king of Crete died, Minos drove away his brothers and took the throne. He asked Poseidon to prove that he was best suited to rule by sending a magnificent bull as a sign. Minos promised to sacrifice the beast to Poseidon. The bull was so splendid that Minos couldn’t bear to kill it, so he substituted another beast. Poseidon was not pleased. He made Pasiphae, Minos’s wife, fall madly in love with the bull. Pasiphae asked a builder named Daedalus to help her win the bull’s love. This craftsman built a lifelike wooden cow big enough for the queen to crawl inside. The queen then became pregnant by the bull and gave birth to a terrible creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man.

  Minos was afraid to kill the monster. He ordered Daedalus to build a maze called the Labyrinth to hide the Minotaur. Prisoners were punished by being forced into the Labyrinth’s twists and turns. Not one found their way out before the Minotaur ate them.

  All the people of Athens prayed that their children would not be chosen as food for the Minotaur, but Theseus volunteered to be one of the victims. His father begged him to change his mind, but the young man wanted to kill the monster. King Minos laughed and encouraged the boy in his hopeless quest. Theseus boarded a ship with Minos and the rest of the young men and women. Aegeus made the ship’s captain promise, on his return to Athens, to raise a white sail if his son lived, and a black sail if Theseus died.

  Minos and Theseus quarreled on the voyage. The king grew so angry that he threw his ring into the sea and demanded that Theseus find it. Theseus dove in and met a group of sea nymphs who gave him the ring, along with a crown that Aphrodite had given to Thetis at her wedding to Peleus. Minos was even angrier when Theseus returned with both prizes.

  When the ship reached Crete, Theseus begged to join some contests. Minos hoped Theseus would defeat his own general Taurus, who always won every event. Theseus then defeated Taurus in wrestling, and the king’s daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus on the spot.

  Ariadne couldn’t bear the thought of Theseus being eaten by the Minotaur. She went to Daedalus to see if he knew a way out of the maze. The architect told the girl to have Theseus tie a ball of thread to the entrance and unroll it as he worked his way deep into the Labyrinth. If he was able to kill the Minotaur, he could follow the thread back out. Theseus made his way into the depths of the maze in front of the rest of the victims. He killed the Minotaur and then led the youths and maidens out of the twisting Labyrinth by following the thread. With Ariadne at his side, he sailed away from Crete.

  Some stories say Theseus stopped at the island of Naxos on his way home. By then Ariadne was pregnant, but he either forgot her or abandoned her on the beach. He left behind the young woman who had given up everything to save him.

  Theseus was so anxious to get home to his father and tell him the good news that he forgot to raise the white sail. Aegeus waited on the heights of the Acropolis for his son to return. When he saw the black-sailed ship, he thought Theseus was dead and threw himself onto the rocks below. When the prince rushed from the port to the city, he heard the sad news that Aegeus was dead. Theseus was now king of Athens.

  Up to that time, the countryside around the city, known as Attica, was made up of dozens of quarreling villages. The villages didn’t cooperate with Athens. As a result, the city was weak. Theseus took control of the villages, made them part of Athens, and created a democratic government.

  Government didn’t interest Theseus for long. As soon as he had control of Attica, he looked for a new adventure. The young king had heard of women warriors who lived on the distant shores of the Black Sea. These females spent their spare time practicing war rather than weaving. If they had boy babies, they killed them. Healthy girls were raised to be warriors. When a daughter came of age, she would cut off her right breast so that she might better draw a bow. They were called Amazons from the words a (no) and mazos (breast).

  After a long sea voyage, Theseus arrived at the land of the Amazons and was welcomed by their queen, Antiope. At the end of his visit, he seized Antiope and sailed away. Soon after he arrived back in Athens, he saw thousands of Amazon warriors galloping toward the city. A brutal war followed. Theseus and his men defended their city bravely, but they were no match for the women. The Amazons forced their way into the very heart of Athens.

  Everything depended on a final battle. Theseus called his men together and made sacrifices to the god Fear, praying that they might not falter. When the Amazons attacked, the Athenians fought until the temples and marketplace were covered with blood. The female warriors were at last defeated. As the Amazons made their way back home, Antiope bore Theseus a son, Hippolytus, and died.

  Theseus could be reckless in his adventures. He asked his friend Peirithous, king of the Lapith tribe in Thessaly, to help him kidnap the young princess Helen. The friends went to Sparta and saw the maiden dancing in the temple of Aphrodite. They grabbed her and took her back to Athens. Theseus left Helen with his mother Aethra until she reached marriageable age.

  As soon as Helen was settled, Peirithous asked Theseus to join him on a quest. He was determined to journey to the underworld, kidnap Persephone, and make her his own. Theseus thought Peirithous was mad, but he could not resist the challenge. They journeyed down to the land of the dead and came to the palace of Hades. The overconfident young men told the god why they were there, then sat down in two fine chairs near his throne. As soon as they were seated, snakes wrapped around their limbs, holding them tightly in place. Hercules came down to the underworld soon afterward. He freed his cousin Theseus but was unable to free Peirithous. Hercules returned Theseus to the surface while Peirithous remained seated forever in the land of the dead.

  Theseus returned to Athens and found the city in chaos after a war with the Spartans. Helen’s brothers, Castor and Pollux, destroyed Attica and took their sister back. They also took Theseus’s mother to be Helen’s slave. The people of Athens knew that their king had been engaged in heroic nonsense instead of defending his city, so they banished him. Theseus cursed the people and sailed to the island of Scyros, where he was welcomed by the local king, Lycomedes. After a good dinner, his host invited Theseus to take a walk along the beautiful cliffs to help forget his troubles. Lycomedes was secretly jealous of Theseus, so he pushed his guest over the cliff and ended the hero’s life.

  For many years Theseus was forgotten by the Athenians until his ghost led them to victory against the Persians at the battle of Marathon. The citizens brought his bones home and honored him as a divine hero, founder of democracy, and savior of Athens.

  DAEDALUS and ICARUS

  When Theseus fled from Crete with Ariadne, Minos was angry that Daedalus had helped the hero. He threw Daedalus into prison along with his son Icarus. While he was in prison, Daedalus thought about the twists and turns of his own life.

  Daedalus had been born in Athens. He became a master sculptor and inventor, and the best young men were eager to study under him. One of these was his nephew, Perdix. The boy showed such skill that he threatened to outshine his master. Daedalus could not bear that, so he tossed Perdix off the Acropolis. He was put on trial for murder, but fled to Crete.

  Now, years later, Daedalus was desperate to flee from Crete. Minos patrolled the coast with his ships, but he did not rule the sky. Daedalus built wings of feathers and wax for both himself and his son. When the wings were ready, he warned Icarus to be careful. If he flew too low, the waves would make the wings useles
s. If he flew too high, the sun would melt the wax. One clear night they set out from the prison roof.

  No mortal had ever sailed through the sky like a bird, save for Perseus on his winged sandals. Icarus loved flying. He swooped up and down like an eagle, ignoring the warnings of his father. Daedalus shouted at him to set a steady course, but the boy flew higher and higher. It wasn’t long before the heat of the sun melted the wax of his wings. Icarus plunged to his death.

  Daedalus was heartbroken, but he continued until he arrived at the court of Cocalus in Sicily. The king was pleased to greet the famous builder and kept Daedalus carefully hidden. Minos sailed the Mediterranean in search of him. He cleverly gave each ruler he visited a spiral shell and promised a reward if the king could pass a thread all the way through it. No one had been able to accomplish this task, but Cocalus was eager to win the treasure. He gave the puzzle to his secret guest. Minos knew only Daedalus had the skill required, so whichever king claimed the reward would surely be hiding him.

  Daedalus tied a thread to a tiny ant and coaxed the insect to crawl all the way through the shell. When Cocalus went to collect his prize, Minos knew he had found Daedalus. He demanded the king surrender the builder or go to war. Cocalus quickly agreed, but asked Minos if he couldn’t first prepare a grand feast for him. He also promised to have his beautiful daughters give Minos a bath he would never forget.

  After a fine banquet, the girls led Minos to the tub. The young women brought large jars of water to fill the tub and poured them over Minos. The screams of the king echoed through the town. The daughters had filled the jars with boiling water. The king who had caused the death and misery of so many met his own painful end in a bathtub at the hands of beautiful young maidens.

  BELLEROPHON

  Like Argos and Athens, the city of Corinth also had heroes. One of the most famous was Bellerophon, grandson of Sisyphus. Like many heroes, Bellerophon often acted foolishly. In one violent outburst, he murdered his own brother. He fled to the town of Tiryns in Argos. Proetus ruled there in those days before his daughters were driven mad by Dionysus. Bellerophon pleaded with the king to purify him. Proetus carried out the ceremony so that Bellerophon would not be cursed by the gods.

  Stheneboea, the wife of Proetus, fell in love with Bellerophon and was rejected by him. She made up a story and demanded that Proetus kill Bellerophon. Proetus feared the curse of Zeus if he killed a guest in his home, so he asked Bellerophon to deliver a letter to his father-in-law, King Iobates of Lycia, across the Aegean Sea. The young man was eager for a journey, so gladly agreed.

  Bellerophon traveled to the court of Iobates. Good manners meant hosts couldn’t question guests until they had been wined and dined, so the king did not ask his visitor his business until nine days had passed. When Bellerophon handed over the letter, the king read: “King Iobates, please kill the man who brought you this letter.”

  The ruler was now in the same position that Proetus had avoided. He had to honor the wishes of a relative, but he also feared the curse of Zeus.

  Iobates came up with the perfect solution. He asked Bellerophon to kill the monster known as the Chimaera. This fearsome creature was a lion in front, a fire-breathing goat in the middle, and a serpent behind. The king knew Bellerophon could not survive. But the young hero, with the help of Athena, tamed the winged horse Pegasus and flew against the Chimaera. He slew the monster and returned to the king ready for his next adventure.

  Iobates sent Bellerophon against a powerful enemy, the Solymi. These fierce people were always at war with the Lycians on their borders. Bellerophon and Pegasus swept down on them from above and killed them all. Next, Iobates sent Bellerophon against the Amazons, but he defeated them too. Finally, the king picked the best and bravest of all his warriors and set a trap for the hero. Bellerophon fought ferociously and cut down all the soldiers set against him.

  At last Iobates showed him the letter from Proetus and offered Bellerophon his daughter Philonoe in marriage along with half his kingdom.

  The couple lived happily in Lycia and had many children, but Bellerophon could not forget that Proetus and Stheneboea had wronged him. He flew to Tiryns on Pegasus and offered to give the queen a ride on his magic horse. Just as Stheneboea was enjoying the ride, Bellerophon pushed her off the horse.

  Some stories say that Bellerophon wanted to live among the gods. He flew on Pegasus to Mount Olympus, but Zeus sent a gadfly to sting the horse and Bellerophon was thrown to the ground and crippled by the fall. Ever after, no one would welcome this mortal who had challenged the gods. Bellerophon was doomed to wander the earth alone.

  MELAMPUS

  Not all heroes had superhuman strength and flying horses. Some, like the seer Melampus from the town of Pylos, used magic to accomplish great deeds.

  Melampus and his brother Bias grew up the best of friends. Melampus longed for the country life, so he left his brother in the city and went to live in a rural part of the kingdom. In front of his quiet house was a large oak tree in which a family of snakes had built their lair. Melampus killed the older snakes, but took their young and raised them as pets. The snakes became so tame that they slept on his bed.

  One night Melampus awoke to discover the snakes licking his ears. The next morning, he was amazed to find that he could understand the singing of the birds. He understood the chattering of mice in the barn and the braying of his goats. The language of every animal was revealed to him, but it was the birds that interested him the most. Flying between heaven and earth, they heard the gods and shared the secrets of what was to come. By listening, Melampus could discover the future.

  Melampus’s brother Bias was deeply in love with Pero, the daughter of Neleus, king of Pylos. Neleus told Bias he could have his daughter’s hand in marriage if he brought to him the cattle of Thessaly’s King Phylacus. These animals were guarded by a fierce dog that never slept. Melampus knew from the birds that he would be imprisoned for a year if he tried to steal the cattle, but he loved his brother so much that he tried to help. Of course he was captured.

  Melampus spent the next year in a dark hut. One evening he heard one worm tell another that he had finished chewing through the roof beam. Melampus asked to be moved as some worms had revealed his roof was about to fall in. The guards laughed but did as he asked. The next day the roof of the hut collapsed. King Phylacus heard about this strange event and called Melampus to his court. He offered to let Melampus go free if the seer could reveal how Iphiclus, the king’s son, could have a child. The young man was a great athlete and so fast he could run over the top of a wheat field without crushing the grain, but he was unable to have children. Melampus offered to help if Phylacus would give him his cattle as a wedding gift for Bias. The king agreed.

  Melampus sacrificed two bulls and the birds of the air feasted on the meat. Last to arrive was a vulture. The soothsayer asked the vulture if he knew why Iphiclus was unable to father a child. The old bird said that Phylacus had once stuck a bloody knife into a sacred oak. As the years passed, the bark of the tree grew over the knife. The gods were displeased. To make things right, Phylacus needed to dig the knife out of the tree and feed the rust from the blade to Iphiclus. Phylacus did as he was told. Nine months later, Iphiclus’s wife gave birth to a boy.

  Melampus returned to Pylos with the cattle, and Bias married the princess. Melampus lived a happy life and had many children. Kings called on him for his skills in prophecy and magic. After the daughters of Proetus were driven mad by Dionysus, Melampus returned sanity to the girls. He did so only after he made Proetus swear to give him a large part of his kingdom. He shared this land with his brother Bias so that both grew old as lords of Argos.

  ATALANTA

  Most women in Greek myths spent their days weaving and raising children. But a few accomplished more amazing deeds. One of the most famous of these was Atalanta. Her father, Iasus, wanted only sons and so left his newborn daughter to die in a dark forest. A she-bear nursed Atalanta with her own cubs. Then a band
of hunters found the girl and raised her in their village. She grew into a beautiful young woman.

  Atalanta lived a carefree life roaming the mountains and hunting with male friends. She dedicated herself to the goddess Artemis, swearing she would never marry. Most of her friends accepted this. One day when she was hunting with the centaurs Rhoecus and Hylaeus, they tried to force themselves on her. Atalanta killed them with her swift arrows.

  Atalanta was the only woman allowed to take part in the Calydonian boar hunt along with Meleager and Theseus. Some stories say it was she who killed this dangerous beast. Not long after, Atalanta defeated the great king Peleus, father of Achilles, in a wrestling contest. Some stories even claim that she sailed with Jason and the Argonauts.

  Atalanta made a name for herself, and her father realized she was the girl he left to die. He welcomed his daughter home and tried to take up his fatherly duties. First among these was to arrange a marriage. Atalanta convinced Iasus to ask the men who wanted her hand to compete against her in a race. If a man won, she would marry him. If he lost, she would kill him on the spot.

  Atalanta knew that no man could beat her, but she was so beautiful that many men tried. At the end of each race, Atalanta waited for them at the finish line with a sword in her hand.

  One young man from the mountains of Arcadia loved Atalanta. Melanion knew he could not beat her in a fair race, so he went to the temple of Aphrodite and prayed for help. The goddess gave Melanion three golden apples and a plan to win.