Theseus and the Minotaur

"He would be bold, for he alone stood for Athens in this house of tyranny. These foreigners had butchered his countrymen, raped their women, taken their daughters and sons as slaves, and burned their fields. He alone would end the war, and in truth it did not matter if he returned to Athens on a white-sailed galley to herald a hero’s return or if a black-sailed ship should come back to his father, signaling that Crete had been his final resting place. So had he decided. He looked to King Minos to begin."

Based on one of the most popular stories from classical mythology, "Theseus and the Minotaur" is a short story retelling by award-winning fantasy author Andrew J. Peters (The City of Seven Gods, Poseidon and Cleito). Eighteen-year-old Theseus is heir to the kingdom of Athens, but he has only known of his origins for half a year. Meanwhile, Athens has been crippled by war with Crete, a much more powerful adversary whose cruel king demands seven boys and seven girls to challenge his stepson the Minotaur. To stand for honor, to prove his worth, Theseus demands that he take the children's place to kill the monster of Crete. When he arrives in King Minos's city, he quickly realizes the legend is even darker than he had been told. There are deadly traps and conspiracies that could change his mission entirely, if he can survive his visit to Crete.

A heroic fantasy in the tradition of David Gemmell with a twist for fans of gay fiction.