Wrath of the Gods Page #26

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SNAKE PRIESTESS:

Stop right there. This room is for initiates only.

You must prove yourself one of the elect by

answering this question: What maiden was

changed into a cow?

An alphabetic display comes up, and you spell out the

answer:
Io (EYE-oh), the princess who was transformed into

a heifer by Zeus (ZOOS). This password was given to you

by Hera (HEE-ruh) in the Secret Word scene (page 27) after you

vanquished the Hydra (HYE-druh). If you can’t remember the

secret word or you spell it wrong:

SNAKE PRIESTESS:

You are not yet ready to enter here. Now…

begone!

If you answer correctly:

SNAKE PRIESTESS:

Blessings upon you, for you are well launched

upon the hero’s path.

She disappears and the door opens. If on the other hand

she’s told you to get lost, you can click on the left edge of the

screen to go back the way you came or the right side (where

she’s pointed) to return to your exploration of Knossos

(NOSS-us). Eventually you’ll escape to the mainland and,

having completed enough exploits to be granted the secret

word, you’ll make your way back to Beach 3 (page 114) and

swim out to the tribute boat again.

Bull-Leaping

MINOAN COURTYARD. From abundant archaeological

evidence it is clear that some sport or ceremony involving

acrobats and bulls was practiced in ancient Crete (KREET).

And from the myth of Theseus (THEE-see-us), one might

conclude that the acrobats were captives or sacrificial

victims, whose athleticism and timing might have spelled

the difference between gory death and popular adulation by

the Knossos (NOSS-us) throngs.

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Historians have long speculated on the scant likelihood of

anyone grabbing the horns of a charging bull and vaulting

up onto or over its back, even with the aid of a “catcher”

standing by to steady the leap to the ground. It has been

pointed out that bulls tend to make a sideways sweeping

gesture with their horns, the force and speed of which

impales anyone within reach. But the long-horned Cretan

bull of ancient times may have been a more sluggish

creature, bred perhaps for the usefulness of this trait in

ritual. Or the bulls may have been drugged for the sport.

Still, it is not hard to see how a successful bull-leaper would

have been treated like a celebrity in the halls of Knossos.

You find yourself in a bright courtyard where a young lass

confronts an enormous bull. The bull snorts. The girl braces

herself resolutely. The bull paws the dirt, then charges. Just

as it’s about to run her down, the girl grabs the horns, vaults

into the air over its head, does a somersault, and lands near

her catcher. Applause. The Catcher points to you.

CATCHER:

Now…you!

You react in consternation: “Me?”

The bull snorts even more ferociously. In response to your

click it charges at you. You’ll need to click it again right

when it is close enough for you to leap onto its back, but not

so close that it runs you over. If you don’t click at all or click

too late, the bull tramples you down. As you stagger back to

your feet:

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CATCHER:

Maybe this isn’t your sport.

If you click too soon, you somersault over the bull’s back but

land on your own. The Catcher smiles sympathetically.

CATCHER:

Easy does it.

If you are successful, you see yourself perform the acrobatic

trick. To the sound of cheers, you raise your arms in victory

and receive 25 points.

CATCHER:

Good timing!

You get credit for the adventure after one success, but you

can stay as long as you want; the bull just keeps charging.

Throne

MINOAN THRONE-ROOM. Guides at Knossos (NOSS-us)

today talk of King Minos (MYE-noss) and his throne, but such

ceremonial seats as have been restored more likely served

a presiding religious official than a king. The “palace”

itself may have been a religious center. And since the deity

worshipped was probably female, the throne was as likely to

have served for a priestess as a priest or king.

There are two vases to the right and left of this throne. You

can click on them and they ping into your inventory.

127

GARDEN. It was not long after he arrived in Crete (KREET)

to brave the terrors of the Labyrinth (LAB-i-rinth) that the hero

Theseus (THEE-see-us) encountered Princess Ariadne (air-ee-ADnee),

daughter of King Minos (MYE-noss). She fell in love with

him at first sight. It was Ariadne who gave him a clew—a

ball of yarn or thread—which she had obtained from

Daedalus (DEED-uh-lus). It was to prove invaluable to Theseus

in his quest to survive the terrors of the Labyrinth.

This maze had been so cleverly and intricately contrived

by the master builder Daedalus that once thrown inside, a

victim could never find the way out again. Sooner or later,

he or she would round a corner and come face to face with

the all-devouring Minotaur (MIN-uh-tawr). This was the fate

which awaited Theseus.

When he first entered the maze he tied off one end of the

ball of thread which Ariadne had given him, and he played

out the thread as he advanced deeper and deeper into the

fiendishly twisting passages. Eventually he encountered

the Minotaur and, lacking any weapon because he could

hardly have sneaked one past the guards at the entrance,

he beat the monster to death with his fists. (His success in

this regard may have been fostered by the circumstance

that the Minotaur was asleep when Theseus found him.)

Then the hero followed the thread back to the entrance.

Otherwise he would have died of starvation before making

his escape.

Theseus now eloped with Ariadne, pausing only long

Ariadne

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enough to put holes in the bottom of her father’s ships so

that he could not pursue. But Theseus soon abandoned

the princess, either because he was bewitched by a god or

because he had fallen in love with her sister Phaedra (FEEdruh).

Some say that he left Ariadne on the island of Naxos

(NAK-sos), but others maintain that such was his haste that he

left her on the small island of Dia (DYE-uh), within sight of the

harbor from which they had sailed. The deserted and pining

Ariadne has been a favorite theme of artists down through

the ages.

You find yourself in a garden, with an ornamental fountain

and a beautiful maiden. The door at the end is locked. When

you talk to the maiden:

ARIADNE:

I am Princess Ariadne. Tell me your desire.

A grid of words comes up below the picture window. When

you press on the words, they are added together to form a

sentence. The words are:

demand…me…you…a…give…want…force…

am…please…help…kiss…I…gem…lyre…rock…

sword…will…hero…need…have…to…your

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