Wrath of the Gods Page #31

---

Pan at the Pillar (page 143).

Caeneus

URBAN ARCHWAY. Caenis (SEE-nis) was a young nymph

(NIMF) loved by Poseidon (poh-SYE-dun). One day the god

said he would give Caenis anything she wanted in token

of his affection. She asked to be changed into a man, and

an invulnerable fighter at that. Although this was the last

thing Poseidon had expected or wished to hear, he obliged,

and Caenis became Caeneus (SEEN-yoos). Under her—or

rather his—new name, Caeneus became a great warrior and

got so carried away with his prowess that he walked into

149

the middle of town one day and propped up his spear in

the marketplace. “From now on,” he said, “everyone will

worship my spear as a god.”

Zeus (ZOOS), hearing this, thought to punish the heresy. Since

Caeneus was invulnerable, the great god had to be clever in

bringing about his downfall. He decided to get the centaurs

(SEN-tawrs) stirred up against Caeneus, figuring that these

rough and ready beast-men would find a way to do him in.

And sure enough they did. It happened at the wedding of

Theseus’s (THEE-see-us-ez) friend, Peirithoüs (pye-RITH-oh-us)

the Lapith (LAP-ith). The centaurs were unwisely treated to

wine and it went straight to their heads, inspiring them to

attempt to abduct the bride. Caeneus came to her defense

and started killing centaurs right and left. The rest ganged

up on him and, finding that he was impervious to weapons,

they pounded him into the ground. Caeneus suffocated and,

dying, turned back into a woman.

Another warrior blocks your path.

CAENEUS:

So, you got by Argus, did you? Well, you won’t

get by me. I am Caeneus and the gods have

granted me invulnerability.

You try to walk around him by clicking on either side, but he

keeps blocking you.

CAENEUS:

You shall not pass!

150

If you try your sword:

CAENEUS:

Hey, cut it out! I’m invulnerable for Pete’s sake.

If you give him wine from the Taverna (page 62) or the Market

(page 112), he simply guzzles it down. But when you show

him the Gorgon’s head from the Medusa scene (page 106), he

freezes in a posture of utter horror.

Hera

TEMPLE WITH SEA VISTA. As you enter this temple, the

goddess Hera (HEE-ruh) awaits. If you haven’t been to Crete

by swimming out to the boat from Beach 3 (page 114), or you

made it to Crete but didn’t know the secret word to get past

the Snake Priestess guarding the door to Bull-Leaping school

(page 123):

HERA:

Before you proceed to your final adventure,

there’s somewhere you must go. Come back

when you are ready.

She gestures, whereupon you dematerialize and reappear

either on Beach 3 or at the door to Bull-Leaping school, as

appropriate. When you return to this scene:

HERA:

Now you deserve to know the secret of your

parentage. But first…one last challenge awaits.

151

Your kingdom is in distress. King Minos exacts

a horrible tribute—victims for the monster of

the Labyrinth. No one would blame you if you

turn away now. I’ll even give you the keys to the

passage.

This, of course, is a reference to the myth of Theseus (THEEsee-

us), who was selected by King Minos (MYE-noss) of Crete

(KREET) to join the young men and maidens who would be

sacrificed to the Minotaur (MIN-uh-tawr) in the Labyrinth

(LAB-i-rinth). The keys that Hera hands you open the locked

Passage Door (below).

HERA:

But if you’re the hero we think you are, you

won’t shirk the challenge ahead. The choice is

yours.

Passage Door

TEMPLE DOOR. Locks and keys of the sort that we’re

familiar with today actually weren’t invented until

Roman times. The Greek heroes made do with a cruder

arrangement. The Odyssey, an epic poem by the blind

minstrel Homer, tells of the strongroom of Odysseus

(oh-DISS-ee-us). This was safeguarded by stout oaken doors,

with a number of bolts on the inside. From the exterior, these

were drawn back by means of a hook inserted through a

slit in the wood. A more advanced system entailed a slot in

the bolt itself, into which a peg dropped, stopping the bolt

from sliding freely. A “key” in the form of a special hook was

152

required to lift the peg before the bolt could be shot.

The key given to you by Hera (above) is the kind that hasn’t

been invented yet, but it works quite well to unlock this

door. If you are shirking Hera’s challenge, or simply curious,

you pass through and find yourself outside the Hesperides

Chariot Stop (page 114).

Minos Selects You

SEA-VIEW TERRACE. The Greek gods (or the ancients who

made up myths about them) sometimes showed a strange

sense of justice. King Minos (MYE-noss) did a number of

things which—one would have thought— disqualified him

for a distinguished career in the afterlife. When challenged

to prove his right to the Cretan throne, Minos asked the gods

to show him a sign. The deities instantly obliged, causing a

beautiful white bull to emerge from the sea. Minos was so

delighted that he decided not to offer the bull for sacrifice as

was expected. Instead he substituted another bull from his

herd. This displeased the sea-god Poseidon (puh-SYE-dun) so

much that he made Minos’s wife fall in love with the bull

from the sea. The Minotaur was born as a result.

When Minos besieged Megara (MEG-uh-ruh), its princess fell

in love with him. Learning that the town’s safety depended

on an immortal lock of hair which grew from the head of her

father the king, she was driven to treachery by her passion

for Minos. She cut the hair and Megara fell. It may well be

that Minos encouraged the princess in this act. In any case,

he was so ungrateful that he spurned her love and allowed

153

her to drown—or he drowned her himself.

According to the Athenians, Minos was a supremely wicked

king. But others considered him wise and just. It is certain

that the gods rewarded him in the afterlife, making him one

of three great judges of the dead.

As you walk onto a terrace overlooking the sea, King Minos

and his Guard await. If you try to go by without talking to

Minos, the Guard blocks you. If you click on the Guard or

King Minos:

MINOS:

(sarcastically delighted)

Hey, great to see you again! I was wondering

what became of you. Guard, take him to the ship!

Undersea

FADE UP ON A SHIP AT SEA. Arguably the three most

powerful gods were Zeus (ZOOS), Poseidon (puh-SYE-dun), and

Hades (HAY-deez). Between them they divided creation, Zeus

taking Mount Olympus and the sky, Hades the Underworld,

and Poseidon the sea. But there were other deities of the

watery depths, notably the “Old Man of the Sea,” the god

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes