Ariadne and the Beast: A Short Story

Thirty years before the events of Helen of Sparta...

 Princess Ariadne of Crete has long known what she must do. Her father, King Minos, insults the gods at every turn, and her brother, the Minotaur, lives a tormented life as his executioner inside the labyrinth. Even knowing how her brother suffers, she cannot bring herself to defy the king--to kill her beastly brother by her own hand, as he has begged her to do, time and time again.

 But when the Athenian tributes arrive, Prince Theseus among them, she realizes the gods have grown impatient. If she does not check Minos, all of Crete will fall. Ariadne can only pray that with the help of Theseus, son of Poseidon, she can find a way to save them all.