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Paulo did not see Asterion again for days. He and the pack no longer roamed the corridors. Theseus had found an empty square room and declared that night the end of their flight.

"We will not longer run," Theseus said. "Here we make our stand. And when the beast comes again to slake his perverted lust, I will challenge him."

Theseus looked each husky in the eye.

"I love you all as my brothers, and I know you each would gladly give your life for me. But this will be my battle. I order you, as Prince of Athens, not to interfere. I will place my fate in the hands of the gods. Pray for me, brothers. I am certain Zeus will hear."

Theseus took the room as his practice area. Hour after hour, he drilled with the sword Ariadne had given him, limbering up his arms and legs, working stiff, cramped muscles back into fluid grace.

In the evenings, they told stories. Each husky shared the tale of his life, where he came from, what his dreams had been before being selected for the tribute. They were the sons of soldiers, of weavers, of architects and philosophers. One was even the only son of a senator.

Paulo was the simple farmer's son, yet as he described his home, he saw nods, smiles and even a few misted, tear-filled eyes. It was such a familiar scene, one that struck at the heart of every man, for each of them had relatives who worked the land or tended flocks, and they had all spent some portion of their childhood in houses not unlike Paulo's.

That night, Paulo slept with one of the huskies. The senator's son. He had been so moved by Paulo's story than Paulo could not deny him. The man was terrified of Asterion and secretly afraid that Theseus would fail.

They kissed and made love in the dark, in one far corner of the practice room. Paulo took him, and was taken in turn. They held each other until the morning. If the man had noticed the gold ring around Paulo's sheath, he did not comment.

Asterion was there when the pack woke. He smirked down at them, his dark eyes roaming their glaring faces as he stood over a plate filled with succulent delicacies.

"Is this the thanks I am to expect for my hospitality?" the minotaur rumbled. "It has been one year since you were thrust into my Labyrinth. I came to congratulate you. No other tribute has been so satisfying."

Several of the huskies began to growl. Theseus shot them a warning look. But Asterion noticed. He raised one eyebrow.

"What is this new insolence?"

Theseus stepped forward. He looked Asterion in the eye.

"Whatever pleasures you came for, you will not find satisfaction here. Not today, nor ever again."

Asterion's eyes narrowed.

"I remember you, Theseus. Have you been torturing these poor fools with promises of freedom?"

"It is you who has tortured them, beast," Theseus snarled. "Oh yes, I know all too well the HOSPITALITY you've given. And I say we have endured all that can be endured. I swear by all the gods, if you so much as touch any one of us, we will rise up. And you will be forced to kill your precious PLAYTHINGS and satisfy yourself with our mangled corpses as best you can!"

Asterion's nostrils flared. Murderous light burned in his dark eyes as he loomed over Theseus.

"I do not have to kill them all. Not if I make such an example of you that they never dare to question my authority again."

"You may find that harder than you think," Theseus said.

Asterion smirked.

"Would I?"

He slowly cracked his massive knuckles.

The sword flashed like a bolt from the hand of Zeus itself. Asterion reeled back with a roar, clutching the side of his head. One ear still quivered in a pool of his blood on the floor at Theseus's feet. Theseus raised the bloody blade and pointed it at the minotaur.

"First blood is mine, beast!. And by all the gods, it will not be the last!"

Asterion's face twisted and his roar nearly flattened the huskies.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"How dare I?" Theseus roared back. "I am Theseus, son of Aegeus, Prince of Athens! I challenge you, Asterion, son of Poseidon, Prince of Knossus! My death or our freedom! Name your weapon and your chosen ground!"

This was the critical moment. Paulo could see Asterion wrestling with himself, the human half of him trying to win out over the all-consuming fury of his bovine heritage. The minotaur looked ready to rip Theseus in half.

"You address me as an equal," Asterion growled. "And for that, I shall spare you life...for now. You will meet my blade in the very heart of the Labyrinth. Name the hour you wish to die, and I promise you, Theseus, son of Aegeus, it will be as SLOW a death as I can make it!"

"Tomorrow, at high sun, or whatever passes for it in this accursed place," Theseus said.

Theseus lowered his sword and held out his paw. Asterion gripped it.

"So be it."

After the minotaur stormed off, Theseus looked down at the tray still brimming with rich, rare meats. He cleaned his sword on his white loincloth, sheathed it, and hurled the tray against the wall.

* * *

"Theseus?"

Theseus paused, sword quivering in the air. He turned, panting.

"Paulo? What is it?"

Paulo's ears were flat to his head. He looked down at the stone floor.

"If I knew of a way to ensure we all go free, would you withdraw your challenge?"

"What?"

Paulo winced at the hissing tone. Theseus snapped the blade back into its scabbard. He stood facing Paulo.

"What madness is this, Paulo?"

"Asterion wants to be human. That is his greatest weakness, and it will not help you in combat. But he listens to me. If...if I can convince him to...he might..." Paulo trailed off.

Theseus grated his teeth together.

"Paulo, I know you only say this because you mean well. But I cannot, WILL not entertain such an idea."

"Theseus, you-"

"-what is it, Paulo? Do you doubt I have the skill to kill Asterion? He may be the son of a god, but he is no god himself. You have seen that he can bleed."

"Yes," Paulo husked. "Oh, gods, Theseus, how do I explain?"

Realization slowly dawned on Theseus's face. Paulo started to cringe back. But Theseus grabbed him and bodily dragged him to the far wall of the practice room.

"He's broken you, hasn't he?" Theseus spat in an enraged whisper. "Gods, I should have known! And to think how my heart ached to hear of your 'noble sacrifice' to spare the rest of us from his rape! Fah! You were PINING and wanted MORE!"

"...oh, Theseus...don't.." Paulo whimpered.

Theseus bared his fangs. His paw grabbed the hilt of the sword. Paulo cowered. But the blow did not come. Paulo slowly peeked through his fingers. Theseus stood with his ruff erect.

"Listen well, Paulo. I will kill Asterion. I will not leave any of us to become breeding cows for that monster. I will not bow to him and become some Minoan pleasure servant. For the sake of our friendship, I give you a choice - go to him now and do not come back. Or remain here, and I give you my word I will never mention this conversation again."

Theseus didn't wait to see which Paulo chose. He turned and strode back to the center of the room. He drew his sword, crouched, and began to drill.

* * *

They had no food, water or chamber pot. Paulo would not have been surprised if Asterion had ordered it in order to ensure Theseus was weakened by high sun the next day. Nor would he have been surprised if Asterion were simply waiting for them to starve.

Neither mattered to Paulo any more. He lay against the wall where Theseus had confronted him for hours. He tried to weep, but found he could not. The senator's son came to comfort him, but Paulo turned him away.

Paulo hated the way the gold ring fit so deliciously snug against his sheath. But neither could he bare to yank it off and toss it away. Theseus was determined to kill Asterion. Paulo would be forced to watch the two men he loved in this world draw each other's blood and run each other through. It didn't matter whether either won or lost. The grief would be the same.

And if, by a miracle, Theseus did win, what then? What good would freedom be for Paulo? Would Paulo go back to his farm and never see the Prince of Athens again? Would he be refused a place of honor at the parades of victory in front of the Acropolis? Would he be thrown in prison as a traitor? Paulo entertained a small hope that Theseus might one day forgive him, perhaps even invite him to be friends again.

Paulo shook his head. As brave and fearless as Theseus was, Paulo had seen the rage in Asterion's eyes. There would be no contest. Asterion would grind Theseus under his hoof within minutes, mortal wounds or none. There was simply no stopping that much sheer muscle and bone once it aimed to kill. And once Theseus was dead, there would be no reason for Asterion to listen to any of them. He could torture them, kill them, rape them as he pleased. He could become the monster Theseus accused him of being.

Paulo gripped his fist.

"I cannot let him do that to himself," he whispered. "Theseus, forgive me. It is the only way."

Paulo slipped away once the others had fallen asleep. He padded alone down corridor after corridor. After a time, he simply dropped his loincloth in the hallway and went on naked. No more secrets. No more lies.

Paulo ran a paw along one stone wall and traced a faint leaping bull emblazoned onto it. This was his home, now. He was a slave. And any thoughts of being pampered, fed, clothed and sheltered for the rest of his life did not take away the nausea of what he was voluntarily surrendering. Paulo the honorless. No true son of Athens after all. Just a simple farm boy who was bewitched by a dark vision of a masculinity so potent it was unholy, and it mocked the very gods who had created men in their image.

Paulo eventually fell asleep, stumbling over his own paws and collapsing to curl up in some unknown corner.

A gentle warm hand on his back stirred him. Paulo looked up at Asterion. The great bull was frowned, but did not look angry. More puzzled.

"What are you doing here?" Asterion asked.

Paulo's lip trembled. He tried to speak, and all he could do was whine. Asterion didn't say a word. He simply gathered the sobbing husky into his massive arms and strode with him down the hallways.

When Paulo could see again, he was lying in a silken bed, surrounded by rich frescoes, tapestries and mosaics laid out in tiles of ivory, lapis lazuli, gold, silver, and amethyst. A single oil lamp burned softly next to the bed, and a fire crackled in the stone hearth. A fresh loincloth was strapped around his waist.

Asterion strode into view from around a corner. He set a bronze cup next to Paulo's paw. Paulo smelled wine. He drank deeply.

"Why are you here, Paulo?" Asterion asked again, sitting beside him.

"I tried to persuade Theseus to abandon his challenge," Paulo confessed.

"You should know that would have been impossible, even if he had wanted to. Though I am curious why you would ask such a thing."

"I love him, Asterion. I do not want him to die!"

Asterion turned and looked at the fire.

"It may surprise you to hear this, Paulo, but I do not wish to kill him."

Asterion looked back at Paulo.

"Your prince is a brave and selfless man. A fearless warrior. A credit to the name of Greek. I admire him, Paulo. Would that the Fates had made him Minoan, that would could have been brothers."

"Then why did you accept his challenge?" Paulo cried.

"My honor demanded no less."

"Honor," Paulo spat. "Duty. Glory. It's all a sham, and you know it! Theseus is a slave who pretends to still be a prince, and you are the unwanted product of divine vengeance, mimicking the great kings of Cretan history!"

For once, Asterion did not fly into a rage. He simply looked back at the fire.

"Perhaps. And what are you, Paulo?"

Paulo hesitated.

"Are you a slave?" Asterion asked. "An exile? A farmer? A soldier of Greece? We must all play some part, Paulo, or play no part at all. Theseus knows his part in Fate's weave and so he chooses to be a prince, no matter how I humiliate him. I, on the other hand, sometimes question if the Fates even have a thread for my life's strand. But I have faith. I do not believe Poseidon has forsaken me. I choose to believe he is watching me. To see if what he has sired is a monster or a man. If I am a monster, then perhaps I will die tomorrow, and if that is true, then it is your beloved Theseus who is the hand of the gods and who am I to fight the will of the gods?"

Asterion turned to look at Paulo again.

"But if I am a man, then I am a prince. And one day I will be called upon by my people to lead them. I cannot wallow in bestial lust and passions forever. One day, I will be free of this blasted Labyrinth."

"When? When will you know?" Paulo asked.

Asterion paused. He gave a slight smile.

"You once asked me why I did not simply take you and ravage you. As I recall, I avoided completely answering your question. The answer, Paulo, is because I had hoped you would be different. I had hoped you would signal the end of the tributes."

Paulo's brow furrowed.

"I don't understand."

"At first, I demanded the tributes to slake my yearly ruts. The lust was so intense that I would have gone mad otherwise. Once I had better control, I began searching among the slaves for qualities I could emulate and cultivate, and when I had learned enough, when I was more man than beast, one of those so-called slaves would come to love me. For if a slave from an enemy land could love me, then so could my own people, who had never glimpsed their true prince."

Paulo's mouth dropped open.

"You thought that I....?"

Asterion's smile was sad. He cupped Paulo's cheek.

"I could not risk simply taking you if there was even a chance. You see, that is how a prince heals relations with enemies. By ties of blood, created through marriage."

Asterion sighed. He shook his head.

"But I know that you came to me that last time to save your brothers the same fate. I do not blame you for it. It was a noble choice, the most noble act I have ever seen from a Greek."

His dark bovine eyes met Paulo's.

"Which begs the question - why do you come to me now?"

Paulo took another sip of the rich wine to steady himself.

"Because I do not want you to die, either. I came to give you an alternative to the challenge."

"Then you come in vain. The challenge will go forward. If I withdraw, I loose all honor."

"Let Theseus and the others go free. I will stay here with you. Forever," Paulo said.

"You think you are the first to offer me such?" Asterion asked.

Paulo grasped helplessly for more words.

"What does it matter to you that I live?" Asterion asked bitterly. "Or did you come to me tonight for one final fucking before your hero runs me through?"

Tears fell down Paulo's face.

"If Theseus wins, you die. If you win, you will not be able to stop yourself from killing us all. And everything you have worked for will shatter. Either way...I loose you."

Asterion inched away from him. His hands clenched.

"Is this some heinous trick Theseus arranged to throw me off guard?"

Paulo scrambled closer. He grabbed Asterion's great hand.

"I can help you, Asterion. I can help you to become the prince you want to be. The prince I want you to be. You could be the greatest prince Knossus has ever seen, sprung from the loins of her patron deity Himself! Please!"

He kissed Asterion's knuckles and nuzzled them, wetting them with his tears.

"Please," he whispered.

"I..." Asterion turned his head away. "I wish I could believe you."

"Love is never a question of simple belief. Nor is it a feeling. Love is an art, and art must be practiced to be perfected. And it is an art I know well, Asterion. Do you want a selfish answer? I want a life greater than that of a farmhand. And what good are victory parades for me? Theseus will be the hero, and we will merely have good stories to tell. But who will remember us? Who will remember me?"

"I will."

Asterion cupped Paulo's cheeks in his warm palms.

"No matter how many tributes I am given, I will remember you, Paulo."

Paulo grasped his hands.

"You need no more tributes, Asterion, Prince of Knossus. Free me from slavery. Let me be what you have been looking for."

Asterion kissed him.

Paulo wrapped his arms around the massive bovine neck. He welcomed the bull's mouth. He sucked against it, encouraging him. Asterion slowly embraced him, as if he still was unsure this was real.

Paulo nuzzled his remaining ear.

"I love you, Asterion. I love you and I want to live out my days with you. I swear by Aphrodite."

Asterion shuddered. Great tears rolled down his snout and he crushed Paulo to his chest.

"Gods...Poseidon...Blessed Father...you have heard me at last!"

They made love that night for the first time as equals. Asterion was a magnificent kisser. The depth of his passion and tenderness was like an ocean, pouring into Paulo with every breath the bull took. Paulo came from the sheer kissing alone. But even as he did, he rolled against his bovine lover and begged to be taken again.

Asterion mounted him. Paulo writhed under his massive bulk against the silken sheets while he managed to accept a full third of the gigantic bull cock. Sounds came from his mouth he did not know a husky could make.

They collapsed, breathing together. Asterion's body was slick with sweat. Paulo nuzzled into his huge chest. Sparse hairs had started to grow back, like a meadow in spring.

"When did you know?" Asterion asked.

"When Theseus made his challenge to you. When he wounded you, I felt th e pain."

Asterion grunted.

"I was more enraged than in pain."

"Still, seeing that lovely ear stolen from you," Paulo murmured with a coy smile.

Asterion chuckled like a chuffing bear. He rubbed a hand over Paulo's belly and nuzzled him.

"I think I am the luckier of us. You forget how many huskies I have seen in my time. You are the lovliest."

"Am I? What about Theseus?"

Asterion shrugged.

"I doubt noble Theseus would be such an eager cocksucker."

Paulo slapped Asterion's chest and the bull laughed. They kissed again. They rolled against each other. Asterion stroked Paulo's cock with his huge fist. Paulo groaned into the bull's mouth.

"Mmmmm..not yet....lover," Asterion murred.

He guided Paulo to sit in his lap and wrap his legs around the bull's waist. They sat cock to cock. Asterion smirked.

"I have such plans for you."

Paulo shivered.

"I imagine you, and Theseus as well, consider me to be a bulky, stomping brute, is that not so?"

Paulo blushed.

"Well, perhaps a little."

"Mmm. Then perhaps I should give you a taste of the surprise Theseus is in store for."

Asterion bent at the waist. Lower, and lower, until his cupped thick lips locked around his own cock. They swirled back and forth around both his own head and Paulo's. Paulo's eyes rolled back in his head.

"Nnnnnh! Nnnnnnhhhhh!!! Moooore!"

Asterion gave a hungry growl and slurped all the way down to his own balls. He bobbed his horned head up and down, up and down like a pump for well water. Paulo bucked his hips. He barked like a feral dog. Then he howled and blasted yet another climax into Asterion's mouth.

"Mmmmmm..." Asterion rumbled as if it were delicious.

"Ohhhhh."

Paulo collapsed back onto the bed.

"Enough?" Asterion asked.

Paulo nodded with a sleepy groan. Asterion chuckled and pulled Paulo onto his warm body.

"If this is to be my last night," Asterion murmured, "I can think of no one I would rather share it with."

* * *

There was no more Labyrinth. Every wall was turned one direction, forming a great stone tunnel that led from the front gates to the Labyrinth's heart. Torches lined the passage, and a bonfire blazed in the distant chamber that waited for Theseus.

Theseus drew his sword, point down, and knelt. The other huskies put their paws on his back. They bowed their heads to pray.

"Ares, guide my hand," Theseus said. "Zeus, lend me your power. Fates be just to this day. Hades, accept the minotaur Asterion as a bull sacrificed in your name. And lord Poseidon, I beg your forgiveness for what I am about to do to your ill-gotten progeny."

Theseus stood.

"I'm sorry, Paulo," he whispered.

Theseus strode alone into the largest room he had seen so far in the great Labyrinth. The bonfire blazed at its center, in a massive bowl carved out of the stone floor. Three more fires blazed, one in a hearth on each wall.

Theseus saw what hung above the central fire, suspended by hooks from the ceiling. It was a monstrous battle ax, with a shaft as thick as a man's wrist. The blades were of black iron, deadly sharp, perfectly balanced and carved with images of bull's heads, their horns lowered to charge. Not one, or two, but four blades, mounted into an X shape around the shaft.

"Beautiful craftsmanship, is it not?"

Theseus whirled, sword at the ready. Asterion strode out of a far door and slowly circled the central fire. His muscles were oiled. He looked fed and well rested. His step was slow and easy. There was deceptive grace there, Theseus noted.

"It is called the Labrys," Asterion said. "And it was forged by Daedalus, the greatest craftsman the world has ever known. The very man who designed the Labyrinth."

"And the cow your bitch of a mother used to conceive you as well, so I hear," Theseus growled.

Asterion approached. He reached out with one huge hand and hefted the Labrys off it's hooks. The minotaur's great arm muscles swelled, testifying to the weight of the thing. Asterion ran his fingers lightly alone one curved blade.

"The Labrys can slice through a stone column as thick as a man," he mused, eyeing Theseus. "Assuming a normal man could wield it. And I assure you, my strength is vastly greater."

"I am through banding words with you, beast," Theseus said. "To the death!"

The husky prince charged. He leapt the central fire, and when Asterion swung the massive axe, Theseus ducked in midair. He rolled on the floor, between the bull's huge legs.

Theseus's first strikes nearly hamstringed Asterion. If his legs had been any thinner, Theseus would have hobbled him. Asterion roared. He sliced the air in a backhanded swing.

Theseus made no move to block the blow. He leapt back, then back again at the next swing,. He ducked, and the Labrys struck the stone wall. A huge crack rivened the entire wall from fireplace to fireplace. Theseus yelled a battle cry and stabbed.

The sword sunk up to the hilt in Asterion's side.

"No!"

Paulo's scream drew the attention of both combatants. Paulo stood in the doorway from where Asterion had come.

"Stay back, Paulo!" Asterion called, raising a hand.

Theseus seized the opening. With a loud snarl, he stabbed for Asterion's rippling abdominals. Something crashed into him and nearly knocked him into the fire.

"Paulo, no!" Asterion yelled.

Theseus stared at Paulo in shock, slowly kindling into rage.

"End this!" Paulo said. "You've had your challenge, you've drawn each other's blood! It is enough!"

"I made an oath to the gods I would kill this monster, freedom or no freedom!" Theseus said.

"He is NOT a monster, Theseus! He is Asterion, son of Poseidon, son of Pasiphae, the rightful prince of Knossus and all of Crete!"

"Then Crete is as twisted a kingdom as it's prince," Theseus growled, glaring at Asterion. "By all the gods that Greeks adore, no one will ever remember you as that, Asterion! Your very name will be blotted from history! You will go down in song and saga as a ravening, bloodthirsty monster, feeding on virgin flesh. A beast so hideous it defies description! And no one...NO ONE...will mourn you!"

"Stand aside, Paulo," Asterion said.

Paulo shook his head vehemently, tears falling down his face.

"By the gods, stop this madness! Don't give into your rage, Asterion! Don't listen to him!"

Asterion pointed the Labrys at Theseus.

"I will not, Paulo. Now stand aside. Let us finish this."

Paulo forced himself to stand and return to the doorway. He forced himself to watch. Asterion waited for Theseus to stand.

"You have had your attack," Asterion rumbled. His fingers flexed on the Labrys. "Now receive mine!"

Paulo cowered back at the deafening thunder that roared from Asterion's throat. The massive bull moved in a blur, a great churning storm of destruction. Theseus dodged desperately left and right. He was pinned with the fire at his back.

Theseus fell to one knee, the sword pressed overhead in both paws. The Labrys came crashing down...and stopped. Theseus's sword blocked it with a deafening boom and a shower of blue sparks. But it held.

"Impossible!" Asterion cried.

Theseus slowly smiled.

"Impossible for Daedalus, perhaps. Not impossible for a certain lovely, cunning sorceress!"

He snarled and shoved the Labyrs away to counter attack. Now they moved together around the fire, blades ringing as fast as the blacksmith's hammer that had forged them. The flames cast their shadows like dueling titans upon the walls. Paulo saw the rest of the pack had gathered in the doorway across from him.

Neither held anything back. Theseus unleashed all the pent up fury of endless days helpless to protect his brethren. Asterion met it with the unstoppable power of an avalanche or a great wave. A single hit would doom the husky, but Theseus's enchanted sword ensured that Asterion's strikes never found their mark.

Theseus jumped back across the fire and kicked out. Asterion snarled as flaming sparks shot up in his face. Theseus jumped forward again.

Asterion took the Labrys in both hands, spinning it end over end until the air itself hummed.

"For KNOSSUS!"

Both blades crashed together. Paulo covered his ears. The fires scuttled before a sudden gale of unseen wind. Labrys and sword shattered.

The watching huskies held their breath. Theseus had just enough momentum left. He drove the jagged edge of his sword to Asterion's throat.

Both men froze, panting hard. Theseus let out a triumphant grin.

"The gods are with me."

"I do not need the gods!"

Asterion's hand closed around Theseus's throat. He lifted Theseus off the ground and left him dangling in the air.

"I am the superior stock here, dog! Bred from the loins of a god! Did you actually believe you could defeat me?" Asterion thundered.

Theseus tried to choke out a retort, but the thick fingers squeezed off his air. Theseus's eyes began to bulge. His tongue peeked from between his bared teeth. Asterion's lip curled in a dark, cruel sneer.

"Prince Asterion."

Asterion's head turned. Paulo turned. So did all the huskies. Ariadne strode into the room and lowered her hood.

"Let him go, Prince Asterion."

Asterion smirked at her.

"So, the traitorous bitch comes to claim her own, does she?"

"Hear me well, son of Poseidon," Ariadne said. "You stand on the brink. You have fought for years to prove to the outside world your true quality. Today is your final test. The gods are watching. King Minos is watching. Your mother is watching from Hades. You know what it is to truly love, now. You love Paulo, don't you?"

Asterion slowly turned to look at Paulo.

"Yes."

"As you love him, I love Theseus."

Asterion looked at her. He looked up at Theseus, whose eyes were starting to roll back in his head. Asterion's fingers relaxed.

Theseus crashed to the floor, clutching his throat, gasping and heaving.

"I cannot deny you something so precious," Asterion murmured.

Theseus coughed and forced himself to kneel, then to stand. He took in Ariadne.

"You...have betrayed me!" he rasped at her.

"She has saved you," Paulo said.

"Prince Theseus."

Theseus turned to look at Asterion. Asterion put a massive hand on his shoulder. Theseus had to bend his knees.

"Return to Greece, a prince once more. By my power as a sovereign lord of Crete, I release you from slavery and all those who choose to go with you. I will give orders to have your ship stocked for the journey."

The huskies gasped. No one breathed to hear what Theseus might say. Theseus seemed to be blinking back tears, but tears of gratitude or fury, Paulo couldn't tell. Perhaps both. Asterion glanced at Ariadne.

"This woman claims she loves you," he said.

"I do love her," Theseus managed to say without his voice rasping.

Asterion smiled.

"Then by the same power, I pronounce you wed. Take your bride to be a queen of Athens. Poseidon grant you a safe journey. I fancy he may even do so if I request it."

The huskies were beside themselves, weeping and embracing. Ariadne eyed them in amusement. Asterion made to turn away.

"Wait!" Theseus said. "I cannot accept this!"

"Oh for the gods' sakes, Theseus," Ariadne muttered.

Theseus whirled on her.

"What is to stop him from demanding his tribute next year? And every year after that?"

Paulo stepped forward. Asterion smiled and put a great arm around him.

"You have your forsaken friend to thank for that, Prince of Athens. He came to me last night and promised to remain as my concubine. To help me on the path to humanity. In return, I agree to suspend the tribute. Indefinitely."

Theseus shook his head.

"Greece will not accept this. I promised them I would slay the Bull of Crete."

Asterion sighed.

"Tell them what you will. But if you lie, Crete may very well take offense, and there will be war once more."

Theseus looked at Paulo.

"Paulo I...I cannot just leave you. In spite of everything, I gave an oath I would not leave any of my brothers behind."

Paulo smiled.

"I will be happier as a royal concubine of Crete than as a farmer of Greece, brother."

"And the envy of every woman in Crete," Ariadne muttered with a sly half smile.

* * *

The dark birds wheeled overhead. They swept the azure sky like a living curtain. Paulo watched them from the high cliff in the shade of an olive tree. A pair of muscular arms twice as thick as the tree's trunk slowly wrapped around his waist.

Paulo murred and nestled into the crook of one huge bicep. Far below, a single ship cut the dark blue water with a white line from its bow. The black sail filled with wind.

"Will he tell the truth?" Paulo asked.

To his surprise, Asterion gave a deep, sad sigh.

"It will not matter if he does."

Paulo looked up and his brow furrowed.

"Why?"

Asterion nodded to the ship.

"Black sails. You yourself told me he promised his father, King Aegeus, that if we were successful, if he killed me, he would sail home under white sails."

"Perhaps he will explain when he lands in Athens," Paulo said.

"His father loves him, Paulo. And I know love, thanks to you. If it were you who had made that promise, and I saw black sails on the horizon, my mind would crack. I could not bear to live if I were convinced you were dead."

"But that would not change Theseus's story," Paulo protested.

"Wouldn't it? How would it look, dear Paulo, if Prince Theseus returns home and announces that he has just made a pact with the very monster he set out to kill? With the late king having just slain himself in grief? No, to preserve his honor, Theseus will have to lie. And then it is war."

Paulo buried his head against Asterion's arm.

"I hope to all the gods you are wrong."

"So do I, beloved." Asterion said.

Paulo's ears lowered.

"Will there never be a lasting peace?"

Asterion bent and kissed his brow from above.

"There may be, beloved. When another husky sees beauty in a minotaur as you do for me, and I for you...there may be."