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The Sword and the Crown
The Tales of Corona Borealis
Chapter 2: The Road to Athens
Theseus had never been to Athens, but he
had heard about the dangerous road from others who had traveled
it. Everyone had similar stories and it seemed the dangers created
by men were more frightening than those created by nature. But it
would do no good to worry so he decided just to enjoy the passing
scenes.
Suddenly he saw a man lying by the road. The man had been beaten
and was breathing heavily. His crushed arm hung limp at his side
while wounds to his head and chest gushed blood. His eyes were swollen
shut. Lifting his water flask to the dying man's lips, Theseus cleansed
his wounds. "Corynetes is down this road. He beat me, as he's beaten
many others before me and will beat many after me. No one here knows
what to do, for Corynetes is the son of Poseidon, and therefore
invincible. Go back where you came from stranger and forget this
road. You'll end dying, like me."
"I have to take this road, it's the only one to Athens and I'm going
to meet my father. However, I thank you for your warning. Perhaps
being prepared will help me to succeed killing him, for Poseidon
is my godfather." Theseus found a heavy tree limb and, using his
sword, carved it into a club. He sheathed his sword and positioned
both the sword and his pack so they would not get in his way. With
a firm grip on his club he cautiously continued down the road to
Athens.
It wasn't long before a giant rushed at him from behind a rock,
swinging a spiked club. Theseus was ready. He dodged the giant and
quickly moved behind him, hitting the giant in the head. Corynetes
reeled and fell and Theseus pounded him with his club until the
giant was dead. Pleased that he had rid the road of this danger,
Theseus went to the nearby stream to wash away the blood. Clean,
rested and pleased with his success, Theseus continued down the
road.
He had not gone far when he saw a crying woman holding the limp
body of her dead husband. "How did your husband die?" asked Theseus
as he stopped to console the grieving widow.
"We were traveling down that road," she sobbed and pointed in the
direction where Theseus was headed, "when a man named Pityocamptes
approached us and asked for our help. He said he needed to bend
a pine tree and tie it down. Since my husband was so much stronger
than he, surely it would be no problem for him to hold the tree
down. Then Pityocamptes would quickly tie it and his problem would
be over. My husband, being the kind man he was, agreed to help the
stranger. But when he held the tree down, Pityocamptes tied him
to the tree, then let it go, flinging him through the air. It broke
his neck and tore his body apart. I learned he does this all the
time, preying upon kind and unsuspecting travelers. That is how
he got his name, for it means 'pine bender'." The woman buried her
sobs in her dead husband's chest.
Armed with this information, Theseus continued down the road. He
spied a stand of pine trees ahead and made a plan. Soon he was approached
by a sincere looking man. "Young man," he said, "I have a problem.
I need to tie the top of this pine tree to the ground and I need
someone strong to hold it while I tie it. You look very strong.
Will you help me? It will only take a few minutes."
"Certainly, I'll be happy to help, but I don't know what to do.
Show me, please," Theseus pleasantly answered.
"You just grab the pine tree and pull it down," Pityocamptes explained,
with visibly growing annoyance.
"I don't understand," Theseus claimed. "You'll have to show me."
"Stupid moron," Pityocamptes snarled beneath his breath. "All right,
you do it like this." He grabbed the top of the tree and pulled
it down.
"Show me how far to pull it and where you want the top," Theseus
continued as he sneaked the rope while his enemy's back was turned.
As Pityocamptes held the tree to the ground, Theseus quickly tied
him to it and let him go. The evil man shrieked that he'd been tricked,
but he was soon silenced by death. "One more obstacle out of the
way," Theseus said and continued on the road to Athens.
Next he met a man whose legs had been chopped off at the knees.
He was weak for he had lost a lot of blood and could barely speak
to Theseus. "If you're going in that direction, beware of Poseidon's
son Procrustus. He acts like the hospitable sort and will offer
a bed to the weary traveler. But that is his trick, for he has two
beds, one long and one short. If you are tall, he makes you sleep
on the short one, then he ties you to it and cuts off your legs
to fit the bed. That is what he did to me. But if you're short,
he'll tie you to the long bed and hang anvils from your legs to
stretch them to match the bed. He's a cruel and contrary man."
It wasn't long before a man by the side of the road stopped him.
"You look very tired, I'd be happy to offer you a place to sleep
and the comfort of a bed." Procrustus invited him inside his house
and, as Theseus was tall, of course took him to a room with a very
short bed. It just so happened that Procrustus was also tall, and
not as strong as Theseus. Theseus pushed Procrustus onto the bed
and tied him tight, then using his sword, he hacked off Procrustus'
legs to fit the bed; as he himself had done so many times before.
"There you go," said Theseus. "I hope you sleep well." Theseus continued
on to Athens and left Procrustus to die upon his bed.
Farther down the road, Theseus met an old woman who was crying.
"My granddaughter was coming to visit me when Sciron, Poseidon's
son, killed her. Sitting by the water, he made her wash his feet
and while she was doing it, he kicked her into the sea. She became
food for the giant tortoise who lives near the rocks. Oh I wish
she never would have come."
"So this one even attacks children," thought Theseus. He would make
a special point of evening the score with this one. Theseus kept
his eyes open watching for Sciron. He finally saw him sitting on
a cliff.
"Come wash my feet!" commanded Sciron. "I am the son of Poseidon."
Theseus said nothing. He approached meekly and compliantly. Sciron
looked only at his feet, "Hurry now, boy." Theseus deftly grabbed
his feet and hurled him over the cliff. He fell upon the rocks below
and his body was washed out to sea as food for the giant tortoise.
After that, those rocks became known as the Rocks of Sciron and
travelers stopped upon their journey to look for the giant tortoise.
It wasn't long before Theseus was confronted again. "My name is
Cercyon. I am the son of Hephaestus and the greatest wrestler of
all time. Prepare to die." He grabbed, but Theseus was too quick.
Not only did he dodge Cercyon, but swiftly putting him in a hold,
he lifted him in the air and slammed the bully against the ground,
breaking his back.
"And I am Theseus, son of Poseidon. It looks like now I am the greatest
wrestler and you will have to prepare to die." Theseus left Cercyon
dying on the ground as he continued upon his journey to Athens.
From the top of the mountain ridge, Theseus could see the city of
Athens shining in the distance, as though it housed the gods themselves.
He realized he had overcome the evils of the road and now he had
almost reached his destination. Proudly he started upon the final
leg when a giant sow rushed him from the underbrush. Though the
wild pig surprised him, he calmly grabbed the handle of his sword
and deftly split the creature from snout to tail as it leaped to
attack him. The pig had been the offspring of Typhon and Echidna,
who had given it to an old woman named Phaea, to raise and keep.
The sow had been known throughout the mountain range as the monstrous
Phaea. Now Phaea went to the land of death itself and with her died
the last obstruction on the road to Athens. Theseus entered the
city of Athens to meet his father and his destiny.
Tales of
the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
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