Crystals IV

Zeus’ final trial-2

So, on the third day, when the first sunrays struck the ground, Zeus had already exited the gorge and was starting the trial of capturing a wild aurochs living in that area with his bare hands. That area was at the side of one of the entries to the gorge, quite narrow – only three meters wide- that today is named Portes or Iron Gates. Certainly it was a very hard thing to try since the young bull was bursting with sinuous strength. As Zeus exited the gorge, he followed a rolling path. He just let himself observe the many aromatic herbs spreading on his left and right like marjoram, ironwart and lavender as well as others. Absorbed by the beauty and aromas of nature he did not realize that he had come to the area of the wild aurochs that hid behind a thick tree as soon as it saw him. But despite that, with his peripheral vision that had always been kept on the alert as he had been trained in any case, Zeus perceived its move like a swift shadow shifting imperceptibly by and turned his eyes to investigate. He felt the presence of the bull and walked in the direction of the tree carefully. The wild bull charged suddenly forward, roaring and hitting the ground with its hooves. It was a huge aurochs that would strike terror anyone. The earth shook under its feet. Even the predators of the area did not dare come closer. But ingenious Zeus was not afraid before the bull’s nervous angry jumps and jerks, nor its attacks with its head bent forward with its very lethal, big protruding horns. At a certain point, taking advantage of one Zeus’ rather delayed jumps, the bull’s horn pierced Zeus’ tunic, pulled him down to the ground and dragged him for a short distance. But the tunic ripped off and so Zeus jumped back on his feet, ready to intercept the bull’s next attack. What was needed was stamina and courage.

In the beginning, Zeus was trying to avoid the bull’s hits by constant jumps, just to tire him off. When he felt that the bull had started breathing heavily, he managed to trap him down and tie his four feet. Then, following the capture of the bull, he tied a plant fiber rope around his neck and a loose tie in the bull’s front legs so that it could walk easily. Just as tight or loose it took to prevent the animal from attacking or charging. When the bull became aggressive or tried to escape, Zeus would pull the two ropes with which he had tied up the bull’s front legs so that the bull would not be able to walk. In that way, he gradually tamed the bull that exhausted, gave up trying just before noon. Tied up just from his neck, the animal would now obediently follow Zeus, all the way to Gaia’s altar.

After the umpires pronounced that trial successful, they commanded Zeus to free the animal. But despite the fact that he had been set free, the bull would still follow Zeus. Then Zeus blessed the animal, caressed it tenderly and then, after he turned it into an immortal animal, he gave the order for it to be allowed to roam free all over Crete and send messages of freedom and optimism. Sometime in the future, after thousands of years, he would give it as a gift to the king of Crete, Minoa, who was the son of Zeus and Europe, but the animal would still be free to roam the country of the Cretans.

Zeus was very tired and so he took the rest of the day off for as long as he could. The next day would be difficult and dangerous.

The fourth day of his trials vigorous Zeus was tested in capturing a lion but without leaving even the slightest scratch on him. After resting well the whole night, he started the trial in the following morning. It was a truly difficult trial. He started out from the altar unarmed and dressed only in his short tunic which was clean but had turned grey and was torn from the previous trial. He was walking towards a forest that was on the other side of the Gorge of Samaria. He jumped over the gorge again to save himself some time and entered the thick forest. Zeus knew those places well. He had grown up in a similar forest near Idaion Cave and there he had learned how to waylay prey, camouflage himself very well so that even if one happened to pass by him or even touch him, he would not understand that someone had been hiding there. On the other side of the forest was the Diktaion Cave, the place Zeus was born but which he had never visited as an adult. He knew of course that he had been born there but he simply did not have occasion to visit it.

When Zeus entered the forest, he came across a creek that disappeared into a thick grove. The water had however started to go dry because its riverbed was clay mud or covered in green moss with a few water puddles left here and there. Zeus thought that around those puddles, he would certainly find either the lion or its prints. So, he kept walking along the creek, carefully observing its banks. At a point, he entered the grove, which was comprised of big old oaks and many slender young ones which were desperately seeking the light, which was allowed in, somehow, by the older trees since some of their branches were dry and sparse, thus allowing light in. It was not very much but it was enough for the seedlings that were starting their lives. In the grove, Zeus saw that there was a bigger water puddle, the larger yet, and huge prints suggesting the presence of a large lion. He looked carefully at the prints, while his attention was also focused on his peripheral vision so as to perceive any potential move. He distinguished the fresher prints and followed them as they were moving away from the water puddle.

Just before Zeus walked out of the grove, he saw a small rocky barren hill that had been hidden in the grove. He suspected that perhaps the lion’s lair might be there. He walked carefully there and saw he was approaching the opening of a cave. He continued treading carefully, either to waylay the lion or to reconnoiter the area. This would be useful information, in case he would have to fight around that spot. Every possible hiding place had to be known. Thinking like that, he approached the opening of the cave while nothing seemed to be happening.

When he reached the entrance to the cave, he looked inside carefully, trying to listen to any noise coming from inside. It was dead quiet. He took a large stone and threw it in the cave and then he listened carefully again. Nothing seemed to be stirring. There was no noise or clatter coming from the cave. He then took a smaller stone and flung it away with all his strength to drive it as far inside the cave as possible and then he stopped and listened again. He understood the rock had hit the sides of the cave, he could listen to the rock trickling down, but then nothing again. So, he decided to enter the cave himself.

He entered the cave very carefully and watched every dark corner, watchful to see any possible move immediately. But there was nothing. The cave was abandoned but full of bone remains of other animals. The lion’s lair was certainly here. After he reconnoitered the whole cave, Zeus decided to continue outdoors. As he was stepping carefully towards the exit, he suddenly heard a noise, a small pebble moved a little behind him to the left. He immediately turned, assuming a defense position, but he at once smiled and relaxed. It was a huge fat rat that could hardly walk and seemed to have been feeding from the lion’s leftovers. So, Zeus continued to move towards the exit. Just before he got out, he slowed his step giving a chance to his vision to get accustomed so that he would not be blinded by the outdoor light in case he had stepped out abruptly. He took this precaution so that his vision would be perfectly working to help him when out of the cave to face any attack or need to react correctly. Sometimes, all it takes for disaster to happen is a few seconds. It is all one has in his disposal to react correctly. Indeed, that was what saved Zeus.

Walking slowly, and hardly after he had gotten out of the cave, he found himself before the lion, at a distance of about fifty meters. Both opponents froze from their surprise, watching each other, while at the same time assuming a defense position. They measured up their opponent and seemed to adjust their attack depending on the adversary they had to face. Without any growls, shouts or clutter. It was as if one showed respect for the other, as if they knew that those tricks would not count in their case. They started moving in a circle, but without losing eye contact even for a second. It was if they were trying to see deep into the opponent’s thoughts. As if they were trying to locate some weakness in the opponent. But they couldn’t find any. But Zeus interestingly noticed that the lion’s snout was all bloodied up, meaning that the lion was returning from some successful hunt and was well-fed. So, on the one hand, it would be less aggressive and on the other, slower and heavier in its moves.

The two opponents continued their slow, circular move, until they reached each other’s original position. As if they had been coordinated, they both lunged at each other engaging in a wild but respectful attack. It was as if they did not have a wish to truly harm each other. But the wrestling was cruel despite the fact that they were both trying not to hurt each other. The lion did not make use of its teeth and Zeus did not use weapons. They wrestled for a long time before the entrance of the cave, when suddenly the lion decided to leave the scene, running away. It was not scared but it obviously failed to see the purpose of the struggle. It could not care less. So, it run away and disappeared into the forest. Zeus ran after it.

Looking for the lion in the thick forest, Zeus came incidentally upon the Diktaion Cave and was enchanted by its beauty. He went in and felt as if he knew that place. He felt a curious surge of emotion taking over him. In a way, he felt tied to that place. As he moved along, he saw the blue-green pond in the cave and admired the beauty of the stalactites, their reflection in the lake that gave the impression of pillars. At the end, he gave in to temptation. He forgot all about the lion and dived into the pool. There he had another strange emotional experience. Indeed, that was the place that Rhea had given birth to Zeus secretly, away from Cronos. It was there that the secret meeting between Gaia and Rhea to help Cronos against dark Uranus had taken place. But the most important thing of all was that there lay well-hidden by Gaia, the White Crystal. It would remain hidden there until Zeus became ‘Warrior of the Light’, in which case, he would be in a position to locate it, to hold it in his hands and handle it properly. Zeus felt cohesively ‘tied’ to that cave, but he was running out of time, the hunt for the lion took precedence over everything else. As he was heading towards the exit, his eyes fell on a strange complex of stalactites behind which the White Crystal was hidden, but he did not stay there any longer. His mind was occupied with the capturing of the lion. He had to get back on his hunt for the lion because it was already nearing noon and he had not completed his mission.