Malia

Art and Thebe were both perfectly fine with the alternative Minos had given. Timaeus on the other hand, was less than happy, but still he found the alternative of living in the Palace of Malia acceptable as well, despite his question of: "Has this Minotaur not legs?"

Had Art ever expected to be living a palace? He had not. Palaces were for monarchs, their families, their servants, guards and warriors and what not. Art was no monarch and while he may have found Minos' alternative of giving him and Thebe the Palace of Malia perfectly acceptable, he still found it strange.

Standing at a window, Art stared out at the courtyard. Timaeus had gone to explore the palace, leaving the Young Gael and the Athenian Girl alone. The lynx Niall sat nearby on a bench with Thebe, a content expression on the feline's face as the Athenian Girl scratched his head.

"Art, are you alright?" asked Thebe, standing up and walking over to Art. Placing a hand on his back, she watched as the Young Gael turned his head to look into her reddish-brown eyes.

Staring into Thebe's eyes, Art knew not what to say. What could he say? Still, he found his voice and asked: "Does this make us Cretan nobility?"

"Living in a palace?" Thebe asked. When Art nodded, she replied: "I am not sure… I don't think so, all that I know is that this our home for now."

"I never imagined that I would ever call a palace home." Stated Art, looking out once more into the courtyard. "I imagined that I would see some, stay as a guest for a few days, but call one home? No, never. Even if this is only a case of us staying here on Crete until word comes of Argus having died or married someone else, I have difficulty thinking of this place as home. My people have wandered for three centuries, all my life I never knew one location as home. Now that we are going to be living here… a single place, it is just so strange to me."

"To me as well." Commented Thebe, holding onto the Young Gael's arm as she too looked out into the courtyard. When Art stared at her with raised eyebrow, she then added: "In a different way. Aegeus' wife manipulated him to believe my father was in league with Minos and now here I am on Crete under his protection and granted a palace by him as my abode."

Thebe had explained to Art how the Cretan Bull had come to live in Marathon, beyond Athens, and one of its first victims was a son of Minos who had been visiting Athens. Not believing his scion slain by the Cretan Bull, Minos invaded Athens and only made peace when Aegeus agreed to send seven youths and seven maidens as sacrifices every twelvemonth. Thebe's father Pandion had suspected that Aegeus may have had the Cretan Prince killed and blamed it on the Bull, resulting in Aegeus being easily manipulated.

"One could say it is almost funny in a way." Stated Art.

"In an interesting sort of way." Agreed Thebe. "Still… I have gone from living in the shadow of a bull to the living in the shadow of its son."

"Had you ever seen the Cretan Bull when you lived in Athens?"

"Once… From a distance… At least I think it was him."

"I wish I could have seen the Minotaur from a distance." Commented Art. "Maybe then I might have just thought him someone wearing a mask instead of something so unnatural."

A moment of silence passed and together Art and Thebe just stared out at the courtyard. If this was home then this was home, no matter how strange it was. It may have taken sixteen twelvemonths, but for Art it seemed like he had found home, at least for the time being. He and Thebe were safe. No Argus, no Asterion, they were home… In a palace! Art had heard his father say that a man's abode was his palace, but he never thought his own would be a literal one.

Walking back over to the bench, Art sat down next to Niall and proceeded to pet his caracal companion. Looking around at the frescoes in the room, he could not help but think this was not too different from Knossos. Wherefore wouldn't it have been? One Cretan palace was pretty much like the other, disturbing bull motif included, only this one did not have a bloodthirsty mockery of nature imprisoned in it.

When Thebe joined him, petting Niall as well, Art looked into her eyes once more. In his mismatched eyes were a mixture of emotion: love, fear, happiness, maybe a little more. As his hand fell upon that of the Athenian Girl, the Young Gael's face reddened slightly.

Thebe smiled at him, a starry look in her eyes and her cheeks rosy. She felt the way he did about her.

The two then leaned in to kiss and they would have, had Niall had sat up and meowed at the two of them. Laughing, Art gave the feline a pat on the head while Thebe inquired: "Are you happy here, Art?"

Art answered: "As long as I am with you, Thebe, I will be happy anywhere." Niall then meowed again, causing Art to say: "And I'd say Niall here is happy as long as he is with us."

Laughing, Thebe smiled and said: "Our family."

"What does that make Timaeus?" asked Art, half-joking and half-curious. "The odd uncle of one of us?"

Still smiling, Thebe replied: "That sounds about right."

Taking hold of Thebe's hand, Art smiled back. A home, a family, it sounded all so wonderful and better than that, it was true. If it was a dream, then it was a great one… But still… Argus was out there somewhere.