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when one day a girl arrived from the
not-too-distant town of Zakro and demonstrated bull-leaping skills almost as
great as his own.  She was young, lithe, athletic, and her breasts were at
their full ripeness of youth.  Menelos began to feel strange new sensations,
and these, coupled with his desire not to be bested, drove him to even greater
achievements in the bull-ring.  The young challenger, however, did not let up,
and Menelos often found himself struggling to catch up to her prowess.
    She had come to participate in the great mid-summer
festival, held in honor of the mother-goddess who presided over the island.  A
towering statue of her likeness loomed over the bull-ring, her terrible visage
staring down at the youths.  She was dressed in a long, flowing, layered skirt,
which rose to a bodice open at the bosom, presenting her ample breasts to the
world.  She held aloft in each arm vicious-looking snakes, which entwined
themselves around her forearm.  At the other end of the arena stood the horns
of consecration, which were stylized bull horns.  It was here that during the
ceremony, the bull would be sacrificed to the mother-goddess, after it had been
successfully jumped, therefore symbolically defeated.
    Menelos was determined that he would be the one to
symbolically defeat the bull, but the girl from Zakro, whose name he had
discovered was Alena, was just as determined.  He realized that for the
ceremony to be conducted properly, both a male and a female would have to
successfully jump the bull, still Menelos would not be bested by a mere girl.
    This midsummer festival was especially important, for it
seemed that the elder gods which lived under the world were, for some reason,
aroused to anger.  The earth had been shaking a lot lately, sometimes mildly,
sometimes severely, and the town elders concluded that the gods must be
appeased. Therefore, they had concluded not only that the bull was to be
sacrificed, but that the best bull-jumpers, one male and one female, would be
ceremonially married, then sent into the labyrinth under the magnificent
palace, where the Minotaur would have his feast, then carry the remains of the
offering to the nether gods.  It was hoped that by allowing the blood of the
boldest and strongest youths to run back into the land, that this would
diminish the hunger pangs of the earth, and the rumblings would cease.  Menelos
and his companions were well aware of the purpose of the ceremony, but were
unperturbed.  They considered it a high honor to do their best and give their
lives so that the rest of the island could live in peace and prosperity.  Such
was the nature of things.
    “Listen, youths,” called Artaxes, the head coach, “it is
time for the final trials.”  Line up, boys on this side, girls on that.”  He
pointed to the sides of the ring, on either side of the large wooden door
through which the practice bull would enter the arena.  Menelos assumed his
place in the ranks, and looked across at the girls.  Alena was almost directly
across from him, returning his gaze.  He allowed himself a subtle half-smile. 
She saw it and returned the same.  Suddenly their attention was drawn to the
door, which had creaked open, allowing a raging bull into the arena.  He
charged into the ring, stopped, looked fiercely around while snorting, then
charged the line of boys.  Most of them scattered except for a boy three boys
down from Menelos.  This was a boy two years Menelos’ junior, who had never
jumped a live bull before.  He stood, frozen terror etched on his face.  The
bull charged even faster.  When the bull was practically on top of the boy,
Artaxes yelled, “Now!”  The boy reached out for the bull’s horn, but his grasp
was too tentative, and he only got a hold with his right hand, missing with his
left.  The bull threw its head up, and the boy flew in an awkward spiral
through the air.  He landed hard on one shoulder, and lay unmoving in a
crumpled mass.