Robert Harris: Odysseus in the Serpent Maze

A Timeline of the Heroic Age

In addition to using material from the Greek myths, Jane Yolen and I wanted to set our Young Heroes tales, as best as we could, against the background of the historical Greek civilization of the Heroic Age. The fall of Troy is not only part of the legends of ancient Greece; it is generally accepted to have been a historical event to which we can give an approximate date. Using this as my starting point, I worked my way back in time, setting the major events of Greek legend in chronological sequence.

Note that Heracles is the original Greek name for the hero we normally refer to as Hercules. The titles of the Young Heroes novels are in italics, showing the years when these adventures supposedly took place.

Robert J. Harris

BCE

2200 The Mycenaean peoples invade Greece from the north

1750 Cities of Crete destroyed by an earthquake

1600 Cretan palace at Knossos damaged by an earthquake (Knossos rebuilt within a century and Cretan civilization flourishes)

1357 Perseus slays Medusa

1350 Perseus founds Mycenae

Oedipus becomes King of Thebes

1291 Bellerophon battles the Amazons

1289 Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons

1274 The labors of Heracles begin

1273 Heracles sails to the land of the Amazons accompanied by Peleus and Telamon

1270 Heracles captures Troy and slays Laomedon

1268 Theseus sets out for Athens where he slays the Cretan Bull

1267 Theseus travels to Crete and slays the Minotaur; becomes King of Athens

1266 Queen Hippolyta leads the Amazons to war against Athens

1265 Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast

1263 Jason and the Gorgon’s Blood

1259 Jason leaves Mount Pelion and travels to Iolcus

1258 Voyage of the Argonauts

1254 Hunting of the Calydonian Boar

Atalanta marries Melanion

1253 At the age of six, Achilles begins to hunt wild beasts under Chiron’s instruction

1247 Odysseus in the Serpent Maze

1245 Battle of the Gods and Giants

1237 Death of Heracles

1236 Helen marries Menelaus

1235 Penelope marries Odysseus

1234 Paris abducts Helen

1233 Trojan War begins

1225 Deaths of Patroclus and Hector

Penthesilea and the Amazons arrive to help the Trojans

1224 Achilles slain by Paris at the Skaian Gate

1223 Fall of Troy

1213 After ten years of wandering, Odysseus returns to Ithaca

1200 Fall of Mycenae; end of the Heroic Age

Odysseus in the Serpent Maze

Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris

To the Harris boys:

Matthew, Robert and Jamie,

heroes all

Contents

Chapter 1. Hunting the Boar

Chapter 2. First Blood

Chapter 3. The Old Thief

Chapter 4. A Hero’s Tale

Chapter 5. Dangerous Voyage

Chapter 6. Misery at Sea

Chapter 7. A Princess of Sparta

Chapter 8. The Thread of Life

Chapter 9. Silenus

Chapter 10. The Plan

Chapter 11. Goats and Water

Chapter 12. Singers in the Mist

Chapter 13. Adrift

Chapter 14. The Mystery Ship

Chapter 15. The Long Island

Chapter 16. The Bronze Guardian

Chapter 17. A Box Full of Marvels

Chapter 18. Rites for the Dead

Chapter 19. The Great King’s Palace

Chapter 20. The Great King’s Dungeon

Chapter 21. The Prophecy

Chapter 22. Horned Beast

Chapter 23. Ladon

Chapter 24. A Battle in the Dark

Chapter 25. Secret of the Maze

Chapter 26. The Final Challenge

Chapter 27. Worthy Foes

Epilogue: The Goddess Speaks

What is True About This Story?

A Conversation Between the Authors

A Biography of Jane Yolen

A Biography of Robert J. Harris

CHAPTER 1: HUNTING THE BOAR

“ODYSSEUS! ODYSSEUS! WHERE ARE you?” Beads of sweat ran down the boy’s face as he called. His tunic—white when he had started the climb and now a moist grey—clung to his scrawny back. His padded linen leggings were scuffed and torn. He had lost his hat some time back.

Above him loomed the double peaks of Parnassus, a faint glint of snow visible on the heights. Just the glimpse of the snow made him feel cold, and he shivered. In the light of early dawn long, jagged shadows lanced out from rocks and trees. That too, made him tremble.

He was about to call again when he felt a tug at the hem of his tunic, then a yank, and suddenly he was pulled forward, off his feet, his face ground into the grass.

“Mentor,” came a harsh whisper, “if you can’t keep up, at least keep quiet!”

Spitting out a blade of grass, Mentor sat up and glared at Odysseus, who was crouching beside him, a long spear clutched in his hand.

“I tried to keep up, but you were going too fast.” Mentor set down his own javelin and checked himself all over for bruises. “And I still don’t understand why we couldn’t wait till after breakfast. I have no strength for climbing when my belly is empty.”

Odysseus never looked at his friend but kept scanning the bushes and the scruffy ground between trees. “My grandfather says it’s best to track an animal first thing in the morning, while it’s—”

“—sluggish,” Mentor finished for him. “I remember. But I also remember your father warning me: ‘Keep Odysseus out of trouble, because it is as certain as Hades his grandfather will not.’”

Odysseus’ face got as red as his hair. “I’m not in trouble.”

“You will be,” Mentor said smugly, “when your grandfather finds out you took his prize hunting spear!”

Only then did Odysseus turn, his broad face marred with a crease that ran between his eyebrows. Someone else might think that was a worry line. But Mentor had known Odysseus since childhood. That line was a sign that Odysseus was about to come up with an outlandish excuse—lie, fib, wile—for doing something he’d already decided to do. He’d call it a reason , of course, but reason was the one thing it wouldn’t be.

“The spear was just hanging there in Grandfather’s storeroom gathering dust,” Odysseus said. “In the midst of all those old shaggy pelts and mouldy tusks, and piles of copper and gold.” He grinned. “Besides, Grandfather always did admire a nimble bit of thieving. That’s what he’s famous for, after all!”

“Your own javelin would have done as well,” said Mentor, sighing. “That spear is much too big for you.”

In fact the spear was a good two feet longer than Odysseus, and he could barely stretch his fingers around the shaft. But he wasn’t going to admit that to Mentor. Instead he shrugged. The vertical line between his brows got deeper.

“You need a proper weapon to slay a beast like the Boar of Parnassus, not a sewing needle like yours.” Odysseus glanced disdainfully at Mentor’s javelin. “Besides, I don’t plan to throw the spear from any great distance. There’s nothing heroic in that. We’ll make the boar come right up to us.”

Mentor stood and brushed off his clothes. “This is a bad idea, Odysseus.” He looked around at the scrub bushes, perfect hiding places for wild animals. “We should have a whole hunting party with us, with hounds and—”

“So the dogs can do the hunting for us and the real men run ahead, and we don’t even get a glimpse of the quarry till the hunt is all over?” Odysseus stood as well. In perfect imitation of one of his grandfather’s servants, he said in a high, breathy voice, “Oh, Prince Odysseus, it’s too dangerous. You don’t want to stain your fine tunic. You’re too small to handle the great big grown-up spear. You’re only thirteen years old!”