Mythology

Labyrinth

A Star Wars Fanfiction inspired by Greek Mythology

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Hello! I wanted to do a brief introduction. I’m Greek-American. My grandparents fled war and famine to come to the US so that their kids and future generations could lead better lives than the ones they had. I’ve always been proud to be Greek, but I’ve also struggled with it. Growing up, people made fun of me for eating sandwiches with pita bread. My friends thought it was weird that I celebrated Easter on a different day than they did. I also never had off from school for Easter, but I always had off for Western Eastern. I also struggled a lot with Greek Mythology. I still do, to be honest.

Aside from people asking me about how I worship Zeus (I don’t), I was never really comfortable with the obsession people had with Greek Mythology. I remember reading Percy Jackson and thinking that it was weird that this author imagined the Greek Gods abandoning the land of my ancestors and going to New York. My friends at the time didn’t seem to think it was weird. One of them even started a Greek club, and they all pretended they were Greek. I would have been happy to invite them over for souvlakia and spanakopita, but their antics were a little odd to me, especially when they made fun of me for going to Greek school once a week.

I still don’t care for Greek Mythology all that much, though I’d like that to change. I thought it would be really interesting to write a Star Wars fanfiction based on a story from Greek Mythology and pair those two things together. I really loved the Star Wars Visions tv show and the way different animation studies from across the world have told such culturally rich stories set in the Star Wars Galaxy. This is one idea I had for a potential Greek Star Wars tale. Obviously I don’t own this world created by George Lucas, I’m just a fan playing around in his sandbox and bringing along some of my ancestry with me. This is a first draft, and I might try to polish it up a bit at some point. I hope you enjoy!

“Who among you will volunteer to feed the Beast?” the King asked one last time. He glared along the line of people who had been chosen to represent their fellow villagers at the annual event. None of the assembled could hold his gaze. Knees shook, hands trembled, and wet eyes stared at the cold tile floor.

Were these truly the best his subjects could offer? These scared and weak children? In the past, his subjects had sent heroes, people who truly believed they stood a chance to beat the odds and slay the Beast. Now, they sent those who without the power to say no.

The King rose from his white, marble throne. Scepter in hand, he walked down the line of people, his face inches from their own. The disgust in his belly grew the longer he looked at them all.

Finally, he turned away and walked back to his throne. Beside it stood his daughter, the Princess, and the curious figure draped in white and gold robes who had appeared in court earlier that month. He had wanted to refuse them shelter, but then the Republic would intrude as it always did when one of its own didn’t get their way. He was a King, but even that couldn’t stop the Republic from encroaching on his planet.

The King sat on his throne. “If no one will volunteer,” he said, “then you all will go! As of this moment, I declare you all — !”

“ - I volunteer.”

The voice was so soft that the King wasn’t sure he actually heard it. He gripped the edges of his throne and turned to where his daughter stood next to the figure in the white and gold robes. The Princess’s face was difficult to read, but not as difficult to read as the robed figure’s face. The king studied it under the person’s hood. “Did you say something?” the King asked.

The figure removed their hood, revealing their dark brown eyes and hair. Their skin was olive, and their eyebrows and beard were bushier than those of most visitors to this planet. Unlike the assembled tributes, they were almost relaxed, unencumbered by the shaking that seemed to spread among the others. They smiled, and bowed their head, and spread their arms. “I volunteer,” they repeated.

At this, the Princess’s mouth noticeably twitched. The villagers assembled in front of the throne let out a collective breath. For a moment, the King fumed. Then, he remembered the fate that awaited anyone who entered his labyrinth.

With a smile of his own, the King replied, “So be it…Jedi.”

Just before daybreak, everyone in the castle and the surrounding town gathered at the entrance to the labyrinth — a boulder placed against the side of a tall cliff. They all wanted to see the brave knight who had volunteered to enter into its depths. When the King and his retinue arrived along with the Jedi, the townspeople stared. The Jedi didn’t look very strong. In fact, they looked rather short, and any muscles they may have had weren’t apparent. The feeling that a young individual was about to walk to their death with a smile on their face was shared among most of the crowd.

The Jedi stood before the boulder. They closed their eyes, and took a deep breath of fresh air. They could smell the olive and mastic trees and the great sea behind them.

“You don’t have to do this,” the Princess whispered. She stood beside them, restraining herself from reaching out and holding their hand. “You’re not from here. You don’t have to volunteer.”

The Jedi opened their eyes and smiled. “But that’s what a Jedi does.”

“You said the Jedi help people. This…this is madness. This is suicide, not help. No one survives in there. You won’t be able to succeed. And even if you do, you’ll never be able to find your way out from there.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.”

The Princess sighed. “I just don’t want to see you become trapped in there for the rest of your life.”

“You won’t,” the Jedi replied. “I’ll find a way to escape the Labyrinth. I promise.”

With a curt nod, the Princess turned and started to walk away. However, she paused, and turned back to the Jedi, closing the distance once more. The gold crown in her jet-black hair glinted in the dim morning light. Taking the Jedi’s hands and staring into their eyes, she said, “I never thought the Force was real. I’m still not sure I believe in it, even after everything you’ve shown me. But what I do know is that something…the Force perhaps…binds all living things together. We are all connected, as if we are tied together on different ends of a thread. And those threads are some of the most powerful forces in existence.”

Letting themself laugh, the Jedi said, “I see you read that book I gave you.”

“I did,” the Princess acknowledged.

Just then, the sun rose above the edge of the sea, and light shone on the boulder. A horn sounded in the distance, and a group of soldiers wearing red skirts and golden chest-plates rolled the boulder from the entrance to the Labyrinth. In the side of the exposed cliff was a gaping hole filled with a thick darkness.

“And now, the tribute will enter the Labyrinth!” cried the King.

That’s exactly what the Jedi did.

On the first day in the Labyrinth, the Jedi felt a little claustrophobic. On the second day, they felt unnerved. By the third day, they were afraid.

Even with their turquoise lightsaber, the passageways were dark. The ground was uneven, and loose rocks lay scattered about them, tripping the Jedi at every opportunity. Things were only made worse when they realized that many of the rocks were actually bones.

“I am a Jedi,” they said out loud. “I walk in the light. I am a Jedi.”

But the passageway remained dark.

With every turn, they seemed to lose their sense of direction. They had taken a left, then a right, then a left, then another left, then a right, then…had it been another left? They couldn’t be sure. The passages were small and the rocks were closing in on them. Bones crunched beneath the feet. Rocks stabbed into their shoes. The back of their hand scraped against the wall of the passage, drawing blood. Dust floated down from the ceiling when their lightsaber accidentally hit it. It was too dark in there. They couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see. The light…it was gone. Where was the light?

“Jedi…I’m a Jedi. I walk in it. The light. I walk in the light. I-AGGGGH!”

Someone appeared in the glow of their lightsaber. A hooded figure that seemed to be carved out of stone. It took a moment for the Jedi to realize the figure was carved out of stone. It was a statue. As they approached, red, angular runes flared into existence along the base of the statue. The runes weren’t part of a language the Jedi recognized.

Stepping around the statue, the Jedi noticed red lines shoot out from the statue and into the passage beyond. A red mist swirled through the air, making the turquoise glow of the lightsaber appear red.

“Walk in the light, walk in light. Jedi. Jedi.”

The red lines took the Jedi through the passage and into a larger room. The ceiling was a hundred feet in the air. More red runes and images depicting scenes of warriors with bright red blades cutting through defenseless people lit up the walls. Other images depicted all manner of hideous creatures with claws and fangs, some being ridden by the mysterious red-bladed warriors.

In the center of the room was a large mound. It looked as if a portion of the rock above had broken off and landed in the chamber below.

Exhausted, the Jedi walked to a flat rock near the mound of debris and sat down. They were hungry, but they hadn’t brought any food with them. Deactivating their lightsaber, they tried to meditate, hoping to regain some of their strength. It was no use. Their heartbeat was loud, and so was the sound of their breathing. The redness of the runes and images was grating. They wanted to close their eyes but were afraid of what they would see if they did. The air felt stale and they longed for the freshness of the sea breeze near the castle.

“The Force is my ally,” they whispered. Nothing came to them. They couldn’t feel the Force anymore. It was gone. It felt as if it had been sucked out of the room. The Force had always felt like a boat to them. When they were connected to the Force, they could see the far-off land and the route they would have to take through the rocks. They could see the route they had taken to get there. Even the winds and the currents were visible to them. But now, they couldn’t see any of it. The boat was in the midst of a wild storm and there was no clear way out. The Force wasn’t there, and they were alone, isolated from the rest of the universe.

Except, they weren’t alone. The rocks beneath them shifted. The Jedi jumped up and ran to the edge of the chamber. They backed up to the wall, leaning against an image of a decapitation. They watched as the mound in the center of the chamber rose and large rocks fell away from it. Something was underneath the rocks, something big and covered in spikes. It turned, swinging its long arms tipped with sharp claws. It spotted the Jedi with its beady red eyes. Black smoke rolled off of it in waves, making the creature appear more phantom than Beast. Even its roar was somewhere between the realms of what existed and what did not.

The Jedi was afraid.

The Beast walked toward them, cloaked in shadows and terror. Two horns as thick as trees stuck out from either side of its boxy head. Its six tusks jutted forward, dripping venom. It slammed its claws into the earth, shaking the chamber.

When it charged, it took everything the Jedi had to jump out of the way. They hit the ground hard. “The Force…the light…” There was a scream. There was nothing they could do. The Force was gone.

They saw the Beast turn, shaking its horned head and sending venom flying everywhere. It was going to charge again. They were going to die.

“Light…Ally…”

They felt their fear. It hung in the air like all the dust and powdered rock shaken loose from the ceiling. It was cold and oppressive and overwhelming. In their mind’s eye, they could see the door to the ship close that took them away from their home world. They saw the arena where they demonstrated their lightsaber skills in front of their prospective master. They saw the city where they had faced their trials and become a Knight. They saw the red forests and a small creature and the warriors with red blades who captured and corrupted it, taking it away from its home and turning it into something different.

The Jedi looked up at the Beast as it prepared to charge them. They saw its small red eyes, and they saw its fear.

They held out their hand.

The Beast charged.

The Beast stopped.

For a moment, the two looked at each other. Then, the Beast dipped its head forward, touching its leathery snout to the Jedi’s outstretched hand.

“I am a Jedi,” they said. “I walk in the light. I am a Jedi.”

The room began to glow with a turquoise light. Crystals lit up in the walls like a million small stars powerful enough to shine even in the brightest day. They overtook the red lights and dispersed the shadows.

In the light, the Jedi could see the Beast’s light brown hide and black eyes. It seemed smaller than it had in the dark. Its fear remained, but it seemed less overwhelming.

“How do we get out of here?” the Jedi asked. The Beast looked around the cavern at the various passages that led out from it. It groaned and shook its head.

The Jedi studied the passages. They could spend time exploring each one to see where they led, but they suspected that wouldn’t do them much good. Instead, they walked to the center of the chamber and found a flat rock to sit upon. They crossed their legs, closed their eyes, acknowledged their fear, let it go, and invited in the Force.

It had been three days since the Jedi had walked into the Labyrinth. The Princess hadn’t expected them to reemerge quite yet. She wasn’t sure she expected them to reemerge at all. No one had ever returned from its winding passageways. And even if someone could manage to find a way out, there was the Beast.

Even so, she walked to the entrance of the Labyrinth. The boulder had been left to the side. It was a hopeless gesture, really. No one really believed that the entranceway would need to be kept cleared, because no one expected anyone to return through it. For years, young villagers from across the planet had been forced to enter into the Labyrinth and attempt to destroy the Beast, only to lose themselves in its depths. Why should this year be any different?

“They’re not coming out,” the King said, walking up to his daughter. A few other townspeople were there, watching the entrance. The Princess sighed.

There were screams. People began sprinting away and back to the village or to the castle. The Princess and King started, and turned to the Labyrinth.

A horned creature crawled out from the entranceway and into the light, carrying a figure with white and gold robes on its back.

“I think I found the Beast,” the Jedi called out, waving cheerily at the Princess and King below.

The King stammered, unable to form a coherent word. Meanwhile, the Princess ran to the side of the Beast, and the Jedi jumped from its back and landed beside her.

“How did you…the Beast?” she asked, glancing back and forth between it and the Jedi.

The Jedi smiled. “We came to understand one another down there.” They patted the Beast, and it shook in delight.

“But how did you escape?” The Princess then asked. She had hoped they would find a way out, but was amazed that her hopes had actually manifested. They were here, in front of her, back in the sunlight.

The Jedi took her hands and met her gaze. “Someone once told me that the Force binds all living things together. It’s as if threads connect us all to one another. And those threads are the most powerful Force in the universe. All I had to do was follow them.”

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Consider checking out my podcast, “Determination, Deliberation, and Dragons.” My friends and I workshop original stories, analyze books and films, and interview authors and other creative people.

Also, if you’d like to read more wonderful fiction, might I recommend you check out “An Act of Kindness for The Woodstock Flower Queen” by Sara Fellers. It is a fantastic story and I really loved reading it.

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