In the year 1400 B.C, there was a Greek man from Athens. The man, whose name was Cocalus, hated the gods. Once when taking a walk with his wife and son on the mountains, the family walked too far to the edge. The rocks gave way, causing the son and wife to fall to the bottom of the mountain. Cocalus watched in horror as his family fell. Cocalus did not know what to do. He decided that the accident was the gods fault.

Cocalus returned to Athens, constantly insulting the gods under his breath. After citizens caught him talking badly about Athena, the domain god of Athens, the city feared
that Athena would punish the entire city. Cocalus was banished. Now banished from his only home, Cocalus wondered all around Greece. Whenever he came across a new village, Cocalus would tell stories, insulting the gods in every way.
One day, Cocalus found himself in a small, fishing village, about a few hundred miles from Athens. The village cherished Poseidon, God of the Sea. Not knowing this, Cocalus insulted Poseidon during a village gathering to pray to Poseidon. He said Poseidon was weak and unimportant. He also mentioned how Poseidon was a coward and that is why he hides under the sea.
After hearing this, a member of the village went to the temple of Poseidon. He told Poseidon everything. Poseidon became enraged. Knowing that the Sea God would be angry, the village banished Cocalus. He stole a small, fishing boat and sailed away. Poseidon angrily watched over him.
In the middle of the night, Cocalus was asleep on the floor of the small boat. The Mediterranean Sea was calm; the boat slowly rocked back and forth. The sea was lit up by the moon. A cool breeze blew, making Cocalus a little cold. The breeze gradually picked up. The boat rocked harder and harder. The waves became larger every second. Cocalus opened his eyes, still half asleep. He was suddenly surprised to be hit with harsh, punishing waves. Cocalus was rocked side to side as many of his belongings fell into the sea, being claimed by Poseidon. Then, after one, large wave smashed into the boat, nearly pushing Cocalus over the side, everything became just as calm as before.
Cocalus looked scared and confused as water came out of the Mediterranean Sea, string like, as if it were a water snake. I came onto the boat as Cocalus watched in horror. The water slowly touched the floor of the fishing boat, forming legs, and then a human waist, until the water looked like a human body. The water then turned to skin. The skin produced hair and other human features. The water had turned into a man! He looked old with a long, shaggy beard, white as paper. His hair was just as long as his beard and just as white. He had on no shirt. His muscles were as large as a professional athlete’s. He held a large, golden trident in his right hand. Cocalus immediately knew who he was.
“How dare you call me a coward and think you can sail on my waters!” His voice was deep and heavy. His voice was filed with anger, like he was ready to stab Cocalus immediately with his trident. “I recognize you. You have insulted many of the gods we have discussed what we will do with you. Zeus has decided he will take care of you himself.”
“I am very sorry, my lord. I have a made a grave mistake of judging you,” Cocalus pleaded. “Have mercy!’
“Indeed you have insulted me. I do not care what Zeus says. I will deal with you myself,” Poseidon declared.
“Mercy my lord!” screamed Cocalus. He was on his knees with his head down, imagining the worst, remembering all his insults to Hades, God of the Underworld. What will he do with him after Poseidon most likely kills him?
“Too late!” Poseidon roared. “Forever more, you shall be rejected by society even more than you already are. You will be completely hideous; no one will ever want to look at you. You will live forever with the head of a bull.”
Cocalus looked up at Poseidon, completely terrified. Poseidon lifted his trident, the light from the bright moon reflecting off of it. He aimed it at Cocalus. “No longer will you be known as Cocalus. From now on, you shall be known only as, the Minotaur!” A bright burst of pure energy flowed out of Poseidon’s trident. Cocalus was consumed by the bright, yellow energy. The light of the energy lit up the entire sea. Cocalus was screaming, but it could not be heard. After fifteen seconds, the energy stopped shooting out of Poseidon’s trident.
Poseidon looked down to see an ugly beast lying on he floor of the small boat. Cocalus’ body had remained the same, large with big, strong muscles. His head, on the other hand, had become a large, hairy bull head. The Minotaur was asleep, and Poseidon made sure it would stay that way. Poseidon’s body turned back into the water snake, and vanished beneath the water.
Poseidon went to the great Greek inventor, Daedalus. When he arrived, Daedalus was working on wings, which would allow humans to fly. Poseidon appeared out of thin air. Daedalus was startled. He jumped back and knocked into the table, knocking most of his things on the floor.
Daedalus has seen the gods before. “Poseidon? What do you request?”
“Someone has angered me deeply. For their punishment, I have replaced their head with a bull’s. Make me something that the creature may live in. I do not want there to be any escape.”
“Yes, Poseidon,” said Daedalus.
Daedalus constructed a maze. The maze’s walls would move, everything looked the same and there were no landmarks. Daedalus named it the Labyrinth. It was said to be impossible to escape from. It was perfect for a monster like the Minotaur.
Poseidon was pleased with Daedalus. He went back to the boat where the Minotaur remained asleep, still floating in the boat. With another shot from Poseidon’s trident, the Minotaur vanished from the boat and appeared inside the labyrinth, which was located on the island of Crete. When the Minotaur woke up, it was completely confused. It wondered throughout the Labyrinth, getting more lost with every step. Until the day of its death, the Minotaur wondered the labyrinth, feeding off of anything it could find. Cocalus was no more. There was only, the Minotaur.