Look out! It’s the Minotaur!

Hurry! Run to the tree at the camp border! We’ll hold him back as long as we can!

. . .

Whoops! Our bad. Sorry, force of habit. We’ve been a bit on edge ever since the Minotaur’s first encounter with Percy Jackson all those years ago.

But we currently have it on good authority that the Minotaur’s demigod hunting days are finally over. By all accounts, the bull-man has turned over a new leaf and is eager to explore greener pastures.

What exactly does that mean for the demigod community? Well, we’d ask him ourselves, but honestly, we’re a little embarrassed by our previous outburst . . .

What we can do is share five secrets of the Minotaur that we’re sure he’d be more than happy to tell us himself (we hope).

He’s Undergoing a Rebrand

If the Minotaur gets his way, we’ll all soon stop referring to him as “The Minotaur.” Which must be a major relief for those of you who always forget whether the a comes before the u. As for the name he would prefer you to use, well, you’re going to have to ask him that yourself.

We don’t know whether the guy will be offended if you still refer to him as “The Minotaur” or “Ahh! What is that?! Get it away from me!” But we can confirm is that he will take issue with being called a “monster.”

You see, ever since the Minotaur and other denizens of Tartarus were first called monsters, that label kind of stuck. And it informed their entire life trajectory. Whether they wanted to be or not, these beings were enslaved to the whims of those who longed only to create violence and chaos.

These days, the creatures we have historically referred to as “monsters” prefer to be called “mythics.” That’s much more dignified, don’t you think?

Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some old, insensitive social media posts we need to delete . . .

He Can Talk. A Lot, Actually.

We’re just as surprised as you are. From the Minotaur’s previous appearances, we assumed, like many of you, that he could only yell and maybe say moo.

As it turns out, in the heat of battle, the Minotaur’s isn’t much of a yapper. But if you sit down for tea with him, you’ll find out that he’s quite a talkative guy.

Not that you’ll mind, necessarily. In addition to having a deep, smooth, tenor voice, the Minotaur is also surprisingly eloquent and erudite. How can we tell? Because he’s the kind of dorky mythic who would use words like eloquent and erudite in casual conversation.

He’s Recently Relocated

Look out! The Minotaur is on the loose!

Sorry. Force of habit . . . again.

But yes, it is true that the Minotaur has recently moved out of the depths of the Underworld and has no plans to return anytime soon.

Why, exactly? You see, after the Minotaur heard the story of two brave young demigods who recently survived a trip to Tartarus, he decided to return to the mortal world to seek them out.

Although it seems that the Minotaur got turned around and wound up on the wrong side of the country. But after spending some time there, the Minotaur discovered a new community where he felt he could settle safely. Much to the chagrin of a few members of that community who are, let’s say, less than thrilled about sharing accommodations with a rampaging bull-man.

But according to a new, powerful ally, as well as the Minotaur himself, the bull-man’s rampaging days are behind him. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody anymore.

Quite the opposite, in fact . . .

He’s Found a New Purpose

These days, the Minotaur just wants to live in peace. You’re going to have to trust us on this one. Ignore those sharp dagger-like fingernails. Those are for non-mutilation purposes, we swear.

The truth is, the Minotaur has discovered a new reason for living. And it has nothing to do with goring poor demigods with his horns. We’re sure he’d rather inform you of this major life update himself. What we can do is share the possible reason why the Minotaur has turned his back on his regrettable past.

If you know your Greek history, you will recall that the Minotaur’s birth was the result of a trick that Poseidon played on Queen Pasiphae. Poseidon desired revenge on her husband, King Minos, so he cursed the queen to fall in love with a white bull. We don’t need to tell you what happened next.

Suffice it to say, baby Minotaur soon came into the world. As he grew bigger and stronger, Queen Pasiphae believed it best that he be housed within a labyrinth due to his fierce and violent tendencies.

But what if those “fierce and violent tendencies” were a lie? What if they were simply used as an excuse to hide the Minotaur away from his embarrassed mother?

What if the Minotaur never asked for seven youths and seven maidens to be sacrificed to him every seven years? What if he didn’t even like the taste of human flesh? What if it tasted like stale beef jerky? Ever thought about that? Huh?

Actually . . . maybe don’t tell us if you’ve ever thought about that.

He’s in Grave Danger

Regardless of how his tragic past may or may not have led to a few regretful encounters in the olden days, we’re proud of the Minotaur for turning a new page now. But not everyone is willing to forgive and forget as quickly as we are. And no, we’re not just talking about those demigods who continue to shrink in horror from the sight of the Minotaur’s undies.

The Minotaur’s recent actions have caught the attention of a few people who are less than thrilled to see a monster—excuse us, a mythic—taking charge of his destiny and living his best life.

But so what? Haters are going to hate. Best to just ignore them. What are they going to do, anyway? Call the Minotaur in front of a tribunal of powerful judges with the power to destroy him once and for all, permanently?

. . . Yeah, right. We’re sure it’s not that serious. It’s probably just a minor public decency infraction. Come on, guys! His underwear isn’t that tight!

See more of the Minotaur (not literally) and follow his journey in The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, on sale 9/23!