Dion: His Life and Mine Read Online Free

as our father put it. Andro made sure that the servants kept believing in the monster rumour so that no one disturbed Aster. He even told the servants that they could pacify the monster by leaving food for ‘it’; in particular, honey cake and stuffed vine leaves – coincidentally Aster’s favourites.
    So the Labyrinth became Aster’s home, but it was still Andro’s den. Whilst father ranted and raved overhead, Andro ruled peacefully over his underground province and it was here that I found him playing with his little brother, like he did every day, after he’d run the track.
    “You’re wanted upstairs,” I told him.
    “By whom?” He asked, throwing a set of dice and frowning at the result.
    “Father.”
    “He can wait,” he said, as he watched Aster take his throw.
    “It’s to do with the games in Athens.”
    “They can wait,” he said, passing me the dice. “Look what Aster made! I swear that’s why he always wins. See if you can beat him, because I can’t! If there were games for Knuckle Bones then Aster would win hands down!” he said, as he ruffled Aster’s hair affectionately. Aster beamed; Andro more than made up for what he had lost in our father, and in fact, it was our father who ended up losing the most. At least I have memories like these to console me in my old age. What would my father have had if he had reached his dotage? Lost possibilities and a crumbling palace.
    In the weeks leading up to the games, there was great excitement. Throughout Crete, mugs and garments sporting images of Andro were made and sold. Songs were written in Andro’s honour, before he had even left for Athens. Andro didn’t let himself get swept up in the hysteria - after all, it wasn’t The Great Games at Olympia - and spent more and more time in the cellar with Aster and me. One day he surprised our father by asking for one of the t-shirts.
    “Of course, as many as you like, give one to all your friends,” father said, happy that Andro was acknowledging what, as he saw it, was his people’s support.
    “Thanks,” said Andro, “I only need one,” winking at me as he left the room.
     
    On his last night, before leaving for Athens, Andro left the dining room early on the pretence of having an early night. He signalled to me to follow him and later I found him, saying goodbye to our little brother as he tucked him in. As we made our way through the winding corridors, Andro started walking slower and slower. Before we reached the door leading to the main palace, Andro grabbed me and hugged me.
    “Promise me, promise you’ll look after him.”
    I promised, unaware as he turned and rushed ahead of me, that it would be our last conversation and that I would be unable to fulfil his final request.
     
    News came back that Andro had been victorious in every contest he had entered, including discus throwing which he had been particularly worried about, although none of us could fathom why.  He sent secret letters to me, which I read out to Aster.
    “ Food‘s great, girls are gorgeous, Xander makes me train every day, but I still have time to practise Knuckle Bones and when I get back I’ll be ready to take you on, little brother! ”
    “He wishes!” Aster had been practising too. “Does he mention Milo?” Second only to Andro, Milo was Aster’s hero. He had won the wrestling competition at The Great Games at Olympia five times; his last opponent had been fifteen years his junior. He was at the games in Athens, as a guest, to present winners with their laurel wreaths at the victory ball, another incentive for Andro to win. He’d promised Aster that he would get Milo’s autograph for him.
    “Not yet,” I said skimming ahead, “he says that Milo said he’d give him an autograph, if Andro took a pomegranate from him.”
    Apparently, although he wasn’t competing, Milo still liked to pit his strength against the athletes. No one could overcome him.
    “Andro says that even though Milo held it tightly,