In Troezen, a small city in the south of Greece, there lived a young man named Theseus. He was raised by his mother, Aethra, and his grandfather, King Pittheus. But Theseus carried a secret: his true father was Aegeus, the king of Athens.

Years before, Aegeus had visited Troezen, and he and Aethra had fallen in love. But the king had to return to Athens, his city. Before leaving, he took Aethra to a great rock and, with an immense effort, pushed the stone aside.

"When our son grows strong enough to move this rock," said Aegeus, "he will find beneath it my sandals and my sword. Let him bring them to me, in Athens. Then I will know he is truly my son."

And Aegeus departed, never knowing whether that son would ever be born.

Theseus grew up strong and brave. When he turned sixteen, his mother took him to the rock.

"Son," said Aethra, "the time has come for you to know the truth. Your father is Aegeus, king of Athens. If you can move this rock, you will find the proof."

Theseus gripped the stone. It was immense, heavy as a mountain. He pushed with all his strength, muscles straining, sweat running, until, very slowly, the rock moved. Beneath it lay the sandals and the sword of Aegeus, perfectly kept.

"I will go to Athens," Theseus declared. "I will find my father."

"Go by boat, son," Aethra pleaded, anxious. "The sea is safe. The road by land is far too dangerous."

The land road between Troezen and Athens was feared indeed. Six terrible villains ruled the way, robbing and killing travelers.

"That is exactly why I must go by land," Theseus answered. "Hercules cleared Greece of monsters. I will do the same with these bandits, and prove myself worthy of being a king's son."

It was a dangerous choice, but a noble one. Theseus did not want merely to reach Athens: he wanted to leave the world better along the way. And he set out, with his father's sword at his belt and courage in his heart.

The first bandit Theseus met was Periphetes, the Club-Bearer, a brutal giant who attacked travelers at Epidaurus with an enormous bronze club.

"Hand over your money, boy!" he roared, raising the weapon.

"Never," Theseus answered.

Periphetes swung the club down in fury, but Theseus dodged. The giant was strong, but slow. Theseus waited for the right moment and struck with the sword of Aegeus, bringing the bandit down at a stroke. Then he took up the bronze club as a trophy.

"This club has served evil," he said. "From now on, it will serve good."

Farther on lived Sinis, the Pine-Bender, a cruel man of terrible strength. His method was horrifying: he bent two pine trees to the ground, tied his victim between them, and let the trees go at once.

"Another traveler!" laughed Sinis when he saw Theseus. "Come help me bend these trees."

Theseus pretended to agree, and the two of them bent a pine together. But when Sinis was distracted, Theseus attacked. They fought hand to hand. Sinis was strong, but Theseus was faster and smarter, and in the end he defeated the bandit with the same cruel method Sinis had used on others.

"Let your own evil be your end," said Theseus.

The third danger on the road was not human: it was a giant wild sow called Phaea, who terrorized the region of Crommyon, devouring crops and even people. She had tusks sharp as swords and was as big as a bull.

Theseus hunted her through the forest. The beast was quick and fierce, and she charged at him with her tusks lowered. Theseus dodged and struck back with his sword, in a hard fight, until he brought the animal down. The people of Crommyon celebrated him as a hero.

Farther along waited Cercyon, the Wrestler, a brutal man who challenged every traveler.

"Wrestle me!" he demanded when he saw Theseus. "If you lose, I kill you."

"And if I win?" asked Theseus.

"No one has ever won," laughed Cercyon.

They began to wrestle. Cercyon was immense and powerful, and he caught Theseus in a crushing hold. But Theseus was trained in the art of wrestling and used technique, not just strength. With one swift move, he lifted the giant into the air and hurled him to the ground with devastating force. Cercyon never got up again. Theseus had beaten the unbeatable.

The fifth villain was perhaps the cruelest of all: Damastes, known as Procrustes, "the stretcher." He offered travelers a false hospitality.

"Weary traveler! Come rest in my bed!"

But it was a trap. Procrustes had two beds, one far too long and one far too short. If the victim was small, he laid them on the long bed and stretched them. If the victim was tall, he laid them on the short bed and cut off whatever hung over.

"Perfect hospitality," he would laugh. "Everyone ends up exactly the size of my beds."

When Theseus arrived, Procrustes smiled slyly and offered the bed. But Theseus was clever.

"It is a magnificent bed. First, though, show me how it works. You lie down first."

Full of pride, Procrustes lay down. In an instant, Theseus tied him fast.

"Now taste your own medicine," he said, giving the bandit the same end he had given so many victims. "Let those who torture be overtaken by their own evil."

The last villain before Athens was Sciron, an old man of harmless appearance who sat on a cliff above the sea.

"Let me wash your feet, weary from the road, young man," he would offer in a gentle voice.

But when the traveler sat down, Sciron kicked him over the cliff, and down below a giant turtle devoured the bodies. When Theseus arrived, Sciron made his usual offer.

"How kind," Theseus replied. "But I insist: let me wash your feet first. You are older, and you deserve respect."

Flattered, suspecting nothing, Sciron sat down. Theseus washed the old man's feet... and then, with one powerful kick, sent Sciron flying from his own cliff. The giant turtle had a different meal that day.

At last, having defeated the six villains, Theseus reached Athens. The road was clear, and travelers could finally pass in safety. News of his victories had arrived before him, and the people cheered him in the streets, asking who this young man was who had beaten every bandit on the road.

Theseus went straight to the royal palace. There, on the throne, sat Aegeus, his father. But Aegeus did not recognize him. How could he, when he had never seen his son?

And there was a still greater problem: beside the king stood Medea, the sorceress. She had married Aegeus after fleeing from Jason, and she had dark plans of her own.

The story of Theseus continues in Part 2, when he will face his greatest challenge: the Minotaur.