King Minos in Daedalus and Icarus

King Minos in Daedalus and Icarus

Ruler of the island Crete, King Minos is powerful, vengeful, and often kind of childish. For example, when Poseidon sends him a beautiful bull, he declines to sacrifice it, because he thinks it is too handsome. This angers the sea god so much that he punishes Minos by causing his wife, Pasiphae, to fall in love with the bull. Oops. That'll teach him.

King Minos isn't especially forgiving, either, especially when it came to personal stuff. He and Daedalus were great buddies until the inventor got mixed up in Minos' personal affairs. According to different stories, Minos is angry with Daedalus for one of two things:

(1) helping his wife seduce the handsome bull by building a cow suit for her

(2) aiding Theseus in his escape from the Labyrinth (thanks to Daedalus, Theseus is able to navigate the Labyrinth and run off with King Minos' daughter)

And of course, rather than have a heart-to-heart with Daedalus to talk about his feelings, King Minos imprisons the inventor and his son. Next best option, we guess. And Minos doesn't let go of a grudge either—too bad because his hunt for Daedalus is what leads to his death. On the bright side, once he's dead, King Minos becomes a judge of the dead down in the Underworld.

King Minos isn't as popular as Daddy Daedalus and Punk-Son Icarus, but he does make an appearance as a villain in Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth.