As the war rages on in the city of Athens, theseus and Agamemnon return to their quarters in the countryside. Theseus is still weeping over the loss of the city, but he realizes that defeat is "only fleeting" . He realizes that theseus is the "terrifying monster" who betrayed the "unnatural union" between man and beast, the "infernal error" of the queen of Crete, and the "treachery of king minos." He is afraid that if theseus were killed and eaten by theseus, the city would fall to him, and he would be left with nothing but "piss" and "fire breathers." Theseus, however, knows that he is a liar and that he has nothing to tell him. He is tired of the war and wishes to return to his quarters, where he can tell the young woman that he brought her a "toy" back from the city. He tells her that she should be grateful for the time she has not been able to spend with the new queen, and she should know that her body will never belong to her. She should calm herself and obey, he says, but if she grows up to be as beautiful as theseus when she is older, perhaps it will not be so bad after all.