By placing this passage at the beginning of the story, the author builds suspense for the arrival of Theseus. Option C is correct.
Theseus was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. Like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, Theseus battled and overcame foes that were identified with an archaic religious and social order: “This was a major cultural transition, like the making of the new Olympia by Hercules.”
