After getting the Golden Apple, there are a couple of good items to get in Crete.

Defeat Talos

Go back the way you came in Phthia. Be warned that the Centaur will be there whether you killed it or not. Keep going until you reach a Sun Monument. Play the harp there and Pegasus will take you to Laconia. Go to the right to reach the ocean, and play the Ocarina to summon a dolphin. Hop onto it and go to the right to get to the Siren's island (the Siren won't be there). Go to the right side of the island and use the Ocarina to call another dolphin. Go to the right and you will arrive in Crete. Go to the right until you reach land, then hop off.

Talos the knight will attack. You have to crouch to damage him. Be sure to time your hits carefully, because if you let him get too close, he will hit you with his axe.

When Talos is gone, go to the right and go through the door. Then go right to enter the main hallway.

Get the Power Bracelet

This area is full of armored warriors, and you have to crouch to do any damage to them. The tall warriors must be hit four times to be defeated, and the shorter warriors must be hit two times. There are also ninja-like enemies that walk along the ceiling. You will have to deal with those if you use the Sandals to jump and flip onto the ceiling.

From the first area (purple), go to the right and enter the door. Then in the blue area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the purple area, go to the left and enter that door. Then in the pink area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the purple area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the blue area, you can optionally go into the rightmost door to find a fountain. Then back in the blue area, you can go into the leftmost door to reach a golden area. Go to the right and enter the door to reach Ares's temple. Pay him 80 Olives to get the Power Bracelet, which doubles your attack power, and allows you to shoot beams from the Divine Sword without losing health. If you don't have 80 Olives, he will take your Sandals and won't give you the bracelet. You can get another pair of Sandals if you visit Hermes's temple in Argolis and then go to Zeus's temple in Arcadia. And you will still have to pay 80 Olives to get the bracelet.

Get the Salamander Shield

Get a password from Ares. If you want the optional Salamander Shield, you are going to need another 80 Olives. Gather those however you wish. You're probably best off leaving the labyrinth to collect them. You are also going to need 20 Salamander Skins, so be sure to go to the Salamanders' Nest in the pit to the left of Hermes's temple in Argolis if you don't have those. To leave Crete from Ares's temple, go to the leftmost side of the golden area and enter that door. Then in the blue area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the purple area, go to the left and enter that door. Then in the pink area, go to the left and enter that door. Then in the purple area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the blue area, go to the left and enter that door. Then in the purple area, go to the left and enter that door.

If you have 80 olives, then when you enter the labyrinth of Crete and are in the first purple hallway with the warriors that attack you, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the blue area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the purple area, go to the left and enter that door. Then in the pink area, go to the rightmost side and enter that door. Then in the green area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the pink area, go to the rightmost side and enter that door. Then in the purple area, go to the right and enter that door. Then in the pink area, go to the left and enter that door. Then in the red area, go to the right and enter that door. This is Circe. If you have 20 Salamander Skins, and 80 Olives, she will give you the Salamander Shield.

Defeat the Minotaur

Leave Circe's room, then go to the right and enter that door. In the pink area, go to the right. You can go into the first door to find a fountain. Then use the rightmost door in the pink area.

Go to the right, killing the warrior or ignoring as best you can. Go to the right, and if you have two Tokens of Love, the barrier will disappear for you. Try to kill the ghosts so that the next battle won't be too hard. More might appear when you go to the right, so kill those as well. Continue going to the right and you will encounter the Minotaur. Stand just to the right of the raised step so that you are on the same level as the Minotaur. If you just stand there, the Minotaur's projectiles should bounce off your shield. From here, simply jump and shoot beams from the Divine Sword so that they hit the Minotaur's head just above its shield. Avoid jumping when a projectile is coming toward you, and you should be fine.

Get the Third Token of Love

After you kill the Minotaur, go through the door that appears. Talk to the Nymph to get the final Token of Love, and another letter from Helene. She says that the door to Tartarus is now open, and can be found on the sea between Crete and Argolis.

However, there is one last thing that you need before you can defeat Hades, and you need to go to Phrygia to get it.