Part 1: Chapter 3

Dionysus

I looked up from my wine at him with wide eyes. "Really?" I asked incredulously.

Looking at me and taking another swig of his wine, Hermes said with a shrug, "Why not? I don't think it would be that difficult to find out. Besides, it could be something fun for me to do while I perform my duties."

"You would do that for me?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

He turned his head to look at me with a smile. "Of course, I would," he told me. "Anything for a brother."

I felt glad to hear that; glad to know that Hermes was alright with doing what he suggested, just for me. I brought my chalice forward, and he responded by clinking it with his.

"Thank you, Hermes," I said to him graciously. He raised his chalice to me and downed the final few drops of the wine before giving the empty cup to a satyr servant who was passing by.

"I suppose I should get on with my promise. Wouldn't want to keep you waiting now, would I?" he remarked cheekily with a wink.

In reply, I simply rolled my eyes. However, one of the panthers at my feet saw my 'amusement' at Hermes' comment, and simply smacked the floating god in the face with its tail. Hermes yelped, and I laughed heartily.

"Good girl," I said proudly as I leaned down to scratch the scruff of the panther's neck affectionately. She simply turned her head to lick my hand and let out a yawn.

"Hmph," Hermes snorted as he rubbed his left cheek, where the panther's tail had hit him. "Insolent rascal…" he muttered, but was stopped short when the panther turned its head to lock its bright yellow eyes on him and growled lowly in warning. She clearly did not like what my half-brother had just called her.

"Calm down, girl," I told the big feline, patting her head comfortably. "Hermes does not mean you any harm."

The panther gave one last critical look to the floating god before turning away to gaze at its sleeping partner at the other side of my feet. Hermes took this opportunity to float higher above, saying to me, "Alright. I better be going now. Come back to Mount Olympus soon, alright?"

At that moment, I've thought about Mount Olympus, and sighed. I won't lie about missing the place, since it was where most of my Olympian family members and close friends resided. But I knew that I needed to continue gathering more followers here on the mortal lands. Maybe when I think that I have had enough, and maybe when I needed a break from my Bacchic rituals, which I don't suppose I do anytime soon, I'll come back to the palace on the great mountain. But until then, Mount Olympus had to wait.

"Maybe soon," I tell him. "Now go. Find out about that girl for me."

Hermes gave me a playful salute and a wave goodbye before flying off into the sky and disappearing among the white puffy clouds. As I looked up to watch him off, it was then I realized that the sky was turning pinkish, symbolizing the day's transition into night.

I stood up from my throne, announcing to everyone to prepare for the nightly celebrations. Everyone cheered in excitement, immediately getting to work. I sat back down on my throne and watched.

My mind full of that mortal girl once again.

Ariadne

I could not tell the time. But if I could decipher from the Sun's position in the sky, thanks to this certain knowledge implanted on me by Daedalus from when I was younger, I could tell that it would be about an hour or slightly more to nightfall.

The worry that had been implanted into me since when I first woke up was by now shrouding my entire heart and form. I couldn't even relax, no matter how hard I tried. Relaxation was now an impossible feat for me to achieve. Everywhere I turned, I kept on thinking that something would jump out and attack me, but thankfully, nothing has happened so far.

I had stayed on the sandy path along the sea, trying hard to find any sign of civilization or Theseus' ship, which was the one thing I was really hoping to find. But with each second that passed, and the more there were no signs of Theseus' ship, my mind plagued me with horrible thoughts.

And… I was starting to realize that… maybe Theseus did abandon me.

I tried so hard to quash that horrible thought, trying to convince myself that it wasn't true; that he didn't. But the more I tried hard to fruitlessly convince myself that, the more I realized that it seemed like that.

Why?

First; if I had been kidnapped, I would have been awake to notice it. There would have been forceful movements and shouts which would sure to have awaken me from slumber. But because I had not felt any on the previous night, that meant that whoever had left me on the island had been gentle... and careful.

Second; the ship had been heavily guarded by some of the most well-trained warriors of Athens. They made sure that everybody that was on the ship stayed on the ship. Theseus himself made sure that they didn't leave any man or woman behind, unless it was on his command to do so.

Third; for the past few days, Theseus had been distancing himself from me. When I talked to him, he wouldn't pay attention. When I held his hand, he would not grasp back. When we made love, he would finish quickly and then go to sleep. He didn't seem to pay me so much attention anymore. He didn't seem to want me near him anymore. He didn't seem to regard me as so important anymore.

But I had been so immersed of the thought of being with him that I had failed to realize these details until now; until it was already completely too late.

"How could he…" I muttered to myself, feeling tears burn the back of my eyes and starting to well in them. "How could he do this to me…"

There was no reply to my question, since I was all alone on this lonely beach on this unknown island. But at that moment, I was glad that I was all alone, since nobody could look at me while I screamed into the air.

"HOW COULD YOU, THESEUS?! HOW COULD YOU?! I HELPED YOU! I SAVED YOUR LIFE! I GAVE UP EVERYTHING I HAD, JUST FOR YOU! AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! THIS IS WHAT YOU DO TO ME?! WHY?!"

As I screamed into the skies, as though hoping that he would hear my words, I felt unlike myself. I could feel tears burning my eyes, blocking my vision of the sky above. Some streamed down my cheeks, gathering at the point of my chin before dripping down onto the soft sand below my feet. My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, trying to restrain myself from hitting anything out of anger. I could feel my whole body tremble, threatening to break myself into pieces from the unbearable pain and anger that was building up in my aching heart.

Why? Why did he leave me? Why did he abandon me on this island when all I had ever been to him since the first day I met him was loyal and faithful? He made me fall in love with him when he bedded me the night before he was sent to the Labyrinth. He made me defy my father and my sworn oath as the Labyrinth's guardian because I wanted to save his life. He filled my head with false hopes and dreams when he told me that he would take me back to Athens to make me his bride.

And he did one more wrong to me by leaving me on this island without Phaedra, my precious younger sister.

I felt so completely at loss at this very moment. In just a matter of days, I had lost everything; my family, my home, my title…. everything! And because I had been so foolish to be so smitten by his appearance and so dumb to willingly open my legs for him! I should have known better than to trust a man that I did not know at all!

Here I was, the Princess – or more painfully, the former Princess – of Crete and the guardian of the Labyrinth, stranded on an island I did not know, swindled out of everything because I so stupidly thought that I was in love with the Prince of Athens.

Feeling the consequences of my foolishness and stupidity finally set upon me, I fell to my knees and crumpled to the sand, allowing pain and anguish to take over me completely.

Dionysus

The ecstasy was so high, it felt so heavy in the air.

Everywhere around me, everyone was in frenzy. There were some that were downing down their umpteenth chalice of wine or some other hard liquor. There were some that were just dancing so wildly, giving up control of their bodies to the wine and music. There were even some that were mating, already too high in the frenzy to care that they could be seen.

However, I did not feel like myself tonight.

I was worried at first when I realized that my body was not reacting to the ecstasy like it usually did. My mind too was not giving in to the effects of the wine. Instead, my entire being was resisting, clouding my mind with other thoughts instead of the high ecstasy.

And by 'other thoughts', I meant thoughts about that mortal girl.

Seriously! She hasn't left my mind since this morning, when I had first laid my eyes upon her. I could not forget her terrified beautiful face, her lost expression and her confused grey-green eyes. I couldn't fight the urge to want to know about her and her predicament. My curiosity about her only grew more and more by the minute, with every single thought about her that appeared in my mind.

I felt that I should not be here in this clearing, dancing and drinking to my heart's content. Instead, I felt like I should be finding that mortal girl, and get to know her myself.

I tried to reason with myself. I told myself that Hermes would soon come back bearing with him information about that girl for me. That way, I wouldn't need to get to know her by actually coming back to her. I could satisfy my curiosity about her than move on.

But yet, I felt like I could not wait for Hermes to do that. I felt like I needed to do it myself, and as soon as possible.

I really had no idea why I would consider this important, but I just do. I pitied the girl; seeing how lost, confused and terrified she was made me want to help her. And I knew that if I didn't act now, I would miss the chance.

Without a moment's hesitation, I stopped dancing and walked through the crowd out of the clearing. A few of my followers looked at me in confusion, most probably wondering why in Tartarus was I leaving in the middle of a frenzy, since I have never done so.

But most of them were already too into the high to notice my disappearing presence.

As I made my way to the beach, which was the first place that came into my mind, I hoped with all of my heart that I could find the girl with ease.

Ariadne

The radiant white Moon had risen and the multitudes of stars were shining in the backdrop of dark midnight blue sky. The ocean had changed from its beautiful bluish-green color to an appearance of thick dark black ink. The trees that had looked green and earthy during the day now looked like tall scary dark shadows in the night.

Never before in my entire life have I felt as so very exhausted as I do right now.

Both my feet were aching from the endless walking I had done the entire day. My body was shivering from the cold night air and I had no means to keep warm except to wrap my arms around myself. My stomach was growling and I was so famished; I could have picked some of the wild berries in the forest, but I was completely unsure of whether or not they were poisonous.

I could feel not even one bit of energy left in my body. Some of it had been taken up by walking, while most of it had been spent on screaming and cursing the bloody bastard of a hero who had abandoned me on this island. I knew that I shouldn't have wasted my precious energy on exerting my anger, but I was already too filled with pain and rage to care, up until this point.

Feeling the burdening weight of fatigue finally set upon me, I found that I could no longer bring myself to walk anymore. I even felt like I was too tired to even drag my feet. My knees were also starting to shake, indicating that my legs no longer had the strength to stand up.

With a sigh, I slowly settled myself down on the powdery sand, thankful for the fact that it felt soft instead of gritty. I sat facing the sea, keeping my eyes on the waves that were crashing upon land.

While I stayed quiet, I immediately wondered to myself exactly how far away from Crete I was. But no matter how I assured myself that the island I was on was not so much of a distance from Crete, I knew that it was a lie. I had been on Theseus' ships for the past three days, and I knew that we have already covered a great amount of ocean distance from Crete.

Again, I felt my tears welling up at the thought of home. I began to recall the big palace I had been born and grew up in, my bedchambers with a balcony that had a beautiful view of the kingdom, the palace garden with all its rich and beautiful flora, the library with works done by the greatest of writers and philosophers, and the village market square that I always used to frequent with my mother and sisters.

I started breaking into sobs at the thought that I could never see all of that again. I knew I shouldn't have cried because I had forfeited on my own the right to all these things the minute I had chosen to help Theseus. But I had done so out of foolishness. I was so dumb and ignorant to not think of the consequences of my actions and what I may lose in the process.

My heart started to break even more when my mind suddenly recalled Father's angered expression when he had realized that I had played a part in Theseus' success in the Labyrinth. He had yelled at me, cursed me, and threatened my life.

"YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR THIS, YOU TRAITOR! YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR ENDING A TRADITION OF CRETE! YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR BETRAYING YOUR HONOR TO OUR FAMILY!"

My heart ached at the thought that I was now seen as a traitor in Father's eyes instead of his daughter. The Father that I had loved with all my heart now despised me with all of his heart.

"Father…" I whispered to the wind in between sobs. "Forgive me… Forgive me… I was stupid… So very stupid…"

I wanted so badly to come back to Crete and beg for his forgiveness. But I knew very well that I would only be scorned if I ever set foot back on my home island. I might even get punished for having the nerve to return, even though I was now a traitor.

But the more painful thought was that I knew very well that Father would never forgive me and he would never accept me back, even if I were to beg and grovel at his feet.

I was finding it more difficult to breathe as sobs started to choke my throat. But somehow, I managed to shift myself from sitting to a kneeling position. My hands started to clasp together and were brought to the front of my face. My eyes, which had been focused on the Moon, started to close shut.

Before I knew it, I was praying.

"Oh, great deities of Mount Olympus. Hear my pleas as I pray to you. I have foolishly given up everything I had for a man who had lied to me, who had betrayed me, who had swayed me with sweet nothings. I now have nothing except for my name and the cloths I wear. But even I can no longer be 'Ariadne of Crete'; now I am plainly 'Ariadne'. And the cloths I wear now are sure to disappear as time passes."

I paused to take in a shuddering breath through my sobs before I continued.

"Please hear me, great gods and goddesses of the great heavenly mountain. As I pray to you humbly, I plead to you to give me your mercy. Bring me help out of my predicament. Give me a chance to redeem myself. Allow me to have strength to continue living, to start anew. I wish to discard all that I had foolishly done, and repent for my actions. Please, great deities. Send me in any form a chance for me to redeem my name and forgive myself for my foolish actions. I would forever be grateful."

Now, as all became quiet again except for the waves and the breeze, I could only hope that the deities had heard me, and be ever so merciful to send me the chance I wished to gain.

Dionysus

When I had found her, she was kneeling on the beach, facing the ocean. She had her back to me, and I could not help but admire her form that was bathed in silvery-white moonlight.

I hid quietly in the outer regions of the forest, watching her intently. I noticed that her body was either shivering or shuddering; I didn't know whether she was just feeling cold or if she was crying. However, I heard soft sniffles sounding from her, confirming the fact that she was crying again.

I didn't know what she was doing. She was kneeling, and she had her clasped hands in front of her face. It was until she spoke, then did I realize that she was actually praying.

I listened carefully as she prayed to the deities on Mount Olympus for help. As I listened, I caught snippets of her speaking of a man who had lied to her, betrayed her, and swayed her with 'sweet nothings'. For some reason, I felt like the man that she was talking about must be that Theseus.

But the most important thing I had picked up from her prayer was her name.

I finally knew her name.

Her name was Ariadne.

Previously known as 'Ariadne of Crete', now plainly known as 'Ariadne'.

Ariadne… The name tasted sweet on my tongue, like a nice drop of honeyed nectar. The name felt appropriate for her; a lovely name for a lovely face. I could not stop tasting saying that name, glad now that I finally knew what it was.

"Ariadne… Ariadne…"

While I murmured her name, I listened as she prayed to the gods and goddesses. She prayed for a chance to 'redeem' herself. She talked about having a predicament, wanting to forgive herself for mistaken actions, and to have strength to start anew. She prayed for the gods and goddesses to send her a chance to redeem her name and forgive herself.

When she had finished her prayer, I became even more confused. What was what she talking about? What was she praying to the deities for? What was it that Theseus may have done to her? What had happened to her?

So overwhelmed with curiosity was I, that I then forgot all importance of secrecy at that moment.

"Ariadne."

I had spoken her name at my normal volume of voice, very sure that she could hear me.

True enough, she did.

When I had spoken her name, she immediately turned her head around and stared at the forest. She was looking all around for what had said her name, unknowing that it was me. Now that I could see her face, I could see that her eyes were red and rimmed with tears and her cheeks were completely wet with the tears that had streamed down from her eyes.

"H-Hello?" she called out in panic, the fear she was feeling very evident in her voice. "W-Who's there?"

At that moment, I felt unsure of answering to her calls. Seeing the fear in her face made me worried that I might frighten her even more, and that would have been the very last thing that I wanted to do to her. If she was frightened of me, I was worried that she might do something like run away or scream.

But if I didn't act now, I would never get that chance any sooner than later. Besides, I had already pretty much made my presence known to her by saying her name, and that had already gotten her worked up.

With a deep breath and a lot of hope in my heart, I stepped out of my hiding place in the forest and into her view.

Author's Note:

So I was watching Immortals on HBO a few days ago. And though I was drooling over Henry Cavill and raging on all the wrong points of the movie (Seriously? Mount Tartarus? Ares gets killed by one flaming whip? And what's with all the excessive - and obviously fake - gold that the gods wear?! That movie seriously has a lot of wrong in it. I feel insulted on behalf of Greek Mythology!), I couldn't help but think of Theseus and Phaedra in the movie.

As you know, Theseus and Phaedra does have a part to play in this story. But it won't be so elaborated on the first part of the story. Somewhere in the middle of the second part, it will. Both of them would, of course, have something to do with Ariadne. Of course, don't expect them to be like their Immortals counterpart! (Phaedra ain't no Virgin Oracle priestess! That's for sure!)

So anyway, it has now come to a crucial moment for Dionysus. He is finally about to meet Ariadne! How will he react? And how would their first meeting go? What will happen to the both of them?

Find out on the next chapter on Monday!

Muse of Fanfiction