Part 3: Chapter 3

Ariadne

While I sat on a rock at the edge of a stream, soaking my feet in the cooling waters, I finally said after a while of contemplation, "Can I ask you a question?"

Beside me, Persephone looked up from her own soaking feet to me. "Anything."

I twiddled my thumbs, admitting to her, "Well, I actually have more than one question. I hope you do not mind."

"Not at all," she reassured as she shook her head. "Whatever questions you have; ask, and I shall do my best to answer them in the best way I can."

Feeling rest assured, I nodded my head in understanding, and took a deep calming breath as I asked the first question on my mind.

"Back then when I was still in a black abyss, right before I knelt before your husband and you in the throne room, I came across my father. Can you tell me when, why and how did it came to be that way for him? Why was he given a special position in the realm of the Dead instead of going into an afterlife realm like me? Also, one of the other two people I saw was someone I know, but I could not remember who. Can you tell me who that is?"

"I had a feeling you were going to ask that question sooner or later," Persephone commented with a smile. "Well, it's good to know that I have the answer prepared for you already." She took a short breather before she continued on. "Your father is a son of Zeus, did you know?"

The statement took me off-guard. "Really?!" I exclaimed, completely flabbergasted. "I didn't know that!" Indeed it was something so very surprising and so very unexpected; this was my father we were talking about, and I did not even know that he was the son of the greatest god in the universe!

"He is," Persephone replied calmly. "A son of Zeus by the mortal woman Europa, the first Queen of Crete, your grandmother. When he died, his status as a First King earned him a place in the Underworld. A new system of judgement decreed by my husband, he became one of the first and only three Judges of the Dead. As for the familiar man that you had mentioned, that would be Rhadamanthys, your father's estranged older brother and your uncle. The one that five of your sons had pledged allegiance and served."

"Wow…" I exhaled in a breath I did not realize I was holding in until everything had sunken in. "I cannot believe it…"

Persephone only smiled in amusement at the current state of awe I was in. "What is your second question?" she asked as she continued to splash her feet about in the waters of the river.

I began to become nervous at the thought of the second question, for it was just something that made me curious but not something that I would want to ask so blatantly, furthermore when it was about her. I just pursed my lips and kept quiet, hoping that she would get the message and not ask me of it again.

But Persephone did not, for she then nudged me insistently and asked me again what the second question was. "Do not be afraid to ask, Ariadne," she told me gently. "I am sure your question could not be so bad."

"Ah… Well… I…" I mumbled under my breath, trying to find the right words to come to my lips as I tried to think of the best way to relay the question. Finally, I did, and I calmly but modestly asked, "I am just curious to know about your husband."

Persephone's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you being serious?" she asked in a gobsmacked tone of voice, the surprise in her voice matching the one that was on her face.

I nodded my head in confirmation, and then added shyly, "You do not have to answer if you do not wish to. And I am sorry for even daring to ask you such a question in the first place. Forgive me, if you may."

Persephone shook her head in response and exclaimed, "Oh no! Do not take my response the wrong way! I am merely surprised that you would actually be asking me about my husband. I don't think anyone has ever done that before. In fact, you may be just the first."

Then, bringing a finger to tap at her perfect bottom lip, she mused, "So what should I tell you about? You know what? Why not you tell me all the things you had thought him as first, and I will tell you if there are any similarities or differences between your assumptions and my first-hand knowledge."

"Sounds good enough," I said, and so I did.

I told her all the things that any other person who was still alive would expect the Underworld God-King to be; frightening, terrifying, cruel, dangerous and completely evil to the inhabitants of his realm of the dead. I told her how I had assumed that he would be a scary deity who would not give a care on who you are or what you used to be, for he would treat you as harshly as the next soul. And then I told her about how I was so surprised that, the moment I first came face-to-face with him, he was not at all what I had expected.

"Yes, well, everyone always has different opinions on Hades, but none of those opinions would even be close to the character he truly is," Persephone commented with a defensive huff and a slight tone of annoyance.

"Enlighten me, please," I beckoned her, and she did.

"First of all, Hades is not terrifying or frightening. He is just very intimidating and formidable, that is all. Secondly, he is nowhere near being a harsh and cruel tyrant. He is a ruler who is very fair and just, treating any soul who comes before him as the same, regardless of whether one was a peasant or the other was a princess, and also giving them reasonable sentences to their afterlives. Lastly, what people do not know is that Hades does have a gentle side of him, but he does not show it. There is a secret part of him – which only I am lucky enough to be able to witness – that would prove to anyone that he does still have a heart. He feels pity, understands pain and shows mercy on occasion. He is not entirely stone-hearted. But of course, he does not reveal this side of him too often, for being the King of the Underworld for how many centuries have enabled him to mask his emotions completely so that no one would be able to read him that easily."

To hear the Queen of the Underworld talk about her King in a protective and loving manner made me think back to all those previous assumptions I had of her and him.

I remembered how when Dionysus had first told me about the story of the creation of the seasons, I always imagined Persephone to be pale and lifeless, unhappy and completely miserable, as she stayed with Hades - who I had imagined to be horrible and sinister with a mean streak of cruelty and evil - as his stolen unwilling bride.

But now I saw that my assumptions were all false, and were all entirely the opposite. Persephone was not at all a withered flower and she was far from being miserable here in the Underworld. In fact, she definitely looked like she enjoyed being here, and I realized now that there has never been a day when I see her that she does not smile; she was even smiling when I was first being judged. And to think of Hades as cruel and evil now would be strange. Yes, he did look really intimidating with his daunt features and his air of authority, but there was not even one single trace of evil that marked his face.

However, all of that only fuelled the urge to ask my next question that I asked it so very suddenly.

"Do you trust your husband?"

Persephone was clearly taken aback by my question, for her eyebrows raised and her lips parted in surprise. "What? What do you mean by that? Of course, I do!"

It was then I realized that I may have accidentally made a (huge) mistake right there, and I immediately bit my tongue in punishment for my stupidity and ignorance. You idiot! I insulted myself mentally. How could you ask such a thing?! Now you've probably had gone and insult her greatly!

I was pulled out of my sudden thought when Persephone asked, "Why did you ask me such a question, Ariadne? If you do not mind me asking, that is? What did you mean by that?"

I twiddled my thumbs furiously as I replied fearfully, "I was merely very curious. I did not mean it to be insulting."

I hung my head and cast my eyes downwards in fear of seeing her anger. But just as I was wallowing in the inner fear to myself, a warm hand rested upon mine, and I looked up to see Persephone's gentle look, instead of the anger I had been expecting.

"It is alright to tell me the truth, Ariadne," she reassured me. "I won't mind. I don't think I will be angry at you."

Still, that did not calm down my uncertainty. "Are you sure?" I asked, and the response I got from her was a nod.

"I am sure."

I heaved a long tensed sigh that had been building up inside of me. I forced myself to keep calm and relaxed, maintaining composure in order to relay my question in the best way possible.

"Very well, then. I suppose I should indeed tell you why. You see, I think I am not the only one who finds it strange that you would give your trust to him, seeing as how the relationship between the both of you had… started off," I told her meekly, trying as much as possible to not sound invasive or rude or insulting.

"Ah, I see…" Persephone replied in a sigh. "I had a feeling that you would think that way because of that." Before I could apologize for the question, she waved her hand dismissively, exclaiming, "No, no. It's alright. Anyone else would have done the same."

Persephone exhaled another sigh and kept silent for a while, looking so very deep in thought, trying to craft the her words into sentences in her thoughts before speaking of it through her lips. She pursed her lips, and sighed, and twiddled her thumbs, and sighed again. It was a while before she spoke again, and when she did, her voice came out sounding solemn.

"I know very well of the stories spoken of me and my husband in the world above. I know of how their songs and hymns recreate the story of our marriage's beginnings, telling of how he stole me from the aboveground and took me to the underground to make me his bride. But while I do not deny that all of that had indeed happened, I will deny that it never ended the way the stories did. I do not entirely yearn for the Aboveworld while I am here below, nor do I express hatred for him for what he had done so very long ago. On the contrary, I sometimes wish that I could be part of the Underworld forever, and I wish I could stay by my husband's side for all eternity. I do love the Aboveworld and miss its sunshine and liveliness, but the Underworld calls to me all the same with its own beauty deep within."

Suddenly, Persephone ceased talking, now looking as though she was distracted internally by something else. Her grip on my hand tightened slightly, and I gripped back just as gently out of intuition. I kept quiet, not wanting to disturb her in her seemingly solemn moment.

Just then, in a breath, she asked, "Do you want to know why I truly am content with living in the Underworld, Ariadne?"

Quietly, I nodded. And with a new smile playing on her rosy lips, Persephone answered.

"It is because I love Hades. I love him. Despite what had gone on between us in the beginning, despite all that everyone says of him being cruel and merciless, despite the fact that many people do not agree with our marriage, I truly and deeply love my husband, no matter who he is or what he does. It is our love that truly matters."

When she had finished her words, Persephone sighed and kept quiet as she continued to playfully splash her feet about in the waters. As she did, I took in her words and replayed them in my head, suddenly making a connection that came out of nowhere from deep within the regions of my mind.

"That's the same reason why I joined Dionysus and his revelry," I told her in a whisper. "It is because I love him. I had never expected that I would ever love him or join the feasting rituals of wine and ecstasy, but the yearn to be close to the god I had fallen in true love with – and the one who loved me the same – was what drove me to do so."

Persephone giggled lightly at my words, and mused, "Love changes anyone, Ariadne. It makes us do things we have never done before or never expected to do in our lives, but it makes it happen."

So true were her words, and I could not help but smile and chuckle as I nodded in response. "I could not agree more, Persephone."

I truly could not agree more.

Artemis

It had barely been a few minutes since I had returned to Mount Olympus when I had been suddenly collected by Hermes at the commands of Lord Zeus and was sent to the throne room, where I now knelt before my father.

He and I were not the only ones here. Standing at the foot of the dais that held the King and Queen's tall platinum thrones, there were Hermes, Athena and Apollo, who were all standing aside in silence. I did not pay any attention to them because all my attentions were fixed on my father who was seated atop the dais on the bigger of the two thrones, although I was very aware of the look of worry and concern on my brother's face.

I kept my cool and calmly asked with a respectful bow of my head, "Lord Zeus. To what do I owe the reason of my presence before you?"

Zeus had a masked look on his face which truly hid all that he felt inside. With calmness in his deep voice, he replied, "I am very aware of what you had committed, Artemis."

At that very moment, my suspicions of my reason here in the throne room were finally realized, but I only kept quiet and remained nonchalant, avoiding any of my emotions from showing.

"Convincing Dionysus to descend into the Underworld in an attempt to reclaim his deceased bride," Zeus stated knowingly.

"Yes," I answered, not even attempting to deny what I had done; I knew better than to lie when in the presence of Lord Zeus. "Indeed, I had done just that."

A quick glance to my half-siblings and brother allowed me to see their reactions to my reply; Athena's was contemplation, Hermes' was curiosity, and Apollo's was downright anxiety.

I looked back to Zeus just as he spoke once more. "What, pray tell, is your reason for doing so?" he inquired in genuine curiosity. "I never thought you would have bothered to involve yourself in the situation of Dionysus, for indeed I know you to always keep out and not mind of matters that do not involve you. Your presence was certainly not required for this matter that involved only Dionysus, but yet you would step in and give him such a suggestion. Why is that, Artemis?"

I was silent as I thought of what I would say to him, trying to gather enough reason and explanations to state my stand. I had to be sure that it was all good enough in order to somehow gain Zeus' agreement to the situation.

"Lord Zeus, I am sure that my sister has a good-enough explanation for her actions," Apollo suddenly quipped, anxiety and concern for me now getting the best of him. "Please spare her from punishment if there are any wrongdoings. I am sure that she had no intention to do so."

Zeus held up a hand, a gesture which silenced Apollo immediately. The expression on his face clearly showed his disinterest in whatever my brother had just said, for the words he wanted to hear were to come from not him but me.

And so I did speak, my eyes holding onto the gaze of my father's steadily without flinching from his steady gaze.

"Lord Zeus, I know that it is out of the norm for me to involve myself in Dionysus' situation. To be honest, I had thought to stay out of it as well, for this is indeed something that does not require my attention. However, I care for Dionysus as much as I care my twin brother and most of my half-siblings, and his deteriorating well-being concerns me greatly. I have never before seen anyone who would grieve over a lost love as much as he does, for his love for his mortal bride Ariadne still stands strong within his heart with no signs of ever disappearing. And to that, I felt the utmost pity for him, and I felt the need to help him in his current state of depression."

"And by 'help', you mean to send him on a descension to the realm of Hades?" Athena questioned with a scrutinising gaze and a raise of her brow. "I doubt that could actually help him in his cause. To appeal such a thing from the God-King of the underground realm is, by far, one of the most improbable things to happen, other than Dionysus finding a way to the Underworld on his own for he is not chthonic as Zeus or Hermes who are the only ones among us that are."

"I cannot help but agree with Athena," Apollo added on. "Bear in mind that you had given him the push to actually think of appealing to Hades to release the soul of this mortal wife of his. You seem to be giving him more trouble than help."

Hermes was the first to actually agree with my statement. "I think that I would have to side Artemis in this one," he proclaimed. "I find Dionysus' faithfulness to his wife to be very admirable, and for him to want to descend into Hades to get her back is a show of a great dedication to his marriage. Not everyone would be so willing to go to great lengths to be reunited with their beloved. Furthermore, I believe that if Dionysus were to be given a chance to give a good appeal, Hades might actually allow it."

I released a sigh of relief, and my eyes met Hermes' spring green. I mouthed a silent 'thank you' in appreciation for standing with me, and he nodded his head graciously. When I slid my gaze to Athena and Apollo, she was still looking at me with a neutral expression while he was looking away guiltily, most probably ashamed that he did not take my stand.

When I returned my gaze to Zeus, he was rubbing his bearded jaw in contemplation, looking at me in deep thought. "I see," he murmured to himself but can be heard by the rest of us.

All of us remained silent, waiting patiently for what was to be heard next from him.

"The rest of you may go. I wish to have a private discussion with Artemis."

Apollo looked as though he was ready to protest, for I knew very well that he does not really like the thought of me being left alone with our father, and that he was worried that something terrible may happen to me and he would be unable to stop it. But a push from Athena was what made him reluctantly walk out of the room, with Athena and Hermes following suit.

When the sound of the doors closing behind them had sounded, I rose from kneeling on the floor, just as Zeus had descended the steps of the dais and was now standing before me.

"Father, I am truly sorry if what I had done displeases you," I apologized promptly with a bow of my head. "But I am not content to leave Dionysus alone in this time of need. It is either I help him do something that could help or he wastes himself away in the poison of the wine he holds patronage over. To see him suffer from the pain that dwells within his heart from the loss of his love is, admittedly, quite too much for me to bear."

When I had finished my words, Zeus said nothing and continued to look at me neutrally. But just then, he raised a hand and placed it gently on my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze. At the same time, a smile was starting to play on his lips.

"There is no need for you to worry, dear daughter. I will not place punishment on you for doing so. In fact, I am glad that you did."

A sense of shock overcame me like a strike of a lightning bolt, sending my nerves on an end and me in a state of confusion. I clearly did not expect this to happen; I did not expect him to say that he was 'glad'. I could only stare at him, wondering why this was so.

Zeus saw my state and gave a small half-hearted smile. In a melancholic voice that took me by surprise once again, he said, "You had asked me before if I have ever experienced guilt for losing someone because of what I had done."

To that, I nodded my head, recalling clearly the conversation I had with him on the balcony that day three months ago.

With a sigh, he admitted sorrowfully, "As a matter of fact, I do, and I regret it with every part of my being. I will be honest with you now, and tell you that I actually do not want Dionysus to go through the same mistakes I had done and regret it for the rest of his life. But now that you had given him the push he needed, he may be able to repent and undo his mistakes."

The smile on his lips grew slightly more, and he thanked me graciously, "Thank you, Artemis. Your kind and caring heart that helps your loved ones in need will indeed make you a goddess of all goddesses."

To hear that come from the lips of Lord Zeus was indeed a rare and precious moment for anyone, including me. To think that he would actually call me a 'goddess of all goddesses' was so heart-warming and full of pride that I could not help but feel a sudden enlightenment in my heart.

And with that new enlightenment, I hoped with every part of my being in my heart that Dionysus would have a safe journey to the Underworld, and maybe, if the Fates allowed it, would be able to reunite with his beloved.

Author's Note:

This chapter seems kind of pointless, but I felt the need to include an Ariadne & Persephone moment, as well as a scene when Artemis is brought before Zeus for actually advising Dionysus to descend into the Underworld to reclaim Ariadne.

Nothing much to say here, but I hope the next chapter would excite you guys!

Muse of Fanfiction