A/N: a bonus chapter! Thanks to MKDemiGodzilla-Warrior for giving feedback on the last bonus chapter. I hope this is less confusing to read!

'A crisis?'

'A crisis. Well, something Zeus considers a crisis. I have no idea when it will start yet, but I don't care. It buys us extra time.' Dionysus stroked a strand of hair out of Ariadne's face. She took a deep breath and pulled Dionysus into a hug. 'We must have at least an hour...'

Ariadne pulled back a little, so she could kiss him. 'It's never long enough.'

After a few minutes of trying to make up for lost time, Dionysus took a step back. 'Are you feeling better?'

Ariadne nodded. 'Yes.'

'Very good. Eh, I mean…' he sighed. 'Hm.'

Ariadne got a sly smile on her lips. 'Still stuck in therapy mode? Helping the son of Hades must be no easy feat.'

'Well, no.'

She gave him a look only she could pull off. 'Won't you tell me more?'

He grabbed her hand. 'Are you really going to… analyse the therapist?'

'Yes.' Nothing else said.

'Hm.'

'Come on.' She slowly beckoned him towards the sofa on the balcony, from which they could look out over the vinery that encircled the palace. They sat down. Ariadne laid her head against Dionysus' shoulder.

He took a deep breath. 'I mean, he is not the first person I am helping with mental issues. You know that.'

'I do.'

'However, the people I helped before were never just ordinary people. Not to say that Nico is an ordinary child, but he is not famous, or royalty, or both. By some means, he is a regular kid. Yet, he has already been through so much. And I wish it would be different. I wish he would not need me. Then he could be happier.'

Ariadne sighed. 'He is a Hades kid. Often, that complicates stuff…'

'But it should not be that way!' Dionysus stretched his arms out, so that he accidently hit her against her ribs. 'Oh, sorry, are you…'

'Ah, it''s okay'

'Are you sure…'

'Yes.'

They looked at each other until they were both smiling. Then, Dionysus continued. 'As I said, it shouldn't be that way. Hades kids should not be classified as unhappy because of who their father is.'

'I agree.'

'Then… then you agree. You get it.'

She gave him a sarcastic look, with a sly smile. 'I tend to get what you are saying.'

'Of course.' He slid his arm around her waist.

Ariadne's gaze trailed off. 'Dionysus, Do you recognise part of yourself in him?'

Dionysus thought about it for a second. 'I would say slightly more than I already do in most demigods, because he also has no memories of his mother. But that is it, I think.' He sighed. 'It was difficult to listen to him talk about Maria di Angelo. It hit a little too close to home.'

'Yes.'

'There… there are other things that are difficult to talk about because of myself, but usually I can easily hide them away for a moment. At least I like to think so. The issue is more that I cannot often voice them out loud.' He pulled Ariadne closer. 'It is not something I want to talk to Chiron about.'

Ariadne stroked his hair out of his face. 'Why not? He was your mentor too, once.'

'Still. Now I am his colleague.'

'Hm.'

After a moment of stillness, Dionysus continued: 'Yes, the kid has a difficult time. But I glad to see that he trusts me and that he progresses. He has been...'

'... Trying to make amends with his father, Hades?'

'Yes. How do you even know? Ah well, probably intuition.'

'Probably? We have been married for threethousand years, of course it is intuition.'

'That has been proven once again. But yes, he has been going to Hades and tt has a positive effect on both of them. Hades is beginning to change his behaviour. It has been going babystep by babystep, but still, that is no easy feat after thousands of years of acting the same way.'

'...yes.'

Dionysus gave her a side look. Ariadne didn't answer it.

'Overall Nico has grown so much in just a few months. Even when he got into a bit of a slump… he got out of it. He found healthy ways to cope.'

'...that is great of him.'

They sat in silence for a few moments. Ariadne slid her hand into his and sighed.

'...you are still thinking of what I said about Hades. Perhaps even that I should try the same thing. Change old behaviour and take better care of the demigods...' She looked him dead in the eye. '...of myself.'

'You deserve to feel better. That is something you always say to your new patients. I think you can do it, you did it before.'

'Well… then I had you to support me.'

'Dionysus, you still have me to support you. The only reason I haven't broken the rules yet - the way you did yourself, by the way, when something happened - is because you don't want it. I'll come down to camp every day if it meant you'd be happier, no matter what would happen.'

'And I can't let you do that.'

'There is a point in time where I just will.'

'I know.'

They moved even closer. For a short moment, it was silent, until Dionysus looked at her again. 'How's the bar coming along?'

Ariadne shot him look to show him that she knew he was changing the subject, but she couldn't help but smile. 'Oh, it is going quite good. I've branched out, there is also a location in Portland now...'

For the rest of the hour, they talked about this and that, trying to get everything out of their time that they could, until someone inevitably rang the bell that indicated it was time for the Olympians to go to the throne room. Unwillingly, Dionysus got up. 'I… hope I'll see you soon.'

'You will.' It sounded definitive. Ariadne leaned in for one more kiss, before she put her hands on her hips. 'Now go.' They both tried to smile, until Dionysus teleported away, separating them once again.

Ariadne turned around. She saw the glasses of Lemon water, which she had already poured out. She had completely forgotten about them. She snickered. Oh well.

A/N: There should be more Ariadne fanfiction. I am being denied my rights.

Was this sappy? Yes. Do I care? Nein.

Imagine being married to Dionysus for literal thousands of years.

Actually, imagine being married to anyone for literal thousands of years and then suddenly they are ripped away from you.

Also, my headcanon is that they are actually poly, because I think it makes sense mythology-wise. It actually does so with a few devine couples.

Btw, the reason I go through with numbering the bonus chapters is because otherwise the chapter numbers will get confusing to me. Also after this, the upload schedule will continue as usual. But I don't think a bonus chapter is really a bonus chapter unless it is well, a bonus, an extra.