"You just have to decide that you already are the animal. Your body will take whatever shape your mind tells it to. Or it won't. What do I know?" Dionysus was momentarily distracted by a bird's song. James heard Sirius clear his voice and swallowed a laugh as Dionysus turned back to his son. "You do well with the vines though! So… give it a go. How about a lion?"
James looked on as his friend closed his eyes in concentration. Then without ceremony, he shapeshifted. But… he was not a lion. Not in the least… oh no.
"Not quite my boy… not quite." Dionysus chuckled.
James let himself dissolve into a fit of laughter, so hard he was nearly gasping for breath. His best friend was an adorable black dog.
"You are such a good boy!" James howled with laughter. "Who's a good boy? YOU! You are a good boy."
"Can you get back into human shape?" Dionysus looked concerned. "We can try another animal. Maybe lions aren't your thing. Mine either, really. I prefer the shape of a bull."
Sirius looked somewhat surprised to find himself back on two legs.
"That was very strange. I… was a dog?"
"You were a dog. A great black one. Charming. Try a bull now!" Dionysus conjured an apple from nowhere and bit into it as he leaned an elbow on James's shoulder. They looked at Sirius expectantly.
He looked like he was really concentrating but alas, there he was again, a shaggy and rather friendly looking dog.
"Well, this might be the best thing that ever happened to me, honestly" James laughed.
Sirius, back in human form protested. "Shut it. You know what? You two can have fun. I just learned to turn myself into a dog and that's pretty cool if you ask me, which no one did. I don't care to be a bull. I'm going to go do dog things. Be less annoying when I get back."
"That sounds hard. Not really my style." Dionysus pulled two goblets out of the air, handed one to James, and raised his towards Sirius as he transformed. "But have a nice time as a dog, son!"
Sirius barked back at them, already far off in the distance.
"Dionysus," a woman's voice sounded behind James and the God of Wine.
Dionysus, who James had only ever observed as a jovial character, seemed to sober just a fraction as he turned to observe an incredibly beautiful woman. Her hair was long and blacker than the night's sky, but her eyes were blue. Her unnaturally vivid eyes seemed to shine brighter than the sun itself. James found he couldn't place the woman's age if his life had depended on it. She seemed both young and aged in a timeless way that made James stare, captivated by her beauty. Inhuman was the only word to describe her. She did not look human in the very least.
"Moira," Dionysus inclined his head. "I trust you've been well."
Moira, however, turned to James, and as she stared back, his blood ran cold. Then she smiled.
"All will be well for you, James, you need not fear me."
And then the name clicked and James stammered as he addresses the Woman of Fate, "I, I, that's, thank you."
James was vaguely aware of Dionysus shaking his head and huffing at him.
"What tidings do you bring, Moira?" Dionysus pulled the woman's eyes back to him.
"You have recently found one of your sons," Moira started, but Dionysus groaned.
"Are there more of them missing?"
The woman laughed and James' mood seemed to brighten with the sound.
"Dionysus has yet to meet all his sons, but it is Sirius that I speak of now."
Dionysus shook his head, "Alright well that was vague." He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated expression. "What of Sirius? He's a good lad, can only seem to manage to transform into a dog, but the vines listen to him as if he spoke with my own voice."
"He is yet strong and quick thinking," Moira nodded, "and it is his destiny to venture on to Crete with my daughter and kill the Minotaur that does reside beneath the King's palace."
James spat out his wine. "He's got to what?"
Dionysus frowned at James, "That was an excellent batch that you just wasted."
"Forgive me, lord," James attempted to look penitent while his mind raced with what he'd heard.
Dionysus huffed and turned back to Moira, his whole demeanor changing.
"So, Fate has a daughter," he smirked, "Did my Lord Father finally get to you?"
Moira managed to look smug, "No, Zeus does not tempt Fate. Her sire is a mortal here in Dion."
"Ah, yes, of course. Mortals are such fun. I really do enjoy them heartily. Look at this beautiful mortal my son keeps!" Dionysus leered at James who rolled his eyes.
"He is not your son's beloved," Moira chuckled.
James felt his face turn flush at the implications. He looked to the distance, then at his feet, and anywhere but into the faces of these two deities. Regardless of his avoidances, he felt the weight of Dionysus's arm draping over him.
"Oh really?" The god of wine's voice rang out playfully before he planted a smacking kiss on James's cheek.
Moira must have taken some pity upon James, as she turned to him and smiled. She looked at him intently for a moment.
"Sirius must go alone and you must remain in Dion. Your destiny awaits you." James wanted to object, but Fate had just told him to sit and stay, and he found himself powerless to argue.
"Moira, Sirius is a good lad; I don't want him to go to his death." Dionysus cut in. "I feel like I owe him more than this."
Moira smirked, a right sight for the woman who held the destiny of the world in her hand. "My daughter resembles me; I do not think your son will complain having to work with her."
Dionysus seemed to gain a level of understanding that had eluded James.
"You sly fox!" Dionysus embodied the paradox of impossible grace but not even a hint of equilibrium as he flung his arm over and off of James then onto the Lady of Fate as he laughed and handed Moira a goblet. "Tell me, has she brought home someone you can't stand? Or is Zeus going for the daughter since the mother is off limits?"
Moira accepted the goblet and James stared as the wine turned to water instantly.
"Spoilsport," Dionysus huffed.
Moira chuckled, "No, it's not your father but her father that has caused a ruckus with all his good intentions. He's asked her to forsake her powers and marry a mortal of his choosing."
Dionysus shuddered, "Alright I'm in, we'll send them down to Athens and they can catch that ship King Minos sends every year, go kill the Minotaur, and spend eternity exploring each other."
Then he dropped his voice and leaned closer to Moira. "We could get an idea of what their lives will be you know?" Then he winked at her.
Moira smiled before handing him her goblet. "Though perhaps you are unafraid to tempt Fate, that which you seek shall not be yours on this night. I thank you though," she gestured to Dionysus's goblet, which now had a dark red, viscous liquid in it, darker than any wine James had ever seen.
Dionysus eyed it and before he could ask, she was gone. He brought the goblet to his lips and drank. James jumped as the god was knocked backward.
"Well turn me into a plant and fashion me into a head wreath… What a woman!" He coughed hoarsely.