Part 1: Chapter 1

Dionysus

When I felt my eyes slowly opening, I could feel both my mind and body were still heavy with sleep and groggy from my heavy drinking the previous night. But as soon as my eyes fully opened to see the dark violet silk thatching of my tent, I could immediately feel the burdening feelings disappear from my body.

Letting out a sound that seemed to be a cross between a sigh and a groan, I languidly sat up from my pillowed sleeping mats, stretching my body as it slowly started to fully awaken. I brought a hand to my head and ran my fingers through my hair. Although I felt that my hair was messy and disheveled, my fingers glided smoothly through the strands.

Suddenly, I heard a soft moan come from beside me, and I then turned my head to the side to find the sleeping figure of a girl slowly waking up.

The girl – a Maenad, to be exact – pushed her messy brown hair away from her face and slowly opened her bright green eyes, which immediately came in contact with mine. At that moment, she then began to giggle, which then transitioned into full-on laughter. She laughed so hard and so maniacally that she even clutched her naked chest as though her sides were hurting from the power of her giggles.

Immediately, I realized that it was actually the strong after-effects of potent wine that were making her laugh. Her mind was still fogged up with hazy drunkenness, having not sobered yet even over the night.

I stayed quiet and waited a while for the Maenad to stop, internally admitting that, although it was considered normal, her manic laughter was irritating me a bit, since I had just woken up. When she did (about a few minutes later), she too sat up and looked at me with a dazed look in her eyes and a big tired smile. She said nothing. She just smiled at me.

"What?" I asked questionably with a raised eyebrow.

In a high-pitched that made me wince a bit, she exclaimed, "My lord Dionysus! Indeed it was a most exciting night of passion that we had shared last night! Truly, I am honoured to be blessed with the chance of being in your bed!" Licking her lips sloppily, she shrieked, "The sex was even better with the wine!"

Hearing that, I shut my eyes and let out a low sigh as I fully recalled what had happened the night before. My retinue and I had been enjoying an extravagant feast with lots of music, dancing, and, of course, wine. And as usual, I overindulged in the wines that I had harvested from the power within my own bare hands and other strong hard liquors, and thus got so drunk that I lost consciousness when the wine had pulled me into its high ecstasy. Each time I fell into drunken haze, the world around me would disappear, and whatever actions I committed would not be caused by me in clear mind but by me in drunken stupor. I would be completely submissive to the ecstasy, letting it control my entire body.

And, as usual, I woke up from the wild night of enjoyment with an unknown female, usually one of the Maenads in my retinue, who would be naked and in my bed under strewn sheets.

Bringing a hand to rub the back of my neck, I simply replied, "Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed it…" I had wanted to say the Maenad's name, but it was then I realized that I had absolutely no idea what it was. But I did not really fret over it so much, since I had already slept with so many unknown women in the past and just frequently before.

The brown-haired Maenad then grinned widely as she threw her arms around me and buried her face into the part where my neck met my shoulder. She nuzzled her nose onto my flesh and I could feel her breathe in the scent of my skin. She started laughing again, but this time it was more of bubbling giggles instead of the crazed, seemingly psychotic laughter from just a few minutes ago.

"Perhaps… you should leave now and join your sisters…" I told her nonchalantly, keeping still as she continued to embrace me tightly and inhale the perfume of my skin.

As though she had just touched fire, she immediately recoiled from me as she exclaimed in a tone of drunken and erratic shock, "Oh yes! I must tell them about how ecstatic you were in bed! They are sure to be jealous of me!" She then cackled, but then, as she attempted to push herself up from my disarrayed sleeping mats, she said in a more somber tone, "But some of them had slept with you before and their stories had made me jealous…"

I stayed in my sitting position as I watched the Maenad drowsily rise into an unstable standing position and start stumbling her way to the flaps of my huge tent that acted as the door, not caring for the fact that she was completely naked and all her womanly assets were revealed for all to see.

It was only when she tripped and landed on all fours in front of the tent flaps – due to being unable to balance herself properly in her drunk stupor – did I get up from my sleeping mats – not caring myself that I too was completely naked – and helped her up and to the outside.

When the rays of sunlight bathed my entire form in its warmth, I saw that the most of my retinue were up and about, some too wearing absolutely nothing and freely walking around in the nude. Most of them had already sobered up from the previous night's extravaganza and was now performing their work around the camp like collecting water from the stream nearby, cooking the meats of hunted game and some even playing instruments to create a catchy melody. In the midst of working servants, I caught sight of a few that were as less sober as the Maenad I was leading out.

Among my people, there were also many wildcats roaming around. I too was the patron of wild cats – tigers, panthers, leopards and all other sorts. With outsiders, they were ferocious predators that were a force to be dealt with and were one of the most dangerous creatures of the wild. But with me and my people, they were as tame as house cats, some even coming to me often to just shower me in feline affections.

When my retinue had caught sight of me, they immediately bowed and shouted out their various 'Good day to you, my lord' and 'Good afternoon, great Dionysus'. A few approached me to take away the drunken Maenad while another few approached with a long drape of dark red silk to clothe me with.

"A wonderful party last night, my lord," one of the satyrs around me commented with a grateful smile as another Maenad was wrapping the silk around my waist. "Everyone was at the height of things! The wine that you had blessed us with only made things better! But you are the great God of Wine and Ecstasy! Of course you would have made the feast a much joyous one!"

When the silk was wrapped well enough to cover my manhood and the tail of it was thrown over my shoulder, I grinned and replied jollily, "It only pleases me that my followers are able to partake in the joys of wine and ecstasy along with me. Our bond grows stronger and stronger in that way!"

"Well said, Lord Dionysus," one of the Maenads who clothed me replied with a jubilant smile.

When I had been draped with the red silk, I dismissed my servants and started on my walk. It was a routine for me to take a walk in the forests after waking up. It helped to refresh me a lot.

I walked away into the forest that surrounded the clearing my followers and I were situated in. As I walked further and further into the dense vegetation, the sounds of my retinue and the music being played slowly faded away into nothingness. When I was so deep in the forest that all I could hear was the sounds of its creatures and the rustling of the green leaves in the light breeze, I let out a long sigh.

I sighed because of the feeling that had been plaguing me for a while now. Or more specifically, a few years.

When I had seen the Maenad sleeping right next to me, I felt unsatisfied. Once again, she was just a woman who would only spend one moment with me before leaving. As a god, I shouldn't have minded this. My older half-brothers Ares, Apollo and Hermes took many one-time lovers. Even my father Zeus did, and my uncle Poseidon of the Seas. It would be a lie if I said that I too hadn't taken any lovers before forgetting them for another.

But yet, I felt a bit unsatisfied that I didn't have a woman that seemed dear to me. Ares had his lover Aphrodite (who I had slept with once) and his daughters by her, though he doesn't have a tendency to show his love for them. Apollo had his older twin sister Artemis and his mother Leto, both of who he was so protective of that I was sure he would kill anyone who would speak of just one word of insult about them. Hermes was on good terms with everyone that he felt that all were dear to him. Even Zeus, in some (seemingly non-existent) way, held his wife Hera dear in his heart, as did Poseidon, who loved his wife Amphitrite dearly despite his many affairs.

Maybe that was the empty feeling inside me. But it was difficult for me to quench my desire for a dear woman because I had not yet found a woman who I could consider dear to me.

It shouldn't have been too difficult, but it surprisingly was. And this was why it frustrated me so. I tried many times to force myself to love a woman who would randomly be in my bed, but the feeling never came.

Eventually, I gave it up, thinking it as a waste of my time to find a dear woman instead of focusing on gaining more followers into my cult. Although, I will admit that I hoped that, one day, it could really happen.

But today, like all the other days before, did not seem like that day.

Ariadne

When I felt my eyes slowly opening, I could immediately feel a very strong warmth all around me. It came from my surroundings, and it bathed all over me body from high above. Even when my eyes had not fully opened, I felt confused. This was not the warmth that I felt in Theseus' makeshift bedchambers on his ship.

This felt like the warmth of the bright afternoon sun.

In a flash, my eyes flew opened. And true to what I had suspected, the first thing I saw was the bright blue sky that spread out far and wide above me, adorned with white puffy clouds that provided some blockage from the brightness of the golden sun that acted as the centerpiece of the sky.

All of a sudden, I became aware of the rest of my surroundings. I could feel a soft breeze flying all around me, straying some strands of my pale blonde hair onto my face. I could see the waves of the ocean crashing upon the land. I could hear the sizzling of the sand as the seawater came in contact with it. I could smell the refreshing ocean breeze, all salty yet with a tangy scent. I could feel the grains of sands on my fingertips and all under my body.

My confusion rose greatly, and I sat up and looked around in panic.

All I could see around me was a beach that stretched far into the distance. In front of me was the ocean; dark and clear blue that seemed to stretch into the farther distances. Behind me was a forest that seemed big and dense; all I could see in it was more trees.

But I did not see any ship or any people.

And I especially did not see Theseus.

I sat up immediately, looking around in frantic as I called out in panic, "Theseus?"

Not seeing him appear when I called for him only helped to heighten my panic. I got off the sand and immediately began to walk around, looking for somewhere to start looking. I did not recognize this place last night. The last thing I remembered of the previous day was falling asleep in Theseus' arms in his makeshift bedchambers after making love, as usual.

I did not remember coming to an unknown island and falling asleep on an unknown beach.

"Theseus?!" I called out again, my voice louder and more panicky this time. "Theseus, where are you?!"

I called his name a few more times, but still there was no answer. Desperate, I tried a different approach and began to call out for my sister.

"Phaedra?!" I called out at the top of my voice. "Phaedra, are you there?! Where are you?! Phaedra?!"

Like when I called out for Theseus, I received no reply.

I became so afraid. I started to panic even more. I felt so confused and so utterly lost.

I continued to run along the beach, calling out the names of my lover and my sister.

Dionysus

I was just about to pluck an apple to eat when I heard something.

It sounded like a voice, and one of a female. It was loud and shrill. It kept on calling for the names 'Theseus' and 'Phaedra'. The minute I heard it, I immediately noticed how panicked and frightened it sounded, as though it was lost and had absolutely idea where to go or what to do.

I became curious and started to follow the direction that the voice was coming from. As I walked carefully through the trees and paid no attention to the creatures that roamed around me, I wondered what had happened to the female owner of the voice. Immediately, I wanted to know

With each step I took, the voice sounded louder and louder and clearer and clearer. The panic and desperation in the voice became more definite and my curiosity became more increasing with each passing second.

Just then, I could hear the sounds of ocean waves crashing upon sand, and the voice nearby.

I pushed apart two flexible branches that were blocking my view, and finally set my sights upon the owner of the voice.

I gasped.

Author's Note:

I'm glad that some of you are really excited for this story. I am too, and I can't stop writing the upcoming chapters in advance!

I must tell some of you that know the myth of Dionysus and Ariadne very well that I would be making some of my own changes to the story. I will not change the story entirely, but I will be adding a few of my own created parts. I would notify in the author's note if a certain event had happened or not.

Anyway! Ariadne had woken up all confused and worried! What had happened to her? And what exactly was Dionysus thinking when he first saw her?

Find out on Monday!

Muse of Fanfiction