Part 1: Chapter 8

Dionysus

Just as the dying rays of the sun was slowly disappearing from the sky, soon to be taken over by the darkness of the night, I reached the campsite, which was now buzzing with energy as my followers await the beginning of our nightly festivities. The only thing stopping them from quickly descending from drunken revelry was me; they needed my word to start to finally be able to enjoy the ecstasy that they craved and lusted for.

But the minute I stepped into the clearing's boundaries, I was approached by one of the satyrs.

"My Lord," he greeted with a bow. "Lord Hermes had arrived a few minutes prior, wishing to speak with you."

I felt surprised. Hermes was here? Well, this was quite unexpected, and on such a very short notice. I hadn't expected to see my half-brother any time soon.

At that moment, another approached me. Turning my head to the new guest, I realized that it was Hermes himself. His pale blonde hair looked freshly wind-blown, indicating how recently he had arrived. But despite having his winged sandals on, he had his feet on the ground, walking. That, I had to admit, was quite a strange sight to see. Most of the time I have ever seen him, he was always off the ground and in the air.

Hermes beamed at me the instance he met my gaze. "Hello, Dionysus," he greeted cheerily. "Glad to know that you've finally arrived. I was getting a bit bored of waiting."

Hearing his last remark made me smirk and roll my eyes. Dismissing the satyr with a wave of my hand, I replied to Hermes, "Well, seems like you might have to wait a few minutes more, dear brother. First, I have to get this party started."

XXX

Hermes stayed for the night, watching with keen interest at how my followers surrendered to the ecstasy of wine and lost every control of their being as they behaved wildly with the loud and erratic tune and beat of the music being played. I could see it in the way his eyes widened at the sight that he was in a disbelieving, yet curious state.

I had thought of joining my followers once again in the merry-making, but for the sake of the inexperienced Hermes, I remained seated on my throne and watched the revelry, drinking chalice after chalice of wine, not fully succumbing to its high. My two favorite panthers were once again at my feet, acting as my personal 'guards'. The female had given a warning glare at the sight of Hermes, but nonetheless left him alone. However, Hermes too stayed clear of the panther's path.

"So, what do you think?" I asked him curiously, gesturing with a tip of my chalice to the on-going frenzy before us.

Standing beside my throne and not tearing his eyes away from the sight, his own chalice of wine dangling in between his fingertips, Hermes replied, "I thought having to travel far distances everyday was tough, but I really do not know how you can handle this. It seems like…" His spring green eyes suddenly widened when he caught sight of a drunken satyr and Maenad mating like wild animals in heat among the revelry, and he brought his chalice to his lips and took a big gulp before saying to end, "Too much work…"

I bellowed out in laughter at his words. "Well, this is nothing to me!" I replied, my voice loud and proud. "All of this to me is as easy as a breeze! No one can handle a drunken frenzy as professionally as me!"

"I can see that!" Hermes replied immediately with a laugh of his own before taking another gulp of his red wine.

The next few seconds was spent in silence as we listened to the crazy music and watched the wild acts taking place. But the more I stayed quiet, the more I slowly came to remember that Hermes had come here for a reason.

"Oh, by the way. Why are you here for?" I asked him, my head lolling to the side to look at him. It was at that moment that I could feel the high of the wine slowly taking over me. I could feel its pleasurable numbing effects seeping into my veins, mingling with the ichor that flowed within them.

Hermes did not seem to be too affected by the wine when he turned to look at me. Well, it must be considering the fact that he was still on his second chalice while I must be on what I assumed was my tenth.

"Hmm?" he said, looking quite a bit dazed. But immediately, his eyes widened in realization as he recalled. "Oh, yes! I came here bringing you what information I have managed to gather on that mortal girl you talked about it."

All of a sudden, the slow numbing sensation in my veins disappeared suddenly, as though snuffed out by the fire of curiosity that suddenly went aflame in me. I jolted upright in my throne, keeping my eyes attentive on him.

Hermes began with the words, "I found out that her name is – "

Before he could even finish his sentence, I suddenly cut him off by answering, "Ariadne."

He suddenly had not expected me to answer, indicated in the way he stared at me in surprise. "How did you know?" he asked,

Keeping my eyes attentive on him, I replied, "I have met her."

Raising an eyebrow curiously, he inquired, "So you know that she is –"

Once again, before he could answer, I cut him off. "A Princess of Crete."

"Or, more specifically, a former Princess of Crete, but now the great island's recent exiled traitor," he continued on. "But I assumed you know why that is so. Honestly, what was the point of me having to find out for you when you could have found out about it yourself?"

I shook my head immediately. "No, I do not know why that is so," I admitted to him. "When I had asked her of it, the girl would always rebuff and refuse to answer my questions, stating that it is a private matter that she did not wish to discuss." Then, with a low sigh, I said, "Honestly, even though I have known her for only a day, I am getting tired of her being so elusive. I need the answers."

And it was then I felt relief that I could finally get the answers; not from her, but from another reliable source, which came in the form of Hermes. He always knew what was going on in the mortal realms, and I was glad that he knew the answer to my curiosity.

With a smile, Hermes said, "Glad to know that my work and time had not gone to waste. Do you want the long story or the short story?"

"What's the short story?"

"She committed treason against the royal family," Hermes answered quickly.

Well, that did not really answer my questions. Partly, yes, but not completely. I needed more details, the full story.

"And the long story?" I inquired.

His smile turned into a grin, and he moved closer and sat down on the ground right next to my throne, nonchalantly petting the head of the male panther that was resting at my feet. Unlike its female partner, the male did not mind him so much and just allowed him to do so without a glare or a growl.

"Oh, a very interesting tale indeed! A tale of seduction, noble acts, lies and betrayals!" Hermes exclaimed heartily. "I don't think I have ever come across a story like this Ariadne's!"

My curiosity increased then as I got more interested in what he had to say. "Why's that?"

Now smirking, Hermes told me, "Once I'm done, you'll be on the edge of your throne. This is indeed a story that might quirk your interests."

Ariadne

My eyes flew open and I responsively sat up from where I was sleeping on the grass, a soft gasp that was full of shock escaping from my parted lips.

In the distance, I could clearly hear screaming and shouting. It was shrill, but it sounded so unreal and frightening. It sounded so frightening that it managed to send a shiver running down my spine and made my skin break out in goose-flesh. I could feel sweat starting to bead my forehead from the fear that erupted within me.

When I had first heard the noise, the first thing I started to assume was that it was someone in danger. The danger I thought of could be many possibilities, ranging from being eaten by a wild beast or being assaulted by ruthless men. The fear within me started spreading throughout my entire being at the thought that whatever possible dangers that was out there might be able to find me.

Quickly yet quietly, I hid myself in the forest, sitting down and trying to make myself as hidden as possible by bringing my knees to my chest and staying like that. With my lips clamped shut to prevent any noise from spilling out and my eyes darting in all directions to ensure that nothing was coming to me, I listened in fear to the continued screaming and shouting.

But as the minutes passed by, I suddenly realized that the cries did not sound like those of pain or anguish. Instead, it started to sound like those of drunken amusement. In fact, I realized there were erratic laughter and giggles mingling in the cries.

All thoughts of whoever it was that might be in danger disappeared from my mind, now being replaced of thoughts of nearby drunk people who were simply not acting in the right mind, having become too influenced by alcohol.

As I remained silent, I began to wonder where those people had come from. Once again, I began to doubt that the part of Naxos that I was in was inhabited. My encounters with Dion and Cynthia had started the doubt, but hearing those cries only served to fuel my doubt. Now, I wondered if Dion had simply lied to me about this part of Naxos being inhabited, and if so, why would he do it?

Maybe I should just go and investigate the noises… I thought to myself. Who knows? I might be able to find help…

But just as I was about to get out of my crouch, Dion's words suddenly flashed into my mind.

Ariadne, all I advise you to do is to never leave this grove. No matter what happens, be it you hear something or you saw something, never leave this grove. Safety will not be with you the very second you venture out by yourself.

The warning in his words continued to ring in my head, and slowly, I got back into my crouch, staying where I was. As I stayed, the sounds of ecstatic screaming and drunken laughter continued to sound in the distance.

One thing's for sure, I was not going to sleep tonight.

Dionysus

"In truth, it was Ariadne who was the true mastermind of the slaying of the Minotaur. If it hadn't been for her, Theseus would not be alive today."

Hermes' words made me surprise. "What? How is that?" I asked, frowning in curiosity.

Setting his half-empty chalice down beside him, he explained, "In Crete, it is rule that the fourteen chosen Athenian tributes must not carry anything with them into the Labyrinth except for the clothes on their bodies. Any weapon brought with them beforehand is immediately taken away by the royal guards. Theseus, despite being the very Prince of Athens, was not made an exception to this rule, and had his father's sword – the only weapon he had brought with him – taken away."

"But didn't he slay the Minotaur with his father's sword?" I questioned, starting to recall the bits of the story I had heard before. "How did he manage to bring that into the Labyrinth?"

"Ah, that is where Ariadne comes in. A bit of explanation first. You see, Ariadne is the one and only guardian of the Labyrinth, and it is her duty to lead the tributes in and announce of their arrival to the Minotaur, her monstrous half-brother. She ensures that the motions of the sacrifice go smoothly and that nothing disturbs the normal proceedings. But this year, she sees Thesues, and the Princess of Crete had been smitten by the Prince of Athens. Once Theseus found out about this, he used it to his advantage. So naïvely infatuated was Ariadne with him that she allowed herself to be bedded by him the night before he was to meet his supposed death, thinking that he was attracted to her like she was attracted to him."

For some reason, I felt a clenching in my heart at the realization that what I had assumed was correct. So this Theseus was Ariadne's lover. No wonder she had called for his name so desperately and with so much yearning the day before, when I had first seen her. I don't know why, but knowing that new fact made me feel weird on the inside; as though I was not pleased to hear that.

But it was then I had remembered that Ariadne had mentioned in her prayer last night that she was betrayed by a man who swayed her with sweet nothings, who I know was Theseus. And judging by Hermes' words, something about this Theseus seemed off.

"He did not really love her, did he?" I questioned in a murmur as the realization hit me. "He only used her, knowing that she would help him if he pretended to reciprocate her feelings."

Hermes nodded. "You got that right. Fortunately for Theseus, his plan worked. Ariadne did not want to let her 'one true love' perish in the Labyrinth, so, using the advantage of her royal title, she managed to gain access into the armory and steal his sword, giving it to him to smuggle in minutes prior he entered, along with a clue of thread."

"A clue of thread?"

"Upon the advice of her tutor, she gave the clue of thread to Theseus for him to mark his way in and out of the Labyrinth, so that he would not get lost in the dangerous and confusing maze," Hermes explained to me. "She told him in secret of what to do, and he pretended to be thankful by promising her that he once he escaped, he would take her back to Athens to make her his bride."

Again, my heart clenched, only feeling more tighter now. I could feel my lips pursing into a grimace.

Hermes continued on after taking another sip of his wine. "So in the end, Theseus emerged out of the Labyrinth with all the other thirteen tributes. But he did not come out empty-handed. In his hands was the severed head of the gruesome Minotaur, which he promptly threw at the feet of the Cretan King. The minute the beast's blood spilled onto the ground, the whole of Crete went into madness."

In my head, I could imagine the loud shock and disbelief at hearing that the ferocious beast of the Labyrinth had been slain, and by just one man. The imagined sounds were drowned out by the reals shrieks and laughter of the revelry that was still on-going.

"The Cretan King Minos was not pleased. No, he was absolutely furious. He knew that if there was no more Minotaur, there would be no more tributes to avenge his son Androgeus, who had met his death at the hands of Athenians. He wanted to murder Theseus for killing the beast, even though the hero had been promised freedom if he did. But the King realized that he could not have done it alone, and he knew only one person responsible."

I knew the answer then.

"Ariadne," I muttered.

"Yes," Hermes confirmed. "Truth be told, Ariadne was found guilty of treason, and was promptly stripped of her title of Princess of Crete and Guardian of the Labyrinth. But Minos wanted her dead; wanted to kill her for bringing the downfall of a 'tradition'. Fortunately for her, Ariadne managed to escape her father's wrath, taking with her only her younger sister Phaedra onto Theseus' ship."

Then with a sigh, Hermes remarked, "Unfortunately, she did not stay on that ship for it to reach Athens."

I finished the story for him then. "Theseus abandoned her here, on Naxos. He had no more need for her, and so he left her here to die."

Hermes remained quiet, but nodded.

At that moment, I was so consumed with hate for that Theseus. I have never met this 'hero', but the stories of him were not one to impress me. It only made me gain a great dislike for his vile actions. I could feel myself scowling at the thought of him giving such a false promise to Ariadne, the girl who – albeit foolishly – gave up everything in her life to save his own pathetic one. If it had not been for her, he wouldn't have lived to see the sun's light, destined to perish in the darkness of the Labyrinth and by its Minotaur.

"Some 'hero'," I seethed under my breath. "And what has happened to him, now that Ariadne's no longer a part of his plans?"

"Ah, that is an interesting thing to ask," Hermes replied. "Apparently, he discarded Ariadne in favor of her sister Phaedra."

Now that made me mad.

"What?!" I exclaimed in outrage, shocking not only Hermes, but the two panthers at my feet as well, whose heads shot up and looked up at me with alert. "He discarded Ariadne on the island of Naxos, and just for her sister?!"

Now, I know that I myself have left women for another, and it must have been hypocritical of me to talk about Theseus that way. But I have never, ever left a woman to die, especially if it was because I just got bored of her. Even though I know that gods have a streak of cruelty that was meant to be feared by mortals, I did not see any reason to inflict cruelty upon one without reason. I do not know why. Maybe it was because of the fact that I wasn't a pure-bred god from the beginning. Many had said that I had a side of me that they thought of as my 'human' side, since I was usually able to be on a certain level of understanding with the humans than most of the gods.

"Hmph, apparently so," Hermes replied, returning to his drink and watching the revelry. Then it was silent between us, him keeping quiet while I continued to fume in silent anger.

After a few quiet moments that were filled with the sounds of high ecstasy, Hermes asked, "How is Ariadne now, if I may ask?"

Swirling the leftover wine in my chalice, I replied, "She's fine now. This morning, I had asked for Artemis to give her shelter and protection in the wildlands. Under her care, Ariadne is sure to be safe while she's here."

At the mention of the goddess' name, Hermes spring green eyes brighten up noticeably. "Artemis?" he said the name sweetly with glee.

I rolled my eyes at him. I knew very well of his secret love for Artemis. It was not just simple passion or desire; I believed that his feelings for her were true genuine love. I was probably the only one who knew, having found out on my own. Hermes had told me that it was one of his most well-kept secrets and he trusted me to not tell anyone, to which I vowed an oath upon Styx to not do so. When I had inquired as to why he would not make his affections known, he admitted to me that he was afraid that, if he did, Artemis would rebuff him, and Apollo would bring wrath upon him for even daring to feel such things for his sister.

"Snap out of it, lover boy. This isn't the time," I muttered.

He seemed to do so, for he suddenly cleared his throat and muttered, "Right. Sorry." And then, he asked, "By the way, how did you manage to convince Artemis for such a favor? I have heard few of those who managed to gain a favor out of her. What did you do to convince her?"

I shrugged and sipped my wine. "Not much, really," I admitted to him. "I just had to give her reason and make her see that reason. Anything, just to get her to help Ariadne."

When I had finished my words, I noticed a change in Hermes. His eyes were narrowed, had gone from being curious to questionable, as he looked at me in contemplation. It was as though he was trying to find something in me.

"What?"

With his eyes still studying me, he asked, "What is it about this Ariadne that makes you want to know her?"

His question had surprised me, and I soon found myself entering a train of thought. It was then I realized; what was it about Ariadne that made me want to know her?

Was it because of her beauty?

Was it because of how distressed she looked when I found her?

Was it because I was curious to know about her story?

Or… was it something else?

It must be something else; I couldn't see my other guesses as the correct choice. It had to be something else that made me want to get to know her. Something that made me want to help her. Something that made me want to get close to her.

But the problem was, what was it?

"I… I don't really know," I admitted to Hermes, my voice questionable and confused.

Author's Note:

So, in Dionysus' thinking, the first thing to do before getting to know about Ariadne herself is to get to know all about her from someone else! Great idea, Dion... (Talk about being a tad too desperate!) But this isn't the end of Dionysus getting information about Ariadne from outside sources!

By the way, what exactly is that noise that Ariadne heard in the forest?

Until Friday!

Muse of Fanfiction