Part 2: Chapter 2

Ariadne

When I cracked my eyes open, the first rays of the morning sun's light was illuminating the tent from outside. By the way I winced at the sudden realization of the sun, it was very bright by now.

I sat up, stretching my arms languidly as I did. I could feel sleep slowly disappearing away from my body the more I moved, and I sighed heavily as I sat quietly to allow myself to fully wake up. I turned my head to the side to look at Dionysus, who was still in a deep slumber with his right arm still draped over my belly.

I smiled to myself as I admired the beauty of my husband. Even after seven years of marriage, and twelve beautiful and now independent sons by him, I was still not able to believe the fact that I was lucky enough to have such an amazing being as my husband. Dionysus' beauty was still as ethereal and radiant as ever, and many occasions I have still found myself breathless at the picture of his beauty.

I leaned down to give him a soft kiss to his cheek. He did not wake, but he mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and sighed as a small smile played on his lips. I giggled quietly and pressed another kiss to his cheek before I got up from our sleeping mats.

After donning on a silk sleeping robe and tying the sash around my waist to secure it and make sure I was fully covered, I ventured outside into the camping grounds. The Grecian air was cold with the scent of crisp and dried leaves, which littered the entirety of floor of the forest. This was because it was now the last month of autumn now, and winter was to approach soon.

A long time ago, when I had been a young girl, there had been no such weather in the land, and everything was shining and bright from the rays of the golden sun, and nature was always flourishing with new fruits and flowers, and good and bountiful harvests. But these strange occurrences to the weather, when everything became cold and dying, had started when I was somewhere around thirteen, a good five years before I had met Dionysus. I remembered being very cold and having to stay inside the palace because it was warm with all the many hearths being lighted up and burning with fires. Food had become a shortage then, and I and my family had been on a brink of starvation. Many people had died from the cold and starvation, causing one of the worst death rates in the island at that point of time. Many had prayed to the gods for help, while many believed that the gods themselves were doing this as a sort of punishment.

But before it could get any worse, it stopped, and started becoming warm and bright once again. However, it started once again after nine months. By that time, people had learnt how to store our harvests and keep them aside in preparation of these frost months – referred to as 'autumn', which was the dying months, and 'winter', which was the cold months – where nothing would grow, so that we would still have enough food to survive.

When I experienced my first winter with Dionysus, he told me the story behind their creation. The Harvest Goddess Demeter created these strange happenings to nature out of grief, because her daughter, the Spring Goddess Persephone, had been taken by the fearsome Hades of the Underworld to be his Queen of the Dead. Apparently, Hades had tricked Persephone to eat six pomegranate seeds, which was a taboo for Aboveworld deities as this would cause them to be forever trapped in the Underworld. However, Dionysus' father, the Great Zeus of the Skies, decreed that Persephone spent half of a year with Demeter on the Aboveworld, and the other half with Hades in the Underworld. When Persephone was with her mother, the Earth flourished greatly in good health. But once she descended into the Underworld, everything would start to die and be engulfed in icy coldness, and nothing would grow until the Goddess of Spring returned.

I do not usually talk about this subject a lot, because I had learnt to not openly talk about anything relating to Hades. I had feared the Underworld God-King from young. I feared his wrath and cruelty, as he was said to be a very harsh ruler in his realm of the damned. I, like many others, wished to evade Death long enough so that I could avoid an early meeting with the God of the Dead. However, I could not help but feel pitiful for the Goddess of Spring. I had never met this half-sister of Dionysus, but I felt sorry that she had to be unwillingly bound to a realm that she does not truly belong in. I could sometimes imagine her, looking like a wilting flower that had once been beautiful and full of life, sitting unhappily and full of misery on a throne of bones next to a grim and horrifying Hades as he placed punishments on every soul who came to him to beg for mercy. Such an image would always make me shudder.

And thus, I shuddered, and willed myself to forget about that thought. Taking a deep breath to collect my bearings, I went away into the nearby forests. By this time, many of the thiasus are awake, some still half-drunk from last night's revelry while some going about and doing chores such as lighting up fires for warmth. Many of the wildcats too are up and about, some even returning from the forests after hunting, bringing with them game that was to be cooked for our feasts later on.

My leopard found me and immediately came to my side. I gave him a caress to the top of his head, making him purr in satisfaction before he started to lick my fingers affectionately. He followed me to a hot spring nearby, about to act as my personal – and very protective – guard while I bathed in privacy.

But just halfway there, a voice stopped us.

A familiar voice.

"I see that you've returned, Ariadne."

I gasped in surprise and turned my head in the direction of the voice immediately. Immediately I saw Artemis, who was approaching from out of the trees with a warm smile on her pretty pink lips.

"Artemis!" I exclaimed happily as I rushed forward and threw my arms around her. Despite the force of my body being thrown at her, Artemis did not stagger back, instead still standing firm as though I was just a simple wind that was breezing past her. The warmth of her body immediately radiated to me, a sudden change from the cold air around us.

Artemis laughed melodiously and wrapped her own arms around me, completing our affectionate embrace. I smiled at the thought that my very good friend was here once again. My time in India had truly caused me to miss her presence very much, and I was glad that she was here.

When we pulled away, I said to her, "Oh, how I have missed you, Artemis! It was difficult not having someone close to talk to while I was away."

Artemis smiled and grasped my hands gently in hers. "I missed you too, Ariadne," she told me. "I'm just glad that you're back already."

Artemis followed me to the hot spring, which I knew was one of the many that she owned as part of the wildlands that she ruled, because I invited her to swim there with me. At this point, Artemis and I had swam together numerous times, like I had with some Maenads in the revelry. I was not nervous to expose my body now, since my years with the thiasus had loosened me out of my self-conscious restraints.

When I had shed my sleeping robe off my bare body, letting my leopard take it away to spread it flat on a rock, Artemis unpinned the dark purple-dyed fleece himation she donned over a long green wool dress she wore. She shed off her dress and took off her boots, leaving herself as naked as I was.

The both of us got into the water at the same time, but I discretely sneaked glances at Artemis, making sure that my watching was not noticeable enough and could not be considered gawking. I could not but be entranced by the beauty she possessed in her form. The words of wise men were right when they said that each deity - especially a goddess - had a beauty that was truly so divine and unearthly.

Suddenly, I felt a slight twinge of discomfort in the deep of my gut as I took in the image of Artemis. When I looked down for some reason, as though instincts were telling me to, I immediately saw my slightly messy and blurry reflection in the waters of the spring.

I was now in between the twenty-fifth and the twenty-sixth year of my life. If I were to have been married to a mortal like me, I would still be considered young and at the proper age to be a wife. Furthermore, the person who would have been my husband would surely be someone much older than I was, since it was a norm for men to take wives that were decades younger than them.

However, that was not my case. Instead, I was married to a god; a god that was forever and eternally youthful, with no signs of age ever coming upon him. Every day that passed by, he would still look the same; beautiful, flawless, perfect, etc.

It had occurred to me once before, but now I found myself fully thinking of the fact that, despite being technically younger than Dionysus, who was already a few centuries older than me, I looked much too old to be his wife. Furthermore, my birthing of twelve semi-divine sons had assisted in the transformation of my now much mature – or much older – face, that was no longer one of smooth and clear youthfulness, but now streaked with slight wrinkle lines and more age-defined features. I had been in my late teenage years when I had met him for the very first time, looking to be the same age as him, or else he could have looked slightly older at the time. Now, it was vice versa. I looked a good few years older than him. He still had the face of a fresh young man while I seemed to be some sort of older woman who was taking him as a young lover.

To be with someone who would be young for all eternity while I would age by each passing second of time was indeed something worrisome and nerve-wrecking for me. I could feel an uncomfortable heaviness forming in me just at the very thought of it. Many doubts would be born out of these doubts, and it did not help to alleviate my sense of dismay.

"Ariadne?"

I looked up from my reflection to see Artemis looking at me with a look of concern etched onto her eternally youthful and beautiful face. The sudden thought that I too looked older than her – and seeing her still have the perfect, flawless and mesmerizing beauty from when I had first met her seven years ago – pained me with a sudden kick-like sensation to my gut.

"Is something wrong?" Artemis asked, her concern slowly increasing. "The look on your face tells me that you are thinking of something that is bothering you. Would you like to talk about it? Maybe I can help?"

I knew very well that I had no will to tell Artemis of my bothersome insecurities about my age. I did not want to bring up such a petty and insignificant matter. And even if it really did bother me, I do not think I would wish to share the burden with Artemis.

"No, no. It's nothing," I lied in a calm and steady voice with a smile. "I'm just a slightly bit still tired from the journey home. A good moment in this hot spring is sure to be what I need to replenish myself."

Very soon, we were bathing ourselves in the spring as we spent time together in a warm and friendly surrounding, and I was able to put aside the dreary thoughts of age to the side of my mind for just a little while.

XXX

After we had finished bathing and had put back on our clothing, Artemis suddenly informed me, "I am not leaving just yet. To be honest, I had actually come here to speak with Dionysus."

I became curious, for that was not really a usual reason for Artemis' unexpected visits. What's more, the hint of seriousness in her eyes indicated to me that whatever she had intended to speak about with my husband was not something that was all fun.

Artemis seemed to have caught on the look in my eye, for she then said, "I bring with me news of an important matter. It regards him, and I would need to speak with him as soon as possible."

The noticeable note of urgency in her voice was what made me say, "Oh, of course. I will take you to him."

With my leopard walking beside us, Artemis followed me back to the camp.

Dionysus

I had just donned my chiton when Ariadne entered the tent. I knew then that she had returned from bathing somewhere, since her hair was still wet.

Seeing her instantly brought a smile to my face, and I immediately approached her to give a kiss to her lips. However, instead of the long one that I had intended to have, the kiss was brief because she suddenly pushed me away gently.

Before I could even ask, Ariadne told me, "Artemis is here. She wishes to see you."

Artemis? Now that was quite unexpected. I had expected Hermes to be the first of my Olympian family that I would see since coming back home, but not Artemis.

"Did she say why she was here?" I asked. Sometimes, Artemis would visit me only whenever she had chanced upon my feasting grounds while she was on her daily hunts in the vast forestland. But usually she would just spend time with Ariadne.

Slipping off her sleeping robe in front of me, which immediately made me feel a sudden flare of lust at the sight of her bare beauty, but then taking one of her loose dresses and putting it on, Ariadne answered, "She says she comes bringing news of an important matter to you. She insists that she sees you immediately."

Important matter? What sort of important matter would Artemis hold for me? It was rare enough to she would come visit to only see me, but to have some sort of important matter to discuss?

When I had finished watching my wife tie up the lacings of her dress, I said, "Alright then. I shall see her right now."

Ariadne gave me a kiss to my cheek before telling me that she will give me some privacy to talk with Artemis before going out the tent flaps. Not more than a few seconds later, the tent flaps moved again as someone new entered.

"Artemis," I smiled and bowed in good greeting. "Pleasure to see you again."

"Dionysus," she replied with a bow of her head and a slight smile. "Good to know that you have returned from the West, safe and sound. I have heard from Apollo that you had succeeded in reigning victorious in a battle against a race called the Indians?"

I nodded. "Indeed, I had," I exclaimed. "A troublesome group they were, blatantly voicing their disapproval and displeasure of my reveling and even threatening to bring an end to my rites. Fools they were when they came up with the stupid decision to attack."

But as I was chuckling to myself at the thought of my victory in India, I heard Artemis sigh. In a serious and grim voice, she said, "While I can honestly congratulate you on your success in the foreign land, this is unfortunately not the end of those who wish to discard your rites."

That immediately caught on my attentions. "What?" I questioned in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Holding my gaze steady with her serious-looking dark blue eyes, she revealed to me informatively, "In Argos, a revolt against your Bacchic practices of wine-making and reveling has begun. The citizens there are denying and protesting against your existence as an Olympian god."

The shock of that piece of news hit me like a jab of a sharp spear to my heart.

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed in a sudden flare of fury and insult. "Who dare to start such a heinous act?"

Artemis was not fazed by my sudden outburst as she answered, "The King of Argos himself. Perseus, the famous slayer of the snake-haired gorgon Medusa, and one of our many half-brothers by our father Zeus. It was he who decreed that your rites and rituals be abolished, for he found it a nuisance that your rites and rituals supported madness and ecstasy."

The fact that I discovered that it was a son of my father did not make it any better. Like my other Olympian half-siblings, I was not so fond of the demigod children of my father, especially those who tend to be arrogant to think that they are better than us. There was already too many of them for us to give a damn about, unless one of them gave us a reason to hold our interests.

And this Perseus definitely had my interests. Unfortunately, it was not in my favor.

"How had you come to know of this?" I inquired of her, straining to hold back the flame that was starting to burn within me.

"I roam random cities in the guise of a mortal sometimes," Artemis told me informatively. "I had come to know of this just a few days ago, when I paid a visit to Argos. Many of them had begun to preach of you being a fake and a fraud. Your temples had been discarded, with not even a single priest to tend to your altars or give you offerings. I am sorry to tell you that many of Argos' people are all starting to lose their belief in you, because of Perseus."

I was silent afterwards, letting my half-sister's words sink into me. This was indeed something that came as a shock to me. I was so shocked that I could not bring any words to come to my tongue. Artemis stood aside in silence as well, watching me carefully.

It was at that moment the silence was killed when I finally let out a yell of rage that had been building up in my throat. I turned on my heel and instantly flipped over a nearby table, causing the bowls of fruit that had been resting on top of it to fall to the flour, the ceramic bowl immediately breaking upon contact with the ground and the fruits rolling away in separate directions.

"HOW DARE HE!" I snarled in anger, which was by now burning and blazing white-hot from deep within me. "HOW DARE HE COMMIT SUCH HUBRIS TO ME! DOES HE NOT KNOW WHO I AM?! DOES HE NOT KNOW WHO HE WAS HE DEALING WITH?!"

Artemis responded with a snort. Throughout my moment of immense rage, she had been unfazed, as though she had expected me to react in such a way.

"I suppose he does not think that you are that powerful. Dionysus, I myself absolutely despise those who dare to threaten us, especially those that are born of Zeus' seed. They should be aware that their place is below us Olympians, and they have absolutely no right. If it be me in your position, I will make sure that they get what they deserve for their insolence. They do not deserve a second chance with us for their misdeeds."

All of a sudden, a new change started within me, as fast like a snap of fingers and the strike of lightning in the sky.

Artemis' words suddenly set the formation of an idea in my mind into motion. I was beginning to form a plan to give comeuppance for the damn Perseus' insulting deeds. A plan that was sure to show him that I will not let this matter slide, and that he would pay dearly if he were to keep the fire of his hubris burning. I was going to make sure that this would show him that I can bring as much damage to him as he did me.

With a firm angered determination, I proclaimed to Artemis, "I think I may have found the solution. To show him that he will be paid dearly for his actions."

With a slight upward incline of her head, her eyes assessing me completely, Artemis simply replied, "Then I wish you the best of luck, Dionysus."

Wordlessly, she then turned and left, leaving me to prepare to execute the plan that had now fully-formed within my mind.

I made it for certain that it would not be a light 'warning'. I truly do intend to teach that bastard that I am not someone to be trifled with.

Author's Note:

Seriously, I do feel sorry for Ariadne in this chapter. The thought of being the only one that grows old while your loved ones remained eternally young is not something nice, and it certainly does not give a very pleasant feeling. I don't think I would ever want to be in her situation. I'm just glad that I am not.

By the way, guys. I just uploaded a new one-shot called A Good Relation. This is WAY different from my other one-shots, because it is the first that focuses on my favorite god and my favorite goddess, Hades and Artemis 0.0

Anyway! It's the one-month long holidays here in Singapore, and this would just leave me with ample time to write out the future chapters :) So hopefully this can be done, and I hope that I would be able to properly build up the story to its peak!

Oh! And many of you are all curious about what Part 2 would be all about! Well, all I can say is; read on and find out!

See you on Monday!

Muse of Fanfiction