Part 2: Chapter 9

Ariadne

Right after he shouted that command, one of the guards standing at the frontline of the contingent suddenly withdrew something that was hiding behind his back. The guard threw the object to the ground, where it slid until it reached Perseus' feet. From where I stood, I could make out that the mysterious object was large and disc-shaped, wrapped in burlap cloth.

By the time the king of Argos picked up the disc, I immediately realized that my suspicions had been correct. I mean, why would an ordinary shield be covered in burlap cloth?

Only unless, it held the head of a creature that turned anyone who looked upon it into stone.

In that moment, I could make out two things.

Firstly; Perseus was intending to use the cursed powers of Medusa's head to turn my husband into stone. I realized now that this was his last resort to the duel if so ever all hope seemed lost for him. He was unarmed, since he had thrown his adamantine sword away from his hand. So the logical thing for him to do right now was to use that shield.

Lastly; Dionysus was running towards him, with his sword raised, his face full of angry intention.

The realization struck me like a lightning bolt.

My husband was about to walk into a trap.

Oh no… Oh no, oh no, oh no… This is not good… Not good at all…

This was definitely not good at all. My husband was about to walk towards his end without even knowing, because he was too consumed with the thought of ending this battle and finishing off the demigod to even notice anything strange about the shield that Perseus had just summoned for. I could tell from the way his tense and rigid body moved towards his opponent that the only thing he could think of right now was to kill the demigod once and for all.

But he did not know that Perseus had the shield that held Medusa's decapitated head. But I did, and I needed to tell him. I could not just stand here watching the battle commence, knowing what danger could happen to my husband but not doing anything about it. I most definitely had to do something about this.

I have got to stop this… a small voice in my head suddenly spoke through my crowded mind. I need to stop this… For Dion…

That very thought was enough to make me spontaneously jump off the chariot and run into the battleground, with my eyes locked on the running Dionysus and my heart beating wildly inside my chest. I ignored the cries and shouts of shock and confusion of the followers that started the very second I had ran away from the chariot, instead focusing on running on my bare feet – I had grown used to not wearing shoes now, and sometimes preferred not to at all – without tripping or falling on the gritty ground. One little blunder of mine could mean the end of my husband, and I could not risk even one silly mistake.

With each step I took, I could hear the cries of the followers getting louder and more frantic. They were shouting at me to come back, beckoning me to go back to safety, and praying to the gods that I had not been crazy enough to run into the thick of battle. I could already hear the leopards roaring in fear, and some Maenads crying in confusion as to what was going on with me.

But I paid them no heed. Like Dionysus, I was consumed with only one thought.

To keep my husband safe and alive at all costs.

As I ran at the maximum speed my body could handle, which I felt was – worryingly – not enough, I shouted at the top of my voice, thick with fear and anxiety, "DION! DION, DON'T!"

Unfortunately, as though the Fates were plotting against me, Dionysus did not hear my cries. He was roaring in battle rage that drowned out the sound of my own shouting voice, too deep in the heat of the duel to even concentrate on anything else from his surroundings. Furthermore, he did not even notice me running towards him. And neither did Perseus.

Nonetheless, I kept on running. At this point of time, I found that I could not stop. Even though I knew it was impossible, I was attempting to run faster than my husband, intending to intercept him so as to avoid him from coming closer to becoming a prey to Perseus' cunning trap.

"DION!" I continued to shout, desperately trying to get his attentions on me. "DION, STOP RUNNING! IT'S A TRAP!"

But like I had expected, he did not hear me.

Now I was at my breaking point, desperately trying to get myself to come up with solutions and other tactics to stop the (seemingly) inevitable from happening. But I tried with all my best to do the thinking fast and come up with something, because time was now of the essence. Each second wasted could be one second closer to Dionysus being turned into stone.

Just then, all of a sudden, a flash of movement caught my eye. Hesitantly, I tore my sight away from my husband to his opponent. As I continued to run at what might be the same speed as my husband's, my pacing even seemingly on par with his, I noticed then that Perseus was not moving.

He was standing still, feet placed firmly on the ground to give him balance, although he was still struggling to stand properly with the wound on his thigh that had been caused by my husband's sword. With his hard eyes fixed on the approaching Dionysus, he held the burlap-covered shield in front of him, like how one would hold a shield to block themselves from an incoming attack.

The more I watched him warily with growing fear, the more it became apparent that the burlap cloth was being pulled away from the shield it was covering. And very soon, a pair of gruesome eyes on that shield would meet the dark hazel eyes of my husband.

I felt my heart racing, then skip a beat, then stop, then racing again.

There was no more time for strategies. Action had to be taken now.

Without even giving a second thought or realization as to what I was doing, I willed myself to increase my speed, now praying with all my heart that I would be able to stop this in time. And for some strange reason, I realized that I was now slightly ahead of Dionysus. I did not know why; was it because he was getting too tired, or because some supernatural force was aiding me in my time of need?

But whatever it was, I had no time for thought on that. Using the fact that I was ahead of Dionysus as an advantage, I finally moved in to make my interception, focused on my plan to stop my husband before he got too close.

Only one thing to do now, Ariadne… the voice in my head spoke, the only clear thing at this very moment. Keep Dion safe and alive…

I continued running, feeling wind hit my face and the soles of my feet pounding upon the ground.

Only when I had finally managed to make a move in did Dionysus finally realized I was there. His eyes widened in a state of shock, and he quickly halted in his steps, skidding slightly on the ground as the friction of the earth worked against the soles of his leather sandals.

Before I had time to stop in my own tracks, my entire body heating up with fear and exhaustion from the run, I finally found myself in between him and Perseus.

However, I realized too late that I was actually having my back to my husband, and my front to Perseus. Thus, I was fully facing the front of the shield.

A now uncovered shield, barren of the burlap cloth it had previously been wrapped in.

With the shield now fully revealed, I finally saw what was on the center.

A pair of horrifying eyes met mine.

I froze on the spot upon the sight of it, feeling myself go numb from what I was seeing.

But then, my heart, that had been racing frantically just a while ago, then started to slow down. And I could clearly feel its beating pace getting slower, and slower, and slower…

And then…

And then…

And…then…

Nothing.

Dionysus

Everything had happened in a very confusing rush of time.

I did not know why Ariadne was nearby. I had no idea what she was thinking. Had she gone insane? Why had she been there when now was clearly the time where she should have stayed out of the way? Unless she had intended to get hurt? But I knew that Ariadne was smarter than that. There was no way.

As more questions regarding the moment started popping up in my mind, I realized that Ariadne had run in between me and Perseus, her arms outstretched like some sort of barrier to protect me from the demigod. However, due to what could be a trip, she stumbled, and her back turned to face me while her front was to Perseus.

All of a sudden, Ariadne started to turn rigid.

It was not because of shock or fear or anything. It was something else.

Something much more horrifying.

It was her fingers that I noticed first. What were once long and slim fingers, which had created beautiful needlework and had played with our beloved sons and a lot of baby wildcats, suddenly turned grey and hard, and so very solid that her fingers were suddenly frozen in place, a gritty sound emitted as her skin there finally completed hardening. It had not taken long, and the strange effect then continued to spread up her arms at a fast pace. And when it fully turned her limbs, it proceeded to affect other parts of her body. And not only just her body, but her hair and clothes as well.

I could only watch the transformation of my wife in shock and horror, finding myself at a loss for words to express what I felt at that very moment. However, through my state, I knew I could not deny what was happening to my wife before my very eyes.

Ariadne had been – somewhat impossibly – turned into stone.

Suddenly, everything seemed to click. There was only one way for any being that walked the Earth to ever be turned to stone, and there was no doubt about it that Perseus, the famous slayer of the gorgon Medusa, held that ability that was not his own but that of the monster he had slain.

Now I knew why Ariadne had been there, running towards me; she had been trying to stop me, because she knew what was happening and that I would have fallen victim to this trap, had she not made a move to stop it.

But as though cursed by the Fates, it had to happen to her.

I could not believe it… I definitely could not believe it… Had that just happened? Had my wife truly been turned to stone? Surely it must be a trick! Maybe just a trick of the mind, because I was too into the heat of my battle! That could not be real… This could not be real…

But yet, it was.

CRACK!

It came out of nowhere. The sharp sound was so loud and so sudden that even I jumped, pulled away from the thoughts that were starting to crowd in my mind as I stared in horror at the sight of Ariadne's body having been turned to stone. So occupying with trying to comprehend what in Tartarus had just happened to realize what had actually happened.

When I did though, I knew then that things started taking turns for the worst. There was no denying it when the sound made was definitely like that of metal cracking rock.

And I then realized why.

In front of my wife, Perseus was looking at her stone face in horror and shock. But I could see that there was clearly another look to his expression; it was realization, of what had happened and who it had happened to. In his hands, I saw, was a short sword, which I had not seen him had a while before when I was charging right at him. He must have withdrawn it from somewhere, most probably the shield he had now possessed.

At that moment, the shield in his hand dropped, luckily on its front side so I did not get an unfortunate chance to see the head of the monster that was implanted on it. But I did not pay much mind to it, because my sight was still focused on Perseus. Now, I could clearly see how his face contorted with his new expression of horrified shock, with his wide disbelieving eyes and his slightly gaped mouth.

But why could I see him clearly now?

It was because Perseus had hit my wife's stone body with so much strength with the short sword, causing Ariadne to start to shatter and break into many pieces of stone.

As I watched my wife crumble to the ground, I could only do one thing.

I screamed in horror.

"ARIADNE!"

Without a moment's hesitation, I threw my sword and shield away and flung my entire body to the ground, my fingers coming into contact with the bits of stone that used to be the flesh of the body of my wife. In desperation, I gathered the stones into my hands and then my arms, hugging them close to me like they were precious. I could feel how cold and sharp the fragments of stone were; so very different from the warm and soft body of Ariadne.

I hung my head, staring at the broken and scattered shards of stone that had been Ariadne. I was in a complete state of disbelief. What had happened could not have happened. It shouldn't have happened. This was too impossible to believe. There was no way that the Fates could have been that cruel to weave such an occurrence into Ariadne's thread.

Suddenly, I felt something that I have never felt before in my entire life.

I felt anguish.

My eyes started to sting with the pain that this had happened to my precious wife. It stung so much that it watered, and the first tears that I had ever shed in my long entire life started to fall down. My throat started to feel thick with a sob that came out of my mouth sounding so broken and strangled. My heart started to feel pained, and I could almost feel cracks starting to form and spread throughout, like how cracks had shattered Ariadne's stone body into the pieces that was now in my arms and on the ground.

Never before have had I felt such pain, such sorrow, such loss. All my life, I had been jovial, ecstatic and always feeling like I was at the peak of my life. I have never known such feelings such as that of sadness, for I have never once had something to be sad over.

Only at this moment, at the realization that my wife was now gone and lost from my grasp, did I feel my entire world come crashing down upon me.

Was this how Tartarus felt like? So agonizingly painful?

But then again, I was not just only sad.

I was completely furious.

"YOU!" I roared at the top of my voice, my head whipping up to look at the damned and blasted demigod that did this to Ariadne. "YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER!" I bellowed aloud in a chant, spittle flying from my mouth as the rage burned inside me.

Perseus did not say anything in retaliation, instead looking back at me with the same expression of horror and disbelief. For some reason, he did not look proud that I was in such a state, as he would have been a while ago when he was agitating me during our battle. Instead, he looked almost guilty and regretful.

But I did not pay mind to the look on his face, too caught up in the anger to even care of such a thing.

Springing to my feet, I immediately grabbed hold of his tunic, bringing his face closer to mind and shaking him violently as I shouted, "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO?! DID YOU PLAN TO KILL HER?! KILLING THE ONE PERSON I HOLD CLOSE TO MY HEART?! THE ONE PERSON WHO I LOVED?!"

Perseus did not say anything, as with the rest of them there. It was only then I realized that everyone else was silent, with only my shouts and cries being echoed throughout the vicinity.

"IS THIS WHAT YOU HAD AIMED TO ACHIEVE?! THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD DO TO WIN THIS PATHETIC DUEL THAT I HAD WANTED NO PART OF FROM THE BEGINNING?! YOU WOULD STOOP TO SO LOW A LEVEL?!"

Unable to contain my rage any longer, I pushed him forcefully to the ground, and he fell limply as he maintained his gaze upon me. I stared back at him, breathing in and out hot breaths of air, feeling my chest rise and fall rapidly, my tight fists trembling at my sides so hard that I could feel my nails breaking into my skin and drawing out ichor.

I then hung my head, unable to continue looking at the vile murderer as I began feeling the burdening weight of anguish upon me. The tears continued to fall down continuously, gathering at the corners of my eyes before streaming down in fast rivulets down my cheeks. My whole body started to feel heavy all of a sudden, and I felt that I would be unable to stand up soon. Each beating of my heart was like a punch to my chest; slow, deep, painful…

Suddenly, a glint of light on the ground caught my attentions. Shifting my gaze over to it, I saw what it was.

I had thought that whatever Ariadne had on had been turned into stone along with her body. But, by some sort of miracle, her crown had managed to escape the effects of the curse. Corona now lay on the ground, still in its perfect shape, among the rubble that what was once was my wife. The crown was unharmed and still perfect, its silver-gold band still shining in the faint light, and the eight diamond stones still sparkling and glittering.

With slowness in my movements, I bent down to pick up Corona, my fingers being careful as I had a fear that it might break if I touched it. It did not break, and I was glad that it did not. Gently, I held the crown in my hands, my thumbs caressing the smooth and shiny metal.

But just then, I started crying once again, with some of my tears falling onto the crown, glinting against the jewelry. I cried at that moment at the thought that Corona was the only thing right now that would remind me of Ariadne, because I had failed to save her from being broken into pieces by Perseus. Corona was the only thing I had left that was a part of Ariadne.

I clutched the crown to my chest, right over my heart, wishing so badly that Ariadne had not just left the world of the living. But as I did, I found myself muttering something to the demigod standing in front of me.

"I have had enough… No more of this… You win… You win…"

It pained me to forfeit now and accept defeat. A sudden sting of shame and embarrassment hit me right in the gut that I, a god, would actually give in to a half-blood. I had been so sure that I would win and reign victorious, thus getting the compensation I wanted from Perseus. But here I was, entirely at the losing end.

However, I realized now that I no longer cared. I did not care that I would accept defeat. I did not care about losing face. I did not care about Perseus. The reason being because this duel – this stupid and pathetic attempt at revenge – had caused me to lose the most important person in my life. Had all of this not occurred, Ariadne would have still been here, alive and breathing, safe and sound.

Sucking in a deep breath to calm my pained heart, I looked up at Perseus, and saw that he too was staring back in silence. There was no look of scorn or pride on his features, instead still having the look of guilt and remorse from just now. I had no way of telling whether what he showed on his face was genuine or not, but I did not care.

"You have fought bravely, Perseus…" I said to him quietly, my voice sounding heavy and strangled. "I see now that it is only right that you be named the victor… Do what you wish… Abolish my rites in your land… Outcast my devotees… Denounce my name… I find no reason now to fight you any longer, because this…" I gestured to the crown in my hands and the bits of stone on the ground between us, "…will be enough to signify that I had lost… If I had known that this duel would have risked the life of my wife, I would never have done this... And what if I risk the safety of my thiasus if I dared to challenge you to another?... No... I will not do that..."

Without another word or glance to him, I turned away to walk back to my followers. With each heavy step I took, I felt a pain in my heart at the horrible thought that I was walking away from Ariadne, still unable to believe that she was now gone and no longer alive. Only the crown that I was hugging to my chest made me think that a part of her was still with me.

My thiasus said nothing as they parted a way for me to walk through; I did not bother getting onto my chariot, having no care for the regalia anymore. Instead, all of them simply followed me, turning and walking away from the battleground in silence.

Author's Note:

OH NO! ARIADNE! DIONYSUS! NO!

Snap, guys! That was so difficult and heartbreaking! Snap, I felt pained when I typed this out! Poor things!

I just started school today, but that's not important. What's important is how are Dionysus and Ariadne going to get back together, if they would ever get back together!?

Stay tune for the next chapter!

Muse of Fanfiction