Part 2: Chapter 12

Artemis

By my lonesome, I stood on the balcony of one of the lounging rooms of the palace. I gazed up at my moon that shone full and silvery-white tonight high above the thick and dark cold winter clouds, which already had the small cold, white fluffs of snow falling from it, signalling the end of three months of autumn and the beginning of three months of winter.

As I stood quietly and admired my celestial orb, my mind began replaying everything that I witnessed in the room of the scrying pool earlier today.

A small part of me was in complete denial that whatever that had happened had truly happened. It did not want to believe the fact that Ariadne had taken the attack meant for Dionysus and had been completely turned into stone before being broken into many pieces by Perseus' sword.

However, I knew that I cannot deny what had truly happened.

All so suddenly, a deep voice sounded from behind me.

"I do not understand."

I turned away from my room to look at who was behind me. Stepping out onto the balcony, Zeus approached, his hands entwined behind his back and his eyes looking downwards in concentration. He said nothing more as he came to a stand beside me, turning his head to look at me.

Calmly, I simply asked, "Do not understand what, Lord Zeus?"

Keeping his gaze on mine, my father said, "About that girl. The girl who sacrificed herself for him."

I need not wonder who he was talking about. "What about Ariadne?" I questioned under my breath, a feeling of dread and worry slowly building up inside me, unable to stop from being suspicious of where he was going with this conversation.

"I do not understand what is it about that girl that makes Dionysus mourn for her so badly," Zeus answered in a curious frown. "What is it about her that makes her loss so unbearable to his heart? I know that she was his wife, although I have had no say in the union. But she was mortal. He should have known what the consequences of keeping a mortal as a bride were. They are far too fragile, and she was no different. He could have chosen any immortal woman of his preference, yet he settles for her."

For some reason, his question made me annoyed, but I was able to keep a neutral face to avoid it from being clear in my expression. But honestly, his question was quite a stupid question to be asked in my opinion. Furthermore, it was very insensitive. But this was Zeus I was talking to, and being insensitive was a well-known specialty of his.

Releasing a heavy sigh in hopes of extinguishing every ounce of desire to scream insults in my father's face, I calmly said to him, "What is there to understand in this thing called love, Lord Zeus? It makes people do things that may benefit or hurt others or themselves. What had happened to Dionysus and Ariadne is both sides of the same coin; Dionysus is safe but mourns for her death, and Ariadne has done herself a great deed by saving her husband from danger but at the cost of her own life. What's more, have you ever seen a mortal sacrificing their lives for an immortal? To think of such an incident would have been impossible at first, but what Ariadne had done for Dionysus changed all of that. She has earned herself good graces for being so willing to die an honorable death by saving the life of one of us."

Zeus stared at me, clearly awed by my words, and I fought down the urge to cheer in pride. I kept my head held high, displaying confidence.

With another intake of breath, I told him, "And Dionysus would not have any other woman – be it mortal or immortal – when he finds love in Ariadne alone. And he cares not for whether she was mortal or immortal. He only cares that she loved him as much as he loved her. But of course, it is clear that he feels guilt as of this moment, for his impulsive actions had caused him the life of his love."

Suddenly, I felt daring upon my last statement, and boldly asked him without a single hint of hesitation, "Have you ever experienced guilt for losing someone due to your actions? The same feelings that Dionysus experiences now?"

Zeus did not answer me immediately, nor did he after a few seconds. And after those few seconds, I decided that he had no answer at all. It was not surprising in the least for me.

In the silence that ensued after our conversation, I turned and walked away, only giving a slight bow as a show of respect to him before I did. I did not give him a single glance or another word before I left.

But just as I was about to leave, I heard him mutter a single name under his breath; what could probably be the answer to my question.

I did not hear him clearly, but I think he said 'Semele'.

Ariadne

My gaze came upon the man first.

The man looked – the first few words that came into my mind the minute I saw him – daunt, intimidating, and absolutely frightening. From the hard gaze of his piercing pitch black eyes – which was clearly seen even from the great distance between he and I – that seemed to strike into my very core, to the way he sat upon his throne of black and gold with so much power and command, it was all enough to make me feel like trembling in fear and anxiety.

But as much as he looked terrifying, I could not look away from his hard eyes due to the fact that I was as just mesmerized as I was frightened. It was true that, despite his fearsome expression, he was downright handsome and beautiful. With perfectly cut and angled facial features, a head of smoothed-back hair that was as black as a piece of midnight, pale skin that seemed to make him glow in the dimness of the room, and silk robes of dark colors that seemed to be more valued than my dress of leopard pelts, he seemed to be the very personification of handsome.

But however much I was afraid or entranced by his appearance, I eventually found my attentions directed to the woman sitting beside him.

The first thing that came to my mind when I looked at her – besides the thought of how extraordinarily beautiful and magnificent she looked, which ignited a small pang of envy and jealousy within me – was how completely different she looked from the man. She seemed to be the complete opposite of him in appearance. While he was darkness, she was lightness.

While he had fathomless black hair, her hair – which fell in graceful waves to her waistline – was a brown that, although still dark, was lighter than his. While he had black eyes that were completely solid, her eyes were a bright amber color that seemed to shine. While he was of a pale and alabaster skin, she was of a creamy complexion with a tinge of peachiness. While his muscular face and body were all hard and sharp angles, her slim face and body were all soft and gentle curves. While he wore colors of scarlet and black and silver, she wore colors of lilac and white and gold. While he looked at me with an intimidating expression, she gazed at me with a kind expression.

As I continued to gaze at the two sitting on the two black and gold thrones, with the woman's throne designed with beautiful and colorful jewels, I came upon the shocking realization that the man – no, god – before me was none other than the God of the Dead and King of the Underworld, Hades.

However, I could not fathom the thought that the woman – no, goddess – sitting beside him was the Goddess of Spring, Persephone.

While I was still staring at the both of them, the frown on Hades' face deepened slightly, and he repeated his command with more firmness, "Arise."

Upon command and not breaking my gaze of them, I did as he said and stood to my feet, staggering slightly from minimal balance. When I managed to stay upright, I bent at my waist, bowing to them in deep respect. I kept quiet as I listened to Hades speak to me.

"Ariadne of Crete," he said in some form of greeting. "Daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë. Princess of the island of your birth. You stand before me and my queen today, at this very moment, to receive your final judgement."

Despite the fact that I felt my throat was too thick and dry to speak, I felt obliged to respond to him. So, I quietly cleared my throat and replied respectfully, "Great Hades Chthonius. I stand before you today to receive my final judgement. Whatever it is you have decided to be my final fate, I will accept without hesitance."

"Do you not pay your greetings to my queen, who is so clearly seated beside me?" he asked in firm disapproval, a hint of annoyance and irritation heard clearly in his deep voice.

At that moment, I panicked instantly and greatly, cursing myself mentally for my mistake. Quickly side-tracking, I exclaimed in a frantic rush, "Forgive me for my insolence and ignorance, my lady!"

Before I could babble on about how much I apologized by my mistake, I was stopped by soothing kind voice.

"Do not fret, dear Ariadne. I am not greatly offended by your honest mistake, and have accepted your apology," the queen told me in gentle reassurance, and I could detect a smile in her voice. Her words were what made me look up to see that there truly was a kind smile etched onto her rosy pink lips. I kept my sights focused on her sweet features, trying hard to not pay heed to the frown the king was giving me.

But the weight of his eyes on me was what forced me to look down again, just as he started to speak once more.

"Former guardian of the Labyrinth. Chosen under the command of your father, King Minos of Crete, to guard its only way in, and its only way out, and lead the fourteen Athenians who enter into it each year to their deaths at the hands of the monstrous Minotaur. That is, until you aided the demigod Theseus into bringing its downfall."

My insides cringed and tightened at the mention of the name of that damned Athenian prince from my past, who I still, until now, hold deep grudges against, piled up into one seething mass of rage and anger at the remembrance of what he had done to me. Despite the fact that it had been seven years ago, and I had an admittedly wonderful and blissful life with Dionysus and my sons and the revelry during those seven years, the wounds that had been inflicted upon me from that day – the day I woke up on the beach of the island of Naxos to find myself alone and abandoned – still pained me deeply.

"You were his lover for a short while, were you not?" Hades questioned me in his nonchalant voice.

I forced myself to get a grip as I answered, "Yes. But that is something which I regret immensely."

"Because he gave you empty promises of marriage and abandoned you on the island of Dia?"

I fought back the sudden twinge of pain and anger and took a deep breath to steady myself. Despite the strong hatred of Theseus that was starting up from within me, I managed to exhale a deep breath and nod my head.

Hades nodded once in confirmation. "Well, all of us have something that we regret once it is over. I, for one, absolutely regret letting the blasted demigod go."

I looked up at Hades in confusion, wondering what he had meant by that last bit. But Hades was effectively silenced from saying any more of it by a look of disapproval from Persephone.

Now that was certainly a sight to see. The great and fearsome God-King of the Underworld, whose reputation for being a divine being of absolute power knew no bounds, had been silenced by a look from a mild and docile goddess?

Indeed, that was strange.

Hades cleared his throat and continued on with the conversation with neutrality masking his face. "But it is with Theseus you had committed the sin of engaging in premarital sexual intercourse. And it also because of him you broken your family ties and abandoned them," he told me informatively.

"Only because my father threatened to kill me!" I shouted in defiance before clamping my hands over my mouth, mortified that I had done so without thinking. Immediately, I bowed, muttering out a long string of apologies for my rude outburst.

Somehow, Hades acted as though it never happened and just continued talking "What do have to say for yourself, for the mistakes you had committed?" he questioned me.

Silence ensued, allowing me to think over his question. Indeed, what did I have to say for myself?

With a deep breath, I replied slowly, "Of course, I regret them immensely, and sometimes I wish that I would be able to turn back time to undo everything that I had. Those mistakes that I had foolishly committed made a show of me being a stupid and naïve girl that does things upon impulse and believes the lies of others. I had made an ass of myself."

I sucked in another deep breath, bracing my heart for whatever I had to say next.

"And I am afraid that it is because of these mistakes that will earn me an afterlife as a plain shade in the Asphodel Plains, or a tortured soul in Tartarus. But whatever it is, I will accept it regardless, for it is your say, and I have none."

I remained quiet and still, waiting for Hades to start speaking once again. While I did, I tried hard to maintain the fear and anxiety that was growing within me, and did my best to maintain strength to be able to bear with whatever that was going to happen to me in the upcoming moments.

All of a sudden, it was not the voice of Hades that spoke, but of Persephone's.

In her kind and gentle voice, I heard her say, "My dear Ariadne, why do you fear for something that will not happen to you?"

That instantly made me look up at the King and Queen in confusion. What exactly did she mean by that? What did she mean…?

Persephone continued speaking kindly to me. "You need not fear of entering Tartarus, Ariadne. And I assure you that you will not enter the Asphodel Plains."

"Because you are not entering either of those realms," Hades finished for her.

I swear – for what had to be the umpteenth time – that if my heart was still beating at this very moment, it would surely stop now when I came upon the realization.

"Which means… Which means… Which means…" I breathed in shock, but I was unable to finish my words from the sheer disbelief of the realization that struck me as clear as day.

Persephone smiled at me warmly and her eyes shone with kindness as she answered, "It is because you are entering the Elysian Fields, where only the most worthy of souls are allowed to enter and reside in."

I allowed the news to sink into me, but I still could absolutely not believe it. That news was far too good to be true, and almost impossible to happen to me. No, there could be no way I had actually received an afterlife in the Elysian Fields, the realm where only the very good of souls resided in.

"You are probably wondering…" Persephone pointed out calmly.

Unable to bring any word to my tongue to speak, I simply nodded my head cluelessly, my eyes still fixed on the both of them.

It was Hades who answered my question, still maintaining his expression of stoic and nonchalant superiority.

"Ariadne of Crete, you had saved the lives of the fourteen Athenians who were sent into the Labyrinth on that fated year, and the killing of the Minotaur had effectively ended the gruesome ritual of yearly sacrifice that would have claimed the lives of more innocent Athenians in the time that was to come. Although it had been Theseus who was honored the title of 'The Minotaur Slayer', it was truly you who had put the events into motion. If it had not been for you, none of that would have possibly happened. Although you may have regretted it because of the consequences that followed, it had earned you good deeds for the saving of lives who would have been the Minotaur's future victims. And you were the wife of Dionysus, my nephew and a god among the Twelve Olympians. To gain the good graces of a divine being already gives you merit upon your life, which will follow you even to your death. However, the most important reason was the fact that you had died saving your husband from his death at the hands of the demigod Perseus. To sacrifice yourself for the safety of the ones you loved – and for a god! – was already the greatest deed that anyone could ever hope to achieve. There are not many souls who are as strong and as selfless as you, Ariadne."

I stood there, absolutely flabbergasted by the word of praise I was receiving from none other than Hades himself. As I looked at him, all thoughts of him being a fierce and cruel god disappeared from my mind. Instead, I had finally come to realize that he was in fact truly a fair and just god who had complete knowledge of the balance of justice and truth.

To think I would even think of such a shocking thing, but I was somehow glad that I did.

Suddenly, without another word, Hades waved a hand in the air, and I suddenly experienced the feeling of being lifted off my feet. True enough, I found myself back into nothingness. But this time, it was not of the shadowy darkness I had been when I first seen my father.

This time, it was now completely bright. It was like I was being bathed in a mixture of soft sunlight and moonlight, shining glorious and beautiful. What's more, I did not feel afraid in this nothingness. In fact, I felt an odd sense of comfort and security, like danger never existed here, and that I was guaranteed safety.

Enjoying this warm feeling that was starting to blossom from deep within me, I shut my eyes, allowing myself to bask in the glow of the light.

But it was the feeling of being in a wide and open space and the feeling of soft grass under the soles of my bare feet that made me open my eyes.

I gasped at what I saw.

Right before my very eyes was a scenery of beauty. There was a wide expanse of field that seemed wide and endless, with small green hills popping up here and there and everywhere. Its color a very healthy grown with large patches of colorful flowerbeds scattered everywhere across the green grassy ground. Like the scattered flowerbeds, there were also many scattered thicket of trees that held all sort of fruits and bushes that held many more colorful flowers. But what took my breath away was a huge crystal clear lake that glistened and sparkled, and also mirrored the reflection of the soft white sky that hung high above.

While I was completely in awe and amazement, my attentions were immediately directed to the fact that there were people here.

There were some that were dancing and singing on the lands, some that were swimming in the clear lake, and some that were just sitting together in groups as they chatted and laughed together. I noticed that there were a lot more children than there were adults, and they were all playing in many groups to their hearts content.

But despite all that, there was one similarity that everyone had.

All of them looked at peace.

And, for some reason, I started to feel the same.

Author's Note:

So introducing Hades and Persephone for the very first time, and the both of them were clearly not what Ariadne had imagined them to be! Speaking of Ariadne, she has been sentenced to live in the blissful Elysian Fields! But would she be happy, or would pain still linger in her heart?

Just thought I would add these two points;

1) Zeus' actions that he had regretted committing towards Semele was showing his true form to her, which caused her to die from fright and shock from the sight of his godly aura and his thunderbolts. Of course, this had been caused by the trickery of Hera.

2) If anyone read my old fanfiction The Wrath of Hades, they would know what I meant when Hades regrets letting Theseus go. For those who did not but knew anyway, good for you.

See you on Monday!

Muse of Fanfiction