Chapter 3: Gods At Birthdays
Silenus checked his scroll of notes on the rock he sat on.
Banquet? Covered.
Dionysus' specialty in cups? Check.
The mountain of presents? Check.
Floral garlands, a throne of pinewood, and torches? Check.
Just…
"LORD SILENUS!"
Atalanta's loud voice nearly caused Silenus to rip his scroll.
"Great Gaia, Atalanta! Pan's the retinue's vocal alarm!" Silenus turned.
The retinue's defense members were holding up their spears at three unexpected divine guests. Of all the days that gods decided to pop in, THIS was not the day! He could survive a surprise visit from Persephone. He cared less of Hades.
But the other.
"Demeter." Silenus stomped his hoof and tossed the scroll away. A nymph quickly fetched it and took over his task.
"Silenus." The goddess spoke as equally vile to him, a fucking baklava platter in hand.
"You got a lot of nerve showing up at my retinue!" He pointed. "I have no business with you! THIS SPOT is outside your shitass floral prison AND I have a legal contract with your daughter over it! We're here until dawn, so take your green Olympian ass out of here!"
Several satyrs quickly backed away the moment their Lord started cussing. Even Atalanta went to hide further down her bear mother's back.
Persephone quickly stood in front of her mother. "Silenus, hi! I'm really sorry about my mother being here!" She spoke up. "I heard you were in the area."
"And it's nice to see you too." Silenus kept his pose but his expression softened towards Demeter's child. "Your recent exploits spread quickly. Congratulations on becoming Queen of the Underworld."
"Aw, thanks!"
"And… the only one among Kronos' boys with decency." Silenus bowed his head towards Hades. "Congratulations on your newest partnership. I was starting to think you'd never be with anyone."
"They aren't together and Persephone isn't a Queen." Demeter said sourly. "She's working on rejoining The Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood."
"And how did that work out for you?" Silenus smirked with sarcasm. "Oh, wait, I remember now. Family issues. Trust issues with, well, anyone not named Demeter. Oh, and can I include the last 10 FANTASTIC years of you not being around?"
"Organizational maidenhood is a fraud anyway!" Atalanta nodded. "Maidens are stronger when they choose to stay virgins on their own! That's how they become badasses that kill perverts! Maidens forced into celibacy systems are easily ruined by monsters who could care less about the system!"
The gods looked at the mortal child, concerned that she might need a shrink.
"What? Cases of Medusa, Io, and Cassandra? AM I THE ONLY SANE FEMALE HERE?"
"Atalanta. Loukoumi bar. Nobody's done a poison check," Silenus said.
"THE BARBARIANS!" Atalanta jumped off the bear and ran towards the buffet. Some nymphs yelped in surprise when the wild child started pointing her arrows at them. "COME BACK HERE, YOU CROSS-CONTAMINATERS!"
"For once, get her to hold back on the berries, OK?" Silenus sighed at the bear. The bear just grunted and followed Atalanta.
"Is… she always like this?" Persephone cautiously asked.
"Yep." Silenus crossed his arms behind his back. "Well. Nice to see two of you. Persephone, Hades, you're welcome to stay for, like, the next hour or something. Demeter, get the Tartarus out!"
"SERIOUSLY?" Demeter tossed the baklava at the ground. A nymph caught it and ran off with it, dumping it into the nearest campfire. The flames widened and the burning wood started to smell of baklava.
"Yes! ANYONE who's an Olympian isn't welcome!" Silenus practically shouted before pointing at Hades and Persephone. "THEY aren't Olympians! You are! So get back to your property and wait until we leave at dawn to decide to sequester all of Attica!"
"I should turn you into a turnip!" Demeter got angry.
"So!" Persephone pushed herself between the deities. "Retinue keeps getting bigger! You guys throwing a party?"
"CANNONBALL!"
A boy's shout had alerted nearly half the members by the multi-tiered waterfall. Those at the lowest ground level quickly made a run for it, grabbing all their laundry, fish, or bathing selves. Others, however, quickly got excited and ran to the waterfall. Silenus panicked.
"DIONYSUS! NO!"
…
Hades did not see the commotion coming.
It was all so fast. A couple boys had jumped off the waterfall like Poseidon being a goofball in his own pool. The waterfall itself was high enough to injure someone's belly upon diving. The splash that came was large and red.
But not red like blood.
Dark, yes, but far more saturated. A powerful aroma caused most of the retinue to get excited. Nymphs that got caught in the splash started laughing red bubbles out of their lips. Licking their lips, satyrs quickly ran for a dive in the red waters. Humans made a line to fill their cups with the liquid.
Silenus ran to the shore. A human was passing around cups to others, including the gods. Hades, Persephone, and Demeter looked at one another before sniffing their cups. All three pulled back from shock.
"Too powerful!" Demeter gagged.
"It's… wine. How is that possible?" Hades asked.
"Maybe it's ancient wine. No wonder it smells so strong!" Persephone gave her glass to a far more eager satyr.
"Not that! Wine hasn't been given to mortals in the Mortal Realm yet. Whatever happened, it changed the water to wine…" Hades paused. "How long did they get exposed to wine?"
A couple boys ran out of the wine, both shaking to get the liquid out of their hair. They tried to make a run for it, but Silenus caught them by the ankles and lifted them up.
"Boys." Silenus frowned. The boys chuckled awkwardly.
"Hi, Pops," they both said.
"POPS?" Hades, Persephone, and Demeter all said.
Hades was perhaps the most baffled. Then again, he hadn't seen Lord Silenus in thousands of years. If any Olympian HAD popped their noses into the retinue's business, it was primarily to complain about the wild satyrs getting too close to their temples or mortals complaining to the gods about the satyrs bugging civilized society. Last time he'd HEARD of Silenus, Zeus had been chased off by the satyrs when the former tried to approach a satyr's wife; Silenus did not hesitate to inform Hera. Hera had declared the retinue off-limits to the Olympians… which didn't stop her from burning Zeus' nymph crush alive. And the satyr had jumped off a cliff.
That was roughly 40 years ago, but still…
When some nymphs poured water to wash away the wine on the children, Hades picked it.
The exact odor that Asclepius himself reeked off. On the two boys, it was faint, probably due to the retinue's overall stench of goat fur, mud, and blood. But with the proximity, he recognized it.
The smell of demigods.
"Silenus! I didn't know you were a dad!" Persephone's eyes beamed.
"Let me guess. Had flings with some unfortunate nymphs?" Demeter snarked.
Hades was confused. As a god, Demeter should have easily smelled the two. Then again, the retinue's odor mostly covered the demigods' smell. Not to mention that living in the Mortal Realm might have affected both Demeter's and Persephone's sense of smell.
"I am satisfied in my lack of sexual activities, thank you very much!" Silenus said. The boys quickly hid behind him. "I adopted them as babies. You should know, Demeter. The Mortal Realm breeds cruel parents. The kind that abandon their babies in the woods if deemed unsatisfying." Silenus bent down and put his arms over the boys. "Boys, these newcomers are gods. The mean-tempered one is an Olympian."
Demeter's frown worsened. The children hid further behind Silenus.
"I don't wanna get eaten!" One of them whined.
"Eaten?" Persephone chuckled. "I'm vegetarian. Why would I want to eat kids?"
"NO WAY! I'M GONNA DIE AND TURN INTO A PLANT!" The only satyr among the boys tried to make a run for it. Silenus nonchalantly caught him by the horns and pulled him back. As Silenus put the satyr down, he ruffled the child's red locks.
"What do we say?" Silenus asked.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Pan. Thank you for not sacrificing us in the name of anti-wilderness civilization," the satyr mumbled. His right hoof stomped rather rapidly.
"Nice to meet you, Pan. I'm Persephone." The pink goddess knelt down to look at him in the eyes.
In his senses, Hades picked it up.
Red all over? Hair moving despite the lack of wind? The big smile stretching past the eyes the moment Persephone spoke nicely? His unusually fast stomping? The goat horns sticking out of his head, unlike other satyrs, were shaped like a flying bird's humerus and ulna. Even after the wine bath and water pouring, Pan had the stench of someone jogging since dawn.
You've got to be joking, Hades mentally groaned.
"You guys are throwing a party?" Persephone kept being nice to Pan.
"Yeah! It's my brother's birthday!" Pan ran to pull his brother out of his hiding spot.
The moment the second boy stepped out from behind Silenus, the stench became evident. Not to mention the royal purple curls almost had a lavender highlight under the sun.
You've GOT to be kidding!
Hades could be pleasantly surprised about Pan being Hermes', but SERIOUSLY?
WHY in all the Fates did Silenus have one of Zeus' mortal bastards within his retinue?
The stare of concern was obvious within the eyes of the stoic Silenus. The eyes specifically targeted at Hades. The God of the Underworld just gave a confused look. Hopefully the satyrs' Lord would think Hades didn't catch on.
But seriously! ANOTHER ONE? I'm losing track of how many of them come to the Underworld! Zeus just keeps breeding them!
"AW, you're so cute!" Persephone squealed at the purple-haired child. "Happy birthday!"
"Thank you…" The purple-haired demigod lowered his head to hide his blush. "… Auntie Persephone."
Persephone blinked in surprise. Hades almost wondered if the kid let it slip…
"OH MY GAIA, REALLY?" To most of their bafflement, Persephone picked up the demigod in her arms. She poked his nose, making him laugh a bit. "I NEVER got to be an auntie before!"
"Really?" He giggled. "I got a lot of uncles and aunties in the retinue! Lots of gods we've met out of Greece are my uncles and aunties! You're, like, my first auntie here!"
"AWW!" Persephone squeezed a hug for him. Hades noticed the small smile escaping Demeter.
"Ya kicked Kronos' butt, right? Right?"
Demeter's eyes widened and she shot a glare at Hades.
"Oh!" Persephone hesitantly put the demigod down. "Well, I wouldn't really say…"
"You did!" He pointed his finger at her. "Ya kicked his butt and became Queen! It's really cool how you beat him! I wish I was a giant lady who could beat the King of the Titans!"
Silenus and Pan both covered their mouths to hide their chuckles. Demeter looked confused. Hades was far more confused.
Didn't anyone tell Demeter?
The demigod clutched onto Persephone's dress and looked at Demeter. "You're SO lucky, Lady Demeter! Auntie Persephone beat Kronos in one day like he was a fly! I bet Zeus HAD to beg her for forgiveness! The other mommies on Olympus REALLY must be jealous!"
"Alright, Dionysus! That's plenty!" Silenus quickly pulled the demigod away.
"They're coming at my party, right?" Dionysus asked him.
"WE ARE," the three gods said simultaneously.
"YAY!" Dionysus balanced himself and stood up on Silenus' shoulders. "THE BACCHANAL IS ON!"
…
At the pace things went, it almost felt like all the Mortal Realm came to party.
The festivities officially started at dusk. Once Helios rested and Selene took over, bonfires were lit. Lyres and drums were played, along with the mysterious melody of an instrument of reeds. An instrument played by Pan himself. Most of the retinue danced passionately around the melody that came from his pipe instrument. Everyone ate, drank, and laughed. The drinking was pretty frequent as Celts went around pouring handmade wine.
On his wooden throne, Dionysus was clapping happily at the wild party in honor of his birthday. Nearly every five minutes, somebody was raising their cup to give him a toast.
At the divine guests' table, Hades, Persephone and Demeter were being tended to. A youth from Troy never ceased to fill their cups with wine and their bowls with nettle soup (mostly because Persephone and her mother became quite obsessed after eating the soup).
"Might I get anything for the Unseen One, the Bringer of Destruction, and the Barley Mother?" He asked. "Another wine? Perhaps mint lemonade? We got some really good mint lemonade from Jerusalem."
"Some lemonade would be nice!" Persephone said.
The youth placed the wine amphora on top of his head. The goddess' cup in one hand and a lemonade pitcher in the other, not a single drop escaped as he poured the beverage. He even brought the pitcher higher as he poured. He then slid the cup on the table's surface until it landed right into Persephone's hand.
"Amazing trick!" The goddess complimented.
"Thank you, my Lady."
"Careful! If my niece knew what you were capable of, she might curse you!" Hades warned in a laugh.
"Doubtful. I'm comfortable being the best cupbearer in the retinue," the mortal chuckled. "Last thing I need is to be remembered as 'Ganymede, He Who Insulted Hebe.'"
"You refill… all of them?" Demeter used her soupspoon to gesture at all the partying ruffians.
"Just at bacchanals. I only serve at small parties. Birthdays, bachelorettes, break ups, Bastille Day, you know it! Although tonight, I'm specifically requested to be your cupbearer!" Ganymede put the amphora and pitcher back on the table and started pulling out a crate of alcoholic bottles, mixing cups, and drinking cups. He also pulled out dried fruit pouches from his tunic. "Any on-the-house specialty cocktails? Our alcohol is all from the Mortal Realm."
"But alcohol… DRINKING alcohol hasn't been introduced to the mortals yet…" Hades frowned. "Is this contraband from Olympus?"
"Nope. Other pantheons have already brought booze to the mortals, so there's some serious shopping when the retinue moves. And with Dionysus around, it gets better."
"You mean what happened at the waterfall?" Persephone drank her lemonade. "It's amazing how he turned the water to wine and everyone went crazy."
"That? NAH!" Ganymede started pouring and shaking booze to create rainbow-hued beverages. "Dionysus' been squeezing wine out of grapes since he was in diapers! He just makes it taste better, so parties are better and meats are delicious! Back in Phrygia, he was so famous as 'The Prometheus of Wine', the king wished to be exactly like him! But that's a story for another time!"
A shriek pierced all the partygoers' ears. It was really tantalizing for the present gods.
For Demeter, the pained wails of her scarred sisters and Metis' final scream hammered within her skull.
For Persephone, her heart trembled at the final screams of her uprooted childhood nymph friends and Minthe's transformation.
For Hades… all he heard was him calling for his mother before Kronos swallowed him.
"EVERYONE HAVING FUN?" The crowd was now laughing and applauding as Dionysus stood on his wooden throne. Shushing quickly spread so they could all listen.
"Happy birthday, Dionysus!" Several voices shouted.
"Speech! Speech!"
"Alright! Alright!" Dionysus jumped down on his butt. "You know, it's fun being in the retinue. I didn't need to be related to any of you to view you as members. Comrades. Followers. Family. I like to think that as each birthday flies by, my family gets bigger." He waved his hand to motion everyone. "I mean, some of you knew me for so long, diaper-changing is now a real trauma!"
Many nymphs laughed at the satyrs' embarrassment.
"Some of you, I knew since YOU were in diapers! But hey, joys of moi being moi, I've delivered A LOT of babies!"
Hades noticed a nearby nymph-and-satyr couple affectionately nuzzling with their baby.
"And… I CREATED WINE!"
"WINE! WINE! WINE!" The retinue chanted.
The madness increased. Satyrs, Celts, and even Ganymede started serving wine in large quantities regardless if the attendees asked. The only order they really heard was the entire retinue chanting for wine.
Demeter sniffed the wine Ganymede served her.
"Ma?" Persephone asked.
Demeter's eyes widened and she pulled back. Almost like she'd been served mortal blood rather than squeezed grape juice.
"Demeter?" Hades sniffed his cup as well.
"Don't drink that!" Demeter hissed. She pushed the cups away from Hades and Persephone. "We need to go!"
"Since we're out of Nysa for my birthday, I'd hate to inconvenience the cleanup crew!" Dionysus' words got the retinue's attention… and they kept drinking. "But hey, I'm ten now! I'm gonna let somebody pick for me! Auntie Persephone!"
Persephone looked around. Everyone was cheering for her. "Oh, that's…"
"Not. A good. Idea. To refuse." Ganymede discreetly shook his hand. "They'll. Maul. Anyone. While. Drunk."
"Auntie!" Dionysus waved his hand.
"Oh, Dionysus! An idea just came to me! Since we're new to your party system, why not let all three of us pick for you?" Persephone motioned Hades and Demeter to get up. "Three presents from three gods!"
The demigod seemed really excited about the prospect and clapped in excitement. In the mountain of presents, the three gods picked a wrapped package. Not fully coincidental, though. Demeter sensed an arboreal artifact in her package. Persephone found herself dragging an agitated crate. Hades immediately sensed the contraband laptop.
Something's off.
"Thank you!" Dionysus jumped off his throat. "Let's see. One of the satyrs of the retinue. Waghoba. Ooh, Demeter picked up my godmother's present! Thanks, Demi!"
Persephone and Hades were surprised by his intuition. Demeter was shocked by the 'Demi' nickname.
Hades' selected package was indeed a contraband Pom-laptop. To Persephone's shock, the crate held two leopards with jeweled collars, though the demigod seemed more excited about the wild animals eagerly licking his hands. Demeter, on the other hand, was amazed by the gift Dionysus received from his godmother, whoever she was.
A wand half his height. Its headpiece was a pinecone of rainbow-colored scales. Grapevines were wrapped on the wood and tied up in a solid bow. Circular patterns were carved on the wood.
"Uh… OK, I'm lost. Godmother usually sends me weapons or kits to practice my powers. What am I looking at?" Dionysus frowned.
"A thyrsus!" Demeter clapped her hands eagerly. "A unique tool for prosperity and fertility! Whoever your godmother is has an amazing gift-hunting talent!"
"Calm down…" Silenus warned.
"What? For once I'm excited! Thyrsus wands are hard to find! It was rumored that they were destroyed because people believed they were connected to the fertility powers of Gaia!" Demeter clasped her hands.
"Really?" Dionysus reached for the thyrsus.
Silenus quickly shut the lid on the box.
"Hey!" Dionysus exclaimed. "It's Godmother's present!"
"Dionysus, what did we say?" Silenus asked.
Dionysus groaned. "'Godmother's gifts aren't toys. Train before using it full-time.' But Pops!"
"The last birthday gift you got from Godmother almost deforested Nysa because you were in a rush! You'll wait until we reach Nysa to practice."
"For once, I agree with him." Demeter looked at Dionysus. "Thyrsi are not toys. They're rumored to be the last of Gaia's direct essence. If you aren't a fertility goddess, you could accidentally cause an earthquake if you don't learn how to grow plant roots."
Dionysus nodded. "Ok."
"You know…" Demeter began.
"Pops, when we get to Nysa, can we communicate with my aunties from the other pantheons?" Dionysus tugged Silenus' leg fur. "Maybe Auntie Tawaret? How about Auntie Shaushka? Or Auntie Manasa? Aren't you and Auntie Epona like BFFs? Uncle Freyr's pretty cool!"
"Slow down, birthday boy!" Silenus chuckled and picked him up. "I lose track of everyone you have as an Auntie or Uncle!"
"I got Auntie Persephone now! Can Hades also be my uncle?"
Hades wanted to laugh.
"Oh boy! Isn't it time for the contest? You LOVE those!" Silenus deviated the topic.
Hades was secretly baffled by Silenus' reaction.
"So… there are many fertility goddesses out there, huh?" Persephone frowned at her mother.
"Kore…"
"MEAD DRINKING CONTEST, EVERYONE!" Dionysus ran through the crowd, Pan and Atalanta in hot pursuit.
Hades saw Silenus quickly sigh in relief.
He knows? AND he's hiding it?
As the party continued, the non-divine didn't notice the sudden argument between Demeter and Persephone.
"You KNEW there were other fertility gods outside of our pantheon!" Persephone scoffed. "I can't believe this!"
"I did everything for you!"
"And how did that turn out?" Persephone's eyes turned red. "You limited me so much, I still don't know my potential! Kronos nearly got me because I'm a fertility goddess! You don't tell me to meet any fertility goddess to help me out, huh?"
"It's different with the other pantheons! They aren't endangered compared to ours! Don't you get it? Everything was to keep you safe and alive!"
"So is that all I am to you? A specimen?"
Demeter's face broke. She didn't say anything in her defense.
Persephone just scoffed and went to Hades, pulling him by the arm. "Silenus, it was very nice to spend some time with you, but Hades and I need to get going. Underworld matters."
"I think you forgot your breeder." Silenus pointed at Demeter.
Persephone looked coldly at Demeter.
"Yeah. Breeder. She can leave by herself."
"You're leaving already?" Out of thin air, Dionysus appeared by Persephone's feet. He tugged on her skirt, looking like he'd pout.
"We are. But it was so sweet to meet you!" Persephone ruffled the boy's hair.
"Thanks! Can you visit us sometime in Nysa? You'd love the flowers!"
"I'm sure I would!"
"And PLEASE invite me to your coronation! I'll bring you some really good wine!"
Silenus slapped himself in frustration.
"You're really fun, you know that?" Persephone summoned some pomegranate flowers and had them bloom into a floral wreath on Dionysus' head. "Happy birthday, Dionysus."
"Thank you, Auntie Persephone!" Dionysus hugged her. He shot a beaming smile at Hades. "You'll invite me to your wedding too, right?"
"You party too much," Hades commented.
"Thanks!" Without warning, Dionysus surprised Hades with a quick hug. Outside of Hebe and Poseidon's kids, no child ever dared to hug the King of the Underworld. Hades didn't know what to make of it.
Soon, a flock of butterflies was all that was left of the King and Queen of the Underworld. Demeter started to tear up.
"Isn't Auntie Persephone cool, Demi?" Dionysus asked Demeter. "She'd be a great mom if she and Uncle…"
"AM I THE ONLY SANE PERSON TO UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TWO SHOULDN'T BE TOGETHER?" Demeter started yelling at Dionysus.
Silenus put himself between her and Dionysus just as tears started to appear.
"We leave at dawn, but you need to leave," he said calmly. "Leave faster if you're planning on making my son cry."
"Pops… Not now…" Dionysus began.
"No. You're right." Demeter dusted her robe and bowed her head. "Happy birthday, Dionysus."
"Thank you… Demeter."
Demeter marched out of the festivities. Silenus kept a close eye to ensure that she did return to her property.
"You alright, son?" Silenus checked on Dionysus.
The demigod nodded. "Yep! Nothing's wrong!"
…
On the same night that Silenus' retinue was finishing up Dionysus' birthday party, Ariadne finished patting some ice onto her eye.
It was a miracle she wasn't blind on her left eye just yet. What with all the punches her father gave her.
"An ice pack, again?"
As usual, Ariadne saw her mother's arrival by the sudden appearance of the queen's appearance in the mirror. Only the king bothered to break doors open to yell at his children.
"Indeed," Ariadne shrugged despite the pain.
Her mother's fingers tightened against her cheeks. Ariadne's reflection showed her black eye disappearing, returning to its natural light coffee color.
"I apologize for inconveniencing you, Mother." Ariadne started to get up, only for Pasiphaë to force her back to her seat after one, burning glare. The young princess held on to the ice pack as she endured the Titaness that was her mother and the Queen of Crete.
"Frankly, I'm disappointed by your lack of motivation," Pasiphaë said.
"Disappointment taken, Mother," Ariadne spoke back. "I'm also disappointed by how my siblings suffer."
"I'm not embarrassed by that last stunt you pulled." Pasiphaë pointed out the window. From Ariadne's room, they had a view of the palace's inner wall and the second wall that separated the 'special suite'.
Minos' mocking way to designated Asterion's personal palace.
A whole maze for him to be confined in. A hopeless puzzle created by the Athenian genius Daedalus. The deadly game where every year, Minos unleashed 14 Athenian youths to be fed to the Minotaur.
Ariadne missed the days she and her siblings would play by themselves. Phaedra was alright, but she really got along best with her half-bovine brother. Unfortunately, Asterion got designated as Minos' personal monster the moment he accidentally ate one of the king's foot soldiers. The three siblings were only several months away from their 10th birthday and Asterion was condemned to devour poor Athenians oblivious to the fact that he was a child.
A child that could be killed.
So yes, Ariadne often got into trouble.
One breath out of her mouth was enough to shift the walls and paths of the Labyrinth. Minos caught on that Ariadne purposely changed paths during the offering so the Athenians could dodge Asterion.
In her mind, getting Athenians to starve to death in the Labyrinth was better to be forced to watch her brother eat them… at the risk of his own life. At least after starvation, they were too weak to oppose the Minotaur.
And Minos hit Ariadne every time she made the offerings 'boring'.
"I'm more embarrassed that you waste talent on boring your father." Pasiphaë paced around. "When I was your age, I was already casting curses, scaring monsters, and burning men with one look with my eyes. And now I'm Queen."
"And a god used you as unfair retribution towards Father by having you fuck with a bull." Ariadne scoffed. "Now Asterion's caged as the Cretan Cannibal."
Pasiphaë hissed at the comment. "Your aunt Circe was already turning men into pigs… You really should taste her roasts."
"Same way Odysseus and Telemachus did? When one mortal king beats you, saves his men, and fucks with you for a year, his kid later does the same?"
Pasiphaë raised her hand.
"Let's not bother with Cousin Medea." Ariadne stopped her mother. "Golden Fleece. DAZZLING Jason. High-seas adventure. Diced up cousin and other king. Jason dumps her for a princess, Cousin Medea burns her alive, kills off her own kids, and drives off to Athens. Is the potential of our family's women to go mad or have toxic relationships?"
Pasiphaë's glowed at Ariadne. The latter returned the glare with her own. The light from the chamber's fireplace agitated as the descendants of Helios glared off.
The Queen just sighed and looked away from her daughter.
"Your grandfather would be disappointed by the waste. You could do so much with the blessings he's bestowed on us."
"Please. I'm sure you believe Helios would be embarrassed. He'd never accept me, so why should I bother?"
"Because unfortunately for me and your revolting, paternal physique, you are the only one of my children with magic."
"You could always just BLESS Phaedra by taking away my magic. You'd be satisfied with disposing of the child who resembles your husband and keep your remaining daughter who has both your physique and talent."
"Your sister's sole talent is being emotionally weak and her blessing is to be married off. YOURS is to use your talents for your legacy." Pasiphaë walked out by foot rather than teleporting. "Good thing your father banned you of supper. Sleeping will help you think more of what you want in your future."
"Does that exclude you?" Ariadne looked at her own nails.
The fireplace's light extinguished. "Only ambitious legacies sleep in the cold with no fear." Pasiphaë didn't bother to wish her daughter goodnight. For a sorceress with the powers of the Sun, she was quite a cold character.
The night was particularly windy. With the palace being relatively close to the shores, it could get pretty cold. Ariadne grabbed as many sheets off her bed as she could, creating a cocoon as warm as possible. Summoning fire was out of the question; Pasiphaë could appear to extinguish it.
Ariadne didn't bother lifting herself up from her bedsheet cocoon when two seagulls flew into room. They flew away the moment they dropped before her face the things they'd been carrying.
A star-shaped adder stone and a pomegranate flower.
Ariadne picked up the stone, feeling the floral carvings with her fingers.
You're a dork.
I SO am not!
Ariadne cautiously looked around the room.
Upset that he wasn't here, she ripped a piece of bedsheet. After some proper weaving, she created a homemade necklace with the stone. Like she did for nearly all the star-shaped adder stones he made for her.
Most perverts try to please a princess with jewels and flowers. You give me homemade stones morphed out of weeds and shape it like stars.
It's not like I can give you real stars, you know?
Ariadne stroke the petals of the pomegranate flower before sniffing its fragrance. A strong scent of sorrow.
Are you sure you're OK?
Worried about me, dork?
No! Well… actually, a lot. How many times did he hit you?
I lost count.
When was the last time you ate?
Ariadne looked at the fireplace.
She wished he was here.
You'd tell me if you wanted to leave, right? Maybe you could come to Nysa with me?
Unable to handle the pain, Ariadne cried herself to sleep.