Twisted Mythology: Ariadne (3 page)

The unlocking of the Labyrinth gate went unannounced and
unattended by all beyond the three guards who accompanied the King no matter
where he went. But the howling of the Minotaur woke every citizen in Knossos. 
Ariadne had come awake at the sound of her father’s voice outside her window
directing the guards to keep a look out for the tributes.  This event always
brought out their fears and in the past, one or more tried to run from the
shrine when they heard the monster’s cry.  She sat up in bed and listened.  She
heard one scream from the dormitory but not one Athenian tried to escape.

Upon hearing her father and his guards retreat from the
shrine, she pushed herself out of bed and wrapped a robe around her as she
headed towards the palace.  Sacrifices had been offered to the gods the day
before as the priests did prior to the gate’s unlocking.  Several uncooked
portions were still stored in the kitchen cellars where they would remain until
the King decided to distribute them to his favorite members of court.  The
kitchen staff had grown used to her sneaking inside and taking a choice cut. 
They likely believed that she offered it to her servants as a reward for their
services, and she had in the past.

The cooks and their assistants hardly noticed her when she
slipped inside and made her way to the cellar.  She found the sacrifices
already wrapped into smaller portions.  She quickly grabbed the nearest piece
and hurried back to the shrine.  In the privacy of her apartments, she hid the
meat under her bed before her servants caught her out of bed.  Their faces were
pale and their eyes bloodshot.  They hadn’t done anything so stupid that would
persuade her father to introduce them to the Minotaur, she wanted to shout. 
Instead, she kept her mouth tightly shut and let them help her prepare for the
day.

Servants from the palaces were bringing down platters when
she emerged from the shrine.  Only Theseus had come downstairs by the time she
entered the dormitory.  Ariadne smiled.  He ate nothing but did join her at the
table to watch her eat in silence.  He looked to be considering his words.  He
had questions and before he had a chance to ask them, she gave him the speech
her father had been made to memorize.

“You will only know when a tribute is to be sent down when
the King and a priest come to the shrine,” she told him.  “It could be today or
another.  The King will ask for a brave soul to volunteer to be the first.” 
She smiled.  “It doesn’t have to be this way.”  She reached out and took his
hand.  “Forgive my silence from yesterday, my love.  Knossos is all I’ve known,
though I have dreamed of seeing Athens one day.”

Theseus twisted his hand around and folded his fingers
around hers, a smile forming on his lips.  “It will be more than you can
imagine.  The citizens will be enchanted by your beauty.  What is your plan?”

“Unless something changes, I will leave a sword just inside
the door with a ball of twine with one end tied to the door,” she lied.  “This
will help you find your way out once you’ve slain the monster.  It is my duty
to check on the Minotaur with my own eyes.  Fear not, my love, he will do me no
harm.”

At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, she pulled her hand
away.  She stayed in the dormitory until all the tributes had come downstairs
and had taken a seat at the table.  They ate little or nothing at all.  She
left them soon after and set her servants a long list of chores to be done so
they would not disturb her in her bedchamber where she soaked the meat in a
solution of the sleeping potion.  She left it under her bed and continued about
her chores.  Forever seemed to pass before dusk arrived along with a messenger
sent down to escort her up to the palace to dine with her mother and sisters.

Upon returning to the shrine, she dismissed the servants to
their shared bedchamber early, claiming that she would dress herself for bed. 
She waited until their door clicked shut behind them before gathering the meat
and a sword forged in Athens.  Let the King think Theseus had slain the beast
and taken Ariadne away during the escape.  She hurried to the gate, opening it
only far enough for her to slip inside.  Sorcery provided light throughout the
Labyrinth expect for one corner where her brother could sleep.

She found him pacing at the center of the Labyrinth, his
massive nose sniffing the air.  He stood several heads taller than even the
King who stood taller than most men on the island.  The Minotaur had the body
of a well-muscled human male and the head of a bull.  Every time she saw his
horns rise above his head, she wondered why they didn’t hit the ceiling above his
head.  She smiled as she unwrapped the treat in her hands.  He took two massive
steps in her direction, his nostrils flaring.  To she threw the meat at him. 
Catching it, he brought it up to his nose to sniff.  For a moment she feared he
would not eat it.  Her heart pounded in her chest until he tossed it in his
mouth, swallowing it whole.

Ariadne grinned.  “Dearest brother,” she said, “I have some
new tales to tell, if you wish to hear them.”  She hit her knees and began
reciting the tales of Dionysus, beginning with his abduction by pirates.  The
Minotaur watched her carefully, sniffing the air as she spoke.  Eventually he
could barely stand and he soon hit his knees until even sitting up was too much
effort.  He fell backwards.  She finished the tale she was telling before
taking a grip on her sword.

Her heart pounded louder in her chest with every step she
took.  Other than when the initial sorcery had been performed on him to keep
him from harming her she had never been this close to the Minotaur.  Breathing
became difficult as she took one last stride.  His eyes were closed and his
breathing steady.  He remained perfectly still as she used his massive arm as a
means to climb onto his chest.  Ariadne sent a prayer to the gods that he would
never wake nor react when she plunged the sword downwards.

Her years of training with the Amazon came back to her. 
There were several blows that would kill an adversary quickly.  Her tutor liked
a strike to that head, but the Minotaur’s skull was too thick for someone of
her size and strength.  A slice in the neck, deep enough, would do the trick as
would a stab to the left side of his chest, straight into the heart.  She
smiled.  Her dear half-brother was the heart of the King’s campaign to strike
fear to every polis that owed him tribute.  Ariadne softly chuckled, gripping
her sword with both hands and plunging the blade with all her strength right
into the Minotaur’s beating heart.  Blood splattered onto her dress and face. 
The monster gasped as his body jerked.  She almost lost her footing, but thanks
to the gods, her brother’s body collapsed and he moved no more.

She left the sword in his chest and slowly climbed down. 
More than once she had fallen from shorter heights and broken something.  She
could not have it happen now.  Once her feet were firmly on the ground, she
raced back to the entrance.  She raced to her bedchamber to wash way the blood
and change into a clean dress.  Before leaving, Ariadne gabbed a ball of twine
form under her bed and gathered her stained dress.  She returned to the
courtyard, tossing the clothing into the well and tying the twine to the gate. 
As she finished, the sounds of rioters from the center of Knossos reached her ears. 
Ariadne grinned.  The people of Knossos were predictable.  From the moment the
gate of Labyrinth was opened and until the last of the tributes was sent down
to the monster, the citizens rioted.

Ariadne pulled the Labyrinth gate completely open and then
raced into the dormitory and up the stairs as fast as her feet could carry
her.  The gods were granting her luck that night, she found Theseus first. 
“The monster has escaped the Labyrinth,” she told him.  “He’s wrecking havoc on
my father’s capital.  The King will have no other option than to put him down. 
This is your chance to escape.”

“But our guards?”

“They were most likely called to assist with the Minotaur,
but I know a back way to the docks.  Wake the others quickly.”

Theseus nodded.  “Head upstairs, my love, and wake the
maidens.  We’ll meet you in the courtyard.”

She rushed up to the third floor and started waking the
maidens up.  Soon they were in the courtyard with the youths.  Many were still
wiping the sleep from their eyes, but they had little time to rest.  “Follow
me,” she said and guided them through the back path.  As they headed towards
the docks, Ariadne kept an eye out for guards and others who might be spying on
them.  Soon enough they were at the shore and Theseus took the lead, taking
them straight the boat that had ferried them to Crete where the captain stood
waiting.  Theseus stayed on the dock until everyone including the captain was
aboard.  She watched him untie the boat from its mooring before jumping on
after giving the boat a push.

Ariadne could not help but smile as the boat sailed further
out to sea.  Her eyes focused on Knossos and the clouds of smoke rising above
the city.  Now all she had to do was convince them to take her to Dionysus. 
Theseus stood beside her, silent for a moment.

“What really happened?” he asked.

“You killed the Minotaur,” she answered.  “He’ll be found with
an Athenian sword in his heart, and a ball of twine at the door.  You’re a
hero, my love.”

She turned to see a grin on his face.  “Too bad we are not
supplied for the journey back to Athens,” he said.

She chuckled.  “I thought of everything else, so what makes
you think I haven’t considered this as well?  Have your captain take us to an
island called Naxos.  It’s close by, and it will give everyone a chance to rest
while we gather enough supplies for the rest of the journey.  There’s a
secluded cove we can sail into on the north side of the island.”

“It’s a long voyage back to Athens,” he argued.

“There are other islands, and I’m certain we’ll have enough
gathered to trade along the way.”

The ship’s captain pulled the ship into a hidden cove near
dawn.  Along with two other youths, Ariadne and Theseus had stayed awake, each
of them watching from the four sides of the boat in search of pirates.  Thanks
to Poseidon, they reached Naxos safely.  She smiled.  It would not be long
before she would be with Dionysus, if he still remained on the island.  Her
heart sank at the thought she had reached him too late.  At worst, she could
sail with the Athenians all the way home.  The Amazons were always easy to
find, and her tutor’s name carried weight among them.  But there would not be a
need for that, she vowed.

The Athenian youths jumped into the shallow waters to drag
the boat onto the beach.  If she got the edge of her skirts wet, so be it. 
Once with Dionysus, she would want for nothing.  The other Athenians came awake
around her, and the maiden she had seen flirting with Theseus convinced him to
help her out of the boat first.  So be it, she thought.  She would soon be the
wife of a god, not some second rate Athenian youth.  It had been by her hand
that the Minotaur had died, but Theseus had already started boasting to the
others how he had found the monster in the Labyrinth and won.  He enchanted
them with his false words and deeds.  He was such a skilled liar.  She would do
well to leave them as soon as possible.

Theseus helped her off next, and as she walked further onto
the beach, winds carried the sounds of music and laughter from deeper in the
island.  “Thank Zeus,” she whispered.  Dionysus had not abandoned the island
yet.  The winds made the air chilly and even the small fire the youths had
built offered little warmth.  Ariadne sank down and immediately fell to sleep. 
It seemed only an instant had gone by before she was awake again.  Midafternoon
must have come, she thought before opening her eyes.  The fire had long ago
gone out, and looking around she found not one of the Athenians nearby.  She
pushed herself to her feet and spun around.  They were all gone, along with the
boat.  The Athenians had abandoned her!  Theseus had played her as much as she
had played him. 

But in the end, she had gotten what she wanted.  She had
made it to Naxos.  Now all she needed to do was find Dionysus.  But there was
no music to guide her.  Had he abandoned her in the night, too?  With her deeds
of the night previous, the gods knew she deserved no less.  Ariadne collapsed
to her knees.  Worse stories of unimaginable deeds had reached her ears.  The
crimes of Heracles came to mind and he was welcomed on Olympus.

A faint smile formed on her lips.  Dionysus and his
followers had been celebrating all night; they would need the morning to rest
and sleep.  Perhaps they would continue their festivities again in the
evening.  She just needed to keep herself busy until then.  Her growling
stomach gave her the best idea.  Coming to her feet, she headed inland, towards
a thick stand of trees and other bushes.  Perhaps she might stumble upon
Dionysus’ fire.  The possibility drove her onward, but despite her best
efforts, all she found was enough food to fill her belly.  She returned to the beach
and waited.

At dusk, a lone flute began playing.  Ariadne rose from
where she had deposited herself and headed towards the simple tune.  Near the
forest’s edge, another flute added its song to the first.  By the time she had
taken two steps into the woods, she had lost track of the number of instruments
joining their tunes to the song.  Voices –both laughter and screams—followed. 
Dionysus had not abandoned her; he had yet to resume his ministry.  She
quickened her pace.  Her feet wanted to run but the ground was too uneven and
too much debris blocked her path.  More times than she cared to count, she had
to climb over downed trees.  By the time she reached the clearing with a group
of dancing women and satyrs playing their flutes, her feet were caked in mud
and the edges of her skirts were dirty and torn.

No one stopped their festivities even as they welcomed her
to join them around the fires.  She joined her voice with theirs, laughing and
screaming as her eyes darted from one edge of the clearing to the other until
she spotted a fire with only a satyr and Dionysus sitting there as they had in her
dream.  Ariadne moved through the clearing dancing around each fire with the
Maenads until she reached the one nearest her god.

Humming softly to herself she moved away from the dancing at
a hope.  She almost felt like a child on his or her way to play.  If this is
what it felt like to be around a god,
her
god, she never wanted the
feeling to leave.  At the edge of Dionysus’ fire, she twirled around, her
skirts lifting up with her arms.  She circled the fire once before coming to a
stop in front of the god himself.  The robes he wore were of a deeper color, a
richer purple, than she had seen in her dreams of him. 

His eyes looked in the direction of the fire, but she could
see his thoughts were miles away.  She wondered where and if he would tell her
if she asked.  He sat away from the fire his legs stretched out in front of him. 
Ariadne lifted up her skirts enough to straddle his legs.  Her knees hit the
grass on both sides of his legs.  She smiled as his eyes looked up at her.

“I dreamed of you, beloved,” he whispered.

“And I of you,” she whispered back, sliding her hands over
his shoulders. 

Ariadne leaned forward and took his lips in hers.  He kissed
her back, his hands grabbing at the back of her neck.  Behind her she felt him
pull up his knees, and an instant later, Dionysus had her on her back with him
on top her.  He pulled his lips away her and buried his head into her neck.  A
moan escaped her as he kissed her skin.  She released her grip from his
shoulders and sent her hands down to his robes.  The god pushed himself up with
one hand and helped her pull his robes up with other.  She freed a hand from
his body to pull her own skirts up.  She gasped as he entered her.  A smile
formed on her lips and grew wider each time he pushed himself deeper inside
her.

At last she had found her way home, to where she belonged. 
Her sins against the Minotaur no longer mattered and neither did the lies she
spoke to Theseus.  She whispered into her god’s ear, begging him to stay in her
as long as he needed.  And he did until the dawn illuminated the eastern
horizon.  He collapsed next to her, resting his head on her shoulder and one
arm across her chest.

“What ails you?” she asked in a whisper.

“Nothing now,” he told her as he pulled her closer to him.

“You seemed a long way away, my love, when I came to you.”

Until sleep overtook them, he spoke to her of a satyr named
Ampelos.  “He was my friend,” he told her.  “We traveled together, wrestled and
competed in all sorts of games.  I was always better than him.  I always won. 
It hurt his feelings, so I started letting him win on occasion.  But he knew
what I was doing.  He wanted to win in his own right, on his own skill.  When I
was busy elsewhere, he started training to improve himself.  He started taking
too many risks.  He thought I would be impressed if he came into camp riding a
bull.  But the bull was too strong and threw Ampelos to the ground, killing
him.”

Dionysus dosed off a moment later.  Ariadne stayed awake a
few moments longer, listening to his steady breathing.  Her mind drifted back
to Crete and the riots of the previous year; they had been closer to the shrine
that time and unlike previous years several people had been killed.  Minos had
announced more people would die the next year if they staged these foolish
protests so close to the shrine.  He also proclaimed the sacrifices to the
Minotaur would not stop.  She missed now the sound of her father’s voice, his
encouragements, and his laughter.  But even if she wanted to go home, the King
would not take her back.  Let him think that Theseus had stolen her away.

She came awake near midafternoon when Dionysus pulled away
from her.  She opened her eyes and saw him sit up.  Ariadne pushed herself into
a sitting position behind him and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her chin
on his shoulder.  A visitor had come to Naxos, it appeared.  He was slender
with wings on both his sandals and his hat.  He gave them no introductions and
simply passed on a message.

“Father Zeus needs your help, brother,” the messenger said.

Dionysus let out a single laugh.  “Only when our kin has
need of me do they pay me the notice I deserve.  Tell me, Hermes, what is it
that I can do for the almighty Zeus?”

“We are a vengeful lot,” the messenger god said, a grin on
his face.  “Hephaestus was born hunched and ugly.  The sight of him disgusted
Hera.  The Queen flung him off Olympus, and in the process she lamed him even
further.  Our brother may say otherwise, but I know he spent his days plotting
his vengeance on his mother.  In the guise of forgiveness, Hephaestus sent up a
beautifully crafted chair for Hera.  The Queen was delighted by the gift at
first.”  Dionysus let out a deep chuckle at Hermes’ words.  “But when she sat
on upon it, the chair made her a prisoner.  Our father asks for your help in
convincing Hephaestus to get Hera out of her prison.”

“And why should I?  Hera did drive me mad.  I committed sins
I would not have done otherwise if not for her meddling.  Will Zeus give me a
reason to be of assistance?”

“You will be welcomed on Olympus,” Hermes told him.  “Father
Zeus has granted you a place among the gods.  And you will be no minor god. 
Your standing will be greater than even Heracles.”

Dionysus lifted a hand and rubbed her arm.  For a moment he
stayed utterly silent.  Was this not what he had worked so hard to attain?  All
the stories she had been told about him had hinted that he had sought to the
opportunity to live among his kin at his father’s court.  Did he really need to
consider this one courtesy towards the goddess who had driven him insane?

“Give me our brother’s location,” Dionysus commanded, “and
let our father know that I will be on my way after I make one stop.  Hera can
suffer a little longer.  It will be my vengeance upon her.”

Hermes chuckled.  “Lemnos,” he replied and then vanished.