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Olympus was bright and beautiful, the literal paradise of the gods, and yet.
Ariadne reclined under a large grape vine, the fruit bursting sweet in her mouth. She had done this yesterday and the day before that. Perhaps even for forever since time was as slow and thick as honey here. The realm of the gods was fantastical and full of everything her heart desired, free from the stressors of her past life, but she still found the seed of discontent setting deep in her gut.
Not that she wasn’t appreciative. She was wed to one of the most passionate gods, and lying in his arms for eternity wasn’t even comparable to the alternative. But sometimes…
She watched as Dionysus approached from over the hill, purple hair gleaming under Apollo’s sun, and wished for something new. Something to break the monotony of perfection.
“Ariadne, baby, you wouldn’t believe how things are going for the Zag man!”
“Is that right?” She popped another grape in her mouth. She’d heard all about this “Zag man” from her husband. He was seemingly the talk of Olympus, some new hero everyone trying to break out of somewhere?
“Oh yeah, a little bit of my wine, and he’s well on his way. Even beat the Champ--” He stopped suddenly, and Ariadne looked up at him.
He wouldn’t meet her eyes, shoulders stiff in a way she’d never seen before. Interesting.
“Who did you say?”
“Ah, no one, babe. Just some shades. Now, I heard the mortals were planning a feast in my honor, so I couldn’t disappoint them by not showing up, could I?” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” She watched his retreating form, chewing slowly on another grape.
Very interesting.
---
“How’s Zagreus?” she asked, tucked in Dionysus’ side some time later, goblets of ambrosia in hand. They were in the great feasting hall, laughter and chatter from the other gods bouncing up the columns around them. Her plan was to question him where he couldn’t sneak off without causing a scene. The empty bottles of ambrosia scattered across the table didn’t hurt either.
“Ahh, he’s great! Making more progress every day! You’ll be able to meet him soon, too, once he gets here.”
“He’s coming here?” Not mortal then, at least not fully. Probably one of Zeus’ again, honestly.
“Where he rightly deserves to be, babe! Any son of Hades is still family, even though his dad is down in that pit. No wonder he wants to break out.”
She took a sip of her ambrosia, thinking. A son of Hades? It was unheard of. She pressed further.
“Why would he want to break out?”
He waved his glass in a wide gesture. “Heard the parties up here were so good, he couldn’t stay away! Also some dad problems, but who doesn’t have those?”
Not quite what she was looking for, but closer. She leaned in closer, widening her eyes.
“That’s so dangerous! Didn’t you say he was fighting someone, too?”
“Oh, but he’s fighting everyone, babe. Shades, monsters, champions, you name it, he’s stuck his sword in it.” He lifted his glass in a cheers to this Zagreus and downed it in a single gulp.
Bingo. She hid her smile as she poured him another glass.
“The Underworld has champions?”
“In Elysium they do. I guess when you throw all the best heroes of the mortal realm together, things might get a little tense, but their parties, man. They go almost as hard as we do here, and that’s saying something. They got this arena thing, too, that we keep stocked with ambrosia for the winners. Their chance for a little bit of divinity in a glass.” Dionysus sighed, looking lovingly into his own glass, “Thank for the top off, babe.”
“Of course. But what you were saying, so Zagreus is fighting all the champions of Elysium to get here.”
“Nah, just the two of them.”
“Who?”
He raised his glass, eyes fixed on the contents. “Thes--,” he froze like he had before, glass stuck halfway to his open mouth. His eyes slid to hers, almost...nervous? Who could cause such a reaction in a god?
Thes…? Thesee…? Th--wait. No. No, it couldn’t be--
Dionysus suddenly looked much more sober. “Ah, babe--”
“Theseus is the champion? Are you serious?”
“Ariadne, please--”
“You mentioned two.”
Dionysus’ face started to pinch with what looked like regret. How it could get any worse, she had no idea.
“Dionysus, who is it?”
“Your, ah...sibling?”
Ariadne stared at him. “If you’re telling me, that Phaedra is down there with him, after everything that’s happened, I’m going to--I’m--”
Her husband set down his glass and pried hers out of her fist to set on the table beside her own. He took her hands in his, comforting as best he could.
“If it makes you feel any better, it’s not her.”
Ariadne just looked at him, feeling her eyes wet in desperation. In the back of her mind, she could sense an answer looming, but she didn’t want to look at it. Didn’t want to think it could be true.
“Then who, Dionysus?” she whispered, pleading.
His pained look in return told her everything she needed to know.
---
Ariadne hadn’t been back to the hall in a while, and Dionysus thankfully gave her the space.
She found herself wandering the groves of Olympus, over and over again, lost in thought.
So. Her monstrous brother was in Elysium. The hall of heroes. Fighting alongside Theseus, his killer. And her past lover, whom she aided in killing said brother. Not that there was anything left there, but between what had happened with herself and Phaedra, Theseus’ record with their family was...rough.
The whole situation was messy. She sighed. Perhaps she did belong on Olympus.
Had he kidnapped Asterius? Taken him as some prize or pet? A lifetime ago, she only wished to ease his suffering and give him peace in his next life. To think that Theseus would cross that line in the Underworld for the sake of his own vanity made her see red.
An idea began to form in the back of her mind, and as she wandered, the more it grew and itched until she could no longer ignore it. She was no god nor was blessed with any divine parentage, but she was sharp as a blade and driven as any hero. Her hands were just as red as the prince of Athens’ had been. She, however, would not continue to spill blood.
She returned to the hall and found Dionysus in their chambers, reclining on their couch. His face brightened as she approached.
“Ariadne, baby, I’m so happy you’re back, I was so worried…” He trailed off as she straddled his lap. She stared at him hard and he looked back, unflinching.
“Do you love me?” she said.
“More than anything,” he replied immediately with a grin, and she felt his hands settle on her waist. A bubble of warmth grew in her chest at the action. He truly was a good man, as much as a god could be.
“Then I need a favor.”
“Name it and it’s yours, babe.”
“I need to visit Elysium.” His brow furrowed, and she could sense the argument that was coming. She pushed anyway. “I need to see my brother and Theseus. I need to know that he’s...okay.”
Dionysus gave her a strange look then. “What do you mean?”
She worried her lip, not wanting to retread the circle of her thoughts. “I worried that Theseus’ ambition would make prisoners of us all.”
“That’s what you think is going on?”
“What else could it be?”
“Huh. Maybe it is best if you saw for yourself…” Dionysus took a deep breath, considering. “Okay, here’s the deal. I'm gonna have to ask around, make arrangements. I don’t know when you can go or how much time you’re gonna have, or even if it’s gonna happen at all. The bureaucracy, babe, it’s gonna be a nightmare, but I promise you I’m at least gonna try.”
Ariande sank down against him, grateful when his arms slid around her in return. “That’s all I can ask for.”
---
Dionysus, with all his charm and magic, was able to buy her a short while in the Underworld with only a few conditions. He could escort her down and make introductions, but he could not stay within the realm of Hades with her, and when it was time to go, it was time to go.
From the way he explained it while sprawled across their bed, she could tell they had somehow gotten off easier than most.
Once the day came, she dressed in her finest silks, their colors an echo of her life back in Knossos. She steeled herself in the silence of their rooms before making her way to the edge of Olympus to meet her husband.
Dioynsus was looking out over the edge but turned to give her a wide grin as she approached.
“Ariadne, my beautiful wife, you are looking stunning today, if I do say so myself. Man, maybe I shouldn’t let Theseus see you, he might even have a change of heart.”
“Please,” she said, rolling her eyes, “as if that would ever be possible.”
He laughed as she took his hands. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Now, just hold onto me, babe, and keep your eyes shut.”
“Okay.” She could feel him laugh as he pulled her closer into an embrace.
“Nervous?” he whispered.
“No,” she lied.
“Of course not,” she could hear the grin in his voice. “Okay, get ready! In three, two, one--”
There was a sudden gust of wind around them, whipping their hair around them. Ariadne gasped as her breath left her lungs. Somewhere above her, Dionysus let out a loud whoop.
As quick as it began, it was over.
He was slow to let her go, as her legs wobbled as they touched the grass.
“You okay, babe?” She felt her hand touch a cool surface and nodded, not yet daring to speak. Dionysus pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “Not many mortals can say they travelled the way of the gods, but nothing but the best for my wife! I can totally see why Hermes loves it so much, lucky bastard.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” she said shakily, and he huffed a laugh.
“Just wait until we get to do it all over again later! For now though, stay here. They’re waiting for us in the arena, so I’ll go make introductions, and be back in a sec. Just rest for now, okay babe?”
She nodded and he was gone in a flash. Finally getting her bearing a bit more, she looked around.
Dionysus had called this the “arena,” and it truly lived up to its name. She was leaning against its massive silver-blue walls, draped with banners of sheer white, bright pink, and deep blue. In front of her was some sort of courtyard, littering with stalls for a tiny market, currently empty in anticipation for the next match. Giant statues of heroes lined the walkway, equal parts inspiring and intimidation in the soft light of Elysium.
Elysium.
There was thick grass beneath her feet, a gentle, cloudlike river flowing beyond where it reached a bank. A soft, cool breeze pushed her hair from her face as she blinked.
Olympus notwithstanding, it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen.
“Hail, lord Dioynsus! We are honored to stand in your presence today and even more so to have been requested to do so!”
She straightened at the voice traveling over the wall. It was one she hadn’t heard in years, lifetimes it seemed, but unforgettable.
Theseus. He was here. A knot formed heavy in her stomach.
She moved toward a large golden door on her left, pressing close to the gap between it and the wall.
“What is up, guys? How are things here in paradise? How’s that ambrosia treating you?”
“Things are marvelous as ever for the two of us! To be the reigning champions, to indulge in ambrosia every night, why, the only way it could improve was if you yourself joined us in celebration, my lord!”
Ariadne felt the bitter tang of disgust in her mouth. What was this? Some sort of joke?
“Good, man, that’s great, it really is! Maybe next time, I’ll take you up on that offer.” Ariadne knew he wouldn’t. “Listen, I gotta head back upstairs soon, but there’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Of course! We would be honored to host anyone you wished!”
“That’s what I like to hear. Baby, come on in!”
Ariadne unclenched her fists and entered the arena.
There, in the center, three pairs of eyes watched her with varying reactions. Dionysus held out his hand, pride and love in the softness of his mouth. Theseus’ jaw was loose, eyes almost comically wide. His hair was shorter than she remembered, and he was dressed in a chiton that matched…
Asterius. Her brother. Theseus, though not a small man in any means, was dwarfed beside him. He was clean. He was calm. His face was unreadable but his eyes held her own. His hair had been oiled and styled and woven with blue laurels that matched his murderer beside him.
Distantly, she knew she couldn’t become sick, but that didn’t stop the phantom feeling of bile rising in her throat. She took Dionysus’ hand and felt thankful when he gave it a squeeze.
“Hello Asterius. Theseus.”
“Greetings, sister.”
Theseus had finally shut his mouth, but it was Asterius who replied. His voice was deep and rich, soothing in place of the screaming she remembered.
“A--Ariadne! Why, what a--a pleasant surprise!” The smile on Theseus’ face was forced and panicked. He turned to Dionysus, pleading.
“Yeah guys, Ariadne heard about your fights here in Elysium and was curious, so I brought her down to say hey. Now, I’ve really got to get going, but treat her well okay?” At that, he gave Theseus a hard stare, his proud stance shrinking just slightly.
Theseus dipped into a low bow, and even Asterius bowed his head. “O-Of course, lord Dionysus. Asterius and myself would love nothing more.”
With that, her husband broke into a wide grin. “Great! Glad we’re all on the same page. I’ll see you later, babe, you’ll know when it’s time. Love you!”
With a quick kiss to her hand, he was gone, leaving the three of them to stand awkwardly in the arena.
The silence stretched until Theseus cleared his throat.
“Perhaps, my lady, you would like to rest a bit? Our, ah, chambers are not far and are fitted with only the finest furnishings in Elysium.”
She glanced at Asterius, who only gave her a steady look in return. No guidance, but no pressure.
Ariadne straightened, soothing down the front of her skirts. “That sounds acceptable. Lead the way.”
---
She wasn’t sure what she expected from their rooms, but it wasn’t this. Their living area was wide and airy, an entire wall columned and open to the gentle fields of Elysium. The floor tipped down to a cozy seating area, scattered with colorful, plush pillows and blankets. Around the room were tapestries of their faces and gleaming bottles of ambrosia. It was gaudy and very in line with Theseus’ tastes, but unexpectedly there were also smaller details: scrolls piled neatly on a table, woven baskets filled with fruits, and even small trinkets, like the smooth stones that carefully lined along a shelf.
It was very...homey. It was dizzying in a way, matching this short-haired Theseus of now, who moved about the room with ease but wouldn’t quite meet her eye, rather than Theseus of then, with his flowing locks and charming determination to slay the bull. The very same one who he was now whispering to.
Theseus seemed to finally notice her stare and turned to acknowledge her fully.
“Ah, what do you think of our chambers, Lady Ariadne? Are they not fit for the champions of the arena?” He puffed out his chest, and she fought to urge to roll her eyes as she settled onto one of the cushioned seats around the room.
“Hmm, they’re adequate.” She couldn’t resist the chance to twist the blade in a little more and continued, “Not as good as what we have on Olympus.”
“Hah! The gods may be grand but even they--”
“King. Best not to invoke their wrath.” Ariadne watched as Asterius laid a hand on his shoulder, only just for a moment. She raised an eyebrow though Asterius did not meet her gaze.
“You’re quite right as always, Asterius. I know better than to let myself be provoked so easily.” Ariadne’s other brow rose to match her first. Another change. He was never one to listen to criticism, even when warranted, but to admit to another being right?
Impossible. And yet…
Asterius was giving Theseus a look now, the meaning unknown to her, but from the way Theseus squirmed under it, it seemed that he understood it all too well.
He struggled for a moment more before giving a dramatic sigh.
“I apologize, Lady Ariadne. You are our guest here, and it is...unbecoming of me to act so brash. This is no arena, and we are engaged in no battle.”
She could only stare as Theseus turned back to Asterius, who nodded in approval. Theseus’ face broke out in a wide grin, and that she remembered. That pomp, that irritatingly charming arrogance. That grin, directed at her, as she handed him the ball of yarn, the shine of his sword glittering in the sun. A promise.
She felt sick watching them.
“What is this.” It was a question, worded as a demand.
They both had the audacity to look surprised. “What do you mean, my lady?”
“This--,” she gestured with one hand, the other curling into a fist at her side, “this--pantomime!”
Theseus recoiled. “You suggest that Asterius and I are performing some sort of game?”
Ariadne shot up from her seat, enraged. “Yes! What else could it be besides a sick joke?” She stalked towards them, a shot of vicious pleasure spiking through her at the sight of them taking a step backward.
You jabbed a finger into Theseus’ chest. “I know you. I know your pride. I watched it leave a burning trail in its wake, through my sister, my brother, and me. I know it is boundless and only matched by your constant desire to win at any competition you seek out. And if there is none,” she glanced at Asterius then, at his wide eyes, “you will fashion one for yourself. No matter what the cost, no matter what the damage or the hurt or the consequence, because you are a petty king who only dreams of conquering. And is it not paradise to be able to conquer the fiend, the monster, over and over again until nothing remains? Until your endless greed for satisfaction is slaked on the remains of this family?”
Her voice cracked and rang out in the silence of the room. Asterius stared at her as she stared Theseus, who looked down and away. He would not deny it, this she knew. Changed as he was, he always boiled down to this: this selfish creature, nipping at their heels, grinning with a smile as sharp as his blade. She would not abandon her brother to this. Not this time.
“You’re wrong.”
“What?”
“All due respect, my Lady Ariadne, but you are wrong.” Theseus finally lifted his head to meet her eye. All good natured feeling had fled his face, his jaw set and his eyes cold. The tension in the room crackled, though not in anger. This was something else.
“You’re serious,” she whispered.
“Yes,” Theseus replied simply, as if she was so utterly wrong it required no further explanation. It was like rubbing salt in an open wound.
“Asterius?” She looked at him again. Unlike Theseus, he was impossible to read. He regarded her calmly before nodding his head.
“The king is right.”
“How--,” Ariadne took a step back,”If you are being truthful, then answer my question. What is this?”
Theseus seemed to deflate for a moment before Asterius placed his hand back on his shoulder, this time keeping it there.
He rose up under her gaze. “Asterius and I, we’re…,” he faltered again. She watched as Asterius gave him a gentle squeeze, feeling like she was in some ambrosia-fueled dream as he drew strength from this.
He looked at her, guileless in a way she’d never seen in all the time she had known him, and said, “We’re lovers.”
Ariadne just looked at them, felt the weight of Theseus’ words hanging heavy in the air, before turning and slipping out into the endless fields of Elysium without a backwards glance.
---
She was back beside the cloudlike river, sitting on the soft grass that lined its bank. Elysium was a bit of a maze itself, leading her through door after door, farther and farther away from Theseus and her brother. Not that they had chased after her.
Dionysus was so far. She could not reach him. Even if she could, what would she say? This gift, this trip, that she had pleaded for, was not what she wanted? It felt selfish. Had she been so ungrateful to provoke the fates? Perhaps this was what she deserved. Perhaps she was as shallow as Theseus, and…
“Sister.”
Ariadne straightened, wiping away tears she hadn't even realized were wetting her cheeks. “Asterius.”
They looked at each other a moment more, the tension coiling thick in her stomach, before Asterius huffed a sigh and moved to sit beside her. It had been many years, many lifetimes since she had been so close to her brother. They had been just children, feet hitting flat against the palace floor, too young to see the pain in their parents’ eyes. By the time Asterius had fully grown, he was already just a distant scream in the night, first in confusion, then in anger, then in total, consuming sadness. Now, the difference in their heights, their bodies could not be more pronounced.
“The King--”
She winced. “Why do you call him that? You don’t owe him anything.”
He was silent for a moment. “That is untrue.”
“What?”
“I owe him everything.”
“Because he killed you?” She was incredulous.
He turned to her, his eyes calm and dark as always. “He brought me peace, sister.”
She could feel her hands shaking and clenched them in her dress. “Peace? Asterius, your blood is on his hands. You didn’t--” She looked away. Theseus’ return was still clear as crystal in her memory. He was battered more than any hero she had ever seen, but his smile could not be dimmed. He was gold, he was ruby, and she fell into his arms without a second thought.
After, they had lied in the dark, not speaking. She imagined the stink of iron rising up around them. She hoped she imagined the hollowness in Theseus’ eyes, not that she would ever see such vulnerability from him again.
“Yes, in that way, he did release me, but that is not of what I speak. My king found me in Erebus. Fought for my right to have a place in Elysium at his side. To be his partner in everything for eternity.”
“Why?” Theseus never looked back. He was not a man to regret nor fix past wrongs.
“I think…” he paused, considering. “When we were in the maze, we fought long and hard for hours. We both knew that by the end only one of us would be left, and that freed us from ourselves. We were not prince and monster. We were two warriors. We were equals. I had never known such a feeling.”
They turned back to look at the stream, lost to memory. “When he dealt the final blow, there was no sadness. I was fulfilled. I was whole. Even if the king had forgotten me and I was fated to remain in Erebus, I would have been content.”
“He didn’t though.” It wasn’t a question. She thought back to his eyes in the dark. She wondered if he had even truly seen her that night. “In a way, I don’t think he ever did.”
Asterius snorted. “As he has told me. He said when he passed, he spent days wandering, looking for something. He said he was looking for me, that not even Hades himself would have stopped him from finding me.”
“Is that love?” she asked honestly.
“No. Not at first. It was loyalty, then trust. The tug of that bond that forged between us in that maze. Love came later.”
A small pink butterfly floated toward them, and Asterius raised a hand, watching as it gently landed upon his finger. He was almost a stranger to Ariadne, and her heart ached with it.
“Our life together is fulfilling. We fight together, we move as one. He has brought me back my name and my choice. With it, I choose him, and together, we are complete.”
“It seems so simple when you say it like that.”
“Because it is.”
“And your king. How is he now?”
“Better. He was upset when you left, but we have been working through that. He talks often, but getting to his truth can be difficult. I said I should go after you alone, and he agreed. After all, it has been so long since we last spoke.”
The butterfly fluttered away again as he turned to look at her. She fought to keep her own gaze steady. “So you forgave him.”
“I never blamed him to begin with.”
That twisted sharp in her stomach. “And what of me?” she whispered.
“What do you mean, sister?”
“Asterius, I--I gave him the string. I led him to you, I basically offered you up as tribute for his blade. I lied with him on his return, and I--I was relieved.” She spit the word, disgusted with herself. “You may forgive him, but my hands are just as red. And I have done nothing but sit in Olympus with that sin. When Dionysus told me, that you...that you both…”
Her voice cracked but she swallowed around the ache in her throat. “I’m afraid I thought the worst. I came here to save you.”
“Sister--”
“I thought I had doomed you again, and even if that was untrue, I have done nothing but brought you pain. Theseus, he at least has grown. I am still no better than the sword that cut you down.”
Ariadne broke open at the final word, guilt pouring up and out of her eyes. She cried at the silence and space between them then cried harder as Asterius pulled her up into his lap, wrapping his arms around her.
He held her as she slowly quieted, too drained to do anything but rest her head against his tear-damp fur.
“That, again, is untrue.” His voice rumbled against her ear, and she frowned.
“What?” Her own voice was hoarse.
“You used to comfort me this way as well, back before the maze. He would yell at me, and later you find me hiding in a corner and pull me into your lap until I stopped crying.”
The memory was so distant it could have been a dream, but there were pieces, scattered and true. The echo of her father’s voice, the quiet sobs of her brother, the softness of his fur as she rubbed his back.
He looked down at her. “You came now, lifetimes later, for me. I think perhaps that should count for something.”
“You forgive me?”
“Again, sister, I never blamed you to begin with.”
Asterius pulled her in close as she broke down again.
---
“Hey now, guys! Glad to see you’re all still in one piece! Hope you’ve been treating my wife well, if she tells me otherwise, we’re gonna have a real problem!” Dionysus smiled with just a hint of teeth, and Ariadne let Theseus squirm just a second longer before placing a hand on his arm.
“They were wonderful hosts, my love.”
They were, truly. After she and Asterius had returned to the house to find Theseus pacing, he had launched into a long-winded apology about his earlier actions. He looked a little lost afterwards, as she supposed apologizing still wasn’t a thing he did very often, but brightened immediately after Asterius placed his hand on his shoulder and told him he was proud.
They spent the rest of their day over a bottle of ambrosia as Theseus told of his rescue of Asterius and their victories at the arena. Their cups flowed and their laughter was full. It was unlike anything she could have ever imagined with the two of them.
It was as true a love as she’d ever seen.
Now, they were back at the arena, the warmth spreading in her chest reminding her that time was almost up. Dionysus appeared not long after, pulling a smile to her face and both Theseus and Asterius into a bow.
“Lord Dionysus, we would be honored to host Lady Ariadne again, such a kind and courteous guest was she!”
“We’ll see what the big man upstairs, and I guess downstairs, too, says, alright guys? Anyway, we gotta get going, we’re booked for a party this evening. Mortals have been praying for a river of wine, and who am I to disappoint?” Dionysus wrapped his arm around her, and she clung tight, knowing what was coming next.
“Farewell my lord and my lady, best of luck on your travels back to Olympus!”
“Goodbye Theseus,” she said, smiling as best she could at her brother, “and goodbye Asterius. May we meet again soon.”
She almost thought she heard a gentle huff of a laugh as she shut her eyes and felt the world fall away.
As they landed at the edge of Olympus, Dionysus loosened his grasp but kept her close.
“Did it really go okay, babe? I didn’t want to put you on the spot down there.”
Ariadne looked up at the concern on his face and laughed. He truly loved her, to do this for her, and she loved him deeply in return.
“Yes,” she said, looking over the hills to the mortal world below, imaging she could see deep below it to her brother. She imagined him looking back and feeling this same way. “Yes, I think it was exactly what we all needed.”