The Lady from Crete
(Thank you my wonderful beta @my-name-is-apollo!
I got this idea from hearing how people had real conversations with Kermit the Frog, even though they could plainly see Jim Henson sitting right there. They suspended disbelief and for the duration of that conversation, Kermit was absolutely real to them... which I find lovely)
ââââââ-
The truth is, Ariadne was a mortal princess of Crete. Dionysus found her on Naxos, forgotten by an ungrateful Theseus, and was instantly smitten. Neither of them were immortal at that point. She followed him on his journey to prove himself an Olympian, and both were rewarded with immortality and a place among the gods.
âââ
The truth is, Ariadne was in fact a Cretan goddess herself the whole time, beautiful and ancient and clever. Dionysus could see that Theseus, though brave and heroic, was utterly unworthy of such a goddess. He compelled the hero to leave her on Naxos, so that a worthier suitor (Dionysus himself) could be her husband.
âââ-
The truth is, he found her hanging from a tree.
She had used her skirt to do it - it was the longest continuous strip of cloth available to her. There wasnât any rope. There wasnât anything at all on the island. No house, no food, no people. No Theseus. Not even a black-sailed ship on the horizon.
She had wept as though her heart would break, and it had. She had screamed as though she would die... and she did.
Ariadne hung half-naked from the tree, feet dangling above the ground, utterly unlovely in death. The usual indignities and ravages had descended on her corpse by the time Dionysus had arrived. The truth is, Ariadne died on Naxos, despairing and alone.
âââ-
Dionysus had already been shifting by then. He isnât the first or only god or goddess to find himself in a state of dead-and-not-dead at once, but he IS the first of these to detach entirely from the current reality while he was dead, and re-emerge as a new person. From Zagreus to Dionysus.
He is both entities at once. He is a god of death and revival; of madness and wisdom, of being a man and a woman and neither. He wears lies and reality alike as though they were masks he can remove at any time, but while heâs wearing them, that is who is he. He is dark and dangerous; he is playful and protective.
He introduces himself almost exclusively as the god of wine and parties. It makes him far more approachable, heâs found, and he makes every effort to present himself as affably as he can.
âââ-
Dionysus surveys the corpse somberly. He is a wild young demigod at the moment, and seeking ways to re-establish himself as a real force in the cosmos.
This ought to contribute significantly... which is convenient, since heâs planning to do it regardless.
He cuts the ragged corpse down and covers her with a sheet - but does not bury her. Not properly. It will save time later.
ââââ
He leaves Acoetes standing guard over the corpse. The nervous young man waits barely a full day before the corpse abruptly sits up, making him shriek in shock... and thereâs Ariadne, restored, looking a bit bedraggled and tired but otherwise perfectly fine, rubbing her temples and asking for water.
ââââ
A whirlwind of anecdotes, embellishments, and half-truths: frogs, Cerberus, shades, a grouchy ferryman, a charming and lovely Persephone, a charming and handsome Hades.
They remembered him, naturally, from when he died before and went gallivanting among the stars in a noncorporeal form before finally being reborn as a mortal. They were quite happy to help him to meet his true love in life. He isnât consistent about anything except that he definitely did go to the Underworld to do something, and came back again.
If there was anything harrowing about his quest, as everyone is clamoring to know, he steadfastly refuses to discuss it. For her part, Ariadne only smiles and says that when her eyes met Dionysusâ, all her cares suddenly fell away.
How and why she got to that point isnât so important. All the stories reach the same conclusion.
âââ
The makeshift rope killed Ariadne.
Despair killed Ariadne.
Theseus killed Ariadne.
What does it matter? She is here now, lovely and elegant, with a calm and warm smile and dark eyes and unflappable good humor.
ââââ-
He adds a few more stories over the years, just for fun:
Her sister Phaedra plotted everything in an effort to marry Theseus herself.
Ariadne was actually only a very sexy restless spirit who hadnât had a proper burial, and Dionysus met her and fell in love with her on his way to rescue Semele from the Underworld.
When the younger nymphs of Artemisâ retinue ask, he says that she was a beautiful mysterious woman he saw at a party, and no one had asked her to dance yet - until Dionysus.
The stories are all wildly different, but theyâre all exactly the same.
The truth is, Ariadne is a beautiful, clever, wry, talented treasure of a woman, and the world had no way of appreciating what a remarkable woman was being cast aside, and it is Dionysusâ privilege to be her husband.
Was she a goddess or a mortal princess? What does it matter? She is a goddess now, strong and ethereal and glittering beneath a crown of stars.
Her past shimmers behind her, colorful but blurred, as slippery as her husbandâs past. The stories contradict each other and become magnificent and inspiring in the telling.
âââ
Here is the truth, the absolute truth: they love each other fiercely. Their love was forged in loneliness and uncertainty and rejection, and no star can ever shine brighter than they do for each other.