Twisted Mythology: Ariadne (2 page)

The King and his court came to their feet upon the arrival
of the Athenian tributes.  They were given no applause; instead they were
greeted with silence.  Every conversation ceased upon the herald bellowing out
their names.  As she guided them to an empty table near the center of the hall,
not even a whisper from the court reached her ears.  All the tributes were
greeted in this fashion.  Minos had explained to her that he did not want the
tributes to feel mocked.  They were already terrified, and he had no wish to
add to their fears.

Ariadne saw them installed at their table and their plates
and goblets filled before she joined her parents at the high table.  She stood
next to her mother and listened to her father recite the history of the war
between Athens and Crete.  She watched the tributes as the King’s voice carried
across the great hall.  Only Theseus seemed to be listening intently; he seemed
to study every word.  At the end of her father’s speech, she almost expected to
hear the Athenian shout that Minos had spouted out a list of lies.  Tributes
were known to do it, if not at this feast but while they waited to meet the
monster.  Yet Theseus breathed no one contradicting word, despite the moment of
silence the King gave him and his companions to object.  When it became clear
the Athenians would not give the court a show, her father commanded his guests
and his court to enjoy the feast.

After a few moments, Minos turned to her and asked, “What
are your initial thoughts on this batch of tributes?”

She smiled.  “All but one seem afraid.  The one called
Theseus has the look of one who dare to try his luck at escape.”  She recounted
her observations to her father along with the Athenian’s request to train with
a weapon’s master.  “Perhaps wooden weapons can be delivered to them and they can
practice amongst themselves.”

Her father chuckled.  “At least one tribute from every group
can be persuaded to switch their allegiances in lieu of meeting the monster.  I
can always use another soldier.”  He paused to sample the wine.  “Make friends
with the tributes.  See if any of them know what this Theseus is planning.”

“It will be my pleasure, my lord,” she replied.

Near the midnight hour, when the court spent more time
yawning than eating and chatting amongst themselves, she escorted the tributes
back to the shrine.  She saw the maidens delivered safely to their rooms before
retiring to her own.  The servants helped her into her nightclothes even as
they tried not to yawn in her presence.  Ariadne would have liked to give them
some reward for their hard work but until the last tribute was sent into the
Labyrinth, they all would be closely watched.  There were be time for rest
later, she knew.  She crawled into bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her
head hit the pillow.

Her dreams that night took her to Naxos, to the camp of the
new god, Dionysus.  Night had made it difficult to see despite several fires
scattered around the site.  The Maenads, the women who followed the god, danced
around several fires to the music played by the satyrs.  Laughter and shouting
echoed above the music.  Ariadne wanted to join them, she wanted to dance
alongside them, and follow the god as he toured the world spreading his cult. 
What would she give to be one of them?  Her vision shifted to the sole fire
without Maenads dancing.  Two figures could be seen around the fire.  One was a
satyr passed out with a large wine flask still in his hands.  The other was a
man dressed in a robe of deep purple and a crown of ivy on his head.  This had
to be Dionysus!

The stories she had head of this new god spoke of a merry
god, but now he looked anything but happy.  He looked as though he had just
worst news a person had ever gotten.  Ariadne felt her heart sink at the
sight.  He looked in need of consoling.  It should be her brightening his evening. 
She was certain she could bring a smile to his face given the chance.  But how
could she get to Naxos?  Despite the freedom she had, she was still closely
watched, and her duties would go undone if she abandoned Crete.  What would
become of the monster if she followed her heart to Naxos and Dionysus?

A servant pressing a hand into her shoulder brought Ariadne
awake.  She opened her eyes to see the taller of the two servants smiling down
at her.  She pushed herself into a sitting position when the servant let go of
her.  The woman quickly helped her to her feet and into a clean dress.

“Where would you like to take your morning meal this day, my
lady?” the woman asked as she combed the knots out of Ariadne’s hair. 
“Privately or with the King’s guests?”

“With my father’s guests,” she replied.

If she were to discover what the tributes knew of Theseus’
plans, it would be best to get them to like her.  They would tell her nothing
if they did not think her a friend.  Showing them the weaving on her loom crossed
her thoughts, but she had yet to finish her latest project.  She doubted she
would earn their trust if they saw a weaving of a tribute being sent down to
the Minotaur.  Perhaps she could ask for a second loom to be set up in the
shrine.  Could she hope that her father would approve the request this time?

“Any other news to report?” she asked.

“Seven wooden swords have been delivered to the shrine,” the
servant told her.  “A guard delivered them to the courtyard only moments before
I came to your side.”

Theseus would be pleased to hear that his request had been
fulfilled in part, Ariadne was certain.  With her hair properly fixed for the
day, she excused the servant and found her way to the dormitory.  Several but
not all the tributes had come down to the main floor, Theseus among them.  He
stood near the rear wall where he could see anyone who walked inside or down
the staircase.  The other tributes stayed away from him.  Were they more scared
of this youth than of the Minotaur?

Ariadne took a seat at a table where three maidens had gathered. 
She smiled at them as she reminded them of her name.  They whispered their own
to her under the glare of Theseus.  A few moments later, the servants arrived
with platters of food and drink, and as the last platter was set on the table
closest to where Theseus stood, the remaining tributes drifted down the stairs
to join the rest.  Theseus did not join them and when she could eat and drink
no more, she came to the youth’s side.

“My father refused to send over a tutor to instruct you with
weapons,” she said, loud enough to be heard across the room, “but he did have
wooden swords sent over so you may practice amongst yourselves.”

The tall Athenian youth nodded.  “I suspected I was asking
much but this courtesy is appreciated.”

She smiled, watching the youths rise from their seats and
make the short journey to the courtyard.  Theseus followed behind them, weaving
in between tables to grab the bits of uneaten food that had been left behind. 
Ariadne approached the maidens she had not spoken with upon her arrival and
introduced herself once more.  They murmured their names under their breaths. 

She sighed.  Never before had she been required to make
friends.  She grabbed a chair the youths had vacated and sat down close to the
maidens.  How could she possibly get these maidens to like her?  Not knowing
where to start, she decided to recite what she remembered of the last new tale
she had heard regarding Dionysus.  The longer she spoke, the closer the maidens
came, until they made a circle around her.

“Thetis, I understand, hosted Dionysus after he was forced
to flee,” she said to conclude her story.

“I’ve heard this tale before,” one admitted, “but I never
heard if he ever went back to seek his revenge.”

“Nor have I,” Ariadne told them.  “Perhaps there is a tale
about this new god that I have not heard before that you might be able to tell
me.”

They grinned.  “Has anyone told you the story of his
abduction by pirates?”  Her eyes lit up.  A tale she had not heard before!  The
maidens giggled and then spent a few moments arguing who would get to tell
their host the tale.

A moment later, a girl said, “Well, it is well known that
Dionysus is a handsome sight to see, and that by the way he dresses, he might
be the son of some mortal king.  He found himself alone on a beach, and growing
tired, he decided to take a nap.  While he slept, a pirate ship came ashore,
its crew in search of treasure or a pretty maiden to make off with.  They found
little, if I recall the story well enough, but as they crossed the beach back
to their boat, they caught sight of Dionysus sleeping.  Thinking him a prince,
they carried him to their boat.  They spoke of a ransom they would get from his
kingly sire.

“Only one of the pirates, the helmsman, had not gone ashore
with the others, and when he saw his fellow sailors tie this handsome youth to
one of the masts, he grew fearful. He might be a god, the helmsman told them. 
But the captain mocked him for his cowardice.  He ordered the crew to set
sail.  Far out to sea, Dionysus woke up and begged to be let go, saying that he
was a god.  The pirates laughed and kept sailing.

“But suddenly, and despite the winds, the boat refused to
budge.  The sails bled wine and the god himself grew in size, almost filling
the boat.  Some say the roars of leopards and tigers could be heard, that the
shadows of these beasts could be seen on the sails.  Out of fear, the pirates
jumped overboard, save for the captain and the helmsman.  The captain, it is
said, got eaten alive by a leopard.  The helmsman was rewarded for his
loyalty.  I hear he travels with Dionysus no matter where the god goes.”

“What of the pirates who jumped ship?” Ariadne drowned. 
“Did they drown?”

The maiden shook her head.  “They were turned into a gray
fishlike creature who can often be seen accompanying ships and boats at sea.” 
She leaned in, a smile on her lips.  “I think I may have seen one swimming
alongside our boat on the voyage here.”

Ariadne smiled.  Now, more than ever, she wanted to join
this god and be one with the Maenads.  She just needed to figure out how.

Ariadne spent the first few days staying close to the
maidens, hearing every new tale they had to recite to her about Dionysus.  Many
were just variations on the ones she had already heard, but the more often
these stories were told, the more she wished to join Dionysus.  She imagined
the god making his way to Crete with his followers; it would be the easiest way
for her to be able to run away with him when he eventually moved on.  It also
seemed the most practical, but also the most unlikely.  There had to be another
way but her mind could not grasp at it, not with her other duties occupying so
much of her time.

She still had to maintain the shrine and be a hospitable
host to all the tributes, while trying to deduce what plans of escape Theseus
might be making.  She had to consider she might have imagined the Athenian
youth was plotting something when he was simply trying to look out for the
others.  Whether or not it was in her head, her father had given her orders,
and she would obey them to her dying breath should it come to that.  The
maidens soon took over the cleaning of the dormitory.  They seemed to enjoy it,
and it gave her the opportunity to follow Theseus as he made an excursion to
the palace.  She kept a respectful distance, staying close enough to be able to
see him yet far enough that she could not hear what he had to say to the
members of her father’s court.  She gathered by their gestures that he was
asking for directions, to where she would soon learn.

Daedalus, her father’s architect, kept workrooms at the far
end of the palace.  Rumors said he kept his plans for the Labyrinth hidden away
inside.  Others whispered that the plans had been burned once the maze had been
completed.  Whatever the truth was, Theseus would never learned it no matter
how persuasive his tongue could be.  Ariadne hid a smile as she watched
Athenian slip inside the workroom with his guard at his heels.  A moment later,
she seated herself on a stool just outside.  Theseus did intend the monster
harm, after all.  She would have to tell the King, but in good time.  She would
see what she could learn to be able to give the King as much information as
possible.

An hour later, Theseus emerged, his fingernails digging into
the palms of his hands.  He would draw blood soon if he did not stop and he
seemed to have little intention to do so.  He whispered something under his
breath that she could imagine was either a curse or some obscenities.  She
smiled and came to her feet.  With slow steps, she came around to where her
father’s guest could see her.  He jumped at the sight of her and failed to
return her smile.  The guard retreated to a respectful distance so not to hear
their conversation.

Ariadne chuckled.  “I could have saved you a trip, Theseus
of Athens.  Plus your anger would not be getting the best of you now.  If you
would have come to me, I would have told you that Daedalus had sorcery
performed on him so that he would not be able to tell you or anyone else how to
get in and out of the Labyrinth.”

“And have you walk straight to the King?” he asked.

She laughed again.  “He already suspects you of planning
something.  He thinks you are plotting escape, and he will until I say
otherwise.”  His eyes widened and his lips parted slightly.  Her grin grew. 
Let the Athenian think he had just made an ally.  “Come, the noon hour is
nearly upon us.  I have no doubt my servants are carrying platters of food to
the shrine as we speak.”

Theseus closed his mouth and gave her a respectful bow.  He
stayed two paces behind her as he followed her through the place back to the
shrine.  She spotted her servants taking the path between the shrine itself and
the dormitory.  The other tributes had started gathering inside by the time she
arrived with Theseus on her heel.

In the following days, he began spending time in her company. 
At first he paid her compliments on how she continued to make him and his
fellow Athenians welcome.  Even the most trivial thing did not go unmentioned. 
He moved on her beauty next, beginning with her “stunning” black hair.  She
tried to pretend as though she had heard such pleasantries regularly.  She knew
his words to be lies; he had no affection for her at all.  Did he think that
she had not seen him only the day before making one of the maidens blush with
his sweet words whispered into her ear?  He was trying to win her over, or
perhaps he thought he already had.  While the other youths continued their
training in the courtyard, Theseus found excuses to be by her side, even when
she found a moment to continue her weaving.

“Is this what I can expect to find in the Labyrinth?” he
asked her one day, a smile on his lips.

She returned the grin.  “Would I let you see it if it did?”
she returned.

Theseus chuckled.  “Someday, Princess, someone will learn
the secrets of the Labyrinth and put an end to your father’s monster.  Is it
beyond your imagination that I dream of being that hero?  I could be with your
help.  All I need is for someone Daedalus trusts to learn the way.  I would
hope it might be you.”  With the grin on his face growing larger, he caressed
her arm with his forefinger.  Ariadne pretended it was Dionysus’ finger
instead.  “I would take you back to Athens with me, make you my wife.  My
father is a powerful man back home.”

She wondered if he had made these same promises to the
maiden, that she would become his bride if she could only convince Ariadne to
give her the information he needed to kill the monster.  He must be truly
stupid.  Ariadne pushed his hand away and continued to add to her weaving.  It
would be such a shame to leave it unfinished.  She truly enjoyed weaving, even
on the days it felt like just another chore to be done and when her body ached
so badly that she could barely stand on her own.  Her mind could be far away
from Crete or close by.  A grin forced the edges of her lips to curl up.  Naxos
was Crete’s closest neighbor and her father’s advisors still claimed that
Dionysus lingered there.

“Is that smile for me?” Theseus asked, pulling her out of
her dreams even before they started.

She let her smile broaden as she turned towards the Athenian
youth.  She wanted nothing more than to drop her shuttle and bloody his lip
with a well-placed punch.  Reason and her father’s orders kept her hands steady
and her mind focused on learning whatever Theseus had planned.  “If you want it
to be,” she replied in the most pleasant voice she could muster.  The Athenian
laughed at her words.  He watched for a few minutes more until the other youths
begged him to join them in the courtyard.

“Go, Theseus of Athens,” she encouraged.  “I have duties to
perform that would be best done without a shadow.  Put some more meat on your
bones for the monster.”

Despite her words, it still took him a moment to drag
himself away.  Ariadne turned to watch him leave, and as soon as he vanished
through the door, she let out a sigh.  He had been like a child following its
mother around, truth be told.  She found herself less productive in his
company.  She would have had more rows in her tapestry without his unwelcome
flattery.  Her shoulders sagged as she turned back towards her loom.  She had
chores to complete before the evening meal.  Reluctantly she abandoned her
weaving and joined her servants in their apartments to change the bed linens
and dust.

She oversaw the delivery of food and drink to the tributes
before excusing herself to join her mother and sisters.  They had already
started to eat by the time she arrived, and she came right in the middle of her
sisters recounting what duties they had performed on behalf of their mother
that day.  Ariadne listened in silence, as she always did, nor was she asked to
give an accounting of her day.  She never did when there were tributes in
residence.  After her sisters finished their meal, her mother dismissed them. 
Only when her sisters had left the room did her mother speak again.

“The gates to the Labyrinth will be unlocked at dawn
tomorrow,” her mother told her.  “You know what that means.”

Ariadne nodded.  “The first tribute will be sent down the
following morning.  I will be ready, Mother, I promise.”

Her mother smiled.  “You will make a wonderful wife one day,
daughter-mine.  Go and sleep well.”

She came to her feet and gave her mother a short curtsey. 
Pasiphaë nodded as her maids filed inside.  Ariadne returned to the shrine but
instead of heading straight to her apartment and her waiting servants, she
stood in front of the Labyrinth gate.  It had one lock on it and only her father
held the only key, despite promises that he would entrust it to her someday. 
While yes, the monster within was her brother, she felt no lingering feelings
as for him.  He was a reminder of what happened when the gods were displeased. 
And he was a weapon Minos had little trouble using against his neighbors.

Theseus was right that someday a tribute would find a way to
slay the monster.  Her father would have no more use for her at the shrine, and
she would be married off to someone in her father’s favor.  This man would not
be handsome, like Dionysus, and he would likely be cruel with children who were
perhaps old enough to have children her age.  She watched it happen all the
time and she was destined to become one of them if she did not find a way off
Crete.

The winds brought the sounds of the ocean to her ears. 
Ariadne turned her head towards the docks.  The ship that had brought Theseus
and his fellow Athenians to Crete was still moored below; the captain would
only leave when the last of the tributes had been sent down into the Labyrinth
so he might take word back to his people than their kin had met their fate. 
There was one other reason he might leave: if he had the tributes on board. 
But that would only happen if the monster was dead.  He wasn’t; she could her
his growls echoing up from the center of the Labyrinth.  And he was in good
health.  Her father had sent her into Labyrinth enough times to find out.  Like
the sorcery placed on Daedalus to keep quiet about the path to the center of
his creation, there were spells, renewed at regular intervals, to keep the
Minotaur from causing Ariadne any harm.

A smile crossed her lips.  Her going down would send up no
alarms.  And the two servants at the shrine had made up a potion that helped
her sleep sometimes.  Her grin grew wider.  Even the King had no idea what she
kept hidden under her bed, all thanks to her Amazon tutor.  Now all she had to
do was play on the lies Theseus had told her.