Chapter Text
Ariadne ran and ran as fast as she could. At first she heard Dionysus begging her to turn around but she didn't dare face him for fear. The forest hid the moonlight and the forest seemed darker, making her stumble on a tree trunk, but that didn't stop her from getting up and continuing on. She now cared about the place dangerously with the maze at her house, the trees joined together to look like endless walls ready to block her way, no matter how many turns she took it was like she was going in circles.
"This can't be happening..." She felt like she was going crazy with fear.
She stopped for a moment to take a breath to calm down, but the breaths came out heavy as if she was running a marathon. She tried to calm down, but the conversation with her husband came back and made her want to lie down in the company of darkness and cry her heart out.
"Running won't solve anything, I have to talk to him and if he leaves me then.... I guess that's what I'm worth after all, I've always been like this all my life." She thought while fighting back tears.
At home she always preferred solitude, she found peace from the hustle and bustle of the house, but the regrets afterwards came like a tsunami when she found that even her brothers and sisters didn't call her as much as they used to in their mischief.
She thought that when she met Theseus everything would change, her life would open up to new experiences, she had believed his promises.
Then why...
No she wouldn't think about him anymore, she didn't deserve her tears anymore, she had to right her wrongs with the man who was with her and had treated her nothing but perfect all this time.
She started thinking about their first meeting, how he comforted her from her pain, how he offered her a better life, with comforts, joy everything.
How tender he was with her, often they would dance in the middle of the dance with hands holding her steady and bringing her turns with a smile that she felt was enough to make her die happy. She felt like she was flying and the room was suddenly brighter than ever that mirrored her happiness.
The more she thought of the good times, the more the forest felt like it was opening up and was brighter, so much so that she realized she was only a few steps away from reaching the sea. She rose to go, but for a moment she hesitated to turn back to Dionysus, but her thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise.
She turned abruptly behind her and gave a muffled cry when she saw a dark figure with bull horns and glowing eyes. Whatever peace she had was gone as it came, and she felt stuck in her seat again in fear.
"Ariadne..." she heard the figure say, she knew it was Dionysus but his voice was heavier and distorted, as if it was coming from a wild animal.
That alone made her want to run for the sea again.
--
She had made it to the shore and reached the sea by the time she felt the cold water of the waves, but in her adrenaline she was not in the least disturbed when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. But she was stopped by the sight of a boat far out to sea, and then she realized that she was halfway in the water.
Somewhere she felt she had seen this scene before.
A large hand caught her by surprise on the shoulder and she turned to face him, though she now knew who she would meet when her eyes met his. He was the same and different at the same time. Incurably handsome with his black curls that fell over his shoulders with grace, strong jawline, tall with a well-cut body.
But above his hair stood out his bull horns and his oracle eyes that glowed as if you were looking at pieces of gold.
"Are you afraid of me?" He whispered to her so softly she felt as if he was the only one who wanted to hear it.
She probably should have, after all he was a god and gods could be as clueless as they were cruel. But instead of being afraid, his presence always calmed her, because she accidentally knew that he too had secrets that would not be easy for him to handle and she just wanted one to see him for what he was. Ironic that she couldn't do the same to help herself.
"Dionysus, god of wine and son of Zeus and Semele, you are as renowned and grand as any god should be, but you are more than that to me. You stood like a rock when I needed help you supported me as no one else in my life has. I don't know if I will ever be able to repay you for your kindness, but know one thing I love you" a lump appeared in her throat and tears made it difficult for her to continue. Dionysus seemed to calm down his facial features softened and his horns began to disappear.
When she didn't respond, it took it to continue
"But all this perfection of yours makes me feel so small...I don't know if I can ever be considered equal to your expectations or if I've already failed you, and I hate that...I hate myself and I don't want it anymore I'm choked up that I can't trust you and enjoy these moments with you, because they were and are the happiest moments of my life."
For a long time none of them spoke only the waves were heard, but they looked into each other's eyes as if they could complete what they wanted to say with their gazes. Her silence was broken by Dionysus with a low laugh. It should have made Ariadne angry that while she bared her soul he laughed, but she couldn't help but smile back, especially when his eyes looked at her with such affection.
"Did I say something funny my god?"
"Not even close, it was... the most raw and true thing anyone could confess to me and that makes me very happy, my starlight."
He gripped her tightly in his arms and kissed her forehead affectionately first continuing " I've never been one to open up to anyone, at least not in the way you think. Everyone wants something from me, everyone wants to see the God of revelry, revelry and sometimes mania.
"But I've never..always lived in this 'vicious circle', never had someone to share all of that with, to be my equal."
He took her face in his hands and began to kiss her face, eyes, cheek, lips. "You came into my life like a bright star and made my world come alive, you made it meaningful, never doubt that...you are dear you matter to me, and I will always be here for you, you don't have to offer me anything you alone are enough".
Tears rolled down her eyes as he told her and wiped them away with his hands, but the gesture made her tear up more by how sincere and loving he was being to her.
"I'll prove it to you with a gift from my heart" he took her by the shoulders to look out to sea again.
"What exactly is it?"
"You will soon find out my love, but I want you to do me a favor, look at the sky and show me which stars you see the brightest" he whispered in her ear.
She didn't understand exactly what was on his mind but, he tried to. He looked at the clear sky and admired the stars to find the brightest one for her.
But the more she looked at them, the more she saw some getting brighter, bigger and..wiggling? It shouldn't be possible.
"What's going on?" She asked anxiously.
"Shh, let the stars talk, you invited them anyway."
Before she knew it a small cluster of stars appeared to form a circle. A silvery glow appeared and joined these stars into what looked like a...
"A crown?"
"A crown as bright as my wife and wondrous, a gift to prove my love, as eternal as the stars in the sky," he told her as he placed it on her head.
She immediately fell into his arms sobbing, but it was out of joy, how lucky she felt to have found such happiness and she kissed him passionately as if she could suck all the positive energy and nothing but carefree energy left. dionysus smiled first he returned the kiss and truly never felt so full in his life as he did at that moment.