Page 121 of This Divine Revelry

‘No one needs pine cones as desperately as you seem to suspect,’ I say – but I can’t pretend the relief isn’t blessedly soothing. He does not hate me – does not blame me.

‘On the topic of kidnap,’ Hermes says, like this is a delightful segue, ‘Theseus has abducted Princess Helen of Sparta.’

‘What?’ I blink – baffled. ‘Another woman already? Is that how he’s hoping to make his legacy? A string of conquests?’

‘It worked for our father,’ Dionysus says darkly.

Hermes winces. ‘Not quite. Helen is seven years old.’

My fingers clutch Dionysus tighter. ‘Excuse me?’

‘By all accounts he’s decided that a hero as renowned as he ought to have a wife descended from the gods. He failed to obtain you or Phaedra and, well, why settle for a grandchild of Helios when you could go straight to a daughter of Zeus? There aren’t too many of those about – so why not take a child and wait for her to grow old enough to marry so you at least have a backup option?’

‘Oh yes, why not,’ Dionysus seethes. ‘A backup, you say? Who’s his first choice if not this girl?’

Hermes arches a brow. ‘Persephone.’

‘Persephone,’ Dionysus repeats. ‘Goddess of flowers and Queen of the Underworld who, if I recall, is very much still married to its king?’

‘Unbearably, irredeemably besotted with its king and he with her. It’s horrific, frankly. But Theseus doesn’t care about that. He’s in this gambit with his friend Pirithous. So he’s taken Helen and now they’re off to steal Persephone for Pirithous – though I can’t really see Theseus taking the seven-year-old when a full goddess is on offer.’

‘She’s not on offer,’ Dionysus snaps. ‘She’s at risk. I’ve seen what Theseus is capable of.’

‘And I’ve seen what Persephone is capable of. And Hades, for that matter. This might rectify your Theseus problem forever.’

‘And Helen?’ I ask. ‘What about her? We have to help.’

‘Her older brothers have declared war and are currently sailing to Athens. One of them is a son of Zeus too so I expect they’ll win, especially with Theseus on a pilgrimage to the Underworld.’

I shake my head, unable to believe this is even something we are discussing. ‘He can’t seriously think this will work.’

‘But he’s seen it work. You have powers – he’s witnessed them – and you married a god. So he’s trying the same. I imagine you’re next on the list of brides to kidnap when he fails to abduct Persephone. And if Perseus is set on destroying sources of Dionysus’s power and you only gave him the sanctuary, then as his wife and origin of half his myths, I imagine you’re Perseus’s next target too.’

I fall silent and Dionysus turns to me expectantly.

‘He might have said exactly that,’ I admit, albeit reluctantly.

Hermes grimaces, appearing to steel himself before turning once more to Dionysus. ‘There were rumours I heard last night – of things you’d supposedly done. Of course you hadn’t – because we’ve all been with you the entire time but … Ariadne, you said Perseus intended to kill you and plant your body at a revelry, right? I think that’s his plan. To commit atrocities and blame them on Dionysus.’

Dionysus’s hand tenses in mine. ‘What sort of atrocities?’

Hermes’s eyes flutter shut. ‘He killed babies. Then said it was their own mothers, caught up in a Dionysian frenzy as they performed rites. There was a man, torn apart by his own daughters. The same story – you punishing them for not worshipping you. And a Thracian king who supposedly murdered his wife and son. He’s saying you’re … afflicting them all with madness.’

Dionysus stills, and I can feel it as that settles – his greatest fear and worst horror, turned into a weapon he supposedly wields against others.

Hera had warned of the consequences: It is a string of falsehoods and rumours that will undo him in the end.

Who could possibly worship Dionysus after hearing stories like that?

‘We need to stop him,’ I say. ‘He’s acting now because he saw you at Cabarnis. Because your powers faltered on his ship. He thinks your divinity is failing. But you glowed with immortal radiance only this morning. He doesn’t know that the Olympians themselves believe in you.’

Hermes nods. ‘You have more power than you’ve ever had. Whatever threat he has levelled against you … I don’t think he expected to face you as he will.’

‘Face him?’ Dionysus mutters, marked by the same fear I saw only hours ago.

‘Yes,’ I say resolutely. If I’m another symbol he wants to eradicate, I refuse to simply wait for him to try. ‘If he’s trying to destroy elements of your worship then let’s take the fight to him before he can hurt anyone else.’

‘It’s too dangerous,’ Dionysus insists, glancing between us like he cannot believe we are suggesting this. ‘If he’s killing strangers to spread lies, imagine what he’d do to the thiasus. I can’t ask my followers to take that risk.’