Page 148 of This Divine Revelry

‘And I’m still angry you lied to me and tried to force me to take your immortality, but I don’t see what an eternity of grudges is going to get us.’

‘Good point, let’s just kiss and forget the whole thing.’

I eye him over my cup. ‘Seduce me, then.’

But just as that smirk slides on to his face, I jolt – that trill racing through my spine once more.

To all the gods, honey. To the mistress of the labyrinth, a libation.

Dionysus beams. ‘You just had your first offering, didn’t you?’

‘I … didn’t know this person.’

‘No,’ he says fondly. ‘But they’re all going to know you. I suppose it’s time you think about what you’re going to do with all that power.’

Well, that’s easy.

Bring joy. Liberate. Find a way out.

Epilogue

ON THE DAY WE FINALLY escape Olympus, Dionysus presents me with a thread.

‘Not quite the diadem you last gifted me,’ I say, reaching to ensure the tiara is firmly positioned on my head because I’ll be furious if it falls off mid-chariot ride.

‘It’s so we can always find our way back to one another,’ he says, tying a length of it around his wrist. ‘No matter the labyrinth.’

My heart tugs. He breaks the thread and holds the other length out for me. I give him my hand, feeling his thumb glide over the pulse in my wrist as he ties the knot.

‘I love you,’ I say.

‘Who knew it was so easy.’

‘This has been decidedly not easy.’

Finished, he squeezes my hand before he lets go.

As he does, those labyrinthine walls rise, translucent but gaining shape.

‘Are you alright?’ I ask.

He shrugs. ‘A few hallucinations but not a full break from reality. I suspect this might always be something for me to manage. But I am – managing, that is. Talking is helping. Those potions are helping. I’m helping. It doesn’t scare me like it once did. And I know it will never be as it once was – running across oceans, alone.’

‘No,’ I agree, drawing him closer. ‘You’ll never be alone again.’

His lips are soft, the kiss as much exhalation as promise.

I can still taste him as he readies us for the journey. He checks Sterope’s reins, ensures our bags are secure – and I climb into the chariot that will race us to the thiasus. A revelry! Fates, I can’t wait.

We soar through the icy air – sun-drenched days and sweat-soaked revelries a distant memory.

But it makes the night crisp and clear. I want to dance around the bonfire, huddle close with my friends, warm the wine over the flames and sip it long into the night.

As we near, I see rows of torches burning on a beach. Enough to see the outline – though it takes me a moment to recognize it still.

‘Naxos,’ I say.

‘Naxos,’ Dionysus agrees – an impish smile on his face that does not bode well.