"Destiny takes its hold; fight it or let it go." Becoming the Bull:Atreyu

As the goddess of love sat on the beach of her birth place on Kypros, weaving together the lovely crown that sparkled with golden ivy leaves and humming gaily to the beat of the waves, Dionysus caught sight of Aphrodite.

“Greetings,” he said as he wrapped his arms about her waist, resting his chin on the graceful curve at the base of her neck. “What is it you make?”

“A gift for young Ariadne. Her aunt Selene gave me the idea.”

“Why are you making her a gift?”

The god of wine did not hide his interests in the Kretan princess, whom he had first seen as a child while delivering a skein of thread at the behest of the Fates. Aphrodite, being the mother of his child, was not typically the jealous type as Hera was, but he did not think to find her weaving an ivy crown for his love interest.

“'Tis a gift for you to give to her during today's ceremony.”

“That woman is extraordinary, I felt it when she was a young girl, but I am suspicious of the attention she receives from the gods. Do you know something? I do not want any harm to come of her.”

“Do not fret you should be rejoicing. She is to become a priestess of your temple, devoting her life to your service. Why spoil the happiness of today with such troubling talk?” the goddess of love insisted.

“Because King Minos has incurred the wrath of the gods before, and even his queen has upset you in the past. Ariadne's mother and brothers have all suffered the consequences of Minos' pride, and I fear his daughters' will be next. Please, if you know anything, please tell me. Apollo has the gift of foresight, not I."

"Understand, my young love, there are powerful forces, far older than yourself, stirring that once awakened cannot be stopped. 'Tis the end of an age for mankind and the gods. The balance of power is about to shift in the mortal realm. I bid you not to interfere lest you are caught in the turmoil. Be patient, watch, and time will reveal Ariadne's role."

"Her role in what?"

"The end and the beginning, just like you," she smiled, alluding to his ritualistic 'death' in winter and 'rebirth' in spring as a god of vegetation.

"How do you know these things?"

"Sometimes I forget how young you are and unlearned in the ways of the world. No one people or person remains in power forever, not even among the gods. Your father maybe our leader now, but one day, he will kneel to another or relinquish his status as a god. As nations rise and fall, a younger, more powerful nation will replace them. 'Tis the way of things as you will see soon."

The thyrsus was taller than her, so it was awkward to hold as Ariadne entered the halls that lead to the labyrinth. Ever since its construction, her Dancing Floors were often used for worship and rituals, especially for the god of wine and vegetation. The winding, serpentine paths represented the paths of the mind, and to become lost within the labyrinth is to succumb to insanity, which can be temporarily attained by becoming drunk. Maenads, devout female worshippers of Dionysus, lined the entrance to the labyrinth. All of them held thyrsi like her own, but they were uniformly robed in animal skins with grape vines braided into their locks. Ariadne wore only the ivy wreath on her head, and held the thyrsus in her right hand and a red grape bunch, which had been preseved in a bottle of wine for the witner rituals, in the other.

The eldest of the priestesses waited the princess at the entrance of her Dancing Floors who presented Ariadne with a wine-filled, terracotta kylix painted with scenes of the god of wine in various stages of a dance and an empty hand. The potent aroma of the sacred, undiluted wine in the cup was intoxicating enough without having to drink it. Handing her thyrsus to another priestess, Ariadne offered the grape bunch she has selected to the priestess, who took them with her empty hand. With a bow, the Kretan princess accepted the kylix from the priestess and took a long draught of the sweet wine. The flavor and scent almost unbarably strong, but it would be disrespectful for her to cough up any of the sacred wine, so Ariadne drank it as fast as she could, disregarding her body's urge to regrugitate it.

Once she was finished, the priestess who was holding her thyrsus traded the princess the staff for the kylix.

"You have drank the sacred wine of Dionysus and your offering of grape is ripe for crushing into more wine. You have taken and you have given, just as the winter takes life and the spring gives life. Ariadne, are you prepared to learn the mysteries and wisdom of Dionysus? Are you prepared to dedicate you life to him, and accept him as your only lover so that no mortal man may share you bed?" the elder priestes asked, meeting the Kretan princess' excited gaze solemnly.

"Aye, I am."

"Then we shall see if Dionysus will accept you into the sacred marriage shared between him and his priestess. You must travel down the winding paths and if you reach the center, there you shall make a wine and offer it to Dionysus. Should he accept your wine, then he will accept you as one of his mistresses."

Moving out of her way, the priestesses allowed Ariadne a path to enter the labryinth. With the effects of the sacred wine beginning to weigh her down, the princess was not confident she could find her way. The area was not well lit, so it was hard to see the entrance as her vision became watered and blurred. Thankfully, the engraved depiction of the double-edge axe, the labrys, was discernable, which told her where she needed to walk. Standing up straight and marching forward, Ariadne tried to enter with as much dignity as possible, but once the Maenads and priestesses were out of site, she leaned on the thyrsus for support. An obnoxious grumble broke the hollow silence of the Dancing Floors, Ariadne had been instructed to fast after supper the day before.

"By the horn, why do they not let you eat before this ritual?"

Stumbling in her drunk stupor, the princess found her feet were walking of their own according, leading her down the familiar path, in place of her addled mind. When she was able to reach the center of the labyrinth, Ariadne found a tub of heated water and grapes had been set up along with a table of additives for her wine with a bowl for mixing, a small alter, and a kylix for the finished product. Setting her thyrsus aside, the princess quickly set to work.

The princess washed her feet in the warm water before she stepped into the tub of grapes to be crushed for her wine. Nearly falling twice, she tried to stomp on as many grapes as she could, in a most ungracious manner. Once a puddle of grape juice had developed, she pushed excess skins and twigs aside, and gathered as much juice as she could into the mixing bowl. Then she went to the table and began selecting flavors for her wine. There was heated honey (which was likened to water when hot, making it easier to mix), bees wax, resin, crushed herbs and flowers, and fruit juices. Carefully testing the taste of her ingredients, she mixed certain amounts into her wine. When she was satisfied with the fragrance and flavor of her creation, she poured it into the kylix and set it on the small alter. The Kretan princess bowed, keeping her eyes lowered.

"My lord, Dionysus, I offer you this wine as a token of my love and devotion to you. Will you accept me into your heart?" her voice slurred.

"Lovely Ariadne, I already have," said a gentle voice reminiscent of the first sunbeam that breaks through the dark clouds after a long rain.

She glanced up to see a handsome, young man standing before her with the kylix in his hand. He had dark curls and pair of white horns that made her think it was Asterios, but then she recognized the rare blue eyes that were handed down among the descendants of Zues. As she observed him, she did notice an effeminate air about her guest where her brother was very masculine. They could have been brothers in their physical likeness, but the figure before her was Asterios' antithesis.

"Please stand, my love, you need not bow to me," Dionysus insisted with a smile that brightened his facial features and her mood.

The Kretan princess tried to rise but the wine she had consumed coupled with the presence of the god made her knees buckle. She would have collapsed had Dionysus not caught her.

"Wine has a way of making even the most graceful of women clumsy," he teased and ran a hand across her forehead, effectively ridding Ariadne of her drunken state.

She jumped up from his arms and nervously bowed, embarassed by her actions.

"I am sorry, my lord, I—"

"Do not call addess me so. You are to be my wife. Call me Dionysus. And do not bow to me, for we are on equal terms."

His words confounded her, but she was not about to argue with her patron deity. "As you wish. 'Tis an honor to be accepted as one of thy mistresses."

A firm hand caught under Ariadne's chin and lifted her head until her eyes met those of a crystalline blue akin to her own.

"You are not one of my mistresses, you are to be my wife."

"I do not understand."

"I promise, my love, you will soon, but not this day, I think. After my rebirth, I wish to concecrate our marriage. By then, your eyes will be opened as mine have and I hope you will still love me when that day comes."

Before she had a chance to respond, the princess found her face held between to warm hands and his mouth enveloped hers. It was no unwelcome, but still startled Ariadne by his presumptiveness, his confidence in her acceptance of his love. His scent was as intoxicating as his wine as it held the fragrance of warm spices and his lips were sweet upon her own. There was also a power seeping from him and, to her confusion, flowing into her. He smelled of that power, he smelled of ambrosia.

After the feast was over, Aegeus took Theseus to his private chambers so that they may speak in private. The new found Athenian prince took time to observed the lavished setting of the great city in comparison to his home in Troezen. Frescos and tiled murals mainly depicted sea themed scenes, though some had been displaced by tributes to the city's matron goddess, Athena. Educated in history of the city, Theseus recalled the story of the competition between Poseidon and Athena when the founder of Athenae, Cecrops the Serpent King, asked them what gifts they had to offer. Athena's olive tree was chosen over Poseidon's salt water fountain. While the sea god allowed the Athenians to keep the fountain, evidence of his displeasure were evident, even generations later.

“My king?”

“Call me father as you are my son,” Aegeus smiled.

“Father, how is it you have avoided Poseidon's wrath for so many years? Athenae was plagued by flooding and droughts according to my mother, yet your city had faired well in recent years.”

“Yes, that is one of issues I wish to discuss with you.” The king's tone unsettled the prince.

They did not talk for the remainder of their walk to the Aegeus' chambers. Equally stunning, if not the most ample place in the whole of the city, the room was decorated with vibrant linens, expertly carved furniture, and jeweled tiles created an array of hues that match the themed colors of the linens (which were mainly blues, greens, reds, and yellows). Not even the halls of the king in Troezen were this luxuriant.

His father bid him to take a seat on a chaise lounge that faced a balcony, which overlooked the southeastern side of Athenae.

“Your city is beautiful,” he commented when his father did not give an explanation for his words earlier.

“Beautiful and cursed. You said I have avoided Poseidon's wrath, but that is wrong, rather I have diverted it. Do you know of the arrangement between King Minos of Krete and I?”

“No, though I have heard that there was a conflict between Krete and Athenae.”

“It was Androgeus, the eldest son of Minos. He competed in the games during the Panathenaia and he won, which upset the Athenian citizens. They did not want a Kretan prince to win in our festival games. Ours is a proud people, for which we are blessed...and damned. To salvage the pride of my people, I sent Androgeus on one final task before claiming victory at the games. I asked him to slay the bull of Marathon, the very same creature you slew. He was gored by the bull and those who witnessed it said that before it attacked, the beast's black eyes changed grey! It is rumored that this was the same white bull of Poseidon that Minos' queen...fornicated with. It was a deadly blow to the Athenians from Poseidon as he must have known what Minos' reaction would be. The king was prepared to go to war, but because we have both incurred the wrath of the sea god, an arrangement was made. Minos demands each year that a tribute of seven Athenian young men and seven young women be given to Krete to participate in the Halcyon Games.

Asterios, the son of Queen Pasiphae and the white bull of Poseidon, is said to be a monstrous man who lives within a labyrinth that has only one path that leads out of it. A banished Athenian, Daidalos, build the labyrinth after Minos consulted the Pythia about Asterios. Each day during the fourteen Halcyon days, an Athenian is sent into the labyrinth to do battle with Asterios. No Athenian has ever returned victorious, but should this...creature be slain, then the prize is the lovely princess, Ariadne to the acclaimed successor of Athenae.”

“How could you agree to this?”

“It was not my decision. My city was suffering from a terrible drought, and my priests said that Poseidon had to be appeased. When King Minos gave his terms, I refused, but my advisors said that to sacrifice Athenians, who denied the sea god as their patron, to a creature born of Poseidon's beast might placate the god's wrath. When all of the council agreed to the terms, I could not deny them lest my people decide to sacrifice me to please the sea god.”

“I did not know that Poseidon was the patron of the Kretans.”

“He is not, but when Minos was fighting for his throne, he asked the sea god to grant him a sign that his rule was supported by the gods. Poseidon sent a white bull akin of the form Zeus took to woo his mother, Europa. It is well known that Minos despises his mother's bestiality, and so refused to properly sacrifice the bull to the sea god. In its stead, he sacrificed a regular bull from his own stock. Angry with the king, Poseidon struck his queen with lust for the beast as punishment, but even that did not satisfy him for long. Many belief the death of Androgeus to a white bull is sign that Poseidon is still displeased.”

“So he believes killing the Athenians will earn the good graces of Poseidon?”

“Yes, but do not think that it has all been in vain. 'Tis true that ever since our participation in the Halcyon Games, our city has flourished, no longer afflicted by the droughts or flooding that plagued our lands in the past.”

“And you accept this?”

“Of course not. My people suffer every year as parents must part with their children, afraid that they might be chosen as one of the fourteen who sail to Krete. During the Halcyon days, instead of celebrating the peace in the depths of wintertide, we mourn the loss of our children.”

“Then you must end it.”

“How? We have sent strong young men in the hopes they could defeat Asterios, but none have succeeded.”

Theseus paused a moment as he pondered the circumstances.

“What is this Asterios like?”

“I have heard from traveling traders that he is only seen during the Halcyon Games, so few know anything of him aside from his existence. Accounts have been given by Kretans who had attended the games and given to sea traders. Many say that during the Games, he wears the mask of a bull as instructed by his father to remind people of his origins. I have heard that Minos despises his youngest son, which is why he is punished by living in the labyrinth, but also to protect people from his animalistic blood lusts, which is why the Athenians are sacrificed to him, so that the Kretans do not have to.”

“Is he deformed?”

“I do not know. The people who attend say he has the head of a bull, but I am assured that is merely the mask. No one knows his true appearance, but he is a cunning warrior.”

“More cunning than I?”

“You? The slayer of the Marathonian bull? Never,” the king said with a proud clap on the young hero's shoulder.

“It is settled then, I shall slay Asterios.”

“What?” This caught Aegeus off guard as he nearly fell of the chaise lounge they were sharing.

“I will slay Asterios, win the Kretan princess and end this ritual slaughter.”

“No, you cannot. Medea has left with my only other heir and King Minos might feed you to Asterios as revenge for the death of Androgeus.”

“He does not have to know who I am and I doubt Asterios eats the flesh of man. The centaurs and satyrs do not eat the flesh of man, and bulls do not eat meat, so I believe him eating the Athenians is just rumors.”

“Centaurs and satyrs are wild half men and very dangerous. Do not underestimate this creature.”

“I have slain great men and I have slain a great bull, so I can slay a half man, half bull. Do not fear father, as long as Minos does not know my identity, I can defeat Asterios.”

“What of the labyrinth? Even if you do slay Asterios, how will you get out? It is said to be the entrance to Hades' Realm, as a soul may enter it but seldom return. Only Daidalos, who built it, Ariadne, who dances its Floors, and Asterios, who lives within it, know the ways of the labyrinth.”

“I will find my way out,” the proud youth said.

“You are brave, my son, but as Dionysia approaches, I fear Asterios may be stronger during this time. Krete is favored by Dionysus and the bull is his creature. With the support of Dionysus and as the son of a creature of Poseidon, Asterios will be a powerful enemy.”

“Father, these tributes must end and you have no other champion to send. Let me set forth and complete this task for the Athenian people.”

“I am sorry, but I cannot lose my only heir.”

Frustrated with the king's words, Theseus stalked from the chambers back to his own to rest after an exhuasting day. He had struggled to attain a name for himself and in slaying the Marathonian bull he earned a great reputation, yet Aegeus denied him a chance for true glory. As he fell into an agitated sleep, a calm scene appeared before him. It was an island of the east and on its beach stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was Love.