Ariadne

by Jennifer Saint

I had not thought that Dionysus was like the other gods—cold, cruel, and petty. I do not know what expression of horror must have contorted my face but it caused Dionysus to hurl his head back and laugh aloud. “Ariadne! You do not think I would leave the child, do you? Of course I would not punish an innocent,” he said, swallowing his mirth. “And I was truly grateful to Midas, who was a kindly and gentle man, for taking care of Silenus. He saw the folly of his wish in an instant. I let him take it back at once by helping him to struggle to the nearest river and wash away the power. Indeed, the silt of that river is still rich with slivers of gold even now. I breathed life back into the girl, who did not remember a moment of what had happened, and all was restored to what it had been. King Midas learned a lesson about what is truly valuable—and it made for an entertaining anecdote, it cannot be denied.”