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‘You’re here!’
Ariadne shrugged. ‘I came with you before.’
Dionysus nodded. ‘Yes, but there is something I need to show you, now.’
‘Hm.’ Ariadne raised her chin.
‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, Artemis is alert.’
‘Oh, I know. Let’s get to where you want to take me, right?’
Dionysus nodded. ‘Yes.’
He grabbed her hand to take her along. Ariadne raised her eyebrows, but she didn’t shake her hand loose. It felt familair, somehow.
-
‘Where here.’
‘In a clearing?’
‘In a clearing on top of a small hill, from which you’ve got a magnificent view of the starry night.’
‘I mean, we can see the stars no matter where we are. Why specifically take me here?’
He took a deep breath. ‘Can I touch you?’
‘...sure?’
Dionysus put his hands on her shoulders. ‘Now look up.’
Ariadne looked up at the stars above her head. Something was different about them tonight. She pointed a finger at a pattern she hadn’t seen before. ‘That... It looks like my crown.’ Wait. This was a god, who had taken her here. ‘It is my crown, isn’t it?’
Dionysus nodded. ‘It is. Corona Borealis - the Crown of the North. Immortalised in the sky so everyone knows about the heroism of it’s wearer.’
Ariadne looked at the god, while he was still transfixed by the sky. He meant it, the words he just said.
‘...thanks. Thank you. Thank you so, so much.’ She swallowed back the tears. She would - not - cry. This was a happy moment, not a sad one. ‘This is… it’s beautiful. And it’s for me.’ Not for a hero, not for a god, but for her.
‘I… I am really glad you like it.’
‘I do.’ Ariadne nodded.
She heard the god sigh. ‘You know, before… I told Artemis to hell, with the cosmic nonsense. With all the grand-scheme stuff I was talking about that made it necessary to…’ He shook his head. ‘To hell with it all. I only try to cover myself with those excuses. I just… I love you, Ariadne.’ She slowly turned around. ‘I love you,’ he repeated. ‘And that’s…’ he shut his eyes for a moment.
More didn’t come. ‘I get it,’ Ariadne whispered. She laid her arms around his shoulders. ‘I get it.’