Crete Island was well-known for the fact that King Minos had five sons and five daughters.
Under the old king's suppression and training, the five princes, although not comndable for great achievents, were still reasonably well-behaved.
But the five princesses, they were each more capable of stirring trouble than the last, truly like vests packed with black fuse gold.
Among them, the eldest princess, Acacallis, eloped with Apollo, the God of Light, abandoning her duties as the high priestess and severing ties with her father;
The third princess, Euryale, bore Orion to Poseidon, the God of the Sea – needless to say, this was the ultimate act of defiance;
The second princess, Ariadne, was behaving for now, but in the future, she would first aid the demigod hero Theseus in escaping the labyrinth and then elope with this prince of Athens by ship;
Considering the relationship between Athens and Athena, the changes in faith, and the fact that Theseus had once sacrificed the Cretan Bull, a symbol of Crete Island's divinity, to Athena, and that Ariadne was also the high priestess of Athena... combining all these factors, Luo En tentatively believed that there might be so unknown undercurrents at play.
But to King Minos, this was nevertheless a betrayal.
Similarly, the fourth princess, Fedra, was all about rebellion as well.
She was still young when she followed her sister Ariadne in sneaking onto the ship to Athens with Theseus.
On the way, the rather disreputable prince of Athens, Theseus, using an oracle as pretext, abandoned the second princess, Ariadne, on Naxos Island, thereby precipitating the union between the God of Wine and the second princess, Ariadne.
anwhile, the fourth princess, Fedra, continued with Theseus to Greece.
When the fourth princess, Fedra, grew up to be a beautiful and graceful woman, she married Theseus to beco the queen of Athens.
Later, the audacious Theseus plotted to abduct both the Queen of the Netherworld and Helen from Hades and beca trapped in the Netherworld.
The neglected and betrayed Fedra then fell in love with her stepson, Hippolytus, and upon being rejected, she could not bear the tornt of unrequited love, leaving behind a suicide note before taking her own life.
Upon his return from the Netherworld, Theseus, upon seeing the suicide note, redirected his fury to his son, cursed him to death, a curse which was swiftly fulfilled, thus brewing a tragic father-son feud.
Currently, the only future princess without a blot on her record was probably just the nursing fifth princess, Ksenodike.
Of course, it might just be that she hasn't had the chance to show it yet...
With a hand to his forehead, Luo En muttered his complaints while looking up at the newly appointed high priestess of the God of Wine, presiding over the ritual
— or rather, the original intended aunt of Dionysus by fate — the fourth princess, Fedra.
At that mont, the schoolgirl-like fourth princess with chestnut hair was dancing and jumping joyfully in the valley, barefoot and garlanded, her small face flushed with excitent, much like a rebellious teenager letting off steam.
Completely unaware that, as a mber of the royal family with divine blood from Crete Island, her appearance at such a gathering of a heretical cult would cause so much trouble and hassle for her father and siblings.
Or perhaps, even if she knew, she probably would not care?
— What kind of explosive vests are these, each so fully loaded with damage.
As both a cult leader and an object of worship, Luo En was at a loss for words and could not help but feel pity for King Minos, who was currently lying in bed, wrestling with his sons.
Should he, out of consideration for the relatively decent treatnt he had received from King Minos, secretly report this back, so that the king might capture his rebellious daughter and give her a proper education?
Just as Luo En was hesitating, the high priestess leading the frenzied female devotees of the God of Wine had already thrown the incense of repose into the fire, singing a new round of hymns in high spirits.
"I call upon Dionysus, the roaring God, crying out 'Aha',
Of dual nature, dead and yet reborn, the future king Bacchus,
Mysterious and wild, a pair of horns, two forms,
Garlanded with ivy, the pure and mighty god of joy, crying out 'Aha'!
You who eat offerings, adorned with grapes, clothed in leaves, celebrated biennially,
Immortal king, everlasting spirit, oh,
Hear my words, benevolent god, tender and perfect god!
Bring your joyful entourage and descend upon !"
As cries and cheers echoed in her ears, Fedra's face under the firelight grew thrillingly flushed with excitent, feeling the liberating ease of breaking free and unleashing her nature.
For the first ti, she used a twisted vine instead of gold to tie up her chestnut hair, for the first ti, wore a crown of grapevines, for the first ti, covered her bare upper body with a bronze corselet, tied fawn skin around her waist for the first ti, wrapped herself with a snake-skin belt for the first ti, rang the cheerful and deafening cymbals for the first ti, lit the torch of nocturnal dance for the first ti!
Compared to the towering palace and the complex etiquette, this forest was so carefree, so intoxicating.
Life was not ant to be locked in a dull cage, but to be a bird soaring freely in the sky, taking rest in the woods, searching for what the heart desires on the journey.
"Aha~~"
Fedra, gradually losing herself, bestowed heartfelt praises upon Dionysus, the god of joy and spirit of wine who had granted her this free realm.
"Bang!"
In the girl's hand, a staff wound with purple ivy and topped with a pinecone ball covered in lush young leaves struck against a nearby rock, producing the final note of a grand symphony.
The song's end also signaled that tonight's gathering was about to draw to a close.
All were bound to return to their own hos, to don their masks once more and play their respective roles in life.
Thinking of the oppressive atmosphere at ho, Fedra's face couldn't help but fill with a tinge of gloom.
"A spring! There's a spring!"
Suddenly, a chorus of surprised voices rose around her, and a refreshing coolness flowed at her feet. Fedra instinctively opened her eyes and was astonished to see the rock struck by the staff had shattered, revealing a gushing spring of clear water.
How could this be?
Staring at the "divine staff" in her hands, which had been crafted over several sleepless nights, Fedra was utterly baffled, her delicate mouth agape in shock.
And as the staff carelessly struck the ground once more, the gush from the spring increased in volu, becoming a creek infused with a rich fruity aroma that was intoxicating.
One person couldn't contain themselves and instinctively scooped up a handful of the spring's clear water to their mouth.
Instantly, their eyes widened in disbelief, excitent lighting their face as they shouted to those around them,
"Wine! It's wine!"
And having witnessed the miracle of water turning into wine, the participants in the gathering couldn't help but erupt into cheers.
"Lord Dionysus has blessed us!"
"Ah ha, praise the God of Wine!"
"Now, we can truly drink to our hearts' content!"
People of all ages joyfully crowded around the newly-ford stream, using their hands, goblets, or flasks to collect this divine favor and drank rrily.
With the savory and sweet wine flowing down their throats, a comforting warmth surged through their limbs, dispelling the fatigue of the mortal world and bestowing a sense of illusory intoxication.
Amongst the blurred gazes, one leaned against a tree, seeing branches dripping with sweet nectar; another touched the ground with their fingertips, watching milk flow from the soil; yet another gently curled a vine, finding fingers draped with purple-red grapes...
Lying down in groups or alone, so were smiling peacefully in their sleep, so were smacking their lips, savoring the sweet milk and honey, while others reached out for the possibly nonexistent fruit...
In this dream-crafted world, souls rested in blissful, drunken states, becoming one with nature.
The ecstatic maenads, seeing this scene, sward around Fedra in the center, chattering excitedly and discussing what it felt like to be favored by the deities.
The bewildered young princess was overwheld but was soon swept up by the raucous laughter and chatter of her female companions at the stream's edge, drinking rrily and engaging in conversation.
anwhile, the culprit secretly behind all this lifted a bowl of wine from the crystal-clear stream, sat under a tree, drank with satisfaction, and observingly glanced over at Fedra who was surrounded by the maenads. The lifted corners of his lips under his hood ford a curve of pleasure.
Indeed, this was all his doing.
The authority of the God of the Sea had granted him the power to manipulate water.
The construction of faith and the talents of the God of Wine had allowed him to turn water into wine.
And with the privilege of walking upon water...
Luo En felt that he was becoming increasingly akin to a certain at hanging on the cross.
However, the difference was,
He was not a strict champion of doctrine but aspired to be a god who spread joy.
So, be it rebellion, playfulness, or the desire to break free from familial constraints,
Little girl, if you wish for it, I will provide.
As for whether you can seize the opportunity or if your butt will be slapped into pieces afterwards, that's none of my business.
Ah ha~
With the tone of a priest invoking a sacred word, Luo En jokingly raised his cup to the restless little princess, extending the special gift from the God of Joy.
(I've added a bit of fun in the author's note, it's free, so make sure to check it out.)
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