Walking briskly down the hall towards the kitchen, the squirming hissing kitten in her hand, Hera was a Goddess on a mission. She was going to enjoy this moment of triumph and take her time meting out her revenge. Zeus and his insatiable pussy fever had brought the world to the brink of war over and over and now that he actually WAS a pussy, in the most literal sense, she was going to take care of business once and for all. As her face twisted in malevolent glee, suddenly she yelled out as kitten Zeus bit her hand causing her to drop him to the floor.
"Come back here you naughty kitten!" Hera screamed as she chased the frightened animal down the hall towards the Ruby Room. It was no use, as Zeus was far too quick, and he squeezed quickly through a small vent into an adjoining room. Shrieking, Hera called out as he faded from her view. "Run little Zeus, RUN. You saved your balls for today!"
Returning now to the Ruby room, the sounds of Amphrite's laughter echoed off of the red marble floors as discussions of the upcoming party at the Palace of the Graces was being drunkenly and loudly discussed. Hera reentered, obviously irritated at having been just confronted with yet another example of her husband's infidelities she looked quite angry and depressed. When she sat down Dionysus immediately handed her a brimming goblet, which caused her to crack a slight smile. The wine had flowed strong all afternoon, and everyone was having a great time, so Hera decided that she might as well catch up. Zeus had escaped her grasp again, but she swore that one day she would have her revenge.
Suddenly everyone turned and looked towards a small golden door at the far end of the room as it slowly opened. Emerging shyly, looking quite disheveled, was Zeus, now transformed back to his normal two-legged form. His hair a mess, face all scratched, he was shockingly pale as he had not had time to focus on the subtle niceties when he metamorphosed back from his kitten state, having accidentally run into this closet. Normally resplendent in Divine Glory, now he had the look of a man who had just dodged some horrific fate, which of course he had. Hera, seeing him emerge, began chuckling. "Well Husband, don't you look like something the cat dragged in!"
Waving his hand over his body, he now mutated back into more of his normal Godlike clothing and appearance, cleaning up his hair and face at the same time. Grinning as he approached the party, everyone began to stand out of respect. "Please, don't get up!" he commanded, as he winked knowingly at Dionysus. "I don't want to interrupt your lunch here, but I might have a swig of this" he stated as he snatched a goblet from Dionysus's hand and downed it in one long gulp. "Thanks Di-DI, I definitely needed that!"
Pethio, seeing Zeus for the first time in weeks, spoke up. "Lord Zeus, I know you are quite busy with all of your defense plans, but do you think that you could recall Mercury back from his mission before the weekend. He so looks forward to the Grace's Barbecue; I would hate for him to miss it. Since he has been gone for over two months I figured he probably has earned a break." With a sad pleading in her eyes, she added" Plus you majesty, I really do miss him."
.
Zeus gulped as he suddenly remembered poor Mercury left suffering under the daily training of Danae. He had been so distracted by his war plans, he had completely forgotten about his old friend and his stomach dropped thinking of him being perpetually teased for so long. Putting the goblet down quickly, he immediately marched out the door into the garden and took flight to Seriphos. As he flew into the clouds, Pethio, immediately suspicious by his sudden actions excused herself from the table and flew after him, maintaining her distance so as not to be discovered by the King of the Gods as she followed towards his destination.
At the same time, off the coast of Western Greece, Demetrius was coming to the end of his Journey back from Olissio. Entering the Gulf of Corinth, he could clearly see the trees on the shore as his boat rushed through the narrow channel, the increasing colors of reds and yellows tinting the leaves showing that Summer was rapidly ending. Anchoring his boat offshore, he decided to consult his Scroll of all Knowledge before heading out onto land the next morning. The next item on his quest was a wineskin from the temple to Dionysus, and all he knew about it was that it was located near Thebes hidden deep in the forests.
Opening his palms towards the ceiling of his cabin, Dionysus began to pray. "Oh glorious Zeus, father of the Gods, bringer of divine justice, Hear my prayer. Guide me on my quest to retrieve the wineskin of Dionysus and protect me from any dangers I might face on this journey." Closing his hands and opening his eyes, he unrolled the scroll. There, as before, written before his eyes were detailed instructions about the wineskin.
The map of the lands around Thebes formed in the parchment, with the Temple location clearly marked in the center of the forest. Demetrius grinned when he saw the marking on the map, as he realized he would never have ever found it without this divine guidance. Located deep in the woods, no man had ever seen it and lived. The worshippers of Dionysus, called Maenads after their initiation into the cult of Dionysus, were strictly female and all incredibly beautiful. Despite their allure, when under the influence of the God of wine, they were greatly feared by the men of the area as the passions of their ritual led them to become swept away in ecstatic delight, with deadly results to any unfortunate male that comes into their contact.
Those horny and curious young men who did not fear these sexy women would soon regret it, as at least several times a year the bones of some foolish boy were discovered in the forest, the erotic pull of the Maenads overcoming his fear and ultimately leading to his death. Families of Thebes also made sure to keep their daughters locked up during the festival as well, since once a girl joined the cult there was no return.
Four times a year, at the changing of the seasons, the sacred Bacchanalia was performed and it was only during this ritual that the wineskin could be retrieved. The Maenads and the new initiates would gather in a large vineyard outside the city gates of Thebes at dawn and begin their slow procession towards the temple, finally arriving near midnight. Loud drums were banged and trumpets blared, as much drinking commenced before the parade would begin. The pandemonium served both to inspire the ecstatic frenzy required for worship, but also to alert all who heard to keep their distance. Once the worshippers reached the temple, the ritual would commence, and once it was complete Demetrius would have his chance.
The scroll was frustratingly vague on the ritual itself, but the dangers were clearly spelled out. The wineskin he needed for his quest came from the God Dionysus himself, and contained the wine reserved only for the Gods. Humans were forbidden from drinking this vintage, as a single sip consumed straight would instantly vaporize anyone who tasted it. The wine was used in the ritual, as one tiny drop was mixed into a large fifty-gallon Amphora of regular wine and given to the revelers. The power of the grape was enough to permamently tranform their minds into both permanent ecstasy and madness, forever now bound to Dionysus as his sacred Priestess.
He was to find the temple in the sacred grove and hide in the surrounding forest before the Maenads arrived. They were to be avoided at all costs, since if he were discovered, they would most certainly cause him great harm, death were he not immortal. Once the ritual was complete he would wait until they passed out before retrieving the wineskin, using his ring of invisibility to cloak his presence. According to the scroll, the Autumnal Bacchanalia would take place the next night, so his timing again was perfect. Closing his eyes, Demetrius once again offered up a prayer of thanksgiving to the Gods for their continued guidance, before turning in for the night. The next day would be long and he definitely would need his strength for the arduous journey.