Author's Note: If you have read all four chapters of the tales of Cadmus, please leave a comment. Or if this is your first time reading this series, please still leave a comment. I'd love to know your thoughts. Thank you.
Cadmus and Harmonia: A Bittersweet Ending
Aphrodite's extramarital affair with Ares produced several offsprings, including Harmonia. When Hephaestus, the God of Blacksmithing, learned of his wife's chronic infidelity, the covetous god took time to plot his revenge. In the dark of night, Hephaestus appeared beside the divine stone, chipped a small piece of it, and disappeared before being seen. He polished the small bit of rock til it shined like a gem and fashioned it with other crystals to form a brilliant necklace. Hephaestus knew that this rock with its history steeped in love and violence (as it was a former piece of Mt. Olympus) could be a blessing or a curse to those who touched it.
Though she was born of two Olympian gods and was worshiped by many as a goddess, Harmonia was not fully blessed with immortality. Though she could prolong her aging by spending most of her time in the realm of the gods, she knew that by taking a mortal husband and living with him in the realm of mortals, she would succumb to the effects of time. Thus, when Hephaestus gifted her the necklace and promised her that it would keep her young and ageless as long as she wore it, Harmonia was very thankful to her uncle.
Indeed, true to Hephaestus' promise, the necklace kept the queen of Thebes young and beautiful. She never knew a day of illness, and all injuries healed within hours.
With her pure heart, selfless thoughts, strong moral convictions, resilient mindset, Harmonia proved that the stone she adorned on her neck was a blessing to her--much to the dismay of Hephaestus. The curses of grand ambition and familial conflict could not darken her soul. Proving her undying love for Cadmus, she continued to be the level-headed advisor beside her husband. Even as Cadmus' reign expanded to other regions, even as he founded other cities, Harmonia always preached harmony, and vowed to protect the people of those lands. She also served as ambassadors to other nearby cities, in order to negotiate with other ambition kings and leaders, to dissuade them from seeking war to take over Cadmus's territories.
Outwardly, Ares would appear before her daughter after she had successfully quelled a conflict to tell her she was 'taking the fun' out of the situation. Secretly, he was proud of his daughter, and was pleased to see Cadmus and Harmonia forging a strong bond as they proved to be great leaders throughout their kingdom.
Though the necklace proved to be a blessing for Harmonia, the same could not be said for her descendants. Having conceived, carried, birthed, and nursed her children while wearing the necklace, she had unknowingly cursed the future generations of Cadmus. Yet, the curse would not come to full effect for many years...
With Harmonia, Cadmus begat four daughters and one son. The eldest daughters were twins: Agave and Autonoe, Agave was given in marriage to the most revered Spartoi, Echion. Together, they had a son, Pentheus, who would be heir to the throne. Autonoe would marry a skilled craftsman named Aristaeus, and gave birth to Acteon, would grow up to be a handsome lad. Another daughter Ino would have two sons, Learchus and Melicertes. And the youngest daughter, Semele, was seduced and impregnated by Zeus.
Semele would be the first tragedy that Cadmus and Harmonia would witness among their progeny. She died while giving birth to Zeus's child, but the baby Dionysus would survive. Semele's older sisters took upon themselves to help raise Dionysus, but fearing retribution from Hera, they told him that his father was a mortal man when he was young. Unfortunately, their lie would lead to much misfortune when Dionysus came of age and learned the truth...
As Cadmus grew grayer and weaker with age, Harmonia remained young and beautiful. The King knew that he was no longer the hero with great prowess in the battlefield. And he feared that he could no longer satisfy his wife as a lover in their bedchamber. He became increasingly jealous of any young man who spoke with Harmonia, and often dissuaded Harmonia from going out in public without him. Harmonia felt dismayed that her husband would not trust her to stay faithful, but she did not defy his wishes and remained in her quarters for much of her days.
Cadmus became convinced that in order to regain his strength and glory, and to possibly bring his daughter Semele back to life, he must seek the divine stone and lift it once more in order to receive a boon or blessing from the gods. Freeing himself from responsibility, Cadmus abdicated his throne to his grandson, Pentheus, so that he could roam the land of Greece in search of the stone. The former King of Thebes was too proud to ask the Spartoi warriors where they had placed the stone, so he searched in vain for many years.
Faithful Harmonia traveled by his side, sleeping beside him, whether that was in a well-tended cottage, or an abandoned building, or simply under the stars. She shared meager rations with him, whether that was a loaf of bread, a cup of soup, or collected rainwater.
Years passed, and a Spartoi advisor sought out Cadmus to bring him news of another tragedy. Dionysus, now grown up, demanded to know the truth of his origin, and Ino would be the one to divulge it to him after he loosened her lips with a brewed concoction. When he learned that he was a son of Zeus, he was furious that his aunts had withheld this information from him for so long. However, he hid contempt well. Upon his departure to forge his own adventures, he brewed a batch of wine and gifted a bottle to each of his aunts as a way to thank them for raising him to adulthood. The aunts hugged and cried, indeed, having loved him like their own son. When the aunts drank the wine, they loved the taste and continued to indulge...
The three sisters ran into the woods and stripped of their and danced, kissing and touching each other. When they saw a strange man looking at them, they pulled him out of the bushes, tied him up, and began to make love with him. But their love making became too aggressive and they ripped the man's limbs and head off. When the sisters sobered, they saw the severed body of Agave's son, Pentheus.
Thus, the King of Thebes was slaughtered by his mother and aunt.
Distraught that he had lost his grandson and the heir to his throne, Cadmus believed it was even more imperative than ever for him to seek the stone. He told the Spartoi advisor to offer the throne to his only son, Polydorus. Harmonia, believing how the necklace had blessed her thus far in life, removed it for the first time in many decades and entrusted it with the advisor. She told him to give it to her son, and he could pass it down as he saw fit.
Little did she know, she was further ensuring the curse upon her lineage.
At first, without her necklace, nothing seemed different. Harmonia looked as young and beautiful as ever. Many strangers asked if the two were father and daughter, and Harmonia gently explained that they were indeed husband and wife. And after each such encounter, Harmonia would always reassure Cadmus that in her eyes, he was still the hero she had first met, and her love for him would never waver.
But as time passed, Harmonia's appearance began to catch up with her time in the mortal realm. The change was unnerving to her each time she stared at her reflection, but she did not regret giving away the necklace. Her soft, golden hair now transitioned to brittle strands of silver. Though she had lived several hundred years in mortal timeline, she now looked like a mortal woman in her late fifties.
In contrast, Cadmus has lived now more than eight decades, though divine blessings has afforded him the appearance of a healthy man in his late sixties.
Two more Spartoi advisors came with more tragic news, one shortly after another. The loss of Antonoe's son--Acteon--his strong handsome body ripped apart by wolves sent by Artemis. Then...the double loss of Ino's sons, who were killed by their own father, who did not believe they were of his own blood.
One night, Cadmus called out to Ares, "My beloved Ares, my heart has never forsaken you. I take your daughter as the love of my wife. I continue to honor and cherish you for all eternity. Have I not repented enough for slaying Draco, your dragon offspring? Why must you continue to see me suffer?"
Red lightning immediately struck down beside Cadmus, violently expanding the air around it, throwing him back many meters. Ares's voice boomed in the air, "How dare you believe that this curse upon your family is my doing! I have been true to my vow, watching over you and my daughter every day to make sure you two are forever protected. But I bear no responsibility to the welfare of your progeny."
Cadmus knelt down and raised his hands to the sky, "My beloved Ares, my grief momentarily darkened my thoughts. I see clearly now that I am a fool to even let those thoughts pass through me. Please forgive me!"
"You broke my heart," Ares said, stern but less enraged, "Were you another man, I would lay you to waste. But alas, I cannot bring myself to strike. Heed this Cadmus: For this betrayal of my faith, I will no longer protect you. Whatever may come of the rest of your life, I care no more. Do not pray to me again!"
Cadmus collapsed his head on the ground, sobbing and shaking. Despite the warning, he continued to pray every night to the God of War, and night after night, received no reply.
One evening, Harmonia secretly joined him in prayer, "Dear father. My beloved husband holds no other god in his heart but you. Despite his temporary lapse in judgment, he is forever devoted to you. Please find it in your heart to forgive him. I beg you, if tomorrow is the last day he has on Earth, please allow him to see the divine stone once more."
Her prayer was met with silence.
As dawn broke, Cadmus was stirred awake by the hand of Harmonia on his shoulder. She was smiling and laughing a bit, as she pulled him up to his feet. She led him deeper into the woods through the densest of trees, where little sunlight could break through. Soon, they came upon a river that ran black, and following it, the river stopped abruptly and appeared to be draining into the ground.
Cadmus was unsure, but this was the River Styx. And they had come upon one of the entrances to Hell.
