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Interlude: Io Saturnalia
Dec. 15th, 2024 12:37 amDionysus has never been very good at keeping track of the date, for a variety of reasons. Apollo, on the other hand, has never had this problem. When you’re the god of the Sun, keeping track of days is a second nature, even, as it turns out, when you find yourself in a different universe and no longer are in charge of making the sun go. So as the days draw closer and closer to Saturnalia, the two of them plan a little party. Just a small one, with their more immediate “family” - Mercutio, Étienne, and Aleksander. Dionysus decides it is Apollo’s job to explain to Aleksander A: what Saturnalia is, B: who Saturn is, and C: why they’re celebrating a holiday intended for their grandfather who ate their aunts and uncles. Dionysus takes care of the decor, food, events, and – well, basically everything else for the party.
The weather is cooling off some, but it’s still not “cold” yet, which is honestly fine by him. He prefers to spend his Decembers in places that aren’t particularly cold, so it does feel like a normal Saturnalia for him, as far as he’s concerned. He decorates his and Étienne’s apartment with a bunch of the traditional greenery and candles. Big garlands and wreaths everywhere. And he makes sure they have plenty of games and other activities loosely planned. Apollo, having the ability to magic whatever food into existence, is in charge of dinner. Dionysus, of course, handles the drinks.
He also coaxes the mansion into providing them with some rock candy. Because he thinks that’s funny.
By the time they’re actually eating dinner, all reclined on little piles of cushions, Dionysus is already buzzed enough to give a toast to his grandfather. “We thank you for time, we thank you for the harvest, but most importantly, we thank you for not being here!”
Gosh, what an absolute disaster that would be, if he were here. Not that Dionysus has ever met him. Maybe he’s perfectly lovely, when not eating babies. He does have a pretty fun festival, anyway.
Dionysus has a small gift of a couple taper candles tied together with big, golden ribbons to give to them each. A pretty standard Saturnalia gift, if perhaps a bit useless given they live in a house with electricity and lightbulbs.
All in all, it’s a lovely evening, he thinks. Just getting to spend a few hours with some of the people he and Apollo are closest to, drinking, eating good food, and having a good time.
The weather is cooling off some, but it’s still not “cold” yet, which is honestly fine by him. He prefers to spend his Decembers in places that aren’t particularly cold, so it does feel like a normal Saturnalia for him, as far as he’s concerned. He decorates his and Étienne’s apartment with a bunch of the traditional greenery and candles. Big garlands and wreaths everywhere. And he makes sure they have plenty of games and other activities loosely planned. Apollo, having the ability to magic whatever food into existence, is in charge of dinner. Dionysus, of course, handles the drinks.
He also coaxes the mansion into providing them with some rock candy. Because he thinks that’s funny.
By the time they’re actually eating dinner, all reclined on little piles of cushions, Dionysus is already buzzed enough to give a toast to his grandfather. “We thank you for time, we thank you for the harvest, but most importantly, we thank you for not being here!”
Gosh, what an absolute disaster that would be, if he were here. Not that Dionysus has ever met him. Maybe he’s perfectly lovely, when not eating babies. He does have a pretty fun festival, anyway.
Dionysus has a small gift of a couple taper candles tied together with big, golden ribbons to give to them each. A pretty standard Saturnalia gift, if perhaps a bit useless given they live in a house with electricity and lightbulbs.
All in all, it’s a lovely evening, he thinks. Just getting to spend a few hours with some of the people he and Apollo are closest to, drinking, eating good food, and having a good time.
His class was originally supposed to be weeks ago, but with everything that was happening - the wedding preparations, the beach suddenly appearing out of nowhere, all of... everything else... it seemed a good idea to postpone the class slightly. Now he's grateful he decided to do that, it's giving him something productive to focus on. Teaching people how to make wine is something he has always enjoyed doing, and getting things prepared has been almost meditative for him. He has been able to pay attention to setting up the garden, and finding a wine press, and making all of the various bottles they'll need, and getting supplies, rather than letting his mind drift and dwell on Aornis.
They meet out in his garden, where he hands everyone a notebook, pen, grape shears, and a nice, big basket. It's important to know how and when to harvest the grapes before you even get into any of the business of fermentation. He has set the garden up to show the progression of grapes from seedling to harvest, and spends the first part of the day going over how grapevines grow, ideal growing conditions, and other things related to the plant itself. They spend some time collecting all the grapes they'll need for the day in the baskets, then make the journey back into the mansion, where he has one room set up with tables and everything else they will need.
Each station has a small flight of different wines to try (Dionysus offers to make them nonalcoholic for anyone who wants to taste but doesn't want to drink the alcohol; this is a perk of taking wine classes with the god of it, after all) and Dionysus explains the basic concepts behind how different sorts of wine are made. Today they're going to be making a red wine, so they'll be leaving the skin of the fruit in with the juice as it ferments.
After they've cleaned the grapes and Dionysus has shown them what stems to leave on versus what stems to cut away, they start crushing them - in a bowl with a potato masher, since they're each making relatively small batches. Mercutio in particular seems disappointed they're not just throwing everything into a big vat and stomping on it, but Dionysus promises him he can do that some other time, if he really wants to. Each student has two large jars to pour everything into and cover tightly with cloths. One jar they will continue working with today, the other he has them set to the side for now. Another perk of learning how to make wine from the god of it is that he's able to speed things along a little, so that everyone can do the entire winemaking process in a few hours. The second jar will be for them to work on in real time, putting the knowledge Dionysus is giving them today to use to make it on their own.
Between each step, Dionysus uses his powers to age everyone's wine along, mentally checking how it's going for everyone and offering suggestions on how to better care for it, so they each get the best possible version of wine out of it all. Twice "a day" they need to push the floating skins down into the juice, the liquid changing impossibly fast from a cloudy clear to a dark red as he speeds the process up for them. He explains how and why and when to check the sugar levels of everything, helping everyone with that as needed.
Pretty soon he has everyone transfer the liquid to a carboy, then everyone combines the leftover skins in the wine press. They take turns squeezing the remaining juice out of the grapes, which then gets used to top off what's in their jugs, that gets sealed off with an airlock. Now it would be a waiting game, but again Dionysus ages everything about a year in seconds' time. He explains in detail all of the steps you'd take to properly care for the wine as it ages, then has everyone bottle up their batches. Everyone should have enough for around five or so bottles, if they didn't spill too much during the process along the way.
He hopes everyone had a good time. It seemed to go over well at least, he thinks.
They meet out in his garden, where he hands everyone a notebook, pen, grape shears, and a nice, big basket. It's important to know how and when to harvest the grapes before you even get into any of the business of fermentation. He has set the garden up to show the progression of grapes from seedling to harvest, and spends the first part of the day going over how grapevines grow, ideal growing conditions, and other things related to the plant itself. They spend some time collecting all the grapes they'll need for the day in the baskets, then make the journey back into the mansion, where he has one room set up with tables and everything else they will need.
Each station has a small flight of different wines to try (Dionysus offers to make them nonalcoholic for anyone who wants to taste but doesn't want to drink the alcohol; this is a perk of taking wine classes with the god of it, after all) and Dionysus explains the basic concepts behind how different sorts of wine are made. Today they're going to be making a red wine, so they'll be leaving the skin of the fruit in with the juice as it ferments.
After they've cleaned the grapes and Dionysus has shown them what stems to leave on versus what stems to cut away, they start crushing them - in a bowl with a potato masher, since they're each making relatively small batches. Mercutio in particular seems disappointed they're not just throwing everything into a big vat and stomping on it, but Dionysus promises him he can do that some other time, if he really wants to. Each student has two large jars to pour everything into and cover tightly with cloths. One jar they will continue working with today, the other he has them set to the side for now. Another perk of learning how to make wine from the god of it is that he's able to speed things along a little, so that everyone can do the entire winemaking process in a few hours. The second jar will be for them to work on in real time, putting the knowledge Dionysus is giving them today to use to make it on their own.
Between each step, Dionysus uses his powers to age everyone's wine along, mentally checking how it's going for everyone and offering suggestions on how to better care for it, so they each get the best possible version of wine out of it all. Twice "a day" they need to push the floating skins down into the juice, the liquid changing impossibly fast from a cloudy clear to a dark red as he speeds the process up for them. He explains how and why and when to check the sugar levels of everything, helping everyone with that as needed.
Pretty soon he has everyone transfer the liquid to a carboy, then everyone combines the leftover skins in the wine press. They take turns squeezing the remaining juice out of the grapes, which then gets used to top off what's in their jugs, that gets sealed off with an airlock. Now it would be a waiting game, but again Dionysus ages everything about a year in seconds' time. He explains in detail all of the steps you'd take to properly care for the wine as it ages, then has everyone bottle up their batches. Everyone should have enough for around five or so bottles, if they didn't spill too much during the process along the way.
He hopes everyone had a good time. It seemed to go over well at least, he thinks.
Breakfasts with Mercutio have been slowly happening earlier and earlier; Dionysus wakes up sooner in the spring than he did in the winter, generally speaking, especially now that he has a garden to tend to, and isn't flitting around from one party in one city to another party in a different city every night. Mercutio seems to be getting used to being woken up early now too -- at least, he has stopped complaining about it incessantly, and has switched to only complaining a little. That's a win.
They're having oatmeal with blueberries mixed in this morning, and Mercutio is telling Dionysus all about a time when he, Romeo, and Benvolio were out causing chaos -- it's a very good story -- when Dionysus suddenly hears, in the back of his mind,
Are you hearing this, Dionysus?
Claudius.
Dionysus is about to get up and excuse himself, when he hears Claudius let him know he's not in trouble, he doesn't need to show up. Mercutio gives Dionysus a look, asking if he's alright.
"Oh, yes, don't worry. Sorry. Did he have a plan for what he was going to do with that statue, or...?"
"Nay. I did."
It's a peculiar thing, being a god, and hearing prayers and worship. Dionysus doesn't have the strongest attention span for things he's physically present for. But everything that comes through to the god-part of his mind, that bizarre sense of his that grew and formed during the months he was carried by Zeus, it's distinctly different. It has to be, he wouldn't have needed Hera to curse him with madness otherwise, it would have happened naturally the moment people began to worship him. He can be fully aware of everything going on "back there" without anyone he's physically with knowing or suspecting a thing. Every time someone is putting on a play, every time someone prays to him, pours an offering, shows up for a rehearsal, all of those moments, happening simultaneously, and he's cognizant of them all, but on the outside he's still going like nothing is happening out of the ordinary.
It's been quiet here. It warms his heart that Claudius trusts him enough for this. And it's not even, Dionysus realizes as he listens to the prayer, a request for something for himself. He's worried about Galahad and Magnus. Precious, darling, sweet Galahad, who never had sweets back home and wants to be painted and covered in glitter. Kind and thoughtful Magnus, who made a point to warn Dionysus about Laertes when they first met, and who opened a shelter back home, and who apparently is carrying the weight of this world on his shoulders.
But Magnus ... hasn't been behaving like himself.
He and Magnus are getting much closer these days. Their little one-act in the closet helped, of course, but spending time with him in the garden seems to really be doing the trick. But he has seemed... tired, perhaps. Grief causes a lot of pain, but if everyone is stuck in some limbo of 'maybe if we figure out the right things to do, he can come back' there's not really any time for grieving. Dionysus doesn't know what all of that is, it hasn't seemed right to press for answers. He told Nina and Magnus to let him know if and when he can help, Magnus surely knows by now what Dionysus' powers are, he trusts if something comes up that he is able to assist with, they'll let him know.
"Waaaiiit, so they didn't even know you were the one doing it?" he asks Mercutio, laughing.
Claudius cares so much. He cares so much. Dionysus has so much affection for him, for this man who asked a stranger to officiate his wedding, who thinks Dionysus hadn't noticed how his hands twitch before their acting lessons, who performs a song he just learned acapella in front of an entire party because he heard it would make someone else happy, who is learning that it's okay to express your emotions even when they're upsetting, and who prays not for himself but for those he loves.
But thank you. For listening.
"--hanging upside down, by his foot, an thou wilt believe it--"
He's sure he'll run into Claudius soon, they can talk with each other then. He'll have to be a little more insistent with Magnus that the kid start taking care of himself better, maybe that'll help too. Everything's going to be alright. Dionysus can believe that, for both himself and for Claudius.
They're having oatmeal with blueberries mixed in this morning, and Mercutio is telling Dionysus all about a time when he, Romeo, and Benvolio were out causing chaos -- it's a very good story -- when Dionysus suddenly hears, in the back of his mind,
Are you hearing this, Dionysus?
Claudius.
Dionysus is about to get up and excuse himself, when he hears Claudius let him know he's not in trouble, he doesn't need to show up. Mercutio gives Dionysus a look, asking if he's alright.
"Oh, yes, don't worry. Sorry. Did he have a plan for what he was going to do with that statue, or...?"
"Nay. I did."
It's a peculiar thing, being a god, and hearing prayers and worship. Dionysus doesn't have the strongest attention span for things he's physically present for. But everything that comes through to the god-part of his mind, that bizarre sense of his that grew and formed during the months he was carried by Zeus, it's distinctly different. It has to be, he wouldn't have needed Hera to curse him with madness otherwise, it would have happened naturally the moment people began to worship him. He can be fully aware of everything going on "back there" without anyone he's physically with knowing or suspecting a thing. Every time someone is putting on a play, every time someone prays to him, pours an offering, shows up for a rehearsal, all of those moments, happening simultaneously, and he's cognizant of them all, but on the outside he's still going like nothing is happening out of the ordinary.
It's been quiet here. It warms his heart that Claudius trusts him enough for this. And it's not even, Dionysus realizes as he listens to the prayer, a request for something for himself. He's worried about Galahad and Magnus. Precious, darling, sweet Galahad, who never had sweets back home and wants to be painted and covered in glitter. Kind and thoughtful Magnus, who made a point to warn Dionysus about Laertes when they first met, and who opened a shelter back home, and who apparently is carrying the weight of this world on his shoulders.
But Magnus ... hasn't been behaving like himself.
He and Magnus are getting much closer these days. Their little one-act in the closet helped, of course, but spending time with him in the garden seems to really be doing the trick. But he has seemed... tired, perhaps. Grief causes a lot of pain, but if everyone is stuck in some limbo of 'maybe if we figure out the right things to do, he can come back' there's not really any time for grieving. Dionysus doesn't know what all of that is, it hasn't seemed right to press for answers. He told Nina and Magnus to let him know if and when he can help, Magnus surely knows by now what Dionysus' powers are, he trusts if something comes up that he is able to assist with, they'll let him know.
"Waaaiiit, so they didn't even know you were the one doing it?" he asks Mercutio, laughing.
Claudius cares so much. He cares so much. Dionysus has so much affection for him, for this man who asked a stranger to officiate his wedding, who thinks Dionysus hadn't noticed how his hands twitch before their acting lessons, who performs a song he just learned acapella in front of an entire party because he heard it would make someone else happy, who is learning that it's okay to express your emotions even when they're upsetting, and who prays not for himself but for those he loves.
But thank you. For listening.
"--hanging upside down, by his foot, an thou wilt believe it--"
He's sure he'll run into Claudius soon, they can talk with each other then. He'll have to be a little more insistent with Magnus that the kid start taking care of himself better, maybe that'll help too. Everything's going to be alright. Dionysus can believe that, for both himself and for Claudius.
