Theseus does later marry Ariadne’s sister, Phaedra, and what unfolds during their marriage is such a clusterfuck. I’ll let you do your own research. In the end, I feel like Theseus is a user in mythology, so that’s exactly what I make him in my retellings.
Dionysus, God of the Vine, is the son of Zeus. He actually has a very robust set of myths, unlike some gods, and his cult is probably one of the most interesting in myth. Like Heracles, he was also relentlessly pursued by Hera and struck with madness that led to him wandering the ends of the earth. Dionysus also has the ability to strike people with madness and he does so often—not only his followers who are called Maenads, but also anyone who spurns him.
An example was with King Pentheus, who refused to accepted Dionysus as a god and prevented the women of his kingdom from participating in worship. Dionysus was so angry, he struck Pentheus’s daughters with madness （essentially, they became Maenads） and they tore their father to pieces…literally. It was because of this myth that I decided modern Maenads should be assassins. I liked the idea that they were women who were fleeing abusive situations and could find comfort with other women who had gone through the same thing while learning to protect themselves.
In modern times, Dionysus is known as a bit of a party god, and while I felt he had some of those traits, I also felt that he had likely become more disciplined over the many millennia he had been alive. To me, he is a god of sin, and I can’t wait to see how this comes out in his own book.
I do reference a few other stories in regard to Dionysus—the death of his mother, Semele; the Theater of Dionysus （which is real）; and, of course, Bakkheia, which is a festival that celebrated Dionysus.
Theseus and Pirithous
The final scene where Pirithous says that it was Theseus’s idea to abduct goddesses was pulled from the myth of Theseus and Pirithous who were literal bros. They decided to steal daughters of Zeus. Theseus took Helen and Pirithous was the idiot who thought he could steal Persephone from Hades.
Spoiler alert: It doesn’t end well.
I am sure I did not include every nod to mythology in this author’s note, but I always hope these additions give you an idea of how critically I think about these retellings.
Thank you so much for giving me the chance to share my stories with you. Thank you for helping me live my dream. I am forever grateful.
*
Thank you all again for reading A Game of Retribution! Please consider leaving a review on your favorite platform and send me a message to let me know how much you enjoyed it.
For more information on my books, please join my newsletter!
Much love,
Scarlett
PS: Have you discovered my Adrian x Isolde books yet? Get a sneak peek
at the first book in the series, King of Battle and Blood, here.
DISCOVER SCARLETT ST. CLAIR’S
BESTSELLING ADRIAN X ISOLDE
SAGA!
An instant USA Today bestseller!
Their union is his revenge.
Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day to be her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him.
But her assassination attempt is thwarted, and Adrian declares that if Isolde tries to kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court.
Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king—fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort.
The answer will shatter her world.
Isolde, newly coronated queen, has finally found a king worthy of her in the vampire Adrian. But their love for each other has cost Isolde her father and her homeland. With two opposing goddesses playing mortals and vampires like chess pieces against one another, Isolde is uncertain who her allies are in the vampire stronghold of Revekka.
Now, as politics in the Red Palace grow more underhanded and a deadly blood mist threatens all of Cordova, Isolde must trust in the bond she’s formed with Adrian, even as she learns troubling information about his complicated past.
Also by Scarlett St. Clair When Stars Come Out