Ariadne

Ariadne
Queen of Atlantis
Gender:	Female
Age:	21/22
Family:	Minos - Father Pasiphae - Ex-Stepmother Therus - Brother Jason - Stepbrother (Husband)
Species:	Human
Aliases:	Queen
Status:	Alive
Appearances:	The Earth Bull A Girl By Any Other Name A Boy of No Consequence Twist of Fate White Lies The Rules of Engagement Hunger Pangs Touched by the Gods Part 1 Touched by the Gods Part 2 Season 2
Portrayed by:	Aiysha Hart

“I take no joy in seeing men die for my entertainment.”

~ Ariadne

Princess now Queen Ariadne (Greek: Ἀριάδνη) is the daughter of King Minos and stepdaughter of Queen Pasiphae and lives in the city of Atlantis.

Biography

Ariadne disapproved of the way that seven people every year were sacrificed to the Minotaur to appease the gods. King Minos and Queen Pasiphae were not happy about this and Pasiphae slapped her across the face and told her that a father's love only goes so far, even for someone as beautiful as her.

She met Jason, a newcomer to the city, and helped him to survive the Labyrinth by giving him the gift of an enchanted skein of thread to help guide him out. She told Jason it was enchanted by the Witches of Colchis and that she often used it as a child to help her find her way out of the Labyrinth at Hawara. (The Earth Bull)

Ariadne prepares to watch the Bull-leaping.

Ariadne found Jason being escorted by Korinna, a serving girl in the palace. While it was an act of treason for a civilian to do so, she allowed them to pass, only if they were unseen. (A Girl By Any Other Name)

Ariadne was disappointed that her father sentenced Jason for his crimes. She found no joy in watching people die for her entertainment and was also unwilling to marry Heptarian while her attractions were set on another. At the Atlantis amphitheatre, she watched carefully as Jason and his friends survived the will of Poseidon. After the event, she dismissed her stepmother about considering Heptarian as her husband. (A Boy of No Consequence)

When King Laius and his wife Jocasta arrived in Atlantis, she suspected that there was dispute between them and conferred about this with Pasiphae. She continued to argue with her even when the neighbouring King had left. (Twist of Fate)

One night, Ariadne was met by a night-time messenger who gave her news of her brother who was situated on the border of Atlantis. The man was Stolos whom she later heard was killed for his arrival in the city. Unable to reach Therus without being seen, she enlisted the help of her handmaiden, Korinna and her friend, Jason.

Ariadne meets Therus again after ten years.

During the search for her lead by Pasiphae, Jason escorted her out of the city. They were spotted by Ramos and she believed that she would be taken back to the palace, but instead he helped them escape. Jason then took her through the Forest of Nysa to a Mountain farmstead nearby. There she privately met Therus and learned the truth of his leaving Atlantis. She was shocked to discover that her stepmother had planned to exile him from the beginning and claimed that he was plotting to kill his own father. In all respects, Ariadne refused to leave Atlantis because she believed she was helping the civilians there and a protection for them.

Unable to believe this, she realised Therus had drugged her drink and she fainted. Her body was escorted from the farmstead by Therus and he took his horse and began riding through the forest. The next thing Ariadne knew was that Jason and Therus was sword-fighting and she had to stop it. She took Therus to one side and told him that there were other reasons for her staying in the city and she couldn't escape with him.

Returning to Atlantis, she found Pasiphae quite blunt about her disappearance and decided to reveal that she had been in the Temple of Poseidon praying. Minos was pleased to see his daughter again and they hugged. (White Lies)

When her engagement to Heptarian was announced a Pankration was announced. Korinna then brought a message to Ariadne from Jason about meeting up at the Temple of Poseidon, but Pasiphae caught on and had Korinna arrested and then forced Ariadne to end things with Jason. When meeting up with him, Jason confesses his feelings for her and admits he loves her, but she denies her own feelings for Korinna's sake unknown to Jason. Jason is heartbroken and gives her his medallion. She returns to the palace in tears and Pasiphae comforts her and tells her that she will make sure Korinna is released.

Ariadne watches the Pankration, in which Heptarian and Jason are competing in. She is disgusted by Heptarian's brutal killings of several competitors and is in distress when she watches Jason getting beaten down. After the announcement of the finals between Heptarian and Jason, Ariadne prays to Poseidon that he protect Jason, and she converses with Melas, who supptly hints that Jason is special. In the finals, Jason defeats Heptarian though does not draw blood, ending the fight as a no contest. Ariadne approaches Jason and gives him back the necklace but thanks him for giving her strength and then kisses him.

Ariadne approaches her father, Pasiphae & Heptarian and tells them she believes that the engagement should be dissolved due to Heptarian, a more skilled warrior losing to a unknown boy in Jason, and points out it can only be the work of the gods. Minos takes this to heart and leaves to end the engagement. Pasiphae is angered by this and warns Ariadne that she will never be safe. This is proven when Korinna is found dead outside the palace most likely having been killed by Pasiphae and made to look like a suicide (The Rules of Engagement)

Ariadne is praying at the Temple of Poseidon, when Pythagoras comes running around on fire. Hercules then gets to Ariadne after the guards leave and gives her a message to bring silver to them in hopes to save Jason. She does this but is almost caught by her new hand-maiden Iona. She waits at the Temple but when the duo don't arrive, she leaves for their house. She goes there and Jason opens the door who is completely nude. Ariadne is shocked at this and converses with Jason, who is starting to transform into a giant wolf. She has no idea but before he can do anything to her, Pythagoras and Hercules arrive and stops him. They tell her that he will be fine, but she wants to talk to Jason, Pythagoras pleads with her and she relents. (Hunger Pangs)

Minos is on his deathbed with Ariadne & Pasiphae, and he tells them to be there for each other. Later when an assassin attempts to kill Pasiphae, Ariadne witness guards roaming about before she is dragged into her room by the assassin, who is revealed to be Jason. She protects Jason by lying to Heptarian, and after questioning him about why he would try to kill Pasiphae, she notices he is wounded and helps bandage him up. Both converse about why Pasiphae still lives and she admits that she has wanted to kill Pasiphae herself but like Jason can't even kill Pasiphae in cold blood. When Jason makes to leave, she tells him to stay until the morning.

In the morning, Ariadne watches Jason sleeping and then out of the window. After Jason wakes up and gets dresses, she admits that while there are many perks to being a princess, she would rather have been a more normal daughter and get to be with a simple boy. Jason jokes about being called simple and the two laugh before almost kissing, but are stopped when hearing guards. She then takes him to a secret way out to the Temple of Poseidon, the two then have a passionate kiss before they are forced to separate.

Ariadne goes to her father's side and converses with him though he is asleep, Pasiphae arrives and tells her that the intruder has escaped but they believe that someone in the royal family helped. Ariadne returns to her room, when Iona has found a bloody cloth. Ariadne admits it was the attacker in which Iona tells her that they must rid of it. Ariadne is then taken to the court room where she is arrested revealing that Iona is in fact a spy for Pasiphae. She in then convicted of treason and sentenced to death. (Touched by the Gods (Part 1))

Ariadne is in the dungeons and is scared. She is comforted by Melas and she tells him that she dose not believe the gods look favorable on her anymore, and asks him to comfort her father in his last days. She is then taken to be executed, but before she can, Jason intervenes and him, Pythagoras, Hercules & Ramos rescue her. They escape to the sewers but Ramos stays behind to give them time to escape and he admits that he will not survive his wounds.

The four escape and Jason gives her some plain clothes to wear and after a remembrance of their conversation from the morning they were together in her room, she burns the dress she wore. They get to the mines where they discover it is inhabited by leapers. Eventually Pasiphae, Heptarian and the royal guard find them and they attempt to escape. Jason tells Ariadne to escape, but she trips over when being chases. She feigns injury and then kills the guard that picks her up, she runs but is taken captive by another guard and is taken back to Atlantis.

When she returns to Atlantis with Pasiphae, Minos has been restored back to health who orders for Ariadne to be let go free. She embraces her father who is angry at Pasiphae. Ariadne then has a message sent to Jason from Melas to meet at the temple. She sees Jason and smiles before she returns to praying as her father converses with Jason. (Touched by the Gods (Part 2))

Abilities

• Archery: Ariadne reveals herself to be a capable archer, due to her father Minos, training her to from childhood, out of his belief that everyone should know how to defend themselves. While her speed is limited she has a good aim. (The Marriage of True Minds)

Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, it was the Athenian hero Theseus who volunteered to be a tribute and slay the Minotaur. When he arrived in Crete, Ariadne fell in love with him at first sight and gave him a ball of string so he could find his way out of the labyrinth.

After Theseus slew the Minotaur, they eloped.

Appearances

These are the listed episodes she has appeared in do far:

• The Earth Bull
• A Girl By Any Other Name
• A Boy of No Consequence
• Twist of Fate
• White Lies
• The Rules of Engagement
• Hunger Pangs
• Touched by the Gods Part 1
• Touched by the Gods Part 2

External links

• Ariadne's profile on the BBC Atlantis website