Dionysus

Mortals assume Dionysus is just a happy-go-lucky stoner and drunk, but the truth is he is in constant, immense pain, a side-effect from his resurrection as a child after being torn limb from limb by the Titans of Tartarus. When sufficiently intoxicated, Dionysus is an amusing and pleasant fellow that most people would assume to be the son of Zeus rather than Hades.

Early Life
Born after the Fall of Titans, the product of the marriage of Hades and Persephone, and given the name Zagreus by his father. By all rights of such an esteemed birth, the young God Zagreus should have been afforded all the luxury he could imagine, but his birth was a cursed one, having drawn in the tainted essence of the Underworld. After a rather difficult infancy, Zagreus lived to childhood and began to show an aptitude for channeling the essence that plagued him. Hoping that fostering this gift would result in recovery from his frailty, Zagreus’ parents had him shadow Hades.

It was while accompanying his father in Tartarus that three of the Titans broke from their prison and tore young Zagreus limb from limb before his father’s eyes. Hades cast the Titans into Oblivion in his rage. After, Hades cradled his dying son and used his powers to keep the Thanatosi from claiming his son’s spirit, thus unnaturally preventing Zagreus the mercy of death.

The Quorum of Six called an intervention to discuss Hades’ abuse of his duty. Though the gods agreed that Hades was in the wrong, Zeus decided that a compromise would be reached, lest they risk earning Hades’ eternal ire. Using the dark magic of Hecate, Zagreus’ heart was removed and made into a potion. Semele of Nysa was a willing priestess that drank the potion and became pregnant. Just three days later, Semele gave birth to a fully divine child and died in the process. In honor of her sacrifice, Hades renamed his reborn son ‘Dionysus’, meaning ‘the God of Nysa’.

Now born in a new body, on the mortal plane, Dionysus had a natural affinity to the earth, life, and nature. Dionysus was given a place in his grandmother‘s court as a minor vegetation god, but as he still retained the memories of his former life, he sought a way to dull the phantom pains in his limbs and his nightmares.

With the invention of fermentation, Dionysus’ worship grew to such potency that mortals demanded that the young god needed a throne among the Twelve Thrones of Olympus. Hestia, having lost her interest in politics, quickly abdicated her seat. In order to be certain that Dionysus was an equal among the Twelve, Zeus gave him powers of other paradigms, such as Theatre and Dance.

Elysium
In Elysium, Dionysus is one of the most recognized gods among the mortals. This is in no doubt due to his constant world tour, hopping from festival to festival, sampling the many new finishes and bodies of this world’s many vineyards and alehouses.

Hera disapproves of his relationship with her daughter Hebe, and she is currently advocating for Dionysus to give up his place amongst the Twelve so Hebe may take it. Both Hebe and Zeus and vocally against this.

Role in NeOlympus
Chapter Five

Abilities
God: The son of Hades and Persephone by his first birth and the mortal Semele by his second. Taking after his original parents, Dionysus was born with a gift for understanding the mysteries of vegetation.

The Vintner of Heaven: By sacred oath of the Quorum of Six, Dionysus is the caretaker of the Olympian vineyards, bee farms, and the royal stores of Nektar.

God of Festivals, Dance, & Mirth: By divine decree, Dionysus should be worshiped whenever there is cause for celebration. Furthermore, Dionysus has an innate sense for locating celebratory events, knows the steps and rhythm for all styles of dance, and can cause mortals to break into merry laughter with a mere touch.

God of Intoxicants & Alcohol: Dionysus is a master vintner, brewmaster, and cultivator of all forms of flora that could be used to intoxicate or inebriate. Though Dionysus has the power to conjure such with essence alone, he much prefers the real thing, even if he has to enhance the potency with his essence. Another power that he rarely exercises is the ability to dispel the effects of such to sober the minds of mortal and divine.

God of Theater: As the God of Theater, Dionysus is a masterful actor, director, set designer, scriptwriter, and costumer. Dionysus knows the lines of any performed piece of stagecraft and can impart such knowledge and skill to others with a touch. He also knows to use this gift to ‘act’ his way through divine forms of lie detection.

God of Wine, Vineyards, & Vinification: As the creator of wine, Dionysus knows the location all vineyards and can freely travel from one to another in an instant, can sense the presence of wine, and is a master vintner. This knowledge and power also extend to other alcoholic beverage creation.

Keeper of the Thyrsos: A creation of Hephaestus that focuses Dionysus’ innate powers, the Thyrsos enables Dionysus to cast spells over mortal minds, simulating the various effects of drugs, alcohol, and other intoxicants.

Relationships
Dionysus' most significant relationship is with Hebe.

Hebe: Hebe and Dionysus are two of the youngest Gods and are quite close, both as lovers and as friends. Dionysus approached Hebe and tried to comfort her as he told of the rumors about her mother. Hebe also advocated for Dionysus when Hera wanted Hebe to take his place amongst The Twelve.

Trivia

 * In Mythology, Dionysus is the son of Zeus, not the son of Hades and Persephone. Most believe him to be the son of Zeus due to his personality.
 * Dionysus is a composite character with Zagreus, the son of Zeus and Persephone.
 * Like the rest of the Gods, Dionysus does not have any set sexuality.