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[00:00.41] Acoetes of Maeonia was in too deep.

[00:04.66] He’d been roped into serving as the navigator for a band of pirates;

[00:09.97] an unpredictable position that had him worried for his life.

[00:13.43] And now the pirates had kidnapped a sleeping youth.

[00:17.14] As they laid their victim’s body on the ship, Acoetes felt the pit in his stomach deepen even further.

[00:26.97] The pirates hadn't noticed, but their new captive was a slumbering god.

[00:33.35] Acoetes tried to warn his shipmates, but they laughed off his concerns and set sail for the mainland.

[00:40.52] Soon, the youth awoke and demanded to be returned to his island.

[00:46.10] While Acoetes tried to oblige, his crewmates only rowed harder in the opposite direction.

[00:53.27] But with each row, the sea grew thick and muddy.

[00:56.46] Tendrils of ivy unfurled across the deck, and garlands of berries burst through the sails.

[01:03.37] Growing stronger, the youth conjured a fennel staff and a crown of grapes.

[01:09.21] With a dark thrill, Acoetes recognized Dionysus: god of wine-making, festivity— and excess.

[01:18.24] The pirates prepared to fight, but it was too late.

[01:21.69] Their spines began to arch, their skin grew slippery, and their noses lengthened and curved.

[01:28.87] Soon, the deck was covered in a pile of frenzied dolphins. Watching his captors meet this strange fate, Acoetes didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

[01:41.09] But with a sly wink Dionysus reassured the sailor, welcoming him to the god’s inner circle.

[01:50.12] Back on Dionysus’ island, Acoetes discovered a new world.

[01:55.43] Every night, the god and his followers participated in dazzling rituals of drinking, debauchery, and animal sacrifice.

[02:04.20] When he awoke, Acoetes only half-remembered the revels.

[02:08.98] But his excitement for the next evening grew stronger each day.

[02:13.76] Fully in the god’s thrall, the sailor would have happily partied his life away.

[02:19.60] Dionysus, however, was ready for a change.

[02:23.32] Years earlier, he'd visited Thebes, the homeland of his mother, the princess Semele.

[02:29.43] Semele had died before Dionysus was born, leaving Zeus, the god’s father, to carry Dionysus to term in his thigh.

[02:38.46] But when the god of revelry returned to his ancestral home, he was met with scorn and derision.

[02:45.37] His mortal family refused to recognize his divine status, leading Dionysus to storm out of Thebes in a fury.

[02:53.34] Now, with his new family of worshippers, the god was ready for a grand homecoming.

[03:00.25] The ruler of Thebes was King Pentheus, Dionysus’ cousin. Pentheus was dedicated to law and order, and had banned the worship of Dionysus.

[03:11.67] But when the god and his followers streamed into the city, people grew giddy and carefree.

[03:18.04] Even Pentheus’ aunts, and his mother Agave, couldn’t resist the festivities. Disgusted, Pentheus ordered his last remaining soldiers to capture Dionysus, only for them to return with a single tipsy worshipper.

[03:34.78] Pentheus threw Acoetes in the dungeon, vowing to stop the party himself.

[03:40.62] Yet, when he stormed out, the dungeon doors magically flew open.

[03:46.20] Buoyed by the favor of Dionysus, Acoetes giddily followed the king to the revels.

[03:53.37] When they arrived, the party had descended into chaos.

[03:58.69] The royal women were slipping in and out of reason, overcome with pleasure and lust.

[04:04.53] Pentheus hid behind a tree, waiting for his moment to strike.

[04:08.78] But Dionysus was fully in control.

[04:11.97] He showered the royal women with more music and wine.

[04:15.42] Agave in particular was entranced by hallucinations.

[04:19.41] Suddenly, she saw a wild animal lurking in the trees.

[04:23.39] She and her shrieking sisters attacked the beast, striking its neck and pulling its limbs.

[04:30.03] Horrified, Acoetes waited for his patron to intervene and prevent the grisly murder.

[04:36.14] But Dionysus only laughed and laughed.

[04:39.33] Consumed in a debaucherous frenzy, the Theban women tore Pentheus limb from limb, and his own mother struck the final blow.

[04:49.69] For the first time, Acoetes saw the festivities clearly.

[04:54.47] These revels weren’t an escape from fear and despair, but from reason itself.

[05:01.11] And his god was no plucky savior, but a cruel trickster who would not tolerate dissent.

[05:07.49] His new companions were even more dangerous and unpredictable than the last, and no divine intervention would save him from their taste for deadly excess.