Blessing or curse?!

Back in Midas's palace, where most of his mansion already turned to gold.

Midas swiped his forehead and called it a day.

He ordered his servants, to create him a succulent meal, meanwhile King Midas walked through the rose garden.

Midas picked up a flower and tried to smell, its sweet smell, unfortunately the rose has already turned into a golden one, without scent.

Midas wielded a wry smile, "Well... seems like I can only appreciate the scent of my roses from afar, nothing I can't live with. As long as my princess is happy, I don't need to be able to touch the rose garden."

After walking through the garden for half an hour, he went back to his Palace and asked Leonids, a servant, whether the meal has been cooked already.

Leonidas answered with exultation, "Yes, my king I will lead you to the dining room now, if you do please"

Midas smiled, "how many times do I need to tell you, just call me Midas"

Leonidas violently shook his head and said, " I could never do that, you were the one who saved me from my inevitable fate of starving, when my parents left me out to die, you even gave me a new outlook on life, by making me your servant, for this I am forever grateful and would never disrespect you by calling you with your given name. Enough talking about that matter, I'll just bring you to the dining room"

Midas was brought into a room, decorated with the best pieces of art of his kingdom, Phyrigia, and sat down in front of a black table made from African Blackwood, wood so expensive that you couldn't even exchange 1 pound of Blackwood, for one pound of gold.

Then food made out of a rare delicacy from far away, a peacock, was placed in front of the king. Leonidas told King Midas that he and the other servants will be waiting outside the dining room, ready to await orders anytime.

Midas looked at the beautifully cooked peacock, which looks like a piece of art and silently praised his cooks, "This peacock looks so well done, my cooks will get the weight of this peacock in gold as payment."

He laughed and ridiculed, "Not that gold will be worth anything to me, anyways."

Then he touched his platinum cutlery, which in turn also turned into gold, and thought with a wry smile," seems like not even higher grade metals are spared, that's probably the price to pay for being able to do things that are supernatural."

Midas drove into the peacock with his cutlery, but the instant he did that, the peacocks wings, that were separated from the rest of his body, turned golden. He nearly screamed in disbelief and slammed his table, "That's not how it is supposed to work, this isn't at all what I wanted!"

He calmed himself down, "No need to fess over spilled milk. That's part of the reason, for why I have servants. To serve me!"

Then Midas clapped once and called out for Leonidas to feed him. Leonidas, came in, cut a small portion of the peacocks belly and tried to feed the King with it.

But the second that piece of peacock meat touched the King's tongue, it turned golden.

Wait!

Not only did the meat turn golden, the new cutlery brought in by Leonidas, also turned golden, it didn't stop there, his eggwhite gloves and slowly his entire body turned golden.

Leonidas angstily screamed out to his king for help, as his fear filled face slowly but surely turned into gold.

Leonidas, as he saw that this will probably be his last Moment, said, " This was the best life i could've ever wished for, I gained many friends, in form of my fellow servants, I also became proficient in many things and i met my princess, Zoe, the only thing that I somewhat regret, is that I couldn't repay my debt, of you saving my life. If I could live a second life, I would wish to become your friend too, Ki-... Midas"

Now a golden statue, with a face soft smile and a hint of regret in his eyes stood in the kings dining room.

Midas looked at Leonidas and felt grief in his heart, Leonidas was like a second child to him, Midas took him in when he was a wee little child, only 2 years of age, Midas had many fond memories with Leonidas, who is now...a golden statue.

Midas only now understood the true meaning of what god Dionysus said, before they departed. The ability to have a golden touch, was in no way a blessing!

It was indeed, as Dionysus said, a disgusting, curse in disguise .

If only Midas had listened to Dionysus and changed his wish, as Dionysus had suggested.

He now stands sad in the dining room, with no way to ever touch the people he cares for, with no way to really enjoy his rose garden and no way to ever see his beloved "son" Leonidas in the flesh again.

In that Moment Midas broke down and cried tears of never ending anguish, he cried for at least 3 hours before he heard a sweet sounding call.

His daughter Zoe calls for him, echoed throughout the palace, "Daddy, Daddy, where are youuu?"

Zoe walked cluelessly around the castle. After a short while searching for her father, a servant told her that her father is currently in the dining room and was refusing to leave.

Zoe looked surprised and asked caringly, " Why isn't he leaving, does he not feel well?"

A servant answered proudly and said, "King Midas is probably in trance after eating the peacock which we prepared, it took us 3 months to prepare all the ingredients for that peacock meal, I don't want to self-congratulate us, but I'd say this peacock was the best meal ever made, besides meals made in the realm of gods. We wanted to distract him since today was the day his wife passed..."

He instantly lost his smile and bowed in a perfect 90 degree angle and apologized, "Princess I am terribly sorry, this lowly servant shall atone for his sins, by cutting his tongue off."

Zoe laughed and turned somber at the same time, "it's fine, you don't need to atone for anything, I never knew my mother so there is not much to feel sad about, however my father is probably pretty sad, like every year around this time, I will look out for whether he is alright or not, goodbye"

The servant, still in that 90 degree bow, wished her good luck.

Zoe, now inside the dining room, sees her father who is trying to hold himself back from crying.

As Midas saw Zoe and thought about the prospect, that he is never to caress his daughter again, because of his new damnable ability, he instantly started to weep with even stronger fervor, than when Leonidas became a golden statue.

Zoe instantly ran towards her father and said, "I know that mothers passing is still bothering you, but I'm there to caress you, exactly like you do whenever I cry"

Midas wanted to stop Zoe and dodge her hug, but as he tried to dodge, Zoe got hold of one of his fingers. Midas is now being witness to his own flesh and blood, his own daughter, turning into gold statue.

As Midas saw Zoe's caring smile on that statue, Midas instantly lost all facade, broke down mentally eve more and cried from the bottom of his soul, "Oh great Dionysus, please take this curse away from me, please turn my Leonidas back, please turn my daughter back"

He curled himself into a ball and repeated vehemently, "Please let all this only be a dream, a bad,bad dream., Please let all this..., Please let all this..., Please... "

He then laughed maniacally, "Yes that's right only a dream, Only a nightmare nothing more, I'll wake up in a few minutes and be greeted by my smiling daughter, asking me how I slept, ahh yeees Ahahahaha"

Then he went back to crying, this cycle of weeping an laughing insanely went on for hours on end, but he didn't wake up from this supposed nightmare.

No matter how hard he tried smacking and pinching himself, he just didn't wake up. Midas lost all rationality and nearly gave killing himself a try, until a sudden scream rang from the heavens above...