And what possible use could my father, King Minos of Crete, ever have for a treacherous daughter?
-- Narrator (Prologue)

Importance: At the start of the novel, Ariadne begins her story by telling the story of her father's relationship with King Nisus's daughter, Scylla. In this tale, King Minos kills Scylla after she betrays her father and kingdom in order to help him kill Nisus. Ariadne closes the prologue with the above line. The moment not only reveals her identity as Minos's daughter, but foreshadows her coming fate. Like Scylla, Ariadne will betray her father and kingdom in order to help the man she loves. Like Scylla, she will be deemed useless and disposable by this same man. Scylla's story resonates throughout the novel, acting as both a thematic guidepost, as well as a narrative device.

I was learning all too swiftly the women's pain that throbbed unspoken through the tales of their feats...
-- Narrator (chapter 1)