Stupid Cupid

He went off to rig up Apollo's chariot when his brother Anteros walked up to him.

"Oh brother," he said cheerily. "What news..."

"Eros I will say this once and only once."

Anteros' ice blue eyes glared at him with something akin to hatred. He watched him in shock.

"Brother, why—"

"Eros you know what my role is," he said roughly. "And when I tell you I am inches from placing a lead arrow into your heart I am not joking."

Eros frowned and stared at his brother, Antero's eyes seemed to be swirling with emotions.

"So Selene...she is taking this...badly?"

"Why don't you check?" Anteros said pointing down below them. "Why don't you see how she's doing?"

"Brother—"

"I'll tell you why! You're too much of a coward Eros! You were always a coward. That's why you ran when Psyche saw your true face that night long ago. That's why you run now from Selene. You fear the loss of her, you don't want to hurt the way you hurt when Psyche..."

"Enough!"

Anteros and Eros glared at each other as Psyche walked up, a basket in her hands. She smiled at Anteros.

"Hello Anteros."

Anteros looked at her blankly. He shook his head and walked off. Psyche seemed unaffected. Eros gently touched her face.

"My love...were you not at all affected by Antero's rudeness?"

She looked at him questioningly.

"Would you like me to be affected by it Eros?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of question is that my dear?"

"What would you like it to be?"

"Psyche I'm asking you a simple question," Eros said helping her gently into the chariot. "Can you not answer it?"

"I will be whatever you want me to be love," Psyche said brightly. Then she held him.

Eros didn't feel a thing. That scared him more than anything. He grabbed the reigns and sat up.

"Actually my love, change of plans. We...we will go back to our old home. Let's see if you can find old memories there. Or we can make new ones. The company is better as well."

"Of course my love."

Eros nodded and the chariot took them away.

A week passed idly by after they returned to Eros' home. Nothing had changed with Psyche. She was eternally cheerful with no opinion other than what Eros subconsciously fed her. He had asked her if she was worried about Hedone and suddenly she started asking for her. He had asked if she still liked to garden and she was planting strawberries at that very moment. It felt surreal. Instead of the fulfillment Eros expected to feel, he felt cold resentment towards her, and pain. There was a panging inside of his chest whenever he thought of anything other than his obsession with righting Psyche. It was too much for him to bear.

He sat outside staring over his cliff face when Hedone flew up, a pair of white sneakers with rainbow laces adorned with Hermes' flying ability. She had wings of her own, but she must have liked the style.

He watched as his daughter who constantly drifted in and out of his life regarded him like a business associate. She shook his hand, then sat in the chair across from him, flipping it around and leaning over its back.

"Hey Dad."

"Hello Hedone," he said, making himself smile. "I'm glad you're here. Your mother was worried."

"Dad, you know that's not mom," Hedone said bluntly.

He looked at the back of the woman who was knelt at work. He wondered why she didn't come over at the sound of Hedone's voice.

"What are you saying Heddy?" Eros asked her. "Of course that's your mom."

"That's her ghost," Hedone snapped. "She's cold and predictable. She's her shadow. She belongs in the underworld."

Eros shook his head. "Nonsense. She'll snap out of it. You'll see. We'll be a family again."

"You still love her don't you?"

Eros felt his breath catch. "Of course I..."

"No. Selene, you still love her don't you?"

The mention of her name made Eros hurt inside, just the way the thought of Psyche made him hurt when he was with Selene.

"I will always love Selene," he said firmly to her. "Just as I have always loved your mother..."

Hedone gave her father a measured look. For once she wasn't all dolled up. She looked serious.

"Dad..."

"Besides she doesn't love me."

Hedone scoffed bitterly. "Wow. That's your excuse? Why would someone who doesn't love you walk into the underworld to bring back a lover you lost just so you didn't have to watch her die?"

Eros let out a gasp. "She...did she say that?"

Hedone leaned against her chair. "Among other things yes."

"What did she say?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

Eros fell silent as his daughter gave him a calculating gaze.

"Look dad, I love you. I really do, but you're being stupid. I missed mom, I still do, but that thing over there? Mutilating mom's strawberries? That's not mom. I mourned her for centuries. We all did, that's why all of us, Gram, Gramps, Uncle, we're not happy. It's like you're trying to undo all of our mourning."

She stood up and Eros looked at her and saw an old wise goddess, not his sweet bubbly little girl.

"Dad we all know you're a bit of a spaz. That's one of the reason's Aphrodite was so protective of you when you were little, but you're a grown god Dad. I call you "Dad" as in "Father." That should prove something."

She bent down and kissed Eros cheek and then skipped back towards the cliff.

"You have to let her go Dad. I have. I've found peace. You should too."

Eros looked at her silently as she primed herself to fly. "Oh and Dad?"

"Yes Hedone?"

"What time is it?"

"It's..." He froze. Selene's watch was still on his wrist.

When he looked up he saw that she had flown away, leaving him alone once again. Well, he wasn't alone. He had...

"Dear?"

Psyche stood up, wiping dirt from her hands. "Was that anyone important? I didn't see them. And have you heard from Hedone?"

Eros looked at his beloved Psyche and shook his head. Hedone was right, she hadn't been gardening; she had been ripping the strawberries out of the ground.

"No dear."

He walked up to her and held her cold cheek. She was cold, how had he not noticed?

"I'm so sorry my love."

"It's alright," she said holding his hand, smiling, always smiling.

He looked at her hard. "You...you're not you anymore are you? You're what I want you to be. Do you feel anything for me?"

Psyche kissed his palm.

"I have memories of love, but I can't feel love my sweet. I can't feel anything anymore. But if it makes you happy, I will stay with you to the end of all ends."

He nodded, feeling his heart tear. "I will always love you."

"And I you."

Psyche tilted her head and Eros grinned sadly. "You want to rest in peace don't you?"

"Is that what you want me to do?"

Eros picked her up and put her in Apollo's chariot.

"Are you happy?" Eros asked. He had decided.

Psyche nodded. "I'm always happy. Happy to have been with you."

Eros nodded and left it at that. That was the most honest thing she had said and he would never forget it.

________________________________________________

Selene drained the bottle for the last dregs of Vodka and tossed the bottle on the couch.

"Woot!" she shrieked.

It was 3 am and she just needed something to put her asleep. She had started drinking around 8pm and the crap was just not working. All her favorite foods and desserts were scattered around her. She had devoured most of the dessert and she was jumpy. She heard a knock on her wall and banged back.

"Shut up stuffers!" she yelled loudly. "Where were you when I was shouting for help?"

"It's 3 in the damn morning!" she heard her next door neighbors yell. "We will call the landlord!"

"Oh yessir! Cause I'm so damn scared!"

She hit the wall again and laughed. "Maybe if you put it to each other a bit better you'd both be asleep! Lazy bastards. Love is wasted on the boring!"

She swaggered over to her kitchen. She could use some tunes. Smiling she put in a Michael Jackson CD and turned her volume all the way up. It was loading when she heard a knock on her window.

"What the deuce?"

She paused it, and headed over. Frowning she pushed up her window and blinked owlishly as Hedone climbed into her apartment.

"Hi Selene," she said with a small smile.

Selene sighed. "Why do you guys always catch me when I look like shit?"

She was currently in her underwear, a shirt, and mix matched socks.

"We're not trying to. I promise," Hedone said looking about. There were bottles and garbage everywhere.

"So...was there a party?" Hedone said lightly.

"Yeah," Selene uttered opening her fridge and finding an apple. "Party of one. I'm riding solo bitches!"

"Wow," Hedone said watching her take a dinosaur sized bite out of her apple. "You are really drunk."

"Girl I feel fine. I'm just tipsy," Selene said chuckling. "This is how I sleep now. Just on a smaller scale. And just on weekends, when I can't pass out from work induced exhaustion. Big ups for dedication."

"That's not good Selene," Hedone said taking the apple from her. "And that's coming from the creator of hedonists."

"Well I kinda want to go to sleep and stay asleep ya know?" Selene said annoyed. "I don't want to fricken wake up in the middle of the night cause so and so's face decides to pay a fucking visit."

She had started to slur her words.

"Selene."

"Bitchess be in my dreamss..."

"Selene."

"Nosy bitches."

"Selene!"

"I could juss cut him."

"Selene I'll help you sleep tonight, but you have to do me a favor."

Selene looked at Hedone and tried to focus.

"Mm...kay?"

"I want to invite you to a party I'm having," Hedone said brightly.

"Uh huh... It's not going to be some freaky deaky sex party is it?"

"No. Not unless you want it to be."

"No thanks. I can get all the free STDs I want from the bathroom at work."

"So I'll pick you up tomorrow?"

Selene looked at her groggily and waved a hand.

"Fine, whatever. Now put me to sleep bitch! I'm getting antsy."

Hedone nodded and instructed Selene to lie down. The minute she touched down Hedone didn't have to do a thing. She blacked out.

"Gosh," Hedone said sighing.

She looked awful. Instead of a sleep agent she gave Selene a wellness spell. Selene would have no nightmares and when she woke up she would spend the first two hours purging herself off all the bad she had ingested. When she was done, her beauty would be restored. No baggy eyes or anything. It was perfect for Hedone's plan. Well, she and Aphrodite's plan.

"Night night," she said quietly. Then she slipped out.

When Aphrodite saw Eros skulking around Mount Olympus after his little escape to his private home she felt a surge of displeasure. Normally this displeasure was aimed at his playmates. She caught his eyes angrily and he froze as she stomped toward him. He looked mildly depressed.

"Where have you been?" she said putting her hands of her waist.

There were dark circles under his eyes which she found odd considering gods didn't generally feel fatigue.

"The underworld," he said moodily.

She crossed her arms. "Really? Doing what?"

"Returning Psyche," he replied.

He seemed burdened by this but at the same time his voice held relief. Aphrodite had known the moment she saw the girl that she was not the same woman who had defied her. It was stupid to her that her own son couldn't tell the difference between a vibrant soul and a departed spirit.

"Hm, I see," she said, lacking sympathy. "Well there is a matter of urgent business you must attend to."

Eros looked at her tiredly, irritated by his mother's apathy. "What?"

"Selene." She watched her son recoil at the mention of the girl's name. "You must make her fall in love with a human. You cannot leave her unrequited."

He was silent as he stared at his mother in utter shock. He was sure...some part of him had thought—

"You made your choice when you selected Psyche," Aphrodite stated cruelly. "You didn't even take her home. You didn't even check to see if she had made it."

She put a finger on her son's chest, giving him a direct order. "Now you must rectify the many wrongs done against her."

Aphrodite looked at him and felt a smidge of regret. Maybe she shouldn't have been so coddling to him as a child, or as a man. When he followed his own desires she had treated him like a petulant infant, but she had inadvertently stunted his growth. No matter, it was too late to dwell on it now. His growth was now up to him. She reached into her bag and rummaged for an item for her mute son.

"If you weren't my own son I would sic Anteros on you. Here." She handed him a pure white arrow, one that he had never seen.

He was hesitant to take it but the stern look in her eyes made him obey.

"If you pierce her with this she will become empty of feelings for you. They won't go away but they will temporarily freeze. You can shoot her again and that should push out the other arrow. Collect that arrow and bring it to me. Love for a god is much stronger than a human so I must destroy it here. Go now my son."

Eros looked at the arrow then at his mother. Silently he put it in his quiver and left, headed for earth.

When Hedone arrived at Selene's she expected the girl to be furious. Instead she was up, dutifully cleaning her apartment. Her eyes widened as she took her in. She looked good, but there was something different about her. A faint glow, an inner strength that didn't seem quite...human.

"Hi Hedone," she said waving to her. "Just taking out some garbage."

She had a large garbage bag of alcoholic bottles that she was dragging to her door.

"How much did you drink?" Hedone asked.

"Dunno," Selene said shrugging. "It's not like I was keeping count. I was just waiting to get drunk."

"Is this over a long period of time?"

"No. Probably just two days."

"That's impossible," Hedone scoffed. "You should have died if that's true. Only a god could..."

She gasped.

An act of bravery, an impossible task, and a sacrifice, three tasks that would equal immortality.

Hedone was sure that all of the old ways had been abolished in the new world. Heracles had done three tasks in order to repent for his many sins and gain entry into immortality. It had appeared that quite innocently Selene had done the same. She had journeyed into Tartarus the realm of the dead, found the soul of a god that could not be found, and then sacrificed her love so that Eros could be happy. It was fate.

Selene looked back and Hedone and dropped her bag. "Hey girl, are you okay?"

Hedone touched her face and realized she was crying. "Oh no," she said dismissing her tears. "I'm just really happy."

"Uh huh. You look like it."

"Enough about me," Hedone said taking her by the hand. "Come on. I'm going to help you change. Then we're going to go okay?"

"You know I can change myself you know," Selene said, frowning as the girl shoved her toward her closet.

"Oh please," Hedone chuckled. "I've been alive for forever. I know exactly what will look good on you. Trust me."

Selene rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Lead on."

Hedone dressed her up in a deep purple dress that she could have sworn she didn't own. When she argued that she had never bought such a dress Hedone had said that it was in her closet and so, she had to wear it. She obeyed reluctantly, liking how the loose silky material fell over her curves in an innocently sensual way. Her hair was left to its own devices, it fell in soft waves over her shoulders. She wasn't wearing makeup save a swipe of color over her lips. As a final touch Hedone pulled out a pair of knee length gladiator sandals.

"Okay, now I know for a fact that I don't own those."

"Goodness Selene! Just put them on!"

Then she was running behind her. Night had fallen and Hedone had opted that they walk to their destination. Selene didn't know what kind of party they could be going to that started at 8, but she followed her regardless.

They journeyed on and on and Selene started be get worried when they cut through the park. It was the same park she and Eros had had their first civil conversation.

"Hedone, are we almost there?" she asked frowning.

"Just a bit further," Hedone ushered. They were crossing the bridge when Selene heard a loud noise behind her. She halted and whipped around.

"Wow, what was that?" she turned back to see Hedone's reaction but found herself alone.

"Hedone?"

She walked up and looked into the dark forest. The moon illuminated the bridge making it the only place that seemed safe for a lone female in the middle of the night.

"Hedone? HEDONE! This is not funny!" She leaned back against the bridge and began to feel fear as she heard the rustling again. It was coming closer.

"Aphrodite?" she whispered. "Anteros?"

She gasped when the figure made itself known.

Eros.

It was Eros.

He was in his godly attire and godly form, walking up on the bridge with a sense of resignation that frightened her. She took a step back.

"Oh. Hi," she said quietly.

Her eyes caught onto the oddly colored arrow and the bow that lay limply in his hands. He still wouldn't look at her. Eros remained half in the shadow of the trees. She felt like a deer before a hunter.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice quivering.

Eros said nothing, and then stepped forward into the light. His dark eyes reminded her of the passion they had shared and she felt herself cringe. His face was set in stone.

"I'm here to set you free," he said softly.

She watched as he ran his thumb over the head of the arrow, looking as though it was he who wished to be set free.

"From...you?" Selene mumbled.

He waited another beat, before in a heavy, breathy voice he replied,

"Yes."

Selene shifted nervously, wondering if she should run or let him shoot her. She hated thinking about him. It made her feel crazy.

"What will it do?" she asked curiously.

"You won't love me anymore. You'll...you'll love someone else."

The look in her eyes, that vulnerability, the question "why" hanging so visibly in those cocoa colored depths, they were too much. He couldn't bear to look at her. He tore off a piece of his toga and strode forward. She had been caught off guard so when he placed the cloth over her eyes she only flinched.

His hands on her skin made something ignite in the both of them and it was painful to ignore it. When he pulled away she felt loss, when he pulled away he felt bitterness.

"Will it be the first person I see?" She gripped her shaking hands, breathing quick breaths in an attempt to calm her racing heart.

"Yes."

"Are you happy?"

She heard the notch of the arrow and the stretch of the taunt string as he forced it back.

"Are you ready Selene?"

"Eros, are you happy?" she asked frantically. She had to know. She needed to at least know that.

Eros felt tears pricking his eyes as his arm shook with tension. She was beautiful in body, mind and spirit, and he had so foolishly let her go. He had done this. He didn't deserve her anymore.

"For what it's worth Selene," he said raspily. "I really am sorry." I should have chosen you.

"Eros..."

"Goodbye Selene."

Something inside Selene snapped. She couldn't let things end this way.

"No!" she shouted. "No! Eros it's not up to you."

She pulled the blind off and gazed at him head on. Her eyes froze him and he swallowed.

"What are you saying?"

"I want to keep it," Selene shouted stubbornly. "I want to keep my feelings for you."

"Why? When you're suffering so much. Why?"

Selene shook her head, taking him in like he was air. To her he was, he was that vital.

"I want to keep my love for you," she said firmly. "Eros I...I love you! I really do love you."

His jaw tightened and she was sure he felt disgusted by her refusal to move on, but she didn't care.