Chapter Thirteen
Love

I had been extremely hesitant about this mode of this mode of travel, although I trusted Zephyrus enough, and I tried not to let on that I was nervous about it.  And it wasn’t because I was so spoiled that I needed to have all that space while flying, since the cockpit did have a very claustrophobic feeling to it.  It was just that I was so used to being in the back, allowing someone else control over the flight, and being front and center as we were flying just seemed a little scary to me at first.  It was one thing to look out the sides of the plane to see where you were going, but something else entirely to be staring at it from the front, and I knew that.  Still, I was excited to experience flying this way, so I tried to have that show through rather than my nervousness.

But Zephyrus seemed to be getting a kick out of making her nervous.  He continued to wear that amused smirk as he was taxiing out to the runway, and this part, at least, sort of left like we were driving in a car.  It wasn’t so bad.  It was just that the dashboard was crammed full of instruments that I couldn’t even begin to understand, and I wondered how long it too Zephyrus to learn them all.  Then again, he was probably right there as everything was being invented, so it didn’t take too much of a stretch to the imagination to think that he’s been dealing with planes for as long as they’ve been around.  Being a god of wind would make the ideas of mortals flying in his domain rather intriguing.  He wasn’t one of those gods who thought the skies were his alone, and enjoyed sharing them with us mortals.  His brothers, on the other hand, were rather sore about it, and would sometimes try to knock planes out of the sky.  Many, many gods have talked them out of it.

But Zephyrus says that the joy of flying shouldn’t be limited to just birds and the gods, which is why he doesn’t care.  If someone else can get happiness from the same things he did, than he was happy to share the experience. 

I wasn’t much of a sky nut, unfortunately.  I mostly viewed flying as a way to get from point A to point B, and nothing more, but I enjoyed hearing Zephyrus sort of ramble about being a pilot, and how things had changed over the years.  I liked listening to people talk about their passions, even if I cared little for it.  Watching them get so animated about something was interesting to me, and often times, their happiness would leak over to me, and I’d feel myself get a little excited about it.  In this case, Zephyrus was rambling in order to keep my mind off of what we were doing, which I thought was nice of him.  I think we both knew I’d be less nervous once we were up in the air.

Taking off was interesting, since usually I didn’t see the scenery rushing at me.  I gripped at my seat as we went from zero to take off speed in next to no time, and that odd feeling of weightlessness took over for a split second when he pulled the wheels off the pavement.  He smirked at me as he took in my reaction, and I was able to watch the world slowly get smaller and smaller as we climbed higher and higher.  It was certainly an experience, and I had to admit, I wouldn’t actually mind doing this again.  I grinned at him once I allowed myself to relax. 

“You’re doing fairly well, Miss Karalis,” he said to me, his voice sounding odd in the headset.  “I’ve taken a few mortals up like this, and they’ve all sort of freaked out on me.  You’re just white knuckling.”

I glanced at my hands and pried them from the seat.  “It’s different, I’ll admit.  I’m just glad it’s you whose flying this, and not me.  This all looks extremely complicated.”

“Well, that’s why I’m the pilot and you’re the passenger,” he grinned.  “This isn’t so bad, though, is it?”

I shook my head.  “Like I said, it’s different, but I like it.  This might be something I could certainly get used to.  being in the back’s going to pale in comparison now.”

He shrugged.  “Both have their merits.  Most people like the back because then they don’t have to worry about anything other than waiting for the flight attendants to bring them their peanuts.  I’m sorry to say, Miss Karalis, that this flight has no peanuts.”

I laughed.  “It’s Psyche, remember?  And I always thought in-flight snacks were overrated, anyway.  But then again, our in-flight snacks tended to be a little more…complex than peanuts, if you know what I mean.  Penny and Phebes would die if their choice was only peanuts, or whatever the hell it is that they serve on flights now.”

He made a face.  “Yeah, too many peanut allergies, or some nonsense like that.  You mortals are so fragile!  I mean, it used to be that you’d weed out the ones with evolutionarily terrible traits.  Those kids with peanut allergies wouldn’t have survived long enough for them to be a strain on society.  But now with modern medicine, they’re living longer, and now everyone’s got to be super careful not to inadvertently kill them.  I blame Asclepius.”

“Is that such a bad thing that mortals are surviving things now?” I asked, glancing back at him.  “I mean, I know you’re immortal and all, and none of this really bothers you, but…is being a mortal really that terrible?”

He shrugged again.  “It depends on the mortal,” he said.  “You, for example, I don’t mind so much.  People like your sisters, on the other hand, need to be shoved off a steep cliff.  And seriously, I can arrange that for you.  I mean, it worked splendidly last time, so why wouldn’t it this time?”

I blinked at him before turning back to the clouds.  “I thought that was all Psyche’s doing,” I said stiffly.  “You have no part in that.  She just told her sisters to do what she did, and you just weren’t there to catch them like you were for her.”

“I was watching, though.  And sort of laughing that she’d do something like that.  They had it coming, though, trying to convince Psyche that Eros was a monster.  I mean, good lord, who cares?  Monsters back then were beings who didn’t treat you right.  Only thing Eros did was not show her who he was, out of fear she’d reject him for being, you know, him.”

“What, a god or too good looking?”

He glared at me.  “Would you have stayed if you had learned that it was a god who wanted you?  And I mean in the day and age when gods were in fact considered very real.  Not like today where you think that person was off their rocker.”

I gave him a sarcastic look.  “Seriously?  I’m a mere mortal girl.  If a god wanted me to be his wife, I am not going to fight him off.  I might now, especially when I have both you and Persephone in my corner – at least I think I do – but back then?  Yeah, I wouldn’t exactly reject him.”

“Would you have rejected me?”

I glanced at him again, smirking as well.  “God of the west wind?  Of course.  You’re no god of love, Zephyr.”

He laughed at that.  “Oh yeah, why would you want me when you can have Eros?  That’s an excellent point, Psyche,” he teased.

We spent the flight sort of going back and forth, teasing each other, and it was strange to realize I was so comfortable with this guy I hadn’t actually known for very long, especially considering I knew what he was.  Joking with a Greek god seemed a little dangerous to me, but Zephyrus didn’t seem to be one of those gods who took himself way too seriously, like Aphrodite, and he enjoyed the ribbing I was giving him.  Especially since he was ribbing me in return.  It sort of felt like I was talking with an old friend, if I had to be honest.  I had known and liked Zephyrus before I learned about the gods, so, for some reason, I felt like I didn’t have to completely bow down and worship him.

And, based on my second sense of people, I could tell that he wasn’t the sort of god who did like to be worshiped.  I mean, sure, he was a god, and he enjoyed people worshiping him, but he wasn’t the sort who expected everyone to do it.  If he had one or two do it, that’s great, but he wasn’t going to get mad if he met someone who’d rather be his friend.  In fact, he preferred it at this point.

I do have to admit that I was wondering exactly where he was taking me, based on the fact that he could just pop in and out on will.  Why did it still take an hour of flying, seemingly completely over the ocean, to get to where we were going?  The first time made sense, because he needed to throw me off a little.  This time, not so much.  But I guess he knew what he was doing, so I couldn’t really say anything about it.  But we were approaching the hour after takeoff point, and all I was seeing was ocean.

“Hang on,” he said mid-conversation.  “You’ll want to see this.”

I looked at him in confusion for a moment before realizing he wanted me to look out the window.  I turned slowly, wondering exactly what I was supposed to be seeing, since we were still flying over the ocean.

I jerked back, through, when it seemed like we were suddenly passing through a shimmering veil, and the scenery shifted from miles and miles and miles of nothing but flat ocean surface to a peaceful and beautiful valley, with several mansions similar to the one Eros owned situated on the side of a mountain, each with property large enough that one couldn’t see any other houses.  From out vantage point, we could see them all, and it was rather impressive.

“Welcome to Mount Olympus, Miss Karalis,” Zephyrus said, gesturing at the scene before me.

“Holy shit,” I found myself saying.  “Are you serious?”

“Well, where else do you think the Greek gods live?  Before you ask, no, this isn’t the actual mountain in Greece.  It’d be sort of impossible to stick us all up there without us ending up murdering each other.  No, this is an entirely different plane of existence, with several points connected to your own world.”

“Are you guys a bunch of aliens?”

“Aliens?  Well, no – most of us were born on Earth.  And this technically is Earth, you know.  Although…I do have to admit that I have no idea where the hell Gaia and Chronos came from, so…maybe?”  He shrugged at me again, causing me to shake my head.

I continued to stare out the window as Zephyrus made his approach, trying to see if I could figure out which god lived where based on their decorations.  Dionysus was the easiest, since his gardens were full of both women and vineyards.  Other gods were easy as well, while others played coy and kept everything nondescript.  Of course, Zeus and Hera had their mansion at the very top of the mountain somehow, looking down on everyone else.  They were the only ones who could see the other mansions, actually.

“And you seriously don’t have a house up here?” I asked, turning back to him.

“Technically, yes.”  He pointed to one that we were passing that seemed to be brightly colored.  “Unfortunately, Iris sort of kicked me out about three hundred years ago, although I haven’t quite figured out the reason for that yet.  She claims that I’m still sore over Hyacinth, but I’m like why should that matter?  But whatever – she demanded that we not be married anymore, and Father Zeus granted it, and now I’m stuck with the live sick moron to crash with.  Sometimes she’s nice and lets me stay with her, but…it’s not quite the same anymore.”

“Drama, drama, drama,” I teased.

“Oh trust me, you don’t know the half of it.  I just pray you’re not up here when Mother Hera finds out Father Zeus has been with yet another mortal woman.  It gets...ugly.”

“Doesn’t it always?”

“True enough.”

Visibility to the other mansions quickly dwindled as Zephyrus took us in closer, and I realized he was circling around the mountain to give me a view.  I wondered how the other gods would feel about that, and I tried not to dwell too much on the thought.  But I didn’t want to get Zephyrus in trouble.  But considering lightning wasn’t knocking us out of the sky, I figured that meant they were all fine with it…or Zeus was out for the day.

Landing was very interesting, since the ground was rushing up at us at an alarming rate.  At the last possible moment, Zephyrus pulled up the nose and the landing gear touched down on the pavement.  Zephyrus struggled to bring the plane down to speed, and all too quickly, we were at a dead stop.  But I guess this made sense, considering the fact that we didn’t have a terminal to park at. 

“Here we are, Psyche, all safe and sound,” Zephyrus said, turning to me.  “Although I’m hoping there were no doubts.”

“A little bit,” I admitted.  “Nothing against you, of course.  I just think it’s human nature to expect the worse so when it doesn’t happen, we can enjoy the journey that much better.”

“You are an odd species,” he said, shaking his head at me.

I handed him the headset before he struggled to get my bag out from behind the seats, and I was glad I didn’t try to pack any more.  It was just a weekend visit, so I didn’t need too much, unlike some girls who try to bring their entire wardrobe for a mere two days.  I’ve seen Penny and Phoebe do something like that when we’d spend the weekend with my mother’s parents, and it was rather hilarious watching them try to jam it into the cars, since Papa refused to allow any of our help to assist when they were being stupid.

I still felt like I had packed too much, but most of it were books so I could do my homework over the weekend, as well as my laptop in hopes of maybe being able to get a connection.  I realized now that it was a stupid hope, but I was a teenager in the technological age – I was required to do stupid crap like that.

Zephyrus insisted on taking my suitcase while I carried my bookbag, and we made the now familiar trip to the mansion.  Everything was just as breathtaking as before, but now that I knew what to expect, I wasn’t overwhelmed by it.  It was so funny how everything made sense now – the way the gardens were laid out, the decorations, the way Eros did not want anything representing his mother on his property.  It all seemed to be inspired by ancient Greece, and it suited him somehow.

“Seriously, why doesn’t he just take them down?” I asked of the two Cupid statues by the door.

“Because he’s strange like that,” he admitted.  “Yes he could take them down, but he says he doesn’t mind them in that state, and I guess it’s supposed to serve as a reminder to the rest of us how much he hates that interpretation.  I don’t know if you noticed, but he also has a bunch of actual Eros and Cupid statues in his garden that’re left intact.  Those he doesn’t mind.”

“I’d imagine not.  I mean, how would you feel if you were depicted as a baby.”

“It suits him, since he’s such a cry baby about it.  Most of us have minimal representation in the human world now, and that’s the main reason we lost some of our influence over you.  He, on the other hand, gets an entire holiday pretty much dedicated to him.  Sure, it’s a Christian holiday and whatnot, but the fact that nowadays the Cupid is associated with the day means that people still sort of worship him.  And he complains about it.”

“I thought you didn’t care about being worshiped.”

“I don’t.  I didn’t have too many people in my cult, anyway.  But some of the others gripe about it all the time, and it’s just…annoying.  And Mr. Moody up here gets what they want, and he hates it.  I don’t think he deserves it.”

“Well, they always say that those who don’t want it are usually best suited for the job,” I pointed out.  “At least he’s not allowing it go to his head.”

“He does, just in a different sense.  He’s just a little more…sadistic about what he allows to go to his head,” he said, gesturing to the statues.  Those poor, poor cherubs didn’t know what hit them.

We walked into the mansion to find it just as deserted as the first time, although we both heard someone sort of rushing to the stairs as he heard the door open.  “Zephyrus, where the hell did you go?  You disappeared just as I was going to whip your ass again with this disc thing you found.”

He pretty much stopped midway down the stairs when he finally looked up.  “I wouldn’t be complaining if I were you,” he said with his usual smirk.  “I went out and brought you a present, and it’s not even your birthday!  And for God’s sake, Eros, it’s a Frisbee!  Is that so hard to understand?”

Eros glanced at the plastic circle in his hands before just sort of tossing it over the banister.  Zephyrus dropped my bag to rush off to retrieve it, much like a loyal dog, and I had a feeling he was just somehow compelled to chase after the Frisbee now.

“Psyche!  This is…certainly a surprise.”  He didn’t hesitate, though, to gather me up into a spine crushing hug, although the familiarity of his embrace certainly made it bearable.  He seemed surprised, though, when I actually returned the hug.

“Trust me, it’s a surprise for me as well.  Zephyr just sort of randomly showed up on campus and asked if I wanted to see you again, and I was like, sure, why not?”

“I had to,” Zephyrus said, glaring at the Frisbee as he came back.  “I mean, you would.  Not.  Shut.  Up about her.  ‘You think I should ask her to come again, Zephyrus?  No, no, I can’t do that.  But do you think I should?’  It was annoying, so I decided to, you know, go and ask her what she wanted to do.  And shock of shocks, she wanted to see you as well!  Although I have no idea what she’d want to get mixed up with a moron like you.”

“Don’t you have a plane to clean or something?” Eros asked dryly. 

“Oh yeah, now that the pretty lady is here, you’ll have no time for your buddy.  Whatever happened to bros before hoes?” 

“Did you just call me a hoe?” I demanded.

But Eros was just glaring at Zephyrus darkly.  “Here, give me your bag – I’ll take your things up to your room,” Zephyrus said hastily, pulling on my bookbag before I could get it properly off.  I suppose he had briefly forgotten based on our trip that he brought me here specifically so I could see Eros.  He pretty much ran up the stairs.

Eros had released me at this point, trying to look nonchalant.  “I’m a little surprised that you did want to return, to be honest,” he told me.  “I mean, as far as I can tell, you did enjoy your visit her, but given the circumstances…well, I didn’t think you’d want to see me again.”

“I was wondering why you never bothered to actually contact me again after I left, but it wasn’t like I didn’t want to come back here.  Yes, the way you got me here was annoying, but, like you said, I did enjoy it.  I would have liked to have been invited back.  It’s not like it’s too much of a hassle for me to come here on the weekends on anything like that.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes.  Besides, I was hoping I’d get a chance to see you again.  I have a few questions for you?”

He looked a little nervous.  “Questions?” he asked carefully, probably thinking that he wouldn’t be able to answer any that I gave him.

“Oh yes, I’ve have a ton of questions after your mother came to see me.”

“My mother?” he asked, taken off guard before dropping his head into his palm.  “Oh good Lord, please tell me that’s not true.  How much did you tell you?”

I gave him a dry look.  “Well, considering she was very insistent to show me that she was, in fact, the Aphrodite of myth…yeah, she didn’t have to tell me much.  I know who you are now.”

“Crap,” he said, looking skyward.  He glanced at me again.  “Wait, and you’re fine with that?”

I shrugged.  “It certainly explains a lot, I have to admit.  The abduction, the seclusion, the decapitated Cupid statues.  It makes no sense for a mortal, but makes complete sense to an immortal god.  And I’ve had a few weeks to come to terms with the idea.”

“Ah, so I imagine you do have a lot of questions for me, then,” he sighed.  “Okay, have at it; what do you want to know?”

“Well, really, there’s only one thing I really want to know.  What happened to your wife?”

He looked extremely surprised at the question.  Out of everything I could ask and what to know, he clearly didn’t think it’d be that one.  “Psyche?” he asked without thinking.

“Yes, Psyche.  I don’t want to be the other woman, Eros.  So I want to know where she is.”

He shook his head, his face crumpling slightly.  I didn’t realize I was touching on a sensitive subject.  He carefully took my hand – I didn’t fight it since it felt so right to be there – and lead me to the stairs to take a seat on the steps.

“I didn’t realize that she was so miserable,” he started, glancing at me.  “She always seemed so happy to me, but later I realized all she was doing was putting up a front.  If she had just let me know, I would have taken steps to ensure her happiness, but instead, she let it fester.  She didn’t exactly take to immortality as well as I thought she would, and my mother was still very cold to her despite her apology.  Everyone she knew died, and were dying.  She hated watching everything grow old while she remained unchanged.

“It only got worse after the fall of Rome.  Before, she was able to retain part of who she was merely though the worship of the gods, and she liked to help the people who called on her for help.  But when our religion fell, and people stopped believing in us, she had nothing more the live for.  And yet she was trapped in the body of an immortal.

“She wasn’t the only one to have trouble.  Those of us who were born immortal didn’t really care about was waning power, because this was the only life that we all knew.  But those who were offered immortality as a gift started to feel the effects.  A decision was made that would allow any mortal born god the choice to be reincarnated, to start life anew and live out new experiences.  Psyche managed to hear about it before I did, and had gone to ask for the option before I realized what had happened.  She was literally gone before I had a chance to talk her out of it.

“I don’t think it would have been nearly as bad as it was if she had at least talked to me about it.  She was a stubborn girl, and I knew that I wouldn’t have been able to talk her out of the decision, but at least I would have known, you know?  It was just so…sudden.  One moment she was there, living happily in my little corner of the world, and the next, she wasn’t even in it.”

“Oh God,” I said, not expecting that explanation.  “So she’s…dead?”

He glanced at me, looking me dead in the eye.  “No, not dead,” he said.  “She ate the ambrosia, so her soul’s not welcome in the Underworld, cursed to wander the Earth for all eternity.  The deal that was made was that each would be reincarnated instead, their soul made to forget their previous lifetime.  To those who wanted death, it was a good alternative.  They could experience life over and over again, and never be forced to be stuck in one boring or unbearable life.”

“I always thought that you and Psyche had a happy ending,” I admitted.  “I mean, you’re the only myth that does end on a happy note.”

“Well, that’s the problem with myths – they don’t tell you the whole story.  We were happy for a long time, actually, and I don’t know what changed for Psyche to make her feel that way.”

“That’s just…crazy.  I mean, I always loved that myth because of the happy ending.”  I paused as a thought struck me.  “Wait a second – do you think I’m her reincarnation because I happened to be named Psyche as well?”

He chuckled slightly.  “Well, that’s actually just a coincidence.  Persephone felt sort of bad about the fact that Psyche would do that to me, even though she didn’t even know until Psyche pretty much stormed Zeus’ throne.  But she made a deal with me that she’d let me know who Psyche’s soul was being put into.  I think you’re the reincarnation of Psyche because I know you are.”

I ran my hand through my hair.  “What?”

“That’s why I was a little scared about bringing you here.  I’ve tried it before with less than favorable results.  The first time she was reincarnated, I had thought that just seeing me would trigger something, or else she’d just be accepting because we were meant to be, but she sort of freaked out on me.  Persephone had to remind me that her soul was made to forget, and that even soul mates sometimes reject each other.  I tread carefully from that point, watching each girl and seeing if she had the potential to return my love.  But each time, I was met with resistance.”

“So you’ve been watching me my whole life?” I squeaked.  “All those times I felt like someone was just watching me, but no one’s been there, it’s been you?”

He winced slightly.  “Yes, I’m sorry,” he said.  “Even if I couldn’t be with you, I had to see you.  I know it’s a little creepy, but I couldn’t help myself.  I figured as long as you didn’t see me, it would be fine.”

“Well, actually…I didn’t mind it too much,” I admitted.  “I thought I was going insane feeling paranoid all the time, but it seemed like every time I would have that feeling, something good would happen.  I mean, like I’d be nervous about something, and then I’d feel you watching me, and then I wasn’t so nervous anymore.”

He looked a little confused.  “Really?” he asked.  “Most of the other reincarnations, when we got to the point where I could explain that, usually freaked out on me because they hated the feeling.  And you liked it?”

I shrugged.  “I’m beginning to think I’m the first one who actually agreed to stay as well, based on your reactions the last time.  I have to wonder why I’m so different.”

“I’ll say.  I was getting the impression that Psyche actually hated me, and was just stuck with me because we were married.  I didn’t want to give up hope, but considering the fact that every one rejected me, I had to wonder.  But yes, I only had about two that actually agreed to stay, and they ended up leaving after about two days.  But they were the ones who, like you, grew up in a privileged home, and didn’t like the idea of no one else being around.  It was exactly like it was back in their homes, but with no one around for them to see, they thought they had to fend for themselves.  The others I brought took the option of leaving and forgetting any of this happened.”

“I can fend for myself,” I insisted.  “I mean, the idea of actually being able to has been a dream of mine for a while, actually.  I might not do too good of a job at first, but I don’t hate the idea.”

“So if I just…stopped using my magic to make you comfortable, you’d be fine with it?” he teased.

“You can use a little bit of magic,” I said after I thought about it for a second.  “I mean, to keep the pantry stocked and the water and electricity going, but yeah.  I can make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich if I have to.”

He was sort of interested in that, and forced me into the kitchen to make us a quick snack.  I suppose thanks to my upbringing, he didn’t get to see many opportunities of me fending for myself, so he was obviously impressed.  “You’re handling this very well,” he commented as he nibbled on a sandwich.  “You’re the only one who has actual cause to freak out on me right now, and you’re so calm about it.”

“It’s weird,” I admitted.  “I mean, I know everything should be shocking me, but it just feels like all that’s happening is someone explaining to me something that I had managed to forget.  I mean, when I first found out that you were a god, I was like, ‘oh, well, duh Psyche.  You already knew that!’.  I mean, I’m a little surprised about what happened to Psyche, because, like I said, I always thought you guys were happy.  But…I don’t know.  I think I’m just relieved that she’s not around, and that you’re not following the moral code of the gods.”

“Which moral code?  The one that says I can’t have sex with anything, or the one that says I have to have sex with everything?”

I snorted into the soda that Eros had materialized for me.  “The second one, the second one,” I said as I gasped for air slightly.  The soda had, naturally, gone a little up my nose.  “That was another thing I liked about the myth, how you were like the only god who only stuck with one partner.”

“I didn’t see the point.  After all, Psyche went through so much just so she could be with me, and no one else compared to her in beauty.”  He cocked his head at me.  “Well, you could, but I can’t tell if you’re naturally beautiful, or if it’s just a result of you having the soul of my wife.”

I found myself blushing, and I think Eros realized he said something a little awkward.  “This still works out nice, though,” he said hastily.  “I mean, not since the original Psyche have I been able to tell one of her reincarnations everything.  And I like having you around, Psyche.”  He glanced at me again.  “Would you like to make this a regular occurrence?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I really don’t want to make the same mistakes that I made with the first Psyche with you.  That’s why I let you go after only a week, since it seemed my troubles started when she started to get homesick and her family started to miss her.  And why I revealed myself to you from the get go.  I have no idea what I was afraid of when I first married Psyche, because I knew she wasn’t silly like everyone else.  But I’m not going to keep you here if that’s not what you want.”

“I want to see my family, but I also want to see you.”

“Exactly,” he insisted.  “I’m gathering you’re just here for the weekend, right?  And the weekend’s doable.  So how would you like the visit me on the weekends?”

“Every weekend?”

“If you want.”

I thought about it for a moment.  That would be ideal, spending the week getting my education and seeing my family, and then spending the weekend with Eros and escaping my sisters.  And no one had to be any wiser as to what was happening, unless Mom and Papa start to think I actually had a crush on Felipe. 

“That’ll be nice,” I told him earnestly.

Chapter Twelve

Modern Day Cupid Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen