Chapter Twelve
Wind

Luckily, unlike Aphrodite, who managed to enchant everyone to forget that she was even there, Persephone was a lot more subtle about her powers, choosing to wait until it was closer to dinner time to leave, graciously refusing to stay when Mom invited her to.  She used the same excuse as before – that she wasn’t here to take advantage of us, and that it was just coincidence that we happened to be finished around the same time that food was being put on the table.  In reality, she just wanted to stay until the last possible minute, both to talk with me and to make it look like we were actually working.  Persephone was so different from Aphrodite that it was hard to believe that were both Greek goddesses. 

But then again, I never really expected Aphrodite to be that harsh.  Really, the only myth that featured her as a villain was the one I had been named after, and I always thought that it was both an exaggeration and because Aphrodite was a little overprotective of Eros.  And the fact that she did end up forgiving Psyche in the end gave me a better feeling about her.  But now I was basically a part of that myth, and I was seeing firsthand exactly how overprotective she was of her son.  It was both endearing and a little unnerving.

After all, Eros was certainly a grown man at this point – God only knew how old he really was – capable of making his own decisions.  My father, who definitely showed signs of being a little overprotective of me, at least knew he had to let me go sometime, and was taking baby steps for that to happen.  He didn’t want to let me go, but he was slowly accepting the fact that I wasn’t going to need him forever.  I was always going to be his koritsáki, no matter what happened in my life.  And he knew that, so he was willing to let me do my own thing, at least for the most part.

Keeping me at home while I was in college was one of those baby steps he was taking.  Naturally, he didn’t want me gone, but at least this way, it wasn’t quite so sudden.  He had an extra four years to come to terms with it, so that when I graduated, he’d be a little more prepared to let me go.  And I’d be a little more prepared to be let go.  I never fought him on the fact that he tricked me into staying at home because I realized I wasn’t quite ready to give this all up yet.  I might be eighteen now, but I wasn’t ready to give up my need of my parents.  And they both, luckily, understood.

But Aphrodite was taking overprotectiveness to a whole new level.  As far as I could tell, most of the Greek gods cared little for their own offspring, mortal and immortal alike.  Sure, they’re claim their children and their parents, but they were always separate from them.  It seemed rare that a parent would react to anything that happened to a child.  There were only a handful of myths that I could remember that involved a parent reacting to something involving their child.  So it really wasn’t something I was expecting.

And considering the fact that Aphrodite forgave Psyche, this seemed even more bizarre to me.

Unless that was the problem.  She was warning me off being the other woman.  That made sense – she made peace with the original Psyche, and liked her well enough that she didn’t want her to get hurt.  It seemed odd in the perspective of a Greek god, especially Aphrodite.  Not too many of them actually had children from their own spouses, and Aphrodite was no exception.  Eros said so himself that he was basically an illegitimate child, a result of an affair.  So why the hell should she care about her son getting involved with someone else.

Then again, I cared, but that was something else entirely.

Of course, Persephone herself said that the gods had changed, and I guess since its less socially acceptable to be in extramarital affairs, the gods themselves have been finding it wrong.  It was weird to think about, especially in terms of someone like Zeus, who seemed to make the affair an art form.  But it also helped explain why Aphrodite was acting the way that she was.  She might have done things she regretted in the past, but that didn’t mean that she had to allow her son to do the same thing.

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be comforted by the fact that Persephone was claiming to be on my side, or not, but I just felt uneasy about the whole thing.  It was one thing when it was just Eros in my life, because I still had every doubt that I wasn’t going to be seeing him anytime soon.  After all, I think he would have done something already if he was going to.  So much time has passed since that fateful week, and all I got was an angry mother goddess and a death goddess reassuring me she had my back.  But nothing else was happening, so I wasn’t sure why Aphrodite was mad at me in the first place.  It made sense that Persephone would want to protect me from the wrath of her sister, once it came about, but it just felt like Aphrodite was getting mad over nothing.

Still, I felt annoyed that anyone, including the goddess of love, would tell me who I was supposed to love.  Despite the fact that I was really wary of having a goddess hate me, I was still annoyed at her coming to my house and telling me what to do with my life.  I knew it was foolish, and I really didn’t want to get caught up in this mess, but my teenage rebellion was flaring up enough to not care.  I just wanted to defy her, and prove that, yes, I could be in love with her son if I so choose.

Not like I chose to be.  If I did have a choice, I would refuse to do it.  Not like Eros was a great guy or anything like that, but I didn’t like the feeling of pining over someone I wasn’t able to see.  I didn’t like feeling like one of those girls, who fawned over some celebrity, and just knew they could never be with them.

But the thing of it was, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I would do it all over again, even if I did know what I was getting myself into.  I did not regret my time spent with him, and I wasn’t going to.  Yes, I could have done without falling in love, or having all these insane Greek gods knocking down my door, but I knew love was something never to be regretted.  Tis better to love and have lost than never have loved before, after all.

“Seriously, Psy,” Maddie told me one day.  “I have no clue why the hell you’re allowing this to affect you.  This isn’t like you.”

“I know,” I said, dropping my head into my hands.  “And that’s the worst part.  I always told myself I wasn’t going to be like other girls, that I wasn’t going to fall for some unobtainable guy or anything, and that I wasn’t going to allow any sort of relationship effect my life.  And here I am, doing just that.  I knew there was a reason why I didn’t want to be in a relationship.”

“You’re not in one, silly,” she grinned.  “That’s what makes this extra weird.  I’d understand if you were, but you’re obsessing over a guy who you met once, and haven’t seen again.  That’s what’s so unusual about this.  I would understand if this were a relationship.”

“God, I’m getting messed up over this.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” she added.  “I mean, it just means that you don’t half ass anything.  I mean, think about it.  If this is what you do for a while you only knew for a week a while ago, imagine how you’d be with a guy you were actually in a relationship with.”

“Well, that could be a blessing or a curse,” I sighed.  “I mean, what if I’m too obsessive, or what if he cheats on me?  Why if he breaks my heart?”

“What if, what if.  You can’t live on what ifs, Psy.  What if Eros did come back for you?  What if there’s a reason why his mother decided to come warning you off him.  I think he’s planning something.”

“I doubt it.  Like I said, I think if he wanted anything to do with me, he’d have done it already.  He’s have plenty of time, trust me.  I think he realized that he didn’t really like me after that week.”

“Bull shit, and you know it,” she said sternly.  “What’s not to love about you?  You’re the complete package, Psy.  You’re pretty, smart, funny, and have a good head on her shoulders.  I agree with your father: guys should be knocking down your door in order to date you.”

“The problem is that I’ve seen what guys consider to be the ideal female.  The big-breasted vacant bimbo who has no original thoughts in her head and only wants one thing.  Given the choice, they don’t want a girl who can think for herself, and certainly not one as plain as I am.”

She waved me off.  “Please, the guys who only want that aren’t worth the effort.  You said so yourself that Eros seemed interested in you, and you guys talked the entire time.  He might be a hottie, but he’s a rare hottie with brains.  Personally, I think you guys were made for each other.  You’re the type of couple that would make everyone jealous, since, from what I understand, you’re both the complete package.  It’s rare to find someone like that.”

I snorted.  “So you’d be jealous of me if I were dating Eros?”

“Totally?  But not because you’re dating him.  He may be hot, but I don’t want anyone who was interest in my best friend.  I’d be jealous because you’d have found someone perfect for you.  I want that.  A love that was simply meant to be.”

“You read too many romances,” I snickered.  “I can’t imagine any guy not going for you.  Sure, you’re a ginger, and thus soulless,” she glared at me, “but otherwise, I don’t see what would turn a guy off you.”

“I’m silly,” she sighed.  “Guys either want a vacant bimbo or they want a girl with a good head on their shoulders.  They don’t want someone whose both.  It’s frustrating, you know?  You got all those guys pining after you, and some of them not just because you’re a Karalis, and I can’t get any guy to glance in my direction because I’m silly.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being who you are,” I said.  “I happen to like your silly.  But that just means you haven’t found anyone worthwhile yet.  You’re only eighteen, Maddie.  You still have your whole life to find that perfect guy who likes both silly and smart.  He’s out there; I know it.”

“I just wish I could find the imperfect guy who happens to be okay with the silly,” she sighed, leaning against her knees.  “That way, when I do find Mr. Perfect, I wouldn’t be so damn inexperienced.”

“Trust me, the perfect guy’s not going to care one way or another,” I said, shaking my head.  “I’m inexperienced, but I’m not letting that get in my way.  It’s part of who I am, and something a guy’s got to accept about me in order to love me.  If he doesn’t,” I shrugged, “his loss.”

“Especially in your case,” she grinned.  “Any guy would be a complete moron to give you up.”

“Same with you, Maddie,” I insisted.  “You know I hate when you compare yourself tome.  I’m no matter or worse than you are.  I mean, sure, as a brunette, I have a soul, but you shouldn’t be jealous of that.”

She threw her pillow at me.  “I have to compare myself to you, though.  You’re the only person I can put a standard to.  I never think you’re better than me, except in the cases where you actually are, but I always look at you and think, ‘that’s the sort of person I want to be’.  Because you’re so lucky.”

“How so?”

“Well, let’s see: you’re famous, you have a father who dotes on you without spoiling you, you’ve got great genes, you’re smart, beautiful, funny, and,” she emphasized when I was about to protest, “you have an awesome best friend.”

“Okay, that last one’s enough to make anyone jealous,” I said, grinning at her.  “Seriously, you are an awesome best friend.”

She preened a little.  “I know it,” she said, grinning.  “It helps that that’s a standard I follow as well.”

“You know, I’ve only had one regret in this life, and that’s that you weren’t actually born my sister.  My life would be really awesome if that were the case.”

“I hear you there,” she said, fist bumping me.  “Although I wonder if we’d actually hate each other.”

“Possibly, but you’re always better than the alternative,” I told her, shuttering.  “I’d take arguing with you any day of the week.”

“Are Penny and Phebes giving you a hard time again?”

“Always,” I said, shaking my head.  “Always.”

Family was what you made it, though, and Maddie was always going to be more of a sister to me than my own sisters.  I understood that real sisters didn’t always get along, but my sisters took it to an extreme.  Sisters were supposed to have each other’s backs when it really happened, and mine tended to make fun of me instead.  It hardly seemed fair, but I suppose it was just evening things out.  After all, Maddie was right in one regard – with the exception of my sisters, my life was rather perfect.  I needed Penny and Phoebe to balance things out so I could appreciate my life rather than just take it for granted.

Still, even with that little talk with Maddie, I found myself a little jumpy, wondering exactly what god was going to show up next, or when Aphrodite was going to show up and punish me.  I tried not thinking about Eros, but it was extremely difficult, even with the threat of his mother coming down on me for just thinking about him.  I had little doubt that she would.  But I would find my thoughts drifting in class, and I would catch myself before I got too far behind in the lecture.

I didn’t want this to affect my life, after all.  I didn’t want to be one of those girls who let their private lives affect their public ones.  The only person I wanted to know I had a problem was Maddie, because I knew she could keep it to herself.  People asked me what was wrong, certainly, and I would just wave it off as nothing.  But I guess if the general public was figuring out something was going on, I wasn’t doing a good job.

It seemed the only time I felt I could relax was when I felt that strange presence.  It was odd, because I would have thought the presence would make me feel worse, but it felt like whoever was there was watching over me, and I was free to think as I wanted.  I still didn’t want to spend all my time thinking about Eros, since I did have better things to about, but I wasn’t so worried when I found my thoughts drifting, as they tended to do in class, especially when they drifted to him.

The feeling, sadly, didn’t turn up as often as I liked, though.  But that was to be expected, since the feeling itself was rare, and only seemed to come up when I really needed it.  I didn’t want to become reliant on the feeling, certainly, although it was nice.  I didn’t like the idea of someone just watching me, either, but I took it over the alternative.  Unless, of course, it turned out to be someone who wasn’t benevolent who was watching me, but I wasn’t getting the sense from the feeling.  Whoever was watching me had good intentions for doing it.

Still, my biggest worry was that something was going to happen, based on the fact that I had no one, but two Greek goddesses reveal themselves to me, despite the fact that all that happened to me was I spent a week with Eros.  If nothing was going to happen, that shouldn’t have really worried Aphrodite.  She was a goddess; she should have known my thoughts were slowly becoming less and less about Eros.  Why did she choose then to reveal herself to me, rather than right after it happened, when I was obsessing over him?  That meant something was going to happen, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I was really ready for it just yet.

But I guess I was just going to have to be ready, and just suck it up.

One good thing about going to college while all this was happening was the fact that, every now and then, something more important would crop up, and I’d focus my attention on that rather than my current predicament.  It was strange to think I was being rescued by school of all things.  I was never one of those people who despised going to school, since it was sort of an escape from Penny.  But I was also actually pretty good at it.  I was a solid ‘A’ student without any extreme effort on my part, and I enjoyed learning.  I hated homework, since I felt like school was trying to completely take over my day, but I did it dutifully like I expected.

But it was just something I did.  Sure, I used it to escape my sisters, but just about anything was used for that.  School wasn’t special in that regard.  So being relieved that I did have an exam to study for seemed a little out of place for me.  It probably didn’t help that this was my Trig exam, and I tended to do worse than normal for me in math.  So I knew it was going to be a hard exam to begin with.

But from the way I was studying, it felt like I was going to breeze right through.

I left the exam feeling like I lost a few IQ points in the two hours it took me to finish the exam.  I wasn’t the first to finish, but after running through the questions a second time, I pretty much ran from that room just to get away from all those numbers.  I was pretty sure I had done okay on it, but I didn’t want to give my hopes up.  It was the only subject I’d ever gotten a ‘C’ in, and that was usually after I thought I had aced a test.  I had learned to be cautious.

I contemplated seeing Maddie, wondering if she was back from her class yet.  I didn’t think she was, but I also knew I’d have no problem wondering around campus for an hour before she was.  The library might be a good idea.  I could snag a computer in the lab, and just sort of chill out for an hour.  Fridays were the worst at home, since it was the start of the weekend, and Penny and Phoebe were plotting out how to get me in those two entire days I’d be there the whole time.  Plus it was the one day a week where Maddie and I could hang without getting on the subject of homework.

I paused, though, when I spotted someone rather familiar just sort of hanging out on the sidewalk.  He looked a little uncomfortable with all the glances he was getting, although he did certainly look the part.  I grinned, not expecting to see him again anytime soon, either.  He was trying to play it cool, but he looked relieved when he realized I had spotted him, and was approaching.

“Zephyr,” I said jovially.  “Fancy meeting you here.”

“It was better at the airport,” he shuttered.  “No one was really paying attention to me there.”

“Ah, you’re exotic, Zephyr.  Of course you’re going to attract attention.  So why exactly are you here?”

He grinned at me.  “I think you can imagine the reason, Psyche.  He’s been trying to be good, but his will power is crumbling.  I’m taking a preemptive strike.”

“What do you mean, he’s trying to be good?”

“Well, that week you spent with him was pretty much planned.  He knew that you were going to be away a week, and that it wouldn’t matter much in the real world that you were gone.  He has no excuse now, but I figure the damage has already been done.  If you want, you can spend however long you want with him.  I was thinking, you know, spending the weekend with him was certainly acceptable.”

“Certainly,” I said with wide eyes.  My heart was pounding at the prospect of spending even a day with him, not just two.  But at least that explains why he was keeping his distance from me since that week.  He wasn’t sure how to proceed with this anymore than I did. 

“And this time, you have the benefit of not accidentally being kidnapped.”

I frowned at him.  “That was entirely your fault,” I accused.  “But I forgive you for it.”

“So, would you like me to take you to him?”

I considered it.  After all, I had already resolved I didn’t want to be the other woman, and that’s exactly what I’d be if I’d agree.  Yes, I wanted to see him again, but I wanted to know what happened to the original Psyche first.  I wanted to see what I was getting myself into first.

“Well, yes, of course.”

Oh well.  I suppose I could just claim that I was going to see him to get answers, and nothing else.

He grinned at me again, almost as though he was expecting that reply.  “I trust you need time to prepare then?  Shall I pick you up in, say, an hour or so?”

“I suppose that would be fine,” I said, trying to figure out if that’s enough time.  I’m sure he’d understand if it took a little longer, but I still needed to get going now if I wanted to make it in an hour.

My plans to spend the afternoon were shot, but I think she, of all people, would understand.  It wasn’t that common that I visited her, after all, and I think she’s definitely understand when I told her I was visiting Eros for the weekend.  She was probably going to happy for me, to be honest.

I had to be careful not to speed home, actually, since I think I was a little too excited at the prospect of leaving for the weekend.  An entire two days of getting to know Eros a little better and being away from my sisters.  It wasn’t quite a week, but it certainly would do.  It would certainly go great towards getting my mindset back to normal.

Or, you know, make it way worse. 

Both my parents were a little surprised to see me rushing in the house.  “Oh, Psyche,” Mom said.  “You’re home early.”

“Am I?” I asked, glancing at the clock in the kitchen.  “I’m done for the day.”

“Oh, I was expecting you to hang out with Maddie.  You’ve been doing it a lot lately, I noticed.”

“Can you blame me?” I teased, gesturing to the living room, where I could hear my sisters and their friends hanging out.  Papa sort of smirked at me.  “Why, did you have plans or something?”

Mom glanced at Papa, but he shrugged.  “Not really,” he admitted.  “Just not expecting you, is all.”

“Sorry,” I muttered.  “Actually, I’m home a little early because, um, I got invited to spend the weekend with someone.”

“Oh?” Papa said, perking up a little.  “A certain Spanish socialite?”

Ick.  “Um, yeah.  I mean, I don’t think we hit it off all that well, but the village we were staying in was wonderful.  I so wanted to go back.”

Papa smirked while Mom gave me a knowing look.  “Understandable.  And it’s just for the weekend?”

“Yeah.  I mean, he doesn’t care, but I don’t want to miss any more classes.  He seemed to understand.  He might stay, but I’m coming back Sunday.”  Or at least I assumed I was coming back Sunday.  Zephyr might have one idea,  going.

They didn’t keep me long, since, for some reason, they trusted Felipe.  I suppose because his father was in a similar business as Papa, at least enough that they were in similar circles.  Papa, of course, knew how I felt about Felipe, and believed me about wanting to just see the village.  Mom, on the other hand, thought that I was just playing coy as not to give myself away.  It was funny how they were both right, but for completely different reasons.

I dragged out my suitcase and quickly threw in what I thought I was going to need.  It was warm where he was, so luckily I was able to throw in my summer clothes and save a lot of room.  It took me a little less than an hour to actually be ready, so I hung out in my room so I didn’t seem too eager to leave, and possibly give myself away.  I debated whether to bring any books with me, but figured I’d be plenty fine with the books in his library.  I did feel bad about stuffing my Cupid plush in my bag, but if I wanted any amount of sleep, I sadly was going to need it.  I tried constantly, but I just couldn’t shake the habit.

I pretty much jumped when Zephyr rang the bell.  I sort of didn’t want my parents, and certainly not my sisters, meeting him, and somehow managed to get to the door before anyone else could.  I hit the stairs just as our butler answered the door.  He glanced back at me as I raced down the stairs.  “I trust this is someone you were expecting, Miss Psyche?”

“Oh yes,” I said, grinning.  “He’s my ride.”

“Ah.  Well, be safe, Miss Psyche.”

“I will,” I said, waving at him as I pretty ran out the door.  “Let Mom and Papa know I left.”

“Aw, don’t want to introduce me to the folks?” Zephyr teased.

“Well, the longer you stay there, the more changes Penny and Phoebe’ll be able to get to you, and I do not need that sort of drama right now.  It’s just safer this way.  They’ll understand.”

“If you say so.  I don’t want your father hunting me down.”

“I doubt that’ll be a problem in your case.”

“Oh?” he asked, pausing as he was able to open his car door for me.  It wasn’t anything special – just a black sedan that looked like the car my father drove.  “How do you figure that?”

“Aphrodite came for a visit recently,” I said dryly.  “Trust me; I know more than you think I do.”

He gave me a rather interesting look.  “Ah?” he said.  “And who exactly do you think I am?  I’m just a pilot hired to cart you around.”

I rolled my eyes.  “You have the eyes of a god, Zephyr.  I know who you are.  You give it away with your name.”

“I do?”

“You’re Zephyrus, god of the west wind,” I stated matter-of-factly.  “I mean, come on.  A pilot?”

He continued to give me the look before shrugging.  “All my brothers are pilots.  We have domain over the winds, and we love the air, so it just seemed like a natural choice.  I’m the only one the other gods actually trust to take them anywhere, though.  Something about my winds being the gentlest, and my flights have the least turbulence.”

“Why would the gods need flights?” I asked as he helped me into the car.  “I mean…they’re gods.”

“Gods who’re trying to mingle with mortals.  They have to make it look believable, Psyche, and one way to do that is through travel.  Just…appearing somewhere when someone’s expecting you just isn’t going to cut it in this day and age.  We’ve got to blend in.”

“Still feels a little fishy to me,” I admitted.  “But I guess times have changed considerably since you were in power.”

He settled behind the wheel, but paused before he started the car.  “Actually, since you seem to be in on the secret, I have a feeling you’ll have no problem shortening our trip a little, would you?”

I blinked, considering the conversation we were just having.  “Um, well, no.  I mean, the airport’s two hours away, right?”

“Okay, hold on,” he said, glancing around the yard.  There didn’t seem to be anyone around, so he glanced back at me with a sly smile before snapping his fingers.  Instantly, we were in a parking space at JFK, which was more than a little disorienting.

“The airport?”

“Well, we still need to take the plane,” he said.  “We can’t just appear in another god’s property.  That’s sort of a sign of war, even if the god is Eros and he’s okay with me coming and going.  And trust me, I do not want to go to war with Eros.  The guy is ruthless.”

“Eros?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.  “I doubt he’d care, to be honest.  He doesn’t strike me as the sort to want to fight with you.  Especially if you have a peace offering.”

He shrugged.  “Well, it’s still easier to use the plane to transport you.  I don’t have that kind of power over you that I can transport you that far.  Besides, I like flying.”

“Oh.  Um, sorry,” I muttered.

He grinned at me.  “It’s just a little strange for me, and I’m going to assume all of us, to have a mortal who knows and accepts our existence.  It’s nice, though.  I think Eros is going to be happy about it, even if he’s going to be pissed with his mother for what she did.  I hope I’m not caught up in the middle of that.”

We didn’t through the airport this time, with Zephyrus leading me through a private gate to his private hanger.  “Not taking your plane?” I asked when he lead me to a smaller, two person plane.

“This is my plane,” he grinned at me.  “I am a god, you know.  I can change its form to whatever I need it to be.  Since you know, I figure you might want to see how I get you in and out of his place.  Plus, this one’s easier to fly.”

“Ah, okay,” I said, since I never had an intimate look at flying a plane before.  It was exciting.

I didn’t have too much with me, thankfully, so we were able to store my bags in the cockpit behind us.  Zephyrus handed me a headphone and microphone set as, I guess, a formality as he started up the plane.  It was nosier than the charter plane, but I liked it.  I watched as he started preflight, and I tried to keep out of his way as he prepared the plane, although it was hard in the confined space.

Before I knew it, I heard him requesting permission to take off, and being granted it.  He grinned at me as he started to move the plane, and I gave him an excited grin.  This was the way to fly, certainly.

It didn’t matter at that moment what was going on in my life; I was going to see Eros, I was going to demand answers, and I was going to enjoy myself.  And things in my life was finally going to start looking up.

Chapter Eleven

Modern Day Cupid Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen