For the love of the Gods

Artemis glowered as she stalked down the halls of Olympus, at any other time she could have simply teleported to Cupids temple but since the mortals of earth had stopped worshiping her family as Gods there powers were now focused on maintaining a much more opulent lifestyle than Artemis preferred.

Now with the portal reopened several were gossiping about visiting earth for the first time in centuries.

Artemis rounded the long corridor and realized her fists were clenched and she consciously relaxed her posture as she approached Cupids elaborate garish golden doors. Sighing she reached up and knocked open palmed, pleased in her anger that the doors trembled slightly under her strength.

Standing before the entrance for a few moments Artemis could feel the eyes of her relatives on her and turned and snarled at Hermes who always seemed to hover whenever she showed up in Olympus.

Pleased when her cousin flitted away after a wide-eyed gasp Artemis decided she had waited long enough for Cupid and she stepped back and shot a ball of energy into the doorway. Waiting for the dust to settle as the door splintered and shattered Artemis continued into Cupids extravagant temple ignoring the horrified shrieks from the nymphs who were in a panic as the God of Love stalked toward the wreckage of his front door dressed only in a small pale toga.

“YOU CANT KNOCK!!!!” Cupid hollered, Artemis looked around at the temple, truly she had barely been to her own Olympus temple in so long she had forgotten how gaudy they could be. Turning back to the God of Love she inwardly smiled at the look of unaldurated rage on his face.

“We have business to discuss nephew” Artemis said calmly, purposefully ignoring Cupids question in favor to see that funny red color flood his face and neck.

“WHAT WE HAVE TO DISCUSS IS YOU FUCKING BREAKING MY DOOR” Cupid jerkily pointed to his disaster of a door and Artemis smiled and stepped back.

“That will fix itself when you want it too…tell me what you were about in shooting me with your damned lust dart?” Artemis knew she had his attention with her icy tone when his eyes widened and he blanched.

“I didn’t shoot you with a lust dart”

“Love then…what’s that about?” Artemis kept her expression blank when his look of fear was replaced by genuine confusion.

“I didn’t shoot you with a love or lust arrow Artemis…I swear on the Fates” Cupid said suddenly aware that Artemis was a warrior only rivaled by Ares and there was still talk of what had happened to the mortals that bound Velma’s soul to earth in order to continue the line of slayers.

“Well then what was it?” Artemis paced carefully studying her surroundings as she waited for Cupid to expound on whatever it was he had done.

“It was an awakening arrow. All it does is feed what’s already there; if there is…love or lust I didn’t put it there.”

Artemis growled softly and turned staring at her overly sexed nephew she looked for any indication that he was lying. There was none…Cupid was a notoriously bad liar and either he had learned a few things from Hermes or he was more than likely telling the truth.

“How do I get rid of it?” Artemis snapped.

Cupid shrugged and walked over to his potions table. Artemis followed and watched as he selected several small herbs and roots and put them into a small pouch.

“You brew a tea from this…both of you have to drink it while facing each other.” Cupid held out the bag to Artemis who eyed it warily but took it and tucked it into her armor.

She had never been a fan of his work; it never boded well when the match involved a mortal.

“I’ve never heard of a potion like this…” Artemis said, conscious that Cupid was incredibly irritated and still seemed to be dwelling over his shattered door if his frequent fleeting glances were any indication.

“Well most love struck fools find themselves lucky when a match begins without my help and don’t try to break it…you however are not most love struck fools. I understand that you do not enjoy having amorous emotions pushed on you and I apologize for Velma….my bad.”

“I do not regret what I had with her.”

“I know and you shouldn’t, please do not believe that it was anything less than love simply because I shot you with the arrows.”Artemis rolled her eyes when the God of Love looked at her with such big doleful eyes that she knew he was playing his charms.

“Lets not speak of it…I just brew this and give some to…the other girl and were no longer feeling this way?” Artemis clarified.

Cupid nodded and gestured to his door. “Yes and if that’s all I would like to get back to Psyche…you interrupted us. And next time you wish to visit…don’t blast my door to pieces.” Cupid smiled genially enough but Artemis saw the veiled threat…in some ways Cupid who worked with the most dangerous of emotions could be a more volatile God when angered than even Ares.

Firmly humbled Artemis made her way out of the Gods temple before walking back to the Great Hall so that she could return home to her forests.

She had planned to speak to Zeus about Bacchus however she had been notified that he was away on business…or to the unstupid…he was stashed away somewhere with his latest mistress.

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Psyche pulled on her robe as she walked into the beautiful limestone room of her Olympus home. Stopping when she saw her husband standing several feet away, his posture was stiff and unyielding and she knew her fiery irrational in-law had thoroughly pissed him off.

“What did she want Cupe?” Psyche asked, flashing to him she wrapped her arms around his bare waist careful of his wings and leaned her cheek on his back.

“She accused me of inducing a love spell on her and the newest slayer.”

“Did you?” Psyche asked, knowing better than anyone how Cupid could get once he and his mother began orchestrating matches out of sheer boredom.

“No…I learned my lesson about love with that woman eons ago…someone asked me to simply thaw out the ice that woman has around her heart and I did. There’s nothing there that wouldn’t have developed naturally over time.”

“Oh…what did she want then?”

“She wanted me to break it. To make the natural love die.” Cupid said softly.

“I thought that was impossible?” Psyche asked, confused over the turn of events. Cupid smiled a brilliant smile that suddenly had her thanking Zeus she was immortal.

“Oh it is my wife; I gave her tea leaves…a fair trade for what she did to our door.” Cupid smirked and patted Psyches hands.

Psyche pulled back and looked up at her blonde husband. “What did you give her?” Her eyes going to the locked cupboard which held all the anti-love potions, it looked untouched.

“Lust leaves, once a pair drinks the tea of lust in the presence of one another…there will be a lust for that person that can never be rivaled by anything else.” Cupid smiled, pleased that he could keep the lines of fate on the right track and gets a little vengeance for his damned door…maybe he did take that a little to personally?

“What about love?” Psyche asked, growing bored with this she softly trailed her fingertips down Cupids perfect golden chest.

“Love that is natural will happen regardless, now do you want to keep talking about this or go back to bed and make Bliss a sister? Mother only has him for another day dearest.”
Cupid smiled when Psyche wordlessly tugged him toward there bedroom.

Love was indeed wonderful.

TBC
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