Cupid and the Arrow Thief

Guns and Arrows

San Diego, California

Davin Cross knew that shooting arrows at unsuspecting civilians was not a normal line of work. Neither was creating happily ever afters. But that was exactly what he had been doing for hundreds of years.

Davin longed to glide over the wide expanses of the ocean, to soar over the crowded beaches filled with people basking in June's blazing splendor. But he couldn't waste any more time. His boss was expectantly waiting.

Davin folded his feathered, white wings. All at once, he descended down from the the blue sky, landing smoothly on the cracked pavement of an abandoned street corner. His wings twitched with yearning to be gliding back in the sky again, shedding dancing feathers at Davin's feet.

He chuckled slightly, and his wings vanished from his back in a flurry of golden flashes.

He looked much more like a mortal now.

Davin gripped the leather handles of his long, black work case. He fidgeted with the collar of his white shirt. In the blasting heat, he was beginning to loathe the fact that he was wearing a suit and a tie. He was never a fan of Aphrodite's dress code.

Briskly walking down the steaming sidewalks, Davin noted the suffocating odor of gasoline as vacationer's cars sputtered past, blending with the smell of cooked barbecue. He checked his watch as he made his way past a group of teenage girls hoisting surfboards over their heads. They sent admiring smiles his way, giggling amongst themselves.

Davin had the sudden urge to laugh. Even though he was hundreds of years old, he still maintained the youthful appearance of a young man at about eighteen. For all he knew, it could have been his doing that made those girl's  grandparents fall in love.

He tried not to hold onto that thought for very long.

It was because of Davin Cross that Kate married Prince William. It was because of Davin Cross that the president of the United States and the First Lady came together. It was also because of Davin Cross that Romeo and Juliet found each other. Although that wasn't his greatest accomplishment due to the following tragic suicides that occurred afterwards.

Davin turned a corner and found himself exactly in the place he needed to be. The beach was pulsing with loud music as waves crashed violently onto the shore. People of all ages were everywhere, a mass of lounging, surfing bodies that moved endlessly about beneath the sweltering glare of the sun. Davin, with a stab of annoyance, realized that it was going to take him a lot longer to spot his targets than usual.

But as he stood on the edge of the sand, his mind couldn't help but gingerly wander across each person. Davin faintly wondered what strange, vibrant lives these mortals had and what it was like to be a part of them. Even after hundreds of years of existing in this world, Davin had never truly belonged to it. He was set apart from the constant growing of humanity. He would never know what it would be like to become old. But most of all, Davin Cross would never know what it would be like to fall in love.

His heart faltered slightly as his gaze locked onto a couple eating sandwiches on a colorful, bright towel. On their chests, right where their hearts were located, Davin could see the marks. The ever present, ever shimmering silver marks of a cupid's arrow. No mortal was aware of these marks, but all cupids knew of its unmatchable power. The power of magical, raw love. The minute a cupid's arrow was shot at them, those two mortals were destined. Their fates had been sealed. They were soul mates forever.

Davin could see it in their eyes. There was this look that he had seen thousands of times, over and over.

If only someone would look at him that way.