Teras: Eros and Psyche (Ongoing)

Act 1: Eros

"Ugh!" Aphrodite screamed as she threw the magazine down on the table. "That mortal beat me! This is unbelievable! How can I be placed second to this girl? I should strike them all down!" With a grunt, Aphrodite flung her lush, honey blond hair away from her face and she took a sip of her drink.

Eros and Anteros exchanged a glance. They were used to their mother's tantrums. The three were having dinner at Ambro, a restaurant co-owned by Demeter and Dionysus. It had been two months since Aphrodite had seen her two sons. As one of the most prominent models on Earth, she was often quite busy, too busy to see Eros and Anteros on a regular basis. Eros and Anteros hadn't minded that much; they spent their time wreaking havoc on innocent lovers and the scorned. However, they could not object to Aphrodite's abrupt request for dinner and drinks, especially with her quick attitude.

Eros glanced down at the magazine. On the cover was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her face was turned away from the camera as if something wonderful had caught the attention of her crystal blue eyes and made a warm smile cross her face. Her thick, wavy brown hair circled around her face. The girl's skin was so flawless that Eros briefly wondered if the photo had been altered in some way. The more her stared at the beauty, the quicker the idea disappeared.

Eros couldn't stop staring at the photo. He knew the happy expression on her face was not a photo farce. Her eyes told her she was an intelligent woman, yet her smile told him she was a kind creature who liked to have fun. The photo was cropped just below her bare shoulder blades. Eros couldn't help but wonder if there was a beautiful body to match that beautiful face. He finally tore his eyes away from the girl to read to the lines printed at the bottom right corner of the magazine: "Psyche, Earth's Most Beautiful Woman." I have to agree there, he thought. Eros looked over at Aphrodite who had finally calmed down. She was now focused on getting the attention of Demeter who was chatting two tables away. He knew his mother would be very upset if she knew what he was thinking.

Of course Eros thought his mother was beautiful as well. Her sparkling sea green eyes could capture the attention of men and women miles away. When she smiled, everyone around her was happy; when she frowned, the would clamor to do whatever to have that return to her face. Her shapely figure had been the basis for most of Earth's well-known fashion designers. Unlike the lovely Psyche, Aphrodite's immortality would allow her to look like a woman in her early thirties forever.

Eros and Anteros would have the appearance of young men for all eternity. The God of Love had inherited his mother's blond hair and green eyes. He received his fair share of attention, though most of it was from lowly mortals begging him to fill their hearts with love. The God of Scorned Love easily passed as Eros' twin, except he had jet black hair and stormy gray eyes.

Aphrodite suddenly slammed her glass down on the table, startling Eros out of his reverie. "I know what to do!" she said. She reached over and placed a gentle pale hand on Eros' shoulder.

"Eros, my son," Aphrodite said. "I need you to do me a favor."

Eros looked back at his mother suspiciously. "What is it mother?" he asked.

Aphrodite glared at the magazine. "That Psyche woman needs to know her place. I want to humiliate her in the worst way."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to make sure that no man will want to marry her. Then seek out a grotesque looking man, and make that mortal girl fall deeply in love with him. Once people see her with such an ugly beast of a man, certainly her popularity will diminish and I will be on top again!"

Eros couldn't believe his ears. Did his mother really want this precious flower to fall in love with an ugly man?

"Isn't that a little harsh mother?" Anteros asked.

Aphrodite glared at her son. "Do not question me," she snapped. "It is just a little lesson. Besides, both you and Eros have done some rather questionable things yourselves. You boys can be just as cruel. Anteros, I know all about the little impotence punishment you put on that teen mortal boy."

Both Eros and Anteros laughed. Eros had been with his brother that day. The boy deserved it after he decided to publically post the love letter he had received from a young lady that had a crush on him. "He deserved it," Anteros reasoned. "I was just doing my job. Perhaps if the boy had let go of his hateful attitude toward love, things would've turned out differently. That was some of my best work."

Eros shook his head with a smile. Though he and Anteros had their share of followers and haters, Eros was the one that confused people the most. One minute he was a kind God who brought love into the lives of lonely mortals; the next minute he was a cruel God who enjoyed watching the heartbreak of others. Eros was also said to have used his good looks and golden arrows to attract naïve mortal women. No one knew exactly how many women Eros had seduced; he had lost count himself.

"I want you to have this done as soon as possible Eros," Aphrodite said as she stood up from their table. "I'm going to my temple for the night. My usually group of admirers are probably roaming around waiting for my return. I will see you boys later." Aphrodite made her way out the restaurant, several pairs of eyes watching her slow strut.

Eros ran a hand through his hair. "Why is she putting me in this?" he said. "She's the one who holds a grudge against this girl."

Anteros smirked. "Your eyes were glued to that cover," he said. He grabbed the magazine from the table and flipped through the pages. "There's an interview of Psyche in here."

Eros leaned forward. "What does it say?" he said eagerly.

"'Despite having the beauty to top the Goddess Aphrodite, the young maiden Psyche is every man's dream. She enjoys cooking and reading, but also has an affinity for dance clubs.'"

Anteros put the magazine back on the table. Eros quickly seized it, looking for the article of Psyche. There were more photos of her. In one, she was holding some sort of soft drink, the label strategically placed in the center of the photo. In another she was on a treadmill, with a look of determination on her face. He devoured the article, taking note of where she liked to hang out, what she liked to eat. He wanted any information to meet her as soon as possible.

"So what do you plan to do?" asked Anteros. "There's no way you can defy mother."

Eros was too busy looking at the magazine to answer. Annoyed, Anteros snatched the magazine back from him. "I asked you what are you going to do?"

Eros took a deep breath. "I don't know," he replied. "But no matter what, Psyche will be mine."