Psyche

Chapter 11

An hour or so later, Eros snuck up to the observatory and positioned himself on the window ledge. He watched as Psyche showed the gentlemen from Macedonia the observatory, including the telescope.

"If you are staying overnight," said Psyche, "We can return to observe the stars. One shouldn't look at the sun through the lens, it hurts the eyes."

The group of Macedonians, six in total, mulled around admiring the telescope, which was an invention unknown outside Atlantis - and Olympus of course.

Psyche also pointed to a slate board on which was neatly written a long series of mathematical equations.

"This is a theorem that the crown prince is working on...with my help of course," explained Psyche with a blush. She went on to explain a bit about it, but her guests shuffled and looked away. She got the hint. "Would you gentleman like to see my puzzles?" asked Psyche.

The Macedonians all looked at each other, as though they wondered if the princess was engaging in some sort of double entendre. She revealed this not to be the case when she opened a drawer and revealed several complex wooden puzzles, including a wooden cube divided into subsections. Each side of the cube was painted one color, and a person twisted it up to scramble the colors. The object of the puzzle game was to unscramble the mixed colors and make each side one color.

Eros had once seen such a puzzle, and he had spent about ten minutes on it before becoming bored and giving up.

"If that does not appeal," said Psyche, "I have others."

Eros watched in amusement as the Macedonians politely listened to Psyche, until one suggested they were all tired and wished to rest.

"Of course, I can have one of the servants take you to your quarters. Entourages from foreign courts are normally housed in a suite in the south wing. I can have any of the puzzles sent there if you like."

Eros was delighted by this eccentric generosity. When they were married, he would be certain to make sure his palace was filled with all sorts of delightful puzzles that would entertain and challenge her. She could also help him whenever he needed to do calculations. Sometimes, in his work, he did need to calculate probabilities.

As Psyche and the Macedonians disappeared down the stairs, Erik hopped into the window.

The more he observed her, the more bound and determined he was that she was to be his wife. Yes, her interests were somewhat different from his, but he had learned over his long experience that couples that had some opposites as well as some similarities - often made a great compliment to one another.

It was all going to work out, of that he was sure. He just had to tell his mother. 

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"You're what?" sneered Aphrodite, "What happened? How...?"

Eros didn't bother even looking at her. He was comfortably ensconced in a lush chair in her living room, drinking the Egyptian beer that he and Hermes so enjoyed. He preferred it to wine, and Aphrodite had taken to keeping kegs of it in her basement - not so much for her son's enjoyment but her lover. Still, Eros needed the brew to help him deal with his mother's wrath, which while no real threat to him, nevertheless annoyed the hell out of him. How many centuries had he done her bidding without question? For the first time ever, he had scratched himself with his own arrow. So what? The target of his amour happened to be a beautiful, accomplished mortal princess. As mortals went, she was perfectly worthy.

Once, while visiting the Indian subcontinent, Eros had learned of a concept of their religion called karma. In the west they had it too, it was called what goes around comes around. And that was apropos. As far as Eros was concerned, the accident had been nothing more than Fate giving his mother what she deserved - a son who was deeply, completely and totally in love with a mortal girl that had done nothing to Aphrodite except rival her in beauty.

And truth be told, Psyche had a far, far...far better temperament than his mother. And she was smarter, too. His mother had...emotional intelligence, despite the mess that was her own life, she did often know what people needed to be happy. But she was hardly an astronomer or mathematician. Psyche, on the other hand, had she been born in another time and place, she very well may have been a rocket scientist. Eros may have been an immortal - the son of a great goddess, but he was not prideful enough not to realize that Psyche was better than him at math.

Aphrodite strode around his chair and stood between him and the fire, but Erik kept his eyes trained on the fire, refusing to look at his mother.

"You must let the arrow wear off," she spat, "You must."

Eros drank his beer calmly. "I have no intention of doing that. I wish to marry her, and I will marry her."

"No!" bellowed Aphrodite, "No! No! In fact, I'm going to summon your father. He'll bring war to her homeland. She'll never return your love if she learns that you were responsible for the peace in her homeland being destroyed."

Eros smirked. "Father stopped starting wars on your behalf a long time ago," he replied, "and I've already told him about Psyche. He supports the match and has even gifted me with a palace where we can live as man and wife. I'm having several of the muses decorate the place as we speak."

Aphrodite picked up an ornate vase, one that had been created in her honor by the most skilled craftsman in the world. The images on the side of the vase depicted her as being graceful, unmatched in beauty, and generous. Aphrodite tossed it against the stone wall and it shattered, throwing shards everywhere.

"You cannot marry without my permission. So, says Zeus."

Eros finally looked at his mother, and it was a stone, cold glare. She was telling the truth. He hadn't known of such a prohibition, and he knew better than to defy Zeus. Defying his mother, that was one thing, but the king of the gods was quite another. And his mother obviously was owed a favor by Zeus, or she wouldn't be so confident in her declaration.

Eros leaned over and spoke softly. "If I cannot make Psyche my wife, I shall go on strike. No mortals, No animals, No gods will fall in love. Procreation will cease. And that, Mother, will be on your head."

"You wouldn't dare!" she shouted, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Watch me!" said Eros as he strode out of his palace, suddenly realizing he was about to have a sabbatical during which he could prepare his new palace for his new bride. His mother would come around. He had far more patience than she.