Bliss

Prologue

Shortly before he had become entangled with a certain Atlantean princess that had upended his life and changed it for the better, Eros had spent some time among the Mesopotamian gods. They were a fascinating lot, and they tended not to get all caught up in petty family dramas.

They were also ambitious. Unlike his grandfather Zeus, who was committed to the status quo, as long as that allowed him to chase after pretty nymphs and humans, the Mesopotamians thought big and wanted change. They were the ones who had first gifted humans with agriculture. They were the ones who infused humans with the idea that sex could be enjoyed on its own, without procreation. They were the ones who taught the humans how to write and read.

If Zeus and Hera had had their way, humans would still be tending sheep, fishing, and hunting. No big settlements, let alone cities. No kings, only chiefs. No grand public works. But the cities of Mesopotamia were gleaming metropolises, with markets and temples and theaters. The people there were fierce warriors, lovers of pleasure and luxury, and highly organized, and they managed to be this all at once. They were also devoted to their gods, their families, and their communities. It was all very impressive.

Of course, cities and politics, and commerce created problems. War. Poverty. Jealousy. But damn, if that didn't make life interesting. Humans and their blink-and-you-would-miss-it, fleeting existences. Everything and every moment matters. 

During the first part of his sojourn, Eros communed with the Anunnaki, wise beings made of light that existed outside of human time and space. They made for fascinating company, especially in that they considered themselves guardians of the humans. Eros liked to think of himself this way, so they had that in common. However, the Anunnaki were in many ways Eros's opposite. If he was passion, they were dispassionate. If he was chaos, they were order. If he was wild, they were calm.

His mother would have been repelled by this opposition, but Eros meditated among these angelic beings of light for what would have been centuries in the human perception of time. It was a couple weeks in Earth time, but when he returned from the light realm, he had felt rather blissed out and centered.

He was in such a good mood when he stumbled upon two warriors fighting to the death, he shot them with his arrows. The enemies soon became friends, then lovers, and war between their tribes had been averted.

A few days later, Ianna, the great and powerful Goddess, had appeared to him in a beautiful rage. She was like a maelstrom of passion, a storm in goddess form. 

"Eros," she cried out, "What have you done?"

He sighed. "Avoided a war. Made two young men very happy."

"Gilgamesh is fated to be my lover this spring," she spat. "You've destroyed that."

Eros shook his head. She was being highly unreasonable and pessimistic. The Mesopotamians were very different from the Greeks in that lovers didn't feel like they owned each other. "I didn't turn Gilgamesh into a monk. It's not like anyone around here has any silly notions about fidelity."

"He's so enamored of Enkidu, he won't even enter my temple."

Eros grinned, not even bothering to hide how pleased with himself he was. That was an arrow well spent.

Ianna approached him, and she smacked him on the face. He looked her up and down, her black gown clinging to her body, black eyes, and pure, flawless brown skin. She rivaled Eros's own mother, Aphrodite, in beauty.

Eros reached out and ran a finger down her bare, well-toned arm, which was tattooed with an image of a serpent.

"Does the ritual have to be performed with a human? Would it work with a God?" He winked at her for good measure.

She rolled her eyes, at first. "You're no substitute." She paused. "At least in the long term. For the night? Well..."

Eros felt warm all over. She was powerful and beautiful, and he knew they were both going to have a good night.

Which they did. He had even thought fondly about that night more than once, and he assumed she had as well. So, when about a year in human time had passed and she summoned him back to her domain, he went eagerly.

That's when she had shown him Algos.

He was in a golden cradle in her palace, and the child...he exuded darkness and pain. No, not exuded. Embodied it.

The Annunaki always told me I was fated to be childless, she said. "Yet, here he is. He's a strong boy, as you can see."

Eros took a deep breath, and he tried to resolve the mixture of pride and dread as he looked at his son. He looked into Inanna's eyes, and he knew there was more. He knew what she was going to ask. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate, but the situation with Princess Psyche and Atlantis had recently become an obsession to him. On top of that, he wondered if he was the right one to raise this boy. He wondered if he had the strength.

"He can't stay here," said Inanna. "My brethren think he's an abomination. He's in danger here."

Eros nodded, a plan formulating in his head. "Say goodbye to him," he whispered to Ianna, giving her only a moment before whisking the child away.