Eros

Chapter 31: Riddle

Whispers. Soft as the ocean waves. There were too many for her to pick one out. Mist. Thick as curls of cotton. She knew she wasn't dreaming. She couldn't see a thing, but she was not alone. A voice. Single. Clear. Musical. She couldn't hear what it was saying, but in her heart, she knew at once.

Eros!

Angie lifted her robe from her ankles and ran, calling out his name, but she ended up at her same spot: soft meadows of dancing mist with the sparrow hovering overhead.

She gazed at it, hope and despair never so strong. "Please, please take me to Eros. I love him and I know he loves me. Do you see this necklace here? It belonged to him." She couldn't help her pout. Would the sparrow understand her? A thought dawned on her. "Dear little sparrow, if you look closely to my finger, you'll find yourself holding a beautiful rose—it was given to me when Eros wore the stone."

Angie pulled herself to her toes and lifted her fingertip for the sparrow to see. She almost felt stupid doing that, but who would really feel dumb after falling down a mountain and then ending up in heaven?

The sparrow flitted to her finger tip, landing on her bent pinky and cocked its head, studying the image. It flicked its eyes to her and nodded its head. With a single chirp, the sparrow beat its wings and spiraled into the white, misty clouds and vanished.

"No! No, come back, please take me to him . . ." Angie stared hard into the sky, willing it to return.

She didn't know how long she'd been staring at that one spot, but the sound of musical voices wafted to her once more. The lure so strong, so powerful, she had to obey. Once again, she picked up the hem of her toga and walked through the cloud.

Was that Eros she heard? The mere idea hurled her into a frantic state, her heart thumped like a wild animal yearning to break free. She paused, her ear to the air, her eyes shut tight. It rang clear and bright and sweet.

Yes! It was he. Angie heard Eros! A bell strung in her heart called out her name. She closed her eyes and followed its pleasing notes, recognizing the feeling when she followed it on Skolio before Mount Olympus swallowed her. It was Eros calling out to her this whole time. Did he know he called?

Her steps slowed, though her heart did not. She believed it was the call of his broken heart to hers, and hers knew at once; answering and taking her to a place where she could find him.

Angie giggled and whirled like a little girl, her toga fluttering up and around her knees. She could hear him clearer now. His dulcet tones resonating a wreath of music about her head. She moved forward in slow steps, and listened to his heart. He was over there. Angie traced his heart path until faded forms appeared in the cloudy distance.

She looked closer. Eros!

His back to her. She darted through the fog as quietly as she could, wishing for a hiding spot so she could watch him without reserve. Her instincts told her he spoke with someone. But who?

The mist formed a halo around his familiar silhouette she'd come to love. His back rippled with thick muscle that she never knew he had, his legs graceful and strong. Golden hair tapered between his shoulder blades where wings hung like an angel's. A sparkle of gold drifted from the feathers, floating softly about her face like lazy snowflakes.

Her heart caught and a flood of emotion eddied about her like a tornado. "You aren't Cupid," she said, murmuring to herself, her hands over her heart as the tears drowned his vision, "you're my angel." Her feet whispered along the silent ground. Closer. She was closer now.