Stillness.

I waited for Chara to appear in the clearing, but she didn't arrive. The wind made no indication it had heard me.

"Psyche? Are you still there?" Chara called to me again.

"Yes! I'm trying to get you down here."

"Just tell me how. Where's the path."

"There is no path," I shouted back. "You need the West Wind's help. Favonius," I hollered again, searching the sky around me for any sign of a breeze, "bring me my sister!"

Everything remained still, but the Wind's booming voice shook me from inside as it answered. "Aris forbids it."

"He can't!" I sobbed. "He has to let her come see me. To at least see for herself that I'm still alive."

The Wind didn't answer. He'd given me my answer and moved on.

I racked my brain for what to do as my sister continued calling down to me. "I didn't understand. Did you say the path was to the west?"

"Can you come back tomorrow?" I shouted up to her.

"I don't want to leave you," Chara called down.

"I'm fine. I promise. Tell Mother and Father I'm fine."

"Father's sick," she called. "Can you come home?"

"I don't think - I don't know." I could barely yell anymore over my tears. Father was fine when I'd left five days ago. What could've gone wrong already? "Come back tomorrow. You can visit. Please."

"Fine," she answered. "I'll be back tomorrow."

I took my time wandering back to the palace, barely hearing Alexa shuffling her feet behind me over my own sniffles. I had a problem. I'd promised my sister a visit even though I knew Aris had already forbidden it.

But why had he said no before I even asked?

Chapter 30 - Eros.

He paced in the forest, barely hidden from view, waiting for night to fall so he could return to Psyche.

He'd known Chara would come. She'd prayed to Hermes for a safe journey to Sikyon. And Hermes had warned Eros. He knew if Chara was returning home so soon after her marriage, it could only be to mourn Psyche. Which meant she's be headed for the cliffs.

Eros did everything he could to try to keep Psyche and her sister from reuniting. He warned Alexa - made her promise not to let Psyche near the hilltop. Alexa had a.s.sured him it wouldn't be a problem; Psyche only stayed in the gardens.

No one had figured Chara could wail so loudly.

Eros had kept watch over Psyche the entire day. He saw Psyche's attention suddenly snap toward the hills. He saw Alexa tugging at Psyche's wrist, pleading with Psyche to go back inside. And he saw Psyche's stubborn will win out as she shrugged free of Alexa and hurried to the base of the hill.

Watching the scene unfold had been tortuous. Eros wanted so badly to intervene. To save Psyche from herself. He knew in his heart that Psyche would demand a visit with Chara. What sister wouldn't under normal circ.u.mstances?

But things between Psyche and Chara weren't going to be normal any more. Chara's hatred for Psyche festered in the days following her arranged marriage. Chara was miserable and she blamed Psyche. Her grief on the cliffs was real enough - Eros could feel that. But she was more mourning the whole relationship they'd had. And sobbing for the misery that had become both their lives in such a short time.

When Chara and Psyche finally turned away from each other, Eros collapsed against the cool stucco of his courtyard wall. Chara was headed home; she wasn't going to try to find a way into their valley. He wiped the sweat of his brow with the back of his hand and huffed. What good was being a G.o.d if all you could do was sit idly by and watch? He never wanted to relive another moment like that one.

But he also knew he wasn't entirely out of the woods yet either. Zephyrus had answered truthfully when Psyche asked why he wouldn't carry Chara down - Eros, or Aris rather, had forbidden it. And for that decision, Eros figured he would likely suffer for awhile under Psyche's anger, disappointment, or grief. At least he hoped it was one of those more benign emotions. Because facing her hatred was something he would never be prepared for.

Chapter 31 - Psyche.

I rushed through dinner and hurried back to my bedroom before the sun had fully set. When I entered my room, I stopped in my tracks.

The room was overflowing with fragrant, white flowers. Roses and lilies. Orchids and chrysanthemums. I leaned over a bouquet of roses and inhaled. Their scent was so perfectly sweet it was almost intoxicating. I pulled one of the long-stemmed beauties from among the others and traced it under my nose. It felt like softest velvet.

As I stood back to admire the flowers more fully, I noticed how the white petals glowed mysteriously in the candle light. How the heady aroma of fresh blooms wrapped around the room like a cozy quilt. It was sort of funny - how he'd tossed away the orchids I'd brought him last night only to make it up to me with this. He definitely got points for style.

But then I remembered that he had forbidden my sister from visiting me. No matter how much I appreciated everything he'd given me, I couldn't let him keep me from my family. Especially not now.

Darkness was only starting to envelop the palace when Aris flew through the window and swept me into his arms. He kissed me deeply. Not pa.s.sionately, but as if he were afraid he might lose me if he let go.

I looked up at his face, wishing for the millionth time that I could see the flawless features I knew were hiding there. All there was of him to see were his dazzling eyes. He'd said all I needed to know about him was in his eyes, but that didn't feel exactly true tonight.

Something was off and whether it was me or him or both of us, I didn't know.

Finally, he broke the heavy silence. "I need you to promise me something, Psyche." His hands gently shook my shoulders, as if his words were like flour that needed to be sifted into my brain. "Promise you'll never try to talk to your family again."

"What?" I wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that he'd been spying on me or the promise he wanted me to make. "Are you insane? They're my family?"

"You should've let them think you were dead. It was safer."

"Is that the little string you're going to pull to get your way every time? This isn't safe. That's not safe. Safe from what? What do you think my family's going to do to me that's so dangerous?"

"Psyche, let me expla-"

"No, I want to finish," I said, pulling the petals off the rose I was holding. "You obviously knew Chara was coming since you'd already forbidden Favonius from bringing her down." The more I thought on it, the angrier I became. "Why are you trying to keep me away from her?"

Aris stepped back. He was probably stunned that I'd raised my voice at him. I had to admit it surprised me a little too.

Finally he said, "I did it for us."

"Us? There's only been an us," I said, indicating with my finger between our chests, "for like two days. How did you think cutting my family out of the picture would help us?"

"Because if I can't keep you safe, there is no us. Got it?"

"No, I don't. I feel like we're talking in circles. My family is not a danger to me." His eyes had turned metallic and I sensed I was losing, so I changed tact.

Clasping his hand in mine, I pulled him down to sit on the bed next to me. "You don't know what it was like for me today ... to hear her up there, knowing Father is sick. All I want is for her to come visit for a day, just an afternoon even. She deserves to know I'm safe." I squeezed his fingers. "That you're keeping me very safe."

"Her visit won't make you happy." His answer sounded more like a sigh than spoken words.

"If she only brings bad news, I can deal with that. Heck, she could come down here, tell me she hates me and I'd be happier than I am right now. My family needs to know I'm okay."

"Psyche," he said, his fingers lacing into mine, "I don't want to fight with you." He reached over and stroked a strand of hair away from my face. "If you want to see Chara, then she can come. I won't stop her."

My eyes closed in relief. "Thank you."

"But I want a different promise from you instead. Deal?" he asked.

I couldn't bear to open my eyes and look at him when he was attaching strings to my last visit with my sister. "What is it?"

"Promise you won't tell her anything about me. Or listen to anything she says about me," he added. "Okay?"

"Fine."

That should be easy enough, since I hardly know a d.a.m.n thing about you myself.

He leaned in, like he was going to try to plant one of his mesmerizing smooches on my lips. But I turned my head away. I was not ready to kiss and make up. On either front.

No kissing.

No making up.

Until I saw my sister tomorrow and knew he was making good on his end of the bargain, I wasn't ready to be done fuming.

"All the pollen in here is giving me a headache," I told him. "I think we better just call it a night."

His eyes looked misty. "I understand."

After planting a kiss on my forehead, he unfurled his wings and flew out of the palace. When I blinked, the flowers disappeared too. All except for the shredded rose I still held.

Falling back against the pillows, I realized he hadn't uttered his sleep command when he'd kissed me goodbye. Of all the nights. Between being keyed up from our argument and knowing I'd see my sister tomorrow, sleep didn't feel like it was going to come easy.

Sometimes I hated being right.

Chapter 32 - Eros.

When Eros left, he gave one last longing look back at Psyche. Could she keep her promise? She was only human after all. She looked so small and fragile against her ma.s.sive bed. He wanted to ignore her suggestion that he leave. Even more, he wanted break his own rules and stay beside her all the next day.

But it was just one day. It might be a hard day, but a day they would get through. And then things would be back to normal.

His powerful wings carried him back to his palace on Olympus. Eros pushed through the solid gold door and flopped down onto a pillow-covered couch. He'd planned to spend the night and all the next day on that couch, keeping silent watch to make sure Psyche's sister didn't interfere too much. But no sooner had he comfortably reclined, then he heard his mother's voice behind him.

"Out late again?" Aphrodite asked with raised eyebrow and a knowing glint in her eye.

"Mother!" Eros jumped up so quickly he nearly lost his balance. Only by jutting out a hand to the couch was he able to catch himself, but that caused a number of cushions to spill to the ground.

Aphrodite laughed, throaty and enticing. Her signature laugh.

"What?" Eros snapped at her, grabbing up the spilled pillows.

"Now is that any way to greet your mother?" Aphrodite purred. "You've kept me here waiting half the night."

Eros felt beads of sweat pop onto his forehead. Did she know? She couldn't have seen, but had she heard?

"You know, you've been staying out late quite a bit lately," Aphrodite said as she sauntered toward her son. "I'm afraid you're hiding something from me." Aphrodite ran her long, delicate finger down Eros's forearm. He couldn't help but shudder just a tad.

"What about it? I have a life, you know."

"Don't get so defensive, dear," Aphrodite said, raising her hand innocently to her chest. "You forget you're talking to the G.o.ddess of love. I know about needs."

"I am so not having this conversation with you," Eros said as he plopped back down onto his couch. He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, as if he could ignore his mother out of his house.

Aphrodite sat down next to her son. "I'm not judging you, son. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

Eros cut his eyes over to his mother, not sure where she was going with this.

"I just don't want you spending too much time with the same girl. As I thought you'd learned, it's not ... judicious for us to get too attached to mortals." Aphrodite leaned in closer. "You won't be able to keep her."

Eros's eyes widened only briefly as he realized his mother had no idea about Psyche. She just thought he was having an overly-long affair with some anonymous mortal. He could work with that.

Eros curled up the corner of his mouth into a devilish grin. "Fine. I'll cut her loose. But don't expect me home still. There are plenty more where she came from."

"My thoughts exactly," Aphrodite said, "which is why I want you to meet someone."

No, no, no. She is not trying to set me up again. Please tell me she's not setting me up.

"You'll just adore Iris," Aphrodite continued. "She's bright and imaginative and she appears in the most beautiful places."

"She's a freakin' rainbow. For the last time, I am not dating her, okay?"

Aphrodite dropped the nice act. "Look around. It's not like there are that many available G.o.ddesses out there. You've already refused the one mortal I offered you. But you're getting too old to keep up this nonsense. If you don't settle down soon and stop being such a pest, Zeus is going to strip you of your arrows."

"I haven't shot at him in months. What's got him so worked up now?"