Cupids

"Well, fuck," she said out loud to no one in particular.

February 14, 12:01 am EET - One year later

Having collected her luggage at Athens airport, Lisa took a deep breath. They had finally made it.

It had been a long couple of days for her and Elena: St. John's to Toronto, then London, and finally Athens. Her three-month-old daughter had been a trooper throughout. Everyone marvelled at how well she travelled and told Lisa she had a beautiful daughter.

Everyone who met Elena tended to fall a bit in love with her. Given who her father was, that was hardly a surprise.

She remembered the conversation on the hill with Cupid, saying she wanted someone to love her unconditionally. Looking down at her daughter, she knew that gods gave you what you wanted, just not always in the way you expected.

At first, everyone thought Kevin was the father. Until Lisa told them, in no uncertain terms, that he was not, nor did she say who was. This caused a mild scandal, and people felt bad for him.

But a series of real scandals took over his life. The girl who she caught blowing Kevin came forward and said he pressured her for a blowjob. Then, other students came forward with similar stories.

She should have found it humiliating. It wasn't that she caught Kevin; it was that she caught the latest one he'd been cheating on her with. He'd been doing it for years and she was oblivious.

He took a sabbatical and left the province while the investigation continued. People who judged her for getting pregnant with another man were now sympathetic.

She didn't care. She was pregnant with a god's daughter. Lisa had bigger worries.

A month after her adventures with Cupid, a package arrived. An anonymous benefactor purchased a house near the university in her name. There was no more information, but her lawyer swore it was on the up and up.

The following month, a new car arrived at her new house. It was very fast and had all the safety features.

A powerful laptop arrived. It gave Lisa astonishing access to databases and records on ancient civilizations. If she wished, Lisa could write books on what she found there for the rest of her life.

This happened for the rest of the year. Every month, a new gift arrived. It didn't take much to figure out which member of the Pantheon had sent it along. It seems they were all eager to make sure their latest member was well cared for.

Despite her worries, the pregnancy was smooth. Her friends were dying to know who the father was, but she never relented. However, she found their comments about how she glowed during her pregnancy much funnier than they did.

On November 7, her daughter entered the world. Lisa feared giving birth to a demi-goddess would be difficult, but she arrived quick and easy. Every nurse wanted to find time to come in and see her daughter. A hint of things to come.

Like her father, she had blondish-red hair and blue eyes the colour of the North Atlantic. When Elena looked at her, Lisa worried her heart might explode with love.

Elena was one of a dozen children born on that day whose parents were all from Cupids. Nobody talked about the unnaturally beautiful day, the mysterious light on the hill, the orgasms, and thunder and lightning. But they knew Lisa and her stranger were somehow responsible for everything that happened, including the mini baby boom.

A month ago, a first-class plane ticket arrived in the mail, and it had them landing in Athens on Valentine's Day. It seems the family wanted to meet her. Lisa was terrified but couldn't see a way around it.

Of Cupid, there had been no news.

She walked through the airport, her daughter in the stroller, and dragging her suitcase. Travelling with a baby should be a pain, but a first-class ticket has its privileges. Plus, everyone turned themselves inside out to help.

As she approached the exit from security, Lisa noticed a woman holding a sign with her name on it, looking bemused. At least she wore more clothes than the last time she saw her. Everybody stared at Aphrodite and paid no attention to the people coming out of security. Aphrodite spotted Lisa and Elena and smiled. A half dozen people fainted.

"Hello, my daughter. And how is my grandchild?" she asked, holding out her hands.

Lisa hesitated for a second. Aphrodite was still a goddess. If she wanted to take Elena, there wasn't much she could do about it. But she could have done it at any point in the last three months and hadn't. Lisa reached into the stroller and took out Elena. She fussed a bit, not enjoying waking from her nap, but then settled into her grandmother's arms.

Elena smiled, and Lisa swore she saw Aphrodite's heart melt a little bit.

"She's perfect," she whispered.

"Yes, she is," Lisa said.

The three of them stood like that for a moment in the airport, unaware of the crowd gathering around them. They didn't know who they were, they only knew they wanted to be near the two women and baby.

Finally, Aphrodite handed Elena back with some reluctance. Lisa hadn't been holding her breath but was relieved to have her back in her arms.

"Well, come along, daughter. You've had a long journey. You must be tired," she said, sweeping towards the airport's front doors. The crowd parted for her, with several more collapsing as she walked past.

Outside, a man waited for the two of them in a luxury car. He quickly moved to take the stroller and luggage, put it in the trunk, and then opened the back door for them. He looked at Elena and touched her cheek. She giggled. Like Aphrodite, Lisa thought he might cry.

They settled in the backseat while Aphrodite and Hermes got in the front. She looked for a car seat, but there wasn't one. Lisa saw the goddess looking at her in the rearview mirror, smiling.

"You're travelling with a god and goddess, daughter. You're as safe as you're ever going to get," she said.

Hermes hit the gas, and the car surged away from the airport, pushing her into the seat. Lisa couldn't see much out of the tinted windows. They were going so fast that she wondered how it was possible given what she knew about Athens traffic. But she suspected they were travelling by unconventional means. The car was a way to reassure her.

"Thank you and your family for the gifts," Lisa said. Elena looked out the window and cooed as buildings and lights blurred past.

"You're family now," Hermes said. "We take care of our own."

Given what she knew about their family, Lisa wasn't sure that was true, but it would be ungracious to argue the point.

"Besides, many of the family applaud what Cupid did. Standing against Father might have been foolish, but we appreciate why he did it. Taking care of his daughter and her mother is one way we can help. Besides, it's been a long, long time since we had a new member of the family," he said.

Lisa's skepticism must have shone through this time. It's not like Greek history had any shortage of demi-gods from the liaisons of the gods. Aphrodite turned around and looked at her.

"There's much you still don't know, child. We're not as involved in your matters as we used to be. Your daughter is the first child born in our family in over 1,500 years. I imagine Cupid holding onto so much power that day is partly the reason. Elena has many adoring aunts, uncles and cousins waiting to meet her. And a grandmother eager to spoil her," she said.

"And Cupid?" Lisa managed to get out without sounding too pathetic.

Throughout the last year, she wouldn't allow herself any hope of seeing him again. He was a god and she was mortal. A spiteful Greek god was punishing him. Too much hope would break her heart. But the plane ticket and trip reawakened her hope, whether she liked it or not.

"You'll find out," Aphrodite said, turning around in her seat.

Throwing a temper tantrum at a god didn't seem like a good idea, so Lisa sat and fumed in the backseat. Soon enough, the car slowed. The door opened and blinding sunlight streamed in. She blinked as Hermes helped her and Elena out of the car.

Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight. It was dark when she left, now it was daylight. This would do wonders for her jet lag. She was about to ask 'How?' but realized she needed to get used to weirdness.

It was lush and beautiful. In the distance was the Aegean Sea. The landscape looked familiar. Lisa was pretty sure she'd been here before.

"Is this Cyprus?"

"Yes, it is, my daughter. Do you remember visiting here before?"

Lisa blushed. She did remember. The Grotto of Aphrodite must be nearby. She visited it years ago when she was 20. You weren't supposed to go swimming in it, but she was bumbling around with a guy and snuck back late, swam there, and had sex. He left her the next day. Brokenhearted, she returned to the grotto, brought a rose and left it by an old fig tree, and wished to find true love one day.

"Did you make all this happen?"

Aphrodite smiled and shook her head.

"No, but I remembered you looked familiar last year. Then I recalled you and your prayer," she said. "Perhaps it's another reason you were able to get pregnant. The waters grant fertility, after all."

Aphrodite walked up to her home. Outside were the ruins of an old olive tree, split by lightning. As she approached, the door opened and Cupid walked out.

For a moment, Lisa was sure her heart would explode. She never thought she would see him again, and there he was, looking perfect, if not a little tired. It was all she could do not to run. Instead, she walked to him. He looked at her, and then at their daughter.

"May I?" he asked. Lisa handed Elena to him.

He held his daughter and the two stared at each other, transfixed. Cupid touched her cheek, and Elena grabbed his finger with the fierce strength that only a baby could manage.

"I never meant to get you pregnant and not be here to help," he said. "I am so..."

She kissed him gently on the lips. Again, it felt like the nerves woke up for the first time in a year.

"I know. But I wanted someone to look at me and love me. And whether you intended it or not, that's what you gave me," Lisa said.

He nodded and looked at Elena again. "She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"She has that effect," Lisa said, laughing gently.

Nearby, Aphrodite cleared her voice, causing them to look her way.

"I'm available to babysit if the two of you need some time to catch up. After all, Cupid only has so much time here," she said.

Lisa looked at him, not understanding.

"Zeus's anger with me was... considerable. But when Mother told him I was to be a father, the rest of the family petitioned for mercy. So once a year, I'm allowed out of Tartarus and I'm free to spend time with you and my daughter," he said.

"For how long?" she whispered.

"Until he forgets why I'm there? Until he needs my services to woo someone again. It's hard to know. Not too long, I hope. My Uncle has made my time there comfortable. I think he appreciated my act," he said.

"Zeus would be more likely to forget if Hera would stop making 'Bahhh' noises whenever his back is turned," Aphrodite said, shaking her head. "Now come, we have a feast to plan for. The family will be arriving soon and they are eager to meet you both.

Cupid carried Elena in his arms and, after getting the nod from Lisa, followed after his mother. Lisa lingered back, taking it all in. She was on a hill in Cyprus where, as far as locals knew, there was absolutely no villa owned by their goddess of love. Her child's father would be unwillingly absent quite a lot. Her father-in-law was flighty. Her mother-in-law was terrific, but 'self-absorbed' and 'spiteful' were also often mentioned in her stories.

Then again, those stories were often written by men. Maybe she would be different.

And then there was her daughter. "Special needs" didn't accurately describe what life would be like with her as she got older. Lisa knew she was a handful as a teenager. But a teenage demi-goddess whose father's side of the family specialized in love, desire, and trouble?

She didn't like to think about it.

Aphrodite saying she remembered her leaving the flower and offering a prayer jogged back the rest of the memory. It wasn't just the finding love she prayed for. She also prayed for an interesting life.

"Be careful what you ask the gods for," she thought, moving to catch up with her daughter.