A Wayward Arrow

Chapter Thirteen: The Third Trial

Psyche awoke to the whip of the handmaidens who were rushing her to start the morning's breakfast for the house of Aphrodite. The pain and the surprise brought her up with a quick gasp and she'd look at the handmaidens with surprise before she got up to her feet and began to prepare the morning's meal. Once prepared, Psyche brought the food out to the table and stood off to the side as she did every mealtime. Watching as the goddess ate her fill.

"It's such a shame," Aphrodite started, piling food onto a plate, "That a girl like you had to exist. If only you had been uglier then none of this would have ever happened, isn't that right?"

"Yes, mistress." She had answered, trying not to let the Goddess's words sting too deep into her.

"I don't know what anyone sees in you. Whatever beauty you had surely has been drained away by the stress of carrying the child of a god and working under the tasks of my house. Maybe when you finally give up and return to the mortal realm they will no longer try to worship you as if you are me."

"I can't give up, beloved Aphrodite." Psyche spoke back, "I love Eros."

"You don't know what love is, girl."

"That might be so, but I know whatever I feel for your son is genuine and I will do anything to get him back. I will do as many tasks as you place before me. I don't care how impossible or how dangerous they seem, I will continue them until you realize my devotion to Eros."

"Is that so?" She placed her silverware down, reaching for a crystal decanter vase and stood up to her feet. "Then follow me."

Aphrodite led Psyche out of the dining hall and through her house. Leading her straight towards a window. The crystal vase was thrusted into Psyche's hands and Aphrodite pointed out of the window straight towards a flowing black river that erupted forth from the hill and cliff face not too far from the palace. Aphrodite smiled wickedly, turning to look at the girl before her.

"Do you see that river? That is the river Styx, foul and abhorrent as it is. Here is your task. You are to climb the cliff side and fill the vase with the flowing waters from the mouth of the river and bring the vase back to me. You think you can do that, dear Psyche?"

"I will do it."

"Then get out of my sight."

Psyche looked out the window for a moment before turning on her heels and heading out of the palace. The river Styx. She knew better than to touch the flowing waters, but how was she going to fill up the vase? She would have to do so carefully, but Aphrodite had stated her instructions clearly. She wanted the waters from the mouth of it, which came from above from the cliff face. As Psyche got closer, she noticed how tall the hillside was. How sharp the incline was.

Even so, she started her way up the side of the hill. The incline was so high she was having trouble keeping her foot hold and was continuously sliding along the edge of it. She worked and wormed her way up and eventually made her way to the top of the hill. She collapsed into the grass, listening to the rushing waters of the river for a moment as her heart pounded and she tried her best to bring it back to an even pace.

Above her she heard the flapping of wings and the roaring of beasts and as she looked above she heard dragons. Her eyes grew wide and she scrambled to her feet. Heading towards the edge of the cliff only to notice that there was no way that she would be able to make her way over. It was too wet and slippery and the edge of the cliff was too narrow and too sharp for her to have any foot holds, this place was only meant for winged things. A roar above her had her ducking down low as a dragon swooped down and went to grab her. Psyche screamed out in fear.

"Dear gods, somebody help me!" She cried, running towards the edge of the cliff.

She had to try, she just had to, but as she got closer she'd begin to slip and she'd fall a bit into the grass, dropping the vase, as a dragon swooped down again above her, talons stretched out to grab at her. Another scream and she would retreat the way she came. Heading towards the hill side where she slid her way back down and edged her way against the hill side. Psyche clutched tightly to her chest. Despair claimed her again. Aphrodite knew this would happen, that was why she had tasked her with this. Another impossible task to make Psyche quit.

"Please, dear gods... Somebody help me with this task set for me by Aphrodite." She begged.

Just then, a loud screech from the sky could be heard and large eagles began to take over the sky. Psyche looked up and saw as they started to battle with the dragons. Sending them back as they flew away. Another had grabbed the vase and dove for the waters. As the eagles chased away the dragons, the one eagle with the vase clutched in it's large talon was now filling up the vase with the waters from the mouth of the cliffside.

The eagle came down to Psyche and handed her the crystal Vase and Psyche would find the lid and placed it onto the vase as she thanked the eagles. Realizing they must belong to Zeus, she'd look up towards the sky and began to weep happy tears to know that the gods were indeed taking pity upon her, that Zeus had heard her pleas and had sent his eagles down to battle the dragons and fill up the vase with water from the river Styx.

"Thank you, Zeus. Thank you."

Psyche wasn't going to stick around any longer, at least the dragons came back. She ran all the way back to the palace. Covered in nicks and scraps from her tumble on the cliffside and down the hill. As she came into the house of Aphrodite she was winded and panting, but made her way before the goddess all the same. She handed her the vase which the goddess looked at incredulously but took hold of all the same.

"It took you less time to gather these waters than it did for you to gather me the wool of the sheep of Helios." Aphrodite spoke. "Do you think I am a fool, Psyche?"

"A fool? No, whatever do you mean?"

Aphrodite sat the crystal vase down, moving forward towards Psyche, striking her across the face, sending the girl down to the ground before her. Psyche yelled out in pain but didn't get up, instead she lay there with her face to the ground, not daring to get back up before the angry goddess.

"These tasks I have set before you were impossible. First the grains, then the wool, and now the waters of the River Styx. You think I am a fool. You think I would just continue to let you make a fool out of me by accepting that you've been doing all these tasks by yourself without any help from anyone. I know you've been getting help. Who is helping you?!"

"I don't know. I have just been getting help. I haven't been asking for it till the river. I was attacked by dragons... and..."

Aphrodite cut her off, "Attacked by dragons? And then what? Who helped you?"

"These eagles came down and helped me. They fought the dragons off and grabbed the water for me. You didn't say that it had to be me who got the water for you, just that it had to be from the cliff face, the mouth of the river."

"And the grain and the wool?"

"The ants helped me with the grain and the reeds helped with the wool."

"Ants and reeds? I have one final task for you to prove yourself to me, but before then you have chores to do and a supper to prepare. Until tomorrow morning I don't want to see you. Do you understand? Ants and reeds... Go, get out of my sight."

Psyche scrambled up to her feet and hurried out of the room and straight towards the kitchen where she went about her chores. Cleaning up after breakfast for the day and a few other chores that the handmaidens had tasked her with. However, the only thing that Psyche could think about was what this final task was. What could Aphrodite have in mind for her? If that last task was anything, then she knew that she was in trouble. Whatever the task was it had to be more impossible than trying to claim water from the River Styx or trying to shear the murderous sheep of Helios and she was afraid.

"Eros, please... forgive me so that these tasks can end. I don't know how much more I can take or how much more viciousness I can stomach from your mother." She whispered softly to herself as if speaking a sort of prayer. "Please, let me apologize for my betrayal."