When Cupid Falls In Love

Chapter 10: Cupid

"She can't see you."

"Shecan't see you."

"Shecan'tsee you."

"Shecan'tseeyou."

Hermes' perplexing words played in my mind like a broken reel of whispers, driving me insane. I had allowed Penny to see me, I had switched to my visible form so she could, but she didn't, and for the immortal life of me I couldn't understand why. While the Gods had their many differences, we all had one thing in common; we could decide who saw us and who didn't in the human world. So why couldn't I? I doubted it pertained to age, and I'm positive I didn't do it wrong. It definitely had nothing to do with the humans. They liked seeing us. Most times they didn't know we were Gods because we looked just like them, only more visually appealing. All our human form did was hide our supernatural features and make us visible. It's a simple concept even the stupidest of Gods can grasp. Meaning, a factor out of my control was preventing it.

After a painful flight home, I silently locked myself in my bedroom and began obsessing mercilessly over what went wrong. Maybe humans could only see us if they wanted to? No, not possible. There were many mortals who didn't like or believe in the Gods and they still saw us. There had to be something wrong, and Penny wasn't the problem.

It was me.

For hours I allowed bewildering questions to vex me. What did I do wrong? Why was this so hard? Was I being punished? The longer I reflected on my day, the more questions I had and the less answers followed. My lack of understanding welled inside my chest as the sight of the wall taunted me. Occasionally, Hermes checked in, but he stopped bothering me after I yelled at him.

Is this what a despaired, broken heart felt like? Like someone had gripped it between their fingers and laughed as they squeezed it dry? Like there was tar in your lungs, making it impossible to breathe? Like you wanted to just cry and cry and cry? Then, despite the terrible pain, you can't help but cling to hope that somehow it work out. Call me a fool, but I still believed I could find a way to fix things. Penny would be mine.

Following each depressing thought, was a positive one, burdened with guesses about her. I wondered if she believed in Gods, if she watched movies, or pulled pranks. Would she goof off with me? Or be uptight like my mother? She didn't seem like the uptight kind, but you never know.

Sighing heavily, I looked at my quiver of arrows as it rested against the side of my bed innocently. Those damned things were always causing trouble. I couldn't help but hate them. Why did I have to be the God of love anyways? It was hardly fair. Why couldn't I be the God of music like Apollo, or God of the sea like Poseidon? Penny would find more enjoyment in dating them I bet. They've had plenty of experience and always know what to do.

You never read fanfictions about girls freaking out over Cupid. The only cool thing I could do was shoot an arrow, and everyone portrayed me as a cherub in a diaper. No self-respecting girl would be into that. Even if they were, who would want to date an unappealing boy in a diaper? Perhaps, if Penny could see me, I'd stand a chance. If she could just hear my voice, maybe she'd think of me how I think of her. If we could just have a conversation, I could ease into shooting her and make her fall in love. Until she could see me though, there was no point in shooting her.

I gritted my teeth with a swell of resentment then as I rose to my feet and grabbed my quiver and bow. I had to confront my mother about this. Anytime something was out of my control, she usually knew why. I needed to know what went wrong or it would drive me mad.

Trying to keep my frustration discrete, I walked down the red carpeted hall before taking the elevator down to the entertainment room. Tonight, was wine night. An activity my mother liked to participate in. It was the only time Zeus and Poseidon turned off the tv, and everyone could enter the entertainment room without being dragged into a pointless debate. By the end of the night, they'd all be passed out on the floor or sharing bedrooms. As most parties go.