Metamorphosis

Chapter 12: Psyche

 I knew I was right about that spark in her eyes, that piece of her that wanted freedom. Looking at her now, she looked more beautiful than ever, exposed, raw; it reminded me of new beginnings. I found myself smiling as she talked to her purring cat like a baby.

"Aren't you going to intervene, brother?" Himeros says as he came from behind me, his mischievous sparkling eyes waiting for my answer.

"You know I can't, " I say as I quickly push him to the garden where no one can see us.

"Ah, but you already have. You've talked to the woman and saved her life; weren't you suppose to-"

"Mother has vengeance in her heart," I interrupted.

Himeros smiled, "Of course she does, and with that girl walking around, it might as well be a slap in the face to her."

I leered at my brother, "You enjoy taking the fun out of everything, don't you?"

Himeros answered with a smirk, "Really now, brother, what is your obsession with this woman?" Himeros asks with a curious smile.

"She fascinates me. She makes my mother's blood boil over; I had to see what the commotion was about."

Himeros laughed, "Well, of course, her blood boils! This woman is seen as the ultimate betrayal to her."

I rolled my eyes, our mother should have known this would happen, yet she fed her own desires for Ares, someone I could not stand. He was arrogant.

"Our mother is the expert of betrayal, don't you think?" I said, feeling the irony of all of this. She blames Hephatauous for having an affair, but she has had an affair herself and many children with Ares.

"Yet she sent you down here to kill the woman...am I wrong?" Himeros whispered in my ear.

My jaw clenched; I briefly remembered the conversation my mother and I had about all of this. 

"That girl has made a fool out of me; I want her dead, Eros." She said to me, I had no idea what she was talking about, but soon I found out. Hephatous had an affair with a woman whose name I still don't know, and neither does my mother, but from their romance bore a child. One that was shielded from us for a very long time until now.

"I trust you more than anyone Eros, please, silence my hatred. Make her disappear," was the last thing she said to me before I left to find the girl. I have done this before. Mother usually had her jealous moments, but this was something else; her eyes held a sheer icy wall of hatred for this woman, and so began my curious nature to find out why.

But once I saw her, in all her rawness, I couldn't keep my word, so I decided to hide her and face my mother's wrath later.

"Oh, I see," Himeros says knowingly, "She reminds you of Psyche, doesn't she?" Himeros had a teasing tone in his voice that rubbed me the wrong way.

My hand went to my necklace, sliding it between two fingers. My heart ached to hear Psyche's name again; it was like pouring salt on a fresh open wound. 

I could hear a slight sigh come from Himeros, "Oh brother, you are indeed a god with a broken heart. Tell me, how do you hide it so well?"

I scoffed, "Simple," I turn to him," you smile; when your smiling, no one asks what's wrong with you. It's camouflage," I say, knowing this to be true because after I lost Psyche, I lost apart of myself, and that feeling awakened ripped it out again after meeting Dove; that's why I couldn't stay away from her. 

"How long do you suppose you'll be able to hide her?" Himeros asks as he snips a rose from the garden.

"I'm hoping for as long as I can; if our mother finds out I didn't kill her, she might sike Ares on me," I said while chuckling. I wanted more time with Dove to explore her mind. She was such an interesting woman...

A fluttering of tiny wings grabs my attention as a letter fae zooms past me to my brother. 

"Ah, thank you," he says as he's handed the letter. His eyes skim the paper, then he smiles, "Hm, looks like I'll have to leave your company, brother," he turns the form around to show a turtle dove, my gut clenches.

"Mother has sent for you? Why?"

Himeros shrugs, "Who knows, but don't worry. Your little human is safe here; I won't tell our mother of your dalliances," he says with a wink. Himeros and I grew up together, and as far as I was concerned, he was my only brother. Phobos was Ares, son, and I wanted nothing to do with them.

"Before you leave, I have a question for you," I said, hoping he could point me in a direction. "What goddess has the power to wield cosmic beams?"

Himeros raises his brow, "Come again?"

I chuckle at my brother's confusion, "My Phobos attacked Dove for some reason; he is after her too, but Dove unleashed a cosmic beam of light; I have never seen anything like it before in my life, tell me, do you know who has such an ability?"

Himeros stares off as he thinks; his blue eyes sparkle as he looks back at me, "Are you trying to find Dove's birth mother?" he asks.

"Yes, It would be wise for me to know who she is, don't you think?"

"I'll ask around, but be scarce, brother, do not let anyone know what you're doing here," Himeros warns; I nod. I knew if someone decided to stalk me, they would find Dove and report back to my mother, and she would have wrath like no other.

"Hey, you know who you should ask? Hephatous he is the girl's father. Why not ask the source?" Himeros says. 

"I will be safe, brother; tell no one you saw me," I say as I wave him off; he nods and disappears. I turn back, heading to Dove's room.

As I walk in, I'm greeted with a hiss from her cat.

"Oh, looks like you didn't pass Chakra's test, "Dove says.

The white cat fluffs up at me; I lean down to her, "Hm, best not to bite the hand that made you..." I said, and her fierce hiss turned into a soft purr. "That's better," I said as I stroked her soft fur.

"Wha-Can no one hate you?" Dove asks, seeming annoyed.

I chuckle, "Hate is a strong word, love." I say as I sit next to her.

"Hm, I guess that's why I used it to describe how I feel about my so-called "parents," she says.

I clear my throat, "speaking of parents, would you like to meet your father?"

Dove starts to laugh nervously, "Uh, what?"

"I'm serious, but you can't actually talk to him; I will be the one talking, but you will be in camouflage. You will still get to see him." 

Dove stares away from me; her thoughts flash behind her eyes as she bites her lip.

"I-I need to think about it..." she says as she walks over to the window; she gazes out, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," 

"I guess I can't wrap my head around why you're doing all this for me. What do you get out of it?" She asks, her back turned to me.

I sigh, "You remind me of someone...someone I wish I could have helped when it counted," I fought back the lingering hurt that clutched my chest tighter and tighter. 

Dove turned around, "What happened? Who were they?" She asks; I swallowed hard, not wanting to relive the whole ordeal. 

"It's something I can't talk about right now, not in detail, but please, trust me when I tell you, I'm not out to harm you or anything like that," I found myself walking towards Dove until I was inches away from her. 

Her eyes stared back at me, "Okay, I'll let you slide for now, but I do want to know eventually," she says, " If you want me to trust you, you have to trust me too."

I smiled, then nodded, " Of course," Dove smiles shyly, then I notice she starts to sway, "Dove?"

"Huh?" she says before falling forward; I catch her, my heart pounds against my chest. I lay her on the floor, "Dove?!" I call to her but no response, her eyes glaze over. I shake her hoping to snap her out of whatever she was in, but it didn't help, and for the second time in my life, I felt more helpless than I had ever felt...