Cupid's Daughter

By Libby Sparks

Copyright 2013 by Principis Publishing LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from this publisher.

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I sighed and ran my fingers across the table. As usual, I was sitting alone with a drink in my hands. I took a sip and looked around bar. It was an old bar, one with faded booths and worn tables. The walls were a grey painted brick and were beginning to chip. It had charm, something I don’t often see anymore. The nearby college kept it going, and was clearly a hotspot for the students to gather. Young couples and groups of friends crowded the place as I sat alone and sulked.

I gave a glance at my watch and sighed once more. I could feel the old guy sitting next to me watching my every move, waiting to make his. He reeked of cigarettes, and it made me crave one. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. I had a job to do, and the sooner I got it done with, the sooner I could leave. I took another sip of my alcohol and watched my client.

He was a brown haired, cute college boy, that was about my age, sitting with his friends and unaware of the life changing circumstance that was about to happen. I watched closely as one of his college buddies told a dirty joke and the whole table laughed, except for my client. He gave a chuckle and then looked away, distracted. He was more mature than his group of college buddies, but was afraid to admit it. He was ready to fall in love.

Lucky duck.

I sighed again and glanced at my watch. When I looked back to my client I noticed that he had walked over to the bartender and ordered another round of drinks. I ran my pale hand through my long, snow white hair and stood up from the table, taking my drink with me. I could only think about how desperately I wanted a cigarette as I passed the man who smelled of it.

I tapped the boy on the shoulder and he turned to face me. His eyes brightened at the sight of me.

"Hello," he greeted with a confident smile.

I smiled back politely. "Hi."

"Can I help you?" He never let his grin falter. I stole a quick glance back at his friends, making sure that they weren't watching.

"Actually," I said. "I'm here to help
you
."

"Oh, is that so?" he asked playfully.

I lowered my voice to a volume only he could hear. "I know you don't want to be here but your friends always drag you along, don't they?"

His brow creased. "H-how do you know that?"

I ignored his question and turned to the sound of someone entering the bar. A pretty blonde girl walked in, tears streaming down her face and I smiled.
Right on time.
I pulled a twenty dollar bill from my pocket and handed it to the client.

"Take this and buy that girl a drink. Don't make any cheesy moves and just sit and listen to her." He didn't take the bill so I stuck it in the pocket of his red plaid shirt.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

I rolled my eyes and pointed to the girl, she was sitting by herself at the end of the bar, still crying. Her cute brown curls would be a perfect match for his loose ones.

"I can't take your money."

"You just did," I told him, setting down my now empty glass and sliding down from a stool. "Just do as I say and you will get what you want, I promise. Have a good night."

"Wait," my client said and grabbed my hand. "I don't even know your name."

I forced a smile, more than ready to leave. I was so tired of these small jobs. "It's
her
name that you need to know." My eyes averted in the direction of the girl.

I stood in the entryway as I watched him walk over to the sobbing girl. She seemed thankful that someone as cute as him came to talk to her. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a small arrow, and gave it a toss toward the future couple. It passed through the boy and into the girl's chest before disintegrating back into the universe.

Then I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket and stuck it in my mouth with a shaky hand. I had to leave at that point, I always did. I couldn't stand to be there and watch the results of my work while I was left lonely and empty...a fate I was destined to live for eternity.

"You have living arrangements?" Psyche asked before we said our goodbyes. My mother's best friend, and Goddess of the Soul, was always worried about me living on Earth. But it's where I felt the happiest, I felt like...myself, whatever that was.

I stood outside of their house, more than ready to get back down to Earth. I came here for my assignments, and I hated every visit as much as the last. I was half immortal, but being among others of my kind made me despise what I am. I couldn't fall in love. And, even if I could, I would have to find another person like me; half immortal. And there weren't too many of those just walking around. I was going to live forever...and I couldn't fall in love. My fate sounded as bad as it felt. Being here, in the house of the Love Gods just reminded me of it.

"I'm staying with Hayden," I replied. Hayden was my mortal best friend, who has the privilege of knowing my secret. It's not that it's forbidden to tell mortals about us, it's just frowned upon. They tend to freak out. But, I've known Hayden for years, and I could trust her with anything.

"Well, you're always welcome here, you know that," Psyche reminded me, just like every other time, and put her hands on my shoulders. I gave her a quick hug, her long golden hair brushed my face and it felt like strands of silk caressing my skin. I then glanced over at Eros, the God of Desire, my mother's other friend and third member of the house.

"Are you going to meet him today?" he handed over the blue case file. I took the folder and stuffed it under my arm. He seemed particularly anxious for me to start this job. I could tell as much by the way he rubbed his hands through his wavy white hair. If I hadn’t known my mother’s friends were gods, I would have thought them to be angels by their ethereal appearance.

"Maybe." I shrugged. Psyche excused herself and headed back into the large Victorian house while mumbling something about food in the oven. She was always experimenting with different dishes. That was one of the only things she loved about mortals, the delicious foods.

"Come back soon, darling," she shouted behind her. I looked back at Eros expectantly but he stood awkwardly.

"Don't scare the poor boy. You've never had a case where you've had to formally meet the client," Eros said after a minute or so. All of my jobs were strictly get in and get out. No time to get to know them. I liked it that way.

"I'll be fine," I assured him as I signalled for the cab.

Eros walked over and held out his arms as if to offer a hug but then he reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He waved them in front of my face before opening the pack.

"I thought you were quitting?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why should I? It's not like I can get lung cancer or anything."

"Your mother will not be very happy," he declared, but had the smallest hint of a grin on his face. Eros always liked to screw with my mom. In mythology, they were considered one another's counter parts, but really they were just old friends.

"I'll quit when that pack is empty." I reached out for the pack but Eros held it out of my reach.

He evilly took the two remaining cigarettes from the pack and broke them in half. I stared at him with my mouth gaping open as I watched him throw them on the ground and grinded them into the pavement with his shoe before handing me the empty carton.

"Looks like it's time to quit," he pointed out smartly. I took the pack and shoved it back into my pocket as a yellow cab pulled up beside the curb. It wasn't a mortal cab, of course. It was the way back to earth, to the mortal world; the place I call my home.

I pulled open the door and set one foot inside before turning back to my mother's friend, the God of Desire. "I'm not cleaning that up, by the way." I slammed the door behind me and told Frank where I wanted to go.

"Trouble in paradise?" Frank questioned as he drove off. I saw Eros wave at me from the curb.

"
Paradise?"

"Come on." Frank met my eyes in the rear view mirror. He wasn’t a god, just an immortal happy to serve them. I loved how his face shown signs of age in the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. Immortals never show signs of aging and I always wondered if Frank chose to appear that way. "You live in the house of love. That has to mean that everything is usually smooth sailing."

"Yeah," I muttered. "It's just peachy."

I stepped out onto the curb and thanked Frank for the ride. Then I faced the huge and dark apartment building and sighed in relief before unlocking and walking through the main door. I took the steps two at a time until I reached the fourth floor. The building was one of the oldest ones in the city. It was falling apart, bricks chipping off the side, metal fire escapes rusted and frozen in place, faded and ripped carpets lining the halls. But I loved it. It made me feel more human,

After rummaging through my pockets, I realized that I had forgotten my house key. I knocked on the door and in a matter of seconds someone opened it. A petite brunette looked up at me. She stared at me with her big and tired brown eyes shining in her heart shaped face.

"Ari?"

"Hey, Hayden." I walked past her into the apartment. "Nice to see you home for once."

Hayden shut the door and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry, I just have such a busy schedule lately, especially with my new job."

"Another one?" I set down the folder on the old chest we used as a coffee table. "How many is that now?"

"Three, but they are all part-time. I can't find anything full-time that's stable in this freakin' city." Hayden plopped down on the couch where she was obviously sleeping before I showed up. The heap of blankets and pillows said as much.

"You're going to work yourself to death," I teased as I walked over to raid her fridge. I loved this apartment. The appliances were olive green with a retro look, probably because they were actually from the seventies. It wasn’t a huge place, a two bedroom big enough for us and a small balcony just the perfect size for the two of us to lay down side by side and sun tan. Hayden had decorated the place with an array of eclectic things she finds, like antique vases and old movie posters.

"Well, are there any openings in the match-maker department?” she kidded and then yawned. “How else am I going to pay for school?" Oh yeah, on top of three jobs, she also attended night classes at the local college. I had to give her credit; she was harder working than most people I knew.

"I'd help if I actually got paid for what I did," I said, grabbing a can of Coke and sitting down to the kitchen table. I paid my half of the rent with some of the money I got from my mother each month, but that was it.

"Thanks," she muttered appreciatively. "Did you find my soul mate yet?"

"Still looking," I responded jokingly. "You'll be the first to know."

"What job do you have now?"

"Some guy," I answered and pointed over to where I set the file. Hayden reached over and grabbed it. She opened it and gasped.

"Oh my, I want him," she proclaimed in awe and grabbed the photo.

"Sorry." I joined her on the couch. "He's an immortal."

"I don't care. That just means he'll be this gorgeous and juicy forever," Hayden squealed as she clutched the photo close to her face as though she might miss any details. I quickly took the photo from her grasp and set it back in the file.

"No can do. Immortals are matched with other immortals."

"Can't I become an immortal?" She glanced over at me with hopeful batting eyes.

I shook my head sadly. No, that was definitely not her future. "It's not in the cards for you."

"Damn," she muttered. "Well, you can have him then." Sighing dramatically she scratched at her pink thumbnail.

I shook my head again. "No falling in love on the job. Rule number one. Plus, he's an immortal." My gaze wearily traced the stitched seams in the sofa we were sitting on.

She shrugged. "But, so are you."

"No, I mean yes. I'll live forever, but I'm half immortal. I have to be matched with another half immortal."

Hayden let out a flap of air through her lips. "Sheesh, whoever made up all these rules obviously never fell in love." I didn't answer. The topic made me touchy. "Well, whoever gets him is one lucky duck," she declared, lying back on the couch. She then threw her legs over my lap and closed her eyes.

I stayed quiet a few minutes and it didn't take long to hear small snoring sounds. As I stood and gently moved her legs, I smiled while I watched her sleep, wishing that my best friend didn't have to work so hard.

I remember when I first met her. My client at the time was her boyfriend and sadly I had to be the one to break them up. Hayden caught on to something about me, convinced that I was involved, and followed me everywhere. She really had it out for me because she had thought that I had ruined her life. Eventually I grew tired of running from her, hiding my secret, and constantly looking over my shoulder when I was on a job. That was when I told her what my job was.

At first she didn't believe me but then she saw what I did to her now ex-boyfriend and it changed her mind. Ever since then, she's been my close friend. She's convinced that one day I will find her soul mate, too. Sadly, I cannot tell her if I will ever find the one she is destined to be with, because not everyone is meant to be in love. I can’t help but cringe any time she asks me about it. I truly want her to be happy and the last thing I want to do is put the idea in her head that she may never fall in love.

I looked around Hayden's small apartment and wondered why she didn't take the money her parents often offered her. She always claimed that she wanted to be her own person but working three jobs while going to school couldn't be good for her health. I went into Hayden's bedroom, found her alarm clock and set it for an hour later which I knew would give her enough time before she had to go to work. Snatching my file back up, I walked out the door.

Once I stepped out into the bright morning sun, I hailed a cab and read the driver the address on the front of the file. It was a silent ride that took about ten minutes but finally the car stopped in front of a large and elaborate cement apartment building with Victorian trims and doors. I paid the driver and turned to look up at the old white structure wondering where this guy got the money to stay at a place like this. As immortals, we’re only allotted so much money. It’s not a get rich quick sort of life.

Without hesitation, I walked up to the door and pushed the button. I stood for a while just waiting for someone to answer but no response came. I sighed, figuring it was just my luck that he wouldn't be home. In irritation I leaned against the wall only to be startled by the click of the door opening.

I looked over at the door again and found an elderly man exit the building. He smiled at me and I held the large, wooden, exterior door open while he shuffled out. As he was wobbled down the stairs he thanked me and I slipped inside the building.

Walking over to the elevator, I pushed the button with an arrow pointing up. The green, neon arrow made me grin to myself. Riding to the fifth floor was quick and silent, the only sound being the ding of the doors opening to my destination.

I walked down the navy blue carpeted hallway until I came to the door with the number in the file. All of the other doors were white but this one was painted gold. I knocked, unsure of what to expect since I didn't get an answer before. I wasn't entirely shocked when no one came to the door. A sigh escaped my lips and I impatiently tried to open it myself.

Surprisingly, the knob turned and I slipped inside. It was very unusual for someone not to lock their doors in his city but apparently this guy didn't care for privacy. I closed the door behind me and was immediately consumed by an awful smell.

"Oh, gross," I whispered and I covered my nose with my sleeve as I inspected the huge apartment that was covered in garbage, dirty clothes, pizza boxes and beer cans.

"Geez, this guy is a real catch," I muttered quietly while stepping around the piles of trash. How the heck would I match this guy up, with another immortal, no less? Cleanliness was supposed to be next to godliness, wasn't it?

After struggling to open a window, I checked the bedroom, which was worse than the rest of the apartment, only to confirm that I was indeed alone and he was indeed a slob. I walked back to the apartment and searched for a some what clean area to sit and wait. The couch looked decent enough, as long as I moved some pizza boxes, but my mind quickly changed when I saw the disgusting stains on the once white fabric. I immediately avoided that piece of furniture and walked over to the loveseat instead. It only had some pillows covered up by a blanket. Just before I sat down, the heap of pillows moved and out emerged the head of a huge dog, making my stomach jump into my chest.

Trying my best not to panic, I backed against a wall with my heart thumping so hard it almost hurt. I hated dogs. The giant beast was some sort of large breed, white with black splotches, and it was coming towards me, drool glopping from his jowls.

"Nice doggie," I said shakily. The canine came over slowly and sniffed at me. Its massive head was level with my hip. Then, without warning, he began barking, deep and loud.

"Shush! Be quiet," I begged, trying to grab the dog's muzzle but he only backed away from me. His barking continued and seemed to only get louder. My anxiety was growing worse now and my patience wore thin. "Shut up!"

"Bones?" a voice called out a moment later and my attention immediately turned to the door. The dog’s tail suddenly began wagging fiercely as the door opened and a man walked in.

"Damn it," I cursed under my breath.

The man, hopefully my client, walked in and spotted me right away. His eyes went wide with shock that quickly switched rage. I could feel the tenseness of the hanging in the air around us as we both stood their frozen in place. Then, as if he had never been startled at all, he darted for the kitchen and returned within seconds holding a gun that was pointed at my head.

"Whoa!" I held up my hands in surrender. "You don't lock your door but you have a gun?" It was the only thing I could think of to blurt out at the moment. A feeling of stupidity crept over my instantly. There were a lot more intelligent things I could have said at that moment; particularly something to cool the situation down.

"Who the hell are you?" he yelled.

He approached me slowly and, if he didn't have a gun pointed at my face, I would have thought he was handsome. He looked around twenty five, my age. His straight black hair fell over one side of his face, contrasting against his pale complexion and bringing out his striking black eyes. He was both scary and beautiful at the same time, like staring into the heart of a fire.

"Fair question," I said as I kept myself pressed against the wall.

He raised an eyebrow. "So, answer it!"

"My name is Ari," I replied. "I was sent here to see you."

"Sent by whom? What the hell do you want?" He closed the distance between us in a few short strides and pushed the gun against my cheek. It was a stupid move on his part; he obviously didn’t know I had immortal strength. I knew instantly that I could grab the muzzle and end this argument, but fighting him didn’t sound like much fun.

"Hey, language, please," I scolded sarcastically.

"I'm not afraid to shoot this," he declared pressing the barrel tip harder into my skin.

“The fact that you feel the need to say that just tells me how full of crap you are.” I was playing tough but was trying to remember how to breathe on the inside. I may live forever, but I wasn’t invincible. "And I'm sure you don't want brains splattered all over your walls." I paused and grinned. "Or, maybe you do. Disgusting and rotten seems to be your theme."

I saw him blush and it only made me grin wider. He wasn't going to shoot me, I could sense his emotion. He was just startled. But why would an immortal need a gun? "Get the hell out my house!"

"Okay, okay, geez." I straightened out my jacket and began heading for the door. "Next time we meet I expect you to be gun-less, thank you."

"Get out," he commanded again through gritted teeth. I took a step out of the door and winced as it slammed behind me.

"Touchy guy," I muttered over my shoulder as I ran a nervous hand through my snow white hair. Maybe this would be harder than I thought. The possibility of a challenge didn’t actually seem to bother me all that much, though. Any break from the mundane would be nice, even if it came from a guy that had no sense of hygiene.