*** Cirrus ***
It is, like every year, complete pandemonium. That's what happens when you try and cram every single cupid in the entire world into a single amphitheater, even one as big as the one on Olympos.
First of all, there are a lot of us, and second of all, we have wings. Giant, white, feathered wings that are incredibly fun when you're soaring through the air but are very cumbersome when you're supposed to squeeze shoulder-to-shoulder into rows that can't even accommodate a centaur. And bows. And a quiver.
It is February 13th and tomorrow is the biggest event of our lives. Months of rigorous practice and years of training all lead up to the competition. The excitement in the air is palpable. Valentine's Day. The big one.
A bright light flashes on the dais in front of us and Venus steps out of thin air. My heart skips a beat at seeing perfect beauty, naked and plump. My pulse quickens and all around me, I hear gasps. Bodies shift around. Wings unfold. Everyone is teetering on the edge of their seats.
"Welcome, my lovelies," Venus speaks and her voice is like a kiss in my ear. "Tomorrow is an important day."
All the discomforts of the amphitheater evaporate and it is just me and her, the Goddess of love and beauty. I drink in the sight of her, those shimmering, radiant eyes and delicate nose. The voluptuous breasts, ripe with nectar. The valley of mortal and immortal pleasures whose entrance is hidden by a forest.
"Valentine's Day," Venus says and I shiver at the raw eroticism with which she pronounces the word. "The day we commemorate my first cupid lover."
Everyone knows the story, of course. I've heard it a million times, at first just in hushed whispers late at night from giggly mouths, but then once training started, our instructors told us practically every day. It is what we are training for, of course.
To become Venus' new lover for an entire year. Valentine was the first one, a particularly daring and charming cupid that fell in love with Venus and pledged to show her that cupids were the best sexual partners in the entire pantheon.
To make a long story short, because quite frankly I'm sick of retelling the same story over and over, they boinked. Venus must have liked what she experienced because after Mr. Valentine turned to the stars, she began to take more cupid lovers.
One special cupid to become her lover for an entire year. It is supposed to be an unforgettable, incredible experience. Unfortunately for the rest of us, also an indescribable experience. One of my teachers had the honor and every time Octavia started to even think about her time with the Goddess, her eyes glazed over and she began drooling.
Fifty years of back-breaking training until we are adults and are allowed to take part in the annual festivities. It is my second time and I'm determined to win this time. Then again, so is every other cupid. And, as I said, there are a lot of us.
"...but only one of you will succeed," Venus finishes.
I blink. While daydreaming about her divine body, I must have missed most of the speech. Again.
"Go. Fly. Fill the world with new love," she calls out. "Pure love. Good love."
All around me, cupids jump to their feet, and wings feather out. There's not enough room to take off and I'm being pushed around from all sides by sweaty bodies and fluff. We have to wait for those at the edge to fly first but everyone is impatient.
Hundreds of cupids take to the air at first. Then it is thousands. By the time I unfold my own wings and finally feel the clean air rushing through my hair again, it is tens of thousands. I turn around in the air one more time to get another look at Venus but the dais is empty already.
The only way I'll see her again before another year has passed is if I win. I sigh and flap my wings to speed up. It is a long way back to America.
*** Cirrus ***
The sun hangs just above the horizon but the people are already out and about. A mile below me is the Centerville Mall. I can feel the hundreds of people. Families, friends, couples. More than a few lovers — I can sense those the strongest — eager to spend Valentine's Day in each other's arms.
"Wait up, Cirrus!" Maximus shouts from behind me.
Groaning, I slow down. Maximus is not someone I'd call a friend but nevertheless, we spend a significant amount of time around each other. He is one of the other cupids working in the same region. An older, better, and stronger cupid. Someone I wouldn't want on my bad side, no matter how annoying he is.
"Do you have anyone yet?" he asks once he is caught up.
"I'm not telling you anything," I say because I definitely do not have anyone yet.
I spent weeks trying to find the perfect pair to bring together. Something grand that would get Venus' attention. Bringing two enemies together, like Romeo and Juliet, or launching one of the great wars, like Helen and Paris. We all know the famous ones that earned a cupid a year with Venus.
Except this is Centerville, a tiny city of twenty-thousand in Suburbia, America. Not Tokyo or New York or Johannesburg.
"I can tell you have nothing," Maximus shouts and laughs.
"Sounds like you don't have any idea either and just want to steal mine. Again."
Last year, I bragged to everyone about how I was going to win my first year. I found the perfect people, two women that had been best friends in high school. Both had boyfriends that they weren't happy with and came from very conservative families but they always felt that undeniable attraction between each other that they never spoke of. Then high school ended and one of them moved out of Centerville.
It had taken weeks of planning. Carefully maneuvering Amy to feel the pangs of nostalgia. Prodding Cynthia to finally break up with the guy who's been cheating on her. Getting them both into the same cafe at noon on February 14th.
And then Maximus shot his arrow while I was still waiting for the right moment. He claimed he was just passing by on chance and had sensed the amazing opportunity. Acted without thinking. He apologized over and over but I know he did it on purpose.
At least he didn't win.
"I said I'm sorry," Maximus says halfheartedly. "You don't have to worry about an accident this year. Not unless you're going after one of the Impossibles, too."
"The Impossibles?" I ask.