Cupid

by Julius Lester

  Juno appeared in response to Psyche's prayer. "Oh, dear child! It would give me the deepest pleasure to protect you. Alas, divine etiquette does not permit me. I cannot go against the wishes of Venus. She's married to my son and I've loved her as if she were my own child. Now, I must ask you to leave at once. I shudder to think how deeply hurt Venus would be if she knew you stood in my presence and I did not have you brought to her."

  Psyche left Juno's temple more despondent than ever. If two such powerful goddesses turned their backs on her, what was she to do? With tears pouring down her face, she knew the answer. She had to submit to Venus and hope the goddess would be merciful.

  Venus Looks for Psyche

  Having been betrayed by her own son and laughed at by Ceres and Juno, there remained only one individual Venus could trust to help her find Psyche, but she needed Jupiter's permission.

  Jupiter was the god of gods, the highest of the high, the boss, the CEO, Big Daddy, and anything else along those lines you might want to add. He lived in a palace at the center of a complex of buildings. Here was where all the business of Olympus and Earth was recorded. This was also the place where the deities came together for monthly meetings to discuss what was happening on Earth and what they should do about those events of which they disapproved.

  Because he was who he was, Jupiter knew all that had taken place between Cupid and Psyche. And, if the truth be known, he was a little upset with himself that he had somehow overlooked a young woman that beautiful. And if Cupid didn't stop acting like a mama's boy fairly soon, Jupiter would not hesitate to let Psyche know how much pleasure her beauty gave him.

  He looked out the window and saw Venus making her way across the plaza. She was probably on her way to ask him to do something about Psyche. He was disappointed that Venus was so angry. He wanted to tell her it was time to let her son grow up, but Venus was too angry to listen to reason. The only person who could make Venus change her behavior was the very one sitting in his chambers feeling sorry for himself. If Cupid could not stand up to his mother, Jupiter would accomplish nothing by doing it for him.

  Just then the guards at the doors to the throne room announced, "Lord Jupiter! The goddess Venus requests an audience with you."

  "Admit her at once!"

  Venus walked rapidly across the long marble floor to Jupiter, who sat on his golden throne.

  "Father!"

  "My daughter! It is good to see you, as always. What brings you here today?"

  "I come seeking your permission."

  Jupiter raised his thick brows. "If you are asking my permission for something, it must be a matter of great and grave importance."

  "Nothing has ever been more important to me."

  "Please continue."

  "I am asking for the services of Mercury, the town crier of Olympus, to help me in a matter of urgency."

  Jupiter wanted to ask what it was she wanted Mercury to do, but he decided that the less he knew, the better. "So it shall be. Your request is granted."

  "Thank you, Father." Venus hurried from the room.

  Of all the gods, Mercury was the only one who did not have a palace. The reason was simple: he was always so busy flying from one end of Olympus to the other, delivering messages, he would not have had time to spend in a palace had he had one. Instead, he generally spent the night at whichever palace he delivered the last message of the day. Everyone was always happy to have Mercury as an overnight guest, because he knew the best gossip on Olympus and on Earth. Down there, on Earth, the Four Winds went everywhere and saw and heard everything and were always happy to share anything they knew. The deities loved Mercury because he was not shy about telling everything he knew about anyone.

  As Venus walked down the steps from Jupiter's palace, she wondered where she was going to find Mercury. He could be anywhere on Olympus or down on Earth. And even if he was on Olympus, he flew so fast it was hard to see him sometimes.

  Venus had just reached street level when who should appear at her side but Mercury.

  "You're just the one I was coming to look for," Venus said, smiling.

  Those walking by at that moment and seeing the smile Venus gave Mercury had all the proof they thought they needed to confirm the rumor that Mercury was Cupid's father. But there were many others who were convinced the father was Mars. This is a matter I would pursue further if the story wasn't telling me it's not important who Cupid's father was. I'm not convinced that's true, but if I stop and argue the matter, the story will go on without me, and I can't have that.

  "Oh, I know," Mercury answered. "I've been waiting for you to ask for my services."

  "Oh?"

  "The first time I saw that little hussy Psyche, I knew she was going to be trouble. Never in all eternity would I have thought Cupid would permit her to rule his heart. And I am outraged that she allowed mortals to believe she had come to replace you! How dare she!"

  Venus smiled. At least one of the gods understood. "I'm glad you feel the way you do. What I want you to do is simple: go down to Earth and announce that I will give a reward to the person who finds Psyche."

  "And what shall I say the reward is?"

  "A kiss from my lips."

  Mercury raised his eyebrows. "I can't imagine you bestowing a kiss on some dirty peasant."

  "Juno forbid! I will tell any lie I need to in order to get my hands on Psyche."

  "Would you consider a kiss or two, or more, for your coconspirator in this enterprise?" he asked flirtatiously.

  "Well, after this affair between Psyche and my son is settled, I will be more than happy to show you how grateful I am. And as you know, I have a weakness for a god with wings."

  Mercury blushed. "Then, the longer I linger here, the longer it is until this sordid affair between your son and Psyche ends." With those words, he flew down to Earth.

  Mercury's feet were hardly on the ground before he shouted, "Yo! Listen up! Everybody! Listen up."

  People gathered around him quickly.

  "The goddess Venus is offering a reward to the person who captures Psyche and takes her to the goddess's temple."

  "What's the reward?" someone in the crowd wanted to know.

  Mercury's face lit up. "Ah, yes. The reward. The reward is a kiss from the mouth of Venus herself."

  The thought of receiving kisses from Venus excited some in the crowd, but not most. They were being asked to betray Psyche. That was a lot to ask of them. But they were not sure she was still alive. The last time they had seen her, she was on her way to the top of the mountain, where, they were convinced, she met her death at the hands of her monster husband. But Triple A (remember him, the inventor of sunglasses?) said he thought he had seen her wandering through the countryside, except that the sad and distraught figure he had seen looked more like a ghost than a person.

  Just then a woman called out, "That's who that was! Earlier today I saw someone I thought was her but I said to myself, 'Can't be Psyche. She's dead.' But now that you mention it, I believe it was her!"

  "Where did you see her?" Mercury wanted to know.

  "She was coming out of the grove where Juno's temple stands."

  The crowd did not have to go far along the road to Juno's temple before they came upon Psyche sitting beneath a tree.

  The young woman they saw bore only a faint resemblance to the Psyche they had known. Where Psyche's hair had been silken straight and shone with blackness, this young woman's hair was dull and lay in tangles like brambles down her back. Where Psyche's face had glowed, this young woman's face was dirty. Where Psyche's eyes had gleamed with life, this young woman's eyes looked as if she had tasted the most bitter dregs of sorrow.

  "Why do you stare so with your mouths agape? Do you not recognize me?" Psyche asked, standing up. "I am the one who, not too long ago, you thought was more beautiful than Venus. Look on me and see what happens when one incurs the wrath of a deity."

  The crowd was silent. They were ashamed that they had once lain awake at nig
hts gazing at the image of Psyche they carried in their minds.

  However, a few in the crowd saw that Psyche's beauty had not been taken from her. It had merely been transformed. To them she seemed more beautiful than ever because the challenges of living were writing themselves on her face.

  Triple A stepped out of the crowd and bowed before Psyche. "My lady, please forgive me," he began. "We have no desire to turn you over to Venus, not even for a kiss from her lips. But what the gods command, we mortals must do."

  "I am weary of this ordeal. I am ready to meet my fate," Psyche responded firmly.

  Venus and Psyche

  On Olympus Venus waited impatiently for Mercury to bring her news of Psyche's capture. Venus's chariot stood outside her palace, so she could go to Earth immediately upon hearing that Psyche was now hers. To insure that her son would not interfere, she had locked the door to his chambers. If he still wanted Psyche after she was done, he could have her. But she doubted Cupid would want a dead woman.

  Just then, Mercury ran into her palace. "The deed has been accomplished. Psyche is on her way to your temple."

  "Thank you, Mercury. You have been a true friend."

  "I am delighted that I could be of service. Now please excuse me. I have a lot of gossip to catch up on."

  "And to tell about me, I'm sure."

  "But of course." Mercury smiled as he hurried out the door.

  Never had Venus flown so rapidly through the air, but she wanted to be sitting in her throne chair at her temple when Psyche arrived.

  Since the day Psyche had gone to the mountaintop, the people had returned to their worship of Venus. Her temple had been cleaned and scrubbed many times until it gleamed so brightly in the midday sun, no one could gaze on it directly. When people approached the temple, they did so with heads bowed, which Venus thought was appropriate.

  Psyche arrived, head bowed as she approached Venus. When she was a respectful distance from the goddess, Psyche prostrated herself.

  "Goddess," she began, but Venus stopped her.

  "I don't want to hear a word you have to say. Stand up so I can look at you."

  Psyche rose.

  "Look at me!" Venus commanded.

  Psyche raised her bowed head. Too afraid to look directly at the goddess, her gaze fixed on a point over Venus's left shoulder.

  "Whatever did my son see in you? You are so ordinary looking. There are serving girls in your father's palace more beautiful than you. What did you do to Cupid that he would look at you and find you beautiful? Is there some wicked seer in this land who made a potion for you to give to my son?"

  "My lady, I—"

  "Shut up! Did I tell you that you could speak?"

  Psyche shook her head.

  "Good! Now, tell me this. There is an ugly rumor that you are carrying Cupid's child. Tell me this is not so."

  "To say that would be a lie," Psyche said softly.

  "Oh, my Juno!" Venus exclaimed. "You are pregnant? Yes or no? Are you pregnant with Cupid's child?"

  "Yes," Psyche responded, this time looking directly at Venus.

  "Oh no!" Venus screamed. "How could this have happened? Well, I know how it happened, but I don't believe my son would do this to me. Me, a grandmother? I'm much too young to have a grandchild. Much too young! And you will not turn me into a grandmother. You may call yourself the wife of Cupid, but no marriage ceremony took place in my temple, did it?"

  Psyche shook her head.

  "Then, I am not a grandmother and your child will be a bastard."

  With those words, Psyche began crying softly.

  "Oh, don't start crying just yet! Save your tears for what I am going to do to you!"

  Venus called for the attendants of the temple and whispered something to them. They hurried away. Shortly they returned carrying heavy bags on their shoulders.

  "The only way someone as sorry looking as you will ever get a husband is through hard work. This is a test to see just how diligent you are."

  Venus motioned to the attendants. They opened the bags, and onto the floor, they dumped pile after pile of grains and seeds—wheat, barley, millet, lentils, beans, poppy, and vetch.

  "Now," Venus ordered, "mix them all together!"

  The attendants did so. When they finished, the pile had grown until it almost touched the domed ceiling.

  "Your task, you piece of vermin, is to sort out the different kinds of grains and seeds and to put each in its own pile. Oh, yes. Have it done by the time the sun goes down. Now I have a wedding to attend." Venus went outside, got in her carriage, and flew off.

  Psyche slumped to the floor. Why hadn't she been content with her life? Allowing people to stare at her had not been so awful, had it? What were a few moments of being looked at compared to the wrath of a goddess? She could not do what Venus asked even if she lived a hundred years. And so, Psyche lay there sobbing.

  It just so happened that an ant was making its way across the floor at that very moment. Something appeared in its path. To the ant, whatever it was would not be an obstacle. If he could not find a way around it, then he would go over. If it was too high to go over, he would find a way under.

  However, when the ant got close to the object, he stopped. He stared. He had not seen anything so beautiful since the day he had seen a tiny portion of Psyche's big toe. He looked closer. Could it be? Could it? Oh, my Jupiter! It was! Psyche's big toe! This was Psyche's foot!

  But before the ant could jump up and down and start shouting with joy, he heard sobbing. Quickly, he hurried up to Psyche's head.

  "Oh, dear lady. What is making you weep?"

  "The goddess Venus has commanded me to separate all the grains and seeds into separate piles according to their kind, and to be done by sunset. That is impossible!"

  "How cruel the goddess is to you," the ant replied. "She is jealous of your beauty. Wipe your eyes and do not worry. What is impossible to a mortal is merely routine for ants."

  Quickly, he called for all the ants in the area, and that was thousands. "Do you remember when I told you I had encountered the most beautiful creature in the world?"

  All the ants agreed that they did.

  "She needs our help. There is no telling what the goddess Venus might do to her if she does not have this great mound of seeds and grains separated into their own piles by the time Sun goes to bed. Quickly, let us get to work!"

  The ants swarmed over the huge mound. Grain by grain, seed by seed, they began carrying and sorting.

  Although Sun had promised himself to stay out of the affairs of mortals, he could not let Psyche fail. He asked Night if she minded coming a little later. Night did not mind at all. Anything that was going to let her get a little more sleep was fine. So Sun delayed his going down until the ants had finished sorting the grains and seeds and putting them in piles of their own kind. Sun inspected each pile to make sure none of the ants had made a mistake and put a seed in a pile where it did not belong. But they were ants and would not have made a ridiculous mistake like that. Satisfied that all was as it should be, Sun resumed his journey downward.

  It was evening when Venus returned. She was a little tipsy from having drunk too much champagne at the wedding. However, she was not too drunk to see that all the seeds and grains had been sorted into their proper piles.

  "Who did you put a spell on to do this for you? Don't tell me! It doesn't matter. Tomorrow I will give you a task no one can do for you. For now, come with me! You will spend the night in my palace so I will know where you are!"

  Psyche slept that night under the same roof as Cupid. She did not know this. Cupid, still lying on his bed, heard his mother return. Someone was with her, someone to whom his mother spoke with more anger than he had ever heard from her. There was only one person with whom his mother could be that angry. For the first time since he had returned to his mother's house, Cupid sat up, his mind and body alert.

  Could it be? Was Psyche there?

  Psyche's Second Task

 
Psyche slept well that night, even if her bed was the cold dirt floor of a narrow room in the basement. She had not expected to sleep at all, but she had. Although she feared what Venus would ask her to do next, she was also relieved to no longer be wandering aimlessly looking for Cupid. Maybe he was here in his mother's house and would come to her rescue. But what need would a god as beautiful as Cupid have of her? However, she had felt his love and was carrying his child. That had to mean something to him.

  The sound of footsteps interrupted her reverie. The door opened. A servant holding a candle beckoned for Psyche to follow her. When they reached the main floor, Psyche blinked her eyes against the brightness of the light streaming through the palace windows. The servant put Psyche in a small room where there was a large bowl of fruit.

  "You are to eat," the servant said, and then left.

  Psyche had just finished the last piece of fruit when the door opened and Venus walked in.

  "I'm glad to see that you ate. I wouldn't want you to faint and deprive me of my vengeance. Come! I don't know who helped you sort the grains and seeds, but whoever it was won't be able to help you today. Follow me."

  Venus took Psyche into the countryside. They walked until they came to a grove of trees on the banks of a stream.

  "You see those trees?" Venus said, pointing.

  Psyche nodded.

  "If you look closely, you will see sheep with fleece of gold."

  Psyche nodded again.

  "Bring me some of the wool," Venus commanded, and then left.

  That seemed easy enough, and that was the problem. Venus would not have given her an easy task. Psyche walked closer to the grove to get a better look at the sheep. Their fleece was like finely spun gold, but on their heads were massive horns. They also had long, curved teeth from which dripped a thick, clear liquid. It looked like the poison Psyche had seen her father's physician take from a deadly reptile once.

  Psyche understood now how Venus was going to have her killed. When she went to take the fleece, the sheep would stab her with their sharp horns while others would bite her and flood her body with the poison from their long teeth. If, by some chance, Psyche did the impossible and got fleece from the sheep, what would it matter? Tomorrow Venus would give her an even harder task. And if she succeeded at that one, there would be a task of greater difficulty the following day, and this would go on until one of the tasks resulted in her death.