Troy, Three Thousand Years Ago
I can’t help the sadistic feeling of glee as I teeter on my precarious perch, watching the invaders arrive on the beaches below. From on top of the legendary walls of Troy, I can see the Greek ships come closer, lurking in the distance It is a force unparalleled in mortals’ pathetic history.
A thousand ships.
Sadly, it took so little for this to happen. People often underestimate tricksters, they see us as petty, vindictive, but we can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Though I can’t take credit for this one, another started this. I only played my part and watched the result unfold. If there were one piece of advice I would give anyone, mortal or divine, it’s this: never piss off a trickster. One was offended and now here we are.
My arms are stretched wide for balance as I walk along the battlements. The Trojans haven’t awoken yet, so for the moment, they’re outmanned. They will rise soon, and then it will begin. The night watch is lax. They know the Greeks are coming, but they’ve waited for so long for them, and they think they will let Helen go. They are wrong. One golden apple, two golden arrows, and the dominoes began falling. With Menelaus came Agamemnon and Odysseus, Achilles and Ajax, they all sail for Troy. Soon, they’ll storm the beaches.
My lips curve into a smirk, continuing my precarious walk along the wall, waiting for the fruition of chaos to unfold. So many have the wrong idea about me. Yes, I’m the God of Love, but I answer to no one. My arrows work on all but three goddesses. When all of Olympus bends to your will, you never feel the need to bow. I only obey when it suits me, even my Miteras.
I don’t have to turn around to know that I’m no longer alone, and from the way the chaos within me escalates, I know who it is. The only problem with being the God of Love is that you are more likely to be subjected to the powers of others if you aren’t careful. I got a handle on that power long ago. I only feel now what I allow.
“You’ve outdone yourself this time, Eris,” I state, continuing my walk along the wall. A strong breeze will knock me off and send me plummeting to the ground below, but my wings will save me long before then.
My aunt joins me. “You should never disrespect Chaos and Discord.”
My eyes cut to them, smirking when I see their jet black hair and golden eyes, as gold as the apple my Miteras proudly showed me.
“The apple had you all over it, nicked from Hesperides? Or all your own?” My balance shifts, and I put one foot out to keep myself from falling.
Their lips curl. “A good trickster never tells, my nephew.”
Moving to sit on the edge of the wall, I pat the spot beside me. They sit after a moment, both of our legs swinging into open air. Pulling out my flask, I throw it back, the potent liquor making my already spinning head go wild. “They say this war will have all of us taking sides. God against god.”
Eris chuckles, their foot hitting the side of the wall of Troy, leaving a dark crack. Chaos and strife is leaking from them, practically oozing from their pores. It’s affecting me, making me impatient and antsy.
I need more mischief. I need to see the clash of Trojan and Greeks on the ground below us. I need to smell the blood and hear their cries. It’s always been this way around Eris, something I’ve always relished about their presence. They allow you to be your darkest self, the side you hide from the rest of the family.
My ear twitches at the sound of the door to the battlements opening. Troy is awakening.
The young soldier sees us before we can pop away. “You! You shouldn’t be up here! It’s not safe!”
In a flash, I’m in front of the mortal, covering his mouth with my hand. His terrified eyes only fuel me, the need for chaos humming inside me. The longer Eris is amped full of impending discord, the more it will bring out my war-hungry side. I may not be a God of War like many of my siblings. But I am his firstborn, and I thirst for blood and gore like all the rest.
Another god pops in behind me, and again, I don’t have to look to see who it is.
“Eros, let him go,” My sister chides.
Eris chuckles. “Kill him. He’s a mortal who’s seen three gods lingering around his city, he can’t live with that knowledge. We aren’t supposed to be here.”
Adrestia was always more of a rule follower than my other siblings. She is revolt and believes to her core that there is hope for a better future in all of us. She truly believes that each revolution she is a part of will bring about a better world, a more just one.
I know better.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy messing with her.
I shoot her a pleading look, as if I need her help to stop myself, as if she could stop me.
Her face immediately softens, her hand reaching out. “It’s fine, Eros, just let him go, he won’t tell anyone about us? Will he?”
The guard nods frantically, starting to cry. My sister comes closer, touching my shoulder. “Just let go now, Eros. And maybe we can stop this whole war from happening. You shot the Trojan prince and Helen for Miteras, didn’t you?”
I summon fake tears to my eyes, nodding.
“We can fix this then, it’s not too late,” she adds, trying to get me to release the guard. “You’re the God of Love, this war…it will kill so many.”
“Mortals,” I add.
She blinks. “What?”
My lips twist cruelly, and my eyes dry. “It will kill so many mortals.”
My hands jerk to the side, breaking the guard’s neck. I release him and he slumps to the ground before me. He lands on his face, his eyes staring unseeingly.
Adrestia’s hands fist at her sides. “Why did you do that?”
I turn to face her with a smirk. “Your mistake, dear Sister, was assuming I gave two shits about mortals.”
Jeanette Rose is the author of the paranormal romance series called Fated Loves. She became interested in the antics of the Pantheon when she majored in Classical Civilization with a minor in Latin from Tulane University. She then went on to get her Law Degree and obviously couldn’t function in the real world, so she got a third degree. At night, she continues working on the third installment for her series, and blog the exploits of the Greek God, Eros, for #ThePantheon #WritingCommunity
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