Chapter Four
The Tasks of Psyche
After all her wanderings to figure herself out on how to prove her love Psyche found herself drawn back to the rock face where she first met Eros, she stood there a long time then just sat there looking out at it dwelling on the memories they had, sure all of
them had been a night time, sometime they had gone for moonlit walks, and sometimes they just sat up talking about the pressures of parents, small things that had
seemed so trivial at the time, but Psyche released that all these trivial memories were all she had left of Eros until she could prove her love him. Psyche looked up at the sky.
“How do I prove my love for him?” She whispered sadly, when the thought hit her like a ton of bricks and she slumped defeated.
“There’s only one person I can turn
to now... oh this is degrading...” Psyche stood up walking off taking the trivial memories with her, for all her happiness and she didn’t even have one picture of the God, but that didn’t really matter the one person she had to turn to now, was Eros’ mother, how to prove love, well that was part of Aphrodite’s domain... now Psyche was about to probably anger the Goddess even more by asking for help.
Psyche reached Aphrodite’s temple and looked round it, she rubbed the side of her head, remembering the last note she and Goddess had left on... it wasn’t harsh, but it was a mutual dislike of each other. Psyche finally heaved out a sighs and spoke to the statue of Aphrodite.
“Alright you’ve won. I acknowledge you as the Goddess of love now I need your help-” Psyche began when suddenly she was stopped dead by the
singing love hearts again.
“Aphrodiiite, Aphrodiiite, Aphrodite... Goddess of love...”
Aphrodite appeared and she looked at Psyche and crossed her arms.
“Okay so... um you called?” She asked.
Psyche sighed. “I know you’ve been angry at me for being myself and attracting all your attention but can you please help me prove a way to Eros that I do love him?”
Aphrodite blinked and she looked at Psyche she raised a questionable eyebrow.
“Did I hear you right? You want my help to prove your love for Eros my son?... well I like never turn down people with love problems so I will, um... there are these tasks I want you like to do... now complete all these and then I will like personally re-marry the two of you even if my son is um... kicking and screaming in protest, you have my word, though somehow I like doubt he would.” Aphrodite explained.
Psyche smiled at the Goddess. “You would?”
Aphrodite sighed and looked away she then looked back at Psyche and she nodded.
“Yes you have my word on it, but remember complete all these tasks...”
“Tasks? These aren’t like those ten tasks of Heracules is it cause I ain’t wrestling no lion!” Psyche protested.
Aphrodite sighed. “Look like you don’t do these tasks I will hand you over to Hades myself like okay?”
Psyche swallowed and nodded.
“And you know how much I love going down in to that doom pit.” Aphrodite drooled.
Psyche couldn’t help but smirk, it was obvious Aphrodite didn’t think much of Lord
of the dead, Psyche at least held each God in his or her equal respect, but lately Eros had been the only God she wanted to pay any attention to.
“Well in that case you don’t leave me a choice do you?” Psyche replied.
Aphrodite nodded. “Good now the first task...”
Aphrodite clicked her fingers and suddenly the two vanished from the temple and then appeared int he middle of a forest Psyche looked round and Aphrodite pointed to a pile at their feet Psyche blinked and looked at it.
“Okay this is a task? Stare at sand... hmmm nice...” Psyche remarked with obvious sarcasm.
“No, like in that pile is a mixture of sand and um... seeds... separate them in to two piles, and oh yeah you have till dawn, like fail and you die. Can’t like have you upsetting me anymore.”
And with that Aphrodite vanished.
"Aphrodiiite, Aphrodiiite, Aphrodite... Goddess of Love..."
Psyche looked onwards and blinked.
“Okay... someone needs an attitude adjustment.” Psyche remarked and she sat down and promptly began to separate the pile.
It was an odd task, but Psyche knew it would of been equally as hard as going out and fighting a lion. Or running down to the underworld to bring Cerbus top side, Psyche wasn't a fan of those sort of tasks, she wasn't a fan of this task but anythign was better than being dead, she supposed, unless she was made a hero and wen to the Elysian fields, but she doubted she would be remarked a hero for seperating sand and seeds, there was really no danger in it, unless she failed.
Hours passed and Psyche worked to the best of her ability... but it was just getting harder...
Psyche realised that a quarter through the night that she just couldn’t do this task it was impossible by dawn and with no light and feeling so tired, she looked at the pile and she fell back and looked at the sky. “Oh I’m so going to be dead.” She remarked.
Eros watched from Mt. Olympus and he sighed.
Hermes stood next to him and looked at him. “Hmmmm... I’ve never see Aphrodite sets tasks out like this before.” He remarked and looked at Eros.
“She’s doing this for me Hermes I have to do something to help her...” He said.
Hermes looked at Eros. “Look if worst comes to worst you could always strike a deal with Hades if she does end up there. I know Hades doesn’t offer the best of the deals, but still, because no offense Eros she won’t have it done.”
Eros looked at Hermes and he sighed he knew Hermes was right, the light was terrible and with morphus’ blanket sweeping over the mortals Psyche would fall asleep frustrated. Eros then stood up and flew down from Olympus.
“Eros wait where are you going you have to stay out of this, we’re not allowed to intervene!!” Hermes dashed off after Eros who had already landed on earth.
Hermes looked at Eros. “No interfering it’s the rules.”
“Who made up these rules anyway?” Eros asked.
Hermes shrugged. “Well you’ve read the scroll as have I, it’s on there read the fine print. No interfering with mortal’s tasks as set out by other Gods.”
Eros rolled his eyes... “I’m not interfering.” Eros then smiled and he touched a tree and closed his eyes and spoke to the tree. Hermes couldn’t help but smile.
“Nice... you could be a trickster one day... not interfering but getting forest life too, nice move cat, but we better get back before your mother clicks on.” Hermes said.
Eros nodded and the two Gods headed back up towards Mt. Olympus.
Psyche looked at the pile totally frustrated and ready to give up, she sighed and stood up and leant up against a tree and looked at the pile, she frowned.
“I’m never going to get this!!” Psyche slumped to her knees. “I might as well walk right down to Hades now and go, 'throw me in the soul pit I’m ready to die!’” Psyche felt extremely sad because of giving up but Aphrodite made her complete a simple but yet
impossible task.
Psyche then heard little noises and she looked at the pile then saw bugs begin to crawl through it she wasn’t sure whether to panic or cry about it and suddenly she saw the bugs were doing the work for her helping her out. She smiled suddenly and watched amazed as they continued to separate the pile in to two separate piles.
“Oh I never used to like bugs, but after tonight you guys are my new
best friends, excepts spiders... I just hate spiders. No offense to them but they look scary.” Psyche remarked.
Aphrodite lay on her bed reading a scroll she watched the stars slowly vanish from the sky and she smiled and pushed herself up, and then watched as Apollo’s chariot was rising over in the distant... Aphrodite stood up and she walked out to see Hermes and Eros sitting on gate of Mt. Olympus the two of them talking among themselves, Aphrodite nodded and she then vanished in a swirl of pink light and spiralling love hearts.
Psyche lay sleeping on the ground of the forest when Aphrodite appeared, The pink hearts whispering her tune in an early morning out of tone voices...
“Aphrodiiite, *yawn* Aphrodiiite, Aphro-*yawn*dite...*yawn* Goddess of...
zzzzzzzz...”
Aphrodite admitted it was pretty early to be up but she wanted to see if Psyche had completed the task and she looked at the two separate piles and she blinks surprised...
“But how- that’s impossible.” She remarked.
Psyche yawned and she sat up when she saw Aphrodite. Aphrodite looked at her and nodded.
“Well... I like don’t know what to say except... um... like well done... I guess... time for me to give you your next task.” Aphrodite remarked.
Psyche stood up brushed her clothes down and she nodded.
“I’m ready.” Psyche remarked.
“Okay then I want you to gather wool from the golden sheep of Helios.” Aphrodite said with a grin.
Psyche rubbed her temples and she looked at Aphrodite...
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding?!” Psyche exclaimed.
Aphrodite smiled, “So you’ve heard of the sheep then?” She asked.
Psyche shook her head. "Um actually no, but I thought I’d give you the pleasure of hearing my surprise voice, good eh?” Psyche grinned.
Aphrodite sighed and she shook her head at Psyche.
“You have one day to gather the wool.” Aphrodite replied and vanished in a swirl of pink light and yawning love hearts.
“Aphrodiiite, *yawn* Aphrodiiite, *yawn* Aphrodite... *yawn* Goddess of *yawn*
love...*yawn*”
Psyche rolled her eyes and she shrugged she then began to walk off to find the golden sheep of Helios, hopefully this would be her last task, but somehow she felt it wasn’t.
Eros watched from a distance, and Hermes looked at him then down at the paddock where the Golden Sheep of Helios was grazing kept in the paddock by the wire fence surrounding the area...
Hermes shook his head. “That poor girl, those sheep are really
deadly. I’d like to see how she pulls this one off.”
Eros smiled to himself, he was enjoying helping Psyche out and frustrating his mother, it was a change from playing matchmaker.
Psyche arrived at the paddock and she looked at the sheep, she looked at the scissors she’d picked up along the way.
“Hmmm I wonder how much she wants?” Psyche asked herself. She shrugged.
“Oh well, time to get this over and done with they look harmless enough, I mean sheep are sheep. It’s not as if they’re deadly.”
Suddenly Psyche stopped and she looked at the sheep something wasn’t right. It seemed to easy. Until she head a voice in her head, warning her.
‘Don’t go in those sheep are deadly and you will die if you try to cut it off them...’
Psyche looked round and shook her head.
“I’m hearing things.” She remarked "great".
‘No you’re not, just listen.’ The voice said.
Psyche sighed and crossed her arms. “Fine then I’m listening... but you it’s gunna sound like I’m talking to myself and that’s the first sign of insanity you know?”
She could swear she heard the voice sigh, she looked round to see if she could tell where it was coming from.
‘Okay just wait till the sheep are asleep then walk round the perimeter of the fence and collect the wool from the fence, it’s safer easier and you won’t get hurt that way.’
Psyche shrugged. “Well I hate waiting, but okay does seem easier.” She replied.
Psyche then sat under a tree and waited for night fall.
Finally the night had come and Psyche got up and walked round the fence picking all the pieces of wool that had been caught on the fence till she had about a ball’s worth and she went back and sat down under the tree with the ball of wool in her hand and she smiled and nodded impressed with even herself...
“Well that makes two tasks. I wonder how many more Aphrodite’s got in store for me?”
Psyche leant back up against the tree, she put the wool in to a pouch and she put the pouch in her pocket, and decided to get some sleep till Aphrodite would return.
Eros smiled and he looked at Hermes. “What’d ya think?” Eros asked.
Hermes sighs, “You’ll make that poor girl feel like she’s insane Eros, and meddling once is one thing but twice... when Zeus finds out-” Hermes begun.
“But Zeus isn’t going to find out.” Eros remarked and looked to Hermes.
Hermes sighed and nodded getting Eros’ hint.
“Okay fine Zeus won’t know, but this is very badly meddling kiddo, I hope you know what you’re getting that poor girl in to?” Hermes asked.
“I’m helping her prove her love, and once she’s finished these near impossible death like tasks, then I can take this to Zeus and he can acknowledge that and she can become a Goddess. My Goddess, and we can stay together... legally through the eyes of all the Gods, even my mother’s.” Eros remarked.
Hermes nodded, “So you got it all planned out, but what if there’s a task where you can’t help her then what?”
Eros looked at Hermes.
“There won’t be a task like that Hermes.”
To Be Continued...