"A Lover´s Quest" by Liz Salazar

It was a beautiful day. Apollo’s chariot bathed the lush meadows with the warmth of sunlight. Clouds of pure white rolled along in the sky. The flowers were in full bloom, and the birds sang happily in the trees. The view of the hills was lovely at the foot of Olympus, as lovely as Aphrodite’s smile.

Not that Edana had ever seen Aphrodite smile. In fact, she had never seen any of the gods. You don’t really see much of the almighty creators of the universe when you’re a goat herder, you know. Just goats. Goats goats goats.

And Aloysius…

She missed Aloysius. She missed him every second of every minute of every day. It wasn’t long ago he had just gone off to some business or other in Troy with—what was his name? Odysseus or something. She hoped he would return soon.

And he was so wonderful! She fell in love with him the first day she saw him—beautiful silver eyes, long, dark, curly hair, and a smile that melted her heart. Their herds had mixed themselves together somehow—Aloysius always looked so cute when he was embarrassed. He was so strong and quick-thinking that day! It was driving her crazy the way she would think of him.

So crazy, in fact, that she took whatever money she had stashed under her divan and used it to get to Olympia all the way from Myrsinus to seek Eros’ help. It was a good thing it was a short trip—a goatherd doesn’t exactly make as much money as King Midas. But her life savings were worth seeking help from the god of love. She hadn’t packed much—just food and water. But, gods, if only she had packed extra sandals! She never thought it possible for any mountain to be rockier than back at home. She had already torn the skirt of her favorite chiton and her hands and feet were sore from the climb.

…Aloysius was always a swift climber.

And strong, too! Edana never understood why the other women hadn’t snatched him for themselves. Who wouldn’t want such a handsome, smart, funny…

Edana snapped out of her dreamy state as she found herself on a ledge. She pulled herself onto it and to her feet to see that she was standing before a cave. She smiled, seeing how smooth and not rocky the cave floor was. She brushed herself off, tossed her hair behind her shoulders, and walked in.

…She and Aloysius found a cave once. It turned out to be where all her missing goats had been. He was so clever!

It wasn’t long before Edana emerged from the other end of the tunnel. She looked around for what Eros’ priest back home had told her to find. She looked to her left, up the mountain a little, and there it was: Eros’ palace!

…Aloysius once promised he would build her a palace…

Edana forced herself to concentrate. She was too close to let herself get distracted. As much as her feet hurt, she climbed determinedly to the palace entrance. When she reached it, she stopped only for a brief moment to lean tiredly against a column of cool white marble before walking in.

As she entered, Edana was greeted with the sweet scent of perfumes and exotic oils. The walls were decorated with beautiful fabrics of vibrant colors. She was surrounded by very plush and comfortable-looking furniture. All was brightly lit by braziers and lamps scattered around the room. After taking all this in, Edana began to wonder where to find Eros. Just then she smelled something. It was an aroma that couldn’t be described as anything but sweet. It seemed to be coming from behind her…Edana turned around.

She turned to find herself face to face with the god of love himself. His wings were folded, bow in hand, and his youthful face had an amused look on it. "And what are you doing here, child?"

Edana froze. Suddenly, she didn’t know what to say. What was she going to say? She was talking to the very god who had struck her with the golden arrow that brought about her undying love to her betrothed. She would do anything for Aloysius; his wish was her command. It was Eros who made her fall for a strong and intelligent… idiot. He had dull gray eyes, stringy, sooty black hair, a toothless smile, and the grace of one of her goats! The only reason they ever met in the first place was because Aloysius was the world’s worst goatherd—it took her all day to sort their herds out, and he was no help! Suddenly, in the presence of the love god, she saw past his arrow’s effects! She smiled sweetly at Eros. She drew her delicate fist back and slammed it into his face, just a moment before taking his arrows and showing him just where he should have put them.