Eros the Aegean Chronicles

By Yelle Hughes

Sindi Carrington is on a mission: Find a prop to pose with her young clients. She discovers a black and white tiger in the thrift shop that is absolutely perfect. So perfect, Sindi practically steals him out of the bin. Obsessed with her new find, she takes him home for herself instead of using him as a model in her studio.

Centuries ago, Erok Karlakos, the former God of Love, runs away from his baby cherub image to become a warrior of Greece. A tragic relationship and his mother’s incessant whining was the catalyst for his revolt. Caught and captured in an undignified way, disqualifies the immortal from taking on the title, “damsel in distress”. After he meets the quirky photographer, he has no complaints. Yet, there’s something familiar about this mortal, though he can’t quite put his finger on it. Erok needs to escape and finally meet Sindi face to face.
After one failed marriage, will he be able to trust Sindi won’t try to stab him if he reveals his true identity? Will she freak when she finds out he is a god? Alternatively, will he to pay the price of losing another true love?

Does Sindi have what it takes to keep her man...warts and all? On the other hand, will she fall into the same pattern of mistrust? The Fates will test her. She hopes she passes this time.

P.S. A head’s up; this is an adult book with some erotic content for grown folks. Just because we’re older, doesn’t mean we don’t like to have fun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yelle Hughes
• Release date: May 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311198402

Yelle Hughes

Yelle Hughes, mum of three and now a proud grandparent, is an avid reader as well as author. She enjoys canoeing, studying the Greek myths, watching action and western movies, and is an unpaid movie critic. Her work is written from the heart and from the people who have passed through her life, just as the seasons pass each year.

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Eros (The Aegean Chronicles)

Eros

by Yelle Hughes

Smashwords Edition

Published by: Yelle Hughes on Smashwords

Eros

Copyright 2015 by Yelle Hughes

ISBN: 9781311198402

All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, this copy is intended for the purchaser of the e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Yelle Hughes.

Cover Artist: Yelle Hughes

Created in the United States

This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events and locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

EROS

Table of Contents

DEDICATION

FRONT COVER

EROK KARLAKOS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

EXCERPT

ABOUT ME

GLOSSARY

DEDICATION

Eros is dedicated to my supportive family and author group. And, to all the women who love a man who is tough but also a big romantic. This is for you.

For ages 18+ and older. This book is about the god of love after all, and his motto is, Anytime, anywhere. So fasten your seatbelts ladies, and get ready for journey into the fantastical world of EROS, THE AEGEAN CHRONICLES.

Enjoy!

P.S. A head’s up; this is an adult book with some erotic content for grown folks. Just because we’re older, doesn’t mean we don’t like to have fun.

EROS

THE

AEGEAN CHRONICLES

As the God of Love, I never expected to find it for myself. I was too embarrassed to embrace what I was born to be. ~Erok Karlakos

PROLOGUE

SERIPHOS, GREECE 1257 BCE

Psyche, Princess of Seriphos, whose mother claimed she was so lovely, her beauty rivaled the goddess Aphrodite herself. Because of this insult, the deity sent her son to pierce the heart of Psyche with one of his arrows, and make her fall in love with the ugliest man in the kingdom.

A worthy punishment for daring to compare mortal homeliness against divine hotness.

While the princess slept in her canopied bed, Eros appeared next to her, unseen. He reached out with the limb of his bow and moved aside the shear netting that surrounded her. Psyche lay peacefully on her stomach with her leg bent.

All was quiet. Only the soft indrawn breaths of the princess pierced the silence.

Slowly, he lifted his foot onto the dais step.

Arrow notched.

Psyche’s head turns as she opened her eyes.

Cobalt met cerulean.

Startled, he forgot his purpose for being there. The feeling of falling into a deep blue of the abyss, and the awakening of his soul for the first time, caught him unexpectedly. Still in the process of pushing open the curtain, the loosened arrow fell, scratching Eros’s wrist.

Eros, son of Ares and Aphrodite, god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection, fell in love…by falling victim to his own curse.

Driven by his desire and compulsion to claim, he could not allow Psyche to be with anyone else, only him. Unbeknownst to his mother, he arranged for the princess to marry him instead. He brought her to his home and gave her everything a princess could want. Only...he refused to allow her to see him.

Eros was afraid Psyche would fear him and leave if she discovered that he was not human and was the god of love. Though mortals worshiped his kind, showing up in person proved to be disastrous. The desolation to the city of Atlantis in the past was a perfect example. He also had issues with people judging him by his appearance. Those judgments were an embarrassment ninety percent of the time.

Eros visited Psyche each night...attentive as any husband could be. Tender lovemaking and whispered words of endearing love united the two. Each morning, Psyche awoke to find him gone. In his place, were opulent gowns, jewelry and servants that catered to every whim.

The beautiful princess and invisible lover were happy...at first.

One evening, she told him she was lonesome during the day and asked if she could see her sister. He was so in love with Psyche, he was unable to refuse such a simple request. What could possibly go wrong? It was just her family, after all…

That following morning, Eros went to his friend, Zephyrus. Could you do me a favor? My wife…

The god of the west wind, lifted his head off the cloud from where it rested, Wait…your what?

Golden wings kept the god of love floating above. Oh right, I haven’t told anyone. I got married. Her name is Psyche, a princess of Seriphos. Now, back to my favor. I need you to bring her sister, Dido to my palace tomorrow morning. Psyche is bored during the day and asked for some company.

Zephyrus rose in the air to face Eros, There are so many things wrong with what you just said. I don’t even know where to start.

What’s wrong with what I said?

One, why is your ‘wife’, lonely during the day and why aren’t you with her? Two, why does no one know the ‘god of love’ is married?

Eros slowly lowered to sit cross-legged on the fluffy cloud, To make a long story short, I never let Psyche see my true self, so I can only visit her at night…in the dark. Before you ask, going to her as invisible during the day, would only scare her. As for why I didn’t tell anyone I was married, I was worried about what you guys would say about me marrying a mortal and I certainly don’t want to hear my mother’s complaints.

As one of your best friends, Eros, you must stop letting what people think of you dictate your actions. He held up his hand to stop the typical defense statements. "It’s time you start doing what you want to do and damn what anyone else has to say. You are the god of love, you do not answer to anyone, including your mother.

Now that my rant is over, I’ll do this for you and fetch the sister. I want you to think about what I said. The issues you have with yourself, only you can fix. Do what you have to do to make yourself happy."

Thanks, man. I appreciate it and I’ll heed your advice. Eros shot up in the air to fulfill his duties for the day.

Zephyrus hollered after him, Don’t heed…do!

The next morning, Zephyrus went to the spot designated to pick up the princess’ sister. Instead of revealing himself, a dark cloud appeared in front of her. I am here to escort you to your sister’s palace. Please step onto the cloud and we shall go. Do not be afraid. I will not harm you.

The fear written all over Dido’s face disappeared when he spoke of his sister’s palace. A sinister and calculating look replaced it as she stepped onto a cloud that appeared before her.

As he smoothly carried Dido across the golden rays of the morning sky, Zephyrus thought, This will not bode well.

When Dido set gently on a golden tarmac, she looked up to see a lavish and opulent the palace. She grew jealous and wanted what her sister had. She doesn’t deserve to live this way…I do, she said before Psyche ran out to greet her. Her resentment steadily grew as her sister gave her a tour of a great hall. Half listening to Psyche’s prattle, she latched onto the part where her sister never mentioned his name and that she had never set eyes on him. She paused her sister with a hand on her shoulder, Psyche, what is your husband’s name? Dido smiled without humor when her sibling fumbled for an answer. She pressed, My dear beloved sister, you must protect yourself. You have no idea who this man is. Why, he could be an evil beast, spoiling you with all this, she waved her hand around her, only to kill you when you become complaisant. Confused, Psyche assured Dido, No, he loves me and he has treated me with nothing but respect. It would be wrong for me to distrust him.

You foolish girl, do you not remember why you are in this predicament in the first place? Because of our mother’s boasts, the Oracle said that you were to be sacrificed to a creature so powerful; the gods themselves cannot deny him. You must kill this creature now and quickly, before he destroys you. Dido smirked with the knowledge that she convinced her sister to kill her mate. There is no possible way; my weakling of a sister will succeed. When she fails, I will be there to console this powerful wielder of magikos. For, I am the better prize of this family and much more deserving than…her.

***

That night after Dido left, Psyche was in fear for her life. She waited until Eros came home and went to sleep. She lit an oil lamp to see the foul creature in the dark, and a knife her sister placed in her hands to dispatch her husband.

She did not see a monster. She saw a handsome young man with golden hair, and glowing, golden wings. Shocked at this, Psyche jumped back and spilled some of the oil onto his shoulder, awakening him.

Almost to herself, she whispered, She told me you are a monster. You’re not hideous, you’re…beautiful. She dropped the knife, which his eyes followed.

Grasping his painful shoulder, Eros stood. So now that you’ve seen my face, you are no longer afraid? I thought if I showed you kindness and generosity, you would trust me. I would have revealed myself, in time. He walked toward the opened columned window. I was wrong, goodbye Psyche. His wings spread as he jumped. He vanished into the darkness.

Psyche ran after him and stopped at the sill of the window. Stop! Please don’t go. I’m so sorry, I should have never listened to my sister. Stepping back, as tears rolled down her cheeks, she cried softly, Just give me another chance. She received no answer. She recognized, from dozens of statues and paintings, that the man who had loved and cared for her, was the one and only Eros. The God of Love and she had just tried to kill him.

Realizing she made a grave mistake, she promised to the world she would do anything to get him back.

Suddenly, Psyche found herself back in her parent’s home. She told her family about her misfortune and who she actually married.

With her sister out of the way, Dido, in her delusion, decided that she could now have Eros all for herself. How fitting, he is the god of love, much better than a magi. Without telling anyone her plans, Dido ran to the cliff where she was picked up previously. She called out for the mysterious cloud to carry her to Eros and comfort him over her sister’s vile betrayal.

Foolishly thinking the gods were with her, she jumped from the cliff expecting the gentle wind to catch her, only to smash against the rocks, sending her straight to Tartarus.

Meanwhile, since Eros had not heeded Psyche’s cries, she decided to go to his mother’s temple and beg for information on his whereabouts. Psyche kneeled, her head bowed before Aphrodite’s statue, praying and begging her forgiveness for mistreating her son. Mistress please, I beg of you. Please tell me where he is. I should not have listened to my sister. She had convinced me that he was a monster.

Aphrodite’s melodious voice came from the marble figurine. The goddess was angry that this foolish mortal hurt her son. My son trusted you and you betrayed him. Had he not married you, I would not have cared one way or the other what happens to you. Since you are my daughter-in-law, it is my duty to help the wife of my son. If you truly want him back, then you shall perform a task for me and prove that you are worthy.

Psyche eagerly responded, I will do anything!

We shall see.

Aphrodite commanded Psyche to travel to the land of Argos and locate the native golden sheep. She was instructed to gather their wool, so the deity could make a cloak for her son, and she had four days to complete the task. Psyche required a ship and crew to take her off the island. She hurried to the docks to make it so. Before they set sail, she gave a prayer to Lord Poseidon, and asked for a calm sea and safe passage to their destination.

Rarely did a young maiden pray to the god of the sea. So rare, Poseidon had write it down in his journal.

After they reached the shores of Argos, she went in search of the golden sheep. She found them over a ridge not far from the beach. Right before she walked through the bushes to gather the wool, a red-haired man with rounded belly, gleaming armor, put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her. Several men, dressed in similar garb flanked him. The shiny man told her, You cannot go out there; they eat the flesh of humans.

He asked what brought a pretty young woman to this land. Psyche explained about her task, but did not mention that the goddess of love sent her. The man, who wore golden rings, informed her he would give her the secret of gathering the sheep’s wool without endangering herself…if she granted him a favor.

Desperate, Psyche told him she was willing to do anything. Foolishly, she did not ask him for any details of his request.

The man instructed Psyche to wait until sunset when the flock moved on to another part of the hill. It would then be safe to pick the wool off the bushes, where their coats touched as they passed by.

Psyche made her way back to the ship after gathering the wool. The man stopped her again and told her it was time to honor their agreement.

Psyche asked him his name and he said, I am Prince Acrisius.

His favor was for Psyche to lie with him under the stars. She refused and confessed that she was married to someone else. She would gladly provide any other service for him, other than sex. Especially with someone who wasn’t her husband. Incensed that the woman refused his generous offer, Acrisius ordered his men to apprehend Psyche, and secure her in a small one-room building, where he conducted his extracurricular activities.

The room was well isolated. The door, once shut, nothing could be heard from the outside.

The prince visited her daily and assaulted her repeatedly.

She became pregnant not long after her abduction.

After eleven months of captivity, Psyche gave birth to a baby girl. The midwife assigned to the young woman, wrapped the child in cloths then took her to the father by his command.

Unaware that the woman who had just given birth was a captive, the midwife did not lock the door as she left. Psyche had been waiting for this opportunity for almost a year and she took advantage of the midwife’s oversight.

She made it as far as the beach, before Acrisius caught her. Angry, he grabbed her by the shoulders, "How could you betray me like this? After all I have done for you…given you? I’ve never mistreated you. I’ve provided you with food, shelter, clothing and allowed you to bath daily. I never allowed my men to touch you yet…only me.

In his anger, he wrestled her to the ground; the surf splashed both struggling bodies, as she tried to escape from him. To stop her from screaming and fighting, he sat on her and placed his hands around her neck. Hold still!

Between the prince squeezing her throat and the waves hitting her in the face, Psyche could not breathe and she began to drown. When she went still, he jumped off. Acrisius then began to scream her name and berate her for being ungrateful. When she didn’t move, he leaned close thinking she was finally going to listen to him. The clouds that covered the moon, separated to allow the light to shine down on the silent and motionless woman.

She was too quiet. She was gone.

Disappointed the woman succumbed so quickly, he left the body to see after his daughter, whom he named Danae. Then on to take care of the midwife who left the door unlocked.

Since Poseidon had taken note of the girl praying to him earlier, he honed in onto her frantic cries late into the night. He and his consort Amphytrite, raced to the shores of Argos to discover why this woman was in distress. When they reached her, she lay unmoving as the lord of the sea lifted her head. Her soul was soon to pass to The Underworld. Before it could take flight, she opened her eyes long enough to say, Aphrodite, I have failed.

The black of her pupils, slowly expanded to abolish the blue.

Poseidon snapped his fingers, summoning the goddess of love and beauty. When she appeared, he asked, Do you know this woman?

She looked upon the woman she sent yesterday, (or was that a month ago), on a quest to gather something for her and she never returned. She had completely forgotten all about it until her son came to her recently, seeking the girl’s whereabouts.

This must be the wife Eros was looking for. Oh my goodness, I’m in trouble. This came from a distraught Aphrodite.

Poseidon looked down at the mortal, Wife? Alright, what did you do and why are you in trouble?

Aphrodite pointed to the deceased, "This woman came to me after she injured and betrayed my son. She said she would do anything. Therefore, I ordered her on a quest. It was a simple task, really. Eros came to me the other day and asked if I knew where she was. Technically, I didn’t lie. I had no clue as to her whereabouts. I barely remembered her.

I told him, I had no idea. I figured, since she is just a mortal, after some time, he’d forget about her. Now she’s dead and he’s going to blame me! It’s not my fault she went and got herself killed."

Looking down at the silent woman, Aphrodite quietly asked, How did she die?

Poseidon shrugged, Amphytrite answered for him, She was killed by the prince, Acrisius.

Retribution was wanted for killing a woman. Poseidon stood quickly, only to be stopped by a hand placed on his shoulder, halting him. No, you cannot kill him; for he is to become king soon. He has a part to play in the lives of his newborn, Danae and our son, Triton.

The lord of the sea paused, because of her clairvoyance; he knew that she had seen something in the future that needed to be played out.

They turned to the love goddess, who wrung her hands in worry, What am I going to do? If my son learns out about this, he will never speak to me again. I sent her here.

Amphytrite glided over to give her comfort, when the god of love himself appeared before all of them.

He didn’t speak as he bent down to cradle the woman he been searching for these long months. They all knew that once a soul had left the body, it could no longer inhabit that body. None of the gods could ever bring a mortal back to life. Not even the King of the Gods himself, Zeus, had the power to do that.

Looking up at his mother, Eros spoke quietly, Mother, I was looking for you to ask again about Psyche. You were acting strange the last time I talked to you. Now I know why. I heard everything.

He growled low with rage, Mother, you told me you didn’t know where she was. Now I find out that you’re responsible for sending her here? I have tolerated many things from you, but this…this…I cannot abide. I quit!

He produced his famous bow and arrow and slammed them down at her feet. All three deities stared at him in shock.

His mother sputtered, You can’t quit, you are the God of Love…it is not a job that you can just walk away from!

He turned toward Poseidon and Amphytrite and bowed. I apologize for your witnessing this. I hereby tender my resignation as of this moment.

The shimmering, golden wings his mother loved so much, slowly darkened until they were pitch black. His hair began to transform from long golden locks to a short and dark, military style cut.

He looked to his mother with disappointment. Mother, I don’t think I will ever forgive you for this.

He disappeared.

Aphrodite burst into tears, "What will I do without my baby boy? I only did what I thought was best. I didn’t want the