CRUCIUX'S POV

Finally, I get some spotlight.

Welcome to my tragic backstory where I tell you why we are thrown out of the immortal realm and tasked with overseeing mortal teenagers. None of this would have happened if someone hadn't created a series of reckless and catastrophic mistakes that endangered the balance between chaos and love.

My name is Cruciux-the best in the world. And there's Cupid, an insignificant character in this story and his assistant, Amoria. Well, she is just a girl.

For centuries, we operated under a delicate truce, each understanding the importance of maintaining balance. We lived in a really cool building; the kind that mortals take pictures of when they go to different countries.

Everything was cool until it got tiring.

Cupid grew increasingly bored with his routine duties and started experimenting with more unconventional pairings, creating chaotic and unstable relationships just for the thrill of it. Amoria, caught up in her own hubris, began to impose her idealized version of love on mortals, ignoring the complexities and struggles that real love entails.

I was perfect at doing my job, obviously. My name even sounded like it was derived from evil. I will always be the antagonist that took advantage of the growing recklessness, subtly pushing everyone towards more extreme actions that disrupted the natural order.

They don't call me the God of Forbidden Passion for no reason.

Everything happened on a random Tuesday when the clock struck midnight. Keeping track of the world is a lot of hard work. This does not mean that you have to slack on nap time. Little did we know that are souls were about to have a meeting with Zeus.

I had a slight memory of burying myself in my pink and brown flowery blanket and then waking up in a room that one just could never conjure in a dream. Chandeliers with octagonal shaped diamonds decorated the ceiling. You couldn't reach the ceiling even if you stacked 20 large ladders on top of one another. Lightning crackled lightly in the air. I look around to see Cupid and Amoria already staring at me. Probably because I am quite handsome.

"Why are we summoned at Zeus's palace without an invitation?" Amoria asked me.

Imagine watching a new movie with a person and then being bombarded with a million questions from them. Do they just assume that you produced and directed the movie?

"I love how you assume I have the answers to everything that's unusual," I responded as politely as possible. I even smiled at her.

Amoria probably never understood my sarcasm. "If I am going to die, can I be buried with two middle fingers pointing upwards?"

Why would she ask me that? Is this a normal thought for women?

"Sure." I turned my back to her so she doesn't have to see me roll my eyes.

A cinnamon door illuminated right in front of me. I looked at Cupid and Amoria. We had a silent agreement to go through the door, not that we really had a choice.

"Can we burn this place to the ground?" I questioned to no one in particular. "Seeing that it's made of stone and marble, I doubt it would do much damage," Cupid replied.

"But trying it would make me feel better." He didn't consider my suggestion and rubbed his red puffy eyes and then placed his hand on Amoria's back as she grabbed on to my shoulder. I placed my palm on the door and it made one of those pretty cool noises that you mortals hear when you reach a new level in a video game.

The throne of Zeus, seated in the grand hall of the immortal realm, was a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship-a seat of power that radiated authority and awe. Made from shimmering celestial gold, its surface was etched with intricate depictions of storms, lightning bolts, and swirling clouds, as if the throne itself was alive with the essence of Zeus's dominion. The armrests were carved to resemble roaring eagles, their sharp talons gripping the edge of the seat, while their wings extended upward in a protective arc. Embedded in the backrest were glowing gemstones-sapphires, diamonds, and topaz-that flickered like distant stars, mirroring the cosmos itself.

Made from shimmering celestial gold, its surface was etched with intricate depictions of storms, lightning bolts, and swirling clouds, as if the throne itself was alive with the essence of Zeus's dominion. The armrests were carved to resemble roaring eagles, their sharp talons gripping the edge of the seat, while their wings extended upward in a protective arc. Embedded in the backrest were glowing gemstones-sapphires, diamonds, and topaz-that flickered like distant stars, mirroring the cosmos itself. Zeus sat on the opposite end of the room. We walked towards him and noticed that other Gods and Goddesses lined the edges of the wall, watching us with curiosity and possible disgust.

Above the throne, a canopy of swirling clouds floated, constantly shifting and illuminated by flashes of golden light, as if Zeus's storm was always on the verge of breaking loose. Despite its grandeur, the throne had an air of menace, as though to sit upon it was to claim not just power, but also the unrelenting weight of divine responsibility.

Zeus leaned forward on his throne, eyes narrowed, his voice deep and thunderous.

"Cruciux, Cupid, Amoria," he began, his tone simmered with restrained fury. "You know well why you have been summoned here."

I stood there with my arms crossed and looked at Zeus in the eye; an ability I was blessed with. Cupid, his golden curls slightly askew, shifted uncomfortably and glanced to his left at Amoria, who, despite her usual composure, was staring at the floor, her crimson-tinted wings drooping.

"You have no power over me," I stated boldly. I can feel Ares and Hades staring at me. If it wasn't for all the power that was concentrated in that room, I could swear they were asking me to be quiet.

"Is that what you assume?" Zeus boomed. Lightning crackled faster and the air dropped to a slightly low temperature; low enough for the strands of my hair to rise. "You have disrupted the natural order of mortal love and affection! Cupid, you've allowed his interference, and Amoria," he continued, his gaze shifting to her, "you've been no better by indulging in their games. Your place in the immortal realm requires you to foster true love, not twisted passions that lead mortals into despair. Is this what your elders have taught you?"

Cupid stepped forward and locked his hands behind him. "Lord Zeus, I never asked him to meddle! But Cruciux, he doesn't exactly listen to anyone, let alone me," he argued, casting an exasperated look towards me. "And besides, we fixed things... sort of. Most of the damage was minor. A few broken hearts, but they heal, right?"

This did not seem to relieve the tension. "And what do you think of this, Amoria? I demand an explanation for these foolish ill thoughts." Zeus stared at Amoria's skull like he was trying to analyze which neurons in the brain were responsible for the destruction of the mortal realm.

Amoria just stared at the reflection of Zeus on the floor before daring to prove her point. "There are two seasons that continue to exist in the mortal realm; war and not war. Therefore, one must always choose their weapon carefully. In my opinion, love and hatred are equally strong. I just felt it was necessary to test mortals so they can gain more strength from their terrible experiences."

"Gain more strength?" Hera interjected, her voice cold as ice as she surveyed them from beside Zeus. "You call leaving mortals in unending cycles of obsession and destruction as a sign of gaining more strength? You've left a trail of confusion, one that echoes all the way here to the immortal realm." It was reasonable that the Goddess of marriage and Family was disturbed by these unfortunate circumstances. Her wisdom and concern for the sanctity of relationships make her a key figure in this council.

Zeus turned his gaze towards me, who smiled in an unsettling way. "Cruciux, this isn't your first offense, and your arrogance betrays any semblance of remorse. There's more at stake than your... amusement."

"Remorse? Dear Zeus, let's not act as if these mortals wouldn't have found their way to despair even without my touch. I simply... accelerated their destinies." I felt my spine crack painfully like I was being electrified by a lightning bolt. My nonchalance clearly did not please him and I was down on my knees in the next second.

Amoria, finally gathering her courage, spoke up. "Lord Zeus, if I may... We were only exploring. Experimenting with... boundaries." She swallowed hard, avoiding my eyes as she continued, "But we didn't intend to lose control. I swear it."

"Intentions mean little when the consequences spiral beyond your grasp," Zeus responded, his voice growing even colder. He leaned back, exhaling as if deciding our fate even as he spoke. I felt the pain leave my body momentarily as I regained my ability to stand. Cupid and Amoria held my shoulders up and I could have sworn that Cupid murmured his condolences for me.

"Since you three believe you're so wise in handling mortal hearts, you will be sent to live among them-to walk beside them, feel their pains, and experience the messes you create. A sentence fitting for deities who have lost sight of their purpose."

Okay this is bad. This is what it means when you reach rock bottom. Cupid opened his mouth to argue, but Zeus raised his hand, silencing him.

"You will be bound to mortal missions," Zeus continued. "For every broken heart, every life thrown into chaos by your actions, you will tend to them. And until they are made whole again, you will remain there. Mortal, though you will retain your memories of immortality-a curse, perhaps, more than a gift."

The hall echoed with gasps from the other gods, who whispered among themselves, some smirking at the trio's punishment. "Mortal?" I hissed and I felt Cupid pull me back, probably for my own good. "That's going too far."

"Far enough to keep you in line, perhaps," Zeus replied, voice steely. Amoria, pale with shock, could only stare at the ground.

"May your punishment remind you of the responsibilities we bear," Zeus finished, his gaze burning with finality. "Now go, and learn the weight of a mortal's heart."

In an instant, we were engulfed in blinding light, and before we could protest, the world around us vanished, plunging us from the divine halls of Olympus into the harsh, uncertain realm of humanity.

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I will survive university. I will be a happy girl.

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