Welcome to AresJoxerCupidStrife

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Title: Petitions (1/3)
Author: Artemis Luna Diana
Email: artemislunadiana@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 (references to sex)
Fandom: Xena/Herc.
Pairing: Cupid/Strife Cupid/Psyche
Disclaimer: I own not a thing.
Warning: reference to character death
Summary: Strife is allowed to return to Olympus.
Status: Complete
Archive: AJCS, all others please ask.
Website: and

Notes: Thanks to BlackUmbridge for the excellent beta.
// - designates flashback
* - designates communication through thoughts

***

He sat in an isolated section of Tartarus throwing small stones in
random directions. He didn't know whether or not he could be
considered hiding. He preferred to think of it as just a
little `quiet time' before his true hell would begin. A scream
ripped through the air. Perhaps, `quiet time' was the wrong way to
phrase it�.

Strife, dead God of Mischief, wrapped his arms around his legs and
rested his chin on his knees. His mother's petition would be granted
today. He was finally going to return to Olympus. He wondered what
his mother would say if she knew he'd rather not come back. If only
that stupid idiot hadn't nicked himself with that stupid arrow�.
Strife closed his eyes and remembered that horrible day.

//He had drifted awake to soft kisses and teasing touches. When he
opened his eyes, he found his lover smiling down at him. A gentle
flap of soft, white wings was all the warning he got before Cupid
captured his lips in a bruising kiss. The lazy arousal he had felt
upon waking shifted instantly to unbearable need.//

Strife rubbed his hands briskly across his face. "Don't go there,"
he told himself.

//When they finally managed to get themselves out of bed, they had to
skip breakfast, or risk annoying their respective bosses.

"Don't stay out all night," Cupid said between kisses. "I've got a
surprise for you."

Strife laughed. "You say that, and just watch, I'll be the one
waiting for you."

With one last hard kiss, the couple separated and left: Strife to
Ares, and Cupid to Aphrodite.//

`So careful,' Strife thought miserably. `No one ever knew.'

//"I don't want the actions and opinions of the pantheon to influence
the outcome of our relationship," Cupid said earnestly. "I don't
want them scaring you off."

"Okay," Strife said after a moment. His lips quirked in an amused
smile. "After all, if you find out the truth about me, it might
scare `you' off."//

Strife leaned back, resting his head up against the wall. He would
always wonder what he did to piss off the Fates.

//His mother flashed in, snickering, trying so hard not to collapse
into hysterical laughter. It was kind of a scary sight.

"What?" Ares finally snapped.

"Only the House of Love!" she laughed.

They listened to her laughing a few moments more, before Strife
prompted, "Only the House of Love�."

"Cupid scratched himself with one of his love arrows and is chasing
some mortal woman around!"

Strife didn't notice Ares reaction, he was much too
disappointed. `So much for tonight's surprise,' he thought. He
snickered though as he realized how embarrassed Cupid would be when
the arrow wore off.//

"If only it had been so simple," he whispered.

//Cupid had come back to Olympus with Psyche on his arm, and before
you could blink, Psyche was a Goddess and the two were married. He
had been a little anxious for Cupid to hurry up and recover when that
happened. The whole thing was beginning to get out of control.
Cupid kept giving him odd looks, and Strife had known that he was
beginning to break free from the arrow's spell. A few days before
the spell would have disappeared, Cupid and Psyche had announced they
were expecting. Strife had been incredibly hurt.

They were always careful to make sure that neither would get
pregnant. Since Cupid and Psyche were married, they certainly hadn't
been taking precautions, and it wasn't something that Strife had
entertained even happening. The situation was growing more and more
complex, and Cupid had yet to shake the rest of the spell off.

The next day, Cupid had stopped looking at him. The spell should
have been almost gone, Cupid should have been seeking him out, even
if he didn't quite know why.

His gaze drifted towards Psyche, and he realized what had happened.
The new Goddess of the Mind had done something to her husband to make
him forget all about his former lover. Slamming shields into place,
he allowed his heart to break.//

Strife stood up. Hades was calling him. It was time for the
petition. He walked towards his great uncle, his thoughts still lost
in memory.

When Bliss had been born, all he could think was that the boy should
have been his. Depressed and distracted, he got himself killed. So
stupid. Of course, Cupid had not come to visit. Why should he? To
his reckoning, Strife was just a cousin stupid enough to land himself
in the Underworld permanently. He tried not to think about them,
tried not to let it hurt, but it was a useless effort. He loved the
featherbrained idiot. Was still in love.

Hell would begin all over, sweet in its simplicity. He would watch
as his heart was shattered time and again. His love's smile was no
longer directed at him.

***

Title: Petitions (2/3)
Author: Artemis Luna Diana
Email: artemislunadiana@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 (references to sex)
Fandom: Xena/Herc.
Pairing: Cupid/Strife Cupid/Psyche
Disclaimer: I own not a thing.
Warning: reference to character death
Summary: Strife is allowed to return to Olympus.
Status: Complete
Archive: AJCS, all others please ask.
Website: and

Notes: Thanks to BlackUmbridge for the excellent beta.
// - designates flashback
* - designates communication through thoughts

***

She watched as her husband chased their son around the garden, their
laughter echoing up to her perch in the window. Her expression was
not one of joy or of amusement. Instead her features were tight with
worry and uncertainty. The decision she had once made, once more had
the opportunity to be implemented. Her terror had not receded with
the passage of time, but her guilt had continued to increase. She
could not live the lie anymore.

Psyche, Goddess of the Mind, carefully stood as the summons came for
the day's petitions. With a muted flash, she disappeared from her
home and reappeared in the main hall of Olympus. Her husband
appeared a few moments later, having dropped their son off with a
babysitter.

She watched as Eris, Goddess of Discord, approached the King and
Queen of the Gods. Her petition was finally being granted. Strife,
her son and the God of Mischief, was being returned to Olympus.
Psyche tensed as Eris formally spoke her request, afraid that Zeus,
the bastard that he was, had changed his mind. When the request was
granted, her tension increased. Her heart pounded, and she struggled
to control her breathing.

By the time Hades had summoned Strife's shade and returned it to
life, she was trembling. It was all she could do to stay standing.
Eris crying over her son did not affect her. She could see her
fellow Olympians either cringing at the realization that the God of
Mischief had returned or smiling that one of their own had come
back. She glanced at her husband, the God of Love.

Cupid's face was lit by a small smile, but his brow was pinched
slightly in confusion. Psyche bit her lip as her guilt and fear
threatened to overwhelm her. Slowly she stepped forward, approaching
the throne. She could sense the surprise and the confusion of her
peers and struggled to conceal her fear. She looked down where Eris
huddled clutching Strife, still weak from his return. One look into
those accusing eyes and her calm returned. This was the right thing
to do.

She stared straight at her King and Queen and spoke her
petition. "I, Psyche, Goddess of the Mind, ask that you sever the
bonds of marriage between myself and my husband, Cupid, God of Love."

Cries of shock and surprise echoed through the hall, her husband's
among them. "Why do you ask this?" Hera demanded.

"Because I have committed a crime against my husband," Psyche
replied. Before anyone could label her an adulteress, she
continued. "I have erased over three decades worth of memories from
his mind."

The hall fell silent for a moment, before the angry voices began.
She clearly heard Aphrodite, Goddess of Love's voice among
them. "Return my son's memories at once!"

"I will only return those memories�" she spoke, and the hall fell
silent again. "�if you grant the divorce. If you do not, I will
take the memories of this event from every single one of you."

The hall remained silent, after all what kind of response could you
make to such a statement? Hera slowly stood. "You have broken your
vows to your husband, Psyche, Goddess of the Mind. Your marriage to
Cupid, God of Love, is now void. Return his memories to him."

Psyche closed her eyes briefly, in both relief and sadness. She
turned to her former husband, his look of betrayal agony for her.
Her eyes flashed with power, and Cupid staggered as she removed the
blocks on his memory. Aphrodite rushed to her son, trying to steady
him. They both fell to the ground. The silence of the hall
continued, anxiously watching Cupid. Psyche's trembling returned.

"Why?" his voice heavy with suppressed tears. "Why did you take them
from me?"

Psyche struggled not to cry, and she heard Hera step forward. "The
rest should be continued in private."

"No!" Psyche snapped. "I'd rather do this here, then to have you all
gossiping behind our backs!" Her eyes focused on her ex-husband. "I
was pregnant and terrified. There is no other reason. I discovered
them while you were helping me learn to use my godhood. As the
affects of the arrow began to wear off and my fear increased, I
decided to hide them from you."

She paused to draw a ragged breath. "A few months after Bliss was
born, I decided to tell you and remove the blocks, but then�" she
hesitated then quickly decided "it" was not hers to reveal. "�'it'
happened. I figured that it was best to leave things as they were.
But now `it' doesn't matter anymore, and I can't stand the thought
that I am the reason why you aren't happy. You weren't happy being
married to me, and I knew that, even if you didn't. I do love you,
Cupid, but you don't love me, and you never will."

"You took away the memories of a lover!" Ares snarled.

"Considering she took away over thirty years worth, I'd say it was
more than just a lover," Aphrodite snapped, glaring at her ex-
daughter-in-law.

"Well, who was it?" Apollo asked impatiently.

"That is not my place to say," Psyche said calmly. She saw the
careful looks that Cupid and Strife gave each other as they realized
she was leaving the rest up to them.

***

Title: Petitions (3/3)
Author: Artemis Luna Diana
Email: artemislunadiana@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 (references to sex)
Fandom: Xena/Herc.
Pairing: Cupid/Strife Cupid/Psyche
Disclaimer: I own not a thing.
Warning: reference to character death
Summary: Strife is allowed to return to Olympus.
Status: Complete
Archive: AJCS, all others please ask.
Website: and

Notes: Thanks to BlackUmbridge for the excellent beta.
// - designates flashback
* - designates communication through thoughts

***

Cupid tried not to stare, tried not to give himself away. Could
Strife still love him after all of this? Tartarus, he was going to
propose that night. He glanced at his ex-wife. Having been married
to her as long as he had, he could see the signs of suppressed
tension, guilt, and sorrow in her lithe frame. His `little accident'
had hurt the three of them terribly, and they would not remain the
only ones affected by this. There was Bliss to consider as well as
the rest of their family.

*Strife?* his mental voice was hesitant and unsure.

*I still love you, Cupid.* Strife's mental voice was steady, but
Cupid's loving heart could detect the slight nuances that revealed
that Strife was just as unsure of welcome as he was.

*I'll always love you, Strife.* His reply was strong and full of
barely contained joy.

Wiping the tear tracks from his face, Cupid stood and began to walk
forward. He heard the gasps and realized that many thought he was
going to harm his ex-wife. Even Eris, thought so, and pulled Strife
to his feet, trying to get him away from the two former lovers.

Cupid noted her surprise as she realized he was not walking towards
Psyche, but instead towards her and her son. Her confusion was such,
that she didn't even resist as he pulled Strife from her grasp.
Pulling his love flush against his body, Cupid, as they say, `laid
one on him.'

Only through trickery could he have ever forgotten this. With just a
simple kiss, Strife could create waves of pleasure throughout his
body. Cupid could feel those cool, slender fingers gripping his
arms, then sliding up to pull him even closer. His wings flapped
once, then enclosed them in soft white. The kiss went on, growing
deeper and more passionate by the moment.

The sounds of shock went unnoticed. The cheers and light-hearted
laughter from the few that knew them well were ignored. To Cupid,
the world could have ended and he wouldn't have cared so long as his
lips never left Strife's.

***

The End.