Can't Have You

I looked down at the folder for the hundredth time in the last hour. Joseph Adam Jonas was printed on it in little black letters. Inside, there was everything on his life growing up probably until what happened earlier. There was the most adorable picture of him with the biggest smile on his face which, after I crushed him tonight I highly doubt if I would ever see again, unless a miracle happened.

I was pretty sure Joe was back to where he was before I came in and fixed everything, only to rip it away from him again. What kind of person gives someone everything and takes it away? I know it’s not like I meant to, but the fact that I did it is the bottom line. If I hadn’t left the folder on my bed and locked Joe’s dressing room door, he would have never found this and read everything I did to him. How I was the bitch responsible for him and Camilla breaking up. Now because he fell in love with me and I crushed his heart by accident, I was at fault again.

“Elle Summers.” A smooth voice said from behind me.

I turned around in the chair, only to see Apollo standing in the doorway to my office with a smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes at Apollo as he stepped in and took off his sunglasses. Apollo was the God of the Sun and Prophecy which gave him a pretty damn big head. Although I think some of his huge ego was from the mortal women he screwed on a daily basis.

“Apollo, what brings you here?” I asked turning back around to my desk and looked at Joe’s folder sadly again.

“Oh, you know, just stopping to visit my favorite Cupid on the way as I bring sunshine to the world,” Apollo sang brightly as he hopped onto my desk. I tried to grab Joe’s file, but Apollo was too quick and snatched it out of my hands.

“Give it back, Apollo!” I snapped, trying to grab it. But he just pushed me back in the chair and flipped through the file meaninglessly.

“So he’s the mortal you're seeing?” Apollo smirked and tossed the file back to me. “I've heard about him. You two are quite the talk of Mount Olympus.”

“What?” I asked worried. If the gods knew about me and Joe, I was screwed and would end up being sent down to Hades for the rest of my existence.

“Oh, well it’s a rumor really,” Apollo said smoothly and hopped off the desk before getting close to my face. “There is a lot you don’t know, Elle, and a lot of people you trust are waiting for the chance to get you kicked out.”

“Well trust me, it isn’t too hard to get me kicked out. I’m not at all powerful like you. I’m a minor god. If anything, a new god. We’re easier to replace than you guys who have been around since the beginning of time.” I sighed. It's the one thing that sucked about only getting this job 75 years ago. I was still considered a new god. Hell, Sofia was probably still considered a new god too and she has been around 800 years, but she has a lot more power than me at any rate.

“It isn’t hard to get you new gods out considering you guys aren’t very good at sneaking around.” Apollo laughed and got a dazed look on his face and I’m sure he was thinking about something he did that broke the rules, but he got away with. “We older gods have had practice sneaking around with mortals so that we never get caught. I mean, even the big guy has affairs with mortals!”

“Mhmm, I would love to discuss this fascinating topic of sneaking around with mortals, but can we please get to the point? Otherwise I’m kicking you out of here.” I said, leaning back in my chair.

“Right, back to my point of whose trying to get you kicked out of the happiest place on earth.” I was about to tell Apollo this was the farthest thing from the happiest place on earth. I think the happiest place on earth was anywhere that Joe was. I continued to let Apollo run on with how great Mount Olympus was and all the good I had done in this place. I was starting to lose interest until he brought out a folder as thick as a textbook.

“I have spent many years digging up dirty on this bitch and trying to get answers on her. Now I finally have them.” Apollo threw the folder on my desk and I checked the name on it. Sofia Annabeth Harrison. “800 years ago Sofia was in the same set as you. She was playing Little Miss Cupid and Aphrodite was the Goddess of Love. But on Sofia’s hundredth anniversary of Cupid, she was promoted to Goddess of Love and Aphrodite was sent to Tarsus. Aphrodite was caught screwing a mortal and apparently there was a child involved, turning it into a Demi God which as me and you both know are forbidden,” He was right. Demi Gods were like taboos around here.

“Well, Aphrodite was turned in by someone anonymous.” Apollo rambled on about the old god, Aphrodite. I didn’t know much about her, but I had heard rumors.

“Apollo, what is the point of this? Really, I don’t care that Sofia was once Cupid and I don’t care about some old god named Aphrodite.” I said, cutting him off which I think made him a little mad because he waved his hand over the file and it opened to a page with a young girl, Apollo pointed to it.

“Lucy Grace Samuels. She was in the same set as you and was here about 80 years. Then guess what? She was caught screwing a mortal, which was her third strike actually and each time she was turned in anonymously. Now, she is rotting in Tarsus with Aphrodite!” Apollo spoke and I swear I could see his blood boiling as he talked about Tarsus and Aphrodite. Hell, he and Aphrodite were probably banging before she got caught! Apollo would hump anything that moves. “Then there’s Kendall Jackson, True Hope, Madison Denny, and so many more over the last 700 years. All under Sofia’s care and all booted before they made it to their hundredth anniversary and went under review to see if they could take Sofia’s place.”

“Wait,” I said, starting to put everything Apollo was saying together. “You're telling me Sofia is setting these girls up before their hundredth anniversary as Cupid so they don’t go under review and replace Sofia? That’s so crazy, Apollo. Is this a joke? Did Hermes set this up to screw with me?”

“No! I’m telling the truth, Elle! Look at the file! Everything is there. All the evidence, I swear.” Apollo looked at me with the most serious look I had ever seen. Usually he was a big goof ball who couldn’t be serious for a minute. “Zeus wants to replace Sofia and has since she got in, but she's never done anything wrong.”

“Okay, so why don’t you just show this to Zeus?” I asked, raising my eyebrows and crossing my arms. “I am sure he would believe you. You are Apollo after all.”

“Come on, Elle. You know gods can’t tell on each other.” Apollo sighed. It was true back in the old days Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus actually had affairs with mortals and it wasn’t against the rules. One of them would run and tell on the other. So Zeus set up the law where gods can’t tell on others. Sure it was immature, but so are half the gods. “You can, though, since you're not considered a true god yet. It’s a power all new gods have, even minor gods are excluded from the rule, so really you could always tell even if you become an old god eventually because you're still considered a minor god.”

“Okay, so what, I walk up to Zeus and just show him this and then what?” I asked Apollo since he was the god of prophecy. He must already know what was going to happen or be able to give me some kind of hint.

“I can’t tell you, Elle,” Apollo said, putting his sunglasses back on. “Just remember, this is your job and your life on the line. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your existence rotting like the others in Tarsus, I suggest you use that information I gave you.” He turned to walk away.

“Apollo, wait!” I demanded and he looked at me kind of shocked. “What’s in this for you?”

“Aphrodite.” Apollo said as he started to open the door. “I miss her being in charge of you guys and throwing all those crazy arrows when she was bored even if she wasn‘t cupid.”

“Aww, that’s really sweet.” I smiled at him.

“Well, she was also great in bed.” Apollo laughed and his infamous smirked appeared.

“You’re a lost cause.” I said hitting my head on the desk repeatedly.

“Hey, I was just saying.” Apollo shrugged. “So am I taking you anywhere, Ms. Elle?”

“Yeah, actually, you can. I have a deal to make with someone.” I smirked evilly and got up taking Sofia’s file with me as I followed Apollo out.

---

“She’s been screwing with my order of death for 700 years! She’s even been taking up space in Tarsus because people are going to replace her!” Hades screamed and I swear his head was on fire. “Who does this little bitch think she is messing with? I am the King of Death, not her! I decide who goes to Tarsus and who dies, not her!”

I had spent about 30 minutes telling Hades everything that Apollo had told me on the car ride and back in my office. I left Apollo’s name out of the story though and said I dug it up with the help of a fairy when I thought my job was in jeopardy. When I got to the part about Sofia sending pretty much everyone who was Cupid and the original Goddess of Love to Tarsus or to death, Hades had gone a little over the deep end.

Death was Hades favorite thing and when you messed with that, well, Hades gets a little mad to say the least. Fortunately for me, Spring had started which meant Persephone was Demeter and that Hades would be in an extra pissy mood with his wife just leaving. He would have to wait for the start of winter before she would come back. It also meant Sofia’s punishment would be a little more harsh than normal, but after finding out everything she did to the other Cupids, I didn’t feel that bad for her.

“What the gods?” Sofia screamed as she fell into Hades house.

As Sofia stood up, she saw me sitting in one of Hades chairs by the fire. Just to be a bitch I smirked at her since I figured I wouldn’t be seeing Sofia ever again, which made her give me a look that I swear could have scared even Hades himself.

“Sofia Annabeth Harrison,” Hades said. “I hear you have been doing things a little out of your job range.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sofia snapped nastily which was the wrong move. I didn’t care how mean and nasty Sofia thought she was. She was no match for Hades. Hades is one of the big 3 and you don’t screw with them.

“You know I could send you to Tarsus, you little smart mouth brat.” Hades spoke smoothly, but I could hear the venom dripping out of his voice.

“For what? It’s not like I’m sleeping with a human or breaking any godly rules,” Sofia said as she stared straight at me. I glared

“How about getting other gods charged and setting them up to fail?” Hades said coolly. “I’m sure that’s a crime. Also, the no telling on gods rule...didn’t you tell on Aphrodite?”

“Got proof of any of that?” Sofia asked.

“Enough proof that my brother will agree with whatever I do.” Hades smirked evilly then looked at me. “You, up and out. No one should have to see what I do to this brat.”

“Mhmm,” I said nodding then lightly waved at Sofia while smirking. “Bye Hades. Take extra good care of her.”

As I walked out, I couldn’t help but laugh at the last line. Luckily for me, Hades was letting me out of the Underworld. Otherwise I would have a pretty sticky situation on my hands trying to get out. No one, unless you’re a god and have permission from Hades, makes it out from the Underworld.

“Hey, pretty lady. How did it go?” Apollo asked pulling up.

“Let’s just say Aphrodite will probably be back in business and Sofia should be rotting in Tarsus or will become Hades personal slave.” I smirked getting into Apollo’s bring shiny red sports car which he decked out to pull the sun with because he couldn’t have just a normal chariot anymore.

“That’s my girl.” Apollo smiled and held out his hand for a high five when I tried to hit but he moved his hand like an immature idiot. “Too slow.”

As Apollo turned on the car and speed off, I swear I heard screams coming from the entrance to the Underworld. I’m pretty sure they were from Sofia, too. It looked like Sofia was finally getting what was coming to her all along.

Take that, bitch.