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The God of Love Takes a Vacation
Sorry, Cupid can’t get to the phone right now. Can I take a message?
No one knew what it was like to be the secretary to the god of love. The job had only been mine for six months, but I had learned quickly enough that Cupid was a much-sought-after commodity in the world of humans.
Even I, a distant descendant of the god of war, could see why. His natural charisma cut through every blanket of tension in a room — particularly in the monthly meetings where all the gods met to discuss god-mortal relations. It was never a good thing when Jupiter and Pluto were in the same room for longer than ten minutes. I had to give my boss credit: he smoothed over confrontations as if he had been born to be a peacemaker. I was in awe of him and his power.
But then he decided to take a vacation right in the middle of the busiest season: the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. When he had given me February’s schedule, I squinted to see if I had read it right.
“Um, sir?”
“Yes, Adriana? What’s the problem?”
“This — this schedule might need a correction. You won’t be in the office on February 14th?”
Cupid waved his hand dismissively. “My mother is more than capable of handling Valentine’s Day. Besides, arrows…