I slammed the door of the taxi and let out a frustrated groan. I didn't even want to glance out the window.

"Where to?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Anywhere," I grumbled. "Anywhere but here."

"Earth it is," Harry announced as he drove off down the street.

Sinking into the seat, I sighed.

Harry glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Something up?"

"The usual family drama," I mumbled in reply. "Eros telling me how everything I do is wrong. My way is wrong and things can only run the way he wants them too. He's driving me crazy. Then my grandmother is all sweet and innocent and she makes me feel guilty for hating my grandfather. I don't hate hate him… but you know? I just… I don't know. Does Hermes every yell at you for driving incorrectly?"

"Hermes barely has time to even talk to us," Harry answered. "I think you're lucky that you get to spend so much time with your family."

I scoffed and muttered quietly, "I think you're the lucky one."

"Anywhere specific?" Harry asked suddenly. "Or am I just driving blind?"

"New York," I suggested.

"You always go there."

I shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "I like it there. I work there and I'm comfortable there."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Harry said simply.

Then we drove in silence. The streets of Olympia slowly faded like mist to become an empty street on the outskirts of New York. From there, Harry drove into a busier part of town. I didn't know where we were going but Harry seemed to have a destination in mind.

The yellow cab stopped just outside of some small building.

"Where are we?"

Harry turned in his seat to face me. "You look like you need a drink."

"Oh no," I denied quickly. "I don't drink."

"One won't hurt you and it will definitely make you feel better."

I glanced over at the bar wearily. Alcohol had never made her life any better before. She doubted it would be much help now.

"I can take you somewhere else if you really want? Just tell me where."

I sighed and shook my head. "I'll stay. It can't be so bad right? How many bad things happen in bars?"

Harry laughed at my joke as I exited the car. I waved to him when he drove off and then headed inside.

It was a little place with no consistent theme. There were random street signs and funny quotes and sayings lining the walls in a cluttered fashion. The actual color of the wall was hard to distinguish with all the signs around. Booths and tables filled up the wall remaining wall space and there was a collection of different styled barstools at the actual bar.

Yet, despite the crazy décor, the place was surprising crowded. There didn't seem to be many available seats. People were sitting with getting up and moving to tables halfway across the room to sit with strangers. I was much too sober to be in this place.

Still, I decided to join the crowd. There was nothing better to do and going home didn't seem like a good option. Eros had been on my back a lot lately. It seemed like his body was making up for lost time and he was tuning into his feminine side by being extremely moody lately. Maybe he was the one that needed the drink.

I squeezed my way through the crowd and up to the bar. Nothing on the menu seemed even slightly appealing to me. Alcohol wasn't really something I was fond of. I could still remember when I first tried it…

o0o0o

"Happy Birthday, Peyton," a soft voice cooed.

I peeked through my eyelids only to see my grandmother's bright face smiling happily at me. Yawning, I rolled over and away from her hoping she would give me a few more minutes of sleep.

A second later, her hand was on my shoulder and she was shaking me gently. I groaned in response.

"It's your 21st birthday," she practically sang.

"So what?" I muttered.

"So," Psyche began. "You have a special guest here for you. Just for your birthday!"

I gave her a curious look through my sleepy eyes. "Tell me Eros didn't!"

"Didn't what?"

I sat up suddenly interested in what was happening. It took me a few seconds to wake up properly before I clarified.

"Eros didn't invite my soul mate here, did he?"

"Oh, no," Psyche denied quickly brushing a piece of hair away from my face. "No, he was too busy to enjoy your special day."

"Too busy not being born?" I guessed with a yawn.

Psyche chuckled before shaking her head. "Don't worry about that. Your mother is here for you and she has a special present."

"My mother?" I asked distastefully. "I still have one of those?"

Psyche nodded with a sad smile. "Why don't you get dressed and join us in the main room?"

My grandmother left the room before I could even protest. I did not want to deal with my mother. The lady who told me that I had ugly eyes and wasn't worth her time? No thank you.

Still, I listened to my grandmother and joined all of them in the living room after I was all dressed and ready for the day.

My mother sat in my grandparent's living room with a big beautiful smile on her perfect face. Eros and Psyche were cuddle together on a different sofa. I sighed as I looked between the three of them.

"Hey, kiddo," Hedone greeted. She stood and held out her arms as if expecting a hug. She approached and awkward wrapped her arms around me. I stood still waiting for the whole experience to be over. Hedone pulled away and held onto my shoulders at arm's length to take all of me in.

"You're still pretty," she muttered with a strained smile. "You turned out nice, kid."

I raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior. "Thank you?"

"Alright, here's the deal. We're going out tonight. I'm taking you out for an adventure. What do you say?"

I gave her an expression of disbelief. "Are you kidding? Why would I want to go out with you?"

Hedone's face softened with misunderstanding. Psyche stood up and approached us with a concerned look.

"Peyton, give your mother a chance. She really wants to take you out tonight!"

My grandmother's expression was hard to ignore. It was amazing how she could make me feel bad for something that I shouldn't have had to feel bad about.

"It's just one night, kid," Hedone spoke up. "Give me a chance."

I glanced over at Eros for a moment. He was still calmly sitting on the sofa and he gave me one soft encouraging smile with a nod. So it was decided.

"Fine."

"Great," Hedone squealed! "Let's pick you out a good outfit now!"

…

My mother had me in the skimpiest excuse for clothing that I had ever worn. Plus, it was rather sparkly and flashy as if we really wanted to draw attention to our excess skin. I didn't really get the point.

This was also the first time I had gotten to travel down to Earth without Eros. It was quite an adventure in my mind.

Yet, the place we were at didn't seem that appealing. It was quite a rundown place with a crowd of people that didn't seem to know the term 'personal space'.

"Alright, kid, now listen here," Hedone said suddenly. "We've got to get our game down. We are going to stand on this wall until some guys notice us. You don't say a thing, got it?"

I didn't really understand the point of the game she was talking about. We would lean against the disgusting wall until some guy offered to pay for our drinks. Then we would drink whatever he got us and my mother would go to the bathroom and the guy would disappear. When she returned, we would repeat everything.

The first taste of alcohol was bitter and gross. I didn't enjoy it at all but my mother told me to finish it since it was bought for me. The second drink was something fruity and tasty. I liked that a lot. The third one burned my throat and I ended up coughing for ten minutes.

Each time my mother would disappear off to the bathroom, she would leave me alone for about fifteen minutes. Guys would approach me and offer me more drinks. My mother had told me not to talk to anyone but I would ask some of them for the fruity drink and I liked it. The attention they gave me anyway.

But after my fifth drink, I didn't feel so good. My stomach was doing flips and twists and I had to run to the bathroom in case I would throw up.

I ran into my mother there attached at the lip with the latest guy that bought us the burning type of drink. The sight of them together plus the mix of alcohol made me run over to the sink and empty the contents of my stomach.

The guy Hedone was with was obviously turned off.

"Ugh, you're with her right?" he asked.

I made eye contact with her but her eyes were glazed over.

"No, of course not," she said with a laugh and then pulled his face back to hers.

My brain didn't understand the situation.

"Mom?" I asked confused.

The guy glanced over at me. "Man, is she wasted or what? Go on home, kid."

"Huh?"

Hedone sighed obviously annoyed. "Hold on a second," she said to her date.

She left him and wiped her mouth with her arm.

"God, I hate smokers," she muttered as she pulled me aside. "Listen, kid. You did good. I haven't gotten this much action in decades. We make a good team. Maybe we can go out tomorrow and do this again."

"Are we going home?" I asked dreamily.

"You are, kid. I'm going to stay here. Now run along."

"But… I'm not having fun."

"That doesn't matter, kid. Now catch the car home," Hedone said as she shoved me toward the door.

As soon as I was outside, the cold air hit me hard and I momentarily lost my breath. What had Hedone said? Something about going home? Where was home? I didn't even know where I was…

I was lost.

…

"Hedone just left her alone."

"She had good intentions."

"I don't believe she did."

"Well, she's resting now," my grandmother's voice echoed in my mind.

"She will feel much pain in the morning," Eros's voice rang through. "Prepare her for that."

I opened my eyes expecting darkness but was surprised to see bright lights. I squinted confused on where I was or how I got her.

"Grandma?" I called out.

"Shh," was the response heard. "You're okay now."

"What happened?"

"Eros found you slumped up against an old tavern place. He just now brought you home and put you into bed."

"Where's my mom?"

Psyche sighed simply. "She's gone."

There was a moment of stale silence in the room. I felt Psyche begin to rub my back soothingly and I didn't even realize when the tears began falling down my face.

"Can I go to sleep?"

"Of course, dear," Psyche whispered. She found a blanket nearby and draped it around me. "Goodnight, Peyton."

"Grandma?" I called out before she could leave.

"Yes?"

I took a deep breath in before saying, "She never even wished me a happy birthday."

o0o0o

"So what'll it be?" the bartender asked. Five people shouted their orders before I could even think. I wanted nothing fruity and I didn't want anything that burned all the way to my stomach.

"Rum and coke," I requested among the other shouts for orders. I handed over the money when a glass was handed to me.

I squeeze away from the bar and headed to any available seat. People were shouting and screaming and I just sat in my spot while sipping at my drink. There was really nothing better for me to do.

There was no sitting in the seat next to me but that changed after about five minutes. A little brunette with a fruity concoction in her hand took that spot. She seemed interested in chatting with someone else but she glanced over at me once. Then a big smile spread on her face. I sighed annoyed at the prospect of having to be in a conversation.

"I know you," she said suddenly catching me by surprise. I gave her a once over look but she didn't ring any bells. "You're the granddaughter of Cupid."

Well… this was an interesting turn of events. I set down my glass and turned more toward her. "Really?"

"Yeah! You set my boyfriend up with his now new girlfriend at a college party, remember?"

I squinted at her face as she spoke. When had that been? Two? Three months ago? I had no idea that she would remember me. What was her name again? It started with a T? P? B! Bella? Bonnie? Brenda?

"Brooke," I recalled suddenly. Her large eyes lit up at my recognition.

"Yeah! Have you found my soul mate?"

"I didn't know I was looking," I replied.

"Oh, well you have to find mine before you can return to Olympus right? You have to find everyone's!"

I laughed at her memory. "Yeah, right."

"But that's okay," she muttered. "You can take your time. I'm having fun being single again."

"Good," I commented.

Brooke went back to talking to her friend but I kept an ear on her to make sure she didn't say anything about me. She mostly discussed guys and clothes and work. From what I heard, she worked… a lot. Her friend moved to sit across from us both after the seat became available.

She was a pretty blonde girl who I didn't recognize. In the middle of their conversation, the blonde pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. I was eyeing her suspiciously for it and she caught me.

"Want one?" she asked offering me the pack.

I gazed down at my glass. Alcohol and cigarettes. A regular night for my mother. I shook my head at the thought and tipped my head to finish my drink in one gulp.

The blonde still head out the cigarettes for me expectantly and I raised my eyebrows at her offer.

"Why the hell not?" I asked taking one out. She helped me light it with her lighter and I quickly took a deep breath with it. Then, I proceeded to cough for about two minutes. The blonde laughed at me.

"Just wait, babe, they go down smoother the more you do it."

I finished the cigarette as Brooke and the blonde continued their conversation. I coughed with every new breath I took with it but didn't want to waste it. I threw the butt of the cigarette onto the floor and stomped it with my foot. It was worth trying once. I would probably never touch those again.

The blonde finished up her own cigarette and looked my cooler in doing so before she made her exit saying something about a dog at home.

"Well, it's been nice," I added after the blonde left. "But I think it's time for me to go too."

"Aw, no," Brooke whined. "Stay and chat with me."

"Oh, but I've got to get home," I muttered bitterly thinking of Eros. "And it's a long ride."

"You can crash at my place tonight if you want," Brooke said. "It's just around the corner and I do want to hear more about your line of work."

"It's not that interesting," I answered settling back in my seat.

Brooke shrugged. "Try me."

Wow, it's 3 AM on Monday! (Happy Belated CC Sunday!) I know, I'm such a failure. I was so going to write this 24 hours ago but I got this mean review and didn't feel in the mood to write. So sorry this is late! Sorry, sorry, sorry!

And I won't be able to sorry enough for this but IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I will not be updating for two weeks! Next Sunday, I will be moving into my dorm room and getting ready for college and I would like to not have the stress of updating on time. I hope you understand and I'm sorry for the delay!

But good news? Next chapter, we start on our Cupid's Granddaughter chapters! So yay for that! Sorry you have to wait two weeks for it! It'll be worth it hopefully!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. (Sorry it's so late!)

See you in two weeks!

~GermanSam