Cupid walked around the Temple looking at the latest offerings. Most of the stuff was normal. A bunch of flowers here, a token bit of jewelry there, some fruit, nothing exciting. The he heard a noise, but couldn't quite distinguish what it was.

He followed the source of the noise until he reached a small basket in the back of the room. He lifted up the cover, only to reveal a light brown puppy. As he picked it up, he heard it continue to whimper.

"Poor thing, you must be hungry."

Setting the puppy on the ground next to a bowl of food and tried to figure out where the dog had come from. He hadn't sensed a mortal's signature on the puppy, nor had he heard a prayer related to the gift. That meant it had to be a God, but who? He hadn't shot anyone lately, and his former lover Strife was still in the Elysian Fields.

He picked up the wicker basket. Taped to the side of the basked was a note simply addressed to Cupid.

"Cupid--

Happiness is a Cuddly Puppy.

A puppy always knows how to make me smile.
A puppy can always make me forget my anger.
A puppy's love makes me feel like the luckiest God on Olympus.

Please be my puppy, Cupid. I don't when I fell in love with you, but I just have, and I can not bear the thought of living without you. If you love me, meet me in my Temple on Olympus tonight right before sunset.

                              Ares"

<>

In the past, Cupid would have never thought the War God was capable of doing sweet, but the past few weeks he had be proven wrong.

First it was the flowers. Whole Temples of the them.

Then it was the chocolate. White, Dark, Milk, in bars, in truffles, every combination man kind had created thus far.

Then it was the necklace set with a piece of amber that set off his eyes perfectly.

Finally it was the puppy.

Each of the gifts had come with a simple note, but each time it had always been signed with an A--pretty unhelpful considering the number of family members with names beginning with A.

He knew that Ares must have had it bad to have finally signed his name-the God of War would never be willing to be associated with gift giving of this nature otherwise, and it melted Cupid.

He had been in love with his Uncle for decades now, but never chanced bringing it up to him. He knew how Ares always dealt with his mother when she asked him to do a favor relating to Love.

The back of his mind still put up warning flags <>, but his heart ignored the warnings. He knew there were a few hours left until sunset, and he wanted to make himself look as good as he possibly could. He didn't want to mess up the chance of the lifetime that this presented.

He went back to his mother's Temple to borrow her mirror. He stood there, trying to fix his hair, but twenty minutes gave up on it, settling for a tidy look. He trimmed his beard, and tried to decide what to wear.

He settled for trading his brown leather pants to black leather, and for going completely top-less. With a thought, he willed himself covered in oil. Satisfied with his appearance, he flashed back home.

Cupid decided that he should bring Ares a gift, but couldn't decide on what to give. Weapons just didn't seem appropriate for the occasion. He sifted through a basket of all the necklaces he had been given through the years, and finally found the perfect gift.

It was gold chain with solid gold pendant in the shape of a heart. Lying diagonally across the top of the heart was a sword--the piece symbolizing both of the symbols recognized with their Godhood.

He went to Temple to meet his Love.

* * * * *
Ares paced nervously around his Temple. He couldn't get Cupid out of his mind. The way he could be as cold and cruel as him, the next second so romantic that you would not believe it to be the same God.

His face, his eyes, his hair, his wings, his muscular chest. Every time Ares closed his eyes, that is what he would see. And it was driving him crazy. He had to have Cupid *now*. And he knew that it wasn't only lust, it couldn't be. Even the love he thought he had for Iphicles couldn't compare to what he was feeling now.

It had taken all his courage to go over to Cupid's Temple to deliver the puppy. He knew that if Cupid didn't share his love, he would be a marked God, that news of his sudden soft side would make him the ridicule of all those around him, especially from Strife and Discord.

He smoothed his leathers for the millionth time. <>

A soft voice behind him.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

He turned around quickly. "CUPID! You came!!"

"Of course I did. You don't know how long I have waited for this."

"You mean you really love me, that you aren't here to just humor me or to be able to mock me?"

"Ares. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be here, and I would *never* make fun of you, at least on this note. I've always wanted you to find Love, the fact that it is with me makes it all the better..."

He was cut off when Ares grabbed him and pulled him close.

Cupid broke off the hug as gently as he could. "Here, you have been so kind to me, that I thought you deserved a little kindness in return."

He held out the necklace.

"For me?!? Thank you Cupid...it's beautiful..."

"Just like you are..."

Then Ares did something Cupid thought he would never see his uncle do. He blushed.

"Thank you."

"No need to..I just thought of you when I saw it."

"Now were we going to stand here all night, or did you have something planned?"

"I just thought that we would eat dinner on the cliff's not too far from here while watching the sunset...that isn't too hokey, is it?"

Cupid's finger traced the path of Ares' beard. "No, it isn't. I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing right know."

Ares smiled radiated pure joy.

The two spent the remainder of the night just enjoying all that each other had to offer, talking quietly, holding hands. That night they knew that neither one would ever be lonely again.

The End