Electric Idol

Surprised, Psyche tells Eros that she is going to assume that he meant his comment humorously. He denies this. Despite her impulse to avoid him, she reminds him that it is in his best interest to look unscathed at the reception, so she offers to help him clean up. As she follows him down the elevator, Psyche reminds herself that “Eros’s reputation precedes him and it’s…very, very violent and very, very dangerous” (12).

After they enter a nearby bathroom, Psyche turns. She is stunned to see Eros shirtless and is unable to deny her attraction to him. Psyche dresses his wounds, urging him to see a doctor rather than attend the party, but Eros reminds her that they both know the value of keeping up appearances. Psyche is disconcerted to see Eros’s clear interest as he watches her in the mirror. She nervously explains that she knows how to bandage wounds thanks to her time living on Demeter’s large agricultural holdings.

Eros changes the subject, asking why she has chosen to help her mother’s enemy. Psyche tells him, “Even monsters need help sometimes, Eros” (18). Eros then asserts that they should return to the reception separately to avoid gossip. As they exit, Psyche stumbles in the hallway, and Eros catches her. As they make intense eye contact, they are photographed by a paparazzo, who assumes that he has discovered a secret affair between the two. Both Eros and Psyche realize immediately that the inevitable scandal will enrage their parents.

The narrative shifts to Eros’s point of view, two weeks later. His mother is furious because the gossip about his putative affair with Psyche continues. Despite his and Aphrodite’s public image as a devoted family, he knows that his role is to be “Aphrodite’s knife” and laments, “She tells me where to go, what revenge to exact, and I follow along like a fucked-up toy soldier” (23). Now, Aphrodite insists that Psyche must die as punishment for Demeter’s ambitions and for Persephone’s new political power as Hades’s wife. Eros reflects that all of Demeter’s daughters are now an object of fascination; Callisto ignores all social norms, while Eurydice is beautiful and gentle, and although Psyche tends to go unnoticed, Eros suspects that she is a sharp observer of power.

When Eros points out that Psyche is a popular social media influencer whose death will draw notice, his mother becomes even more derisive, telling him, “She’s a fat girl with little style and no substance” (27). Eros reluctantly agrees to the task of murdering Psyche. Aphrodite insists that he bring her Psyche’s heart as proof of the girl’s demise.

Eros finds himself eager for solitude and facing regret, as Psyche will now suffer for her generosity toward him. Eros reviews the information he has on Psyche’s family, including his suspicions that Psyche helped Persephone escape from the previous Zeus. Eros reflects that he must ignore the attraction he feels for Psyche, as even if he were to risk Aphrodite’s wrath and go into exile, he has many enemies outside Olympus who wish him harm. Resigned to the murderous task, Eros calls Hermes and asks her to deliver a message to Psyche.

Psyche is shopping with her sister Callisto, who slyly offers to cause a scandal in order to diminish the public’s interest in Psyche and Eros. The two sisters reminisce about Callisto’s recent choice to stab Ares with a fork for insulting Persephone. Psyche retreats to a fitting room to try on her purchases. A voice breaks into Psyche’s thoughts, and she coolly greets Hermes, deciding to maintain her composure despite the awkward circumstances.

Hermes’s message is an invitation to meet Eros at a bar in order to discuss possible solutions to their mutual social predicament. Psyche decides that Eros would not likely harm her in a public setting and decides to keep the meeting. Psyche asks Hermes to tag her on social media on all her outings that evening, as this will conceal her actual location at the bar that Eros has suggested, Erebus, which is named for a dark region of the Greek mythological underworld. Hermes gleefully agrees, implying that Psyche could succeed by “coming on top of Eros. For real this time” (45). Psyche decides not to tell Persephone about her plans to meet Eros.

Eros surveys the remote location of the bar, far from the glamor of central Olympus. He plans to drug Psyche before killing her, and at the moment, he is plagued with anticipatory regret, remembering that he began as a “hunter of monsters, of people who threatened to harm the only family [he has] in this world” (47), until he realized that he had lost even that veneer of justification.

Eros takes in Psyche’s confidence as she sits across from him. She is curious about his use of Hermes as an intermediary. Eros reflects that this is the only way to conceal his role in what will happen next: All of Olympus knows that Hermes never discusses her messages. Eros’s inner torment only increases when Psyche explains that Hermes indicated that he needed her expertise in managing the social media fallout. Eros is stricken at the thought that Psyche is only meeting him out of sincere kindness.

Eros explains that his mother has sent him there to kill her, and Psyche surprises him by reminding him that her family will retaliate. She indicates that Demeter played a role in removing the last Zeus, which piques Eros’s curiosity further. (In Neon Gods, Demeter allowed Hades to fight Zeus, and this clash resulted in Zeus’s accidental death.) Now, Psyche also points out that the new Zeus would also be unhappy about her demise. Eros realizes that he has routinely underestimated Psyche’s grasp of power politics. With some regret, he explains that his mother does not care about the risk of alienating the Olympian elites. Psyche takes in this new information and asks Eros if his mother is the reason he hurried to attend the party while injured; she wonders if Aphrodite will really be indifferent if Eros suffers for killing her. Eros coolly points out that Psyche herself has buried her whereabouts by having Hermes indicate that she is elsewhere.

Eros tells Psyche that he appreciates her effort at showing him the political ramifications of his choices, but she is not placated. He tries to silence her when she mentions that her hopes for children are now gone. In turmoil, Eros realizes, “She’s so fucking brave, and it kills me that I’ve been ordered to snuff out this light” (59). Psyche tries to get Eros to promise that her sisters will be protected from his mother. Instead, he suggests that Callisto can manage herself and that Hades will protect Eurydice and Persephone.

Psyche stuns Eros once more by saying that if he promised to protect her family, she would believe it. Persuaded, Eros tells Psyche that he has a plan to escape Aphrodite’s trap.

The narrative shifts to Psyche’s perspective as she castigates herself for willingly walking into a trap. Eros breaks into her thoughts and announces that they should marry. A baffled Psyche says, “I’m sorry, I misheard you. I could have sworn you just said ‘marry me’” (64). Eros points out that if he marries her, their mothers will be prevented from acting; he also notes that some part of the public is already in favor of their unlikely romance. Psyche admits to herself that the plan to manipulate public opinion is its own kind of protection. Outwardly, though, she tells Eros that she doubts anyone could believe him capable of being smitten. In response, he smiles warmly and repeats his proposal, shocking Psyche with his transformation.

Psyche presses for more about his motives, and Eros admits that the idea of alienating her mother so thoroughly is not in his interest. He reluctantly adds, “It feels shitty to do this after you helped me” (68). Psyche insists that he agree not to retaliate against her family, no matter what happens, and Eros agrees. She tries to suggest a prenup to protect her finances, but Eros points out that if this arrangement were discovered, it would damage the idea of their relationship as a passionate affair.

Psyche has another moment of reluctance as Eros pulls her out of the bar, but he reminds her that he will keep his promises. She agrees, entering his car. Psyche explains that her sisters usually know most details of her life and that they will be skeptical of a sudden marriage. Psyche asks how long the marriage will have to last, and Eros suggests that it will be needed as long as his mother holds her title, which is typically until death. Since Olympians rarely retire, Psyche is chilled at the idea of spending decades in a loveless marriage. Eros flatly insists that he will not harm his mother or allow her to do so. Psyche tries to draw away from Eros as they reach his building’s elevator, but he reminds her that there are cameras and says, “Relax and stop grinding your teeth […] We’re in love, after all” (73).