Anteros

### Complexion

Pale with a light tan from being outdoors a lot Wings with swan white feathers with a structure and density similar to an aquatic bird.- Birthmark about 2" long just below his left clavicle that resembles a trident with an off-center spiral at its base

### Realationships

Parents: Aphrodite, Ares, Hephaestus, Siblings: Eros

**Anteros** (*Ἀντέρως*) is the god of requited love and avenger of unrequited love, a son of Aphrodite. Literally "love returned" or "counterpart love" and avenger of “unrequited love.” He is the son of Ares and Aphrodite. According to myth, Eros was lonely so Anteros was created to be a playmate for him. (Another version is that the mutual feelings between Poseidon and Nerites created him). Physically, he is depicted as similar to Eros in every way, but with long hair and plumed butterfly wings (feathered like bird wings but have the bisected shape of butterfly wings.). He is usually armed with either a golden club or arrows of lead. While he certainly plays a part in mutual love’s early bloom, and he is sure to be present during those terrifying glorious moments of finding out your love is returned in kind, Anteros’ is usually content to leave temporary flights of fancy and wild passionate love affairs to his brothers, no matter how reciprocal those loves may be.

Anteros plays the long game; his primary concern with the formation and nurturing of those long term reciprocal loves, both romantic and platonic, that root themselves within a person’s core and are foundational to transforming into the best version of oneself, finding support in times of strife, and celebrating joy in times of triumph. Bonds so profound they inspire stories. Couples still head over heels in love after 70 years of marriage that die within a few days of each other. Friends who have been long absent from each other, yet feel no time has passed upon reconnecting. Relationships so deep and enduring they seem to have been the fates design. Mature relationships, selfless love that is returned in kind, and mutual respect freely given and humbly received. These foundational, enduring, and profound reciprocal bonds of love, so necessary for a person to thrive at their fullest potential, are the kinds of mutual love Anteros most presides over and protects.

He is fiercely protective of his domain, as the bonds over which he presides are powerful indeed, and will meet anything that threatens or tarnishes it with violent retribution. Coercion is poison to reciprocal love, so he is very much Captain Enthusiastic Consent. However, he does not tolerate cruelty either from the person being rejected or the person doing the rejecting (though the latter is a problem more often than the former). He does not abide attempts to break the bonds of reciprocal love, and takes special personal offense to the trappings of his domain being wielded as an instrument of manipulation or harm. Mortals who attract his ire quickly learn that he is very much his father’s son.

## Titanomachy

**Anteros** is a young god and still learning what that entails. He is well aware of his family's dysfunction, especially when it comes to relationships. He also nurtures platonic bonds and regards them as important as romantic and sexual bonds. The duality of his nature means that he has some internal reconciliation to do around his perception of himself.

### Reconciling Anteros' two mythological origins

Cicero wrote "The third [Cupid-Eros], who is the same as Anteros, [son] of Mars [Ares] and the third Venus [Aphrodite]" while Aelian recorded that "Poseidon was the lover of Nerites [son of Nereus], and that Nerites returned his love, and that this was the origin of the celebrated Anteros (Mutual Love)

### Anteros' Wings

Anteros' wings look like a single pair of white wings shaped like a butterfly's. And they are also two sets. The larger forewings and smaller high wings work in tandem as a single wing in flight, held together by the interlocking barbicels of his contour feathers.

The forewings are responsible for lift and other essential functions of flight, whereas the hind wings are used for increasing Anteros' speed and acceleration. This gives him additional mobility over gods with a single pair of wings. His wings are like an aquatic bird's with high feather density and tightly knit microstructures with a high barbule density. His preen glands are relatively small and Anteros often supplements his grooming with other oils used for bathing to coat the interlocking barbules of his feathers to assist in rendering them waterproof.

## Michél du Vallon

### Description

Michél du Vallon is the legitimized bastard of Rene-Armand, Comte de Vallon.

**Michél du Vallon** is the legitimized bastard of Rene-Armand, Comte de Vallon. Relations between Pope Innocent XI and King Louis XIV are tense. Unbeknownst to either, there is a small fanatical cult within the Church that has taken great offense at the Sun King's flagrant disrespect of papal authority, even as they avoid the notice of the Holy See themselves. While they do not necessarily disapprove of the king's persecution of non-Catholics, they cannot stand the hypocrisy of him doing so while blatantly committing pagan idolatry within the walls of his sinful palace.

They are unwilling to act directly against the King if the Pope has not seen fit to excommunicate him, though they have sent their agent, Michel, to gather information and stand ready should the directive from Rome ever change. He has full permission to dispense Righteous Justice and Punish sin in accordance with The Order's teachings so long as he can avoid notice.

To the members of the court, Michel is a serious young man. His letter of introduction claims him as the bastard of a minor noble of no real importance; enough good breeding to secure him a place at court but no title of his own for anyone to take interest in his presence. He is attractive, polite, and does not claim to be married, but he has not pursued any courtship and declines any advances for romantic liaison. He is a common sight in the Royal Chapel and makes his devotions daily without fail.

He has found his wings - though now there is only one set and two vertical scars on his back, one on each side of his spine, starting just below his scapula and ending just above his natural waist.

## Anthony Fletcher

### Description

Anthony Fletcher is a WWI veteran and owner of Archer's Cafe.

**Anthony Fletcher** is a WWI veteran and owner of Archer's Cafe. He awakened in the trenches of World War I - the work of his domain simultaneously under siege and more needed than ever to help mortals endure horrors like they’d never seen before. He took on the life of a soldier, acting as both his mother and father’s son in equal measure; his lead arrows abandoned for lead bullets encased in copper shells. After the armistice, he continued to travel across Europe for several years, his work even more needed to help those that remind find healing in the aftermath of horrors unlike any they’d seen before.

But now his heart tells him the time has come to get the answers to the questions about who he is, what he is, and where he comes from that had been pushed aside in favor of more urgent matters. All he has to do is follow it, as he always has. And thus he arrives in America in soldier’s garb, one of the last to come home.

## From Classical Literature

Ovid, Fasti 6. 90 (trans. Frazer) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)

> "‘O [Venus-Aphrodite] gracious Mother of the Twin Cupides (Loves) [i.e. Eros and Anteros],’ said I, ‘grant me thy favour.’ The goddess looked back at the poet."
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Seneca, Phaedra 274 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.)

> "Thou goddess [Aphrodite], born of the cruel sea, who art called mother of both Cupides (Loves) [i.e. Eros and Anteros], that wanton, smiling boy of thine."
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Nonnus, Dionysiaca 47. 332 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.)

> "[Ariadne laments after being abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos :] ‘Are the very images of Eros (Love) and Anteros (Love Reutrned) jealous of me? For I saw a delightful vision of marriage accomplished in a deceitful dream, and lovely Theseus was gone.’"
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Plato, Phaedrus 255d (trans. Lamb) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.)

> "When he is with the lover, both cease from their pain, but when he is away then he longs as he is longed for, and has love's image, Anteros (love against love) lodging in his breast, which he calls and believes to be not love but friendship only, and his desire is as the desire of the other, but weaker; he wants to see him, touch him, kiss him, embrace him, and probably not long afterwards his desire is accomplished."
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Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 30. 1 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.)

> "Before the entrance to the Akademia (Academy) [outside Athens] is an altar to Eros (Love), with an inscription that Kharmos (Charmus) was the first Athenian to dedicate an altar to that god. The altar within the city called the altar of Anteros (Love Avenged) they say was dedicated by resident aliens, because the Athenian Meles, spurning the love of Timagoras, a resident alien, bade him ascend to the highest point of the rock and cast himself down. When Meles saw that Timagoras was dead, he suffered such pangs of remorse that he threw himself from the same rock and so died. From this time the resident aliens worshipped as Anteros the avenging spirit of Timagoras."
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All of the above quotes found on Theoi Greek Mythology

Themistius, “Oration 24: An Exhortation to the Nicomedians”\*\* (trans. Penella)

> “When Aphrodite gave birth to Eros, the child was beautiful and befitted his mother in any respect but one: he did not grow to a size appropriate to his beauty... The baby’s mother and the Graces, his nurses, did not know what to do when confronted with this situation. They went to Themis... and asked her to find some means by which they might be delivered from their strange and astonishing misfortune. Themis said: “I shall put an end to your predicament. The problem is that you do not yet know the true nature of the baby. Eros, your genuine offspring, may perhaps have been born alone but he cannot grow up in any part of the body: you need Anteros if you want Eros to grow. These brothers will have the same nature; each will be responsible for the other’s growth. For when they see each other, they will both shoot up equally; but if one of them is deprived of the other, they will both shrink in size.” And so Aphrodite conceived Anteros, and Eros immediately had a spurt of growth and sprouted wings and was tall. Since this is Eros’s fortune, he often endures strange transformations, now sprouting up, now shrinking, then growing again. He always needs his brother’s presence. If he sees that his brother is of sizable stature, he is eager to appear bigger himself; but he often shrinks in size, against his own will, once he has discovered that his brother is shrunken and small.”
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Footnote on the above from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/161446271.pdf

> There is a debate among scholars whether this myth was invented by Themistius or driven from a more ancient source. For instance, Merill sees themyth as “Themistius’ own cru.” (Merrill, “Eros and Anteros,” 272), whereas Tervarent ascribes the origin of the myth to a more ancient source (Tervarent, “Eros and Anteros,” 205).
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## Non-Player Characters

### Roaring 20s NPCs

* **Maria and Joanne** are two employees at Archer's Cafe. Maria bakes the pastries at Archer's Cafe, and Joanne is the morning server. Both are full of laughter, strong opinions, and love.

## Locations

### Titanomachy Locations

* **Archery Range** is a range on the mountain for the various gods to hone their skills in archery, located in a narrow but long courtyard open to the air with high walls on 3 sides and round straw targets hung at a variety of distances from the starting line and hay bales lining the back all to catch stray arrows.

### Roaring 20s Locations

#### Archer's Cafe

**Archer's Cafe** is tucked into a quiet courtyard of brick archways and stone, the entrance sitting a few steps below street level. It's easy enough to miss if you don’t happen to glance between a particular pair of buildings at just the right moment. And yet, those who need it, somehow always find it, even if they didn’t realize they were looking for it. Once inside, the interior is longer than it is wide, with cherry wood paneling on the walls and a stamped tin ceiling. The fixtures and furniture are clean, simple, and well made. Well lit, and decorated in warm colors, muted fabrics, and gleaming brass, the entire place feels inviting and homey. It sees a steady stream of customers, though rarely feels crowded, and even on its busiest days you never seem to need to raise your voice to be heard over the din.

Seating is primarily made up of booths, sized for two with a few large group tables tucked in the back. The backs are just tall enough to afford a sense of privacy without making one feel trapped or closed in, and the bar running along the opposite wall always visible should one need to get a server’s attention. It’s an ideal place for reuniting with loved ones, first dates, and finding companionship - even if just for the span of a single conversation.

As far as food and drink is concerned, the menu is fairly brief, sporting only a couple pastries and finger sandwiches more suited to a light snack or high tea than a meal. Where it shines is in its selection of fine coffees, teas, and espresso - even boasting a few preparations difficult to find this side of the Atlantic. The staff are friendly and always seem to know if you need to be left alone or engaged in conversation. They give damned good advice, too, should you solicit it - frank and honest, but kind, and always what you need to hear. A small, unassuming leather case sits on the counter next to the register. Affixed to the lid is an etched plaque that reads “Kindness is love made visible. Give what you can, take what you need.” The cashier smiles whenever someone lifts the lid, regardless if it’s to pay for their meal or someone else’s.

* The exterior of Archer's Cafe
* The interior of Archer's Cafe.
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## References

1. ↑ Wikipedia - Anteros [1]
2. ↑ Theoi - Anteros [2]
3. ↑ Anteros: On Friendship Between Rivals and Rivalry Between Friends [3]
4. ↑ Planet Pompeii Blog - Eros and Anteros: the Love needs to be reciprocated to grow [4]
5. ↑ Occult World - Anteros [5]
6. ↑ God Checker - Anteros [6]
7. ↑ A Dictionary of Shakespeare's Classical Mythology: Cupid [7]
8. ↑ Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, Allegories of Love: Emblematic Ardor [8]
9. ↑ Alciato, Andrea: Livret des emblemes (1536) - Anteros, that is, Love of Virtue [9]
10. ↑ lciato, Andrea: Livret des emblemes (1536) - Anteros, Love of Virtue, conquering the other Love [10]
11. ↑ Alessandro Algardi, Eros and Anteros, 1630 [11]
12. ↑ Wikipedia - Pope Innocent XI [12]
13. ↑ Wikipedia - Louis XIV [13]
14. ↑ Wikipedia - Pope Innocent XI and Relations with France [14]
15. ↑ Wikipedia - History of the Catholic Church in France - Louis XIV [15]
16. ↑ Behind the Name - Michael [16]
17. ↑ Wikipedia - Michael (archangel) [17]
18. ↑ AO3 - Anteros Awakening World War I [18]
19. ↑ Lost Battalion (World War I) [19]
20. ↑ Planet Pompeii Blog: Eros and Anteros: the Love needs to be reciprocated to grow [20]
21. ↑ Occult World - Anteros [21]
22. ↑ God Checker - Anteros [22]
23. ↑ A Dictionary of Shakespeare's Classical Mythology: Cupid [23]
24. ↑ Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, Allegories of Love: Emblematic Ardor [24]
25. ↑ Alciato, Andrea: Livret des emblemes (1536) - Anteros, that is, Love of Virtue [25]
26. ↑ Alciato, Andrea: Livret des emblemes (1536) - Anteros, Love of Virtue, conquering the other Love [26]
27. ↑ Alessandro Algardi, Eros and Anteros, 1630 [27]