Imagine a princess, so very beautiful that people almost forgot to say their prayers to Venus, the goddess of beauty herself! This princess was named Psyche, and her loveliness made Venus quite grumpy. "Hmmph!" Venus grumbled. "No one should be more admired than me!"

So, Venus called for her son, Cupid. Cupid was a playful boy with little wings and a bow and arrow. If his arrow pricked you, poof! You'd fall in love with the first person you saw. Venus told Cupid, "Go find this Psyche, and make her fall in love with the silliest, most frightful creature you can find!"

Cupid flew off, arrow ready. He found Psyche, and she was even more beautiful than he’d heard. As he leaned in to do his mother's bidding, he was so surprised by her beauty that he accidentally pricked himself with his own arrow! "Oops!" he thought, and instantly, he was head-over-heels in love with Psyche.

Now, Psyche was lovely, but no princes came to ask for her hand in marriage. Her parents were worried, so they asked a wise old oracle for help. The oracle said, "Psyche must be taken to a mountaintop. There, she will marry a powerful being, feared by gods and men!"

Everyone was very sad, but they did as the oracle said. Poor Psyche stood alone on the windy mountain, a little scared. Suddenly, a gentle puff of wind, Zephyr the West Wind, lifted her up! Whoosh! He carried her down to a beautiful, sparkling palace. Inside, voices she couldn't see welcomed her. "This is your home now," they whispered. "Anything you wish for will appear." And it did! Delicious food, soft music, everything was magical.

That night, in the dark, her new husband came to her. His voice was kind and gentle, but he made her promise one thing: "You must never, ever try to see my face. If you do, I must leave you." Psyche agreed. She was happy, but she did miss her family.

One day, she asked her invisible husband if her sisters could visit. He said yes, and Zephyr brought them to the palace. Psyche’s sisters were amazed by the riches, but also a little bit jealous. "Your husband must be a scary monster if he won't let you see him!" they whispered. "You should take a lamp and a knife tonight, just in case!"

That night, Psyche was curious and a little worried by her sisters' words. Her heart went thump-thump-thump. When her husband was asleep, she lit a small oil lamp and tiptoed over. She held the lamp high, and what did she see? Not a monster at all! But the most handsome young man with soft, feathery wings – it was Cupid!

Psyche was so surprised and happy, but then, oh dear! A tiny drop of hot oil from the lamp dripped onto Cupid's shoulder. He woke up with a start! "You promised!" he cried, his eyes full of sadness. "You didn't trust me!" And with a flutter of his wings, he flew out the window. The beautiful palace, the food, the music – it all vanished. Psyche was alone again, on the bare ground.

Psyche was heartbroken. She wandered the world, looking for Cupid. Finally, she decided to go to Venus, Cupid's mother, and ask for forgiveness. Venus was still very cross. "So, you want my son back, do you?" she said. "First, you must prove you're worthy by doing some tasks for me."

First, Venus showed Psyche a giant pile of tiny seeds – wheat, barley, poppy seeds, all mixed up. "Sort these by morning!" Venus commanded. Psyche sat down and cried. How could she ever do it? But then, a little army of ants came marching. Pitter-patter, they worked all night, and by morning, every seed was in its own neat pile!

Venus was surprised, but still not happy. "Next," she said, "you must fetch me some golden wool from the fierce sheep that graze by the river." These sheep had sharp horns and were very grumpy. As Psyche worried by the riverbank, a green reed whispered, "Don't go near them when they're active. Wait until they rest in the afternoon. Then you can collect the golden wool caught on the thorny bushes." Psyche did just that, and returned with a handful of shining wool.

Venus was even more annoyed. For the third task, she gave Psyche a crystal jar. "Fill this with water from the River Styx, the river that flows through the dark Underworld!" The river was guarded by dragons and flowed down a slippery, dangerous cliff. Psyche thought this was impossible. But then, a great eagle, the bird of Jupiter, king of the gods, swooped down. It took the jar in its talons, flew to the dangerous river, filled it, and brought it back to Psyche.

Venus was furious that Psyche had succeeded again. "One last task," she said, handing Psyche a small, empty box. "Go to the Underworld, to Queen Proserpina. Ask her to fill this box with a little of her beauty. And whatever you do, DON'T open the box!"

Psyche bravely journeyed to the dark Underworld. Proserpina was kind and filled the box. As Psyche traveled back, she thought, "I've been through so much. I look tired. Maybe just a tiny bit of this beauty will make me look nice for Cupid." So, she carefully opened the box. But instead of beauty, a deep, sleepy magic floated out and Psyche fell into a profound sleep, right there on the path.

Meanwhile, Cupid's shoulder had healed, and he missed Psyche terribly. He flew out searching for her and found her fast asleep. "Oh, Psyche!" he said softly. He gently brushed the sleepy magic back into the box and then woke her with a kiss.

Cupid flew straight to Jupiter, the king of all the gods, on Mount Olympus. He told Jupiter the whole story and begged him to help. Jupiter listened and smiled. He called Venus and told her to stop being so grumpy. Then, he gave Psyche a special drink that made her a goddess, so she would live forever, just like Cupid.

And so, Cupid and Psyche had a grand wedding on Mount Olympus with all the gods and goddesses. They lived happily ever after, and their love story reminds everyone that even when things are very hard, true love and a brave heart can find a way.

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