For centuries, the Cupids had been responsible for all of the great love stories throughout history, from Paris and Helen to Cleopatra and Marc Antony to even that of Bonnie and Clyde.
Of course, it wasn't just their job to ensure the kind of love that people would document and recite years after the fact. The married couple who were celebrating their sixtieth wedding anniversary, the single mother who blushed when she caught the eye of the airline pilot, the pre-pubescent teen that looks away when the pretty blonde stares his way, all the handiwork of thousands upon thousands of Cupids doing their job so that humans could experience one of the most profound and complex emotions known to both man and the Gods alike.
There were legends of the Cupids and their work in the Heavens and on Earth, depictions of winged infants blindly shooting arrows at people who would then instantly fall deeply in love. The notion was laughable. In actuality, Cupids very much resembled that of mere mortals, a necessity that allows them to walk among people whilst going undetected, hiding in plain sight.
The arrows however were somewhat accurate, but it was a tricky thing, love, a delicate, multi-step process that didn't happen overnight. It required the use of three different levels of arrows, and therefore, the teamwork of multiple Cupids. For you see, each Cupid was only permitted one type of arrow.
The first arrow that falling in love required was the Eros arrow, so named for the son of Aphrodite, it had a sharp silver point at the tip. Eros was the beginning stage of "erotic love", a physical attraction that would catch the eye of the receiver. To underplay the significance of this first level is a grave mistake, because while it can fizzle out into nothingness, it is also the foundation that each subsequent arrow will build on.
If a Cupid believes the foundation can withstand that of arrow number two, they will call upon the assistance of a colleague in possession of the Philos arrow. The higher level Cupid will evaluate the pair and the decision to use the golden Philos will be determined by them. Philos love is based on friendship and a "give and take" relationship. Unlike Eros, which is more of a "take" arrangement, in Philos one partner is still concerned with what they can take, but at the same time is also concerned with their partner's benefit and therefore gives back in return. Like Eros love, Philos love must develop into a higher form of love, the highest love of all - agape or unconditional love.
Agape love is above Philos love and Eros love. It is a love that is totally selfless, where a person gives out love to another person even if this act does not benefit them in any way. Whether the love given is returned or not, the person continues to love, even without any self-benefit. It is a day of much excitement and rejoicing when one of the highest level Cupids decides that the third Agape arrow is to be used. Cupids who are not otherwise engaged all gather to watch the diamond arrow sore through the air at their intended target. The Heavens applaud with happiness and the three levels of Cupids who arranged the match congratulate themselves.
Of course, there can be no happiness without its counterpart, no sunshine without rain.
There is a fourth arrow, a black arrow with a blunt steel point that the Cupids do not like to speak of. A person struck with this arrow feels only the desire to flee, to push love away and reject it, no Cupid ever wants to use this arrow. However, humans are finicky creatures and free will cannot be overlooked. If a mortal hardens their heart, makes the conscience decision to refuse love, to not seek it out or accept it when it's presented, then a Cupid can do nothing but close their eyes and shoot. Cupids do not have it in their power to reverse the effects of this arrow, and it's a sad day in the Heavens when it flies through the air. Once someone makes that choice, it can only be undone by the son of Aphrodite himself. To say it was impossible to get Eros to reverse the effects of a black arrow was impossible would be to tell a lie, but it was difficult.
Millennia came and went and the Cupids never once questioned Eros's decisions. To question Eros was to be dismissed of your position and to be cast down to Earth where you would never again experience love. It wasn't a risk any Cupid was willing to take in the thousands of years they had been doing their job, of course, up until then, none of them had witnessed the meeting of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
They were about to be reminded that while their job was to encourage love and move things along, they weren't always needed.