Ball of Nothing 322 Teaching the Wastrel a Lesson

The seraph smiled. "Yes? How can I help you?"

Zero apologised and explained that he was looking for a god called Eros. At the drop of that name, the seraph dropped her latte. Luckily for her, Zero had quick reflexes and caught the cup before the contents spilt everywhere.

Zero was about to return her cup but the strange expression on her face made him freeze. The seraph suddenly looked like she'd seen a ghost and quickly excused herself before running away. Zero called out to her but the angel didn't show any signs of slowing. With the cup of coffee still in his hands, the young doctor wondered if he should throw it away or drink it now. After all, it was a fresh cup of latte and he didn't want to waste food.

The brunet tried the same question a few times and a lot of females gave him either looks of disgust, suspicion or fear with different reactions. Some glared at him and stormed off while others fled in fright. Zero didn't understand why it was happening so he decided to catch a male to question this time.

"Eros? He's famous all over heaven..." the shopkeeper sighed. "You look like you're not from around here so I'll warn you about it. That god is bad news. If you see him, run and hide. He doesn't really take gender into consideration and will kidnap anyone he thinks is attractive to sleep with them. It's why all the ladies are very afraid of him."

Zero swallowed when he heard that. This Eros person didn't sound like a good person and Zero found himself not liking Athena's brother more. "Isn't Eros currently under home arrest?"

The shopkeeper sighed. "As if the regular cupids and seraphs can quarantine a god like him... Eros might be detestable and a bully but he is still a titan. Everybody knows that all titans are powerful. We cannot do anything about it..."

Hearing this, Zero's anger for the good-for-nothing flirt increased. He didn't really need to ask around for more information about Eros. Zero knew where this god lived and he was going to crash someone's party to spank someone's bottom. He knew that most gods were selfish but they usually did their job seriously. Eros didn't do anything and from what Zero gathered, it was also Eros who spread a lot of unpleasant gossip about others around him. He was a very selfish god who was always jealous of his sister's accomplishments. All the attention that he craved went to Athena and while there was no evidence, the shopkeeper told Zero that long ago, Eros liked to talk bad about his sister. Zero had a feeling that the rumours originated from this god and even if there was no evidence, Zero couldn't let the case rest until he got to the bottom of it.

"Thank you for telling me all these," Zero said and tipped the shopkeeper with some money for the information before leaving for Eros' house.

As expected, when Zero arrived, there was nobody at home. Eros must have really escaped his home arrest and went to cause trouble in town. The young doctor could not even see any guards in the area as if they've all given up on trying to keep the titan at home.

Unwilling to give up, Zero scouted the house and settled down in a place where he could ambush Eros when he got back. Zero didn't think it was very difficult to break into a god's home and wondered if everyone in Heaven was so complacent that they didn't have security measures in place at all. The teen managed to scale the wall and roll into the untrimmed hedges before breaking into the kitchen from an unlocked window.

Since there was still some time, Zero decided to survey Eros' house. The house was humble in comparison to Valhalla but Zero didn't complain. It was surprisingly clean even though it was a little messy. Zero examined the kitchen and wrinkled his nose. Someone had forgotten to take out the trash for a while and there was a weird smell lingering in the air. Zero didn't want to hide in the kitchen.

The curious doctor took his own sweet time exploring the living room that was equally messy if not more. Unfolded laundry was strewn all over the couch and the shoes were all over the floor. Something maternal in Zero sparked and the teen raged. He hasn't seen such a mess ever since the first week in Merlin's tower. If it weren't for Bib, Zero wouldn't doubt that the magician's tower would look ten times worse than the current mess. However, this was still unacceptable!

Zero stormed upstairs to the bedroom and looked at the messy bed. He frowned with his hands on his hips looking like a very cross mother. Eros was a slob and Zero's impression of this god had degraded so much that it was no longer salvageable. The teen gave up on hiding. Instead, he tried to make himself comfortable and started digging up old diaries that caught his interest.

Eros returned home a few hours later to someone pouring through his old diaries in his bedroom. His immediate response was to scream and quickly retrieve every single scandalous book to hide. The god hyperventilated, he knew he should have burnt them long ago!

Zero and Eros had a staring contest and it was Zero who blinked first.

"Wh-wh-who are you?! What are you doing in my room?" Eros stuttered when Zero stood up.

The young doctor wasn't going to give Eros a chance to retaliate. Before the titan could do anything, three acupuncture needles were sent flying his way, embedding themselves in his neck and paralysing him completely.

Eros was shocked and scared almost to the point of peeing in his pants. The young teenager with fluffy brown hair and warm hazel eyes looked very much like an angel of death. Was he going to join everyone else in death too? Eros closed his eyes. He was too young to die! He still hasn't gotten married!

Instead of pain, Eros felt something strange getting injected into his system. He snapped his eyes open again and they widened in shock at the syringe that this strange intruder produced from nowhere. The drug worked quickly and Eros felt a strange pressure at the base of his jaws.

Zero smiled serenely and Eros wanted to cry. This was the face of the archangels who came to deliver his punishment. After being on the receiving end of it for so long, the flirt was very familiar with this sadistic look. Whoever this intruder was, he just wanted to run away from them.

"Hello, Eros. We finally met. I've been waiting for you for a long time now. Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you, I just have a few questions that I need answers from you. It's regarding Athena."

Athena's name made Eros stiffened. His earlier fears were forgotten and his eyes turned cold. Zero knew he hit the nerve and tried to hide his nervousness. He didn't know if he could actually go up against a titan with his current abilities. Zero didn't want to resort to violence but if the situation required it, he would be forced to get a little rough. Without fail,m Zero wanted to uncover the truth about Athena's past. Failure was not an option, too many innocent people have suffered.

"First question," Zero said but Eros simply looked disinterested. "How did Athena die?"

Eros threw his head back with a bark of laughter. "That bitch was killed by the very humans she tried to protect, wasn't she?"

Zero frowned. The truth serum didn't allow anyone to lie. Even though Eros' tone got on Zero's nerves, he knew that the god was not lying about it. Athena did indeed die from a betrayal. Still, Zero composed himself and asked the next question. The first question was merely a testing question to find out if truth serums worked on gods.

Now that he was confident that Eros couldn't lie and had to always tell the truth, Zero got to the point. He might have the ability to detect lies after receiving the blessing from Isaben but Zero couldn't force someone to talk if they didn't want to. This truth serum he concocted using some herbs and magic with a touch of hypnosis was a testing product. After all, Zero had never made anything like that before. Mii and Wii worked quickly to gather the materials Zero required and the young doctor couldn't be more thankful to Merlin for teaching him the joys of online shopping. That would have to be the most useful thing Merlin has taught him over the course of the last four months or so.

"Why did you spread the rumours about Athena back then?"

Eros rolled his eyes. Did this brat think that he could make him spill everything just because he was paralysed? Then again, his mouth opened and the answer came out smoothly without a hitch much to Eros' horror.

"I was jealous of her."

The silence that followed after was deafening. Eros wanted to faint out of embarrassment for admitting that so easily. Who was this child? Why was he so powerful and what was that drug in the syringe earlier? Eros started to work his brain and remembered hearing about a strange visitor in Heaven who was actually hailed as Heaven's saviour. A teenage human boy with light brown hair and hazel eyes actually worked with Steve and Merlin to seal the crack at Titan Cliff. The same boy rebuilt Mount Olympia and revived the Tree of Knowledge. Among the gods, there were rumours about this mysterious saviour's interactions with the archangels and the Demon Lords. Some said that he was the new Demon Lord in the abyss while others claimed that he was a new god born from the void found by Buddha. Could this intruder be...?

"Tell me everything you know about Athena and what caused her to become a fallen god," Zero commanded, no longer patient enough to ask for answers.

Eros couldn't stop the words that poured from his mouth. Zero wasn't surprised to know most of the things he said, the young doctor had already read about it in the books. Athena's birth was from Zeus, she was a very talented god who excelled in warfare and was said to be stronger than even Zeus himself. Athena was raised by Hades even though the God of Death was a very busy person simply because her father was too busy managing his household affairs at that time. Apart from that, Athena was actually in love with Poseidon who was her teacher.

However, when Eros started elaborating on the complicated relationship that Athena had with Poseidon, Zero started to understand why Athena's grudges ran so deep. Like Eros, Athena was powerless to her feelings. Jealousy was a very dangerous feeling and Zero didn't know this until now. No wonder Jevy and Gugu caused so much trouble wherever they went. Athena's feelings were rejected by Poseidon who only saw her as his niece or even a daughter that he didn't birth. However, Athena's feelings for him forced the god to retreat away to the seas and commit crimes in order to become a fallen god. Once Poseidon was banished from Heaven, Athena was driven insane from her longing and helplessness.

"Why did Athena curse Arachne and Medusa?"

Eros didn't answer immediately this time. Zero worried that the truth serum wasn't working but after two seconds, the god did answer.

"I don't know. There were rumours going around about why she did it and what happened but back then, nobody was there to witness it. Athena cursed Arachne because the weaver was more talented than Athena. My sister hated the arrogance of mortals who didn't know their places and cursed her to become a spider demon who would weave for all eternity. But that was according to legends and rumours made up by folks over the years. As a permanent resident of Heaven, I've never seen Athena treat Arachne badly in Heaven. All the beautiful clothes worn by the gods back then were woven by Arachne. In fact, from what I saw, they had a wonderful relationship as close as sisters. Athena loved the tapestry and embroideries done by Arachne. Before Athena went to battle, she would have Arachne sew her war capes. When that spider lady died from an illness that not even Hua Tuo could cure, Athena buried her personally. As for Medusa, people talked about how she was seen kissing Poseidon in one of her temples. In her jealous state, Athena cursed that human queen and the sisters that helped her, making them into gorgons. Athena never really bothered them again after she cursed them. In fact, she didn't throw them off the planet they were in or out of her temple after she did it. Nobody understood the reasons for her actions."

"Planet?" Zero asked. "Wasn't it Earth?"

Eros sighed. "No, At that time, Poseidon had already been exiled to his water prison on a planet called Hyacinth."

With enough information, Zero decided that he would stop asking about Athena. Even if he did, the wastrel didn't look like he knew much more. Now, it was time for the reason he created the truth serum.

"How many people have you harassed?"

Eros couldn't answer immediately even under the effect of the truth serum. Who would keep track of something like that?

Zero sensed something wrong and decided that Eros couldn't answer something he didn't know. Hence, he rephrased his question.

"Is the number of people you harassed more than a hundred?"

"Yes," Eros replied. This time, his answer was close to immediate and Zero felt his mood darken.

Seeing the mood change, Eros started to plead for mercy. Instead, every plea that left his lips only made Zero angrier.

"Listen up, Eros. For the crime of harassing the poor citizens in Heaven, I am putting a curse on you as a punishment."

The wastrel was so shaken that the words couldn't come out. Zero looked positively menacing as he delivered his sentence. Zero weaved a complicated spell in ancient writing that the god didn't recognise. He whimpered.

"For every time you harassed a person in the past and every time you harass a person from now on, you will have to go to Mount Olympia to plant a tree and nurture it to adulthood. If it fails, you will continue until you succeed. The curse will only lift when you have found someone you found that you want to dedicate your existence to protect."

With that, the curse formed a ring of ancient letters that spiralled from Eros' left wrist all the way up to his elbow. Eros screamed at first at the searing heat on his left forearm but when that disappeared, all that was left were inky ancient writings tattooed into his flawless skin.

Zero walked over and calmly removed his needles after knowing the wastrel out with a sleeping spell. He hoped that Eros would learn his lesson by the time Mount Olympia gets reforested. For now, he would start cleaning up the filthy house and leave. Zero checked the time, he still had three hours to kill before he could find Hades at the Garden of Roth.

Chapter end