Cupid's Karma | ONC 2024 ✔

ε

Mount Olympus was a gateway to the divine world, a realm hidden from human sight to keep the balance of nature. Therefore, any god wishing to access the mortal world or return from their duties had to pass through that portal.

Just like the busy train stations and airports of the mortal world, Mount Olympus held similar traffic of gods and their offsprings crossing through frequently. It was always bustling with activity and served as a common meeting spot for the immortals.

Eros had to cross that portal too as he was returning from his errands in the mortal world. He was hoping not to encounter his mother right then or she would find out something was wrong even though his wound had healed and the bandage was discarded too.

He knew he couldn't hide it from her forever but for the time being, he preferred a little discretion.

Aphrodite was very protective of her son and looked after him like a mother hawk. Back when he was young, he had been bullied terribly by other gods and their children as he was a result of an affair between Aphrodite and Ares even though she was married to Hephaestus.

Even now eons later, he felt he still wasn't fully accepted into their circle and his people would always look at him in scorn. His mother said the Olympians were quite biased and even though they scorned Aphrodite for having a child while married to another, they easily dismissed Zeus's countless affairs and demigod children.

The biggest example of that unfair judgment was Apollo, Olympus' golden boy. He was born to Zeus and Leto while Zeus was married to Hera. Their case couldn't have been more similar, the only difference was that Zeus held all the power so no one questioned him, but Aphrodite and Ares were both accountable to him.

Therefore Eros was bullied in his childhood and lived in exclusion, but Apollo was held high and praised, even though they were both born as a result of extramarital affairs.

Apollo had always had it easy. He was never bullied, he was never frowned upon, and never had to shy away from the crowds. From the start, he had been the unquestioned heir who would ascend the throne after Zeus.

But Eros was not so lucky. He was easy to pick on as he seldom fought back and he would often not even tell anyone what troubles he had to put up with daily.

The only reason the bullying lessened in his adult years was when Ares found out how his son was being treated and unleashed his fury on those responsible. After all, the god of war wasn't to be taken lightly either and he made it a point of instilling clearly through that one incident.

But Ares wasn't the king of gods, unlike Zeus, and could only tackle things to a certain extent.

So Aphrodite feared that her son would come to harm nevertheless and protected Eros painstakingly, knowing he lacked the strong backing Apollo had garnered just because he was Zeus's heir.

Just like every other world, the Olympians also had their version of politics which according to Ares was highly autocratic. Zeus was the almighty, sort of like a dictator, and no one could question his judgment. Of course, he had made very bad decisions in the past but pointing that out too was a death sentence, or worse, a permanent stay in Tartarus.

Right then, Eros was looking for Artemis and avoiding to get spotted by his mother's cherubs who could report to her that he had gotten injured. He had to return those three silver arrows before the goddess of hunting went berserk and cursed the girl who found those arrows and used them unknowingly.

As expected, he found her in the forest, and unluckily for him, she had figured out that three of her arrows were missing.

Artemis was the goddess of the moon and hunting, it was no wonder that her aura was both magnetizing and intimidating. Her silver and blue cape billowed in the wind and her dark hair framed her pale face, accentuating those features that were currently set in a look of anger.

"Auntie Art, may I speak to you for a moment?" Putting on his sweetest voice, Eros stopped at a safe distance.

It was dangerous to approach her at such a time when she was not in the greatest of moods. But if he delayed it and she found the arrows in his possession, that would be an even greater problem.

She spun around and her silver eyes pierced through him as she questioned, "What do you want?"

"Uh nothing. I just had to return these. I found them on my trip to the mortal world," he quickly placed her three arrows on a tree trunk that was sawed in half, stepping back once again to avoid getting hit.

Artemis observed the arrows, recognizing them by their silver tips. However, one of those arrows was bent, indicating that it had struck something.

"How did you find them?" She had placed the other two in her quiver but held the bent one. Eros had tried straightening it out earlier, but once used, it was bound to be that way.

"Just lying around, I was surprised too, honest," he spoke up but was ready to bolt at any minute.

"Someone got struck by this arrow," she stepped closer, looking straight in his eyes that gave away that he wasn't telling her the full truth. Her eyes swept over him, pausing at his arm that had a light golden tint to it. "And how surprising... That cut on your arm matches the tip of my arrow."

Eros smiled sheepishly, caught in the act of lying. He had to think of something fast or else he was done for.

And think fast he did as all those years of escaping bullies had taught him to always keep an escape route open.

"Well, shouldn't you be more concerned about why your arrows missing first? I mean clearly someone stole your arrows and it couldn't be the work of a mortal as they can't get in here."

She paused, realizing that he was right. Her arrows had gotten stolen and not lost, so someone was definitely scheming behind the scenes. Someone who was probably immortal and had the guts to steal from Artemis herself.

It was a concerning matter indeed.

"I'll deal with you later," she remarked, turning on her heel to send her spies to work on who had the audacity to steal from her.

Eros let out a sigh of relief five minutes after she was gone. He had nearly missed a horrible fate and he hoped it stayed that way.

But then as he put his hand into his quiver to find the Love Ledger, that brief moment of relief evaporated. He paused to find only his arrows there and realization dawned upon his face.

He had forgotten that scroll in Ayra's apartment.

And if word got out that he had left such a sensitive document with a mortal, then he could face a fate worse than Artemis and her anger: Zeus's wrath itself.

***