Cupid's Karma | ONC 2024 ✔

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Eris was getting bored out of her mind.

That usually didn't end well for the Olympians because then she would cause havoc just to make her life more fun. In her opinion, things had been far too peaceful in the divine world ever since she had returned from her stay at the mortal world. Now that she was back, she needed her daily dose of godly drama.

She had sent Ayra those arrows in hopes of Eros getting fatally injured and his overprotective mother unleashing her wrath on the poor mortal. But Aphrodite's little brat had handled the situation before it could spiral out of hand and cause the destruction Eris was vying for. She had thought it would be similar to what happened with Psyche but her hopes were put out soon after.

Eros had learned from his past not to make the same mistakes, that much was evident, but it caused no benefit to the goddess of chaos who was fishing for some action.

Then her plan to watch Clash of the Goddesses season infinity by causing a feud between Artemis and Aphrodite failed as well, so now she had to pick another card. Apparently, she had a lot of options but neither seemed entertaining enough.

It wasn't hard to orchestrate conflicts between the gods of Olympus as they were all petty and problematic. She knew she could easily cause a fight by hiding Dionysus's alcohol collection and blaming it on Hermes, or by bringing Hephaestus to his wife's cottage at the same time when Ares came to visit. She could also tell her mother Hera that Zeus had gone to see Leto behind her back, and that would be slightly more entertaining.

But she was already on a probation by Zeus ever since she had exposed his latest love affair with a mortal supermodel. Hera had been furious and Eris was hoping her parents would finally divorce and cause the level of drama the Depp-Heard trials did. But that plan failed when Zeus found out that she was the one who snitched.

Thus, she had no intention to misbehave during probation and risk getting kicked out of the divine world forever.

However, that didn't mean she would give up on causing chaos, she would just have to be more discreet about it.

So her next move had to be calculated and without the possibility of the blame being traced back to her.

With her mind full of such thoughts, she was taking a walk in the forest when she paused, struck by a eureka moment.

Her next move had to be the golden boy.

In a clearing not far from her current hiding place, Apollo was standing under a willow with his lyre, sweet talking a nymph. It was hard not to notice him as his aura was brighter than the other immortals, a given since he was the god of light.

The clearing was bathed in the pure golden shades of his presence, making each detail stand out. No wonder the Olympians called him the golden boy because everything around him turned to gold from his bright aura.

Suddenly every chaotic fragment in her plan began to fall in place.

She would get to see an episode of Battle of the Olympian Bastards without a paid subscription. And so her excitement soared as she rubbed her hands together, coming up with the perfect plot for conflict. If Eris lived in the mortal world, she could easily have made a fortune from just coming up with plots for telenovelas.

Her sense for upcoming drama was tingling as she left the refuge of the thick leaves, approaching Apollo.

"What a pleasant occurrence to see you here, beloved halfbrother," she called and Apollo turned, surprised to see her leaning against a nearby tree, "Looks like you've found yourself another pretty bird."

"Eris..." His voice and eyes held caution as he spoke, "What do you want?"

"Nothing," that meaningful smile was quite unnerving but she had no intention of wiping it off her face, "Just wanted to catch up with my favorite sibling."

The nymph who was perched on the willow tree took her cue to leave, knowing that if she stayed, she would only be witness to something she would rather not see. Eris was unpredictable, but Apollo wasn't to be underestimated either.

Right then, they seemed like two predators, cautiously sizing up the other.

"Strikes me quite strange how you're so willingly calling me your sibling now, when earlier you have always ignored my presence," he remarked, his jade eyes unwavering.

"Awww, you're hurt that I don't pay attention to you while the rest of Olympus falls at your feet?" Her tone was saccharine but with the quality to cut through her glass.

He knew she was mocking him and his jaw clenched, but he let it pass. "No, I'm just concerned why you're paying attention to me now. You must be plotting something."

Eris shook her head, holding her hands up as she dramatically denied the assumption, "Oh no, I would never. Our father put me on probation, remember?"

"And for good reason," he remarked, trying to avoid her.

But Eris had no intentions of leaving him be. She followed him as he left the forest, her curious black eyes focused on his retreating figure.

"Do you know, who else has a little birdie like the one you were serenading just now?" She spoke up, knowing full well that Apollo would take the bait.

"What are you talking about?" He didn't turn to face her, but he had paused and it was clear that his curiosity had been piqued.

"I might have seen Eros at the lighthouse Aria with a pretty little bird who again happens to be a mortal," she divulged, bursting with excitement internally, "They looked quite close if you ask me. I wonder if Aphrodite knows... Poor thing."

Apollo pretended to look indifferent but deep down, he had gotten curious to see if Eris was right. However, he didn't let her guess what he was thinking as he brushed her words off with a careless shrug.

"So what? I thought he must have learned his lesson after what happened to Psyche."

Eris kept herself calm, waiting for the right time to strike.

All she had to do to rile Apollo up was to mention Eros and hint at his involvement in Daphne's death. It had been years but that incident could still trigger him.

"Strange because I thought you would have also learned your lesson after what happened to Daphne," Eris set alight the flame she had been holding for so long.

Apollo's dazzling features drew together in an emotionless look but those golden eyes flared in what Eris would describe as the very satisfying fire of vengeance.

"Isn't it unfair that after all the rules he broke, Eros still got to keep his Psyche alive and is now chilling with another bird from the mortal world. While you, on the other hand, can still not get over the poor little forest nymph."

The golden light engulfing him had turned dangerously orange, like a flame ready to set the first ablaze.

"Eris, you better watch your tongue if don't want me to strike an arrow in your throat," he hissed, that aura of the golden boy melting to reveal a side he kept hidden from almost everyone.

He has great potential for chaos, Eris thought with satisfaction, taking a step back from the fury engulfing him.

"Easy there, darling. I was just trying to help," she laughed lightly, trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere, "Haven't you heard, revenge is a dish best served cold? I have only given you the recipe. The rest depends on you."

Her work there had been done. It was no use to stay and watch Apollo burn down the whole forest in his anger. She had kindled the flame, now all there was left to do was watch the wildfire follow suit.

Her boredom was going to end very soon, judging by the reaction her half brother had given her, and she chuckled to herself thinking about it.

Eros and his newfound friend better watch out because they were going to be in a lot of trouble.

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