Reborn As Hades In Olympus

Ch. 30: When Playing Cards, Watch Out For The Joker!

There was a lot of chatter and festivities but I could not get absorbed by it at the moment. I searched in every direction for Eris, I had to stop her before she would trigger the calamity. The fear that I would fail to stop her had me troubled, if only I could find her.

I stopped and took a while to think things through, perhaps what I really needed to find was not to find Eris but instead to find Hera, Aphrodite and Athena— being the most beautiful goddesses there was no way I would miss them. They would certainly draw some attention to them, if I find them before Eris does I can stop her. Now I felt like a fool for not recalling which way Hera went.

I paced through the crowd in a calm manner not to draw any unneeded attention to myself, I looked everywhere to try and find them. I tried using the eye but to no use, I kept recieving many random names giving me a big headache as a result. I was taxed for time as it was, I could hardly concentrate now.

"Please..." I took out my phone and dialed her number again-- it rang a few times. I held my breath just as the call was about to timeout when the line connected. I raised it to my ear but it was silent, or rather the hall was too loud. "Hello, are you there? Eris, it's you isn't it?"

"...."

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME DIDN'T I?"

I heard her voice as clear as day or maybe because my hearing was heightened. She sounded different, colder— I had a bad gut feeling about this. She was talking, all I had to do was keep her talking. "You weren't exactly specific now we're you?

It would have done me better to tell me you were coming too, maybe build out trust more." From what I could interprete she was calling from a place without noise meaning she was far from the main party. Since there was no way she could leave the only possible way she could have gone was up the stairs.

"YOU ARE ALSO NOT SOMEONE TO PUT SOME TRUST IN, OF ALL THE THREE YOU ARE BY FAR THE WORST. YOU CLAIM TO BE BLAMELESS WHEREAS YOU HIDE A DARK PAST SO SICK IT TURNS YOU ROTTEN."

Now where was all of this coming from? That rotten gut feeling I had was starting to spread quickly. I quickened my pace up the stairs to the next floor, not many people were on the way but it was still a long climb. "Eris what are you saying? Who put you up to this?" Perhaps I should not have added that last part but I had to keep her talking.

"FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS VERY LITTLE TIME ON HIS HANDS I ADVICE YOU REFRAIN FROM YOUR INVESTIGATION, BUT I WILL GIVE YOU A PIECE OF ADVICE..." I reached the top to the stairs, there was a long hall that led to the right and left, just which way would she be? "LEAVE THE PARTY AND— STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HERMES!!!"

That tone, she definitely meant something by it, and now Hermes is in the mix, makes me wonder what had him so troubled earlier that he could cry. Did he want to warn me? "What does Hermes have to do with this?" I asked a bit anxiously while I still battled on whether to turn left or right.

Something caught my eye, to the right was a sign that said men. Was the men's bathroom that way? I guess that mean the left was for female, I can't enter the females bathroom-- but I can wait at the hall and prevent her from getting to the party.

"JUST TAKE MY ADVICE, IT WOULD BE BETTER THAT WAY."

I could hear her breathing, shallow like she was thinking of something. Could she be having second thoughts? Maybe I can talk her out of this. My only shot-- "Eris listen, whatever you do please don't hand out the golden apple. It will cause chaos."

I was expecting a gasp or an exclamation but she was mute. That was a bad sign that she had adapted to my knowledge of the apple, too quickly at that. Did she have knowledge of this beforehand? How can she be so damn collected when she's clearly been found out? There's no way I can figure out what's going on in her head now and that worries me.

"AAH~ YOU REALLY ARE A DETECTIVE AREN'T YOU?" Damnit, my back was feeling all wriggly now, she's too calm with that response. Does she have a back up plan. "BUT HOW CAN YOU KNOW OF SOMETHING EVEN ARES HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF? ARE YOU BY CHANCE ABLE TO READ MINDS?"

I calmed myself and stood before the bathroom door, I softened my voice to cover any hesitation I might show. "Tell me then, why are you doing this?" She made one mistake, she already revealed that Ares was involved and Hermes must have been involved— at least to some extent. I just needed her to keep spilling the beans.

I heard her sigh deeply, was that a sign that she was breaking? Or was she just thinking up another lie? "YOU ARE AWFULLY TALKATIVE FOR THE GOD OF DEATH--" She was avoiding the question, did I hit a soft spot? "SINCE YOU KNOW OF THE APPLE YOU MUST KNOW OF MY GOAL TOO. WHY DO YOU WISH TO STOP IT?"

She's changing the topic, she's scared— no, vulnerable! But I still don't have enough going, is she working alone or is there yet another hive mind. There was also the possibility that Ares could be behind it all, he was the god of war. A war between the three goddesses would have benefited him but in what way. Just as I was about to get lost in thought, I heard the door knob creak.

It was coming from my phone and the door. She was stepping out, I had her just where I wanted.

"HADES--" She said as she pushed the door open gently, I hid in the blindspot and positioned myself to arrest her in the act. "YOU — LOSE!!" What was that feeling just now? I felt like I had just stumbled into a great wall that came out of nowhere. What came out of the door was an old man wearing a black suit and red tie and not Eris.

"N-- no." Just where did I have it wrong? I clearly had her on the ropes, don't tell me she purposely lured me away from the hall. That-- no, I was the one walking into the trap like a blinc sheep. "Dammit!"

I turned around and darted down the way I came from, the hall was clearly a bit long. My heart was racing, pounding, I could not tell where I had gone wrong. Surely I knew there were gaps in my plan but I made sure to cover them up quite good— NO WAIT!!

I screeched to a halt, my hands flexed reflexively by my side. My right eye twitched as I carefully replayed everything that had happened in my mind, there was always an order, the truth was under my nose all along. And why would I miss the most important information here--?

My eyes blazed blue as I gritted my teeth. "Just why would an old man be leaving the woman's toilet?" I darted back to the hall intersection, I knew I had to go back to the start of I was to clear things up. "No!" I stopped when I noticed one of the party attendants taking down the female sign that pointed in the direction of the toilet.

On sighting me he gasped. "Sorry for the inconvenience there but some idiot switched the signs, good thing you actually went to the male's toilet right away. Or perhaps you were headed to the female's toilet, who am I to care right?

For the love of-- everything broke down in my mine. I had been played clearly, I looked down the stairway where a figure reached down to the base dressed in a waiters uniform, from her hair colour I knew who it was— Eris! She had me.

PING!

"CHECKMATE..."— RECIEVED (0 SECOND AGO)

Move! I told myself but my body could not, I was paralyzed head down. Why! For the first time I had just tasted true defeat, my mind could not comprehend it. The fact that Eris— knew I would disrupt her plans, no! She didn't know, she just opined that I could pose a threat so she removed me from the way using underhanded means.

Very befitting of the goddess of strife, but why the change of wear? Did she want to go unnoticed or did she do it to lose me?

What do I do now? I have to stop her or the calamity will happen, I have to prevent the original flow of the story or Olympus will fall. I have to--

"Dammit!" I leaped over a few flight of stairs and stated racing down as fast as I could for the bottom, my eyes blazing with raw vigour, my heart pounding hard. "I can't lose!" I breathed out my resolve and prepared for whatever I would do to stop her, no matter how dark it may be.