When it came to sheer military might, Eros wasn't feeling much pressure.
After all, the lineup he could assemble… was downright ridiculous.
Forget the Sea Queen Amphitrite and the former creation goddess Eurynome, he also had Hades of the Underworld, the primordial Night Goddess Nyx, and even Hecate.
If he was willing to pay a price, he could probably even bring in Hephaestus and Athena to help out.
And don't forget, he still had Sleepy little girl Hypnos in reserve to ambush Poseidon.
Maxed out Charisma, maxed out networking, Eros could go anywhere in Greece with his head held high!
"What about Hera?"
…Yeah, well. That's a landmine. Direct confrontation = instant explosion.
"But," Eros said with a confident smile, "military force isn't the real issue here."
His tone was filled with self-assurance, so much so that Eurynome and Thetis didn't quite know where that confidence came from.
But they didn't interrupt him.
"To subdue Poseidon with raw power alone would be difficult. Long-term conflict and friction won't give you what you want."
"In fact, it might provoke Poseidon into a full-scale, indiscriminate revenge campaign, making things worse."
Thetis knew that already.
But still, just because they feared Poseidon's retaliation didn't mean they'd roll over and take it.
"So relying on brute force alone won't work. We need to find Poseidon's weak spot. Something she truly cares about."
Eros refused to believe Poseidon didn't have any weaknesses.
If Poseidon were a man, the answer would be easy.
Borrow Demeter's scythe, give her a good ol' symbolic snip.
One cut and you'll find enlightenment. Monk mode: unlocked.
But Poseidon was a woman now, one who couldn't even fill out a B-cup.
What was Eros supposed to do? Give her a child?
Too ridiculous. And would that even work?
Just look at how many party moms are out there grinding in clubs with baby formula still drying on their shirts.
People don't change. Kids won't fix it.
"Maybe… we could force her to swear on the River Styx?" Eurynome suggested.
The Styx Oath was sacred, binding even for the gods. Violate it, and the consequences were absolute.
With Zeus backing it, it was reliable.
"True, it's effective," Eros said, shaking his head, "but that fishwoman would never actually swear it."
Poseidon was the type to pretend she was making an oath, or say she'd swear later.
But she'd never actually bind herself. No self-inflicted chains for her.
If Poseidon would swear it, Eros could whip out a ten-page legal document and turn her in circles.
And when it comes to contracts, Eros was a master.
"But to get her to make that oath, like I said, we need leverage. A pressure point."
So they were right back where they started.
What weakness could force Poseidon to stop messing with the sea goddesses?
There are only two ways to get someone to abandon an entire forest:
< They fall deeply in love with a single tree, or
< They suffer serious brain damage.
…Wait. Love?
Eros's eyes lit up.
He reached into his inventory and pulled out a vial, a deep magenta liquid he'd once seized from Hecate.
His Phantom Fist couldn't bend a major god's will… but this?
This might work.
Brewed personally by the Goddess of Witchcraft herself, the strongest love potion in the world.
"What do you think, should we drug her?"
Thetis blinked.
She stared at the almost purple love potion in Eros's hand, dumbfounded.
"Can I take a look at that?"
Eros handed it over, but only after making Thetis promise to return it quickly.
This thing was too dangerous. He wasn't letting it out of his sight.
Thetis unscrewed the cap and took a whiff of the rich, seductive aroma.
And immediately, her eyes flew wide.
Who the hell made this?! This concentration is criminal!
As someone well-versed in alchemy, Thetis was familiar with love potions.
Usually, the potion would be diluted a hundredfold and used as a fragrance enhancer, just a single drop added to incense to boost a goddess's charm.
But a love potion strong enough to make someone fall into obsession? That required rare ingredients and intricate craftsmanship.
Most potions could only stir light affection, or lust at best.
A potion that could cause eternal love and fixation?
That was basically unheard of.
But this vial in Eros's hand, its concentration was beyond anything Thetis had ever seen.
If her potions were sugary water, Eros's was five pounds of poison in syrup.
Even a fool would hesitate to drink it, it was thick like glue.
She'd only sniffed it, and already her heartbeat quickened and her body warmed slightly.
She couldn't even imagine what would happen if someone drank this.
Whoever brewed this… seriously had an axe to grind.
Thetis closed the cap and returned it, horrified yet impressed.
This thing could completely warp someone's mind. Not something to be taken lightly.
Finally, the most worldly of the three, Eurynome, offered her thoughts.
"…This would probably work on Poseidon."
"It's just… we have no idea what the result might be."
After all, no one had ever used something like this on a chief god before.
And the potion's strength? Borderline ridiculous.
Eurynome swallowed the rest of her thoughts, she didn't want to look ignorant as a former creation goddess.
But come on… who the hell tries to use love to control a god?!
"It'll work. I'm sure of it," Eros said as he put the potion away.
He had no idea how shocked the others were.
In Eros's worldview, love had always been a big deal in Greek myth, just look at how often Eros Jr. made Zeus fall with a few gold arrows.
But in truth?
There was no official god of Love and Lust in the current pantheon. So none of the gods really respected its power.
To Eros, this potion was like a divine nuke.
To them, it was something you put in perfume and maybe used on bad dates.
Overdosing someone with it could trigger all kinds of deranged behavior:
< Clinginess
< Obsession
< Possessiveness
< Yandere-mode
…or worse.
It could easily turn into a full-blown catastrophe.
So while there was a chance Poseidon would fall head over heels and do whatever they wanted…
There was also a chance she'd go full stalker mode, start breaking into people's homes, and even attempt forced breeding.
The risk level? High.
"Still," Eros said with a grin, "we should give it a try, right?"
He hadn't forgotten his original plan.
This was the perfect moment to put it in motion.
"It's not like we're the ones who'll be loved by Poseidon, right? We just need a test subject."
That line convinced Eurynome and Thetis on the spot.
True. If someone else took the hit, the risk was minimal.
"…But there's one big problem. How do we get her to drink it?" Eros asked.
Poseidon wouldn't touch anything offered by him, not anymore.
She checked everything thoroughly.
And this vial of love potion was so damn thick it looked like magic glue.
Even an idiot would hesitate.
Thetis and Eurynome fell silent. Yeah… that was going to be tough.
"…Wait a second," Eurynome suddenly said. "Why are we trying to trick her into drinking it?"
The two stared at her.
"Why not just tie her up, force it down her throat, and toss her into a room with someone?"
Genius.
Eros's eyes lit up.
Why were they trying to be sneaky?
And this way, they could weaponize her love and make her vulnerable.
"Perfect! Let's do it!"
Eros slapped the table and jumped up.
"I'm going to Oceanus!"
"Huh? Father won't get involved," Thetis said. "You know that. He won't help you capture Poseidon."
"I know. That's not why I'm going."
Eros turned back with a sly smile.
"I'm going to find our sacrificial lamb. You two work out the details, I'll be back soon."
Sacrificial lamb?
Thetis and Eurynome exchanged confused looks.
They had no idea what he meant.
But Eros had already vanished from sight.
Ask yourself: what's more fun than being horny?
Setting someone else up to suffer a beautiful, tragic love story!
Eros was thrilled.
He sped toward Oceanus's throne chamber.
Yes.
If someone had to be loved, truly, obsessively loved, by Poseidon…
He had the perfect candidate.
The absolute best choice. Tailor-made for this operation.
"Lord Oceanus! There's something I forgot to mention earlier!"
Eros threw open the doors and looked up at the swirling Cosmic River.
"When I was in the depths of Tartarus, I came across your child, Acheron."
"She's still trapped down there, waiting for you to rescue her."
Who better?
Who else but Acheron, his perfect bro, his tragic sibling-in-arms?
Eros had already chosen him as the ideal victim.
He'd just waited until now to pull the trigger.
But the voice from above, Oceanus, responded after a moment of silence.
"Eros," she said calmly.
"You do realize… nothing in this realm escapes my notice, right?"