Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 83: Trophy

"Those palaeoviruses are an issue which only concerns me – and me alone," Apollo went on talking to Eros with an insufferable air of superiority. "I'm not going to fire you. Count yourself lucky, Eros Nevermore. I'm just going to consider this act of defiance as a tiny flaw in you. For your father. I had great esteem for him. I'm gonna miss him so much now that he's dead!"

Apollo sighed briefly after that. I saw his facial expression become sadder. I kept spying on both of them while I was sitting on the cold, white tiles of the lab's floor, behind the last aisle.

"I wasn't a son to him. I was a trophy," Eros replied in a heartbroken, frail whisper, then.

Apollo smirked.

"I pity you a great deal, Eros. It's such a shame that you've lost such an amazing role model," he added in a condescending tone.

I saw Eros' entire body tense up. Apollo didn't seem to know Eros hated his father to the core.

"Yes, you've got good looks, youth, and your family is rich, but you need someone to look up to, don't you? You need someone to guide you in a similar way your father did."

Apollo rose his right hand to cup Eros' chin. He even lifted Eros' face slightly up.

"That's why I am not letting you out of my sight," Apollo went on with an affable tone of voice that reeked of self-interest. "Why should I let such a young, tender leaf fall from the tree? Look at you! You even look like my own son, a demigod in the flesh! You're not as impressively clever as I am, but you're... good."

Apollo was disgustingly offensive in every word he said, in every move he made. I worried about Eros. He had been sheepishly obedient to his god, only to be mistreated and misjudged like that.

"You could get far in the future, my young demigod." Apollo's voice became a threatening, husky whisper all of a sudden. "If you don't anger me anymore, that is."

"I don't wish to, Great Apollo." I could tell he was stressed out.

"Your talents aren't as great as mine, remember. You've still got a lot to learn from me." Apollo sighed, and then he proceeded with great enthusiasm: "Your raw talent must feel like an arrow flying in the air, ready to hit its aim, doesn't it, Eros? Don't you love it when you strike right at the centre of your aim?"

"I do."

"Then, follow my commands to the letter, and you'll be able to enjoy that feeling for a long time, young archer." Apollo patted Eros' shoulders with vehemence with that sentence.

I watched Eros intently while he was being showered with such threats and condescending remarks. It was admirable that he was able to withstand all that.

Apollo then took some steps away from him, and that was when I lost sight of him.

"Those palaeoviruses are an ignominious triviality," Apollo insisted. I didn't believe him, and judging by the hard look on Eros' face, he didn't buy it either.

However, hearing Apollo mention the viruses again triggered my need to fulfil Agape's commands. I needed to get her the relevant info, and get Taro some samples, as well. My heart was racing, spreading a cold sensation all over my body because I didn't want to do it.

I hesitated. I noticed that the freezers near me had no lock whatsoever and that I could access the ones at the bottom. Neither Apollo nor Eros would see me opening the door of those freezers because their height reached right below the counter's one where I was hiding.

Against my better judgement, just as Sigi had made me realise only the previous night, I rummaged in those freezers, and I was already regretting it, but I admitted to myself that I feared Agape's wrath on me a lot more than the consequences of stealing those viruses – at least for the time being.