Ball of Nothing

Zero wanted to sigh when he saw the second trial's setup. Compared to that mind-boggling maze, he didn't think that he could shimmy his way through this one. The level of difficulty had suddenly spiked and if Zero was going to follow the same rules as before, he couldn't do anything against these guards.

\"What should we do?\" the strawcherry assistant asked. According to the map, there were at least two hundred servants and guards in the second trial all waiting for Zero to step out of what looked like a safe zone.

\"I'm assuming this trial is to test my combat abilities?\" Zero asked with a frown. \"How can I display my combat abilities without harming anyone? Something doesn't add up.\"

Needless to say, Poseidon was amused at how Zero refused to take a step out of the safe zone even after so long. He appeared to be holding a conversation with himself as well, not that the titan was going to judge him for that. The God of Oceans also had a peculiar habit of talking to himself, it helped to straighten out his thinking and was a process that most intelligent creatures go through. Carlsen always gave him judging looks when that happened during a game of chess but didn't comment on it out of respect for his master. Seeing someone else with a similar habit made Poseidon pleased. Maybe he would invite this young lad to a game of chess with him in the final round instead.

On the second level of the temple, Zero used appraisal on all the guards he could see. They weren't particularly strong but in numbers, they were frightened when it came to getting into formations. It was rather similar to the trial on the lower floor when Zero thought about it. Each group and formation had a similar species of sea creatures and Zero quickly understood what a party formation meant. He remembered reading about it before in the basic adventurer's guidebook that Truen introduced to him.

\"Let's see... there's a long ranger, a healer, a defender and a main damage dealer in every formation circle. They've been placed sporadically so that whichever tile I step in, a balanced party can be easily formed and the rest can rotate to cage me in. Very smart,\" Zero commended and Mii facepalmed.

\"This is not the time to be admiring your opponent,\" she reminded and Zero laughed.

\"Sorry, I'm just very impressed. They do say that adversity can make one grow stronger. Do you think I'll be able to face off with so many fighters and still be able to win them without breaking the rules?\"

The fairies were hesitant to give Zero a positive answer and the young doctor pouted. The teen's frustrations amused Poseidon when Carlsen commented about it. From the looks of it, the brat didn't want to give up. The titan wanted to see how long it would take for Zero to break or bend the rules. Of course, he wouldn't really allow the intruder to harm any of his servants. They've been given his blessings and while his powers were weak, he had faith that it would hold against the mysterious visitor.

Unfortunately for the banished titan, he didn't expect Zero to possess such a terrifying ability. Zero didn't break anything or harm anyone but he did use the power of his recreation magic to alter the properties of the seawater in the temple into something that will make everyone sleepy. Poseidon only realised that something was wrong when Carlsen dropped to the ground and snored without care about his duties.

Zero confidently waltzed through the second trial without Poseidon knowing until he triggered a trap by accident on the third level. Without caring about his calm and poised image, the titan hurried down to prevent more casualties to his servants. Whoever Zero was, it was the first time Poseidon felt such a threat.

The third trial was meant to be even trickier than the first because of decoys and traps, mixed with actual warriors lying in wait to ambush Zero along the way after he was cornered. Hades didn't know the situation without Carlsen around to describe them to him so he could only hurry over to the actual site and hope that Zero hasn't gone too far. Thankfully, Hades was able to create whirlpools to manipulate underwater currents with his trident. Even if he couldn't locate Zero easily, he would still be able to lead the boy to the guest room for his arrival.

Zero was secretly proud of his accomplishments. Putting the entire temple to sleep by altering the water's properties had to be the smartest idea he had ever come up with. Not only did it not go against the rules Poseidon set, but he was also able to clear the major threats for every level of the trials prepared for him. Surely the titan couldn't fault him for thinking out of the box now...

\"Stop!\" a voice thundered loudly, sending strong pulses of sonic waves through the water when Zero was climbing up to the fifth level. The young doctor didn't need to turn back to know who it was. Of all the creatures that lived here, only one was strong enough to not succumb to his sleeping medicine in the altered seawater.

Zero smiled and greeted the banished titan earnestly. He was getting a little lost in such a huge temple so having Poseidon greet him saved the teen a lot of trouble trying to map out the huge area each time he went up a level.

When Zero looked at the fallen god, he was stunned and shocked to see that Poseidon was very close to becoming a wisp. His energy levels were alarmingly low and Zero wondered what would happen to Poseidon if he had chosen to come a few years later. Would he have vanished completely and become just a legend like Athena? The young doctor subconsciously observed Poseidon's condition and started making plans to treat the dying titan, much to Mii's discontent.

\"You don't have any reserves to be treating a god,\" the strawcherry fairy hissed in a reminder that Zero chose to ignore. His main concern was to be able to successfully probe a discreet diagnosis about the titan's true condition to formulate a treatment plan. As a travelling doctor, one must always be prepared to step up to their duty. This was the first thing Hua Tuo told him when they started Hope Clinic. Zero has never forgotten his sense of duty even if he was currently on a different quest.

\"Come with me,\" Poseidon said and Zero complied without questions, much to the titan's relief. He didn't sense and malice coming from the unexpected guest. None of his servants seemed to be hurt either and his property was still intact. The boy really did have many blessings from various Gods including his brothers. This made him curious about Zero's identity.

Once they were seated in the guest room, Zero noticed that Poseidon didn't really use his eyes very well and relied mostly on echolocation to find where everything was. Normally, Poseidon would leave the menial tasks to his servants but due to circumstances, he had no choice but to display his disability.

Zero didn't offer to help because he had a feeling Poseidon wouldn't appreciate being offered help. Instead, Zero allowed the titan to do as he pleased and waited patiently for a cup of misty tea that didn't seem to mix with the seawater.

\"This is..?\"

Poseidon smirked. \"If I told you it was poison, would you drink it?\"

Zero paused. Was this also part of the trial?

Zero's hesitation made Poseidon smirk. The teen might be powerful but he was still very naive. To openly show his enemies such a vulnerability was like an invitation for an assassination. How did such a person survive for so long in such a dangerous world? Even if he had the blessing of all the gods, Poseidon doubted that Zero would be lucky enough to avoid mishaps forever. All it took was one mean and petty person to ruin everything and destroy the teen's fragile world. Zero's way too pampered and Poseidon didn't know if he liked that or not.

\"Is this really poison?\" Zero asked after a while, much to Poseidon's amusement.

\"Would you really believe me if I answered your question?\" the titan returned the question with one of his own, making Zero frown. Although the strategist was unable to see Zero's expression, he could sense that the teen before him was uncomfortable.

\"It depends on what you answer, I suppose.\"

That serious reply almost caused Poseidon to rupture something as he held back his laughter. Zero had much to learn when it came to dealing with interacting with people. The boy was definitely going to be the subject of bullying or would be robbed blind without even knowing why he lost everything if he kept this up.

\"It's poison. Are you going to drink it?\"

Zero deadpanned. Even without the tingling of his lie-detecting gift from Isaben, Zero had already appraised the cup of seven-salt mist tea. Other than the extremely strange flavour of different salts, there were no bad side effects nor poison. How could Poseidon tell such an obvious lie? This could only be a trial of sorts, there was no other explanation.

Zero immediately became troubled over answering the simple question but he looked at the tea and decided that overthinking was not an option. Whenever there was food on the table given to him, Zero would never refuse it. Food was meant to be eaten and eating was the privilege of the living.

Without another word, Zero accepted the cup of tea and drank it, emptying the contents in one go. He made a strange face and Poseidon was amused that Zero wasn't complaining about the peculiar taste before drinking from his own cup. The teen might not have answered his question verbally but Poseidon found his answer through his actions interesting.

\"Why did you drink it?\" he asked after taking a sip of his own.

Zero grimaced. The tea had a strange flavour indeed. \"I was thirsty,\" he answered plainly, making Poseidon laugh aloud.

The strategist couldn't believe that such an interesting person would exist. \"Did you think that you would be able to counter the poison? Was your thirst so unquenchable that you had to drink tea instead of seawater? From what you did earlier, purifying seawater into something drinkable shouldn't be above your abilities.\"

Zero nodded. His title of Tea Lover certainly was working after he drank the first cup of tea with Poseidon. The effects of drinking tea made him more likeable with the people he was drinking it with and Zero wondered if he could get Poseidon talking more if he drank more tea. He had some cakes and pies, it was a good time for an afternoon tea party.

\"I'm a tea lover,\" Zero told Poseidon, who looked very amused by Zero's matter-of-fact tone. \"Actually, I brought some treats from the newly opened cafe in Hell baked by the villagers from Half Moon Village. It's a recipe that many demons love and has even been recommended by all the reigning Demon Lords, especially Beelzebub the new Lord of Gluttony who is a renowned gourmet master. Would you like to try some over a pot of Poxie tea? This tea is too salty... it might clash with the flavours of the cakes.\"

Poseidon didn't refuse the hospitality and Zero struggled with the concept of brewing tea at the bottom of the ocean when there was a lot of seawater. Poseidon took pity on the struggling guest who was casting magic bubbles around the tea leaves, water and cups just to brew a simple pot of tea. He gave his trident a small flick and the seawater parted easily, making the task a lot easier.

\"No wonder the tea remained in the cup despite the seawater,\" Zero mused. \"I was wondering how dense that cup of tea actually was to be able to remain in the cup the whole time... as expected of the God of Oceans.\"

Poseidon's smile faltered a little. \"I'm no longer a god.\"

Zero nodded. \"So I've heard. But it doesn't change anything for me. Not everyone can control the underwater currents with the snap of their fingers like you can. I've heard a few things about you from Hades so I will be speaking to you in a less formal way... Freya's lesson about etiquette didn't stick with me and I heard you were more comfortable with being spoken to frankly.\"

The titan folded his arms. \"Now listen here, you brat. No matter how you see this, I am still considered an elder. I might not like formalities but aren't you being a little too casual here? Didn't your teacher teach you how to respect your elders?\"

Zero grinned cheekily. \"Yes but only if they're older than me. In terms of age, I think I will win even if you combine Gaia and Isis' age.\"

That puzzled the strategist. \"Explain.\"

Zero nodded. \"How about some cake first? I will answer your questions if you answer mine. Deal?\"

Poseidon didn't quite like how cheeky this boy was being but after living in solitude for so long without anyone interesting to talk to, he didn't want the guest to leave so quickly. He would drag the tea session for as long as he could. Zero might be cheeky but Poseidon was the true master of underhand tactics. In the battle of shamelessness, not even Zeus could win him when he became serious.

\"Deal,\" he said and sat down while Zero served tea and brought out the desserts.