Monster? No, I'm a Cultivator! (Percy Jackson) - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Chapter 24
Despite the tension easing slightly with Thor’s arrival and the words spoken, they were still unhappy.

“Come now, my friends.” Thor joyfully swung his arms open. “Let us not devolve into unpleasantness. Let the ones over yonder argue and fight.” He was, of course, talking about what was happening on Olympus at the moment.

Anyone with any kind of godly senses could immediately tell that there were a plethora of foreign gods throwing their weight around atop the mountain.

“Since when do you not want a fight, Thunder God?”

Thor looked at the god who spoke; his smile didn’t waver. “Ah, Lugh! How long has it been!?”

“A few centuries.” The Celtic God King grunted.

“You’re right, I would never miss out on a good fight. Alas, the ‘good’ part of a good fight is missing in this circumstance. I have no patience for the games that are being played. Is it not the same for you, Lugh? A god, a king, they don’t compare to your pride as a warrior.” Thor chuckled.

Lugh cracked a smile and let out a small sigh. “You’re right.” He shrugged helplessly. “It’s why I sent someone else over there even when your father and the other heads went to cause a commotion.”

The other heads of pantheons were currently kicking up a fuss on Olympus, yet the Celtic Pantheon head was over here.

“But we still need our pound of flesh.” Lugh spoke again, eyes landing on Hades. “Someone needs to take responsibility.”

It was no secret that everyone was just kicking up a fuss for the sake of it. Realistically, no one was going to ‘go to war’ or fight it out beyond some petty squabble. The Olympians were most certainly responsible for the situation, but it wasn’t nearly dire enough to warrant inter-Pantheon fighting.

At most, they were expecting apologies and compensation.

If the situation were reversed, then Zeus would be throwing his weight around just as well even if he didn’t care at all about the supposed ‘kidnapped demigods.’.

Though, it didn’t help that most Pantheons actually disliked the Greeks.

Perhaps if it were someone else, with relations not nearly as bad, things could have been handled quietly. But it seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them all that it was the perfect opportunity to kick them off their high horses.

They had been a bit too uppity for too long.

“Don’t threaten me.” Hades didn’t back down.

And very quickly the tension rose again, as the other gods who had also been silent were provoked by his words.

Ocean Song realized the situation may escalate and deployed his most powerful Dao. “Great gods, may this lowly Cyclops speak as the one who rescued the children?” Of course, by positioning himself as their ‘savior,’ they had to give him face and allow him to speak even though he realistically should have had no voice in the arguing and talks due to not being on their same status.

Lugh’s rising battle lust abruptly paused as he inspected the Cyclops again. “It would be discourteous to ignore a request from the one who ‘saved’ my child.” He hummed, admitting that one of the demigods among them was one of his kids.

The others silently followed his lead impassively.

“Thank you, Great God of Light.” Ocean Song bowed politely.

Lugh raised an eyebrow. “You know who I am? I thought you Greeks were vehemently against all your brats knowing about the wider world. Is it because you’re a monster?”

“How could this lowly Cyclops not know your honored name, Great God of Light? The Father of the legendary Cu Chulainn, whose name still echoes across the throes of history. Far be it for me to claim in-depth knowledge on the Divine, but the great Hero of the Ulster Cycle is someone I cannot help but admire.”

Lugh was silent.

What father doesn’t want to hear how great their children are?

Hades found himself blinking and looking at his nephew, wondering how the hell he even knew something like that.

Lugh, perhaps unintentionally, stood just a little bit prouder.

“Hades, stop having your pet monster distract everyone.” Another god spoke up, wearing distinctly Japanese regalia.

“I have no hand in this, Gozu Tennō.” Hades frowned.

Ocean Song perked up. “The Father of the Great Demon Slayer, Minamoto-no-Raikou? Leader of the Four Heavenly Kings and slayer of one of Japan’s Three Great Monsters, the Oni Shuten-Doji?”

“….yes.” The Japanese deity was taken aback. Partly because he was surprised a western monster even knew the name of his child from hundreds of years ago. And partly because his existence, over the years, had been wrapped up in other deities.

Most mortals these days believe him to either be Susanoo or an avatar of Indra.

He was only there because he was, in fact, one of Susanoo’s ‘underlings,’ and Susanoo was currently over on Olympus with Amaterasu causing a ruckus.

He would have called Hades out again but was almost certain even Hades didn’t know about his child, considering his child was significantly less ‘famous’ in other parts of the world comparatively. If it weren’t for gods almost innate ability to recognize one another if they didn’t hide their presences, he was almost sure that Hades would have no idea who he was.

He was honestly thrown off and confused now.

“Haha!” Thor let out a boisterous laugh. “What a knowledgeable little Cyclops. Do this one next.” He jabbed his thumb towards the one standing next to the Hindu deity.

Ganesha glanced at Thor, then at the companion at his side.

It was a strange sidetrack that happened. Though, if there was one thing deities loved, it was being praised, be it themselves or through their children.

Truthfully, Ganesha was also curious about the Cyclops in front of him. It wasn’t merely to have their egos inflated. He was the one who ‘rescued’ their kids; it was already an exceedingly strange situation.

It also wasn’t lost on Ganesha that Thor was intentionally intervening on his behalf and trying to keep things from escalating.

“This is Karna; I brought him along to keep any unsavory rumors from spreading.” Ganesha said plainly.

While he was a well-liked god amongst his pantheon, Karna was known for being absolutely trustworthy and honorable. It would save him any potential trouble of anyone talking behind his back or bringing up any concerns if Karna was here as well. Zeus wasn’t the only Head God that despised interacting with other pantheons.

Indra, while not as stringent about outside knowledge and interaction, was explicitly against interacting with other pantheons when unneeded. Any outside interaction would be heavily scrutinized.

“This lowly Cyclops apologizes, for I have failed to recognize the Great Hero of Charity.” Ocean Song quickly bowed his head towards the Hindu hero. “Long have I heard the name of the Honorable Hero from the Mahābhārata.”

Karna simply raised a single eyebrow. “I am honored that someone thinks so highly of me and remembers my name.” He was soft-spoken despite his stature and presence.

Ocean Song was happy that he could clearly remember the scriptures of his past life. Truly, spending hours upon hours poring through the various pages of wiki had been well spent.

Once more, the tension between them all eased significantly.

Fighting spirits calmed, and no more bloodlust hung in the air.

As the saying goes, you don’t slap a smiling face. And Ocean Song put his big smiling face right out in front of Hades while he shamelessly praised everyone he could.

“Ahem.” Ganesha cleared his throat. “We still need to deal with the problem. Our children and those of our Pantheon were imprisoned and held here without our knowledge.” He steered the conversation back on topic. “Someone must be responsible.”

“I agree.” Thor patted the Hindu god’s shoulder. “This is a problem we cannot overlook. What say you, my Cyclops friend?”

Once more, all eyes turned back to Ocean Song.

“If this lowly Cyclops may speak.”

“Speak.” Ganesha glanced at Thor once more before focusing on Ocean Song.

“It was Uncle who entrusted me with the task of coming here to rescue the children.” Ocean Song, said with a completely straight face as Hades did a double take. “If it weren’t for Uncle, this injustice would have never come to light. I was but an instrument of Uncle’s will to unravel the heretical plot. He too was a victim of these villains.”

He was essentially giving all credit to Hades while making him a sympathetic party and victim altogether.

Not that any of the gods here were stupid enough to believe everything that came out of his mouth, but they understood his intent.

While it was clear that Ocean Song was speaking nonsense, they also didn’t say anything to rebuke him or call him a liar.

In their eyes, if the one they did owe a ‘debt’ to wanted to shift it over to Hades, they wouldn’t reject him.

“My friends, let us be honest. We all came over here because we didn’t want to get involved with the true conflict happening. The ire of ours finds no place with Hades; if anything, he should be praised.” Thor started speaking again. “Thank you, Hades, for saving my grandson. Magni will be most pleased to know that one of his missing children has been found.”

“…of course.” Hades’ lips twitched as he did his best to keep himself expressionless.

It seemed all the others relented and followed Thor’s lead.

Ocean Song silently praised himself as well.

Like a true cultivator, he was able to navigate a dangerous political situation by giving his seniors face and justification to not escalate.

“I am Ganesha.” The Hindu god grunted, crossing his arms. “I will take my child home without conflict. I speak not for Indra, whose wrath now befalls Olympus.”

“Whatever happens to my brother is his own mess to clean up.” Hades was quick to distance himself from whatever was going on over there.

Ganesha nodded.

“I’ll take my brat home too.” Lugh hummed. “He’s been out of the human world for over a hundred years; it’s going to be interesting catching him up.” His eyes landed on Ocean Song. “You should come visit the Tuatha Dé Danann when you get the chance. My son would love to have a fight with you after hearing how much you praised him.” Lugh chuckled.

“What of the other children not yet claimed?” Ganesha asked. “I would not leave them in the hands of the Olympians.”

Hades didn’t take offense to his stance. He too wouldn’t’ want to leave his children in the hands of his other family members, bar one or two.

“Why don’t I take them to stay in Hotel Valhalla? We have plenty of room, and everyone can come pick up their children when the mess over yonder clears up in a few days.” Thor offered.

No one really had any reason to refuse if Thor wanted to take on the responsibility.

Hades, likewise, said nothing. He too was not oblivious to how Thor continuously tried to soothe things over in their favor.

The God of the Underworld couldn’t claim to be close to the Norse Pantheon at all, which meant the reason for this treatment was fairly obvious to him as well.

In fact, this entire situation, both the blow-up and the subsequent resolution, was all due to Ocean Song.

He would call his nephew a genius if he didn’t know how much of an idiot he actually was.

(Line Break)

Ocean Song watched from the side as the other gods transported all the children away. Hades himself was spending a bit with his own children, having a heartfelt reunion of sorts.

There were lots of tears, shouting, and talking going on before things settled down between them, and Hades finally pulled away.

He came back over to Ocean Song looking…better.

Stress and anxiousness disappeared.

The God of the Underworld loved his children, knowing they were now ‘home’ and ‘safe,’ even if the entire situation blew up spectacularly, was enough to soothe his heart.

“I believe I specifically told you not to destroy the place.” He said dryly.

“In my defense, it was the manager’s fault.” Ocean Song quickly replied.

“How convenient that he’s dead and can’t argue.” The God of the Underworld snorted. But his expression and tone soften. “I’m not angry; I know what happened from Styx.”

“Then all is well that ends well!” Ocean Song smiled, and as if to chide him, thunderous sounds exploded across the sky, only noticeable to those with mythical senses; it originated from Olympus.

Both Ocean Song and Hades looked towards the horizon in the direction of Olympus.

It went without saying that both of them believed it was not their problem and had no intention of getting involved.

“You handled yourself well.” Hades put a hand on his shoulder. It was…difficult, in a new way for Hades to show affection to his brother’s children. He couldn’t recall the last time he felt fondness for one of them born out of a genuine familial sense. “You have a good heart, Nephew.” He finally settled on a compliment.

Out of all the reasons this whole thing blew up, Hades knew it was simply because Ocean Song wanted to save a bunch of children in a bad situation.

“Uncle, what about the other children? They should be Greek and Roman, right?”

Hades nodded, not surprised that his nephew knew about their Roman aspects. “They—”

“Wait, Uncle. I have a question.”

“…speak.”

“What happens if I call you Pluto?”

A visible shift happened around Hades; his divine essence twisted slightly. It was still the same, but it altered.

Before him now stood the Roman god Pluto.

Pluto stared at Ocean Song for a moment before his divine essence shifted back to Hades. “Does that answer your question, Nephew?” Hades sighed.

“…Pluto.”

Once more, Hades shifted to his Roman side before abruptly shifting back. He stared at his nephew for a moment before smacking him upside the head. “Stop that. If one of us isn’t prepared for it, it can be debilitating.”

“Sorry, Uncle.”

Hades knew a lie when he heard one, the little shit.

“As I was saying, I will watch over them for now. I very well can’t let your good intentions go to waste.” He said it rather flippantly, but it showed the attitude that Hades had towards his nephew. “I suggest you stay away from Olympus for a few days. I would suggest not even going into the surrounding city. Zeus is going to want to take his anger out on something even after the fiasco is resolved.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle. I had other plans anyways!”

“…Dare I ask?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he was also worried his nephew was going to do something stupid.

“I realized that having allies is important. So I’m going to create a sect.” Ocean Song said proudly.

Hades understood some of what he said.

So he wanted to gather allies; he couldn’t fault his nephew for that thinking. Being by himself just makes him an easier target.

Hades waved his hand and produced a train ticket-like object, handing it over to his nephew. “I owe you a reward. Take this; it will allow you to come and go from the Underworld freely. A boon not offered lightly to the living.”

Monsters escape from Tartarus, as is the nature of things. Souls of the dead enter, as is the proper cycle. However, not even the gods can come and go freely, bar Hermes, and his is a special case as the Messenger God.

Without Hades’ explicit permission, not even Zeus is allowed to barge into the Underworld without justification.

So it was a rare and special circumstance that an ‘outsider’ was given this permission, especially a mortal.

Though Hades had another thing.

It wouldn’t be long before he was no longer an ‘outsider’ if Hecate had anything to say.

At this point, he knew he was going to have to get used to his idiot nephew being a nuisance from now on.

“Thank you, Uncle.” Ocean Song bowed. “If you do not need this lowly cyclops any longer, I will take my leave.”

“Go.” Hades waved him away, intent on going back to his children.

Ocean Song nodded, throwing his sword out and hopping on it before flying away.

For Ocean Song, as he flew through the air, he was giddy with excitement.

It was his first quest that he completed without errors!

He was so happy that he did a few flips in the sky on his sword.

He went soaring through the air towards the east, which normally would have led him back towards New York, but he had a different location, a bit south.

Ocean Song wanted some allies of his own.

The feeling surged inside of him after teaching those kids the basics of cultivation.

All proper Cultivators have a Sect!

And while he met a few promising kids, he didn’t want to recruit children to fight at his side. No, he needed to find others who shared his like-mindedness! Particularly those who didn’t have an innate connection to a god because he wanted to ensure loyalty without causing dissonance due to family.

After the sect was established, then he could train child soldiers like a proper cultivator.

Thus, he had a wonderful idea.

And something he recalled from his previous life, the location and history of this person.

He finally touched down on the ground again, a bit south of New York.

He knew he was at the right place because the mists surged and twisted, and there were hundreds of stone statues littering the yard.

Ocean Song walked up to the door of the building that reads Aunty Em’s Gnome Emporium.

He, of course, politely knocked on the door, and it only took a moment for someone to answer.

A woman, wearing a veil and sunglasses.

Ocean Song was immediately stricken, not because of her appearance. He could see past the falsehoods and her true appearance underneath. The hair was replaced by snakes that hissed and coiled.

No, he was enthused because she was wearing a veil already like a proper ice beauty!

Everyone knows that Ice Beauties wear veils to hide their outstanding beauty from the world!

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I am here to recruit for my sect. Do you want to learn to go against the Heavens? To grasp your fate in your own hands? To sunder the sky with a swing of your sword!?”

“…”

The woman slammed the door in his face.

Ocean Song pondered.

Perhaps he came on too strong due to his own excitement.

In all truth, he had no plan whatsoever. Actually, he didn’t even have a proper Sect location. And if he were being honest, even his own house was a bunch of wooden logs piled up.

And he had no real money yet.

He hadn’t thought this through at all.

However, if there was one thing Ocean Song was, it was blindly optimistic.

“I can teach you how to change your appearance back to normal.” He suddenly blurted out.

The door swung back open again as the woman’s glasses-clad eyes bore into him.

“I’m listening.”

(Line Break)

Hades: How do you even know half of this stuff?

Ocean Song: Witness my knowledge of anime!