[Snippet] Monster? No, I'm a Cultivator! (Percy Jackson): Chapter 21

Ocean Song was expelled from Helheim.

Yes, he went flying out of the realm of death, and of course, while flailing through the air, he retained his heroic and elegant demeanor.

Ocean Song knew one of the most important rules for any Cultivator was that regardless of how absurd the situation or how dire, you must always look good.

And Ocean Song wasn’t a Jade Beauty for nothing.

That being said, he knew that he had not mastered such a deep and unfathomable Dao as he did not stick the landing.

However, he recovered quickly after hitting the ground rather hard. He pushed up, brushed himself off and greeted the trio of eyes that were staring at him.

“Greetings, fellow Daoists. I apologize for disturbing your meal.” Ocean Song said politely to what appeared to be a small group of Jotun.

The three Jotun sat around a large fire, with some manner of creatures being cooked atop it.

“Wha kind o’ monster are ya?” One of them pointed at Ocean Song with a rather thick accent.

“This lowly one is a Cyclops, fellow Daost.” Ocean Song answered good naturedly. “If I may impose upon you, could I perhaps ask for directions? I know not exactly where I am.” In fact, Hel didn’t tell him where he was being shot out to.

Perhaps he should have asked.

“Ya talk funny.” He squinted. “Wha kind o’ Cyclops has –” He stopped to begin mouthing numbers, counting specifically. “ — three eyes?”

“Why can’t a Cyclops have three eyes?” Ocean Song asked in return.

That seemed to stump not only the Jotun talking, but the others too.

Ocean Song, sensing that a form of camaraderie had been developed, approached them openly. 

As fellow Monsters, he knew that they would get along well and he could simply ask them for directions without any incident.

“I aint never eaten a cyclops with bunch o’ eyes before.”

Ocean Song was just glad he didn’t voice his thoughts out loud. “Fellow Daoist, I just request directions, please. There’s no need to resort to violence. How do I get to Midgard?” Because he was fairly sure he wasn’t on Earth at the moment, but his instincts told him that it wasn’t far off. At the very least, he didn’t think Hel would just expunge him in the middle of nowhere when she knew he was on a mission from Hades.

“He aint got a lot o’ meat, but it looks tender.” Another of the Jotun said.

“A want a leg.” The third added in, as if ignoring Ocean Song presence.

Ocean Song let out a sigh.

“Fellow Daoists, you truly don’t know how to write the word ‘Death’, do you?” He shook his head, clutching his sword.

All three Jotun’s paused and their expressions twisted back.

“Oh, ya think yer better than us cause we can’t read o write, huh?” 

“That’s not –”

“Me mum was killed before she could teach me and had to fend for myself.” Another added.

“I wasn’t – “

“Ya think ya so much better than us? Cause yer fancy clothes and ya can write them squibbles and read them like the smart ones!?”

“This is a misunder– “

“I don’ wanna eat him anymore.” One scoffed, standing up. He grabbed a big club that was behind him and rather than attack, he hefted it over his shoulder and began to walk away, looking genuinely upset.

Another spat out, glaring at Ocean Song, grabbing his proverbial shit and joining.

“Hmph.” The last got up and walked to join his friends, leaving Ocean Song completely alone.

“....why aren’t you courting death…?” He reached out, saying softly, utterly confused at what happened.

He was forced to stand there and watch as they disappeared from view.

Slowly, gradually, he set his sword down and laid down on the grass, looking up at the sky, unblinking.

Why was it, that this felt like the first time he’d ever been ‘defeated’?

…..by a trio of illiterate Jotun.

“Am I a bad person?” Ocean Song asked himself.

He wondered if the healing abilities of water would heal emotional damage.

@***@

It didn’t take long for Ocean Song to continue his quest.

It was normal for all Cultivators to suffer set backs. The last encounter would not cause him to falter in his goals!

He flew around for awhile, not straying too far from where he had been expelled to. Eventually, he did find a strange cave that had a weird sort of energy to it.

In fact, it seemed to exude a lot of magical power. 

At first glance, there seemed to be some sort of effect that his unconscious mind didn’t want to focus on.

As he got closer, he noticed quite a few Norse letters decorating the outside. Those ‘Runes’ that he heard about.

Assuming he was at the right place, he just walked right on through. And to his surprise, with one step to another, it was like he was walking into another world.

Because he was.

The cloudy sky from before was now replaced by a glaring sun.

Faint, he could see the Great Sun God’s dashing figure as his chariot raced across the sky.

He took a deep breath and smiled happily, he was finally back!

He had no idea where he was again, but he was just happy to be back.

Every proper Cultivator has a returning from presumed death arc. And Ocean Song literally returned from the Underworld!

Unfortunately, he had no real grudges to settle in a way to wow his peers. In fact, he realized he didn’t really even have peers….

Sure, he had a few family members, and there were Demigods and other Monster…

But peers…well, he couldn’t even say if he had any real friends….

He decided not to think about it as that’s how he handles most things.

First thing first, he found a secluded spot and slapped his storage pouch, taking out a few items to setup a makeshift shrine.

“Honored Uncle, I have made it to the human world!” He called out as he made the proper ‘offerings’.

That is, it was a shrine to Hades.

Ocean Song felt a godly presence lit up, subtle but noticeable.

“Good.” The God of the Underworld’s voice reached Ocean Song’s ears. “Did you have any trouble with anything when leaving their part of the world?”

“My Dao Heart suffered some damage, but I’m fine.”

“......?” Hades didn’t know what to say to that.

“....Jotun are more daunting than I anticipated.” Ocean Song relayed. “Uncle, I’m not a bad person, am I?”

If Ocean Song could see him right now, he would see Hades rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“Where are you right now?” He ignored everything else.

“I don’t know.”

Ocean Song heard a long sigh from the other end. “Give me a moment.” There was a pause from his side. “You should be in Texas at the moment.”

Ocean Song perked up. “I heard they have good food.” He recalled some memories of his past life, and the amazing food that could be found here.

“Focus.” Hades’ voice snapped his attention back to the matter at hand. “Find my children first.” There was another pause. “I’ll make sure you have a proper meal when you bring them back.” He said with a certain lack of annoyance.

In fact, Hades was a bit of a epicurean. He wouldn’t fault his nephew for seeking out the best foods the world can produce.

“I will walk through fire and ice for your, Uncle!” Ocean Song saluted despite Hades not being within view. 

“Head west, it should be easy to find if you follow the signs along the mortal’s roads.” Hades told him. “I won’t say time is of the essence, but I would prefer you handle this matter as soon as possible.”

“This lowly Cyclops will complete your quest, Uncle!” Ocean Song said once more before he felt the presence of Hades fading. Carefully, Ocean Song retrieved the stuff used to make the rather flimsy shrine and stored it away.

Regardless of everything else, Ocean Song was curious about something. 

He tossed his sword out and hopped onto it, soaring into the air. Then, he focused, he flared his Qi and his Cultivation board roared to life.

How fast could he actually go?

The answer was accompanied by many sonic booms that erupted in his wake.

Suffice to say, really fast.

@***@

He was significantly stronger than the last time he was on earth and it showed by way of just his speed.

The signs across the highways became a blur, he counted over a dozen of them in the time it took to blink.

What would have taken a mortal to drive hours, took Ocean Song perhaps half an hour, maybe less, to travel multiple states.

From high up in the sky, Ocean Song could see the jewel of the desert….or whatever the city was called. He actually didn’t have much of an impression of Las Vegas from his past life, never having visited in person.

He could admire all the different buildings that blanketed the long strip.

Otherwise, he could only assume it looked more impressive at night when all the lights were shining brightly.

Ocean Song took to the street, gawking around like a tourist. He didn’t know where the place was exactly, but with his intelligence and wisdom, he had no doubts he would find it soon.

He barely took a few steps before a human came up to him and stuff a card into his hands and walked away.

Bewildered, Ocean Song looked at the card, it was advertising a gentleman’s club with a picture of a woman’s large rear on it.

Ocean Song looked around in confusion as to why he was given this without so much as a warning. 

And frankly, he didn’t know what to do with it now. Does he….toss it on the ground? There were no trash cans around, but after the previous debacle, would it be mean if he threw it away after being given it.

After what happened before, he was trying to be careful.

Before he had the chance to even consider, a different person came over and pushed another into his hands.

In fact, many people seemed to hone in on him and before long, his arms were literally full of various advertisements, all basically for certain etablisments that housed scantily clad women.

Awkwardly, he shuffled past more people, his arms full and quickly pushed them into his storage pouch.

So far, he wasn’t particularly liking his time in the city.

He would deal with all that nonsense later.

He just didn’t now why he was suddenly targeted out of all the crowds and people walking by!

Thankfully, after meandering for a bit, he found one of those big boards, a sign with a map that showed where he currently was and where everything else was!

And easily enough, he found the Lotus Hotel and Casino only a block away.

Though, the mists were starting to get a bit more as he got closer. He probably could have just found it this way if he wandered around aimlessly a little longer.

It was a very high concentration of mists around the building, enough that it sorta reminded him of Olympus, if to a much lesser extent.

Oddly, there were a lot less people going in. Compared to the other Casinos and what-not, Ocean Song noted that only a handful went in after several minutes.

And particularly, he noted that no one came out.

Ocean Song sniffed the air, he smelled the faint aroma of Demigods, but also something else.

An intoxicating aroma that almost unconsciously pulled him towards the Casino. If not for his infallible and firm Dao Heart – ignoring any previous incidents – he would have easily been led astray and mind overwhelmed.

Truthfully, just smelling the scent, it made him wary of even going in, but he pressed on.

Cautiously, but with the fervor of a proper cultivator, he threw the doors open and walked inside without hesitation.

The smell intensified.

He circulated his Qi to dispel any attempts of it to snare him. Like a subtle aroma that lingered int he air, it wanted to invoke a sense of calmness and happiness.

Ocean Song was on guard because this was not the right kind of drugs a proper Cultivator should indulge in.

Otherwise, the entrance was…rather mundane.

He walked up to the counter right at the entrance and the woman looked up, eyed him then tapped a sign.

The mist shifted around the sign slightly, and the wordage changed.

The sign indicated that this establishment was not a Strip Club.

Ocean Song blinked, then looked at a nearby mirror.

He realized that he was still appearing the same way as when he met Percy and Madam Jackson for the first time.

And like that, many things began to make more sense.

Ocean Song removed his own mist obscuring, noting that the woman was by no means normal. She didn’t even react to his new appearance, treating it as something entirely mundane. Wordlessly, he took out a particular letter that Hades had given him and placed it on the counter with his seal and emblem.

The rather dismissive woman sitffened at the small lingering presence the emblem gave off and immediate picked up a phone and dialed something that Ocean Song didn’t care to pay attention to.

No, Ocean Song was eyeing other things.

There were waitresses in the main area past this entrance point carrying trays of lotus flowers that carried a much stronger scent of the same aroma that permeated this place.

He of course knew about the Lotus Eaters, if vaguely and given a bit of an explanation from before.

To eat one of the Lotuses was to enter a state of bliss and happiness that became addicting and made someone never want to leave.

However, something else quickly caught his eye and his nose.

There was a Demigod walking by and it was explicitly not one of Hades’ children. And that child wasn’t the only one. The smell of the Lotuses filling the room did a good job of masking the majority of it, but if he focused, he picked out atleast twenty different Demigod scents.

“Welcome, welcome!” Someone in a well tailored suit and a lot of expensive accessories came rushing over greeting Ocean Song. “Welcome to the Lotus Hotel and Casino.”

“Greetings.” Ocean Song’s face remeaned impassive, but performed the proper greetings regardless.

The man walked up, took the letter and emblem after the woman whispered something into his ear. He nodded then looked back at Ocean Song. “It’s rare for us to receive such a….esteemed client, please follow me to my office, we can discuss things there.”

Ocean Song scrunched his nose and followed along as the mean led him through the main floor. 

He saw the various games and festivities that ran along the walk. The continuous supply of Lotuses that the guests ate without hesitation, and he made a mental note of every Demigod that he passed.

Actually, he was fairly sure that not all of them were Greek….maybe some Roman or other Pantheons.

And specifically, many of them were children.

The man led Ocean Song to a more secluded area, his office, while extravagant, was also rather distant from the main floor.

Ocean Song inspected the man thoroughly, for he was no human. Even his out ‘shell’ so to speak, felt fake. He didn’t know what kind of monster was infront of him, but it was far from human.

“So you’re hear to pick up those two kids on behalf of Hades?” The man looked at Ocean Song, humming happily.

Ocean Song raised an eyebrow at the casual way he invoked the name of the God of the Underworld. But like his Uncle said, it appears that had certain…well, not privileges, but certain things they could get away with. He didn’t know the specifics that let them operate so openly and casually with the Gods, but he didn’t quite care.

“Yes, fellow Daost. I am here on behalf of the Lord of the Underworld to retrieve the two children noted.” Ocean Song said pointedly.

“Hmm.” He tapped his desk, and Ocean Song’s eyes were drawn to the name plate on the desk that read as Manager Verbena. “There’s a price to pay, you know that right?”

Ocean Song frowned. “The Lord of the Underworld said that the price had already been paid in full.”

Manager Verbena’s smile widened a little as he chuckled. “Just a little joke.”

Ocean Song didn’t think he was joking and it was an attempt to exhort from him.

“Okay, everything is settled. Why don’t I go get the kids and have them meet you at the exit?” He said rather cooly.

“That easy?” Ocean Song was surprised, he was expecting a bit more of a challenge.

“We prefer to do business openly and in good conscious. Lord Hades had paid the price and we are happy to assist.” He smiled goodnautredly, but it felt rather hollow and false to Ocean Song.

Right, for Ocean Song, it would have been a very simple matter of taking the kids and leaving.

However, he sighed internally, knowing his Uncle was going to be upset.

“What about the other Demigods?” Ocean Song asked.

“The others? What about him?” The Manager seemed confused.

“What do you even do with them?” 

“What does anyone do with valuable merchandise? Show it off, use it, sell it, trade it.” The Manager waved his hand throught he air as if it were an obvious thing. “You know how it is, maybe offer a meal to an esteemed guest that visits.” He finished with a wink.

“If I wanted to….redeem someone, what’s the price?”

The manager stood up and he seemed to come to a realization. “You want to redeem someone else? Well, we don’t usually do this. It’s mostly out of respect for the God of the Underworld.” He rubbed his chin. “But if you’re here on his behalf, I suppose we could make an exception. A life for a life, as they say.”

“A life for a life?”

“It’s business.” The Manager leaned back with a strange smile that looked unnatural. “And Demigods really do enhance the ambience.”

Ocean Song furrowed his brow, believing that having many demigods trapped here served more a purpose than the rather boorish things he spoke previously. 

“This is Las Vegas, how about a gamble?” The Manager offered, seeing Ocean Song wasn’t taking the bait. 

“A wager?” Ocean Song repeated. “What are the terms?”

“I’ll let you pick out two Demigods you want and if you lose, you’ll be staying here and working for me personally.” The Manager stated, eyes full of greed.

“All of them.” Ocean Song said bluntly.

The Manager’s expression changed again, slowly forming a frown. “That’s not fair on my end, friend. There’s only one of you and we have 27 Demigods.”

Ocean Song’s Qi seeped out and the room began to shake, no not just the room, but the building began to shake slightly. “Am I not worth a few children?”

The Manager’s grin widened to a large degree, believing that Ocean Song took the bait handedly. 

He couldn’t do anything about Hades demanding a couple of brats from him, but this Cyclops infront of him….he kept up with the news.

If he could bind him to the Casino, well, expanding was an easy matter!

“But I want to choose the game.” The Cyclops said.

The Manager’s expression twitched slightly, but otherwise, he didn’t get upset. “Alright, fine. But it has to be a proper game. A proper game meant for gambling.” He made sure to say. “What’s your poison, my friend? Blackjack, craps, roulette, poke? If you want, we can even set up a slot machine for you.” He chuckled at the last bit.

“I want a neutral third party to oversee our deal.” Ocean Song quickly cut him off. “To make things fair.”

The Manager pursed his lips, hesitant to allow this. The odds were greatly in his favor, within the Hotel, he could….tweak certain percentages and such. But if he brought in someone like Hades, well…..

Despite the risks, the Manager reluctantly agreed, being blinded by his greed. “Go ahead, invite someone. But they have to be impartial and I have to agree that they’re impartial.” He set the terms, closing any annoying loophole like using the God of the Underworld to pull a fast one.

“Very well, I call upon the Great Goddess Styx to oversee this oath being taken.” Ocean Song called out and the Manager’s eyes widened.

“Hey, this isn’t –”

The Building shook once more as a godly presence descended upon it.

It wasn’t her true body, a pale facsimile that she projected this way. It was extremely rare for someone to call upon the Goddess Styx for anything other than an Oath on her river specifically. Not to mention, she recgonized the one calling out to her, so she answered.

“Greetings, Great Goddess.” Ocean Song clasped his hands and bowed to her. “I invite you to witness our wager – an oath in all but name – and be our impartial judge.”

She was not just good for giving the sacred oath upon her name. She was the Goddess of Oaths in a more general sense, that should even apply to ‘smaller’ variants. Agreements, promises, and such should fall under her domain.

The Goddess Styx knew where she was, she was not clueless about the world. And she recognized the stench of the Lotuses around her.

Particularly, she eyed Ocean Song strangely. 

“I believe there should be no argument against the Goddess of Oaths to act as our impartial judge, don’t you think?” Ocean Song asked the Manager.

In fact, he had absolutely no argument against it. He could not call out her without insulting her so heavily that he would have to worry about retaliation.

“.....fine.” He agreed, feeling grateful that the games in his casino were already heavily rigged int he house’s favor. “If the Goddess Agrees.” He looked to her.

Styx scrunched her nose, seeing past the monster’s facade ont he surface and didn’t like what she saw, but didn’t speak against him.

“What are the terms.” She said plainly to know what was going on.

“We play a game. If I win, I get to take all the Demigod children out of here. If he wins, I join the Casino. And I get to choose the game.” Ocean Song summarized.

Styx looked at the Cyclops strangely again. There was….a newfound respect in her eyes for him. She was surprised that he was willing to bet his eternal servitude in order to free a bunch of children he never even met.

“I acknowledge the terms, and by my name, I will act as the judge.” Styx declared.

The manager clicked his tongue, realizing that he underestimate the Cyclops infront of him. He had thought that the Monster would be a bit dull and eays to fool. No, he knew now that he was dealing with a shrewd and cunning individual. It was a masterful move to bring the Goddess of the Styx here to act as a judge. It would be extremely difficult to cheat under her watchful gaze.

He was prepared, he didn’t know what game the Cyclops was going ot choose, but it had to be one that would take all of his own cunning to navigate and win.

“We’re going to play the game where we each take turns hitting each other until the other gives up.” Ocean Song declared. “I’ll go first.”

“....what?” The Manager’s mind went blank. “That’s not a proper game! You agreed to a proper game that was meant for gambling.”

“It is.” Ocean Song said with a serious look. “I swear on the River Styx that this is a true and proper game.”

Styx’s eyes flashed as thunder boomed over head, and she looked at him then looked at the Manager of the casino. “He words speak true.”

Of course, it was a proper game that that stupid kids mostly play. The game of hitting each other in the balls until they give up. The game of slapping each other until they give up. The game of hitting each other with hard objects until they give up….

Ocean Song realized he had a very dangerous childhood in his past life.

Regardless, it was a game.

The Manager’s mouth gaped before he could muster up more words. “It has to be a proper gambling game!” He defended again.

“It is.” Ocean Song said, grabbing his sword and his Qi released like a torrential downfall. “We’re gambling with our lives.”

“I’ll allow it.” Styx declared.

Ocean Song swung his sword and the Casino was splint in half. 

@***@

A/N

Manager: This Cyclops is cunning beyond measure!

Ocean Song: Sword go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.