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[Snippet] Monster? No, I'm a Cultivator! (Percy Jackson): Chapter 7
🕑 Added 2024-09-19 10:40:33 +0000 UTC
Ocean Song was in a good mood.
Despite an almost instinctual disgust towards the environmental impact that society had in the area, he loved it here.
He made a mental note to find a good spot to set down some proverbial roots and perhaps cleanse the area so his Cultivation wouldn’t be impeded.
On that note, he didn’t quite know how to progress on his Cultivation, he would need to mediate on it and devise his next course of action.
Regardless, he found a nice and secluded spot away from prying eyes and the hustle and bustle of the mortal city.
He carefully constructed several altars. One to his Father, one to his Senior Brother One to the Goddess Hecate and lastly, he made to the Great Mother of the Ocean – His technical Stepmother, but he was careful not to call her that unless it was earned.
He figured it was probably a good idea to get into the good graces of his Father’s wife if he was going to be making a name for himself.
He knew that his Father’s Wife was nowhere near as malicious as his Uncle’s wife, but it was still best to err on the side of caution.
After his little reveal previously, and making a statement, he was left with quite a few trophies from the Monsters he killed.
Oddly, sometimes, a monster will leave behind a ‘trophy’ on their death. A famous example would be the Nemean Lion leaving behind its impenetrable pelt.
….a monster Gacha.
Ocean Song didn’t know the rhyme or reason behind this, but he figured it was just a quirk of the Heavenly Dao to encourage the continued status quo of Heroes slaying Monsters.
Regardless, he had a bit of a hoard now that he didn’t know what to do other than sacrifice them for maybe some future boons or to build towards them.
“Senior Brother, this lowly Cyclops has killed his first Monster. If you would be willingly, I would like to bestow you this trophy in your honor.” He made sure to butter up his Senior Brother while simultaneously offering a sacrifice.
He tossed some kind of big spike from a lizard-like monster that was in the bar. The flames ate it up, indicating that the sacrifice was accepted.
It wasn’t just a matter of ‘giving’ something to a deity. When sacrificing a ‘trophy’ in such a way, it was an act of worship, but far beyond simply praying and acknowledging a god.
Monsters had weight behind their existences, and while it was a drop in an ocean in comparison to a god, they happily accepted those drops of water from such actions. It was these continued drops of water over the years that solidified their existence.
Ocean Song could vaguely feel a nod of satisfaction from his Senior Brother, even if the Elder Brother didn’t respond.
Next, his Father was more…casual. Of course he would show the proper grandiose if others were around, but when it was just him, he didn’t need to be so grand in his offers.
Ocean Song dropped a few odds and ends onto his Father’s fire, sacrificing them to the Sea God.
For a moment, he grabbed his Father’s attention, and he felt….a small bit of pride.
It made Ocean Song smile.
Thirdly, well that was the Goddess of Magic.
“Great Goddess of Magic, please hear my prayer. I have slayed my first Monsters, I offer these trophies to you, please accept them.” He prayed towards the Alter he constructed to the Goddess Hecate.
Deep in the Underworld, Hecate blinked in surprise.
Having trophy’s offered to her was a rare enough occurrence that even if it wasn’t the stupid Cyclops doing it, she would have looked over.
Not many pray to her, rarely when they needed assistance in some way when it involved the Mist. Or usually when it involved her children. However, her children weren’t….they weren’t Monster slayers.
Her children took after her, the uncommon occurrence they popped up. They were content to stay inside, performing experiments and exploring Magic.
Rather than let the fires consume the trophy she was offered, and taking in the Worship and wisp of existence behind them, she let the physical objects fall to table she was standing at.
“Talons of the Caucasian Eagle. The fangs of one of my run away Empousa….scales of a Geminus.” She listed off, along with a few things that were just trash.
Not particularly rare materials….other than the fangs of one of her Empousa just because they knew better than to run away. But….it was never bad to have more materials around for her experiments.
A small smile crept up on the Goddess’s face as she sorted the items.
Lastly, he politely knelt infront of the altar to his Father’s wife.
“Great Mother of the Ocean, Queen of the Tides. Goddess Amphitrite” He spoke, lighting the small brazier on her Altar. “I submit this humble offering to you. This lowly Cyclops is a child of the Sea, and I hope you accept this offering of this one’s first kill.”
Technically, he killed a bunch of monsters all at once, and it was his first time killing, thus they were all his first kill, which held a certain significance.
Far away in the depths of the Sea, in Atlantis, the Goddess Amphitrite blinked as she heard the prayer given to her, something that while not rare, was uncommon for land-dwelling inhabitants. But what grabbed her attention was the admittance of the one praying to be the bastard child of her husband.
“Husband.”
“Yes dear?” Posiedon answered back, as they sat a table having their dinner in a small but intimate setting.
“Your son just prayed to me.” She spoke with a surprised tone. “Rather bold of him.”
“….Dare I ask which one?” Posiedon replied, but deep in his heart, he had the faintest idea of who.
“Ah, he didn’t give a name, so many he isn’t completely foolish. Only referring to himself as a ‘Lowly cyclops’” She said with clear humor in her voice. “Is this the son I’ve heard about from Triton that’s been causing you so much grief?”
In response, and due to the private setting, Poseidon let out the most exasperated sigh, slumping in his chair.
The corners of Amphitrite’s lips curled up. “This is the third one, yes husband?”
“That’s right.” Poseidon nodded.
“Remember what I told you, you get two more until the next century.” She held up a finger with one hand, and with the other, she made a scissor snipping gesture. “Otherwise, you know what happens.”
Poseidon swallowed audible. “Of course.” He forced a smile, knowing she truly meant good on her threat.
He was just glad that his wife was much more accommodating to his….dalliances than his brother’s wife.
As long as he didn’t rub it in his wife’s face, she was willing to put up with his wandering beyond their marriage for intimacy….to an extent.
He recalled the last time he ‘went over’ his allotted dalliances.
It grew back, eventually.
Amphitrite held her hand to the side, summoning from across the world as the offering manifested and spilled onto the ground. “Now, did you tell your son that I was needing a new pillow, and I prefer Harpy Feathers?” She smiled at him warmly, glancing at the pile of feathers on the ground.
She preferred the combination of firmness to softness that Harpy Feathers gave.
Poseidon cleared his throat. “Of course.” He shamelessly took credit. “I remember you complaining about that not long ago.”
Amphitrite knew that her Husband was lying through his teeth. She had yet to meet this son of her husbands in person, but at this point, she liked him.
Of course, Ocean Song had no idea about any of this, just happy that his offering was accepted.
He was about to stand up and leave until he heard a faint whisper through the Altar for his Father’s Wife.
“You can call me Stepmom.”
Ocean Song didn’t have the chance to respond as the presence receded immediately, but he decided it was a success!
Part of one’s Cultivation Journey was making sure that one had powerful backers! Or at the very least, had as few powerful enemies that could smite him with a glance.
For Ocean Song, he wanted as few of those as possible, unless he was the one who intentionally antagonized them.
As a Cultivator, he would face his own enemies, he just didn’t like the fact that certain entities would dislike him simply because of who he was born to.
A clear conscious was his desire.
If he had an enemy, he wanted it to be by his own hand.
Speaking of enemies, he cleaned up his altars and moved to rejoin the hustle and bustle of the mortal city.
He thought it was a good amount of time to check back up on things. He wasn’t naive, he was more than aware that he would have to perform…..multiple demonstrations to get his new rules across. But he also wanted to make sure that word spread, and he gave all the Monsters in the city enough time to make their choice.
While his declaration wasn’t made to everyone, he was sure his words were passed on by the ‘survivor’ of the incident in question considering that the bar he visited was a hot spot for monster activity in the city.
Oddly enough, most Monsters do have things they do in their free time….hobbies if you will. They can’t always be doing Monster things – for the Monsters that live in the Mortal cities that is.
Regardless, he was sure there were a few movers and shakers among the community that oversaw locations like the bar, and my words should have spread to them.
If not, well, there were plenty of Monsters in the city to continue making his point with.
Ocean Song frowned, because he sniffed the air, the familiar scent of a Demi-God was on the winds.
It was strong, too.
He knew somewhat the mechanism, if a Demi-God learned of their heritage, their ‘scent’ was amplified many folds. Also, the strength of the Demi-God played into it was well, but that usually was reserved for Demi-Gods after they received training.
The scent was moving rather quickly. This wouldn’t normally make Ocean Song frown, but he also smelled a handful of monsters chasing the scent.
His Divine Sense spread out and he tracked the source, a young boy, perhaps ten or eleven. Chasing after him were a bunch of dog-headed creatures, not dissimilar to some he slayed in the bar.
Considering there are enough Monsters to form literal armies from what he recalled, he wasn’t surprised that the bottom chaff subsided off numbers.
It seems he would need to further make examples.
@***@
Several blocks away, a young boy ran for his life.
Malcom let his curiosity get the best of him. His Father passed away a few months ago, and he was shipped off to an orphanage because he didn’t know who his mother was and he had no extended family.
A few days ago, some of his Father’s belongings were sent to the Orphanage when they should have been put in storage. By chance, he rummaged through them and found some letters that were meant to be opened when he was older.
He quickly found out who and what his Mother was.
Of course he didn’t believe it, but he always knew he was a little bit different, he always felt a little smarter than other kids his age, so he tested the contents of the letter.
Suffice to say, Monsters started popping up all around him within hours.
No one else could see them, and in his panic, he ran away.
They were gaining on him too, their faces were twisting and changing like an illusion. They looked like people, then they looked like monsters with sharp teeth, like wolves or dogs.
No one else helped him, everyone around him pretended that he didn’t even exist while he was running for his life!
His little legs carried him as much as possible, but he was getting tired and he was scared. He didn’t know how much longer he could run for, but thankfully, he didn’t need to find out as a strange light soared through the air between him and the Monsters, making them come to a quick stop.
Malcom fell to the ground in a panic, not knowing what was going on, only for a new person to step between him and the Monsters.
“I believe I made my rules clear. Demi-Gods were off limits. Humans were off limits. I’ll give you a chance to tell me why you’ve decided to forgo my warning.” The Strange man spoke, holding a sword in one hand.
Malcom couldn’t see his face, only his long black hair and weird white skirt dress thing.
For Ocean Song, courtesy was important, even if you were fighting to the death. He would give them a chance to explain themselves so they wouldn’t question their deaths at his hand.
“Since when do we have to listen to you!?”
“Yeah, I’ve been eating Demi-Gods for years! Why do we gotta stop?!”
“I heard about some bastard telling us we weren’t allowed to eat demi-gods anymore.” The last one spit on the ground. “We aint scared of you. You’re a Monster just like us and you just want all of the Demi-Gods for yourself!”
Ocean Song’s frown deepened.
“Very well, I’ve heard your responses.” Ocean Song’s blade flashed out, and the Monster’s bodies were split in half. “You were given the path to Heaven, but you decided to descend down to hell.” He sighed.
Malcom froze behind him in fear.
Ocean Song didn’t feel better because he could sense more Monsters coming his way.
The Demi-God behind him was practically a beacon in a city this big with such a large monster population.
So, Ocean Song did the most logical thing.
He closed his eyes and let his Cultivation Base burst out, amplifying his Divine Sense to a degree that it covered nearly the entire city.
“My name is Ocean Song, and this is my city. Humans are off limits. Demi-Gods are off limits. If you have a problem with my new rules, then come and challenge me!”
It reverberated through the Mists. Every Monster could feel it, it wasn’t true sound, it was intent lapsed with Qi that every Magical creature in the city could understand.
Hundreds, thousands, Tens of thousands of different Monsters all looked at the source despite the distance between them.
Ocean Song didn’t keep himself contained, he let his presence be felt.
The many Monsters that were converging on the Demi-God’s location, the vast majority of them stilled, a handful, they slowed down as if considering their options.
Ocean Song thought he made his point clear as he had no challengers, but the ground rumbled and he felt something moving far beneath the ground.
Several blocks away, it was as if a sinkhole opened up, and two massive, scaled claws grasped at the edges, something pulling itself up out of the earth.
A Drakon.
Not to be mistaken with a Dragon, as Drakons are similar, but they predate the concept of Dragons in Greek culture by millennia.
It was like an odd mix between an Eastern and Western Dragon, but without wings.
Its elongated body made it large than most buildings in the area.
And Ocean Song could feel it, it was old.
Monsters, well, many of them got stronger with age. Age made their legends and myths only spread across humanity, added more weight to their existence.
The Drakon looked at Ocean song, a miasma leaking from its sharp teeth, corroding the concrete road.
Each of its steps caused the ground to rumble and its tail swiped to the side, a building a half dozen stories tall fell over without any resistance.
Thankfully, the Mortals had moved since its initial arrival, thinking that an Earthquake was occurring.
“I heard you declaration, little monster.” The Drakon spoke, though not in the normal sense. Its words were still clear as they shook the air with each syllable uttered. “How funny, this is the first time in my life that another Monster told me what I can and cannot do. I’m going to eat that little Demi-God behind you, and you’re going to watch me do it. Then, I’m going to send you to Tartarus. Spend a few millennia down there as punishment for think you could order me around.”
Ocean Song silently measured his opponent, the massive Serpent took a few steps forward.
“Do you have nothing to say now, little Monster?” The Drakon chuckled, causing windows in the surroundings to shatter.
“Fellow Daoist, you have eyes, but you fail to see Mount. Tai.” Ocean Song replied evenly, shaking his head.
The Drakon looked at him, unsure of what he said, but for some reason, he felt like he had been insulted.
The Drakon’s mouth pulled back in a snarl, revealing its many sharp teeth, each one about the size of a person.
The Drakon took a depth breath, the Miasma around it intensified and it blew it out, melting everything in its path.
Ocean Song gripped his sword, a small smile formed as he now had the chance to utilize his True Sword Skills since leaving the Island.
He had cultivated a handful of Sword Techniques. He even had a forbidden Sword Technique that he sealed away!
But for this Drakon, that wouldn’t be needed.
“Ocean Sword, First Form – Crashing Waves.” Like hundreds of waves overlapped atop one another, they collided with the poisonous breath of the Drakon, slicing through it and tearing up its scales as the sword flashed across its back and down the street.
The Drakon let out a roar of pain and fury and confusion. It didn’t know what just happened, only that the scales on its back had been cut apart, it was hurt, and its breath didn’t do anything.
The Drakon didn’t survive this long by being foolish. It knew when it was outmatched right away, and despite its grandiose words moments prior, it chose the wisest action and immediately turned to run away.
“You can only blame yourself for Courting Death.” Ocean Song spoke as the Drakon attempted to flee and he held his blade up to the side. “Ocean Sword, Second Form – Chaotic Tides”
Thousands of flashes of light descended on the Drakon, blood splashed everywhere, and its body pieces could be counted in the hundreds as they all fell to the ground.
Ocean Song landed gently on the ground a dozen feet away, letting out a breath, lowing his sheathed blade.
The Monster’s body swiftly turning to dust in the aftermath.
He turned back, the Demi-God was on the ground, his eyes rolled back and he was unconscious.
Right…he forgot about that.
He scratched his head because he realized something. He forgot where the Camp for Half-Blood children was…..
@***@
A/N
Regular chapter will be out later today.
Comments
StarSmith
Thank you for the chapter I really enjoyed the snippet and I wouldn’t mind it if it became a full time story and you rotated between chapters for this book and kaleidoscope
Naga
I like this side story as well, im honestly fully invested at this point
