Chapter 29

Ocean Song flew through the skies, taking a large detour around Mount Olympus.

He had learned his lesson from the many lightning bolts that struck him previously.

It had been a while since he'd gone this far out to sea. As strange as it was, as a son of the sea, he didn't actually spend much time in the water.

He found his freedom elsewhere, but the sea would always welcome him home.

It didn't take long for him to find his destination—at least one of them.

While he was out and about, he stopped by his original home, the small island he was originally born on and lived on for twenty years.

It was still the same as he left it; even some vague footprints remained in the sand further up the beach. Despite it not being so long ago, it left him with a rather nostalgic feeling.

The winds had eroded much, and even some of his makeshift housing and supplies made of wood and twigs hadn't suffered the elements well. However, you could just barely tell that someone once lived here by the evidence.

Regardless, Ocean Song wasn't one to lose himself in reminiscing.

It was more a sentimental and spiritual response; he wanted to pay respects to his original 'home' for giving him so much and letting him reach this point.

So, he set his sword down and began to clean up the island.

Any markings he had made were removed, and structures that somewhat still stood were torn down and scattered. Any markings that remained in the sands from his practicing were gently covered.

He returned the island to the state it was in before he lived here, completing the cycle of karma.

As a proper cultivator, it's not just people that one must give thanks and respect to.

The island provided for him, sheltered him, fed him, and comforted him. The least he could do in return was allow it to persist unbothered by his time here.

Strangely, he felt something swell up in his chest after he was done kowtowing a few times to the island to offer his final respects.

He felt a strange peacefulness, but there was something else.

He felt something in his cultivation. While his Qi subtlety rose to the surface, he felt like he was scraping against the wall to the next realm.

His Core Formation cultivation was already at the peak—perfected even. But now, there was something else, like a whisper behind him telling him to take the next step.

Ocean Song wondered, was this the enlightenment that came with casting off karmic shackles?

It resonated with his Dao.

Yin-Yang.

Yin and Yang encompass everything, not just two opposing forces like fire and ice or life and death.

Even the concept of taking and giving.

He took from the island, and now he gave back to it, completing a cycle.

Ocean Song stood back up, brushing himself off. With this newfound fire inside of him, he knew he could begin the process of breaking through the next realm whenever he wanted.

There was certainly the desire to do it right here and now, but that defeated the purpose of doing what he just did.

Likewise, he was on a mission so he could put off breaking through until his sect was built and do it from the safety of his own home.

Giving one last silent farewell to his birthplace, Ocean Song took his sword and shot out a few hundred feet before diving into the sea.

He shot downwards, across the ocean floor, until he was well and thoroughly submerged into the depths of the ocean.

Ocean Song put on his thinking face as his butt slowly floated down and touched the sands at the very bottom of the sea.

He had no idea where he was supposed to go; he had some vague idea of what he wanted in a Divine Beat Protector for the sect, but he hadn't actually put much thought into this.

He wanted an aquatic creature.

It paid homage to his heritage!

Maybe a giant squid or octopus, or maybe a giant shark!

Yes, no one would expect to be attacked by a shark on top of a mountain.

It was genius.

He reached out and grabbed a fish. "Greetings, fellow Daoist, I have a question if you don't mind."

As a son of Poseidon, he could both speak underwater and communicate with aquatic creatures.

It had never come up before, but it was rather convenient for him.

The fish's eyes bulged, and it went limp in his grasp. Ocean Song furrowed his brow and released the fish. It turned upside down and began floating upwards.

Ocean Song felt bad and lay down on his back, despite being hundreds of feet under the water.

He lay there until a shadow cast over him, blocking the faintest lights still penetrating this deep. Of course, Ocean Song could see plenty well this far under the water as a child of Poseidon, so he could make out the figure clearly.

It was some kind of half-bull, half-fish.

Vaguely, he felt like he'd recognize this creature from somewhere before.

"Moooo~"

Ocean Song perked up. "And greetings to you, esteemed Elder." Ocean Song politely cupped his fists and bowed to the ancient creature.

"Moo."

"What am I doing? I was looking for help, but…uh, I was mistaken on the presence I had on the aquatic life here." Ocean Song coughed slightly. "I was looking for perhaps directions or assistance."

"Moo? Mooo."

"You're willing to help me?" Ocean Song's eyes lit up. "This lowly Cyclops is forever grateful for your assistance, esteemed elder. This one is looking for a mighty beast to guard my sect, I wished to ask for any directions or knowledge about such creatures."

Ocean Song watched the strange cowfish swim around, as if pacing and thinking about something.

It turned to him and nodded. "Mooooo."

"I see." Ocean Song rubbed his chin. "Yes, that's most excellent indeed. Such a mighty and legendary figure. Truly, such renown would make them worthy of my great Heavenly Tides Demon Monarch Slaying Sect." He paused for a moment. "Name still pending."

"Moo."

"Ah, I suppose the name isn't that good, you're right, esteemed Elder." Ocean Song acquiesced to the elder's words.

Truly, this elder had the demeanor and elegance of an ancient immortal.

"Regardless, I thank you once more, esteemed elder." Ocean Song clasped his hands and bowed his head respectfully towards the strange cow-fish creature. "Do you have any advice on how to proceed with convincing them to join?"

"Mooooo." The creature shook its head; however, its eyes lit up. "Moo, Mooooo, Mooooo~."

"Truly?" Ocean Song's eyes widened. "Thank you for your wisdom, esteemed elder; I shall not abuse this trust you put in me!" Ocean Song turned to look where the creature was using its fin to point. "That current, you say? Follow it all the way until I reach land?"

"Mooooo." The creature nodded.

"Thank you then, Esteemed Elder. Farewell, and let us meet should fate allow it!" Ocean Song said his goodbyes as he threw himself into the underwater current not far away and let it take him across the ocean.

@***@

Far away, sitting at the bed of a river, a man hummed to himself as he fiddled with his fishing pole. 

There wasn't anything particularly noteworthy about him at first glance, and if any mortals saw him, they would simply see a middle-aged man fishing riverside.

And they most certainly wouldn't have noticed the spear at his side.

Out of a bucket next to him, he took out a worm and fastened it to his hook.

He was about to cast his line until he perked up and furrowed his brow. With a jerk of his arms, he cast it in a completely different spot and with such force that the wind whipped and the hook shot right through the water, latching onto something heavy.

The man tugged, and from the river, Ocean Song was pulled out.

He sat there, hanging in the air by a fishing rod, looking at the man who had fished him up.

Ocean Song recognized the person immediately upon seeing him, as they had met once.

"Greetings, great God Lugh!" Ocean Song, despite not being in the best position, made sure to be as polite as possible as he had somehow come across the Celtic Chief Deity.

"You're a long way from home." The god noted.

"Yes." Ocean Song nodded. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked because not many Greeks or Romans come to his neck of the woods these days.

"I was looking for the Salmon of Knowledge." Ocean Song revealed it without a hint of hesitation.

The esteemed elder had told him of the mighty Salmon of Knowledge and where to find it. Specifically, he could find it in the River Boyne in Ireland, as it tends to stay there, just like the legends.

"Plans on eating it to gain 'infinite knowledge'?" The God of Light added air quotes. "I should warn you that the legends make it out to be better than it is. It's a handy thing, but it's by no means absolute." 

"No, Great God, I simply wanted to ask it some questions. I had been told that if captured, it will answer three questions truthfully in exchange for being set free."

"Hmm." The god nodded, somewhat happy that the strange Cyclops wasn't planning on eating the salmon. Nothing in this world came without a price, and he was impressed that the boy had the insight not to be greedy. "Welcome to Ireland." He swung his fishing rod over, letting Ocean Song hit the ground next to him.

"Thank you for allowing my visit, Great God." Ocean Song bowed again properly now that he was on land.

"How do you plan on catching it? It's pretty elusive." The god asked, rather amused by this whole situation. He didn't particularly care that Ocean Song was after the Salmon.

Perhaps if it were someone else from his part of the world, or if he actually wanted to eat it properly, then he may have stopped him. But if he just wanted some questions answered, then the god found it rather interesting to watch, and it was a good way to waste time.

He was already just sitting here fishing to pass the time, something interesting was coming his way, and why would he dismiss it?

"I was swimming up and down the river for a while, but I couldn't find it." Ocean Song scratched his head.

"If it doesn't want to be found, it'll be tricky." Admittedly, for the god, even he would have a bit of trouble finding it without using a good amount of his divine power.

"I suppose I can only persist and convey my intentions. Perhaps I can negotiate with the salmon and offer something in return for it to answer my questions?" Ocean Song pondered out loud.

"It's notoriously temperamental; it doesn't like answering questions, which is why you have to 'catch it.'" Lugh emphasized.

"Drat." Ocean Song plopped his butt down.

Lugh's lips twitched as he glanced at Ocean Song, thinking the Cyclops was rather funny. "I'll tell you a weakness it has: it may pop its head up above water if it hears some good music."

It wasn't very well known, and the ones who did know didn't have the care to spread the knowledge. But the salmon often got entranced by any good music it heard.

Ocean Song perked up. "I've waited my whole life for this moment."

"Pardon?" The god did a double take as Ocean Song sat cross-legged and took out a string instrument he didn't recognize at a glance, looking like a horizontal harp.

Ocean Song took a deep breath, and even Lugh looked on in anticipation.

He plucked the first string; a soft sound reverberated out. Then he hit another and another; the continuous and swift movements of his fingers made sure that the strings played lightning quick.

Ocean Song looked serious as he focused one hundred percent of his concentration on playing his zither.

As for Lugh, with each string that was plucked, he visibly shuddered and tensed. His nose scrunched, and he felt a particularly uncomfortable vibration through his body.

For Lugh, it was perhaps the worst attempt at playing an instrument he had ever heard in his life, and he had once seen one of his fellow gods turn into an elephant and use its large ass to play a harp.

"I don't think that's—"

"Success!" Ocean Song interrupted whatever it was that Lugh was going to say as Lugh's eyes were drawn to where Ocean Song was staring to see a large salmon head peek out of the water.

"....."

"Oh Mighty Salmon of Knowledge, you have heard my wondrous music. I request—" 

"That was the worst music I've ever heard in my life; kill yourself." The Salmon blurted out before spraying a stream of water into Ocean Song's face and disappearing below the water.

The God and the Monster didn't speak for what felt like an eternity before Ocean Song spoke again. "Great God…my music wasn't that bad, was it…?"

Lugh nearly blurted out his agreement with the Salmon, but as soon as he saw Ocean Song's face, he forced it down.

The god felt an odd sense of pity for him.

Silently, he put a hand on Ocean Song's shoulder to comfort him.

It was rare for a god to feel bad for a monster.

"I shall not give up!" Ocean Song declared. "I will keep trying."

"Well, maybe it's a good idea to give up sometimes…."

"Behold the Dao of Music!" Ocean Song's fingers blurred as he began playing the zither again.

Moments later, the salmon shot up out of the water again. "Trash, stop, you're trash. Do the world a favor and kill yourself so no one has to hear this garbage again!" It dived back into the water after spraying Ocean Song with water again.

Lugh knew that the Salmon was a bit…abrasive and, well, mean, but he hadn't actually seen it in person before.

"You will not shake my Dao Heart!" The speed of his fingers picked up.

"I'd rather jump into a bear's mouth than continue hearing this! Go away, give up on life; you have nothing to live for! No one likes you!" The salmon jumped out of the water again before going back under.

"Hah, shows what you know; this lowly Cyclops has many people that like him! This one even has a girl that—

"Ugly, ugly, fat, hideous!" The salmon taunted. "Any girl that likes you would be grotesque, a moron, blind, and deaf!"

Lugh faintly felt something change as his eyes landed back on Ocean Song; as his expression darkened, it was accompanied by a particularly rasped draw of a string, as if made by 'accident' instead of purposely being bad.

"I bet she's fucking another—"

"Domain Expansion—

Lugh's head jerked, and his eyes widened, darting from the Salmon back to Ocean Song.

It was as if the world froze in those brief moments.

A Tai Chi symbol expanded outwards; the world shifted along with it.

"--All things in this world are equal."

It was followed with another screech of Ocean Song's zither despite him having stopped playing the moment he released his Domain Expansion.

Lugh watched as the Cyclops smacked the salmon out of the water with his instrument, slamming it against a tree and knocking it unconscious.

Lugh looked at the salmon twitching on the ground, then back at Ocean Song.

"Clearly, it was awed by my talent. Truly I have mastered the Dao of Music." Ocean Song said without a hint of shame.

Lugh considered that, technically, he did use music to lure the salmon out and capture it.

@***@

The Salmon Woke up not long later, the strange heat certainly made the mystical creature's eyes pop open.

It was sitting over a fire, slowly spinning on a roast spit.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist, you've woken up." Ocean Song kept his tone polite with a smile, but the Salmon felt a specific killing intent intertwined with his words.

"...please don't eat me." The salmon asked.

"It seems you're much more receptive to speaking now, fellow Daoist." Ocean Song hummed. "Great God Lugh, how do you like your fish cooked?"

"Surprise me." The god smiled, sitting next to Ocean Song.

"W-wait, don't eat me! I'll answer your questions; that's the rule, right? Oh no, you captured me, you…handsome and smart…whatever you are, I guess I have no choice but to answer three questions of yours now!" It squirmed in its bindings as the fire under it crackled.

"Hmm, I'm not convinced." Ocean Song fanned the flames.

"Wait, please! Do you have any idea what it's like to be eaten!? Please don't eat me; if I could cry, I would!"

"How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"Uh…um, the Great God Lugh is here; who would dare to go back on their word in front of him!?" The salmon was offered.

Lugh raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I could act as the guarantee."

"See! He agrees."

Ocean Song hummed and let the salmon loose as it happily darted far away from the fire. "Alright, I have three questions."

"Fine." The salmon huffed, edging closer to the water, but not yet jumping in. "Ask, and I'll answer three. But then you have to let me go and not come looking for me again."

Ocean Song nodded. "I seek a Divine Beast Protector for my sect, My question for you: does the Loch Ness monster actually live in Lake Loch Ness?" Ocean Song wanted to verify that information first.

Truly, there were few monsters in the world as famous as the Loch Ness Monster. And if he had the Loch Ness Monster as his Divine Beast Protector, then the prestige of his sect would soar to the heavens!

Lugh looked at Ocean Song. "The Loch Ness monster is a myth made up by humans; it doesn't actually exist—"

"Yeah, it lives there." The Salmon answered.

"What?" Lugh looked confused. "How, what?" He was quick to grab the salmon. "I've looked through it when I was bored; there were only some simple and known monsters in that lake. There was no 'Loch Ness Monster'!" He shook the fish.

"Oh? How did it escape your gaze, Great God?"

"That's the second question!" The salmon was forced out as it was practically strangled by the cod. "It's good at hiding! It can even go undetected by a god."

"What?" Lugh blurted out again.

Ocean Song frowned; he didn't mean to use his second question there.

"Ask your last question!"

Lugh sighed and dropped the salmon into Ocean Song's hands. "It seems even I've learned something today." He didn't want to 'waste' another question from the Cyclops, knowing that the second question there was the result of his own actions.

Besides, now that he knew, he could discover the answers himself.

"Go ahead, ask it whatever you want. This is a rare opportunity; creatures like the Salmon that possess innate knowledge of the world are rare regardless of which pantheon you're in." Lugh gestured for him to continue.

"...I do have one question that's been eating away at me for as long as I can remember." Ocean Song said softly. Truthfully, it was a question that he had even in his previous life, and no one could answer it. Maybe now, the mythical Salmon of Knowledge could finally put the question to rest. "Salmon of Knowledge, I ask of you…is a hotdog a sandwich?"

"....."

"....."

Both Lugh and the Salmon stared at him in silence.

"No." The Salmon said bluntly with the dryness of the Sahara Desert. It then slapped Ocean Song across the face with its tail and jumped back into the water.

"How? It's meat between bread!" Ocean Song shouted.

"It's a single piece of bread! A sandwich by definition needs two pieces of bread, you moron!" The Fish shouted back.

"Philly cheese steak!" Ocean Song countered.

"That has its bread split down the middle; a hotdog bun isn't split down the middle!!"

Lugh watched as a Cyclops argued with a talking fish about whether a hotdog was a sandwich.

This was oddly not the strangest thing he's ever witnessed.

@***@

Ocean Song grumbled as he and Lugh approached Lake Loch Ness.

"I still think that a hotdog is a sandwich." He said under his breath.

Lugh, not wanting to enter the argument, patted him on the shoulder.

"It's rather pretty." Ocean Song admired the view.

Lugh smiled. "It is, isn't it? It's been a while since I've been here. It's become a bit more touristy than I liked, but they have taken good care of the place." Though he frowned at some trash around the area, something he would need to talk to someone about.

All in all, Lugh was having a good day. It was rare for something to genuinely grab his attention and keep him preoccupied like this these days.

Now, Lugh's eyes focused as he scanned the lake.

Even now, he couldn't find the supposed Loch Ness monster. However, if the Salmon said it exists, he was inclined to believe it, as he didn't think it would dare to lie to him.

"What plan do you have?" Lugh looked at Ocean Song as this was…well, his 'quest' or whatever he was calling it.

As a god, it was impolite for him to intrude too much on whatever the Cyclops was doing; he was mostly just accompanying for the entertainment.

"I haven't quite thought about it yet." Ocean Song rubbed his chin.

Lugh didn't blame Ocean Song; if even he couldn't find it, then it was likely going to be a challenge for Ocean Song to succeed.

Though, he was curious to see what the young monster would do.

Lugh had some initial thoughts, perhaps draining the lake completely for a bit, that may flush it out.

He could also ask for some help from some water gods or the like. And there were plenty of other gods skilled at detection, maybe more than him.

And also, he could—

"I'm just going to ask." Ocean Song shrugged.

"What?" Lugh blinked.

Ocean Song took a deep breath. "Great Loch Ness Monster, are you there? This lowly Cyclops would like to request a talk, please!"

Lugh was once more taken aback. "That's not going to—"

The water vibrated, and a dark shadow appeared in the depths of the lake before something rather large pushed up out of the surface.

Towering over both of them, an aquatic creature loomed.

Lugh wasn't specifically silent over the absurdity of Ocean Song's actions, but mostly because of the fact that he, the creature, wasn't there beforehand; his senses were swept out in the water when it 'suddenly appeared.'

"Bawhooo!" It let out a sound almost like a whale song.

"...or not." Lugh was starting to think he didn't understand how the world worked anymore.

Ocean Song took a good look at the legendary creature and came to one conclusion.

It looked like a Pokemon.

Specifically, it looked like a bigger Lapras.

"Greetings, Senior Loch Ness Monsters!" Ocean Song greeted the mythic creature spoken of in legends. "This lowly Cyclops wishes to invite you to be the Divine Beast Protector for my sect!"

Lugh wondered if such a direct approach would work. This creature must have been alive for thousands of years at least, just by the look of things. 

However, the Loch Ness Monster simply bent its long neck down and licked him rather happily.

"I shall take that as an acceptance, Senior Nessie!" Ocean Song beamed. "Shall we depart? I'll fly you back to our sect!"

"Bawhooo!" The Loch Ness monster let out a long and deep sound and didn't sound like a rejection.

Lugh watched as the Cyclops lifted the massive creature up out of the water, hopped onto his hovering sword, and then flew away with it.

After several moments, Lugh walked to the edge of the lake, took out his fishing gear again, and sat down.

Though, there was one addition.

The inclusion of several bottles of whiskey at his side.

@***@

A/N

Ocean Song acquires a new Divine Beast Protector for his sect! Surely, it will strike fear into the hearts of his nonexistent enemies.

If you want to read 1 chapter ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone I also have a boosty if you can't read the above under the same name.