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

Ocean Song Stood there, wind bellowing, making his clothing and hair flutter. The sun shined just perfectly through the tree canopy, illuminating him.

"You've awoken." Ocean Song spoke with an elderly tone.

"What…where?" The Young Demi-god that Ocean Song saved previous finally awoke. His eyes widened, Ocean Song glanced back and saw them dilate as the signs of panic set in.

"Fear not, child. If I wished you to come to harm, would you have awoken after a period of unconsciousness in my presence?" He spoke a logical sequence of events, and he had a good idea who the child's Godly parent was, thus the proper way to calm him down.

"….what….what happened to that big….dragon?"

"Drakon." Ocean Song corrected. "In the Greek Cosmology, they predate dragons by millennia." He spoke, holding a hand up, pointing to the side without turning around.

The Demi-God – Malcom – swallowed as he saw a pile of scales, claws and other things that very clearly came from the big monster he saw before. "Y-you killed it."

"Mmm."

"…are you a god?"

Ocean Song laughed. "I'm afraid I'm still far from the level of a God. You seem to have some knowledge of the world, which is surprising for one such as you considering you were being chased alone."

"I…I read a letter my dad left me after…..and suddenly monsters started turning up around me. I didn't mean to…..dad left it for me for when I turned 18." He pulled up his legs, burying his head into his arms.

"Ah, I believe I know who your mother is then." Ocean Song spoke with some manner of confidence. "Her children, while very intelligent, can often be blinded by arrogance and self-assurance in their own wisdom."

"You know my mom?" His eyes went wide. "D-does that mean I'm really a…." He lowered his head and whispered. "A Demi-God?"

"Do you question it after what you experienced? But yes child, you are half Divine." Ocean Song hummed.

"So, you're like me then right? I remember my dad reading me a lot of stories and stuff about old heroes and monsters and gods I just didn't realize….but you're a hero?" He sounded hopefully.

"Sorry child, but I'm far from a hero." He turned around, smiling with his third eye, while shut, was still visible. "I'm a Monster."

Malcom's body when cold and stiff. "….are you going to eat me?"

"Are you tasty?" Ocean Song tilted his head.

"I-I don't think so."

"Hmm, how about you compare yourself those fish I have cooking over the fire." Ocean Song pointed towards a small campsite he created; a handful of fish being roasted on sticks over it.

"I think the fish would taste better." He gulped.

"Hmm, I think so too." Ocean Song chuckled, walking over and picking up a couple, handing one over to the boy. "You were sleeping for several hours, and I'm sure you didn't have time to eat while you were running."

Malcom hesitantly took it, logically, he knew that he was hungry and didn't want to reject it when his stomach was rumbling.

They silently ate for several minutes, the young boy, while starving, mentally didn't have much of an appetite. He took several bites, settling the hunger pains before stopping. "Why did you save me. You're a monster, right? All the stories dad told me…if they're real, shouldn't you be trying to eat me?"

"Do you want me to eat you?"

"What? No, why would I want that!" He squeaked out.

"You seem to be bringing it up a lot." Ocean Song chuckled, teasing him a little bit, he could see the boy's demeanor shift slightly, less guarded, relaxing. The children of his godly parent, they could embody the phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat'. "Fear not child, I don't eat humans or demi-gods. I find my kin who lose themselves to such things an eyesore."

"So you're like a good monster?"

"That's a good question. What is good, what is bad? It's okay if I eat cow meat, but if it's the Cow, they would say I'm evil, right? My Dao Heart is firm and unwavering, I simply do things with a clear conscious and don't worry about dividing into good and evil. If the world were different and it was humans or Demi-Gods hunting Monsters that wanted to live peacefully, my blade would be turned against them just as well."

Ocean Song didn't hate monsters, nor did he have some unconditional love for Demi-Gods and Humans even if he felt a slight bit of kinship towards the latter due to his previous life. Simply, Monsters hunting the latter two groups was the immediate issue he settled while making this city his own.

Just as he told the young boy, if the situation were reversed and peaceful monsters were being hunted down, his blade would turn on any humans or Demi-Gods responsible.

Peace in his domain extended to every group.

The Young boy was silent, seemingly contemplating Ocean Song's profound wisdom.

"You must have a great deal of questions. Come, ask." Ocean Song had a soft spot for children. Perhaps it was his true point in exerting his influence over the city. He despised the idea of children being hunted.

"Why did Monsters suddenly come after me after reading dad's letters?" He finally asked.

"Long ago, a Monster that suffered at the hands of the Gods cast a curse on every child born from their union and a mortal. They release a 'scent' that is intoxicating to Monsters, making the less intelligent forgo everything in hunting them down and consuming them. The more a Demi-God knows about their heritage, the stronger the scent. The moment you found out who and what you are, your scent became amplified enough to be sensed within miles of your location."

"That's stupid." The young boy huffed.

"Indeed." Ocean Song was also awed by boy's profound response.

"Are there more like me?"

"There are a great many." Ocean Song nodded. "There is a camp….I believe it's not far from here, somewhere reachable by foot, but I'm unsure of its exact location. However, it is protected magically and houses other Demi-gods, some of your half-siblings. You will be taught how to fight, how to defend yourself, and how to harness the latent power inside of you."

"You….you killed that big thing so easily, right? Can I be strong like you?"

Ocean Song Smiled, seeing a younger version of himself in the young boy. Mostly the bad parts, the anxiety, the fear, and desire to get stronger.

"Mind, Body, Soul, Essence. Those are the four paths to power. They have many differing branches, but it comes down to those four. If you master any one of them, your potential is limitless."

"What's essence?"

"Essence…" Ocean Song hummed, thinking how best to explain it in terms the young boy would understand. "Essence, you can consider it your divine heritage. It's to cultivate the gifts bestowed upon you by your Godly Parent from being of their blood." Ocean Song paused, holding his hand up, and the nearby river some dozens of feet away had water rise up and flow to him. "I am a child of the Sea God. Thus, I have an affinity for the water."

"But I thought you said you weren't a Demi-God?"

Ocean Song smiled wryly. "Monsters don't get the title. We are monsters, first and foremost."

"Can I learn to do things like you did with a sword? I remember you swinging it around and cutting things far away, I could barely see it…"

Ocean Song raised an eyebrow. "It's impressive that you could perceive it in any regard." Truly he was a son of the Goddess of Wisdom, having sight beyond the regular. "Interesting, you may have a talent in Sword Cultivation. However, we walk different paths."

"I can't do what you did?"

Ocean Song considered the question, he actually didn't know if the Demi-God before him could duplicate his Cultivation. He succeeded, he believes party, because he was a Monster. He didn't know the differences that a human component would add.

"Come, sit before me cross legged." Ocean Song took a similar position. The boy hesitantly, but silently complied, sitting cross-legged infront of him. "I'm going to use my Qi to peer into your body, don't resist."

"QI?" The boy repeated the foreign word.

"Many call it Magic here." Ocean Song revealed, calling forth his Qi to inspect the boy's body. He quickly found his Meridians and they weren't dissimilar. "I will bestow on you an opportunity. Whether you can grasp it or not, I'll leave it up to chance. I will do this once, memorize the locations and the feeling of my Qi." Ocean Song, like a proper elder cultivator, wanted to bestow the chance of a fortunate encounter. He used his Qi to touch upon all of the boy's Meridians, letting it linger there for the boy to feel. "Those are your Meridians, you must use your Qi to open them, gradually. If you are too aggressive, you will cause potentially fatal damage to yourself. Like water wearing down stone, you must wear away at them until they're all open. If you can open all 12 meridians, you may find me again and I will take you as a student."

The Boy, he seemed lost in the feeling of my Qi penetrating his body.

Ocean Song smiled; it was his first time acting as a proper master!

Success.

If he were alone, he'd be pumping his fist in the air.

Truly, he was a proper cultivator.

(Line Break)

Ocean Song looked at the boy, who was passed out on the ground again.

He had been exhausted, both mentally and physically at this point, it was best to let him rest.

Now, Ocean Song had something he had to do.

He created an Altar to his Father, sacrificing a few pieces of the Drakon he killed to get his attention. "Father, I seek your wisdom. " He spoke, his Father's attention turning to him, albeit only a part of it. "I have rescued a child of Wisdom from the fate of Death at the hands of a Monster. What should I do?"

As he finished speaking, he felt his Father's attention fully turn to him as if inspecting him intently, he could vaguely feel it turning to look at the boy too.

"You should have let him die." His Father's voice gently swaying towards him.

"Father!" Ocean Song frowned. "He is but a child."

Ocean Song perhaps forgot until this moment that his Father and the Child's mother had a long standing grudge and feud.

"He's one of Athena's." Poseidon scoffed dismissively.

Ocean Song let out a sigh, reminded that his Father is literally the Sea. He can be warm and comforting, just as it can be treacherous and deadly.

"Father, I know it's futile to tell you to give up any grudges you have against Wisdom. However, please respect my position in such matters for now on. I don't mind running errands or answering your calls to arms, but I will not raise my blade – or turn a blind eye in this case – when children of others are involved. It goes against my Dao heart."

Poseidon went silent for a moment.

He didn't know what 'Dao Heart' meant, and chalked it up to one of the strange things his strangest son says. But opposite of that, he felt a tinge of pride for his son standing up to him.

It wasn't as if his son was admonishing him, nor insulting him in doing so. Heck, his son even acknowledged his own unwavering stance in his grudge against Athena. He demanded loyalty from his children, but in return…..he allowed them leeway.

After giving it a moment of thought, Poseidon accepted his strangest son's stance. He wouldn't force him to observe his own grudges against the other Gods.

Poseidon likewise felt proud of his son even more.

"Very well." Was his simple reply.

"Thank you, Father." Ocean Song smiled brightly. "That being said…..do you know where that camp is so I can help him find it?"

Poseidon, from across the Ocean, raised an eyebrow. While he wouldn't push his son to adhere to his own grudge, he didn't find it in himself to assist his son's efforts when it came to her children either.

The silence was palpable to Ocean Song, but he had a sudden idea. "You know, Father. Imagine how much it would annoy her when she finds out it was you who secured her child's safety and 'sent' him to camp."

Poseidon perked up at that.

The thought of Athena being annoyed did please him. And truthfully, he didn't inherently hate her children outright, it was just an extension of his grudge with her. If the child found himself on the sea, it's not that he would even spare the brat a look, much less intentionally move to harm him.

And he was a God! Doing a good deed, well, it was within his Godly principals to do so occasionally.

Truly, he was a great God.

(Line Break)

"Is there really a camp here, I don't see anything." Malcolm looked around.

"See not with your eyes, child. Open yourself up to the breath of the world." Ocean Song sagely replied.

"….what does that mean?"

"It means it's hidden." He chuckled. "Obscurity is the first line of defense." He spoke from his own experience.

Ocean Song, however, could see the massive waves of Qi that rolled off the barrier that blanketed the Camp.

If he wanted to, he could easily push through the barrier, but he came to a stop a few feet infront of it.

What a powerful formation!

He knew of the formation that covered the camp for the half godly children, but to see it in person, it was an enlightening experience.

Though, he barely had a moment to admire it as he swung out his sword, deflecting an arrow coming from the other side of the barrier.

Malcom nearly jumped out of his skin as a half-man half-horse came running up, bow drawn and a significant amount of Qi coiling over it.

Perhaps the first arrow was merely a warning or a probe.

This one, Ocean Song felt like it was comparing a pebble from before to the shot of a cannon.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I am here to deliver one of your wayward children." Ocean Song clasped his hands, politely acknowledging the righteous and famous figure before him. "Long have I heard the name of the Trainer of Heroes, Chiron. The legends do not give justice to your elegant figure."

The Centaur hesitated, blinking, surprised. He didn't know how to respond to that as it was far divorced from how he expected sensing a powerful Monster approaching the barrier from going.

He ran out here first because of the pressing concern, not even taking the time to gather the Demi-Gods in camp to prepare for battle.

"Go along, little one." Ocean Song gently nudged Malcom forward until he passed through the barrier, the eyes of the Centaur narrowed, once more widened in confusion mixed with surprise. He didn't expect the monster to 'give up' the Demi-God without any kind of price being paid.

Ocean Song looked at the mighty Centaur and clasped his hands again. "Fear not from this Lowley Cyclops, Great Teacher of Heroes. I shall take my leave as my goal has been achieved."

Before Chiron could answer, the Monster threw out his sheathed sword, and it floated there, enlarging.

The Monster hopped onto it and flew away.

Chiron looked at the silhouette disappearing in the sky, then back down at the apparently newest camper, then back at the figure.

"What?"

(Line Break)

A/N

One chapter ahead on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n . c.o.m / astoryforone if you want to read ahead or support me.