It was a rare occasion.
That is, for an Oni to stare at a Cyclops.
It was just two types of monsters that rarely met in the world. And here, Ocean Song was bowing politely to her, which made her bewildered.
"This one has come to seek your expertise and step further onto the path of the Great Dao." Ocean Song continued to speak. "I have witnessed your sect's brilliance, and I would be honored if I could continue to learn here."
The Oni blinked, looking at him and then at her girls that were standing all around him.
"Too complicated!" She eventually settled on and swung her club at him.
He did his best to block even as the force of the swing was enough that it nearly blew away all the girls around them.
"My head hurts; keep it to 10 words or less!"
Ocean Song considered this trial. Clearly, she was testing him if he knew such truths that the Great Dao was ultimately simple!
He cleared his throat. "Me stay, me learn!"
The Oni paused for a moment and then got furious. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" She swung her club wildly again.
Peace, Senior! I'm trying my best!" He defended himself against her wild swing that threatened to demolish the entire car wash.
"Boss!"
"Calm down, Boss!"
"You're going to ruin everything again!"
Several of the girls went to tackle her as she stomped and threw a tantrum. "Let me go, I'm going to beat him up! How dare he try to distract me by swinging his dick around like that!?"
"Are you drunk or hungover?"
"I'm both!" She threw them off of her. "Take my swing, brat!"
This one was different than before; despite the wildness that radiated off her, it was also seemingly contained and controlled.
Ocean Song realized he would have to treat it seriously too as his own aura rose to match it.
"Ocean Sword – First Form: Crashing Waves!"
The large club met his sword, and the sky split down the middle from the two colliding forces.
The girls around them had done their best to try and contain the force of them fighting. Vines raised from the ground, a wall of water rose up from the other side. Another had cast what spells she knew to try and assist.
It all blew apart as the Oni went sliding across the ground before using her club to stabilize herself.
She looked up, her sharp teeth peeking out of a growing smile at Ocean Song, who was still standing in the same spot.
"May this one ask your name, Senior?" Ocean Song asked.
"Who's a senior!? Do I look like an old woman!? Take my club!" She swung it at him again, but differently this time.
It came with proper forms, not a wild and reckless release of power.
Even as Ocean Song parried, he could see the flow around her as her footwork changed and her stance adjusted to accommodate.
This was well and truly martial arts.
Ocean Song watched with great satisfaction and enthusiasm as she switched hands mid-swing to perform an overhead attack that carried with it significantly more weight than it should.
The Oni's power was felt as Ocean Song raised his sword to block and felt the weight of it travel through his body.
He was now at the Dao Seeking Realm, equivalent to a minor god in scope of existence. Yet, the Oni was able to make him feel her attack at this point.
That was no small feat.
The Oni pulled her hand back, clubbed with it, and then thrust it forward.
A blunt weapon, thrust like a spear, but she twisted her hand, and it became like a drill, tearing apart everything around it. Ocean Song felt that if he tried to dodge, the attack would forcibly keep him rooted in place.
It was the ultimate expression of 'heaviness' that he had seen thus far.
He knew that he must send Daoist Medusa to this place later for her to learn this technique for herself.
However, absolute heaviness can be countered by softness.
"Ocean Sword – Third Form: Calm Waters."
If her attack was like an oncoming tsunami, Ocean Song's sword was like a gentle breeze. Yet, despite this, his gentle breeze was not blown away; it wasn't torn apart or devoured. It instead wrapped around her club, intertwined with her own momentum, and suppressed it gently.
As her club finally touched him, it had lost all power and force behind it, pressing against his chest like a gentle tap.
The Oni stood at him silently.
Ocean Song smiled politely.
"Stop trying to distract me with your dick!" She swung her foot up and kicked him in the balls.
Ocean Song fell to the ground, clutching himself, whimpering.
"Hah!" She stood there, very proud of herself for 'winning.' "That's what you get for messing with my girls!"
"Boss, he's a new employee!" The supervisor called out.
"....eh?" The Oni tilted her head. "Really?"
"New Employee, Ocean Song." He held up his hand to identify himself, even as he stayed rolling on the ground.
"..." The Oni girl stood there, in quiet contemplation. "Alright, let's just pretend this didn't happen."
The supervisor's expression dropped. "Get her." She said in a low voice, and the girls all dogpiled her.
She went over to Ocean Song and helped him up to his feet. "Are you okay? Sorry about the boss, she's an idiot."
"I heard that!"
"I hope you did!" The manager shot back. "Do you…need me to check to make sure you're okay?" She bit her lip.
"I—" Before Ocean Song could finish, he stiffened, eyes widened. Without a word, he sprinted at his fastest speed towards the dumpster on the side of the building, pulled open the lid, and jumped inside.
Everyone watched what he was doing in bewilderment until someone else suddenly appeared.
Someone touched down from the sky, with an impossible and ethereal aura about them.
"Hey there, girls. I'm looking for someone. Have any of you seen a Cyclops…erm, a guy with three eyes?
They all recognized him, or rather, knew who he was immediately. He didn't hide his presence, nor did he shy away from his divine aura that spread out.
Hermes, the messenger god, appeared.
For many, the attention of gods was a double-edged sword. Even if you got their attention and gained some kind of benefit, you usually didn't have a very good end.
The Nymphs and Dryads here weren't new sprouts. Many of them knew the danger that a god posed.
However, they also knew that they had to be respectful.
Just as well, they understood that their fellow employee had immediately run away.
"Kyah~ So handsome~" one of the Dryads cooed.
"Hey there, did you come to get a car wash?" Another winked.
The girls all but swarmed him. "There are only us girls here~"
"We can wash more than just a car, y'know."
Hermes chuckled and preened under their attention. "Alright, alright." He held his hands up. "I'm serious; I'm working right now, and I need to find this guy. Have you seen him? I could have sworn I felt him over this way."
"We don't know any weirdo like that." The Oni girl huffed. "We were just attacked by some stupid Giants. And dealt with them."
"An Oni?" Hermes blinked, then gave her an up and down look. "Hmm. Dang, I must have missed him then." He reached out and tilted a Dryad's chin up. "How about I come back later when I'm off the clock. Until then~" He gave her a wink and then gently ascended up into the air and disappeared from sight.
The coy and flirty expressions of the girls immediately dropped as they returned to normal. Most of them frowned or let out a sigh of relief.
"Oi, you can come out now; he's gone." The Oni called out.
Ocean Song peeked out from the dumpster. "He's gone?"
"Yeah, he's gone." The Oni nodded.
Ocean Song climbed out awkwardly. "Um…I can explain."
"Why do you have a god after you, kiddo?" The Oni put her hands on her hips. "You do something to piss him off? Mess with one of his girls?"
"I'm as pure as snow!" Ocean Song defended. "And he's the type that doesn't take 'no' as an answer."
The girls looked at him, coming to their own conclusions based on what he just said.
"Oh, you poor thing."
"We know exactly the type." Another nodded.
"Don't worry, you're safe here." Another gave him a warm and sincere smile.
Ocean Song nodded; he knew they would understand the struggles of a Jade Beauty as well. Truly, he was among his own people here.
"Greeting, Senior, this one is Ocean Song!" He introduced himself properly.
"Bah, stop calling me senior. Do I look like an old hag!?" She huffed indignantly. "Fine, I won't get mad at ya anymore. The girls like you, so I won't chase you away. You can call me Momiji. Are you one of the sea god's git?"
"Yes, my father is Poseidon. Is there a problem with that, Senior?" He asked because she didn't seem all too thrilled at the sudden presence of the god earlier.
She waved it off. "I'm not going to get upset at who your parent is when my own mom is one of Japan's most famous monsters."
"Tamamo-no-Mae?"
"Do I look like a kitsune!?" She swung her hammer at his head, bopping him. "My mom is Ibaraki-Dōji."
"Oh, the famous Oni of Mount Ooe!"
She blinked. "You know about Mom?"
"Of course!" Ocean Song puffed up. "I am well read."
"You can read?" She knew him for about five minutes at this point, and she figured he was an idiot.
"Boss, stop bulling him!" Daphne gave her a swift kick in the behind, making her fall over.
"Oi, are you looking for a fight!?" Momiji glared.
"Come over here to big sister; I'll protect you from the wild boar~" She grabbed Ocean Song in a bug hug. "Don't worry, Big Sister knows how hurtful gods can be. I'll soothe away all your worries~" She completely ignored the indignant Oni.
Momiji could only huff again in annoyance.
That was basically the cue for the other girls to give him a hug too.
"Bah! Look at his face; I bet he spends all his time luring in poor women. How many hearts have you broken over the years, huh!?" She spat on the ground.
"Ignore the angry hag; she's just mad because she can't get a second date with anyone."
"Who said that!? Come over here!"
The girls all giggled.
"Senior, I'm only a year old." Ocean Song defended himself. "And this Ocean Song only has one woman in his heart."
There was a moment where they all stopped and stared at him.
"You're only a year old?"
"I was born earlier this year. My mother left me on a deserted island." Ocean Song nodded.
"Waaah! You poor thing, let big sister take care of you!"
"No, let me take care of him!"
"I was here first!"
Momiji smacked her face. "Stop acting like a bunch of morons! And get back to work! Do you see how many cars are out there!?" She started grabbing them and tossing them through the air like they were made of paper. "Raaah!"
The girls finally scattered and returned to work.
Ocean Song was still curious about what the Mists showed all the customers who were still sitting in their cars.
Especially since they hadn't tried to flee so far.
"Hmph." The Oni scowled. "Stupid idiots."
"I see," Ocean Song spoke up. "You took all of them in to protect them, didn't you, Senior? You must care a great deal about them."
"What did I say about calling me Senior!?" She responded belligerently again, but there was a faint flush of embarrassment at being praised so bluntly. "Bah, I didn't do anything. I just needed money for booze, and they're good workers."
Ocean Song could see that under her aggressive surface, she seemed to be a good person. Even when they were 'fighting,' she never had any real killing intent in her moves.
"Come on, you didn't come over here just to wash cars. Let's go talk in my office."
[Line Break]
Hecate silently watched through a crystal ball.
She watched as Ocean Song was swinging his hips around, soaked in soap and water, washing cars for random people that pulled up.
It was one of those strange scenes where you know you shouldn't watch, but you just couldn't pull your eyes away.
"You know, I've seen him completely naked. But for some reason, seeing him wearing a speedo just makes it more enticing."
Hecate wasn't alone.
Persephone commented as she peeked over Hecate's shoulder.
Hecate ended up palming her face. "What is this idiot doing?"
"Looks like he's washing some cars." Persephone giggled as Ocean Song slid down the front of a war's windshield front-facing. "You can always go steal a car and bring it over for yourself~"
"Hush!" Hecate huffed. "As if I would do something so ridiculous.
"That's true; I'm sure you would get a much better show if you just asked." She then clicked her tongue. "Is this what you've been doing in your spare time, spying on your boyfriend?"
"He is not my boyfriend." Hecate rolled her eyes at the childishness of it. "And I was simply…concerned. He gets into situations far too often lately."
"Uh huh." Persephone's tone all but said that she doesn't believe her. "Look, he's surrounded by all those nymphs wearing skimpy clothing, but I don't think he even glanced at them once."
Hecate scowled. "He better not have."
Persephone couldn't help but smile. "Look at that, so protective. He's a sweet boy. Even if he is a bit odd, he's never done anything to make you question his intentions, has he?"
Hecate crossed her arms and didn't answer.
"It's not like you to be so passive. Why are you being so wishy-washy about it? You clearly like him, and he obviously likes you too." She spoke casually. "Unless I'm mistaken, do you not like him? If so, you should probably make that clear. He's a good boy; don't hurt his feelings."
"I don't dislike him." Hecate said firmly.
"See, that right there." Persephone pointed out. "That's not the Hecate I know. You're avoiding making anything official, aren't you?"
"I'm not avoiding anything."
"Hecate~" Persephone playfully poked at her shoulder. "How long have we known each other? Besides my husband, you're one of the few people I trust most in this world. It's just me here; you don't need to be so reserved."
"Hmph."
Persephone put her head on Hecate's shoulder. "There's no need to be embarrassed either. You know all about my own relationship matters with Hades."
"Because you willingly tell me everything." Hecate rolled her eyes. "Fine, you want to hear me say it? Yes, I…like him, okay?"
"Then why are you acting like this, hmm? Like a little girl who doesn't know how to handle her first crush? This is certainly not like you to hesitate."
Hecate opened her mouth, but it took her a moment to find the right words. "It's the first time someone's showed me such…sincerity before."
Persephone blinked. "Really? Haven't there been plenty of others trying to court you in the past? I've seen plenty of gods come and go, and you've rejected all of them in the end."
"It's different." She waved it off. "Those foolish men only ever care about one thing. Well, perhaps two things. But in the end, they're only in it for their own benefit." Be it bedding her or wanting to get attached to her because of her status.
"I can't argue with that. Finding someone who sincerely loves you is hard." Persephone acknowledged. "But it's not like you're inexperienced in romance either. Even if you've never committed to anything long, you've still had flings."
"Relationships with Gods and mortals never end well." She said quietly.
"He's a monster."
Hecate rolled her eyes again. "As if that's any difference."
"He's not normal at all. We both know that. Can we honestly call him a 'mortal' anymore?" Persephone argued. "But you're still worried, huh? I don't know if there's anything I can say to make you feel more at ease. But I'll just say this, don't you think you're being selfish by deciding for him?"
Persephone got up and gave Hecate a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I'm saying this not as a fellow god, but as a friend. Stop thinking too hard and just do what makes you happy."
Hecate stared silently at the crystal ball even as Persephone left.
She saw him dancing provocatively in a speedo surrounded by dryads wearing equally revealing clothing.
Still, she saw that his eyes didn't wander one bit.
She let out a sigh. "Stupid idiot, what are you even doing today? Maybe I should take her advice, because you clearly need someone to keep you from getting in trouble."
[Line Break]
A/N
Persephone gives Hecate a little push because she's been having her own hangups about really pursuing a proper relationship.
And Ocean Song making new friends.
If you want to read 1 chapter ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m. / astoryforone
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