"Poseidon." Apollo furrowed his brow. "What's your kid doing?"
It was a question that many of the gods wanted to ask in their hearts.
So many gods suddenly giving their blessings—it caught a lot of attention. While it wasn't a proper 'meeting' in the normal sense, they all sort of gathered together as it was happening to watch the spectacle.
Truthfully, Poseidon couldn't give an answer.
He never knew what his son was doing. Only that, when he was finished, it left everyone bewildered and questioning his sanity.
In this case, he didn't think much of it.
He was owed blessings from his previous reward.
They were blessing inanimate objects, something magical from the looks of it. No one really cared to look too deeply into it after that.
Even Poseidon.
He knew that his son was…close to the Goddess of Magic; thus, it stood to reason that doing something magical probably had her help and wasn't odd.
But that was before a barrier sprang to life and surrounded his son's….
Poseidon blinked, remembering what he called it.
A Sect?
A sect of what, he didn't know.
Obviously the term wasn't foreign to him. There were sects of religions and such. But other than that, he didn't know why his son called it that.
It was just him and his small group of friends playing around in their mountain palace.
And now, he couldn't see inside.
It wasn't just him.
All the gods watching the spectacle, both Olympians and lesser gods who were curious, had their senses just hit a barrier and couldn't penetrate without being aggressive.
Poseidon was even able to glean that unless one of them very intentionally attacked it with the purpose of breaking through, even trying to be forceful wouldn't work.
Which was a feat in and of itself.
How many places in the world were able to shield themselves from the gazes of the gods?
The number could probably be counted on one hand.
And taking into consideration that this place didn't belong to another god or immortal creature, it made it even rarer.
There was of course the Labyrinth, which was elusive by nature and rejected outside interference and spying by nature of its existence. However, this was significantly different in application. But Poseidon was also aware of who was responsible for helping erect it.
The same man who created the labyrinth was now working under his son.
Normally, he would be annoyed at a child of Athena being close to one of his children, but in this case, he only found himself proud that his son got himself a good subordinate.
Daedalus was a name known to all the gods.
Be it notorious or not.
Thus, the explanation could land solely at his feet.
However, Poseidon found himself questioning that.
In fact, in this moment, he found himself questioning a lot of things regarding his son.
His son has been running wild for months now, and he's gotten into a lot of trouble. Yet, every time, he seems to somehow get out of it, and the trouble never finds itself landing on him when it's all resolved.
In the incident with the Lotus Eaters, his son was at the center.
The incident with the stolen Divine Items—and Hera's Apple Tree—he was at the center.
Hercules abandoned his position as a god; his son had just visited him and passed through the pillars.
His toilet was missing; his son was suspiciously present when it happened.
But now, his son had erected a powerful barrier, one that repelled the sight of the gods.
Poseidon knew that he wasn't the only one having these thoughts. For most of the issues happening in the past months, they had been far too busy dealing with the cleanup and problems that arose.
Now that things had…settled.
Not really; they were still a bit tense because of Hercules's issue, but it wasn't an immediately pressing matter; they had time to contemplate the singular consistent variable between all these incidents.
Poseidon would recognize that he was perhaps not the most intelligent god present. As much as he detested Athena, she was the Goddess of Wisdom for a reason. And likewise, plenty of the gods here, despite their eccentricities, didn't lose to Poseidon when it came to his own intelligence.
Suffice to say, Poseidon knew for a fact that they also connected the dots rather quickly at this point.
Perhaps, they just didn't know what feelings they should have for now. Because while his son had been present and a key component to everything thus far, his role had always been…downplayed.
He miraculously always came out ahead.
But that wouldn't last long in his fellow gods' eyes.
Good will never lasted long with a god.
For gods, they often didn't care about what you did for them before; they care about what you're doing for them now when they need something.
And a mortal suddenly stopping them from looking upon his home was…..suspicious.
It allowed many of the ones present to slowly start to consider other thoughts regarding him.
His son just brought himself the full attention of Olympus, and this time, there was nothing to distract them with.
Sure, they were eyeing Hercules, who had…given a hand. But more so than directing their attention to the former god, it only made them double down on Ocean Song.
Curiosity and uncertainty had quickly taken root in many of their hearts.
And plenty of them could find themselves not liking what they now thought.
Gods were, by nature, paranoid. So what happens when you do something, even unintentionally, to exacerbate that paranoia? Especially something like flamboyantly hiding from every god in the world.
And now that most of them had paid their debts, making it so they didn't need to hold themselves back.
Not everyone cared.
No one said anything outwardly, but Poseidon knew that his son had the attention of many of them now, and not for good reasons.
[Line Break]
Ocean Song sat cross-legged within his room.
He was cultivating.
His cultivation base rotated smoothly, finding no flaws. The Qi within his body was plentiful and thick, filling his meridians fully.
At this point, he could confidently say that he has reached the point in the Nascent Soul Realm that he can no longer increase the threshold there.
That is to say, he could say that he's just about at the Nascent Soul Perfection, just a breath away. But that small step was more like a chasm in this case.
It wasn't a matter of just continuously gathering Qi to strengthen his foundation or push through with brute force.
His trip had been to grow his Nascent Soul, to untie a knot in his heart.
He would admit that the knot in his heart hadn't fully untied. It had loosened considerably, and his heart wasn't focused on the thoughts of his mother too much. But there was still something there that prevented him from taking the next step forward.
He didn't know what it was.
His Nascent Soul could be seen as almost grown but lacking that final step as well, proving his own assumptions that he was missing something.
The Nascent Soul Stage isn't as linear as the previous stages.
It followed the same threshold: early, middle, late, and then perfection.
A Nascent Soul grows from emotions, good and bad.
Memories, one could say.
Ocean Song remembered someone saying in his previous life that humans were just the sum of their experiences. In that train of thought, it's not outlandish to say that someone from a year beforehand could be a completely different person compared to a year later.
As the saying goes, a scholar that has been gone for three days must be reevaluated with new eyes.
Ocean Soul pondered these sentiments.
Could it simply be that he hasn't experienced enough life? How does one even measure 'experience'? If someone was forty years old but lived a shallow life, does that automatically mean they're more experienced than a thirty-year-old who has walked across numerous worlds?
He could guess that his scrutinizing and anxious intentions towards it probably didn't help matters.
You can't force those kinds of things.
If it was a sincere expression of life, then it would only serve to harm his foundation, and when he attempted to achieve Immortality in the future, he may not even be successful.
The Nascent Soul Realm, one could say, is the realm in which a Cultivator cultivates their heart.
From Qi Condensation through Core Formation, one builds their Cultivation Base, Body, and Qi. Nascent Soul to strengthen one's heart and soul, and Dao seeking to master their Dao.
When all these come together, one can attempt to break through to immortality, unburdened by lifespan, claiming an eternal existence equal to the sun and moon.
If any one of those aspects of a Cultivator is found wanting, then Immortality will be beyond their reach.
He stopped pondering it because he noticed something outside the sect and perked up immediately.
He quickly threw out his sword, stepping on it to fly to the entrance, where he saw someone he recognized.
"Ocean Song greets the Great Goddess Hecate!" He did polite greetings, more so than usual with her because he realized she had to approach the Sect on foot, like a lowly uninvited guest!
Hecate scrutinized him for a moment before her eyes turned to the barrier. "What did you do?"
"Yes?"
"The magical barrier around your…home." She specified, because she could guess that he has done a great many foolish things and that he might be confused. "What did you do?"
"Oh, the Four Directions Divine Beast Array!" Ocean Song perked up, and she let out a sigh after hearing the name. "Fellow Daoist Daedalus helped me set it up! Using the blessings of the various gods and creating a cycle of the seasons utilizing the Four Directions, it forms an array that protects the sect!"
Hecate listened to him, gleaning the correct understanding from his words.
She furrowed her brow as she looked it over and could see the concepts in its creation.
She would admit that Daedalus was skilled in what he did. He was an old hand, and while not trained in a traditional path of magic, he had the experience and intelligence to muddle his way to mastery.
She shook her head, dismissing that. "That's not why I'm here." Well, technically that was why she was here, but not specifically to inspect the barrier.
Ocean Song smiled. "Please come inside, Goddess. You're always welcome. And forgive my oversight; I will present this to you." It looked like a medallion, but it had a sword carved on it. "This is the Sect Token; it allows you passage through the Barrier at your leisure. You don't need to wait outside or walk up. You can simply appear inside whenever you wish."
Hecate looked at it for a brief moment. "You went through the trouble of setting up a barrier this powerful, stronger than even the one over Camp Half-Blood, and you're simply handing me something that ignores it?"
"Yes?"
Hecate snatched it from his hand before running a hand down her face in exasperation. "You realize that this is a slap to the face of the gods, right?"
Ocean Song blinked. "No?"
She had the urge to kick him.
So, the normal interactions with him.
But her fondness for him was winning out at the moment.
"Imagine. You are a god, all-powerful, lording over all mortals. Then, one of those mortals, someone infinitely far beneath you, suddenly sets up a barrier around their home, explicitly blocking you from looking inside. How would that make you feel?"
Ocean Song opened his mouth, and his eyes widened. "Oh."
"Yes, oh." She did kick him, lightly, in the shin; with a huff of indignance, she dragged him inside. Conveniently, to her annoyance, there was a place they could talk in private.
She stored away the 'Token.' Part of her was flattered and treated it seriously, despite his stupidity with it.
She promised to give him a stern lecture on not handing these out casually.
Even if she would refuse to hand hers back.
It was hers now.
Still, there was an undercurrent right now due to what he did. It was being somewhat overshadowed by other things, such as Hercules' return to the world and his rejection of godhood so blatantly.
But that wouldn't keep attention away from him for long.
Hercules would come and go as he pleased.
But Ocean Song and his sect wouldn't be going anywhere and could become an easy target if someone expressed dissatisfaction with his actions.
She crossed her arms, clicking her tongue as she saw his stupid expression. Showing no hint of fear or trepidation, just looking at her with affection.
She wouldn't say it out loud, but Hecate had been avoiding him since he returned. Even with all the commotion he caused, she had to reluctantly force herself to come over.
The Goddess of Magic was…hesitant about a lot of things. Even as an ancient entity like her, she wasn't immune to things like embarrassment or apprehension. The last time she was here…suffice to say she had a lot on her mind regarding the stupid Cyclops in front of her.
But he had apparently forced her hand.
She quickly grabbed his cheek, pulling on it. "Now, you will listen to me, and I don't want to hear any of your nonsense. You're going to keep your head down and not cause any problems for awhile, do you understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"Hmph." She released him, crossing her arms once more. "I can't watch over you all the time; I'm busy. Especially when a certain idiot made it so I had a cabin built as well."
"I'm sure your children must be happy." Ocean Song replied, unintentionally hitting her right in her weak spot.
Hecate harumphed coldly, but her lips twitched upwards. "Yes, my children are very happy. I've also been able to use it as an excuse to…interact with them more. Building a temple is no small matter, so of course I have to meticulously oversee every aspect."
Hecate was one that cared a great deal about her children.
"And Chiron spoke with me; he suggested that I could teach classes periodically. They would have to be available to everyone to make it fair, but I would not be against either."
It was another excuse for her to spend more time with her children, helping them without causing problems.
"You said that other gods may get angry. There haven't been any problems, have there?" Ocean Song asked.
She scowled deeply. "Some annoying idiots who think they deserve more than they're worth." Her tone was dismissive, and she ultimately waved it off. "Nothing I can't handle."
"That's good." He just smiled brightly.
Her lips twitch again, seeing her expression, and she flipped her hand over. "I have some. Lyra asked me to bring it to you."
Ocean Song took it; it was a piece of paper with various drawings on it.
Specifically, it was of him and Lyra and some bits of their adventure together.
And also, it showed Hecate on it too.
The Goddess of Magic crossed her arms again, looking away. "She had some nonsense thoughts, asking me if Mr. Ocean was going to be her new dad."
Ocean Song looked at her and the colored drawings that Lyra made.
He felt something strange.
A warmness flowed through him, and it felt like suddenly everything clicked.
The wind immediately whipped around him, and his Qi erupted almost uncontrollably. Though, despite the suddenness and the confusion and surprise from Hecate, he only had a gentle smile on his face.
His Nascent Soul had become complete, perfected.
He understood at that point.
It wasn't about experiencing life. It was about finding what you cherished in life and allowing it to firm your heart, never allowing it to bend or break. He regrets not being able to meet his mother; he regrets that she died before he had the chance to answer the questions that plagued him.
However, regrets were part of life.
What one needed was a firm heart to accept the regrets and not let them weigh you down.
Now, his heart was full and unbreakable.
"Apologies for the rude interruption, Goddess. However, it appears as though I am going to be making a breakthrough into the next realm."
[Line Break]
A/N
Ocean Song firms his heart and reaches the end of Nascent Soul. Next is to break through to the Dao Seeking Realm.
Sorry about the lack of chapters, if you didn't know, I had surgery recently and I've been recovering from that. I'm doing better, but still not 100% yet. I should be about back on a normal schedule now, but I have some worse days that may delay things just a tad.
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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