Ocean Song smiled as he approached the door to Hotel Valhalla.
It was much more open and welcoming than Olympus that sat on top of the Empire State Building!
Funny enough, there were even mortals entering and leaving. Of course, the 'entrance' they took wasn't the true entrance, which led to a mundane hotel. But it just made things easier as the little bit of traffic made Ocean Song not feel out of place.
Ocean Song didn't dally, and he simply walked up, ignoring the 'coercive' effect to use the 'wrong' door, and pushed open the true door that led into Hotel Valhalla.
Immediately the world changed, both metaphorically and quite literally.
He had left 'Midgard' according to Norse beliefs and entered Valhalla proper.
The whole – and unnaturally large – room had quite an air to it. It held a rustic charm as spears were utilized as rafters and polished shields decorated the walls.
The many – many stuffed animal heads decorated all the free space, along with animal hides that laid out across the hardwood floor.
Eye-catchingly was a gigantic heart about the size of a car with a large wolf's head stuffed and overlooking it.
Ocean Song's eyes examined everything curiously before he found the main 'desk.' An overturned boat's keel, if his bloodline of the Sea God was to be believed, with his instinctual recognition of nearly all things 'boat.'.
Ocean Song then met the gaze of the person behind the desk, a woman – was it a Valkyrie? Her eyes widened upon seeing him, and she reached for a spear at her side hesitantly.
He put on his best and most disarming smile as he approached the help desk.
"Excuse me, I would like to schedule an appointment if possible. I beg your understanding, but I'm not quite sure how to do so otherwise." Ocean Song made sure to keep his manners even when addressing this young lady.
Well, he was guessing she was young. Of course, he wouldn't automatically assume in the world he lived in that gods could look like infants if they desired. But the look in her eyes made him feel like she was still inexperienced and young.
"...The manager is currently occupied with other matters." She cautiously eyed him and the distance to her spear in case he made any more, clearly aware that he was a 'monster.' "You're welcome to wait."
She was ready to grab her spear and stab him through the heart. She waited for him to show his aggressive side, to attack, to do anything.
A bead of sweat falls down her forehead.
"Thank you, fellow Daoist!" Ocean Song cupped his hands and bowed politely before walking over to take a seat and began patiently waiting.
To Ocean Song, it made sense; he vaguely recalled that it was a man who ran the hotel who sat at the front desk. She probably didn't have the authority to give him an answer, so he didn't explain further and just decided to wait.
She was taken aback because she genuinely expected to be attacked.
She had been warned that every so often, a monster may stumble into the hotel, and they were always hostile from the stories. Of course, the manager usually handled them easily, but since he was gone, she was the one assigned to man the front desk until he returned.
While she had slain plenty of monsters in her life, for some reason, the one in front of her was giving a very foreboding feeling. Her carefully honed instincts told her that she would die if she wasn't careful.
Her continued cautiousness didn't abate as she nearly stared at him without blinking for an hour as he sat there, unmoving with eyes closed and seemingly... sleeping? No, he was just sitting there peacefully with his eyes closed.
Another hour passed, and she started to feel exhausted from the continued high-strung situation.
She almost wanted to ask him when he was going to attack her so her heart could calm down.
An hour passed as her eyes never left Ocean Song. He hadn't moved a single inch since sitting down, making no aggressive moves, nor even looking her way.
It gave her enough time to truly inspect him. She didn't know what kind of monster he was, only that he was in fact a monster. As a Valkyrie, she had a sort of sense towards those with humanity in them, as well as a certain sense towards gods. The one sitting down had neither, so it was obviously a monster.
...he was kind of handsome.
He wore weird clothing, but strangely, it only made him look more impressive.
And he had a sword at his side; he must be a great warrior, right?
She was about to open her mouth to talk to him, but someone else finally walked into the lobby.
Ocean Song also opened his eyes, noticing the person who joined the room.
A monster? He questioned in his heart but realized that Monster seemed to have been birthed from a human parent and carried a significant human appearance and temperament.
He also noted that it's never died before as it lacked that same 'smell' that monsters died and went to Tartarus had.
Except... do monsters from this cosmology go to Tartarus when they die!?
It was a question he had no answer to.
"Mr. X" The Valkyrie politely greeted.
"Good morning, Kala." The now-named Mr. X spoke. He had an oddly shaped body, a bit bigger, a bit 'misshaped' by normal standards. His nose was rather large too, with some bumps on his face.
But he spoke politely, if with a strange mannerism in his tone.
"Is Mr. Helgi not at the front desk today?" He asked.
"Mr. Helgi is preoccupied with the Thanes meeting and asked me to handle the front desk until he's done." The Valkyrie stated.
"Thank you." He said politely once more, turning to Ocean Song with curiosity, walking towards him.
Ocean Song Smiled and stood up. "Greetings, fellow Daoist."
Mr. X blinked at the greeting. "Hello, what are you doing?"
"I'm waiting." Ocean Song said bluntly.
"What are you waiting for?"
"The Valkyrie said that the manager is busy; I'm waiting until he's done." Ocean Song replied.
"Maybe I can help you?" He offered. "What do you need the manager for? As an Einherjar here, I can do a lot of things that Valkyrie Kala can't."
Ocean Song pondered that and felt that there was no reason to hide it. "Greetings to you, great Einherjar. I hail from the Greek side of the world; this lowly Cyclops is a son of the Sea. I come here in hopes of exchanging pointers with a mighty god of Asgard. I have long heard the reputation of the warriors born from this Pantheon and wished to test my mettle to see where I stand."
Mr. X scratched his head as he heard the words from the strange monster.
Did he say Cyclops? Why didn't he only have one eye?
"You want to fight a god?"
"A good-natured spar, I have no ulterior motives." Ocean Song nodded, hoping to make it clear he wasn't here to cause problems, as he knew cross-pantheon politics might be a touchy subject.
"This is Hotel Valhalla, we don't meet very many gods as Einherjar." Mr. X spoke. "The Manager might be able to contact Asgard, but it's unlikely any would answer even if he was willing."
Ocean Song let out a small sigh. "I had no other means to contact the Norse gods, I'm afraid. I am but a lowly Cyclops; I do not have the ability to travel across the Nine Realms. If I am unable to achieve my goal, then I can only say my luck is poor and leave with regret."
Mr. X rubbed his chin. "Kala, I'll take him inside and keep him company until Mr. Helgi comes back." He called out.
"Um... are you sure? I don't know if… well, I don't think it's against the rules…?" She seemed hesitant.
"I'll take responsibility." Mr. X waved off being oddly persuasive as if something laced his voice, and the Valkyrie just nodded without saying anything in opposition again.
"A look at Valhalla?" Ocean Song's eyes widened. "Even if my goal is not achieved, such a tour would allow me a lifetime of bragging to anyone outside." The Cyclops was a daft hand at praising.
Mr. X looked at him strangely, just deciding to nod slowly rather than give a proper response to his words.
"I'll show you around." He gestured for Ocean Song to follow.
Ocean Song quickly caught up to him as he looked around curiously as they left the lobby.
"You saw the lobby already. This is the lounge." He said as they walked to the next room over.
There was a large sign that read 'No Impaling' for everyone to see. Various comfortable-looking furniture sat around with games set out. Some card games, dice games, and even more modern arcade machines!
Actually, Ocean Song noticed a Monopoly box in the corner that looked to have been used quite a bit!
"How progressive." Ocean Song praised.
"Here is one of the most important places in the hotel." Mr. X led Ocean Song to a door that sat rather haphazardly at the side.
It read 'Custodial Closet.'.
"...is it?" Ocean Song questioned.
Mr. X pressed his hand to the doorknob, and Ocean Song felt something happen as the door creaked open and a bright light shined from the threshold.
It was as if the sun shined through, a warm breeze met his face, and he was sure he heard the rustling of leaves.
Ocean Song peered over the edge of the Threshold and noticed that it was an entirely different world.
He looked back at Mr. X, and Mr. X met his gaze without any emotion revealed. There was a single beat that passed before Mr. X gave Ocean Song a swift kick, pushing him through the door.
Ocean Song's eyes widened as Mr. X waved goodbye to him silently, and he began to fall through the air, and the door disappeared.
Ocean Song continued to fall through the air as the hotel had completely disappeared from view.
He didn't know how long he had been falling, a few moments? But that was impressive enough, and he looked around to see a rather large tree that seemed almost like a mirage in the distance.
Was that the legendary Yggdrasil?
He must be somewhere in the Nine Realms, obviously. He was just confused as to why Mr. X had pushed him through without warning. But such thoughts came secondary to the fact that the ground was approaching into view.
He, of course, would have summoned his sword to fly, but for some reason, he felt himself unable to move!
How unfortunate.
Ocean Song utilized his special technique—breaking his fall with his face.
The ground, he found, was rather hard.
A discovery for the ages.
Thankfully, whatever restriction was imposed on him, he could move again, and he pushed himself up out of the newly established crater in the ground. He dusted himself off quickly and made his appearance tidy, noticing that someone else was there, staring at him.
A man was sitting down at a fire, roasting a large and very alive goat over it. For some reason the goat had a nonchalance about it despite this.
There was another Goat – or what remained of it – being eaten by the person. He had a head full of red hair and a red beard to accompany it as he bit into goat ribs without pausing even if his eyes landed on Ocean Song.
Ocean Song also noticed the hammer sitting at his side and realized the person's identity immediately.
"Greetings, Great God!" Ocean Song clasped his hands and bowed towards the God of Thunder.
Thor, who was eating his lunch—specifically his regenerating goats who pulled his chariot—looked at the strange monster silently.
He merely raised an eyebrow as the monster greeted him so respectfully. Admittedly, his first instinct was to just throw his hammer at it and have a meal in peace, but he found himself curious as to why a monster fell from the sky.
Ocean Song remained bowing his head, not daring to move unless ushered. He was aware that he was far away from the same level as a God the likes of Thor, and he didn't want to test his luck if the God was in a foul mood.
"Why did you fall from the sky, little monster?" Thor finally asked, swallowing the food in his mouth.
"An Einherjar kicked me through a closet." Ocean Song said truthfully.
Thor blinked, scratching his head. He felt the Monster wasn't lying, but his answer sounded like nonsense. "Why did he kick you through a closet?"
"I'm not sure, Great God. I arrived at Hotel Valhalla with the intent to exchange pointers, hopefully with a magnificent God of Asgard, to test myself. I heard the great legends of Asgard's mighty warriors and wanted to know where I stand in the world. Unlikely my own Pantheon, the names of the Asgardian Warrior Gods reverberate throughout the entirety of Midgard, and I simply wanted to see such magnificence for myself."
Ocean Song activated his other special technique—shameless bootlicking.
Thor rubbed his beard, ignoring his greasy hands. "You're pretty strong for a monster."
"Thank you, Great God. This lowly cyclops has dedicated his entire life to cultivation. My meager strength is nothing compared to one as magnificent as you, but I am happy with my progress." Ocean Song continued to praise the god.
Thor smiled happily, not realizing the praise was rehearsed.
As a god, why wouldn't he like to be praised and fawned over? It was basically in his nature.
"A cyclops?" Thor hummed. "Greeks don't usually come over this way. If you wanted to fight, why not one of your own?"
"You jest, Great God. Who would care enough to acknowledge a lowly Cyclops like myself? Only the warrior gods of Asgard would be willing to look at my meager skill without dismissal. Everyone knows that the great warriors of Asgard are honorable and righteous; they don't look down on those of lowly background like myself, only the strength of their will and measure of their deeds." He laid it on thick, but the Norse God ate it all up.
"Alright," Thor said, standing up.
"Pardon?" Ocean Song was confused.
"I don't mind a little workout after eating lunch." He began to stretch. "As a protector of humanity, I don't smell any human blood on your hands either, so I don't mind. I'm not foolish to believe all Monsters are… well, Monsters in how they act. Since you're already here, let's have a good fight!"
Ocean Song found himself blinking in realization that it was…rather easy to convince him.
He knew for a fact that every Greek god would turn their nose up and find his request insulting to them.
They held themselves to a much higher and loftier status; they wouldn't lower themselves to 'fight' a monster like him.
Well, maybe the War God, but that wasn't an ideal opponent to get the attention of for a simple spar.
Truly, Ocean Song felt he was wise for something to the Norse Pantheon!
"Then let's fight, Great God! Please, teach me!" He bowed again, but he gripped his sword tightly with a big grin.
He could finally let loose!
Mr. X walked the fields of Asgard far from the city.
He could smell the scent of burnt goat from far away and knew where to go. With each step, he could taste the light crackle of lightning in the air.
Passing through the fields, gradually his form changed.
The half-troll Einherjar shifted forms.
In the blink of an eye, Mr. X disappeared, and an old man with one eye and two ravens on his shoulders continued onwards.
He came upon the scene that caused the commotion to reverberate through Asgard.
Thor noticed his arrival and awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"…father." Thor greeted the arrival of Odin.
Odin looked at his son, specifically the cut across his chest and the swollen and bruised cheek of his.
His one eye then turned to look, not far away, at the prone body of the Cyclops from before in a massive crater that held the occasional crackle of lightning as it danced across the charred earth.
"Did you need to go so far, son?" Odin looked at him.
"...he startled me." Thor responded with a hint of bashfulness.
"You allowed a boy to wound you." Odin stated.
Thor blinked, looking at himself; the cut on his chest wasn't very deep, but it was pronounced. He then looked at the cyclops in the crater. "Father…" Thor's expression turned serious. "Please tell me I didn't just beat up a child." He was worried about his father's wording there.
Thor was many things, but a child beater was... that would be an embarrassment for him.
Odin hummed. "He was born less than a year ago."
Thor paled.
"But someone messed with his Time. He's a man despite that."
Thor let out a breath. "Thank the Norns."
Odin gave one more look towards Ocean Song, then turned back to his son. "Tell me what happened."
Thor let out a breath again. "We had a good fight!" He cleared his throat. "The monster was stronger than expected. His swordsmanship was odd, but impressive nonetheless. I underestimated him, and he got a good one on me." He let out a laugh, not angry at being 'wounded' by a mere Cyclops.
"Your cheek is swollen." Odin pointed out.
Though, that was saying it lightly.
Thor's cheek was already turning purple and looked like he was hiding an apple on the inside of his mouth.
Thor rubbed his cheek. "I…..mayhaps became annoyed that he refused to unsheathe his blade and disarmed him and gave him a good-natured taunt. He then did... something; that third eye of his opened, and he then punched me with such speed and strength that it startled me! I...may have used a bit too much strength in my response."
"How much strength did you use?"
"...almost all of it." Thor looked away.
"You attacked him with your full strength?" Odin was surprised as he looked at the monster, who was very much still breathing, if only wounded and unconscious.
"Of course I didn't assume my Divine Form! I'm not that petty, father." Thor defended himself.
Though his final strike was one with his full strength below his Divine Form.
"...Is he truly only scantily a man, Father?" Thor asked seriously. "He is stronger than a great many Jotun I've faced in my life. He would be able to fight against some lesser gods and not lose. Is he truly a Cyclops as he claims?"
Odin was silent for a moment; his one eye looked at Ocean Song, as if it could unravel every secret in the universe. "He is a Cyclops, and he has the touch of Poseidon." Odin spoke evenly. "I don't know what he did to himself, but he was born a Cyclops."
"How marvelous." Thor said with a rare hint of respect. "I've killed some of those ugly things before, but never have I fought one so strong. It reminds me of those stories of the Primordial Cyclops of their ancient history." Thor marveled as he rubbed his beard.
Odin walked into the big crater, easily hundreds of yards in diameter, as he slid down the side and found Ocean Song's unconscious body.
The boy wasn't overly hurt, so he wasn't in a rush.
Rather, his one eye moved towards his blade that was impaled in the ground next to him, and he reached for it curiously but came to an abrupt halt as his eye widened.
His eye could see through the nature of its creation. It had all the distinct markings of a Greek forged blade right down to the normal imperfections in its craft. The Celestial Bronze they use, the other metals, and such that were added. He could see the magical enchantments that allow it to change size and shape.
All of that was unimportant compared to the malevolent feeling it held deep within.
Almost immediately, Odin wanted to rip apart its bindings and unsheathe the blade to discover the secrets within, but he hesitated for a moment and decided against it.
Odin had the premonition that the blade wasn't meant to be unsheathed by him.
Whatever the cyclops had been doing, Odin realized that the moment the boy unsheathes his blade, his opponent will know regret.
It had been a long time since the Old God had been completely bewildered by something; the feeling actually caused the usually stoic and expressionless All-Father to smile.
He rummaged through his pockets until he found what he was looking for, a piece of fruit if one were to see it. It held a golden color, and Odin picked off a small piece and walked towards Ocean Song and pushed it into his mouth.
Ocean Song's eyes immediately shot open as the piece of fruit was swallowed.
A huge burst of energy filled his body; he panicked, looking around as the energy surged through him, his eyes landing on Odin.
Of course, Ocean Song noticed the one eye and the two ravens, but before he could utter a word, the Old God held up a hand.
"Handle your own matters first."
Ocean Song didn't know what he meant by that, only that he felt the instinct to start cultivating.
He plopped to the ground, cross-legged, and began to rotate his cultivation base. He didn't know what entered his body, only that it had something to do with the God before him.
The impossibly pure Qi rampaged, and it took all of his effort to force it under control.
His Gold Core vibrated, and his Dantian began to absorb the rampant power. Slowly, his Golden Core grew in both size and purity.
Eventually the rampant power settled down as he merged it all with his cultivation base.
Ocean Song let out a breath; a wisp of Qi escaped and dissipated into the world as he opened his eyes.
"Mid-Stage Golden Core realm?" He blurted out in disbelief.
He felt like he reached a new threshold of his realm as his Golden Core reached a new size and purity.
"Is that what you call it?" Odin looked at him curiously.
Ocean Song's eyes widened as he remembered where he was. "This lowly Cyclops greets the All-Father!" He stood up and clasped his hands, bowing his head.
Odin just waved his hand dismissively. "You were able to absorb all the power of the Golden Apple piece." He noted.
"Golden apple?" Ocean Song now realized what he had eaten.
"Hmm." Odin ran a hand through his beard. "Here." He tossed the remainder of the Apple Slice to Ocean Song. "I don't suggest eating it all at once. I don't know what you've done to yourself, but I can understand a thing or two. If you eat too much all at once, you will change in a way you probably don't want. Secondly…" Odin pointed at the eye on his forehead. "Your existence seems to be balanced between the thing in your forehead and the one in your chest. If the one in your chest gets stronger, you might have an accident without the one on your head matching it."
Ocean Song understood immediately what Odin was talking about. Despite Odin not knowing the context nor the proper names, he could clearly see some issues that might arise if he ate the remainder of the apple slice haphazardly.
"Thank you for your teachings, All-Father." Ocean Song bowed again as was respectful.
Odin nodded, accepting his thanks as it was intended. "You are an interesting creature."
"...thank you?" Ocean Song didn't know what to say to that.
"You are a true warrior!" Thor laughed, walking over to join them. "Father, give him a pass to come back; I wouldn't mind fighting again!"
Odin expressionlessly tossed another thing to Ocean Song, it looked like a piece of wood that had runes written on it.
He didn't know what it said, but apparently it allowed him to come and go.
He accepted it happily and stored it away in his storage pouch.
Thor cleared his throat. "I apologize for being heavy-handed."
"Oh, it's alright." Ocean Song cleaned himself off, standing up. "To be able to experience the Great Thor's prestigious strength, I have nothing but contentment."
"Good lad!" Thor smacked his shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "Come, after a battle, it's tradition to share a drink!" Thor forced a bottle of mead into his hand.
Ocean Song, not wanting to be disrespectful, drank it and found himself chugging the entire thing as his head became hazy.
He had never been drunk before, but apparently the God Thor gave him something meant for Gods because he already found it difficult to keep standing straight.
"Father, why not make him an Einherjar? Those Greeks probably don't even care about him."
"We could probably find a good woman for him to marry." Odin stroked his beard with a thoughtful look. "Those Olympians wouldn't be able to say anything even if they learned what happened after he marries an Asgardian goddess."
Ocean Song nearly stumbled over. "I thank you for your kind intentions, Great God, but…" Ocean Song blushed slightly. "I have someone in my heart already." He was able to force it out.
"Oh?" Thor raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Come on, tell me about what woman moved such a warrior as yourself."
Ocean Song cleared his throat. "This lowly cyclops is unworthy, but after knowing the Goddess of Magic, no other woman will ever enter my eyes."
Thor paused for a moment and laughed. "The Goddess of Magic? I remember her. She lives in the underworld, right Father? A dreary place. And such a cold woman, you deserve someone better! A man's wife should be warm and welcoming, an eternal hearth for a weary soul after days of battle! What makes you so enamored, my warrior friend?"
"Well…." Ocean Song found himself in an awkward position. "She's been so kind to me. She's beautiful beyond words, and her cold aloofness is…charming." He said quietly. "And... and she always seems perpetually unhappy whenever I see her..." His body swayed lightly from side to side. "I just want to make it so she smiles more." Ocean Song's eyes glazed over, but he smiled brightly, speaking earnestly.
He barely finished before he fell face forward into the ground and passed out again.
Both Thor and Odin looked at Ocean Song.
"...I think I gave him too strong of a drink." Thor said. "I thought that if he was a warrior of such a level, he should be able to handle his drink too."
"He's still a boy." Odin replied.
"Ah... I forgot." Thor said with a bit of embarrassment again.
"Take him back to the hotel and let him sleep it off. He should be fine with a little bit of a nap." Odin waved his hand.
"Very well." Thor lifted him up easily, giving his father a wave goodbye.
As Thor left with the strange monster, Odin took out a crystal orb.
Within the orb, the previous conversation replayed magically, having been recorded from the moment that the monster started drinking.
He held it up to his bird, who took it into its mouth.
"Go deliver that to the Greek's Hecate." He said softly as the bird needed no more ushering, and it flew off towards the horizon.
Odin smiled lightly.
He turned back into the form of the half-troll he had been masquerading as, humming to himself quietly as he went back home.
(Line Break)
A/N
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