Oliver sits in the dining hall, fiddling with Caduceus in his lap. He rubs the all too familiar handle as he looks around the small room anxiously. The walls are made of the same smooth wood as the rest of the ship, while the floor is made of pale tiles. Two round tables sit on either side of the entrance, with four chairs tucked under each. The third table that Oliver is sitting at is long and rectangular, with half a dozen chairs on either side. It's made of dark, solid-looking wood, while the others are the same colour as the walls.
"Stop freaking out, she'll be here soon," Marcus sighs, leaning his chin in his hand. He emerged from Melody's room just over twenty minutes ago, promising that she would meet them soon. But as the minutes drag on, Oliver can't help but squirm in the presence of his former enemy. The way he always squints his eyes makes it seem like he's angry at everything around him.
"Y-You're sure she's not mad anymore?" Oliver mutters, half to himself. Marcus nods, leaning into his high-backed chair.
"I didn't say she's not mad. I said we talked. At the very least, you don't have to worry about us always snapping at each other." He half turns to the side, staring into the corner blankly. "Probably."
"Probably?" Oliver echoes with a gulp. "But she said she's coming?"
"Do you want to go get her? As far as I know, she wasn't upset with you." Oliver tenses, sinking lower in his seat. He's more than halfway under the table by now, and if he leaned forward, he could rest his nose on the edge. He sits in silence, rubbing his thumb up and down Caduceus to calm himself down. Another three minutes pass before he can't take the silence.
"...B-but you're sure she's not mad at you?" He squeaks. Marcus groans, dropping his head down on the table with a thump.
Before he can reply, the door creaks open, and Melody slips through. She's wearing a fresh green dress with frills at the bottom, a black leather jacket, and her usual combat boots. Oliver looks down at himself, still wearing the same clothes he has been for the last three days. Suddenly he feels greasy and dirty, making him wiggle in his seat even more. Melody walks across the room, pauses next to Marcus, and moves a few chairs away before sitting down. Marcus offers her a quick nod, which she returns silently.
"So, what's the plan?" She says bluntly. "What did you want to talk about?" She clarifies when Oliver doesn't answer. He picks himself up, craning his neck to try to look official.
"We need to talk about the Jade Palace," he says as clearly as he can. "And what we're going to do about them."
"That's the Pantheon Li Jing belongs to, isn't it?" Melody says, leaning forward on her elbows. "You mentioned the Jade Emperor too. Is that their head god?" Oliver nods, his head involuntarily retreating into his shoulders.
"In a sense, yeah. If Li Jing was sent to take the treaty from us, then the Jade Emperor ordered it. He's the only one Li Jing serves."
"Alright, we know who we're up against," Marcus says, crossing his arms. "But the real question is why? If they know about what you're doing, why would they want to stop us?" Melody nods in agreement, turning to Oliver for the answer.
"I only studied the Ennead, the Aesir, and the Grecian gods. I was just about to start researching the Kami before we left." She explains. "But you know about the Jade Emperor, right?"
"I-I know what the original Hermes did," Oliver explains, glancing under the table at his staff. The snake heads stare back, letting off a gentle glow. "The Jade Emperor is like Ra. He's never taken on an apprentice, and probably never will. As far as I know, they're the only two gods that are actually immortal. Ra because he's the sun, and the Jade Emperor because of how big a role immortality plays in Taoist belief."
"What about the other gods, then?" Melody says. "If it's such a big part of it, why is he the only immortal?"
"The other Taoist gods have what they call lesser immortality. While most gods live around 500 years longer than a mortal, the Taoist gods live well over a thousand years." Oliver explains, his vision blurring out of focus as he searches Hermes's vast memories. "I don't know the specifics, but it has something to do with the Tao, the core of their beliefs."
"That's all great, but it doesn't answer my question. Why would they want to stop us from making a new treaty?" Marcus huffs. Oliver squirms, staring down at his wrinkled shirt.
"The Jade Emperor was actually against the creation of the first treaty, too. He believed that the gods fighting each other is a part of the natural order, and therefore part of the Tao. And if it goes against the Tao, the Jade Emperor considers it inexcusable."
"But isn't the point of Taoism the pursuit of peace?" Melody interjects.
"Yes and no," Oliver explains, squeezing his eyes shut to dig deeper into the memories. "You're probably thinking of Buddhism. While they're similar, Buddhism is about finding peace within yourself, while Taoism is about finding peace with the world around you." He opens his eyes, resting his hands on the table. "Think of it like a cat attacking a mouse. It's violent, sure, but it's how the world works. He thinks the gods fighting is just part of nature."
"But they're people!" Melody snaps, slamming her hands on the table. Oliver flinches back, pulling Caduceus to his chest defensively. "If he thinks it's so wrong for there to be peace, why did he agree to the original treaty?" Oliver swallows hard, licking his lips before he can speak.
"H-he was forced to," He explains slowly. "The Gods of Old made him agree, assuring that it was for the best. But over the years, he was one of the most vocal gods for getting rid of it. And now that it's gone, he'll probably do anything he can to prevent being forced into another." Oliver snaps his eyes shut, waiting for another outburst from Melody. Instead, she sinks back into her chair, chewing on her lip.
"Well, if he was forced into it, I guess I can understand why he would be so angry. But there's got to be a way to make him see how important it is." She mutters. Oliver hums, his eyes sinking to Caduceus. In the smooth metal head of the staff, he can see the room reflected around them. His own face, Marcus, Melody, and a fourth person at the head of the table. The man grins, showing off a row of sharp teeth, and Oliver screams, flying out of his chair.
"Looks like you've almost worked it out for yourselves!" The man says with a giggle. Marcus immediately springs into action, vaulting onto the table. A pair of daggers appear in his hands as Oliver crashes onto his back in his scramble to get away from him. Melody, however, doesn't react at all to his sudden appearance.
"You again," She hisses, glaring at him. The man's red eyes flash with glee, and he nods, crossing his arms. He kicks his legs up on the table, his monkey-like face twisting with thought.
"It was a good idea to trick the Heavenly King like that. When the others find out he failed, they won't trust him to try again. Especially not the Jade Emperor, he doesn't tolerate failure. So, they'll send someone else." He explains, waving his finger in a slow circle over his head.
"Who are you?" Marcus growls, ready to pounce at any moment. Melody shakes her head with a sigh.
"He refuses to say," She replies. Oliver hoists himself over the arm of his chair, his legs still jelly under him.
"Y-you know him?" He squeaks. The man nods, throwing an arm around Melody like they're old friends. Melody quickly smacks his arm away, and he makes a show of shrugging.
"He's appeared to me before," she says, shooting him another glare. "He told me Li Jing was coming. But I didn't think he was being serious."
"I'm always serious! Honest!" The monkey man draws an X over his heart with his finger, raising the other as if taking an oath. He smiles, his eyes, and two of his fingers, crossed. "I'm so serious, I know who's coming next! And you better be ready, because he's actually pretty good. You know - for a god."
"Like we'd trust you!" Marcus spits, baring his teeth.
"Marcus, sit down. I've already gone through all of this with him - it won't work." Melody sighs. For proof she gestures to the man as he rams his pinky up his nose, digging into it greedily and obviously ignoring Marcus's threats. "But I didn't listen to him before, and it went bad. We may as well hear him out."
"Good girl!" The man says, throwing his hands in the air. Oliver slunks back, keeping his oversized chair between him and the man. "Now, as I was saying - next up will probably be Erlang Shen. He's a pushover compared to me, but he's way stronger than the Heavenly King. And he'll prove to be particularly difficult for you," He adds, jerking his chin at Marcus. "His third eye lets him see through any magical deception. Even shapeshifting."
"How convenient," Marcus growls, climbing off the table. He stabs one of his daggers into the arm of his chair threateningly, as if to remind them that he's still armed. "If you know so much, why not tell us how we can beat him? And when he's coming?"
"Because I have no clue," The man replies, kicking his feet up on the table. "You'll probably have a few days before they catch on, though. Heaven is a giant bureaucracy, so that fake treaty is probably being passed along through the system as we speak. The Jade Emperor himself won't examine it until someone else notices that it's not the real deal."
"T-that's right," Oliver offers, waving his hand as if to soothe Marcus's anger. "It's normally Taibai Jinxing that catches stuff like that."
"Well well well, finally someone who knows their stuff!" The man says, disappearing. Marcus springs into action again, spinning around in place with his daggers raised. Oliver feels a heavy hand land on his shoulder and lets out another shriek of terror. The man sits crouched next to him, grinning playfully. "I always liked the Gold Star of Venus. He's the only one in all of Heaven that shows me the respect I deserve."
"So, you're a Taoist god!" Melody yells, slamming her hands on the table again. "And you know Taibe - Taibah - that guy!" She adds, thrusting a finger at him accusingly. The man stares at her blankly, tilting his head to the side.
"You know, it's not nice to make fun of people." He says coldly. Oliver shivers at the underlying anger in his voice, and he sinks back to the floor, pressing himself against the back of his chair. "Look, I'm going to just go - but maybe spend some time preparing for a fight? It was so boring watching the Heavenly King mop the floor with you last time." The man says, crossing his arms. "Get some training in before Erlang comes. And remember - illusions won't work on him!" He adds, smirking at Marcus. Marcus growls, and with a flick of the wrist, throws one of his daggers.
The man disappears in a puff of smoke a second before the dagger would connect. Instead, it digs into the wall like a nail. Marcus huffs, waving his hand to make the other disappear. Melody flops back into her chair, and Oliver claws at the table to pull himself to his feet.
"Well, now you two know about as much about him as I do," Melody explains slowly. "He's shown up twice now, both to tell me Li Jing was coming. So, we should probably get ready for this Erlang guy to show up, too." She turns to Oliver, offering him a sympathetic smile as he settles back into his seat. "Anything you can tell us about him?"
"E-Erlang," Oliver echoes, running his fingers through his hair. "He's not exactly a god from the Jade Palace. He's kind of like...a mercenary? I guess?" He says, his hands still shaking. He grips Caduceus tightly, feeling the warmth coursing through it into his fingers. "He's really strong."
"Forget that, what about him?" Marcus tries, gesturing at his dagger still lodged in the wall. "If he's a Taoist god, then you probably recognize him, right? Who is he?" Oliver feels his mouth go dry instantly, and he swallows hard. He breaks out into a cold sweat, hugging himself cautiously.
"Thats the thing. I don't recognize him." He explains, his voice shaking.
"You mean, he's not one of the Taoist gods!?" Melody huffs. Oliver shakes his head, staring at his reflection in Caduceus's head again.
"No, he's Taoist. He knows too much about the Jade Palace - and he calls it Heaven. Only the Taoist gods do that." He takes a second to wet his lips again, forcing his head up to meet their eyes. "But, if he isn't a god, then there's only one thing he could be." He lets his words hang over them, hoping he won't have to finish the thought. Marcus and Melody both stare back curiously, and Oliver whimpers to himself.
"In Taoist myths, the only things strong enough to challenge the gods are...demons."