The rest of that day, Finn ran on cruise control. Nodding along like a yes man to everything Tavi said, all while he got dragged around the Florida Keys. Life felt like a Disney movie's cutaway shopping scene. Tavi was a man of his word, and he did get Finn situated with clothes and everything. Apparently being a super old god led to you being filthy rich.

  Finn learned how the world worked, or a small bit of how it did, that day: gods, demigods, monsters, domains, and so much more information. At one point he felt like his head would burst. He was by no means knowledgeable in any of these subjects yet, but he knew what most of those things were. He wasn't a baby but a toddler in this new world. Yay.

  After getting spoiled by his sugar daddy… Patron god Tavi Finn was a bit saddened to see that this little vacation was canceled early. He had responsibilities now. finding other chosen getting together and then having a council with them and their gods. But he couldn't do that while in Key West, and now he was on the bridge headed away from the Keys toward Miami. the bridge that was adjacent to the one he had been on when Tavi rose from the water and had his epic battle.

  It was all surreal, and the further he got away from Key West and subsequently Tavi, the clearer his mind became. The hum of his engine was louder, the ride smoother. This time he wasn't the only one on the seven-mile bridge, but the sights bled past his eyes while his mind ran on autopilot. This was life now for better and most likely worse.

  Getting access to real money was definitely a good change of pace, and anyone who said you can't buy happiness either didn't have enough money or was lying because, despite it all, Finn was happy. Sure, he still wanted to kill himself, but that and being happy weren't mutually exclusive. Money could buy temporary happiness, but when you have a bank like Tavi, temporary can last almost infinitely, and he'd be sure to abuse that.

  A smile came across his lips. His foot slowly pushed down against the pedal, and the roar of his car's engine purred even louder. He had to call his mom and make up a reason for not returning as planned. Maybe call work and use all his sick days. Hey, he may technically be rich now, but he'd milk out any and all money from his job before quitting. He was raised to take advantage like that.

  The drive to places always seemed to take longer than the drive away from them because it felt like only minutes passed by before Finn was out of the keys and in Miami. The nightlife in the city was, in one word, lively. The moon was high in the sky, and Finn had stopped at a red light, fingers tapping against the wheel. Louisiana to find a redhead.

  Yeah, he didn't have more than that, but Tavi assured once he got close enough, he'd know. very ominous if you asked Finn, but who was he to argue with a god that bought him a car? He pulled the turn signal down, making the left tail light blink. He turned the wheel and pulled into a 24-hour gas station. Parking into a spot, he hummed to himself as he stepped out, making sure to lock his doors before moving too far away.

  Snack stop, and he had to pee. The bathroom was outside, near where he parked. Some places had keys; others were just open. He walked to the door, giving the knob a small twist to see if he needed to go in and ask for a key or be a paying customer to use the bathroom, but the knob turned, and the door opened.

  The automated lights blared to life, flickering. There were two urinals, a single stall, and a single sink near the entrance. They had one of those air dryers that was way too loud, and the soap dispenser seemed to be empty. In conclusion, your usual gas station bathroom. The man code usually dictated Finn take the stall in case another man came in, but he was just going to be in and out, and he'd prefer not to touch anything in the bathroom, including the stall door.

  He made his way to the urinal closest to the stall, unzipping his pants and letting himself free from the confines of his Fruit of the Loom boxers. He was still in his own world. still not able to get over the fact that this was all happening. So when the door opened and shut, he wasn't aware someone else had entered the bathroom. After his thoughts left the supernatural parts of the world, he couldn't help but just now notice the smell of piss that permeated the entire room, but again, that was expected. What was not expected was the meaty fist that slammed into the back of his head.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  He fell forward. Little Finn was still out, but the stream had just ended. He grunted, not being able to react fast enough. The force from the blow pushed him off his feet, causing him to fall; his forehead would slam into the metal urinal he had just peed in. Luckily, no fluids hit him. There would be a nasty bruise forming, though. His vision blurred.

  He had just been hit, but he wasn't thinking about how to fight back or why he had been hit. No, a random thought of a YouTuber named Cory explaining how this exact scenario was his greatest fear flashed through his mind. Weird, but he didn't dictate his thoughts. Or did he? A booted foot found his ribs, and he coughed out as the air was pushed out of his lungs.

  "Smells like seafood," a squeaky yet somehow also gruff voice spoke. The words just barely registered to Finn's ears.

  Finally he stopped thinking nonsense. seafood? Quite fitting for the chosen of a sea god, right? He could understand the sentiment; this was probably a monster in human form or something along the lines that didn't like divine beings. Finn being connected to one made him stick out like a sore thumb to monsters. a fact he had been told by Tavi. He had thought he would be able to leave Florida before something like this happened, but he was wrong. He was wrong.

  His vision cleared slightly, and he saw the person's foot swing back, getting ready to kick at him again. The last time Finn had been in a real fight was around 5th grade. He was bigger than your average guy and kept to himself; the intimidation factor and actually being pretty chill meant not getting into a lot of fights, but the lack of experience put him at a serious disadvantage here.

  He felt a heat radiate through his body, streaming from his chest and flowing out. Instinct took over. The foot was now in motion, headed for his face this time. He reached out, wrapping his arms around the limb and pulling it down, tripping the person. It appeared to be a man. baldheaded and big. bigger than Finn, his eyes were a bit too close, and his nose a tad small. Now, both lay on the piss-stained floor.

  He placed his hands, palm down, on the floor. Finn tried to get up first, but the man across from him was faster despite his bigger size. He then stood up, circling around so his back was to the door and his front was facing Finn. He cleverly maneuvered to keep Finn where he wanted him.

  "I haven't had seafood in a while," the man said, his smile revealing a few sharp teeth; the rest were just open spots devoid of teeth.

  Finn wasn't food; he was a friend. He shook his head at that. The warmth had spread everywhere now, and he felt fuzzy. Was this how fighting felt? His heart hammered; he hadn't even done anything, and he felt like he had just drunk three five-hour energies. The man across from him lunged forward with a clearly telegraphed right overhand hook aimed at Finn's face.

  The man was fast; he stepped forward on his left foot, pivoting the right foot and twisting his core to get all his worth out of this single strike. Finn could see, and his body reacted before a thought could form. He hadn't been in a grown man fight, but he had seen plenty either on social media or on the streets.

  There was one move that any bigger guy could perform that usually led to the end of any altercation and the one who executed it winning. He ducked under the wide swing, stepping in closer to the large man. He wrapped both his arms around the man's midsection. He almost slipped on some piss from the floor, but he used that slight slip to propel himself forward with a grunt. Finn lifted the bigger man, slamming him down headfirst on the ground. There was a loud crack and a groan, indicating he was still alive.

  He let go and stood up, breathing heavily. His body was still warm, and his hands began to shake. jitters he didn't feel scared or excited; it was just like he had too much energy, and this fight had barely taken away any of that well of energy. Finn stared down at the man, his mouth half open and eyes glazed over; he was unconscious.

  his first fight, and it was honestly kind of underwhelming. He had been sneak attacked but won it in a single move. He just stood there for a moment. It was most likely a monster; what type he was unsure, but his features weren't all human. Still, he resembled a human to some extent; he could talk and think like one at least. Finn didn't have it in him to kill something like that. Maybe if it really came down to life and death, but this guy wasn't going to do much more of anything in his state. With an exhale, he turned, moving to the sink and washing his hands, head, and any open skin that came into contact with piss. Sadly, the bathroom only had water.

  The heat that had spread across his body cooled off, and Finn ultimately left the guy in the bathroom, stepping into the gas station, grabbing some chips, jerky, and a Red Bull. He had a long drive tonight, and perhaps not stopping unnecessarily would be his best bet right now. The climax was over, and his time at this gas station was over. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the highway. to the next state.