The Servant Girl and The Sea Prince

Chapter Two: POSEIDON

All night long, Crown Prince Poseidon of Pacifica had tossed and turned on his soft kelp mattress and yellow sea sponge pillow like a ship in a restless sea. Very few merfolk got a decent night's sleep before their Ascension.

In Pacifica and most other merfolk kingdoms, an Ascension ceremony was held for a merman or mermaid on their sixteenth birthday. Once they reached the Age of Ascension, they were officially regarded as a young adult in merfolk society, and they were allowed to visit the surface of the ocean.

As he sat down across from his father, King Neptune, at the breakfast table, Poseidon observed that the reigning monarch of Pacifica appeared even more ill that he had yesterday. His hair and beard, once as red as Poseidon's own titian locks, were now whiter than a pearl. His once-muscular frame had shrunk to a frail shadow of its former self.

The insidious Rare Aquatic Virus, also known as the "Sea Plague" or R.A.V. for short, had already claimed his mother, Queen Nerissa, when he was a little merboy. Now it was slowly stealing his father away as well. Dr. Finley, the royal physician, claimed the king more than likely had only a couple months left to live.

"Happy Ascension, my son..." the ailing King of Pacifica said, a tired smile gracing his bearded, weathered face.

"Thanks, Father...". Poseidon silently slurped on his delicious seaweed noodles. Lost in thought, his blue-green eyes were glazed over. In the near future, he will probably be crowned King of Pacifica, a role he honestly did not feel the least bit ready for. His father was universally revered by all the merfolk and Civilized sea creatures in the kingdom, and whenever he thought about living up to his great legacy, he felt like a powerful current was pushing against him.

"You will get me something from the surface tonight...for my collection...won't you Poseidon...?" pressed Oceana, one of the Crown Prince of Pacifica's five younger sisters. She fidgeted with the silver human-made charm bracelet that she always wore on her tiny wrist. King Neptune's trusted team of explorers had salvaged it for her from a local shipwreck.

12-year-old, brown-haired, purple-tailed Oceana was on the Autism spectrum, and her so-called "special interest" was collecting human artifacts. Her bedchamber was cluttered with all kinds of objects that once belonged to landlubbers. Poseidon's other four sisters were Thalassa, who was fifteen years old; Pearl, age 14; 13-year-old Marina; and Aquata, who was eleven.

"Yes, Oceana...of course" Poseidon promised. "I'll see what I can find..."

The University of Pacifica was an awe-inspiring structure constructed out of bright orange coral and recycled driftwood. Even bigger than the splendid Pacifican royal palace, it currently held the record for the largest building in the entire kingdom.

After breakfast, Poseidon attended his "Humanology 101" class at the prestigious University. Having graduated from Pacifica Royal Academy two years early, he was the youngest fresh merman in his class.

The lecture hall was lit by well-placed phosphorescent plants and electric eel lamps. Instead of chairs, students sat on comfortable cushions made from soft sea sponges, behind low desks crafted from polished driftwood.

"Good morning, scholars...!" greeted Professor Yellowtail, sounding grumpy as usual. The teacher was a Civilized California yellowtail who never, ever smiled or laughed.

Prof. Yellowtail's golden eyes narrowed as he scanned the lecture hall. "Today, scholars...we dive deep into the dark underbelly of human 'achievements'...their treatment of our ocean home...".

Prince Poseidon suppressed a groan. Here we go again...he thought. While Prof. Yellowtail occasionally shared useful information about the human objects his sister Oceana loved to collect, the vast majority of his classes were just him ranting and raving about how evil and violent leg-walkers were. Perfectly fitting the stereotype of the politically biased university professor, the Civilized fish, whose once vibrant yellow scales were dulled with age, despised human beings with a red tide rage. Poseidon often wondered why he would teach a class on the subject then.

"I myself have lost many family members and friends to their monstrous nets and deadly hooks...!" Prof. Yellowtail exclaimed, swimming back and forth. "Entire ecosystems have crumbled under their greed, and countless species are on the brink of extinction, all for a fleeting human pleasure...a single meal...!"

Some students gasped in horror and disgust. Needless to say, Poseidon had the utmost sympathy for the unfortunate losses of Prof. Yellowtail's loved ones, and he definitely disagreed with humans killing sentient beings for the sake of their tastebuds, but he nevertheless stubbornly refused to believe that all humans were cruel and destructive. After all, even merfolk and Civilized sea creatures were capable of doing bad things sometimes too. His wise father, King Neptune, liked to remind his children that since humans' top halves were completely identical to that of merfolk, they were essentially their distant cousins, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

Following an intimate birthday celebration in the royal palace's elegant ballroom for Crown Prince Poseidon's family and closest friends in the late afternoon, his Ascension ceremony was held around dusk, in the open water on the edge of the kingdom. Hundreds of merfolk and Civilized aquatic animals had gathered to witness the auspicious event.

A hush fell over the crowd as King Neptune, his once-powerful voice raspy with illness, raised a giant conch shell to his lips. The was the customary way to signal the start of an Ascension ceremony in Pacifica. He drew a shaky breath, his pale face contorting in concentration as he attempted to blow. A sputter escaped his lips, followed by a tepid wheeze. Shame flushed his cheeks.

All of a sudden, a handsome young merman named Leomaris, who was well-known in the kingdom for his exceptional physical strength, surged forward from the crowd. He bowed respectfully, and took the conch from King Neptune's trembling grasp. Holding the shell aloft, Leomaris blew a mighty blast that resonated through the seawater. A wave of gratitude washed over the King as the spectators erupted in cheers.

King Neptune took a moment to compose himself, and then began his speech. His voice sounded strained, but full of sincere love. "My loyal subjects, esteemed guests...and most importantly, my beloved only son, Crown Prince Poseidon. Today we celebrate not just Poseidon's Ascension, but a small victory against the tide that threatens to take me from you all too soon. The Rare Aquatic Virus may take away my strength, but it cannot take away the joy I feel, being able to live to see this momentous occasion".

A collective gasp rang through the crowd. This was the very first public acknowledgment of the monarch's illness.

"Poseidon..." continued King Neptune. "My heart swells with pride as you float beside me, a fine young merman on the cusp of adulthood. You possess the strength of the ocean currents, the wisdom of the ancient coral reefs, and a warm kindness that rivals the gentlest bioluminescent glow". His gaze briefly landed on his daughters. "I may not be here to see your sisters, my lovely, precious Thalassa, Pearl, Marina, Oceana, and Aquata Ascend, but know this...my love for each of you burns as brightly as the deepest hydrothermal vent". Neptune blinked away salty tears, as did most of his daughters, including the normally stoic Pearl.

The King's speech was followed by the Elders of Pacifica chanting an ancient blessing in Archaic Pacifican, a language that was nowadays only used for ceremonial purposes in the kingdom. They prayed that Amphitrite, the Goddess of the Sea, grant Poseidon protection and guidance. Unlike mermaids, mermen did not traditionally sing a song at their Ascensions, so their ceremonies usually went by quicker than those of their female counterparts. Everybody called out "May the currents be in your favor!", except for Oceana, who shouted "Remember to bring me back something...!".

Pumping his beautiful blue-green fishtail, Crown Prince Poseidon started swimming toward the surface of the ocean. He had originally planned for Tempest, his good friend since childhood, to accompany him on his Ascension, but she regrettably had to miss his ceremony, as she and her family were presently visiting her great-great-grandparents down in MexiSea, a merfolk kingdom about a thousand nautical miles south of Pacifica.

The water around him gradually grew both warmer and brighter, the closer he got to the water line. Finally, Poseidon poked his head above the surface of the deep blue sea for the first time in his sixteen years of life.