The Servant Girl and The Sea Prince

Chapter Eight: POSEIDON

Merfolk past the Age of Ascension were technically allowed to breach the surface of the ocean, but in practice, most mermaids and mermen surfaced quite infrequently. Only a vocal minority hated human beings as much as Prof. Yellowtail did, but no one in Pacifica, not even Poseidon's fairly progressive father, King Neptune, thought seeking out a leg-walker on purpose was a great idea.

In the middle of the night, when the Crown Prince of Pacifica's family were sleeping soundly on their soft kelp mattresses, he quietly snuck out of the royal palace and made his way up to the shoreline. The odds of seeing Melinda again, especially so late at night, were slim to none, but he wished to test the waters.

Much to Poseidon's astonishment, when he broke the surface, Melinda was standing there on the beach. The eyesight of merfolk had evolved to be able to see in the dark, so he saw her with perfect clarity, as if she was bathed in the light of midday.

Melinda was even more beautiful than he had remembered. There was such an endearing vulnerability in her deep green eyes. Her positively besotted facial expression made it clear that she was just as infatuated at first sight with him, as he had been with her.

"Poseidon..." breathed Melinda, her voice trembling slightly. Her human accent sounded much huskier than a mermaid's lilting voice.

"Melinda..." Poseidon said. He wasn't sure what else to say to her.

"I promise...I won't tell anyone else about you..." she reassured him. A flicker of hope ignited in her wide, kelp-colored eyes. "But why did you come back...?". Melinda then hesitated for a split second. "Did you...miss me...too...?"

"Sort of..." admitted Crown Prince Poseidon.

"You did...?". A faint blush graced Melinda's pretty features. "So you weren't just a figment of my imagination...after all...?"

"No...I'm not...". That was all Poseidon managed to utter in response. He was still trying to choose his words carefully around the landlubber.

Melinda tentatively brushed her pale hand against Poseidon's own hand. Her skin was softer than a sea sponge. They knew so very little about each other, yet a potent physical connection was already beginning to blossom between them.

"I...gotta go...soon..." Poseidon stammered.

"Will I...ever...see you...again...?" Melinda wanted to know.

"Maybe..." replied Poseidon. His strong attraction to the human maiden was simply undeniable, but it was a truth universally acknowledged that it was foolish for a merman or mermaid to pursue any kind of relationship with a leg-walker. They lived in completely different worlds.

The next day, Poseidon's longtime friend Tempest had finally returned from her trip down to the kingdom of MexiSea with her family. They had been close friends ever since they were hatchlings, but they had started to drift apart lately.

"Poseidon...did you miss me...during your Ascension...?" she sang to the Crown Prince of Pacifica. Over the past year, the black-haired, silver-tailed mermaid had developed the rather peculiar habit of often singing instead of speaking. She did possess one of the most beautiful singing voices in the seven seas, but Poseidon found this quirk way more unnerving than it was charming.

"A little...", stated Poseidon, his voice trailing off. He couldn't possibly tell her that the truth was she had hardly ever crossed his mind since his Ascension. He had been too busy daydreaming about Melinda.

Poseidon was perceptive enough to discern that Tempest had a major romantic crush on him, but he definitely did not reciprocate her feelings. While she had been a lively and adventurous playmate when they were merchildren, she had grown into an enigmatic yet self-absorbed teenage mermaid with a morbid streak. She seemed to lack the qualities he most wanted in a mate, namely compassion and humility.

"I bought a...magic mirror...at a secondhand shop...in MexiSea..." Tempest drawled. She was swimming uncomfortably close to him.

"That's nice..." Crown Prince Poseidon commented unenthusiastically. He knew that Tempest had been dabbling in studying magic for a while, which he wasn't exactly thrilled about. His father taught him that magic was an unpredictable, dangerous force that should never be taken lightly. "Magic is not a toy, but a powerful tool", King Neptune always said. The Enchanted Royal Aquamarine of Pacifica was an ancient magical gemstone that was passed down in the royal family, but it was only supposed to be used when absolutely necessary.