Blood of the Sea

Chapter 6

Date: 18th of August 2011

Time: 10 a.m. New York Time Zone

Location: Atlantis, Perseus' chamber

Perseus pov

"Father, I am honoured by your offer. I was not ready for immortality when you asked me the first time, I knew I had to collect some more experiences. Back then I had too much holding me back, too much keeping me anchored to my mortal life. Now, after two wars and the loss of my friends I know that I am ready for this. So, I, Perseus, heir to the people of Atlantis, accept your generous offer."

I could hear the soft sigh of relief that escaped all the immortals and guards that were in the room. They really must have feared that I would decline immortality. Again.

I suddenly felt a warm tingling sensation going through my body. It wasn't painful. No, instead it actually felt good, it gave me the feeling of hope, strength and most importantly the feeling of home.

I could suddenly feel a connection to the merfolk and had the strange urge to protect them. I felt like all these creatures suddenly became my responsibility, like it was my task in life to protect and to lead them.

It felt good to care for someone other than myself and my mother again. It felt good to have a purpose.

"Then rise now, Perseus, heir and prince of Atlantis, new god of life, of tropical storms and of the stars. Protector of the innocent and all those creatures living in the sea, second heir to the throne of Atlantis. All hail!" He shouted.

I was sure that my face was very red (or was it golden?) by now. I straightened and was at full height again. I looked him right in the eyes, pride and happiness the most dominant emotions. He came forward and engulfed me in a hug. It soon became a group hug as Amphitrite and Triton laid their arms around us as well.

Thinking over my domains I felt that they were fitting. Especially the stars had become a large part of my life after all I had gone through. Now I could forever honour the sacrifices of my lost friends. As if to answer to my unspoken thoughts, my skin seemed to start giving of a soft, silverly glow.

As we broke apart I could see something glistening in the hands of Amphitrite and I had a very bad suspicion about what exactly it was.

"Well Perseus, a prince needs a symbol of his status, doesn't he?" She said, smirking evilly at me. I gulped loudly, not liking where this was going.

"And to show that you truly are a prince of Atlantis now, you shall wear this crown. It was forged by the god Hephaestus himself, something so precious that only royalty would be allowed to carry it. Had she accepted my husband's offer, it would have belonged to your mother."

The queen of Atlantis came closer and gave a light bow, most likely to acknowledge me as royalty and a heir the throne. Then she carefully placed the crown on top of my head. It was strange yet not uncomfortable to feel its weight resting there.

The crown was, and I had to grudgingly admit that, beautiful. It was made of gold, with green and blue gems set on it. They were ordered so that it had the effect to look like waves. It was breathtaking. The dim light in the room reflecting on it seemed to make the crystals glow like tiny stars.

"Thank you Lady Amphitrite. Not only for this, but also for accepting me, welcoming me here. The same thanks to you, Triton." I said, giving both of them a big smile. They returned it both soon.

"Now that Perseus is officially a member of the royal family, I would say we celebrate the birthday of my newly crowned son." Poseidon smiled at me.

True to his words we spent the day together as a small family, eating blue birthday cake and sharing stories about our adventures. The atmosphere seemed to lighten with every story, with every laugh we shared.

It was mind-blowing to hear the stories of old being told by those that witnessed them personally. There were so many differences compared to what humans knew. Seeing the emotions that still seemed to come up when they spoke of their pasts made everything even more.. real.

The afternoon seemed to pass in a blurr, time does run fast when you are enjoying yourself.

Later on I was told that my father had already organized a small party to celebrate my birthday and the coronation of a new prince. The time until the arrival was spent rolling my eyes for like the hundredth time while Amphitrite was teaching me the most urgent things of proper etiquette.

I was still struggling to remember everything she had taught me in such a short amount of time. Yet, I had eternity to adjust.

It was slowly starting to get dark outside. The last few rays of sunlight were barely reaching the bottom of the ocean when the palace doors were opened by the guards to start the ball my parents had organized in honour of my birthday and my coronation.

Lots of curious villagers and some of the people I had met on my adventures came. Nereids, nymphs and even the spirit that visited me on my first quest, people I had come to call my friends. How they had organized such a large event in this short amount of time was way beyond my knowledge.

Who was I to complain though?

All throughout the evening the atmosphere was light and joyous, people dancing, talking and enjoying the food.

Spending the time catching up with friends and making new acquaintances finally created a spark of peace inside me.

I realized I had a future ahead of me, a destiny that was made from the fates themselves.

And I knew that it was going to fullfill itself here in Atlantis, the place I would call my home for a very, very long time.