King Glaucus

Aoide still held Liriope's hand and hummed softly as they swam side by side into the Incubation Centre. The young mermaid's heart skipped a beat as she realized her dream was finally coming true. Not only was she holding hands with a gorgeous Wren, she'd been sought out and told her it was her time. Although it was a bit odd to be collected at such a late hour, when the other maidens were asleep, but maybe that was the way of it. Her questions melted away as she beheld the grandeur of the Centre's inner chambers. With a blue and purple gem inlay, its ginormous caverns looked made for a whale shark, or a giant squid to wander through. They sparkled and danced around her as they continued to swim towards the back of the cavern.

Then, Glaucus; King of the Nereids, Singer of Prophecy, builder and pilot of Argo, protector of the Golden Fleece and true slayer of Nereus, swam up to meet the pair of mermaids. He held a large golden trident and gold and silver chains adorned his neck, along with one large glowing turquoise amulet. Liriope had noticed the same type of amulet hanging from Aoide's neck, but it didn't have the same glow. The King's hair was long and grey, his eyes were bright and violet and his dark green tail was speckled with what looked like emeralds.

Aoide stopped, lowered her gaze and bowed her head slightly to him. Liriope flustered when she met his eyes, such a wise-looking merman, but she followed suit and bowed her head to him. She had never been this close to the King before, she had only listened to him speak at a distance, usually during the Current events where the older mer would race each other, and the young would have scavenger hunts for pearls. Then they would all feast on kelp and shrimp.

With her cheeks hot, she held her gaze down towards the ocean floor, nervous to catch his eyes again. When Aoide finally looked up, Liriope let out a long breath she hadn't realize she'd been holding in.

"Aoide, I see you've brought us a new prospect?" the stately King asked. "The others filled me in." He then addressed Liriope, "I've been expecting you, not this soon though."

She raised her head and smiled, but still kept her eyes downcast. His gaze made her uneasy, and she wasn't sure why.

"She's eager, Glaucus, eager than most," Aoide proclaimed.

"She didn't give you any trouble?" Glaucus asked.

"No, no trouble at all, she's been dreaming of this moment for years. I hardly had to carry a note." Aoide answered as she let go of Liriope's hand.

Liriope wondered why they thought she might have caused trouble. Did they know she stayed up late waiting for them, wondering what the surface was like? Did they think she would misbehave and swim off to the surface alone? She began to panic slightly and felt very self-conscious. She didn't like how they were talking about her as if she weren't right beside them. Her temper began to weasel its way up from her gut. About to speak up and spout a guarantee that she would be the best prospect ever, a horrible image of a dead bloated human face flashed in her mind's eye, made her swallow her words.

What was she seeing this for? Was it a memory? The chamber began to sway and she suddenly felt seasick. She began to sink to the bottom of the seabed.

"Whoa, whoa, little one, don't let me down now. I was just telling the King what a good sport you've been." Aoide grabbed Liriope's hand and pulled her back up to their level.

Liriope thought quickly. She knew something was wrong but couldn't remember what it was. She knew she saw something, something dead. She also remembered everything that just happened, her being chosen to be a Wren, her meeting the King and how great it all felt, she didn't want to ruin her chances as they were dangled in front of her face.

"I'm so sorry, your Majesty, and Mistress. I'm just feeling very overwhelmed. This is all happening so fast." What just happened? She noticed the Wren humming softly again. Had she passed out? She couldn't remember. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep. She felt droopy, exhausted, wanted to close her eyes and drift off to dreamland. She so desperately needed to, just for a moment.

Liriope gave in to Aoide's song and closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep. The Wren pulled her close and took her in her arms.

"Are you sure this is safe? Her emotional trigger may be too strong, seeing the human brought here in such a way," reflected Glaucus as he showed his distaste for their messy arrival. Still, he really didn't want to take a chance on one so young, just for the sake of a cover-up. He contemplated killing her then, just to be done with it, but something held him back. He felt a prophecy stirring. His gut told him this maiden would play an important and pivotal role for the good of the colony.

"Just say the word sire and she's gone," Aoide offered, though she had been looking forward to shaping this one.

"No, no, let's give her the full treatment,��� Glaucus announced. He swam closer and took Liriope's face in his hands, turning it from side to side, examining her.

"Something wrong, sire?"

"No, it's nothing," Glaucus sighed, "she only reminds me of someone I knew long ago. Someone important. It doesn't matter. Lock her up for the remainder of slumber and get started training promptly when she wakes."

Aoide bowed her head in compliance and swam towards her trainees' room, where new recruits in training lived. She couldn't wait to get started on this one, although training could be difficult, it was satisfying.

"Aoide," Glaucus called before she could take her leave. "I'll be keeping my eyes on that one, don't disappoint me. Bring her to me when she's ready."

Oh yes, Aoide nodded to him as she thought, this one will be my masterpiece.