Samia

Walking into my home was unnerving. I had not realized the encounter with a literal mermaid would shake me. I go upstairs and change into comfortable clothes. I cleared out the pockets of my clothing that went swimming with me. I pulled out a small lock of golden hair and a trident. I gently ran my fingers over the trident and it started to glow. I dropped it quickly out of fear and someone appeared before me. 

"Hello, I am Poseidon, god of the sea and creator of horses. You must be Samia." The man looked around the room. I was too in shock to do more than nod. He was about 6'2" and had black hair. He looked around 30 years old and had the most seafoam or ocean blue eyes. They seemed to be as ever changing as the oceans themselves. "Well, Samia, I am sorry Galiena gave you such a fright delivering my message. She seems to do that sometimes. Anyway, I want you to attend the school Belle Crest and become a priest of mine. You are gifted in all you do and I think you would be the best choice to follow me. What do you say?"

"I guess? I have school next week though, so what do I do in that case?" Poseidon smiled coyly and a note appeared in my hands. It read:

"Mr. Samia Reign Franci, 

We are pleased to accept you into the prestigious School of Belle Crest. We welcome you as an esteemed member of the school with a full scholarship including room and board. We are pleased to announce that you were selected from a list of students anonymously suggested by the staff members at your school for your unique talents and skills. 

Please send word of your acceptance within the week as we are holding your spot for you. Your parents will be allowed to visit once a month on parents weekends and you will be allotted summer off campus if necessary and with Dean permissions. Please send a word with haste. 

Signed, 

The Dean of Belle Crest 

Lady Brianna Dellanie"

It even had the school crest and looked real. It was insanely well put together. I packed a bag and prepared to go tell my parents about the letter. They were super excited for me and pulled up the website to do some research on the school. There was magical information there. It seemed to be a school for otherwise talented students and boasted a Greek theme. It offered classes for students as young as 3 through Master's Degrees. Students are asked to do classes year round and are offered flexibility. My parents were quite enthusiastic about the whole thing. They always gave their children autonomy so they told me that I was welcome to come home and visit, but they would allow me to be there without them visiting. I was on the next train to North Carolina without a second thought. 

When I tried to Google Belle Crest, nothing came up. I found it so odd. There was not even a location listed. According to Google, there was no such place as Belle Crest and there was no prestigious school. In that same moment, Poseidon popped up next to me in the seat causing me to jump nearly out of my skin. 

"You're not going to find it. The letter created the link that your parents read. It is only existent if the letter is nearby. It is meant to be a secret and your parents needed a certain kind of convincing. The letter will disappear upon your arrival. Now, let's talk about strategy. When you arrive, you will be heralded and welcomed. You are a high priest, not just a normal follower. Your mark will appear upon crossing the gates."