The Beautiful and Gracious Goddess of the Sea

There wasn’t a doubt about it. The woman before them was Tethys. Even Phoebe, ever the snarky brat, remained in respectful silence.

Well. Gods are for sure real. Okay.

“Well, of course I’m real. What else would I be?” Tethys giggled.

“Huh?” Camellia nearly fell over in shock. She had not said that aloud.

“Ah, my apologies. You may stand. Damos, Lynn, Phoebe, blessed vessels of the gods, rise. And you,” she looked at Camellia, “Camellia, dear. Come forth.” They did as she commanded, Camellia’s friends parting to allow her through to the radiant lady before them.

And she was truly radiant. Her face, even more elegant than the statue in the city, maintained the gentle smile she was known for. Her hair was just as long, too, a million strands of ever-shifting blues, greens, and silvers, shimmering with the infinite colors of the waves above. Camellia felt raw power emanate from her, a gravity that both pulled her in and repelled her, as if to tempt with impossibility. Tethys was truly stunning, I can tell you that for certain, Obbie. There was a reason she was as beloved as she was by the people.

Her soft laughter echoed against the walls like a melody, a pleasant sound that reverberated through the torso and relaxed every muscle in the body.

“Welcome, Camellia…” Tethys put a hand to her chin in thought. “Renoir?”

Camellia nearly fell over once more. How does she know my old— What? What the—

“Worry not, Camellia. All in time. Please, speak. For what reason have you summoned me?”

“Oh, actually, it was me who summoned you,” Phoebe interjected.

The goddess giggled once more. “Humorous as ever, Phoebe. Thank you for the clarification.” Not just beautiful, but she really knows her people, too. Quite the goddess, huh? I really am fond of her.

Camellia felt the words catch in her throat. Here before her was truly awesome power, a kind of energy she had doubted the very existence of. It was undeniable that this woman was a being from a higher plane.

“Oh, she might be tongue-tied,” Damos said. He came up behind her and clapped her on the back, startling her out of her stupor. “It’s okay, I was like that too. You’ll grow used to it, I promise.”

Tethys smiled once more. “Thank you, Damos.”

She found the courage to speak. “Hello, your… highness? Majesty?”

With a wave of her hand, Tethys dismissed the thought. “Please, Tethys is fine.”

“Hello, your Tethys!” Damos said with a grin. The goddess laughed a melody through the hall.

“Um, hello, Tethys. I come to request the opportunity to be granted an aspect. I seek to…”

Internally, Camellia struggled. What did she really want? To participate in the Trials, sure, but beyond that? She puzzled over the thought, wondering what she would even request of the brilliant woman before her.

Tethys brought her out of her spiral. “Mmm. I see. You struggle to find true purpose.”

Camellia remained silent.

“I believe you shall find it, however. Whether it be to learn ‘magic,’ as you see it, or to make it to the island above, trust in yourself to uncover meaning. It lay latent within you.” The goddess nodded. “You wish to be blessed with a Deific Zooionaspect?”

Camellia took a deep breath. “Yes, my lady.”

“Then, like your friends before you, you must prove your worth by completing a task.”

Her heart began to thump against her ribcage. Camellia was about to get a real quest from a bonafide goddess. What might she ask of her?

“To prove yourself for me, I ask that you offer one single item to the brazier before you,” Tethys gestured behind her. “Camellia, you must find and retrieve… a single feather, from the plumage of a seagull.”

Oh, that’s not bad at all! I can just head up above the surface and nab one. Easy!

The goddess’ face upturned in a wry smile. “Patience. I give you this task for a purpose.” She glanced behind Camellia, at the other three, “Now, are there any other matters to attend to for you lovely contenders?”

“Nope!”

“Nah. Thanks, though.”

“I appreciate the concern, my goddess. I, too, am fine.”

“In that case,” Tethys said, turning back to Camellia, “There is something quite interesting about you… I must speak with my sister. I bid you good luck. I await your prize in earnest. Farewell.”

In the same fashion she had appeared, Tethys became a splash of light, shimmering in the water before them, before vanishing.

Silence overtook the hall. Camellia turned around with a grin on her face. “This is great! I’ll have an aspect before tomorrow!”

Damos and Phoebe both hopped up and down with excitement. “Camellia’s going to join us in the trials!” Damos cried.

She smiled. “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

With a furrowed brow, Lynn folded her arms. “What is a seagull, though? I’ve never heard of such a creature.”

“Oh, it’s a bird. They typically live on coastlines, around the sea. They’re all over the place,” Camellia answered.

Lynn frowned. “...How do you know that?”

Oops.

“Um, I just heard of them. Yesterday.”

Squinting at Camellia, Lynn looked lost in thought.

Camellia continued, “A- Anyways! It should be easy enough. We just have to get above the surface to grab one. We’re by the coast, so it won’t be a problem.”

At once, all three of her friends' faces fell. They did not share in her optimism. Damos and Phoebe both wore pained expressions, and Lynn seemed crestfallen. Her face would have fit right in at a funeral. Camellia stepped back in concern. “Wait, what’s the issue?”

Lynn stepped forward and placed a hand on Camellia’s shoulder. “Camellia…”

Interrupting, Damos whispered, “Above the surface? That’s…”

Phoebe also stepped forward. “Impossible. It’s impossible.”

“Huh?”

Had Tethys given her an impossible task? No, that couldn’t be right. How else would Camellia receive her aspect?

Lynn looked deep into Camellia’s eyes. If she hadn’t been so scared, the eye contact would have made Camellia blush. “Camellia. The only people who have ever been above the surface are the champions of the Trials of Ascension.”

Mouth agape, Damos joined, “The only way above—”