A dispute in the ocean

Deep in the sea lay a beautiful island surrounded by azure waters.

The island was small, but its vegetation was lush and its beaches white. Freshwater streams wound down from the hills at its center, gathering into a tranquil lake where they met the sea.

Schools of fish crowded the lake, and the fruit groves along its shores bore fruit all year round. The air was filled with the moist mingling of sea breeze and floral fragrance.

This island was called Nereides Island, and the ocean goddess Doris had built it up little by little with her authority.

She was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, a third-class god who governed rich fishing grounds and pure water. Gentle by nature and averse to conflict, she wanted only to watch over her little domain and live in peace.

A group of nymphs and sea spirits also lived on the island. Now they all cowered behind Doris, stealing glances at the two uninvited visitors by the shore.

Phorcys sprawled on a reef, his gray-green skin like rotting moss. His fish tail forked at the end, and thick black fluid seeped between his scales, dripping onto the reef with a corrosive hiss.

His wife, Ceto, stood beside him. Her upper half was that of a bewitching woman, while her lower half was the coiled tail of an enormous python. The snakes that formed her hair writhed over her shoulders, each flicking a long, slender tongue.

They were Phorcys and Ceto.

Phorcys was the embodiment of the sea's wrath, and Ceto the embodiment of its dangers. They were children of the primordial sea god Pontus and the Earth Mother Gaia, second-class gods who governed aspects of the ocean.

Their divine power was mighty and violent, and their very forms carried an oppressive presence that made even the seawater recoil.

Now their gazes swept over the rich fruit groves at the island's center and the plump fish in the lake, naked greed in their appraising eyes.

"Doris," Ceto spoke first, curling her snake tail once around on the ground, her voice carrying a trace of languor that nonetheless brooked no refusal.

"We've had our eyes on this island for a long time. As you know, we've had quite a few sea monster children, and they need suitable waters and islands to live in."

"Your island is in just the right place. The lake is deep enough, the groves dense enough, and the freshwater clear enough. It would make a fine place for our little ones to grow up."

Doris clenched the edge of her robe. She was a third-class god, and under the pressure of two second-class beings, she could almost feel her divine spark trembling faintly.

But she did not retreat. Instead, she drew a deep breath and kept her voice as steady as she could.

"Your Highness Phorcys, Your Highness Ceto, this island is a home I have spent years cultivating with my own authority. Your sea monster children could go to the uninhabited islands to the east. The waters there are much more expansive."

"Those eastern islands?" Phorcys scoffed, a dangerous gleam passing over his green skin. "Too many reefs, currents too swift, and too few fish. Our children are still young. A place like that doesn't suit them."

Ceto took over, lightly tapping her snake tail against the ground. "A third-class god like you can't really protect such a fine island anyway. Why not step aside willingly? We can promise not to hurt you, and we'll even let you take some things from the island."

Doris's face paled slightly. She knew their promise not to hurt her was merely a veneer of courtesy.

As gods acknowledged by the laws, they indeed did not dare kill her outright, but their underhanded methods were more than enough to make her give up of her own accord.

She remembered how, the night before last, more than half the fish in the lake had turned belly-up overnight. Yesterday, several poisonous reefs had been placed across the mouth of the stream.

When she woke that morning, she found that the orchard she had planted beside the stream had been trampled into a crooked mess, with the strong scent of snake saliva lingering in the soil.

Over the past few days, she had used her authority to purify the water, dispel toxins, and replant vegetation, nearly exhausting all her strength. But she dared not leave. Leaving meant handing the entire island over to someone else.

Yet she also knew that her elder sister Metis was bearing the greatest pressure now. She did not want to distract her sister further, so she had endured it all until today.

She was just about to speak when the sound of churning water suddenly came from the shore.

A figure sprang from the seawater and landed on the ground between Doris and Phorcys.

His white hair shone silver-gray in the sunlight, and his gentle face held a trace of helplessness. He was Nereus, the sea's kindness, one of the few benevolent gods in the Deep Sea Faction who did not let force do the talking.

He looked at Phorcys and Ceto, displeasure in his voice. "Aren't you taking this too far? The sky watches everything. If you make this too blatant, His Majesty the God-King won't stand idly by."

Ceto flicked her snake tail and snorted, her tone dismissive. "That lofty one in the sky won't care about such a trifling matter. He's even stuffed his own children back into their mother's belly. Where would he find the time to bother with who owns a little island?"

Nereus sighed. Just as he was about to speak, a deep-blue figure skimmed swiftly over the sea and landed lightly beside Doris.

Metis had arrived.

Once she stood firm, she first turned to look at Doris. That glance held a silent question as well as gentle concern. Doris shook her head at her and offered a reassuring smile, but Metis saw through the exhaustion hidden beneath it at once.

Metis did not press her. She turned back to Phorcys and Ceto, reached into her robes, and took out the parchment scroll she had carefully stored away.

Before everyone, she gave it a light shake, letting the parchment unfurl in midair and clearly displaying its picture to them all.

Metis spoke, her voice firm and strong. "This is a prophecy made by His Highness Nairmis, who governs the domain of prophecy and was personally summoned by His Majesty the God-King. My father and mother, Their Highnesses Oceanus and Tethys, will return safely from the earth to the ocean."

She slowly turned the parchment around so that both Phorcys and Ceto could see the picture, then rolled it up again and tucked it back into her robes.

"Leave now," her steady gaze settled on the three of them, "and I can act as though none of this ever happened. Otherwise, the wrath of the Titans will descend upon the deep sea. His Eminence Pontus is still recovering from his wounds. He may not be able to protect you."

Phorcys and Ceto exchanged a glance, a trace of complexity flashing through their eyes. They did not fear Metis. One second-class god and a group of still lower-ranked ocean goddesses were no match for them in a contest of pure divine power.

But the name Nairmis gave them pause. That god of emotions had indeed made quite a name for himself lately. He was already a regular visitor at the God-King's side. If the Sea Faction really had established a connection with him...

While they hesitated with dark expressions, more and more figures were descending from above the sea. The Oceanids were arriving one after another, the other daughters of Oceanus.

They landed behind Metis one by one, their long blue, silver, and jade-green hair flowing as they formed an arc.

Standing to one side, Nereus watched the scene and sighed. He glanced at Phorcys and Ceto, then turned back, preparing to smooth things over so that this dispute would not truly turn into a clash.

Just then, a fluctuation of Uranus's divine power suddenly came from the sky, followed by a scream.

Metis's pupils abruptly contracted, and her hand pressed against the parchment inside her robes. She recognized it. That was Nairmis's voice.

What happened?