(2nd Bonus Chapter) They could no longer leave their nests at will to wreak havoc in the distant shallows, nor could they drag passing mortals into the abyss out of boredom or hunger.
What stifled them even more was that the “traditional” path of evolving by hunting and devouring their own kind had also been severed.
At almost the same time, Poseidon also reorganized those unruly ocean nymphs and spirits who treated mortal lives as little more than blades of grass.
Especially beings like the Sirens, who took pleasure in seduction and slaughter, were strictly forbidden from using their songs to lure and kill mortals.
For the Golden Race, being dragged into the deep sea by Sirens did not mean death, but rather endless imprisonment in darkness, crushing pressure, and the sensation of eternal drowning—a torment that could only be described as the cruelest of punishments.
Poseidon’s new policies caused an uproar throughout the ocean.
Some obeyed out of reverence, some remained silent observers, and others… Deep within the darkest reaches of the sea, where sunlight had never reached, stood a massive palace built from coral and the pale bones of colossal sea creatures.
The primordial sea god Pontus, an ancient deity of immense power, listened quietly as one of his subordinates delivered her report.
His face, formed from seawater and shadows, slowly twisted into a scowl.
“So you’re telling me that Poseidon—that wet-behind-the-ears brat—dared to march into the territory we’ve ruled for countless ages and start laying down rules the moment he took the throne?” The one reporting was a nymph with the lower body of a vibrant sea serpent and the upper body of an enchanting woman.
Trembling slightly, she replied, “Lord Pontus… rather than destroying everything, he has imposed stricter restrictions.
We can no longer hunt those two-legged creatures from the shore whenever we please, nor are we allowed to prey upon one another.” “Isn’t that the same damn thing?!” Pontus’s furious roar caused the seawater throughout the palace to churn violently, sending countless tiny sea creatures fleeing in panic.
“He dares tamper with the rules I established!
He’s weakening my influence—challenging my authority as the primordial master of the seas!
Just because he defeated Kronos, does he truly believe the Seven Seas already belong to those Olympus upstarts?
Foolish!
Laughable!” A terrifying surge of primordial divine power erupted from Pontus—an ancient force older than the Titans themselves, one that brushed against the very origins of the world.
“It seems I, the true ruler of the sea, must personally teach this newcomer what it means to respect his elders.” “But, Lord Pontus…” the serpent-bodied nymph said anxiously, “other ancient beings, such as Nereus and the others, may not be willing to oppose Poseidon.
After all, he has received Oceanus’s recognition…” “Do not worry.” Pontus sneered, a conspiratorial glint flashing across his eyes.
“I’ve prepared for this for a long time.
The sea has never been as simple as it appears on the surface.” Elsewhere, within a magnificent palace complex fashioned from luminous coral and gleaming pearl shells, an argument was unfolding between two sisters.
This was the domain of the Nereids, the fifty daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus and Doris, famed throughout the world for their beauty, kindness, and enchanting songs.
But at this moment, one of the three strongest Nereids, Thetis, glared angrily at her eldest and most respected sister, Amphitrite.
Amphitrite’s long silver-blue hair flowed like moonlight upon gentle waves.
Her features were graceful and dignified, her temperament gentle and wise.
Among the Nereids, she naturally served as their leader and mediator.
“Sister!
Isn’t Poseidon far too arrogant?
By what right does he restrict where sea monsters can roam?
By what right are even we sisters forced to obey his rules whenever we swim the seas or play with the dolphins?
We are Lord Pontus’s bloodline!
We are the true nobility of the ocean!” Thetis’s beautiful face was flushed with resentment and indignation.
Unlike Amphitrite’s calm elegance, Thetis possessed a lively, spirited beauty.
Her crimson cheeks, flushed with anger, only made her seem even more captivating.
“Thetis, calm yourself.” Amphitrite gently reached out and took her sister’s hand, her azure eyes filled with concern.
“Arrogance requires the strength to support it.
Lord Poseidon has been acknowledged even by the primordial sea itself, Oceanus.
He is now the rightful ruler of the seas.
Establishing order is both his authority and his responsibility.” “Sister!!!” Thetis jerked her hand away as though she had been burned.
“Do you truly have no complaints?
Are you really willing to accept these restrictions?
We were born free, able to roam the Seven Seas without restraint!
Now we’re expected to live like fish trapped inside a pond, confined by boundaries that he drew?
I’ll reclaim the freedom that rightfully belongs to us!” Watching her sister’s increasingly emotional outburst, Amphitrite’s unease deepened.
Although Thetis had always been lively and occasionally stubborn, she had never been so irrational or consumed by hostility.
“How has she changed so suddenly?
Could she really be planning something reckless?” Amphitrite watched as Thetis stormed away, her brows knitting tightly together.
Unfortunately, her fears soon became reality.
Thetis’s radicalism far exceeded anything Amphitrite had imagined.
The sister who had once done nothing more than complain secretly began gathering Nereids dissatisfied with Poseidon’s reforms, and even reached out to their aunts, the Oceanids.
“Even if Sister Amphitrite refuses to support me, as long as the majority of our sisters and aunts stand with me, she’ll eventually have no choice but to compromise.” “Hmm… our uncles—the river gods—must remain at their respective rivers.
Leaving their posts in large numbers would attract too much attention.
But the ocean nymphs and sea spirits alone should be enough.” Not long afterward, upon a secluded underwater ridge… Thetis stood upon a rocky outcrop, gazing down at the gathered ocean nymphs, sea spirits, and even numerous lesser sea monsters assembled below.
Most of their eyes glowed with an unnatural, eerie light, while their faces burned with resentment toward Poseidon and a fanatic zeal that had clearly been stirred from within.
“Sisters!
Fellow children of the sea!
How much longer will we endure oppression beneath that foreign tyrant?” “For our rightful freedom!
For the ancient justice of the ocean!
The time has come for us to rise!” “Can you not hear the cries of those weaker spirits, of our fellow kin who have been confined to barren waters?” “Follow me!
Rise up!
Reclaim everything that belongs to us!” “Oooooooooh—!!!” A thunderous response erupted from the crowd like a tsunami crashing against the shore.
The sound was twisted, frenzied, and fanatical.
Their thoughts and actions had become increasingly extreme and irrational.
In reality, Poseidon’s reforms had done nothing more than establish basic order by forbidding indiscriminate slaughter and endless chaos.
He had never demanded sacrifices from the ocean nymphs, nor had he deprived them of their freedom to roam the seas, except within specifically designated dangerous zones.
By contrast, under Pontus’s rule, the ocean had always been governed by the law of the jungle, where survival was uncertain and only the strongest endured.
Yet now, after being manipulated and incited, they seemed to have forgotten that truth entirely.
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