Chapter Text
Once upon a time, under the sea, lived a little mermaid. The little mermaid was the youngest of Poseidon's daughters and her name was Princess Cordelia. She was beloved by all her kind for her beauty, voice and kind spirit. Much to her family’s grief, the princess also had a lust for adventure, insatiable curiosity, a penchant for getting into trouble and worst of all an unhealthy obsession with the human world.
The Mer-folk had long lives but had no souls and when they finally died, their bodies dissolved into sea foam returning to the sea. Not only was Cordelia fascinated by the world above but she longed to have a human soul, a soul that would live on for eternity even when the body died.
Cordelia had long awaited her coming of age, for mer-folk, was the age of twenty five when their bodies were fully matured and able to wed. This wasn’t why Cordelia was excited for her coming of age though, once a mermaid was of age, she could go to the surface for the first time. A mermaid’s fin would magically turn to legs when they left the water but the magic only lasted several hours and if they did not return to the sea they would perish. The little mermaid was next to bursting with impatience, waiting for her chance to visit the world above for the first time.
Unfortunately her coming of age also aligned with the next ball that her father was throwing. Each year Poseidon threw a ball in hopes of marrying one of his many daughters off, and since Cordelia would be of age, it would be the first time she would also be up for consideration. Cordelia wasn’t too worried about marriage though, she was still very young and she had many unmarried sisters ahead of her who were better marriage material.
Very few things unnerved Poseidon, he was a god after all, King of the sea and father of all the Merpeople. His weakness was his daughters, especially his youngest daughter who he’d always felt extra protective of when he lost her mother to childbirth and almost lost Cordelia too. She grew lovelier each passing year and the last thing he wanted to think about was her approaching coming of age. Her unhealthy obsession with the human realm and her penchant for causing trouble worried him and while he wasn’t too worried about her having suitors quite yet, he loathed the idea of giving her away to anyone, not able to imagine that anyone was worthy of becoming her new protector. Poseidon tried to push his worries for his youngest daughter aside, the rumors had been true about the Demon Lord of the Sea awakening from his long slumber. The beasts of the deep had been stirring and the Demon Lord, after centuries of silence had accepted his invitation to the next suitors ball. The idea of the Demon choosing any of his daughters as his bride left him cold.