The temple releases you without resistance, its once-ominous shadows now welcoming. The clearing ahead seems brighter, more vibrant, as if the world itself has awakened in response to your presence. You stand at the edge of the lake once more, gazing into its shimmering waters, and something stirs within you—a need, deep and primal, to return to its embrace.
Your bare feet carry you forward without hesitation, the soft earth molding itself to your steps. As you wade into the lake, the cool water caresses your skin, each ripple seeming to recognize and greet you. The surface reflects a version of you that feels both familiar and alien—a figure that exudes grace and power, radiating with an inner glow.
The heat you once sought to escape has become part of you, a living force that pulses beneath your skin. Yet, as the water laps higher around your thighs and waist, you feel something else stirring: an overwhelming pull, as if the lake itself is calling you home.
You plunge deeper, the water closing over your shoulders. It cradles you, drawing you into its depths. The world above becomes a blurred mosaic of light and sound as you dive further, your movements effortless, instinctive. For a moment, there is only the silence of the lake and the steady rhythm of your heartbeat.
Then, a voice cuts through the stillness.
“**You have come far, mortal. But you are no longer mortal, are you?**”
The words resonate like the crashing of waves, low and commanding. They fill your mind and body, leaving no room for doubt or resistance. You halt, floating in the lake’s cool embrace, your head bowing instinctively.
“Poseidon,” you whisper, your voice trembling with awe.
“**You have been chosen, shaped by my will and by the currents of fate. Kneel before me, child of the sea.**”
The command is irresistible. Though you are submerged, you sink lower, your knees touching the lakebed. The sediment shifts beneath you, warm and yielding, as if acknowledging the presence of its master.
“I am yours,” you say, the words spilling from your lips without hesitation. “Guide me.”
“**You have proven your worth, but there is more to come. To serve me, you must become more. A vessel for my power, a harbinger of the tides. Are you ready to accept this gift?**”
“Yes.” The word escapes you as a prayer, filled with reverence and longing.
The moment the affirmation leaves your lips, the transformation begins.
A surge of energy floods your body, more intense than anything you’ve ever felt. It starts at your core, radiating outward in waves that leave you breathless. Every nerve ignites with a euphoria so overwhelming it borders on pain.
Your muscles tense and then release, expanding with each pulse of Poseidon's power. Your arms thicken, the sinews coiling like ropes beneath your skin. Veins rise along their length, feeding new strength into your growing frame. Your chest broadens, the definition of your pectorals becoming almost statuesque. With each breath, your lungs expand, their capacity far beyond what they once were, as if preparing you to command the depths of the ocean.
Your legs follow suit, the muscles of your thighs and calves hardening and swelling with power. The proportions are flawless, every curve and angle a testament to divine craftsmanship. You glance down and see that even your feet have changed—stronger, more agile, the toes slightly webbed to enhance your movement through water.
The changes ripple through your torso next. Your abdomen tightens, the faint lines of muscle deepening into sharp ridges that gleam in the water’s refracted light. Each flex reveals the perfection of your new form, the kind of body sculptors once carved into marble.
Your height increases as well. The lake seems to shrink around you as you grow taller, your limbs elongating with elegance. Where you once felt ordinary, you now feel monumental. By the time the growth slows, you must stand at least seven feet tall, a giant among mortals.
The transformation doesn’t stop at your body. Your senses sharpen to an impossible degree. The water around you hums with life, every current and ripple communicating a language you instinctively understand. You hear the distant call of dolphins, the faint stirring of fish, the rhythm of the waves far beyond the lake.
Then comes the pain—sharp, searing, but oddly exhilarating. It begins at your temples, where pressure builds until two small ridges emerge. You touch them, and they feel smooth yet firm, like coral. These ridges expand, curving backward into intricate horns that crown your head. They feel both regal and primal, a symbol of your connection to the sea and its untamed power.
“**You are beautiful, my child. But you are not yet complete.**”
Poseidon’s voice fills you once more, and the euphoria surges. You gasp as your skin begins to shimmer, the olive tones deepening into a faint, iridescent sheen that reflects the colors of the ocean—blue, green, and gold. Your hair darkens further, cascading in long, flowing waves that ripple as though moved by an unseen current.
Your hands tingle, and you watch in awe as they become more than human. The fingers lengthen slightly, their tips sharpening into claws that gleam like polished pearl. When you flex them, they feel natural, an extension of your will.
Then, your back arches as a new change takes hold. Your spine extends, a powerful fin-like crest emerging along the length of it. The fin is delicate yet sturdy, shimmering with the same iridescent hues as your skin. You sense its purpose immediately: it will guide you through water with speed and precision no mortal could match.
Your underwater form asserts itself fully now. The webbing between your fingers and toes grows more pronounced, and gill slits form on either side of your neck. They flutter open and closed, and you instinctively draw in water, finding it as breathable as air.
Finally, Poseidon speaks again, his voice softer now, almost tender.
“**Rise, Demigod of the Tides. Your mortal name is gone. You are reborn as one of my chosen. Take your trident and claim your place.**”
The water stirs around you, a vortex forming as something emerges from the depths. A golden trident rises, its three prongs crackling with energy. You reach out, and the moment your fingers close around its shaft, power courses through you once more. The trident feels alive, an extension of your own strength and will.
As you stand, your full height revealed, you realize the lakebed beneath you glows faintly. The water around you swirls in deference, the currents bending to your presence. You step forward, and the gills on your neck flutter, transitioning seamlessly as you breach the surface.
Your reflection greets you once more, but this time, it’s not a stranger. It is a godling—a being of strength, beauty, and purpose. Your golden eyes gleam with understanding, and the trident in your hand pulses with latent power.
You look to the horizon, where the ocean waits, vast and eternal. You feel its call, the tides pulling at your soul. You are no longer bound by mortal limitations. You are a Demigod of Poseidon, master of the waves and all who dwell within them.
The world will never be the same.