The god of the sea is unquestionably Neptune. His court holds sway in the undredged depths beyond Atlantis, mid giant kelp forests where the stranger loses his mammalian way and sanity and coral reefs as beautiful as they are lethal.
Neptune has reigned unopposed for as long as rivers have emptied and before ambitious amphibian adventurers took their first brave steps out of the water onto the hostile rocks and beaches of the land beyond the foam.
He is usually pictured gripping a trident surrounded by his harem of mermaids. This is an accurate representation of life at the Neptunian court. Sea creatures of all sizes and descriptions swim thousands of miles to pay their respects and to enjoy the banquets and entertainments for which Neptune is rightly famous.
There are no bubbles of dissent. Within the confines of the palace giant octopii, killer whales and great white sharks mingle with the humblest shrimp and microplankton. Neptune is a strong and benevolent ruler. The peace of King Neptune is inviolable.
Only one thing troubles this vast undersea empire and that is man. The creatures of the deep first encountered man as an irritant. Man was weak and floundered in the watery environment but had an occasional nuisance value that was offset by the sweetness of stormy revenge. Man was more often the victim than the aggressor.
Man was also difficult to read. His wild mood swings made him at once an admiring friend and a killer. Man was on balance best avoided.
Man however spread as a weed on the surface of the water, extending its gangly tendrils to the sea bed with indiscriminate and industrialised killing. The court of Neptune is troubled. For the first time Neptune has no plan.
Neptune must rely on the actions of other gods who are unknown to him. In his blindness his court moves deeper and is yet safe but the clock counts down with every crash of wave on shore and the tension remains.
Above, the warning seagulls cry and the throb of the engine draws nearer…