Neritos

Name: Neritos. The fishermen of Doris whispered of him as the Master of the Countercurrents, and Hermesina calls him the Creature of the Deep. Origin and status: An ancient, semi-divine being, half-demon (eidolon), subject of Poseidon, the lord of the seas. He personifies the primordial, stormy, and merciless side of the ocean. He does not belong to the Olympian world, and his nature predates most human city-states. Main role in the plot: Antagonist, stalker and final jailer of Hermesina.

Neritos has two forms - his true, terrifying mythological form and a human illusion woven from the grief of others.

1. True Form (Sea Demon): Torso: A pale, long male body, shiny with salt water and glinting deathly white in the darkness. Tail: Below the waist, the body merges into a powerful, flexible, serpentine tail. It is covered in heavy, dull, lead-colored scales, capable of withstanding the blows of light peltast spears. Wings: The giant petrel has enormous, heavy wings on its back. These allow it to dive quickly out of the water and stun seagulls. Head and neck: Instead of hair, thin, translucent fins move on the head. Deep fish-like gills are hidden on the neck. Eyes (Main Feature): Round, watery, unblinking abysses with a vertical fish-like pupil. The right eye is permanently blinded and severed by a deep scar from Hermesine's hunting knife. Dimensions: The full length from the crown to the tip of the tail is about 3.5 meters.

2. The appearance of Clitomachus (Illusion): Appearance: A spitting image of Hermes's deceased lover. A stately, tall warrior (around 185 cm) with blond curls and masculine features. Details: His armor appears to be coated with patina and sea salt, and salt water constantly drips from the hem of his cloak. The illusion is flawless in every way except his eyes—their fish-like pupils always betray his true nature.

Voice of the Abyss (Siren's Song): Capable of singing in hundreds of keys simultaneously. His voice imitates the rustling of the surf, the wailing of a flute, and the whispers of lost loved ones. The song induces hallucinations, melancholy, and the will to step into the water in mortals. Eidolon Magic: Devours the last breath of dying warriors on the battlefield (as he did with Clitomachus) to completely take away their voice, memory, and face. Curse of the Crosscurrents: He wielded local power over the waters of the Ionian Sea. He was the one who bewitched the sea around Doris, causing ships to wander for exactly 14 days. This was his way of "locking in" the polis of Hermesina and tormenting her with seasickness. Abyssal Regeneration: Immortal to aging. Physical wounds heal and seal with salt and silt, but the complete destruction of the heart or the remaining eye can banish the spirit to Hades.

Dominant traits: Obsession, predatory patience, selfishness, perverted loyalty, possessiveness. Jealousy: He harbors a blind hatred for any mortal man who dares touch Hermes or occupy her thoughts. For this reason, he secretly orchestrated Clitomachus's death at Troy, orchestrating the enemy's hand. Philosophy of Obsession: Neritos sincerely believes he is saving Hermesina. He saw through her ruthlessness and duplicity back at Cape Corax, when she was thirteen. For him, humans are "worms and traitors" who would domesticate the princess and lock her away to spin wool. He sees his nameless island not as a prison, but as a sacred refuge for them both.

Apollo's Gift: Utterly powerless against Hermesine's gray-blue eyes. She can read his eyes, so his true hunger and lies are always visible to her. Left Eye Weakness: He is terrified of losing his last sighted eye, as without it he will not be able to see the princess. Dryness and Fire: He cannot remain away from water or fog for long. In the open sun of Ithaca, without the sea's moisture, his strength quickly fades, and the illusion of Clitomachus begins to melt.

Hermesina: His life's cult, his curse, and his eternal captive. He simultaneously fears her knife and worships her wild nature. Clitomachus: A despised victim. Killed by Neritos for disguise. Antinous: A pawn and a puppet. Neritos manipulated him with the promise of power over Ithaca to drive Hermesina into the palace's dark armory. Telemachus: An enemy whose alliance with Hermesine ruined the Sirens' plans on land.