Portia Agricola is the eighteen-year-old new mermaid ruler of Icosahedron, a newly independent province that seceded from Atlantis, and she is one of the novel’s two central protagonists alongside Amelia. She is a young woman burdened with immense responsibility, tasked with uplifting a fledgling nation that is underdeveloped, impoverished, and constantly threatened by its more powerful neighbor. The novel opens with Portia working on her eleventh speech, a testament to her dedication and the repetitive nature of her efforts to inspire her people.
Portia is deeply knowledgeable about history. She details the Atlantis² War in her speeches, explaining how the Caribbean Atlantis (now Antemidia) and the Azorean Atlantis (now simply Atlantis) fought for dominance for thirty-five years. She invokes the heroism of General Sal-An-Syon, Princess Ala-ne-ra, and soldier Um-Nah-Mel, who organized the successful defense that saved Caribbean Atlantis. Her speeches are designed to remind her people that Icosahedron, like Antemidia, can withstand Atlantis if they unite.
Portia’s relationship with her brother Justus is warm and trusting. He is six years older and fiercely protective, worrying about spies and assassins in the capital. She reveals to him her secret meeting at the Icosahedron’s First National Museum, and he agrees to keep watch—a demonstration of their mutual trust. Portia is resourceful and pragmatic; despite being royalty, she and Justus live in a simple tenement in Icos, cooking and cleaning themselves, a sign of their nation’s poverty and their lack of pretension.
At the museum, Portia meets Tikalie Uxmal, disguised as Mrs. Adelaida Toscano. Tikalie reveals the trident’s Mayan inscription and its ability to be charged by lightning, and she shares her vision: Portia holding the trident, protected by someone with a large shield, who turns out to be Amelia Quintana. Tikalie warns that within twenty years, Antemidia must wage war against Atlantis per the Treaty of Athala or face annihilation. Portia is tasked with finding Destiny’s Theater, gathering actors, and performing Tikalie’s politically neutral play to prevent war.
Portia is proactive and determined. She travels to Lisbon to recruit Davika and Niran for the play, successfully securing Niran’s help. She accompanies Amelia to Italy, where they meet Meremit, the guardian of Destiny’s Theater. When Delphina possesses Lumina and attacks, Portia is in danger, but Amelia deflects the assault with the turtle-shell shield. The climax of the ritual comes when Portia raises the trident, shooting an energetic blessing into the ceiling, completing the play and casting the blessing to prevent war and ensure peace.
Portia dreams of a simple life—she envisions a farm wedding, a desire that contrasts sharply with her political responsibilities. She is a young leader who has been thrust into power and is rising to the challenge, driven by love for her people and a fierce determination to prevent the war that destroyed so many lives. Her partnership with Amelia is one of mutual respect and shared purpose, and her role in the final ritual is the culmination of her journey from a speech-writing ruler to a living symbol of peace.
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