Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)

On a quiet June morning, Arthur Parnassus and Linus Baker wake to an unnerving silence in a house usually overflowing with noise and magic. They discover the six children—Lucy (Lucifer) Baker-Parnassus, Sal, Phee, Chauncey, Talia, and Theodore—have slipped away to make Linus a surprise birthday breakfast, leaving the kitchen in gleeful chaos. Under the comedy sits a harsher truth: Chauncey has been called a “sea slug” by a hotel guest, and Phee admits how exhausting it is that prejudice persists. The morning ends with an alarming new development when Theodore, a wyvern, reveals he can breathe controllable green fire.

The children’s “happy birt” celebration becomes a farewell party as Arthur and Linus prepare to leave Marsyas for Arthur’s public testimony. Arthur explains why he is doing it: to speak openly, on the radio, about what DICOMY did to him as a child—abuse, institutional neglect, and months trapped in a lightless cellar after he tried to report cruelty—so laws and public attitudes might finally change. Sal challenges Arthur to stop protecting the children from the truth; if the world is going to talk about them, they deserve to hear it and to be trusted with it. Arthur agrees, asking Zoe Chapelwhite and Mayor Helen Webb to help the children process what they hear.

In the city, Linus detours to his old home on Hermes Way, confronting the life he used to live. With enchanted seeds from Phee and Talia, he transforms the barren yard into a riot of sudden flowers—an act that is both farewell and promise. At their hotel, Linus finds a listening device hidden in their room. Rather than letting fear rule them, Arthur insists they choose defiant joy, dancing together to the radio while unseen watchers listen.

Arthur and Linus arrive at Bandycross to face a hostile media frenzy and dueling protests. Arthur refuses a back entrance; he will not be shamed into hiding. Inside, a nervous staffer named Larmina ushers them through a covert route and warns them the hearing has been escalated to the Council of Utmost Importance. Larmina delivers a signal of trust from government secretary Doreen Blodwell and a crucial message: minister Jeanine Rowder is involved, and the hearing’s real purpose is to destroy Arthur’s reputation, not to reform DICOMY.

Arthur testifies without representation in a session broadcast nationwide. He insists “words matter,” names his children on-air so they can hear themselves acknowledged, and describes in detail what DICOMY did to him. The council’s questioning turns adversarial: members focus on his financial settlement, imply corrupt motives, and fixate on Lucy as “the Antichrist.” Arthur refuses their framing, describing each child as a person, not a threat. Rowder takes control, demands Arthur prove he is a phoenix, and needles him until he reveals more power than he wants to show. She produces an affidavit from Charles Werner accusing Arthur of training the Marsyas children as soldiers, then announces she has been appointed interim head of both DICOMY and DICOMA. Her final move is the most dangerous: she orders a new “objective” inspection of Marsyas with removal of the children explicitly on the table.

Pushed beyond restraint, Arthur manifests the phoenix in the chamber, sending the room into panic before Linus helps him regain control. Linus then realizes Rowder has referenced David—a name that should not be publicly known—confirming their hotel was illegally monitored. As they leave, Arthur confronts Rowder with the broken remains of the bug, making the escalation visible to the council and the cameras.

To evade further surveillance, Arthur and Linus change hotels, then travel to a safehouse to meet Jason and Byron (B), who have been sheltering an unregistered child: David, a ten-year-old yeti. David hides fear behind performance, staging an elaborate noir “mystery” to prove he is worthy of Arthur’s home. Arthur and Linus correct him gently: he does not have to earn kindness; he gets to choose. When Arthur demonstrates controlled fire, David mirrors it with ice, revealing his own power—and hints at trauma with his mother’s last word: “run.” Jason later calls to say David has decided to go to Marsyas.

Arthur and Linus bring David to the island quietly by train, trying to avoid Rowder’s attention. David’s initial excitement turns to anxiety that the other children will reject him, but Marsyas surprises him: he sees magical people moving openly, and Helen and Zoe welcome him without hesitation. The children greet him with a coordinated, chaotic banner and introductions, and Arthur sets immediate boundaries when David matter-of-factly says cats are food—creating a new “no eating family” rule to protect Calliope. The family’s most tender gesture is also the boldest: the cellar has been remodeled into a freezing, comfortable bedroom designed for a yeti, complete with daylight and a door labeled with David’s name. Overwhelmed, David admits he has never had his own room, and he cries ice cubes while the others reassure him he belongs.

As Arthur begins integrating David, he tries not to erase what David believes about himself. When David says he wants to be a “monster,” Arthur reframes it: scaring can be about consent and joy, not harm, and learning can give David control over what he becomes. But the outside threat tightens. DICOMY sends formal notice to Helen and Zoe: an inspector will arrive, and any deception could mean immediate removal of the children. Reporters flood the village, but ferryman Merle refuses to bring them to the island, signaling local support.

With the inspection looming, Arthur confronts a rift with Lucy. Lucy accuses Arthur of a double standard—telling David he can be a monster while insisting Lucy does not have to be one. Arthur admits the mistake and draws the real line: Lucy’s vast power could override free will. Lucy admits he might be able to force acceptance instantly, and Arthur challenges whether a good outcome is still wrong if it erases people’s ability to choose and learn. Meanwhile, the household “prepares for war” by trying to prevent it: the children turn in anything that could be framed as a weapon, revealing how anxious and armed they have become. Arthur and Linus also create escape routes for David if DICOMY tries to seize him, and Linus gathers everyone for a comforting sleepover to hold the family together.

Inspector Harriet Marblemaw arrives with Rowder’s authorization and immediately proves hostile, invasive, and eager to police not only the home but what the children read and learn. Refusing to hide David, the children implement a plan: David dramatically presents himself as an adult “friend” to blunt Marblemaw’s leverage, while Sal guides class discussion toward propaganda and totalitarian control, exposing Marblemaw’s real interest in obedience. Marblemaw tries to force a “species” roll call and asserts control through invented “courtesy points,” then reveals her cruelty by crushing Lucy’s pet scorpion without remorse. Zoe confronts her in the guesthouse, making it clear Marblemaw stands on Marsyas only by Zoe’s permission.

Over the next days, Marblemaw escalates—attacking curriculum, isolating children for interviews, and probing for any pretext to recommend removal. Yet her tactics repeatedly backfire as the household undermines her with solidarity and careful misdirection. During a Saturday outing in the village, Marblemaw’s cruelty turns public: she grabs David in the street, injuring his wrist and calling him an animal, trying to provoke Arthur into unleashing the phoenix. Lucy stops Arthur by warning that this is what Marblemaw wants, then reveals a new, alarming strength of their bond: he can “call” his siblings in their minds, and the entire family arrives instantly to protect David. Villagers and onlookers ultimately cheer for David, weakening Marblemaw’s narrative of danger.

The assault pushes Arthur toward breaking. He overhears Marblemaw secretly reporting to Rowder, learning Rowder’s plan is to remove the children “by the books,” branding Lucy as the “Antichrist” and leveraging Lucy’s attachment to control magical beings. Terrified and furious, Arthur spirals until his phoenix erupts uncontrollably and he falls toward the sea. A school of fish—led by Frank, a fish Chauncey once named—catches and lifts him to shore. Linus finds Arthur, anchors him emotionally, and Arthur finally shares what he learned, shifting them from endurance to active resistance.

When Marblemaw confronts Arthur about the phoenix incident, Zoe traps her back in the guesthouse and Lucy fortifies the house’s windows. Arthur tells the children the full truth: Marblemaw is working for Rowder and intends to take them. Sal demands they be treated as partners, not sheltered passengers in their own crisis, naming Arthur “Dad” and Linus “Papa,” a choice the other children echo. David, given the freedom to decide without coercion, chooses to stay on Marsyas and be part of the family, while keeping contact with Jason and B.

Rather than banishing Marblemaw immediately and alerting DICOMY too soon, the family executes a nonlethal counterattack: they “weaponize” the government’s fear narrative by unsettling Marblemaw while refusing to become what she claims they are. Marblemaw’s attempts to manipulate and shame the children are met with pranks, boundaries, and public truth. Arthur raises the stakes by resigning from DICOMY, rejecting the authority being used to justify taking the children. Zoe then banishes Marblemaw from Marsyas permanently, warning that any return will bring unimaginable pain.

Rowder retaliates with an ambush in the village. Surrounded by DICOMY agents and cameras, Rowder presents an order to seize the children into government custody and admits the placement on Marsyas was a deliberate “experiment” centered on raising the “Antichrist” among other children. The town closes ranks to protect the family. In the confrontation, Lucy reveals a new ability—teleportation—and Zoe unveils the deeper truth of her authority, asserting sprite sovereignty over Marsyas with ancient proof and awakening the land’s power. Lucy teleports Rowder’s forces to face Prime Minister Herman Carmine, and Zoe declares Marsyas a sanctuary for magical people. Joined magic reshapes the sea and land, expanding Marsyas into a vast refuge with room for newcomers.

Months later, Marsyas has become a growing community of magical residents, with new services planned to help people heal. Public backlash and a widely shared image of Rowder’s aggression force her out, and Carmine appoints Doreen Blodwell to lead DICOMY and DICOMA. Doreen reveals she is a satyr whose horns were removed in childhood and promises reform, signaling a fragile start toward institutional change. In the midst of uncertainty, Arthur and Linus marry in a public ceremony on Marsyas, surrounded by their children, friends, and hundreds of guests—an open declaration that their family and their sanctuary will not be hidden again.