After much ado, it was time for the final round of interview. As I waited to be called in, I ruminated on what brought me this far. I could recall it all as though it all happened only yesterday. And then I recalled that it all indeed happened only the day before. 

Given I can't swim, I made a fatal mistake by diving into the swelling waters of the Papanasam river. A local or a seasoned swimmer would've known that water in and around the small pool along the check-dam was rising rapidly, but I didn't. In a minute, I was underwater and the last scene I remember seeing before going down was the sight of water gushing down from the Agastya falls and the Papanasam flowing down with all its ferocity.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the midst of some strangers in a fairly high-tech setting tucked away in the semi-forested wilderness . They told me I had miraculously escaped and after struggling for a minute or so, was schooling with some fish before returning to land. I will spare you the details of what they said afterwards but in a nutshell, I had gained superhuman powers and was the Indian, freshwater equivalent of Aquaman. 

"Will you please come along?" A gruff broke my reverie. 

"Let me put this straight," the man who looked both like half-saint, half Nick Fury (Let's call him Saint Fury) said. "We are recruiting people like you to ensure harmony in many of our hidden realms." He walked up to a board that lit up and played a short film on how the freshwater world had many quarreling factions that had to be united and how I could be the one to do the job. "Your abilities along with your ability to survive in the highly political Infotech industry with near zero skills is just what we need." He then returned to the table, sat, leaned into me and said, "The question is, are you game?" 

I sighed, took a deep breath to make up and pursed my lips. "I am not so sure. There are some fundamental issues."

"Such as?"

"Having been raised a vegetarian, I am not sure what I can eat if I have to live underwater," I started off with the most significant of the impediments. "I am sure I can't leave my kingdom thrice a day at the very minimum to eat my favourite food. I will starve." 

"You could switch to fish and..." Saint Fury said, when I cut him off. "I am a vegetarian on account of my spiritual pursuits. It is not a mere dietary choice. I can't sin simply because I have some superpower."

"What else?" 

"The weapon will have to change. I can't wield a trident. It is a no-no in my faith system. It has to be something else - preferably wheel-like. Whatever. It can be anything but a trident."

"Any further demands?" Saint Fury seemed to have given up. 

"I am only stating my position. You ought to know how to treat special people like me," I said uppishly. "I've been considering settling down and starting a family. How about... you  know...  prospects... I mean, the underwater damsels..." I stuttered. 

"So you want good food, a hot partner and a whole new arsenal?"

"For a start. Doable?" I said.

"I'll check and keep you posted," Saint Fury got up, shook my hands vigorously and walked me back to the river bank. "Please check back tomorrow." 

When I returned the next day, I found a board outside. "All Positions Closed. The realms can go to hell. They seem headed that way anyway."