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The Six (present and past)
Serafina
Merrow's descendant, the bookish and insecure princess of Miromara.- The Chains of Commanding: She's had the burden of the crown from a young age, with her mother holding high expectations for her. Once her mother is killed in her uncle's rebellion, she has to step up as the leader of the Black Fin Resistance and confront the realities of sending her people into battle. At the end of the series, she becomes Regina of Miromara, and her first act is to execute her uncle and her former friend for treason, no matter how much it hurts.
- Gaining the Will to Kill: At the beginning of the series, she's horrified when she accidentally kills a death rider. As the series goes on, however, she becomes more used to killing in defense of her friends and eventually leads the Black Fin Resistance in battle.
- The Power of Love: Her utter devotion to her people and their well-being is what transforms her from an insecure and frightened princess into a powerful and determined queen.
Neela
Navi's descendant, the emotional and optimistic princess of Matali.- Bioluminescence Is Cool: She has bioluminescent skin that glows blue when she's stressed or showing off.
- Comfort Food: Her Sweet Tooth is her way of dealing with the stresses of royal life. She grows out of it as she toughens up.
- The Fashionista: She wants to be a fashion designer and makes clothes for the rest of the six.
- Genki Girl: Of the girls, she's the most bubbly and cheerful.
- Light 'em Up: She has proficiency with light spells, and is described as "one whose heart will hold the light" in the prophecy.
- Stepford Smiler: While she is genuinely fun and outgoing, she's also straining under her parents' and the Matali court's demands for perfection and focus on beauty, which she swallows down and hides.
Becca
Pyrrha's descendant, an analytical and proactive crafter from Atlantica.- Badass Bookworm: She's a crafter and scholar who wants to go to college. She was also introduced fighting off three rusalka at once, and brushing off her injuries as "scratches".
- Interspecies Romance: She starts a romance with Marco, a human who is in on the mermaid's secrets.
- Playing with Fire: She specializes in waterfire spells, which are sometimes strong enough to light up an entire city.
Ling
Sycorax's descendant, a brash and clever omnivoxa from Qin.- Badass in Distress: She's captured by Orfeo in the second book and is trapped in a prison camp in the third one. She escapes with the help of the other prisoners, her father, and some nearby fish.
- Brutal Honesty: At times. The first thing she does when meeting Serafina and Neela is tell them they're idiots for fleeing a coup in royal clothes and get them some more fitting ones.
- Omniglot: One half of her omnivoxa powers is to speak all dialects of Mermish.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: The other half of her omnivoxa powers is to speak to all aquatic animals.
Ava
Nyx's descendant, an enthusiastic and headstrong oracle from the Freshwaters.- Blind Seer: She has visions, and she was blinded by a fever when she was six. Unlike many examples, her prophetic powers do not compensate for her lack of sight at all.
- Disabled Snarker: She is blind and also the sassiest of the bunch by far, always ready with a quick retort.
- Loyal Animal Companion: She has a seeing-eye piranha named Baby who helps her get around. He's tragically killed in the final book, and she gets a new one named Sweetie in the epilogue.
- Mission from God: She fervently believes that the gods made her blind for a reason, and this reason has to do with the quest for the talismans. This is why she defies Serafina's order to retreat from a dangerous situation. She finds the reason in Sea Spell, where her blindness makes her immune to the Okwa Naholo's powers and lets her retrieve Nyx's ruby ring.
Astrid
Orfeo's descendant, the fierce and cynical daughter of Ondalina's ruler.- Dark Magical Girl: A distrustful girl who clashes with the rest of the group, despite clearly belonging in it. Contrary to the rest of the trope, however, she has the least magical ability of any of them.
- Fictional Disability: She cannot sing and thus cannot songcast, an ability all mermaids have. Ironically, once her voice box is healed, she turns out to be quite the powerful singer.
- Klingon Scientists Get No Respect: Despite being a skilled warrior, Ondalinians who know Astrid's secret do not respect her, because of their culture's emphasis on perfection. She's incredulous when foreigners who have magic insist that her imperfection doesn't matter to them.
