The Start of the Quest / Escape to Nowhere / A Prince There Was
After Namor defeats the giant squid and is left trapped within the sealed cavern, an apparition rises out of the seashell. The figure identifies itself as Father Neptune and acknowledges Namor's success. Neptune tells him that continuing the quest for the sacred Trident requires him to proceed into the Forbidden Deeps and face the next peril.
Neptune's appearance reinforces the supernatural authority behind the quest. Namor treats the Trident as a sacred object whose recovery will establish his legitimacy, and Neptune's message provides the next direction rather than allowing Namor to abandon the search after surviving Krang's traps.