Watery Heist

HEIST Neptune’s treasury? Perhaps. Yet thief must
DROWN, descend to depths past light, past
ALGAE, steal the sunken horde, ascend hoping
BELLE, lady of the reef, deigns a kiss for his revival. Then he must quit the sea, never turn his back on a trident.

Missing C

BILLY, that pleb, stands sole without a C today, while
ULCER, RACER, MINCE hoity-toity sit in C array.
RACER, ULCER, MINCE say C is here to stay, else
MINE, RA-ER, UL-ER, says Bill, will be all they say.

Hodgepodge 2

MINCE followed by meat in association game,
RACER by back, is that straps crossed?
BILLY, well, goat, Bob, or club-wrong spelling for Holiday,
ULCER, that one gives pause, preceded by peptic, yet succeeded by . . .? What a pain in the gut is ULCER!