The Little Nereid Part 27 (final)

Record of Ragnarok fanfiction

Poseidon x OC

Word count: 1,700

Dynamene, youngest of the 50 Nereids, has lived most of her adolescence as a servant alongside her sisters at Poseidon’s palace. But with her coming-of-age birthday and other developments, what she initially thought was just admiration of her master blossoms into something stronger and more passionate… and painful. Loving someone like Poseidon is not easy period, let alone as your first love. But Dynamene is young and naïve, and all she wants is a chance to be at the sea god’s side.

Categories and warnings: Romance, angst, unrequited love, coming-of-age, earn-your-happy-ending, slow-burn (ish); sexual content. Graphic violence parts 15 and 16. Smut part 25.

Now completed.

—

It was with wobbly legs that Dynamene made her way out of the palace and down to the water’s edge. She felt as if she’d just left a court trial, confessing her engagement to Poseidon to her parents, and now she felt so weightless she was nearly light-headed. She all but collapsed onto the sand and buried her hands and feet into the warmth. “That didn’t go so bad,” she murmured to herself, giving her shoulders a shake. “That didn’t go so bad at all.” She smiled with relief, watching a group of merpeople play in the distance. Now all that’s left is to tell my siblings… But that can wait until after the Gods’ Council; perhaps when I have Poseidon at my side once more. He can make his case then, too.

“Feeling less worried, now?” Dynamene jumped and whipped around to look behind her. Eione was standing there, hands on hips, grinning knowingly at her.

“I was, until you frightened me half to death,” Dynamene groaned. “Thanks for the heart attack.”

Eione plopped down besides her on the sand. “So little Dynamene is joining the ranks of our married sisters, huh? Where has time gone…” She squinted into the bright sky. “I’m glad Mother and Father didn’t give you much grief.”

“You eavesdropper,” Dynamene sighed, resting her face against her hand. “But I suppose it’s alright to let one of you know before I tell the others. It feels weird, keeping something a secret from you all.”

“Well, perhaps I shouldn’t have listened,” Eione confessed, leaning back on her arms. “But I was already lounging on the roof when Poseidon came by to speak to our parents. They never went inside, so I heard the whole thing.”

“You did?!” Dynamene started.

“It didn’t take very long. He said his piece about how he wanted to marry you, and that he’d keep you safe… And Mother said, ‘what, like last time?’ I thought for sure that’d set him off again. But it didn’t.”

After what had happened in the past, Dynamene found it hard to picture her love maintaining a stoic face against her mother’s barbs. “What happened next?”

“He just stood there, and then Father said it was entirely dependent on what you wanted. Then he left. Very dramatic, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

Dynamene snorted. “Ah, yes. My fiancé and his flair for drama.” But inside, her heart was jumping for joy. It was the sweetest feeling to know that he was making an honest attempt to rebuild bridges with her family. She turned to look at Eione. “…Tell me, do you think I’m foolish for wanting to be with him again?”

“No,” Eione said flatly. “I knew it would happen. And I think, once you tell the others, they’ll say the same thing. If the old wounds had healed, and the feelings had died, you wouldn’t have continued to avoid him two thousand years later.”

Dynamene winced. “It was really that obvious, huh?” She sighed. “I tried so hard to forget him, you know. I was just never successful.”

“So you have to tell me then, what happened that you two reconnected? This is all so sudden. Nothing for two millennia, and then overnight, you two get engaged?” Eione chuckled. “Sure you’re not pulling our leg? Or have you been keeping it under wraps for a while?”

“No!” Dynamene got flustered as she remembered last night’s rather passionate reunion. “Um, we just happened to meet last night when I went to see the old palace, and we started to talk, and… um…”

Eione guffawed, her eyes wide, as she put two and two together. “Wait, what?! Is young Dynamene a maiden no longer?!” She fell back in the sand, laughing. “You spent the night with him, and now you’re engaged?! It was that eye-opening of an experience, was it?!”

“It is not that cut-and-dry!” Dynamene protested, her face bright pink. “We reconnected emotionally! We had a very honest conversation with each other about how we feel, and the future.”

“Oh, I bet you did,” Eione gasped, pushing a curl out of her face. “Ah, bless your heart. And his. I’m impressed. Well, I’m glad you two found happiness with each other.” She started to laugh once more.

Dynamene gave up her fight against the embarrassed smile that was spreading across her face. “Happy, indeed,” she giggled, turning her face away.

“So we’ll be getting a niece or nephew sometime, then?” Eione teased, poking her leg. “Hopefully after the wedding, and not before?”

“What, a baby? This soon?!” It was Dynamene’s turn to laugh. “I don’t think so! We’ll have all of eternity to start a family. I’d rather focus on the two of us for now.” She playfully tossed a pinch of sand at her sister. “Anyway, I know it’ll take time for Mother and Father to completely accept him, but I know it’ll come eventually. As long as they can be civil, I’ll be happy.”

“They’ll come around. Poseidon’s done some terrible things, but at some point, with the passage of time, even he can change. He may be a god, but he is still a man.” Eione leaned over to poke at the glimmering necklace on her sister’s neck. “I’m guessing these jewels are from him, then?”

“Yes.” Dynamene straightened up proudly. “He’d actually kept the bracelet he originally gifted me all this time… Unexpectedly romantic, don’t you think?” She held out her hand to show off the way the bracelet caught the brilliant sunbeams. “I suppose I should take them off, though, until I’m ready to tell everyone else. They’ll give it away.”

“Aye,” Eione agreed. “The moment they see your bracelets, they’ll know. But how long will you keep from telling them?”

“Only until the Council has ended. With humanity’s fate hanging in the balance at the moment, it’d be heartless to gush over our engagement. It can wait another day or two.” She reluctantly slid the bracelets off her wrists and tucked them into her peplos.

“Here.” Eione helped her undo the tania and necklace. “There we are. Back to unengaged Dynamene.”

“That’s the idea,” Dynamene teased, holding a finger to her lips. “Why don’t we go back inside and see if they’ve started lunch? All this excitement is making me hungry.”

“A woman after my own heart,” Eione sighed. She threw her arm around her sister’s shoulders. “I hope you’ll be staying with us, then, until the Council is over?”

“Of course!” They got to their feet and began the short trek back to the palace. “It really is nice to be home again with all of you. It’s just like old times.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Eione agreed, brushing sand off of Dynamene’s arm.

—

The afternoon’s hopeful atmosphere was quickly extinguished by the following evening. All fifty of the Nereids were gathered in the palace’s largest parlor to watch the Gods’ Council unfold. A large holoscreen projected on one wall stood in stark contrast to the room’s organic stone walls and antique furniture. Dynamene took a seat next to Ianeira and tried not to let her nerves show too much. It was in vain, though, as Ianeira took one look at her and immediately knew what she was trying to hide. “It’s going to be okay, Dynamene,” she said, patting her sister’s hand. “No matter what the gods decide, we’ll be fine.”

“It’s all such gloomy business, though,” Dynamene frowned. “In just a few minutes, humanity may be doomed to extinction. And we’re such young spirits; we’ve never known a time when Midgard didn’t have humans.”

“Maybe the gods will have a change of heart,” Ianeira comforted her, although her eyes weren’t convincing. “As far-fetched as that may seem.”

Dynamene stared ahead at the blank holoscreen and bit her lip. Poseidon more likely than not wouldn’t vote, and his vote was just one out of thousands either way. A single vote was vastly unlikely to change the tide, but… I really wish you would vote against their destruction. Her hands curled into her peplos, and she wished she was wearing her comforting bracelets.

“Look, it’s starting!” One of the sisters announced, and the room fell silent with nervous anticipation. The holoscreen flashed a silver light, and the vast interior of the magnificent Council of Valhalla’s Parliament faded into view. Gods of every pantheon, far too many to count, had taken their seats and were waiting for the meeting to officially begin. A wizened old man made his way jerkily to a throne with a dragon curled around it in the center of the room, below the impatient eyes of the gods all around. The chairman of the council, he hardly looked like someone powerful enough to command such an important meeting of deities.

“That’s Zeus?” One of the sisters exclaimed. “He looks even frailer than usual.”

“Shush,” Ianeira hissed.

Having taken his seat, Zeus began his opening remarks. Dynamene tried to stay focused, but her heart was pounding dizzily in her ears. Would this really be the end to humanity? Would there really be no more trips to human villages, no more dodging sea vessels?

Ianeira reached over and took Dynamene’s hand, and she chanced a glance at her elder sister. Ianeira’s expression was remarkably stony, but Dynamene could see the tension in her taut jaw and narrowed eyes. Dynamene squeezed back, trying to offer some semblance of reassurance. She thought of Poseidon; wondered what he was thinking about at that moment. Will you really not vote this time around, even with things this dire? Even the thought of him voting against humanity was more palatable than him just sitting back carelessly and doing nothing. Won’t you at least take a stance for what you believe in, even if it’s at odds with mine?

“It’ll all work out,” Ianeira murmured. “You’ll see.”

Dynamene nodded assent. “…It will.” She rose her hand to gently nudge the bracelets hidden within her peplos. I believe it will.

And so all the many Nereids sat, together and united as they had been for millennia, as the council began.

—

9 and a half months later…

Thank you.