Chapter 98: Date With Watery Destiny, Part One

Grace lay spread-eagle in the grassy clearing, watching clouds drift across the darkening sky like slow-moving ships. Her white hair fanned out beneath her, probably collecting all kinds of dirt and bugs, but who cared?

Not Grace. Not tonight.

[So this is it,] she thought with a sigh. [Tonight I’m going to get freaky with a water spirit who may or may not want to kill me out of a sense of generational bitterness… Just another day in the life of Grace Lightsinger, eh?]

The village buzzed behind her like a kicked beehive. People nailed boards over windows and hauled their precious stuff to higher ground, prepping for the Tide’s big entrance. The air tasted like salt and fear, tension thick enough to slice with her rapier.

“I… hope you’re not planning to just lie there all night,” a meek voice said from above.

Grace tilted her head back to see Petriel standing over her, green hair falling around her face like a curtain. The healer’s golden eyes were doing that worried-puppy thing, but her smile was real.

“I’m conserving energy,” Grace replied, not moving. “For my hot date with disaster.”

Petriel giggled and plopped down beside her on the grass.

“Y-You’ll do fine. I’ve seen what you can do.”

“I’m not sure about that.”

“I am.”

Grace glanced at her.

Petriel’s cheeks turned pink. Like, really pink.

“I meant… well, you know.”

Grace grinned.

“Yeah… I know.”

[Do I? Meh, whatever. That sounded smooth.]

The sun sank a bit lower, painting the sky in dramatic reds and purples because of course it did. In a few hours, the moon would rise, and the Tide would come looking for her answer. For Eternia’s answer, technically, since the watery entity still thought Grace was her creator.

“I’m a little nervous,” Grace admitted, staring up as the first stars poked through the darkening sky. “What if I screw this up? What if I can’t convince her?”

Petriel touched her arm, sending that familiar tingle of divine energy through Grace’s skin. It was like getting zapped, but in a sexy way.

“Then… we’ll figure something else out. But you won’t fail,” she said, smiling up at her.

Grace sat up, grass sticking to her hair.

Something hot and electric surged through Grace’s body. Maybe it was leftover energy from Venus’s aggressively hands-on lessons earlier. Maybe it was pre-battle jitters. Or maybe it was just the way Petriel looked at her.

But, before she could chicken out, Grace pushed Petriel onto the grass and kissed her.

Petriel made a surprised little squeak that quickly morphed into something much more interesting, a soft moan that went straight between Grace’s legs. Her hands came up to tangle in Grace’s hair, pulling her closer.

When they broke apart, Petriel’s eyes were wide as dinner plates.

“What was that for?”

“Pre-mission good luck?” Grace suggested, suddenly feeling shy despite already having her hand up Petriel’s robe. Way up.

“H-Have you forgotten about y-your big mission?” Petriel asked, her breath catching as Grace’s fingers found what they were looking for.

“I’ve got time,” Grace said, glancing at the sky. “And I could use the practice.”

“… Is that all I am?” Petriel pouted, but her hips pushed against Grace’s hand, completely contradicting her words. “Practice?”

Grace leaned down to kiss her again, deeper this time.

“Absolutely not. Tonight, hopefully, you’re also my lucky charm.”

“Your lucky—ah!” Petriel’s words dissolved into a gasp as Grace’s fingers did that twisty thing she’d been practicing.

[And my stress relief.]

Grace lost herself in Petriel’s body, using everything she’d learned from both Venus and Diana. It was nice to be the one in control, she realized, watching Petriel squirm and gasp beneath her. Made her feel less like a student and more like… well, an actual angel who knew what the heck she was doing.

They were both lucky the clearing was far enough from the village that no one heard Petriel’s increasingly loud moans. Which, by the way, were absolutely going to Grace’s head. And other places.

When Grace finally eased her fingers away, Petriel lay boneless on the grass, a big-breasted puddle, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“That was… wow,” the healer breathed. “Are you sure you need more practice?”

Grace flopped down beside her, grinning like an idiot.

“Always. But I think I’ve got the basics down.”

Petriel turned to face her, golden eyes serious now.

“Just… be careful tonight, okay? Even if you look like Eternia to her, you’re not. The Tide has been alone for a very long time. Loneliness can make people—or entities—dangerous.”

“I know. Diana gave me the same warning.” Grace stared up at the stars popping out in the darkening sky. “But I have to try. I can’t just let her keep taking people.”

A slow smile spread across Petriel’s face.

“Y-You have grass in your hair. And dirt on your cheek.” She reached over to brush it away. “Not very divine-looking.”

“I’ve never claimed to be a proper angel.”

—

Hours later, Grace stood on the moonlit beach, watching waves lap at the shore. The village behind her was quiet, everyone hiding inside with doors barred except for the occasional glimpse of an Ascended Choir nerd helping with the rituals.

Diana had argued right up until the last minute, insisting on staying close enough to intervene if things went to shit. Which was, of course, exactly what went wrong last time.

“If you don’t see me by dawn, then you can come looking,” Grace had finally told her. “But she has to believe I came alone this time.”

Now, as the moon climbed higher, Grace watched the water begin to glow with this freaky blue light. Her stomach did a weird flip that was half terror, half excitement.

[Here we go. Time to see if Venus’s lessons paid off. Please don’t let me die while trying to seduce water.]

The ocean began to rise, not as a wave but as a single column of water, shimmering with internal light. It took form as it approached—a woman’s silhouette, taller than any human could be, with flowing hair that merged with the sea behind her.

The Tide.

Grace took a deep breath and walked forward, letting the cool water lap at her bare feet. Her divine robes—ones Venus had insisted she wear instead of her usual outfit because “if you’re going to fuck a goddess, at least look the part”—rippled in the salt-heavy breeze.

“I’ve come,” she called out, trying to sound confident instead of terrified. “Alone this time. Just like you asked.”

The water figure paused, studying her. Even from this distance, Grace could feel the weight of that gaze—ancient, lonely, and filled with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.

“So you have,” The Tide’s voice rolled across the water, neither entirely female nor male, but something between and beyond. “Come closer, little star. Let us see if you remember the taste of salt.”

[Well that’s not creepy at all. Sure, let me just walk right into your murder-water.]

But Grace squared her shoulders and began walking into the surf, letting the waves soak her robes as she moved deeper. The thin fabric clung to her skin, probably making her look like a drowned rat instead of a seductive angel.

The water rose around her, forming a path that led straight to where The Tide waited. Not submerged beneath the waves, but standing on top of them like they were solid ground.

Grace took the first step onto the watery bridge, surprised to find it held her weight. Each footstep sent ripples outward, but she didn’t sink.

[Don’t think about falling. Don’t think about drowning. Don’t think about how fucking weird this is. Just keep moving forward.]

As she crossed the distance between shore and goddess, Grace felt the medallion pulse warmly against her chest. Whether it was a warning or encouragement, she couldn’t tell.

The Tide waited, her form becoming clearer as Grace approached—a woman made entirely of water, with features that shifted like reflections on a pond. Beautiful in a way that made Grace’s heart hurt, and terrifying in a way that made her want to run screaming back to the beach.

But she kept walking.

One step.

Another.

Toward The Tide.

Toward her watery destiny.

The Tide’s form shifted again, solidifying somewhat as Grace got closer. Now Grace could see those details from before. Long flowing hair that rippled like waves, a face almost identical to Eternia’s but with eyes that reflected the entire night sky, and a… that body.

“You kept me waiting,” The Tide said, her voice closer to human now. “So many centuries.”

Grace swallowed hard. This was where she had to be careful. The Tide thought she was Eternia, and Grace had to maintain that illusion just long enough to… well, to do what she’d been training to do.

“I’m here now,” Grace said, stepping closer. The water bridge widened beneath her feet, forming a platform that kept her just inches from The Tide.

The watery goddess reached out, her hand translucent and glowing from within.

“Are you? Not just another fragment of yourself? Not just another tease?”

Grace took the hand. It felt almost solid, cool and slick against her skin.

“I’m here,” she repeated, trying to channel some of Venus’s confidence. “To make amends.”

The Tide’s lips curved into a beautiful and wrong smile, like seeing a shark smile.

“Amends. Yes. Come.” Her free hand gestured to the churning sea around them. “I wish to celebrate right away~”

“… Lead the way.”

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