Blessing of Nereus

An unfamiliar feeling floods my lungs and I become increasingly aware of my naked form, hugging the damp ground beneath me. I am vaguely aware that I am not alone, outlying cheers just audible amid the ringing in my ears. Panic crawls up my spine and clutches at my senses forcing me up despite my aching and uncoordinated limbs. Hundreds of fish lay rigid against the cobbled stones around me. Some are barely recognisable, reduced to puddles of soft, pink ooze on impact. For a moment I wondered how he had been so sure that I would not face the same fate...perhaps he wasn’t. 

We had all heard the tales of this place, passed down from distant relations who knew a man, who knew a man that had once found himself standing in this very spot. A place where the land folk walked on two legs, where the sun shone without limits, a prison disguised as sweet gardens of rosemary and fleabane. The morning shadows were retreating quickly as I forced myself backward on shaky legs. It wasn’t the first time I had used them. Curiosity in my infant years had absolved me of any shock but it did nothing to take away the unnatural feeling as I stumbled towards a small stone shelter. I didn’t need to know much about this place to assume that it would be a spectacle if someone had fallen from the sky. I didn’t need questions, I needed to think, to collect my frantic thoughts. Falling inside I leaned heavily against the rough walls. My head pounded as thoughts traveled to her. 

A squeal of delight pulled me back from my spiraling mind as two figures hurried by. “God bless Nereus” they chorused. For centuries the land folk had been divided. Some believed that Nereus, God of the sea and its rich bounty of fish, a virtuous shapeshifter, blessed their village with rains of fish. A sign of prosperity and safe passage for their fishermen. Others placed their faith in science, believing that the fish were picked up in tornadic waterspouts and carried over land where they fell from the skies. A rare phenomenon that brought much attention to their lands. Of course, neither had the full truth. Nereus was a truthful, wise and thoughtful god. I had seen for myself how he had lifted the boats of fishermen when Zeus had turned the skies dark and turbulent. He cared not only for those who lived in his waters but also for the ones who looked to it as their life source. Being the son of Pantos and Gaia, mother earth herself, it was easy to understand why. However. When he met Doris and went on to have fifty daughters, the Nereids, he became cautious and protective. That is how I came to find myself hiding in a shelter built for livestock. I fell in love with a Nereid. 

I wasn’t the first, nor the second or third to fall for one of the great Nereus’s daughters. However, I was nothing more than a simple worker. A man unworthy of a name in the land of Gods. For Poseidon, it had been easy. When he fell in love with Amphitrite, a gentle Nereid, his name was enough to earn approval. Much the same with Peleus who chose Thetis as his wife. Their child Achilles had been a celebration in the eyes of Nereus. I knew then that I could never compare, I was completely undeserving of his beautiful, caring daughter and yet I could not stop myself. I loved her with every fiber of my being and so foolishly I had asked for council with Nereus himself. I laid bare my soul and asked for his blessing. If you could only imagine the ache that spread through me when he rejected my plea. Of course, I could have fled with her, we were in love and didn’t object to a world where we only had each other but how could I, given that my worst fears had been confirmed. I begged Nereus to give me an opportunity. Something that would let me stand alongside Poseidon and Peleus to declare my love, brazen and without fear or shame. I believed those that had said Nereus was virtuous and honest, I believed him when he told me he would give me a chance, right up until I found myself on this island. I let my heavy eyelids fall as I allowed myself just a moment to feel betrayed. This wasn’t a chance, this was a way to ensure his daughter remained dutiful and untarnished by someone like me. 

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ramshackle roof jolted me from a troubled sleep. “Next time you want to drink yourself stupid, find someone else’s cattle house to sober up in!” a voice full of aggression filtered through the stone walls. Not wanting to hang around and find out who or what it belonged to, I made a quick exit, ignoring the shouting that followed me down the hill towards the shoreline. Above water everything sounded sharp and biting, there was no water to soften the noises. For a moment I stared at the water. It didn’t matter how it was dressed up, this was exile. Waves crashed against the rocks and all I could think about was her. I had to see her, even if Nereus sent me back to this forsaken island, again and again, I had to see her face. It was the only way to calm the ache that threatened to consume me. 

Diving into the water, it was colder than I remember but I wasted no time disappearing under the waves, determined to get to my love. It was only when I tried to swim that I realised what he had done. My limbs remained as they were on land, my lungs burned as I fought for air. Breaking against the surface I gasped for oxygen I shouldn’t have needed. Quickly forcing myself back beneath the dark waters I pushed further, ignoring this unfamiliar body that protested. Coughing and spluttering I screamed as I was dragged back to the surface. No, this couldn’t be happening. Again and again, I tried until hot tears fell against my already salty cheeks. I refused to accept that I couldn’t get back to her. “Nereus!” I cried as the edges of my vision began to darken and my body felt heavy. 

“I’ve got you son, you’re ok”. The smell of fish guts filled my senses as my stomach rolled, expelling saltwater and bile, burning my throat. “You had me worried for a moment there” the voice spoke again. Blinking to clear my vision, a man dressed all in yellow stood far too close. I moved to make some distance between us and registered that I was now wearing a similar yellow suit. It felt strange against my damp skin but as a lingering shiver ran through me I didn’t move to rid myself of it. “Lunch is ready if you can stomach it, you could probably use the energy” the strange older man said and it was only then that I noticed the plate in his hand. On it was a whole fish that looked as fresh as if it had jumped from the sea moments ago, only it reeked of death and disease. Surely the man could smell the malodorous stench that was quickly turning the air putrid. Taking my silence for an answer, he pierced the poisoned meal with the end of a gutting knife “suit yourself, there’s plenty more when we get back to land anyway, fell from the sky it did. The whole village is celebrating with a feast and since I don’t need to be fishing for a while I’ll be collecting my nets and then joining them” I watched in horror as he brought the rancid fish to his mouth. Bone tired “the fish is bad” was all I could seem to get out before he looked at me confused. “This is a fine fish son, ain’t nothing wrong with it”. I shook my head, trying to pull myself up “The fish is bad”. Eyeing me cautiously this time the stranger who had pulled me from the water no longer looked friendly. “I’m not sure what your angle is or what you are trying to do here, but I’ve been a fisherman my whole life. I think I know my fish” Not having the capacity for much else I stumbled forwards knocking the plate from his hands before my legs almost gave out. “What the hell are you playing at?” his words were angry and accusing like the other land folk I’d encountered yet he still moved to catch me before I fell. Lifting me to my feet, a gull sensed its opportunity and swooped in grabbing the fallen fish. Sitting smugly on the bow of the boat to swallow it whole. “See what you’ve done”. Before he could question me further the gull twitched painfully, convulsing only for a moment before falling back into the waters, unmoving. 

The fisherman span on his feet, grabbing my shoulders too tightly “How did you know?” his eyes bulging and fearful. “If the fish is poisoned...the village!” running into the wheelhouse, the force of the engine surging forward almost knocked me over. “I don’t understand” he shouted, cutting through the noise and dragging me to my senses. None of this made sense. The fish had rained down because of Nereus, he knew that the land folk would rejoice at his gift, eating the bounty he had provided them. So why poison it? As we neared the land the gravity of the situation rose up from my stomach. Unable to wait any longer I dived from the boat, adrenaline powering my once weary legs. I could barely make out the fisherman yelling from behind me for a brief moment but didn’t look back. Clambering onto the rocks I could make out rows of tables, surrounded by mismatch wooden chairs. Blissfully ignorant families sat around it with full plates as I willed enough air into my lungs to shout “Stop!”. Scrambling over the rocks, scraping my shins but feeling nothing. “Please, stop!” my voice was carried away by the hum of excitement around the table. “LISTEN TO ME!” a guttural roar sounded and it was only when my hands fell to my knees that I recognised it had come from me. Rows of eyes turned to face me, waiting to know what had interrupted their feast. “Please, don’t eat the fish. It’s poisoned” I begged still trying to catch a breath. Silence fell for a moment before a voice carried through the crowd “This fish is a gift from Nereus, you’d be an idiot to think we would throw it away”. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest that I could hear it, I was sure everyone could hear it. “You have to believe me. Catch new fish, have your feast but you cannot eat this fish. You will surely die”. Chairs scraped across the floor as anger flared amongst the land folk. “Who are you to tell us it is poisoned? You think we can catch this many fish? That is why the gods provide for us, else we would starve”. They didn’t believe me “Please, you cannot eat this fish” more joined in as tensions bubbled beneath the surface. “Of course we will you fool, we could never catch fish like Nereus gives us. Our children would go hungry, our animals would suffer and you want us to just throw away this feast?” Frustration clung tightly to me, squeezing me uncomfortably. “If you eat this fish you will die, and it will be your own doing. You looked to the gods before you looked to yourself. You don’t need them to give you fish, you have the brains to build boats, the arms to pull nets, you have the legs to stand against waves and the hands to make a feast just like this one. Why spite yourselves because you fear not living up to someone else”.

“Fine words, but do you believe them?” Spinning round I ran towards the fisherman, clinging to his jacket desperately. “Tell them, tell them the fish is poisoned” I begged. To my horror he shook his head slowly “The fish is not poisoned son, do you really think Nereus would harm these people?” I staggered backwards unable to believe his words. “You know it is! You saw it yourself on your boat” My hands flew to his chest pushing him though he barely moved. “What boat?” Looking behind him an empty harbour greeted me. What was happening? “I assure you the fish is not poisoned, however, you are right. They do not need the god of the sea to provide for them. They also do not need to be a god to care for their loved ones and give them all that they need. They are already capable, just as you are”. I pinched my eyebrows together trying to understand. “Do you believe these people are undeserving of happiness?” Shaking my head I tried to find the words for this fisherman who was doing nothing to help. “Then why do you believe that you are undeserving of the happiness you found together with my daughter?” 

It hit me like a ton of bricks. “Nereus” There he stood before me, the shapeshifter, a god in a yellow fisherman’s jacket and I realised just how blind I had been. “These folks are not like me, they are not gods, neither are they like Poseidon or Peleus nor can they swim amongst the fish and breath beneath the sea like you. Yet, from what I can see they are all capable of love, are they not?” He looked over at the table and I followed his gaze. They had returned to their previous state, laughter echoed against the harbor walls as they sat together happily sharing a feast. Nobody was contorting or collapsing on the floor, just happy families that barely knew of gods and Nereids. “Let me tell you something. I didn’t accept your request for my daughter’s hand, not because I thought you weren’t enough, but because you thought you weren’t enough”. Placing his hand on his chest Nereus looked me directly in the eye. “It is not what we are not that matters but everything that we are, and what you are is a good man who I would be honoured to have at my table”