Water Wife!Penelope having sharp teeth reminds me of how in the 1997 miniseries she sometimes covered her face in front of the suitors. Maybe she covers her face to hide her sharp teeth?
Thank you for the ask! :D
Yes and No in my writing!
Only in the beginning on Ithaca and during certain moments of scheming does she really cover her mouth. While first on Ithaca because she noticed people were a bit nervous around her because of it (not always good to have, intimidation is nice but so is flattery). As not many "wild naiads" (aka non-fountain ones) were in the city. And the Wild Naiads on Ithaca are a bit temperamental, so people would see her pearly whites and have a "oh shit, is she gonna yell at me?"
So she sometimes covers her mouth when she laughs in the beginning, in order to not startle people and make connections.
Odysseus notices this and doesn't like this as "when have you ever wilted for another?" but Penelope knows this is how she eases into this new place/culture. It's hard for her, as it's very different from what she's used to in Sparta, but the Ithacan royal family, a few other nymphs, Athena ofc, and others are supportive of her. :)
A few spats with snooty fountain naiads cause some problems as Penelope can't keep her mouth shut, but she very much comes into her own on Ithaca. Most already know she's a nymph with her ears and reputation so there's no point in hiding it. plus smiles are fun.
Another part of the reason why the suitors wanted her so much (along with the throne and her intelligence) is because nymphs, even non fullblooded ones, remain fairly youthful, live long lives, and usually affect their spouses in that way too. But it's also a whole thing of keeping them happy and that they LIKE you. xD
People already know she's a naiadborn and a smart one at that. She only hides it if the scheme needs it (and then she should cover her ears as well, and she has some scaley spots on her body). But even then, fountain naiadborn are common, so it really depends :P
