Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Stab, duck out of range, repeat.

It's alarming how easy it is to fall back on the old tactics.

Of course, Polites thought 10 years of war would do that to a person. Following Odysseus's orders, he struck the heels and moved out of range, circling until the cyclops let down his guard again.

He doesn't like fighting. He doesn't think he ever would. But someone has to fight the war for the people who can't. Besides, he reassured himself he struck first. Even so, he mourns the life that must be shed.

The cyclops roared in pain, so loud that Polites heard it over the shouts of the men, and for one flitting moment, Polites feared the ceiling would fall. Suddenly the cyclops had its club in its hands. And it was coming straight. for. him.

Dimly he thinks he should run. Do something. Move! But his muscles wouldn't give. He thinks he sees someone running towards him from the corner of his eye, but all he can do is stare at the club as it sinks closer and closer towards him. Right as it was right on top of him, he felt someone push him out of the way. Skidding away from the club and on the floor, with a CRACK, the club fell.

Suddenly he was a child, wide-eyed and staring as a boar charged closer and closer. And just like now, he was pushed out of the way. Polities saw Odysseus push him out of harms way as the boar's tusk grazed Odysseus's leg. Swiftly like a bolt of lightning, he had a feeling who pushed him out of the way.

No.

He scrambled up to his feet and ran over to the body.

NonononononoNO

“Captain…?”

There on the ground was the broken body of Odysseus.

His captain. His friend. Dead.

He dropped to his knees, fumbling for a pulse, checking his breathing, anything.

Nothing.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Everyone is panicking.

The deck is a blur of colors and sound as men scramble to get the ships as far away as possible from the island, scurrying like ants when a giant steps on an ant pile.

Eurylochus was on the topmost deck, commanding the crew to go full speed ahead. The ship’s a mess of colors and sound, but he still has a circle of calm around him.

Polites knows he should go help, but he couldn't move his hands off the rail, eyes glued on the Cyclopes on the beach, the cave they were trapped in behind the giant looming like a gaping maw. It was shouting while tossing rocks at the ships, some barely missing, splashing everyone with seawater.

Despite the growing distance between the ships and the island, the Cyclops' yells were still VERY audible.

"Curse you, nobody! I will make sure my father Poseidon will hear about this insult! He will make sure you never reach your homeland!"

He made his point clear by throwing another rock, the size of the mast, right behind the back of the boat, making waves as big as the ship itself, splashing the entire deck, and almost capsizing the boat.

Nobody? Right, that was what Odysseus told the Cyclops his name was. It was also what the Cyclops (Polyphemus he remembers is its name) told the other Cyclopes.

Oh.

He still thinks Odysseus is still alive.

He grips the railing tighter, scraping the wood.

“POLTIES GET OVER HERE!!!” Eury roared from behind him.

Polites startled, taking his hands off the railing and running back into the chaos. “Ah! Coming!” he yelled, going to help.

Soon, the cyclops yells fade away, and the island becomes smaller and smaller in the distance.

Yet his threats reverberated in all their ears.

 . . .

He’s looking for Eurylochus. After they had escaped from the Cyclops the crew told Polites that he told them he left to get some rest. No one believed him of course, so they called Polites to go look for him. Looking around his room, it was clear he had yet to step foot in it after they had left for the cave.

Technically not his room anymore. Eurylochus is in command now, so he has the Captain’s quarters now. He doesn't want to think about what that makes him. He doesn't bother to check the captain's quarters, knowing even though Eurylochus is now the captain, he wouldn't step foot in that room.

Polites did however, poke his head into the study. It was slightly dusty, with maps hanging on every wall. A rich mahogany desk stood in the middle of the room, with a large map on top, along with some scattered pieces of paper, and a lamp, with a faint fire still burning inside it.

Sighing, he stepped into the room and walked around the desk to turn off the lamp. “We really can’t afford to use more than we already have. I should have a talk with everyone about wasting resources.” He mused.

Eyes roving around aimlessly, looking at the maps on the walls, he worried for Eurylochus. He and Odysseus have always had a more proper relationship, people would be blind not to see that they cared for and respected one another, each trusting the other to lead.

Even on the deck, ordering everyone to go full speed, he saw that he was only putting on a guise to calm the others. He’s just as uncertain as everyone else, if not more.

His gaze finally landed on the map at the center of the room. It was a map of the route home, with Odysseus’s squiggle writing in the margins. Right above the words Ithaca he wrote: Home.

Remembering something, he grasped the compass hanging on his chest and looked at it. It fits the size of his hand perfectly, the needle styled as a flame spinning around for a second, then pointing firmly in a direction, looking like it's flickering in the light.

There are a few things special about this compass.

For one, even in the small room, he knows the needle is not pointing north.

Two, it was a gift from a god.

 . . .

Polities watched as his friend walked away, his back turned, then looked down at the lotus at his feet.

He sighed as he picked up the fruit, the seeds still glowing faintly. He only wanted to show his friend that kindness was not a weakness and that he could relax, but he was the one proven wrong instead.

"This is what you get with open arms."

The juice began to drip down his arm as he gripped the fruit tighter.

He dropped the fruit, letting it fall back on the ground, and wiped his hand on his tunic.

Even so, he couldn't bring himself to blame the Lotus eaters. They had come to ask for food, and they had obliged. Too bad it was as good as inedible to them.

Suddenly he heard a rustling behind him. Spinning around, he sees a Lotus eater walking towards him. Relaxing a bit, he untensed his hand on the handle on his sword and turned fully around to face it.

"Hello," he said, trying his best to sound friendly. "Do you need something?"

"Hello," the Lotus eater echoed, scrutinizing him as he stood there awkwardly.

Then it reached out and pulled on the sleeve of his chiton, making him stumble in surprise, tugging him wherever it wanted him to go.

"Follow," it said, tugging him into the jungle.

"Follow?" He echoed in confusion. "Follow where?"

The Lotus eater didn’t answer. Nevertheless, he let himself be led into the jungle, stumbling from the foliage every few seconds.

They were walking for barely three minutes before he heard noises coming from behind.

Stepping in front of the Lotus eater, he gripped his sword; his eyes narrowing on where the sound is coming from. Whatever it is, it's coming to them fast.

The rustling got closer... and closer... and when the thing finally popped out of the bushes, it was... Odysseus?

His dear friend looks terrible, with leaves and twigs in his hair, dirt on his tunic, and hunched over, gasping for breath as if he ran the entire way over.

He looks... honestly pathetic. This is the man that led them all into a ten-year war, with many people described as godly, and yet... he was just another man. "A very out of breath man," he thinks, struggling (pretty sure failing) to keep the laughter off his face, while Odysseus uses his arm to lean heavily on a nearby tree panting.

Finally catching his breath, Odysseus immediately tugs Polites behind him, almost yanking him face first into the ground and... draws his sword at the Lotus eater.

"Wait, wait, wait!" he sputtered, wriggling out of Odysseus's grasp and standing between them, arms waving franticly. "Don't hurt him!"

"What do you MEAN don't hurt him?!?" he demanded. "I turn around for ONE SECOND, and they’re dragging you away!"

"He was going to show me something!" Polites blurted out. "He told me to follow him!"

"Yeah?" he challenged. "Follow him where?"

Polites opened his mouth, closed it, and looked down at the ground.

"He didn't tell you, did he," Odysseus says deadpan.

The Lotus eater chose that time to speak up.

"Meet."

"Oh? Is that why you wanted me to follow you? You wanted me to meet somebody?" Polites asked the Lotus eater.

The Lotus eater nodded.

"A likely story," Odysseus said, not pointing the sword directly at the Lotus eater anymore but still refusing to sheath the blade. "Why couldn't the person come find us themselves?"

Polites looked at the Lotus eater, then Odysseus. Neither was going to back down, and he doesn’t think the Lotus eater is going to explain himself more.

Alright then, compromise time.

Polites rummaged his brain. There has to be a way for both sides to be somewhat satisfied, right?

“Come on,” he thought. “You didn't play mediator in a ten-year war for nothing.”

"How about this?" He suggested. "I go meet this person-"Odysseus immediately opens his mouth in protest "-and my friend here can come with me?"

The Lotus eater seems to think about it for a second, then nodded. He turned and walked into the jungle, pausing momentarily to wait for them before plunging in.

"Well?" Polites asked, smiling. "Are you coming?"

Odysseus hesitated and then, letting out a long sigh, sheathed his sword.

"You know very well this is a bad idea, right?" He said.

"Come on, show some trust towards them, won't you?"

"They gave us fruits that would make us never want to leave."

"Show some trust in me then, alright?"

"You followed the people that gave us the fruits."

"Fine, then trust only yourself, you paranoid bastard," he said, affectionately bumping his shoulder before running after the Lotus eater.

"It's not being paranoid if there are red flags," he called behind Polites, running to catch up with him until they were walking side by side.

Following the Lotus eater, Polites took a closer look at Odysseus. Even with his hand clenched tightly on his arm (like if he stopped holding it he would disappear), his other hand is still on the hilt of his sword. He looks like he hasn't slept in days, eye bags and tensing at every little sound, always close to drawing his sword.

He knows something happened during the end of the war. It isn't just how the war ended that is affecting him like this. He has a feeling that this is something that his friend will never talk about, taking whatever it is to his grave.

But he can try making the burden of whatever it is easier.

So he starts talking. Nothing of importance, just talking for the sake of talking. Chattering to fill the silence. “Did you hear about what happened on the ship? Apparently, someone forgot…Eury was sooo mad he yelled for hours and…”

Odysseus relaxed, little by little listening to the stories and sometimes laughing and firing back witty retorts.

Polites looks in approval as Odysseus slowing stopped tensing his shoulders and stopped gripping his sword so tightly as he’s ranting about one of the soldiers slaking off.

Finally, they reached a clearing in the jungle. Looking around, Polites guessed this was right in the island's center. In the center of the clearing was a huge hearth with flames flickering as high as a man, with houses all around it and lotuses stacked in all the baskets outside the houses.

"This must be the light we saw on the ship," Polites murmured to Odysseus.

"And still suspicious," Odysseus fired back. "Look around. This must be their town, yet we don't see a single one of them other than the one that led us here. And even up close, the fire still doesn't let out smoke."

"That, is because of me." A voice said from across the clearing.

Polites noticed a person standing next to the fire, tending the flame. When she walked closer towards them, he saw that she had kind eyes, like the warmth of a flame. But he knew immediately that she wasn't human.

"Greetings, Odysseus, warrior of Athena, and Polites, soldier of Ithaca. I am Hestia, god of the hearth."

Polites immediately bowed, hearing this. Everyone respected the god of the hearth, known for keeping the peace in Olympus.

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Odysseus standing, only giving the god a respectful nod.

"Odysseus...." he hissed from the side of his mouth.

Seeing Polites staring at him with a glare, Odysseus glanced down and quickly bowed.

"There is no need for that," the god said, looking faintly amused, nodding to the Lotus Eater as they left, leaving them alone with the god.

Turning back towards them, she began to speak.

"I am here to offer my services to get you back home."

Polites wasn't expecting that. A task she needed completed sounds more like the gods, maybe even coming down just to curse them. (However unlikely, the odds are never zero.)

"I will admit I have other reasons for helping you. As you know, the Trojan war has split the Olympians greatly, and I believe the sooner it is behind, the better."

"I do care for getting you back home. I am a god of family, and many on your ships are trying desperately to get back home towards them."

She smiled at Odysseus at this, and walked towards a large straw mat that was put near the fire. She sat down on it and patted the mat as an invitation.

Polites sent Odysseus a uncertain look that he returned with a shrug as he went to sit across from the goddess on the mat. Polites hesitated, and then slowly sat down next to Odysseus.

“I must warn you that I won’t be able to you the whole way. My presence here will cause chaos among all the gods if the other Olympians find out about this. I’m not known for meddling in mortal affairs and in the eyes of the others it means that I would have chosen a side in the war.”

“But the war’s over.” Polites chimed.

Hestia’s eyes softened and she reached up to ruffle his hair. “Yes, the war is indeed over. But they will not see it that way.”

Odysseus snickered as Polites touched his hair bewildered.

“But this does not mean I can't help you in other ways.”

The flames in the hearth flashed as she said that, and in the center of the fire was a compass. She stood up, brushed her hand on her clothes and turned and walked into the fire, feet walking on the coal unburned. She picked up the compass and walked out of the fire, displaying the compass as it swings slightly in the wind, the metal glowing a fiery red.

"This compass will point for you the way home."

She walks forward and instead of giving it to Odysseus, she stops in front of Polites. She held it out and he instinctively cupped his hands as she dropped it in his palm. He hissed as the red-hot metal hit his hands, somehow not hot enough to burn but enough for it to tingle.

"Good luck."

…

After talking to the Lotus eaters, Polites finds Odysseus sitting near the side of a cliff, eyes staring vacantly at the island. Polites took a step towards him, stopped, and cocked his head.

 His face breaking into a sneaky grin Polites sneaked around the clearing till he was behind Odysseus’s and leaped. Odysseus screeched, loud enough to startle an owl that was sitting in a tree near the clearing, fumbling and twisting around to see Polites giggling on his back.

"WHA-POLITES!"

Odysseus roughly pushed him off, making him tumble to the ground, still giggling.

"Hey!" he said, righting himself and sitting down next to Odysseus.

"The Lotus Eaters says there's a cave east fulll of food-"he spreads his arms wide. "Just east of here."

He bumps his shoulder with Odysseus's. "See? Greet the world with open arms."

Rolling his eyes at Polites smug face, he turned back towards the cliff.

Frowning at Odysseus blatant dismissal at Polites, he slides down the log till only his head was resting on it, tilted up at the stars.

“So…” He sees Odysseus tense and decides to change the question. “Lady Hestia huh? I didn’t know what to expect meeting a Olympian.”

Odysseus immediately responded without thinking. “She said there was no need for that.”

“She said there was no need for bowing. And it’s called being respectful, Cap-tain. I remember a certain child so proudly telling us about lying in front of your now patron goddess?” Polites snarked back, enunciating the word Captain.

Odysseus looked back towards the trees near the cliff, meeting eyes with the owl Polites startled. The owl narrowed its eyes and with a hoot flew away into the thicker trees, dogging a vine in the way with ease.

“Something like that,” Odysseus turned back towards the cliff, staring at the water lapping at the shore. Polites stayed silent, staring up at the stars waiting for him to speak.

After some time had passed, he finally spoke again. “Polites?”

“Hm?” Polites said, noting that he sounded tired, so tired, more than he ever had during the war.

That isn’t right. He’s supposed to sound relieved. Happy.

“When does a man become a monster?”

Polites snapped out of his worry at the question, taking a second to comprehend the question. “Huh?”

“When does a man become a monster,” Odysseus repeated, still not meeting his eyes, still staring at the waves receding and rising looking like an army trying to breach the island.

Polites surprised at the question replied without thinking, “I don’t know.”

When they harm with no regret?

 Odysseus seems to have expected this answer, but he looks disappointed regardless.

Polites, deciding he let his friend wallow for too long in the silence, spoke. “I don’t know the answer to that question. I doubt anyone knows. But-” Polites firmly said, sitting back on the log, taking Odysseus's hands in his. “I know you are no monster, my friend. I know that you're tired of the war and bloodshed, and that’s not how we're supposed to live. There is so much guilt inside your heart, but you don’t have to hold into it forever. You know why?”

Odysseus stared at his hands clasped with Polites and finally looked up into his eyes. “Why?” he asked still downcast, but Polites could see a flicker in his eyes.

“Because the war is over,” Polites said stressing every word. “You will never have to see Troy again. You’re going back home. You can finally see Penelope, and Telemachus, your kingdom, and your parents again. I can’t promise that we won’t have to fight in another war. But that war is over. No matter what happened next we will never have to repeat that.”

“Just,” Polites said exhaling the breath he was holding and scooting a bit away from Odysseus. “Try to relax my friend.” He gave Odysseus a smile. “Greet the world with open arms?”

“Greet the world with open arms…” Odysseus repeated, looking out at the faint light that was coming from the horizon.

Polites finally stood up and brushed out the leaves that fell on his clothes. “The sun’s about to rise,” he said. “Let's get back to the boat. I sure don’t want them lighting his whole place on fire.” Polites joked.

Odysseus let out a sound of agreement and stood up stretching his arms above his head till he heard a pop. “Let's go.” He said, sounding like his regular commanding self.

“Aye, Aye Captain,” Polites responded, following him back into the jungle batting a vine away from his head.

And during the walk back to the beach, Polites noticed Odysseus didn’t reach for his sword once.

…

Staring at the compass now, he feels hopeless. They have a way home, but what's the point when they can't take it? The lotus eaters lied, (they didn’t they just omitted some very important details his brain kept reminding him) Captain and 12 men are dead, and the rest of them barely got out of the cave with their lives let alone food.

He feels as if the compass is mocking him, showing exactly which way home is, yet unable to take it. His eyes are stinging with tears, making the compass look blurry.

He needs to look for Eury. He needs to be helping.

I told him he was finally going to go home again.

But he's tearing at the seams, and he knows he’s going to break sooner or later.

10 minutes, he thinks. 10 minutes, as he slides down the wall, puts his head in his knees, and finally lets a sob out of his throat.

...

He was back on the deck- calmer now but still shaken. He had unwrapped the ribbon that he usually tied around his head to fidget, wounding it over and over his hands. Walking around the deck, it was quieter than he had expected, with no one on the deck. Even at night, there would still be people on the deck, checking the ropes or keeping watch. He feels grateful that there isn't anybody, however. He doesn't trust himself to speak without collapsing into tears right now.

He looked up, tilting his head up and up, to the topmost mast of the ship where the crow's nest was. Squinting, he could see the outline of a person up there.

Aha.

Tying his ribbon back on his head, he walked to the ladder on the mast and started climbing. After a climb that seemed to take hours, he reached the top.

He can now clearly see his friend, bathed in the moonlight. His back was turned on him, shoulders hunched and shaking slightly.

He opened his mouth but quickly shut it. He doesn't trust himself to speak without crying right now. Walking towards him, he made sure to put his foot down a little heavier so Eury could hear him approach.

Eury jolted, hearing the person coming, and quickly tried to compose himself. If Polites looked bad, Eury looked worse, eyes red, and slouching. Polites couldn’t remember the last time he did that, always straight backed and confident, ordering the soldiers without even a moments hesitation.

"Hey," he said, not yet feeling ready to speak more than that one word. He walked towards the rail and leaned on it next to Eury.

They both stood there for a while leaning on the railing.

Finally, Eury spoke, clearing his throat. "I hate the sea," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Polites to hear it.

Polites hummed.

"The waves rocking makes me nauseous, when it's daytime, you see nothing for miles on end with no sign of anything living, and when it's night, you can't see anything at all," he said, gaining more fervor as he talked, gesturing around them which was indeed to dark to see much of anything.

Polites hummed again, letting the conversation fade back to silence.

Soon after, Eury spoke up again.

"Why did you not let me kill the Cyclops in the cave." He uttered the question tiredly, but Polites could hear the accusation in his tone and flinched.

Knowing he couldn't ignore the question, he looked away to think about it.

He thought back to the cave, the cyclops laying on the ground, with its hands to his eye.

"Don't go...!"

It had not been a few moments since he had been painting the walls red with his club, and yet-

"...Mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to use."

"You're avoiding the question."

"...he was blind, and his brothers left. I… didn't think he would cause any more harm."

"If we killed him, then he couldn't have called upon Poseidon." Polites could hear the anger in his voice, but he could hear the undercurrent in his words. "If I killed him..."

“If he didn't listen to my plea.”

Polites finally turned towards him, looking him in the eyes.

"I won't feel guilty about showing mercy." He said, with all the confidence he has, squaring his shoulders. But he felt a part of him, some small part, regretted that he decided to spare him. He pushed that part as far away as he could.

I won't (I can’t)

Eury stared at him for a moment, calculating. Finally, he sighed and slumped down again, resting his head on his arms, looking over the edge of the railing at the ship below.

“I… don’t know if I can lead them. I… froze in the cave. When the other Cyclops came..., I couldn't move. The only reason we survived was because of Captain." He admitted, slowly, like every word was ripped from him.

Polites softened his stance and rested his head on Eury's shoulder. “His skin is cold,” Polites noted “He must have been outside this entire time.” "Hey...give yourself some credit. You got put in that... “position” so quickly, and you were the one who thought of a way out of the cave.”

“Captains never freeze. Captain never freezed.” Eury grumbled.

That startled a snort of disbelief out of Polites. “Now I know you’re remembering things wrong. Don’t you recall that time when he was caught sneaking out to meet us? He got tangled in the sheets he was using as a ladder and made so much noise half the palace came running, thinking there was an intruder.”

Besides, Captain's lie gave us some time." He gripped the compass underneath his shirt. Let's hope it's just enough time to get us back home."

Before Poseidon finds us.

Polites released the compass from his grasp, breaking the tension-filled air by clearing his throat.

“But for now, let's just get you back inside to sleep.” Eury scoffed, but he let go from the railing and went back down the nest, with Polites following him.

Above them, an owl sat on the mast, watching the entire interaction.

It cocked its head to the side.