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Chapter Text

Odysseus got out of one of the boats that took him and the other fifty members of his ship's crew to the shore. He stepped onto the sandy beach and his body felt peace once again. He's never liked sailing, he would much rather stay on land than be on a wonky, wobbly, and all-the-time-swinging deck of a ship. He stretched his back and helped Polites out of the boat. Polites had one of the lotus-eating winions - Odysseus believed he called the little guy Spiros - that decided to accompany them on their way home on his shoulder. The small creature was looking around the beach, his purplish eyes glowing with curiosity. Odysseus let a small smile appear on his face, seeing Spiros' eyes sparkling, but then he also looked around.

The island was covered with tall hills growing from right behind the end of the beach. The grass was green and fresh and there weren't many trees around. Between the hills was a narrow valley with a path leading to the mouth of a cave. 

"Is this the cave you were talking about?" asked Polites, looking at Spiros. The little guy nodded.

"Yes. Cave. That way," he answered shortly and pointed. The winions couldn't speak the human language fully but were fast learners. Odysseus caught some of them having a full-on conversation in Greek - it scared him. He didn't trust these... Things. But he never said anything, because Polites obviously liked them and they liked Polites, so they might come in handy. 

"Keep your eyes open," ordered Odysseus after all the men got out of their boats. He looked at Eurylochus and nodded. The man had a skeptical look on his face, he didn't like the winions as much as Odysseus did and didn't want to trust them - but he nodded back, gripped his sword, and took the lead, all of the crew following him. 

The cave was huge. The tall ceiling had stalactites hanging from it and beneath it, there was a huge stock of sheep roaming near the entry and chewing on the fresh grass. There were big sacks of fruits and vegetables stacked on top of each other near the left wall, while on the other side, there was something that looked like huge barrels of wine. Odysseus gasped at the sight of this blessing and almost forgot about having to be cautious for a moment. 

One of the men took his bow and arrow and shot one of the sheep. "Had to make sure they're real," he said to Eurychylos as an answer to his strict look.

"Look at all this," laughed Polites, walking closer to the sacks of fruits. "I knew we could trust you, little guy! I don't even want to believe it, there's so much of everything!"

"You two were right, there's enough sheep here to feed the entire fleet," Eurylochus kneeled to one of the baby sheep that came to him and patted its head.

"Yeah... Almost too perfect," said Odysseus quietly. He felt something was off. "Why would the lotus eaters pass up on all this food?"

And in that moment, they heard it. The sound of loud heavy footsteps coming from further down the cave. They all froze, none of them moved. Odysseus gripped his sword tighter and automatically pulled Polites behind himself in an attempt to protect him. 

A large humanoid creature emerged from the dark. It was tall, its skin was dark and covered with shiny black - almost dragon-like - scales. Its feet looked more like hooves and its legs were unnaturally bent, same for its arms. The hands were equipped with long sharp claws that were now digging in one of the walls, creating a very annoying scratching sound. But the most terrifying part about this whole thing was its face. Mouth turned to a vertical position with yellowish teeth showing as if they were trying to escape it. Above the mouth, were two holes, which probably worked as a nose. And right above that... A huge fiery red eye. It was a Cyclops.

"Who are you?" he growled, his voice deep and menacing. His eye narrowed when he saw the dead sheep.

Odysseus shook his head. He has never seen a Cyclops before, or at least not in person. He has read stories about them but he has never imagined them so... Frightening. 

"Hey there," he spoke after a brief moment. He took his hand off of his sword and raised it but didn't let go of Polites' wrist, still holding him behind. "We're just travelers. We... We come in peace."

The Cyclops bent down a little, his unpleasantly long neck moving slowly as a large snake. "You killed my sheep," he growled again. "My favorite sheep. You will pay for that, travelers." He punched the ground with his fist, causing the whole cave to shake a little. "You want to steal from me? Is this why you're here?"

Odysseus gripped Polites' wrist tighter and pulled him closer to himself. But then he put on a friendly smile and let go of Polites too. He now raised both of his hands in a conflict-avoiding gesture. "No, not at all, mister...?" he looked at the Cyclops with an unspoken question in his eyes. He didn't know the Cyclops' name.

"Polyphemus," the Cyclops replied right away. 

"Polyphemus! Right!" Odysseus smiled. "There's been a misunderstanding - we didn't know these sheep were yours and we are deeply sorry for the damage we dealt." He bowed to him to show that he knew his place. He was a master at manipulation (not that he would take pride in it) and was determined to get them all out of there alive. "Let me make your loss up to you by giving you a gift."

"A gift?" asked Polyphemus. He was confused but a little curious at the same time and Odysseus saw that. 

"I'll give you our finest treasure, as long as we leave alive," he offered. "We have the world's best-tasting wine, here, have a drink!" He unclipped the leather bottle with wine that he took with him from his belt and put his other hand in his pocket at the same. He pulled out a bag of lotus seeds and hid it in his palm. As he opened the bottle, he carefully and inconspicuously dropped some of the seeds into the wine, without the Cyclops noticing. He passed him the opened bottle and Polyphemus took it from him. The giant poured all of the wine into its crooked mouth and swallowed it. Then he let out a sigh of satisfaction. 

"Hmm, delicious indeed," he said and crouched down to him, so his big red eye was now closer. "What's your name, stranger?"

"My name is Nobody," Odysseus replied without hesitation. Polyphemus's lips rippled in something that should've probably been a smile.

"I'd like to give you something in return," he moved a little closer and Odysseus could almost smell his breath. 

"I'm so glad we see eye to eye, Polyphemus," he smiled back at him and did his best not to stutter. This creature was the most terrifying thing he's ever seen.

"Yes, we do," Polyphemus stood up to his whole height. "You shall be the final man to die."

Odysseus froze once again. The fear made him unable to move. "What?..." he gasped so quietly almost he himself couldn't hear it. He saw the Cyclops preparing to strike with his hand, but he wasn't capable of reacting to it. Before he could get himself together and dodge the giant's attack, Polites shouted "Watch out!" and pushed him aside with enough force for Odysseus to lose balance. He fell to the ground and when he turned on his back and sat up a little, he saw Polyphemus' hand hitting Polites. One of the monster's claws cut him deep into his stomach and chest and the blow sent him and Spiros flying until they both hit the wall of the cave. Polites fell down without a single move.

"Polites!" shouted Odysseus and got up on his feet as fast as he could. He ran towards him even though Eurylochus tried to stop him and make him run the other way. 

"Captain! Captain, no!" he called, but Odysseus didn't hear him. He didn't even hear the thuds of Polyphemus' punches landing on the ground. The Cyclops blocked the entry to the cave, giving them no other option than to defend themselves.

"He has a club!" a scream echoed. "He has a-" loud bang of something large and wooden striking the ground with a very unpleasant cracking and splashing sound of someone being crushed to death beneath it. 

Odysseus didn't want to hear it. He got to Polites and kneeled to him, turning him on his back. He lifted him by the shoulders and gently pressed him against himself. "No... No, not you too, Polites..." Another loud bang, screams resounding throughout the whole cave. Odysseus' hands were shaking but he managed to put some of Polites' hair away so he could see his face. "Wake up, 'Tes, come on..." he stroked his cheek and then pressed his hand on the bleeding wound on Polites' torso. 

And Polites opened his eyes. Odysseus saw pain in them, he heard his irregular beath and saw blood coming out of his mouth. "Odysseus..." He couldn't really speak. His mouth was filled with blood and it was apparent that every movement of any muscle in his body caused him a lot of pain. Still trying to ignore the screaming for help in the background, Odysseus lifted Polites' head a little so he could breathe better. Then he took all of his courage and looked over his shoulder.

"Die!" growled Polyphemus as he hit the ground with his club, forcing the remaining men to scatter. "Die!" His movements were getting slower, clumsier. Almost as if...

"Die..." the Cyclops fell to the ground. His now asleep body blocked the only way out. His club fell out of his hand and rolled away from him. And his eye finally closed. 

Silence. The worst, most annoying silence Odysseus has ever heard. He looked back to Polites. "No, nononono, you stay with me, okay?" he said when Polites' eyes started closing again. "I'm gonna get you out of here, I promise." He gently kissed the top of his head, still holding his hand on Polite's stomach. 

"Captain?" he heard from somewhere behind his back, but he didn't pay attention. He couldn't. When Polites touched his cheek, he carefully pressed his face against it. He felt Polites' warm blood on his face and barely held back the tears. 

"Captain!" A touch on his shoulder brought him to reality. Eurylochus wasn't hurt and he ran to his captain right away. "Oh for the love of gods..." he gasped after he saw how bad of a shape Polites is in. "Is he alive?" he kneeled too, facing Odysseus. Odysseus nodded. 

"We must move quickly," he said, still in shock. "I mixed some lotus in his wine, but I don't know how long it'll keep him asleep..." He turned his head. Only ten men remained. He looked back at Eurylochos. "Take his club," he ordered then. "Sharpen it as much as your swords let you, we need it to become a spear."

"You want to kill him?" asked Eurylochus. Odysseus shook his head.

"He's blocking the path... If we kill him, we'll be stuck," he answered. "We gotta stab him in the eye."

"Sir, yes sir," Eurylochus took off his tunic and gave it to Odysseus to press against Polites' injury. "Stop the bleeding. We'll do what we have to." He gently squeezed Odysseus' shoulder and then he got up. "You heard the captain! We can mourn others later, get to work now! We gotta get outta here!"

So they got to work. Odysseus managed to stop Polites' bleeding and keep him awake. He knew that if Polites fell asleep, he wouldn't ever wake up again. He heard the other men doing as he ordered, sharpening the club into a sharp spear. But he stayed with Polites and refused to let go of him. "Stay awake..." he whispered and took Polites' hand. "I know it hurts, it's going to be alright, just... Don't die on me, okay?"

Polites gently and weakly squeezed his hand back and tried to smile and say something, but coughed instead. A painful weep came out of his mouth and a few tears ran down his eyes. Odysseus kissed his forehead and stroked the back of his hand. He almost couldn't bear seeing him like this.

"How's the work going? He doesn't have much time!" called Odysseus and turned his head to see the situation behind him.

"All ready!" replied Eurylochus and put his sword back into the scabbard on his belt. "What are the orders, Cap?"

Odysseus looked at Polites. He let Spiros, who managed to pick himself up, crawl onto his shoulder. "I'll pick you up, okay? Hold on to me..." he told Polites, before gently lifting him into his arms. Polites cried out in pain and placed his arms around Odysseus' neck, hiding his face in his shoulder. Odysseus stroked his back. "Sorry... I'm here, it'll be okay..." he whispered, trying to ease his pain. Then he turned to the rest of his group.

"Lift the club. Aim for his eye and don't hesitate to stab deep. Once he awakens, we scatter and take the run," he ordered them and they did so.

"On three," Eurylochus said, he was the first one in line. He aimed the tip of the club at Polyphemus' eye. "One." The men took a step back. "Two." They got ready to strike. "Three!" And with Eurylochus' order, they stabbed the tip deep into the Cyclops' eye.

The monster awakened right away. He shouted in pain, sat up, and covered his face with his palms. He got up on his feet and tried to walk deeper into the cave, but stumbled and fell to his knees. 

They ran to the exit of the cave. They were almost out of there, almost free... But then, as Odysseus turned his head, he saw more crimson-red eyes appear in the darkness behind them. First, there was one. Than three. And then six. All shining in the dark, illuminating as terrifying faces as Polyphemus'. All of their eyes were focused on Polyphemus kneeling before them, so they didn't notice them. Yet. 

"Who hurt you?" they asked as one. Their voices were deep, scary, and maybe even more menacing than Polyphemus' voice. 

The men stopped in their tracks. "There are more of them?..." gasped Eurylochus quietly.

"Hide, everybody, hide!" hissed Odysseus at the others, covering himself behind a big rock. The others did so. He rubbed Polites' back and carefully peeked out of his hiding.

"Polyphemus, who hurt you?" asked the Cyclopes again, Polyphemus still kneeling on the ground in front of them and covering his face. 

"Captain, we should run," whispered Eurylochus. He was hiding next to Odysseus, unlike him not brave enough to look at what was happening. 

"Wait," hissed Odysseus back and lifted his hand to let the others know that they must not move. 

"Captain, please!" repeated Eurycholus desperately.

"Wait!" Odysseus looked back at him for a moment before turning back to the Cyclopes. 

That was when Polyphemus finally spoke. "It was Nobody! Nobody hurt me!" 

The eyes in the darkness darkened in anger. "If nobody hurt you, be silent!" they snapped at him, before slowly descending back deeper into the cave. 

"No! No, my brothers, don't go!" cried Polyphemus in desperation, reaching out for them with his hand. But the Cyclopes were gone before he could even say anything else. 

Odysseus smirked. "Let's grab the sheep and get out of here."

...

They ran to the boats with some of the sheep in their arms. They rowed to their ship and Odysseus got Polites to the ship's caretaker. "He needs all of the help he can get," he said when the caretaker took Polites from him.

"I'll do my best, Captain," the man replied and quickly went below the deck. 

Odysseus sighed in relief. He was about to give orders to sail out of there, but he felt a touch on his covered forearms. He lifted his head and suddenly, he was somewhere else. His surroundings were just plain gray and the whole space was dimly lit. He recognized it. It was Athena's Quick thought dimension. 

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Athena asked from behind his back. He turned around to face her. Athena was a tall woman with long dark wavy hair running down her back from beneath a Greek warrior helmet. She was wearing shoulder plates, forearm covers - the same ones he wore -, and a wide golden belt with her sword strapped to it. There was a strict expression on her face. 

"What now, Athena?" asked Odysseus calmly, but the tiredness was clearly heard in his voice. 

"If he doesn't die, he's still a threat," replied Athena with the same strict tone as before. Odysseus didn't answer at first, he looked away from her instead. "Finish it," she added after a moment of silence.

"No," Odysseus' voice was coarse, but determined. Athena was confused. 

"No?"

"What good would killing do? More people should learn how to be merciful. I've lost forty men today and the Cyclops got what he deserved! There was enough bloodshed today." The anger in him slowly rose. He was angry at himself for letting this happen. For letting all the others die. For letting Polites get hurt so much... "If this is the cost of being your apprentice, then I give you my hardest pass."

Athena looked shocked, but she hesitated. And that gave Odysseus enough time to break from her hold. 

"Don't-" Athena gasped, but she wasn't fast enough. Odysseus appeared on the deck again and marched his way to the nose of the ship. 

"Hey, Cyclops!" he shouted. "When we met, I told you we came in peace, but you decided to decline my offer of truce! I decided to grant you mercy - but my men, my FRIENDS will not die in vain! Remember them, remember US, the next time you choose not to spare. Remember ME!" Tears of anger filled his eyes. "My name is Odysseus, the king of Ithaca!"

His voice bounced off of the hills as the ships slowly sailed away. The sound of sails picking up wind got quieter as they got further and further away. But in the cave, Polyphemus finally put his hands away from his bloody face. "Odysseus.." His lips curved into a crooked smile. "You fool.."

And throughout the cave echoed his laughter. 

Chapter Text

Polites was alive. Barely, but he was alive. For now. It took long enough for the caretaker to tend to him and since he finished his work, Odysseus has been kneeling by Polites' bedside and has held his hand the whole time. He placed his head next to Polites' and sighed. He was tired, exhausted. Guilty. He took pride in not losing a single soldier in any battle back in Troy. His men trusted him. And suddenly, he felt like all of this trust he gained was now... Damaged. Weakened. Thinned. 

He felt hopeless. He was the one who should've protected all of them and he failed. He failed to protect Polites. 

Polites got under his skin the most of all the men. Eurylochus - right, they were friends, close friends even. But with Polites, something... Something was different. Something... He never knew what specifically. Maybe it was Polites' personality. His positiveness, joy, hopefulness... It was as if he was completing Odysseus' melancholy. He always had hope. For himself and others. Odysseus never really understood it, they were at war for ten years and somehow Polites seemed to remain untouched by the permanent stress. His eyes were always filled with that weird twinkle. His... Bright hazel eyes... 

Odysseus lifted his head. He smiled a little at the peaceful look on Polites' face. He's been asleep for the last hour and his breath was slow and calm. Odysseus rubbed the back of Polites' hand and took a breath, wanting to tell him something, even though he knew Polites wouldn't hear him, but before he could do so his surroundings disappeared. The dull plain gray was there again and he was kneeling on a cold ground instead of a wooden floor. He felt a presence behind him, an urgent and eager presence. Athena. 

"You were... Reckless," she said without waiting. "Sentimental at best."

"I'm not in the mood for your reviews, Athena," he growled at her, but she ignored him. 

"You've tended to go against my teachings lately. It killed forty of your friends," continued Athena.

Odysseus got up and faced her. "Don't you dare-" he hissed at her, but she stopped him with a single hand gesture. 

"Put your emotions aside, Odysseus," she said strictly. "You are supposed to be a warrior. A merciless fighter. Where did I go wrong?"

"I refuse to kill people who can't protect themselves!" growled Odysseus again. He was angry at her for not being able to understand him. 

Her eyes darkened. "Then you have failed me," she said, taking him by the back of his shirt. She waved her other hand, opening a portal back to the normal world. "Learn your lesson, Odysseus." And she tossed him through it before following. He fell face-first onto the hard wooden deck of his ship. It was night and the deck was lit just by the moonlight and some lanterns hung up on the mast. His crew turned to see what was happening and gasped when they saw Athena standing over Odysseus. He turned onto his back and gritted his teeth, just to see her turning around, ready to leave. 

"Right... You know what, I'm not even surprised!" he hissed at her and got up on his feet. "Selfish and prideful, for what? You know, unlike you I actually have some conscience and am haunted by how many people I've killed! Maybe I forgot the fact that you're Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and nobody could ever do anything the way you don't without them being wrong." She stopped and he paused for a moment. "And I was stupid enough to see you as a friend." She still didn't turn around. And he couldn't hold it back. It hurt him. He felt that his teacher, his friend, whom he had always trusted and looked up to just tossed him away. For not being cruel enough. He pushed back the tears that got into his eyes. "Alright then. Go. Haven't I been wasting your time anyway, glorious Goddess? Save your energy and close the door behind everything we've been through. Have your damn goodbye if you crave it so much!"

He knew this might have been a little too far. But he didn't care. 

Athena turned to him, her expression furious. "You're obviously not looking for a mentor. Fair enough, but know that I'm definitely not looking for a FRIEND," she spat out at him. "I thought you were a general, but oh, was I wrong! Wasted my effort completely." She snorted and was about to leave, but Odysseus wasn't willing to let that one slide. 

"At least I know what I'm fighting for, Athena!" he shouted at her. "Tell me, how many wars have you won without actually having to fight, huh? How many?" A pause. She was silent. "Thought so. If you were only half the Athena everyone thinks you are, maybe you'd understand. Maybe you'd get that ALL of the lives that have been, are, and will be lived have always had, have, and will forever have value!" his breath got faster. "And maybe if you were as wise as you claim to be, perhaps the Gods wouldn't single you out as they do. Is that why you're like this? Because you can say whatever you want to me, Athena, but I see through that proud and cold facade of yours. You're. Alone." He felt the pressure leave his chest as the crew gasped in fear. They were worried that Athena might lose her temper. But he knew she wouldn't. He knew that she realized he was right. 

A surprised and maybe hurt expression appeared briefly on Athena's face. She lowered her head and sighed, which Odysseus took as a sign of victory. He looked away and was about to head back to below the deck to check on Polites. 

He didn't see the one tear run down Athena's cheek.  But she wiped it away. "One day, you'll hear what I'm saying, Odysseus," she said quietly, before straightening her back and raising her head. The hurt expression was gone and replaced by a cold gaze. "But not today. I, too, forgot you were just a MAN." The anger she put in the last word shook the deck. She waved her right hand and a spear appeared in it. She pointed it at him and walked up to him, so the tip of the spear was almost touching his throat. But he didn't do anything, he didn't want to be the one to attack first. 

"Remember, Odysseus of Ithaca, that this day, you've severed your own head! This day, you've cut the line!" She swung her spear and scratched Odysseus' cheek. The crew was speechless. It was clear they wanted to protect their captain, but they weren't brave enough to stand against a Goddess. Odysseus turned his head to the side and wasn't able to react fast enough, as Athena spun the spear in her hands and hit him quite hard in the face with the back end of the pikestaff. Odysseus lost his balance and growled in pain as he fell onto his back. He reached for his sword, but Athena stepped on his wrist and put the tip of her spear to his throat again, clearly showing him that resistance is futile. 

"This day, you've lost it all." She bent down to him and grabbed one of the metal plates on his forearm. "Consider this..." she growled at him, ripping the cover off of his wrist. "As my..." she continued, still furious, as she ripped off the plate on his other hand. "GOODBYE!" she shouted, as she crushed both of the plates in her hand. Then she dropped them onto the floor. Odysseus felt a sharp pain in his chest. Those plates were magic, Athena gave them to him when he was young. They were their way of connection, as long as he wore them, she could reach him through the Quick thought dimension. And the moment she destroyed them, he felt as if a part of himself was torn away from him. 

Lightning divided the sky as it struck the sea surface, followed by loud thunder. Droplets of water began to fall. And as Athena spread her magical owl wings, which she always kept hidden, the wind became stronger. "So long, mortal," she hissed at Odysseus' face before she let go of him and took off to the darkening night sky. Odysseus watched her transform into an owl and then disappear into the darkness.

He sat up. Once he saw the destroyed plates of armor lying beside him, he rather looked away. He felt blood from the scratch running down his cheek. He wiped it away.

"By the love of Gods, what was that?" asked Eurylochus, coming up to him and helping him up. "You're okay?"

Odysseus sighed. "No, Eurylochus," he said and looked up to the sky again. "I am most definitely... NOT okay."

...

"Father, have you not seen?" Polyphemus' voice was deep. It echoed through the otherwise silent cave. "Have you not seen what that mortal did to me?"

"Turn and face me, Polyphemus," said Poseidon calmly, standing on a raised piece of rock so he could see face-to-face with his son. The Cyclops was on his knees, covering his face with his hands. His dark skin reflected the dim light that was coming out of the small burning fireplace beside him. Poseidon loved all of his children equally, but he was sometimes indeed scared of this... Creature. Cyclopes were terrifying beings, often being the result of an affair between a God and a nymph. They weren't born the way humans were - their pregnant mother had to let their soul merge with the Birthing rock in the middle of this island, from which the Cyclopes then emerged after some time. The whole process was... Creepy. Merging the soul with the Birthing rock almost killed Thoosa, Polyphemus' mother. Poseidon has known since the very start, that Cyclopes weren't... How to put it... Safe. He barely spoke to Polyphemus. Not because he wouldn't care for him, but simply because he knew his son was unpredictable. And Polyphemus didn't seem to mind. But today, he called him. Something felt off. 

Polyphemus let his hands fall onto his lap before slowly turning his head to the side, just so Poseidon could see the hole where there was supposed to be his eye. "He took my eye, father. He took my sight," said Polyphemus. His tone sounded bitter. Angry. Desperate. 

Poseidon froze. "Who?" he asked, gripping his trident tighter. 

Polyphemus got onto his feet and hands and turned his whole body to Poseidon. "What will you do... If I reveal his name to you?" he asked menacingly. "What will be his fate?"

Poseidon did his best not to flinch when the Cyclops moved his face closer to him. "What would you want his fate to be?" he replied with a question. The Cyclops moved his face even closer, so Poseidon could now see every detail of his wounded eye socket. 

"I want him to SUFFER."

"Then he WILL suffer."

Poseidon left the cave furious. That man dared to hurt his son, and he wasn't going to let it slide. He knew he had to inform his brother about this. Zeus was an idiot, but he was the most powerful God after all and Poseidon didn't want to have bad blood with him. 

He walked up to the shore and let the waves wash over his feet and ankles. He took a deep breath before tapping his trident on the sand. The sea level rose and the water slowly morphed into a crystal-clear stairway leading to the gates of Olympus. 

As he walked up, he couldn't think of anything other than the man Polyphemus told him about. 

"Odysseus of Ithaca..." he muttered to himself. "You will pay."

Chapter Text

Poseidon busted through the decorated door leading to the throne room of the palace on Olympus. He held his trident in his right hand tightly. The rough surface of his artificial right arm - he made it himself after he lost his own one in his fight with Cronus - reflected the light of the enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The sound of his boots echoed through the incredibly spacious hall. "Zeus!" he called. He didn't bother to announce himself, there wasn't time for formalities (not as if he's ever done so). He marched right up to the throne.

Zeus was just in the middle of a conversation with Athena. She looked upset, maybe a little angry. Not a common expression for her. She was standing next to her father and turned her head when Poseidon walked in, her eyes sparkling for a moment and a brief small smile appearing on her face. They haven't seen each other in a while now. He was the only one of the Gods who she actually liked because he didn't treat her like some "girl" - as Zeus liked to call her - but an actual Goddess. Poseidon didn't smile back, however. And she obviously knew something was wrong. Zeus gestured to her that he'd be with her again in a moment before speaking.

"Brother?" his voice was calm, uninterested as always. This has always driven Poseidon crazy, but he decided not to address it right now.

"We need to talk about that favorite general of yours," said Poseidon, anger flowing into his voice. He was outraged and Zeus saw it very well. 

Athena straightened her back once he spoke of Odysseus, but didn't say a thing. 

"What did he do now?" scoffed Zeus, crossing his arms on his chest. "You happen to be the second one to be pissed at him at the moment." He pointed to Athena with his thumb and she rolled her eyes. "She was just looking for you to rant about him, I guess."

Poseidon didn't react to Zeus' comments. "That man blinded my son," he growled. "He stopped at the Cyclopes' Island yesterday to gather supplies and chose the wrong one to mess with."

Both Zeus and his daughter froze for a moment. Athena with fear, Zeus with surprise. He looked at Poseidon for a moment, before bursting out laughing. "Don't tell me that you had a Cyclops son," he got out of himself. "You gotta be kidding me- YOU?? A Cyclops?? Who was the lucky nymph to spend the night with you, brother?"

Poseidon couldn't believe his ears. "That is none of your business, Zeus," he snapped back at him, a warning look appearing in his eyes. 

"Yeah, right," Zeus rolled his eyes. "I forgot you weren't any fun." He smiled sneeringly. "What do you want me to do about this precarious situation anyway, though?"

"I am simply informing you that Odysseus is a dead man walking," replied Poseidon with the exact same tone. 

Athena gasped and her eyes widened, but she didn't manage to say anything, because Zeus was faster. He sat up straight.

"What? Poseidon, you can't just kill that man!" he scolded his brother. "He just won us a war, dammit! I put so much effort into that guy, you can't just-"

Poseidon wasn't able to hold back his anger. When it came to his children, he was overly protective and he knew it about himself, but he didn't care. He snarled and gripped his trident tighter. He swung it towards Zeus and caught his neck up between two of the three spikes. He pressed Zeus' head into the back of the throne like this. Zeus tried to grab his lightning sword from the stand to his right, but Poseidon kicked it down, so the sword fell out of Zeus' reach. "Don't you even think about it," he hissed dangerously, pushing the sharp edges of the two spikes of his trident uncomfortably closer to his brother's throat.

"Poseidon, don't-" Athena placed a hand on Poseidon's shoulder in an attempt to calm him, but he pushed her away with his artificial arm.

"Stay out of it, kid" he warned her.

"Okay, okay- Chill out-" squeaked Zeus. He raised his hands as a gesture of surrender. "No need to get aggressive - do whatever you want with him, just keep trying to kill ME out of the palace, okay?" he looked at Poseidon. "We can go outside if you wanna talk, but for goodness' sake, not. Here."

Poseidon removed the blades from Zeus' throat. "I would rather have a conversation with the Minotaur," he spat out at him before putting the trident on the holster on his back. "Whatever he'd have to say would be more intelligent than you'll ever do." He turned around and tried to ignore Zeus' acted-out face of surprise and offense. Without another word, he headed to the exit.

"You're mean," Zeus scoffed, but Poseidon didn't acknowledge it anymore. He slammed the door behind himself and was about to leave the palace when he heard fast footsteps behind him and felt someone grabbing his left wrist.

He turned, ready to punch that someone in the face, but stopped, when he saw Athena. He just got his wrist out of her grasp. "The hell do you want, 'Thena?" he grunted, irritated. 

"'Sei, come on, there must be another way to sort this out," she told him urgently. "You can't kill him, he didn't know-"

"I don't give a damn that he didn't know!" replied Poseidon with the same urgency in his voice. "I won't just let this go, Polyphemus is my son, no matter how terrifying he is, and I-"

She didn't let him finish. "I know, I get it, but please, Sei, there must be something else to-"

"Don't say you get it, kid," he hissed at her. "You don't. And you never will. Now let me do my thing." He turned around again and headed out.

Right in front of the gates, she stopped him again. This time, she hit him with one of her wings and tossed him aside, before stepping in his way. "I can't let you kill him, Sei," she said, a determined tone resonating in her voice. "He's my friend."

Poseidon stared at her for a moment before he was able to get himself back up on his feet. He didn't expect her to be this eager to stop him. "'Thena, get out of my way," he warned her but didn't grab his trident just yet. He didn't want to hurt her but was ready to do so if needed. 

"No," she replied with the same tone. "I won't." She spread her white owl-like wings in a threatening gesture. She swung her right arm and a golden spear appeared in her hand. She was ready to protect that mortal no matter what. 

The nymphs taking care of the gardens went silent. Poseidon saw how they slowly moved away so they didn't have to get involved. 

Poseidon growled. He was also ready - to kill Odysseus no matter who stood in his way. Even Athena couldn't stop him. He liked the girl, he really did, but he had limits on what "love" was able to stop him from doing. He reached for his trident and took it into his right hand. "Step. Aside, kid." His expression darkened with anger.

"Quit calling me that," she hissed at him back. "If you want to get to him, you're gonna have to get through me first."

Poseidon rolled his eyes before spinning his trident in his hand. He looked back at her. "Oh, I indeed will," he said through gritted teeth.

Without waiting any longer, he ran up to her. He deflected her spear and tried to hit her with the back of his trident, but she dodged his hit and he received a very powerful blow from her pikestaff to his chest. He stumbled back but picked himself up again and attacked again. Athena was fast, faster than he was with his trident. But he knew very well how to take her down - he was the one who trained her like this, after all. 

And he had an advantage. She forgot to hide her wings.

He let her dodge his other strike with the back of his trident, but as she moved to the side, he spun his weapon and cut her left wing, which she didn't manage to pull back. 

She cried in pain and a wave of guilt shortly ran through Poseidon's mind. He knew how sensitive her wings were. But at the moment... He couldn't care less. Instead of stopping there, his anger toward Odysseus drove him to swing the trident again, making the weapon pick up speed. Before she could process the fact that he attacked the most vulnerable part of her body, he took advantage of her confusion - and stabbed her in the side, where she didn't have any armor with one of the spikes on his trident. 

She gasped. Her spear fell out of her hand and she gripped the handle of Poseidon's weapon. "Sei..." she whispered, but his only response was ripping the blade out of her body and kicking her to the ground. She yelped and fell to her knees, pressing both of her hands to the bleeding wound on the side of her stomach. 

"I told you to stay out of it," he hissed, before swinging his trident to his side, making her blood drip off of the spike. "I'll send him your regards." He picked her up by the edge of her chest plate with his left hand and tossed her aside, making his way out of the gardens. And without a single word more, he left.

...

Odysseus got down from the sky island back to the deck of his ship by a bright breeze Aeolus cast for him. He had the bag of winds that he received from her over his left shoulder, making sure it wouldn't open up. Spiros the winion, who hadn't left his side since Polites got hurt, was sitting on his other shoulder. The storm and rain made the deck wet and slippery and the smell of waterlogged wood hit him right in his face. It was sunny at the moment, all of the storm got trapped in the bag. 

"Captain!" smiled Eurylochus the moment he saw the way Odysseus smoothly landed on the deck. "What happened there? What- what's in that bag?" his concerned tone shifted into a rather curious one. Other men from the crew turned to Odysseus.

"Nothing nice, Eurylochus," answered Odysseus, putting the bag down. "We have to make sure that-" he didn't finish. 

"It's treasure!" yapped Spiros and the whole crew went silent. Odysseus slowly turned his head towards the little creature on his shoulder. 

"What did you just say?" he asked confused. The winion shrugged and smiled innocently.

"Buh-bye," he said before climbing down his arm and heading towards the others of his kind that stayed on the ship. They all went below deck, probably to check up on Polites. 

Eurylochus' eyes suddenly widened in an expression Odysseus didn't even know he could make. "Wow, Cap, come on, open the bag!" he said, excited. Odysseus automatically pulled the bag away from the men. They all seemed like they were enchanted by some kind of magic coming from the bag itself. 

"Let's see what you've got-" one of the men tried to reach for it, but Odysseus moved further from them.

"No!" he shouted at them all. "Everyone listen closely. This bag is closed and it will remain that way. Aeolus trapped the storm inside it so we could get home safely - I do not understand what that creature meant by "treasure" but we cannot let that rumor fly. Okay?" his voice was strict enough to stop them in their tracks. Even Eurylochus lowered his head. 

"Of course, Captain," he said. "Our apologies."

Odysseus nodded and put the bag back on his shoulder. "No need to worry, my friend," he said. "How's Polites? Still asleep?" he asked then, looking to the entrance to below deck. 

"No, actually," answered Eurylochus right away. "He woke up when I checked up on him an hour ago. He was... Well, I think you should go see him."

Odysseus' heart missed a few beats. His eyes widened with joy and relief. "Right. Set the course to Ithaca, I'll be back in a moment."

Eurylochus bowed his head. "Sir, yes, sir," he said. "You've heard the captain! Full speed to Ithaca!"

Odysseus didn't waste a single second. He quickly got under the deck and ran to the room Polites was in. He almost dropped the bag onto the floor when he saw Polites awake and cuddling all of the little purple beings. "'Tes-" he blurted out and went right to him. He put the bag down next to him and sat next to Polites on the bed. Polites almost immediately smiled and weakly reached his hand towards Odysseus'. They intertwined their fingers and Odysseus gripped his hand tightly. 

"Hi, Ody..." whispered Polites quietly, as speaking still caused him pain. 

"Dammit, 'Tes..." Odysseus smiled at him and lowered himself a little. Polites reached his other hand out to him and gently stroked Odysseus' cheek before grabbing him by the collar of his tunic and pulling him closer to himself. Odysseus let him and leaned on his arm that he put next to Polites' side. Polites pulled him a little closer just so their foreheads were touching. 

Odysseus gulped a little, as he didn't expect this. But he didn't pull away. He was happy that Polites was alive. So incredibly relieved that he could still be with him. And Polites was also happy to see him. He gripped his hand tighter and placed his other hand on the back of Odysseus' neck. "It's... Good to see you..." he got out of himself hoarsely. 

"Good to see you too," whispered Odysseus with a soft smile on his face. "Don't ever do this to me again, okay?" he placed his hand on Polites' waist, softly embracing him, but in a way that wouldn't hurt him. Polites smiled back. He was weak, frail. Yet still he managed to pull Odysseus into a gentle and loving kiss. 

Odysseus froze for a moment. He knew it was coming, he was ready for it, he didn't mind, but yet the weird feeling of joy in his stomach took his breath away. They have kissed already, multiple times even - but every time, every time they did, Odysseus had the exact same feeling of warmth coming from somewhere below his chest and spreading to every part of his body. It took him a few seconds to be able to move freely again, but once he could, he pulled Polites closer and kissed him back. When they pulled away from each other, Polites smiled and ran his fingers through Odysseus' hair. Odysseus saw his tired eyes and he felt how tense his muscles were from being in pain. 

"Relax..." he whispered to Polites, gently rubbing his arm from the shoulder down to his palm. "Does it hurt?" He didn't pull back, he wasn't even planning on it. Polites sighed but managed to relax the muscles in his arm. He nodded. 

"I've most definitely... been much better..." he tried to sit up, but he was too weak to do so. He squealed in pain, and Odysseus stopped him. 

"Don't, you'll hurt yourself," he told him. "It's okay, I'm here... No need to rush anywhere..." he kissed his lips once again. "We're heading home now... Aeolus put the storm we couldn't get through into this bag, the winds are with us." 

Polites smiled. "So you made another God friend?" he chuckled a little and ran his hand up his forearm. He was surprised to not feel his metal plate there. "Wait, where...?" he asked, confused. Odysseus looked away. His eyes were filled with sadness and guilt, now more than Polites had ever seen. "Odysseus, what happened?" 

"Athena... Left," replied Odysseus quietly, almost so Polites couldn't hear him. "She decided that I wasn't... Worth her time anymore." He sat up straight again but didn't let go of Polites' hand.

"What? Why?" Polites asked again, grasping his hand tighter. 

"I didn't kill the Cyclops. We... Blinded him, but... I couldn't kill him. He was defenseless, he stood no chance... Plus, I believe he did learn a lesson or two," scoffed Odysseus, rubbing the back of Polites' hand with his thumb. 

"And Athena wanted you to kill him... Right," Polites sighed and looked Odysseus in the eyes.

"She took those armor plates..." whispered Odysseus quite desperately. "She destroyed them right in front of me, I... It feels like I've lost a part of me..." he lowered his head. He hasn't allowed himself to think of Athena since they fought. But now that Polites brought her up, tears filled up his eyes. He rubbed them with his fingers, trying not to let the tears slip out, but failed. A few of them rolled down his cheeks.

Polites pulled his hand toward himself when he saw this. "Come here..." he whispered and let Odysseus lay his head on his chest. He hugged him around the neck and kissed the top of his head. "I'm sorry... It's gonna be okay, we'll get through it... We'll get home, we'll rest..." Odysseus let out a desperate sob, as the tears kept escaping his shut eyelids. He hid his face in Polites' shoulder and hugged him back firmly so he wouldn't hurt him. "I'm sure seeing Penelope again will help..."

Penelope. Her name struck Odysseus like an arrow to the chest. His beloved wife, the love of his life, the one that brought his son Telemachus to the world. They were so happy before the war. They were together, they were... Home...

"Penelope..." sighed Odysseus to himself. He loved her and he missed her in the most excruciating way he could ever love or miss someone. He loved Polites, right, that was true - but the love between them two was different. He couldn't say who he loved more, it was two entirely separate feelings - of which Penelope knew of course. She was actually the one to bring it up during the time Odysseus and Polites met. Odysseus was taken away by Polites' energy right away. He didn't know what to think of it. He contemplated whether to speak of it or let it slide somewhere under the imaginary covers. But Penelope noticed.

"You're in love with him," she smiled back then. Her smile filled Odysseus' tired mind for a moment. "Don't try to deny it, I can see it very well," she continued in his memory.

"But isn't that wrong? Aren't you mad?" Odysseus was confused. He expected this fact to bother her, to make her angry. Why was she smiling like that?

"Why would I be? I know you love me," she replied, taking his hands and kneeling in front of him, while he was sitting on the edge of their bed. "You have so much love to give, Odysseus. It would be selfish of me to keep all of it to myself." She smiled. "You and Polites have something that I and you won't ever have, which is totally okay. I am not jealous, I'm not mad, I'm happy that you found it. Because you can enjoy the things we have when we're together and the things you two have when you're together. You hear me?" 

He was looking at her as if he saw an angel. Her long black hair tied in a messy morning bun was the perfect contrast to her pale skin and white nightgown. She was beautiful. The most beautiful woman he has ever seen. 

"Love him the way you love me," she spoke after a while of him staring at her. "He deserves it. You both deserve it."

"I don't get it, why aren't you... Jealous? Or... I don't know, anything but willing to let me love someone else?-"

She placed a finger over his lips, silencing him. "Because I know that you love me and that there is enough love in your heart for more than one person. And I know that you loving Polites won't ever change the way you feel for me."

He saw her olive eyes. He felt her touch, the warmth of her hands. "Penelope..." Her name escaped his lips almost as if it was alive. She felt closer when he spoke her name. She didn't feel so out of reach, so incredibly far away. 

"Polites?..." he whispered, on the verge of falling asleep on his friend's chest. 

"Mhm?" Polites gently rubbed his back to let him know that he was there with him. 

"I love you... You know that?" murmured Odysseus so tiredly Polites almost couldn't fully understand it. Odysseus didn't say that often. It was only in these rare moments of theirs; when they were alone, often lying in bed, embracing each other. Polites has always treasured these moments. He kissed Odysseus' forehead and let out a small sigh. 

"I do," he assured him. "And I love you too."

And with hearing Polites' quiet voice, Odysseus drifted to wherever souls go when they fall asleep.

...

"Wake up," he heard a voice coming somewhere from the outside. "Wake up, Odysseus- Hey! Where the hell are you taking it?" Odysseus felt someone's fingers run through his hair. "Ody, come on, they're taking the bag-"

He woke up once Polites said that. Sat up the fastest he could and looked around. He saw those little purple bastards carrying the bag of winds out the door and heading to the upper deck with it. "No- oh for goodness' sake-" he blurted out and got up on his feet. "I'll be right back!" he called back to Polites before running out of the door.

When he got back to the deck, he saw his crew gathered around Spiros' group, their eyes weirdly focused on the bag. Eurylochus kneeled down to it slowly, almost as if he were under some spell. He grabbed the lace that was keeping the bag shut and pulled on it. 

"No! Eurylochus, don't!" shouted Odysseus from the other side of the ship. And Eurylochus snapped out of it. He turned his head to his captain, but his hand continued to pull on the string. He would have stopped if it wasn't for Spiros jumping up and pulling Eurylochus' hand down, finally opening the bag.

A column of heavy dark clouds escaped it. "No!" screamed Odysseus and ran towards them. They were all too confused to do anything about the storm escaping its prison. But Odysseus managed to get to them, grab the bag, and close it before the winds could get out. He tied it tighter and pressed it against his chest.

"Captain, we- what happened?" asked Eurylochus, getting up from the ground. He was confused, as the spell let go of him and all the members of the crew. The winions all stumbled and fell to the floor, covering their heads and eyes and the smaller ones of them crying. The magic was probably too strong for their little minds to handle. 

"There must be something with the bag that's making you want to open it," Odysseus sighed in relief the moment he realized that his men were just under the influence of magic rather than wanting to betray him. "But it's fine, it's... Just the clouds, the wind will get rid of them in some time." He looked up to the sky. It was dark now, he must've slept for a few hours. The grey clouds covered the stars completely, leaving them with no way to navigate their fleet. "Signal the others to stop, we'll have to wait for the sky to become visible again," ordered then and took a breath to say something else. But stopped. The sky was divided by lightning, that dazzled Odysseus for a split second. He heard thunder. And the thunder was followed by an owl's screeching. When his sight came back to normal, he saw a white owl, half flying, half falling towards his ship. Its wing was badly injured and it took Odysseus some time to realize, what the hell an owl was doing in the middle of the sea. 

The bird landed on the deck with a loud thud as it wasn't able to correct its trajectory and speed. Odysseus and all of the men froze. "Athena?..." he gasped quietly for himself.

Before he could even react, there she stood, covering her body with her healthy wing. She looked terrible. Her hair was messy, her wounded wing was hanging from her back, bleeding, and she was pale and probably in pain. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked, almost forgetting how angry he was with her. "What made you come back?" 

"Odysseus, you... You have to listen to me, please," she managed to speak. Her breath was unsteady, interrupted. Shallow. "Something went wrong, it's... It's..." She tried to take a step towards him, but her legs betrayed her. She let out an almost silent cry of pain and fell onto the deck, her wing uncovering a bleeding wound on the side of her stomach. 

Odysseus woke up from the confusion. Once he saw Athena was hurt this much, he got to her as fast as possible. He got on his knees, setting the bag of winds next to himself, and turned her to her back. He lifted her shoulders and head. "No, 'Thena, hey, look at me," he told her and gently turned her face towards himself. She was awake. "Hey! She needs help!" he called then to the others, who were still in shock. But the voice of their captain made them come back to reality. The ship's caretaker ran to Odysseus right away. 

"No, I'm... Going to be fine..." said Athena and gestured to the caretaker that she did not wish to be touched. "Odysseus, there's a... Vial in the pocket on my belt..." her hands were pressed against the injury, trying to stop the bleeding. Odysseus was panicking a little, he had never seen her like this, but he listened. He put away her cloak and opened the pocket on the back of her belt. 

"What is it?" he asked when he got the vial out of it. It was almost small enough to fit in Odysseus' closed fist and there was a shining gold liquid inside. 

"Ambrosia potion... It'll patch me up, I just haven't... Had the time to drink it..." She reached her bloody hand to him and tried to take the vial into her trembling fingers, but he didn't let her. 

"I'll do it," he said and opened the vial. He held her head and helped her drink the contents of the vial. "It's okay, you're safe..." he whispered. He saw the way she was nervously looking around. She was afraid. He pressed her against himself to show her that he was there with her. "Who did this to you?"

"Captain, the waves are rising!" he heard someone from the crew call before she could answer. The deck of the ship swung to the side, making unsecured tools and boxes fly all over the place. 

"Odysseus, what's- what the hell is going on?-" Polites managed to get up on the deck. His back was hunched over and he was holding onto the railing of the ship for him not to fall.

Odysseus looked at him but didn't manage to react. The waves made the deck sway to the other side. Polites wasn't strong enough to hold himself and he stumbled and fell. He slid across the floor right to Odysseus and tried to get up again, but couldn't. 

Athena sat up by herself, letting Odysseus get to Polites. Her wounds slowly began to heal on their own as the potion started to work. "He's here..." she gasped, looking around. She got up on her feet, still holding a hand on her side. She spread her wings and her spear appeared in her hand. "Everyone get behind me. Now."

Odysseus caught Polites and pulled him to his chest in an attempt to protect him as much as he could. He looked up and around but didn't see anyone. "Athena, who is it? What's going on?" he asked. 

And she didn't even have to answer. Lightning struck again. A massive wave distorted the water's surface and its top hit the mast. "Watch out!" Odysseus shouted moments before water splashed all over the deck. He covered Polites with his own body and held his breath. He felt the cold salty water wash over his body. And when it was safe to open his eyes again, he saw a figure standing on one of the spars on the mast, holding onto a rope. Odysseus didn't see his face, it was too dark to do so. But he didn't need to. The trident on the man's back gave his identity away the moment Odysseus saw him.

"Odysseus of Ithaca!" Poseidon called, pure fury resonating in his voice. Everything and everyone went silent. The God's bright blue eyes shone with anger and his long dirty-blond hair billowed in the cold wind he brought with him. He asked just one question. And his voice sent shivers through Odysseus' body. 

"Do you know, who I am?"

...

"Poseidon..." Odysseus gasped. The crew was petrified. Unable to move nor speak. They were just following Poseidon with their eyes, as he abseiled down the rope and landed at the elevated part of the nose of the ship. He lifted his right arm, which was covered in some kind of armor, and made the surrounding water isolate Odysseus' ship from the rest of the fleet. Enormous waves that couldn't be crossed surrounded the ship and stopped just meters away from it, almost as if they were waiting to strike.

Poseidon came into the light of the torches. His facial expression was sharp, his eyes cutting through everything he looked at. His heavy leather boots clattered on the wooden deck as he got closer. Athena stood in front of the crew, her wings spread wide open. And Odysseus saw that one spike on Poseidon's trident was covered in drying blood. Her blood. 

"It looks like you haven't had enough just yet," he growled at Athena, taking his trident into his right hand. He spun it and then rested it on his shoulder. "This isn't Olympus anymore, kid. This is the sea. MY sea. Step aside."

Athena's eyes darkened. She lifted her head and stood up straight, which must've been painful for her. "Piss off, Poseidon!" she shouted at him. "This isn't a fair fight! They don't stand a chance!"

"I don't WANT them to stand a chance!" Wrath shook Poseidon's voice so much Odysseus could almost feel it. He hid Poiltes in his arms, as Poseidon swung his trident. A powerful current of water swept Athena to the side, making her fall over the railing of the deck. She caught herself, but her now wet wings were too heavy and her arms too weak for her to be able to pull herself up. 

"Athena!" shouted Odysseus, not knowing what to do. Eurylochus was fast though. He and a few other men ran to the railing and almost managed to reach Athena and pull her back up, but Poseidon wouldn't let that one slide. He caught all of the crew in another motionless wave of water, lifting them up from the deck and letting them float above the surface of the water and watch him do whatever he had in mind. 

"You know, it's not very often that a mortal manages to piss me off like this," he walked closer to Odysseus and lifted his left hand. A wave took Odysseus with it and separated him from Polites, whom Poseidon also caught up above the water level. "But damn, you crossed the line."

"No! Let him go!" cried Odysseus in fear. He didn't know what was going on, but Poseidon was the most terrifying man he had ever seen. The water held Odysseus a few meters away from Poseidon, making him unable to move. He felt its pressure around his neck. He tried to look around at the others, but Poseidon forced his whole body to face him. 

"I've been so gracious to you, I cleared your way home so you wouldn't sail through any storms or encounter any monsters of mine - and yet you pay me back by making my son blind," Poseidon lifted himself up with the water just so he was higher than everyone else. 

Odysseus froze. The Cyclops. Polyphemus. Poseidon was talking about him. "No..." he exhaled, his voice shaking. 

"It wasn't a very smart idea to anger the God of the seas while on a boat, am I right?" hissed Poseidon. He let the water lift him up just enough the crews of the other ships could see him. He raised his trident and it flashed with dim blue light. "Well, I guess the pack of wolves is swimming with the shark now." He swung his hand and the water that held Odysseus threw him against the mast. Odysseus gasped as the hit took his breath away. He managed to catch it and tried to get back up, but coughed instead. 

"No!" he heard Polites' voice but wasn't fast enough to turn around. Poseidon came back down to him and lifted his head with the back end of his trident. Polites was begging him to stop, but Poseidon just covered his mouth with water. 

"Oh, how I'll enjoy making you bleed, mortal," he growled and hit Odysseus across the face with the pikestaff. Odysseus fell to the floor again, turned on his back, and pushed himself further away from the furious God. He looked around, trying to find anything he could use to protect himself and his fleet. He knew that trying to fight Poseidon wasn't any use, even though he could most certainly try. But there had to be another way to get rid of him. There had to be...

"Poseidon, please... Listen to me..." he raised one of his hands in a defensive gesture. "He was the one to hurt us first, we were just protecting ourselves... We let him live, we didn't know-"

Poseidon caught his neck up in between two of the spikes on his weapon and slang the rest of his crew back on the deck. "It seems like you all have to learn a lesson first, then," he hissed. "You see, mercy always has a price. Usually, because things come swinging back." He pushed the blades closer to Odysseus' throat. "But ruthlessness? Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves." He lifted the trident, ready to strike Odysseus a blow that would most certainly kill him.

"Captain!" Eurylochus was brave enough to grab one of the harpoons lying on the floor. He didn't even have to aim, he just sent the arrow flying towards Poseidon from the side. Poseidon didn't flinch, he caught the metal arrow with his right hand in mid-air, stopping it just inches away from his head. That however made him let go of his trident and gave Odysseus a chance to free himself. As Poseidon looked to Eurylochus and the other men, who were picking themselves up from the floor, Odysseus grabbed his sword and slid it in between the spikes of the trident. He turned his weapon just so it would make the trident fall out of Poseidon's hand. Once the God of the seas lost his grip, even if only for a moment, Odysseus escaped from under his foot and made him stumble and inevitably fall down. 

Poseidon didn't expect that. He fell on his back, giving Odysseus enough time to get up on his feet and shake himself off a little. The others ran up to him - or more like the ones who were capable of it - and Poseidon tried to get up. But in that moment, Athena pulled herself up. She got over the railing and jumped right at him, a flap of her wings accelerating her speed. She tackled him on the floor and Odysseus sighed in momentarily relief. He ran to Polites, who was lying on the wooden deck of the ship, panting and pressing his hands to his chest. He was soaking wet, as all of them were. But the salty water got into his healing wounds and probably caused him a lot of discomfort. Odysseus got to him and gently picked him up. 

"Don't worry, I'm here..." he told him quietly and let Polites hide his face into his chest. He gently stroked his hair and looked at Eurylochus and three other men trying to help the injured back up. They had to group up and stay together, it would make it harder for Poseidon to kill them one by one. 

But before they got even half of the hurt men up on their feet, Poseidon reached his trident and dealt Athena a blow to the head with the dull end. She landed a few meters away from Odysseus and Polites and tried to get up but was unable to do so. She had a bleeding wound on her forehead now and even though she tried to pick herself up again, she couldn't.

"That's enough," growled Poseidon as he stood back on his feet. He picked up his trident with his left hand and lifted his right. The water level began rising. An enormous wave started to emerge from the sea, slowly and menacingly exceeding the height of the mast to almost double. Poseidon navigated it towards the other ships of the fleet, splitting it so every single ship had its own wave monster now preying on it. Odysseus heard screams of fear. Confused orders, shouting, panic... It was terrifying.

Poseidon got closer to them, still holding his right arm up. "There is an almost invisible line between naivety and hopefulness," he said, his voice as cold as ice. "You wanted mercy. But mercy isn't on the offers list. If you closed your heart the way Miss Athena told you to, this wouldn't have happened at all. But listen to me, Odysseus of Ithaca. The world is a very dark place. And in the world this dark, the only mercy is ruthlessness."

And he let his arm drop. 

...

Athena got up at that very moment. She caught Odysseus and Polites and covered them both with her wings, protecting them from the hell that Poseidon unleashed on the fleet. Odysseus heard everything, but didn't see it. Athena wouldn't let him. He felt the ship swaying from one side to the other, he heard wood being crushed and sails being ripped apart. He heard the water splashing, destroying everything that came under its clutch. 

It took long enough for it to stop. Athena looked up after a few seconds of hesitation. And was shocked. Their ship was the only one left. The other ones were... Gone. Broken to pieces. Shattered. She saw bodies in the water around them. None of them moving. As far as she saw, there was just death. 

"What have you done?..." she whispered and looked at Poseidon. He was panting. Looking around and taking in the satisfaction of almost avenging his son's suffering. He looked at Odysseus.

"Forty-three left," he growled heavily. "And you..." he lifted his head with the back of his trident again. "You shall be the final man to die."

Odysseus saw the mess Poseidon had done. He saw Eurylochus trying to get up, as well as some of his other men. They weren't defeated. They had to escape. 

He looked around. And then he saw it. Next to them was the solution. The bag of winds. He reached for it, grabbed it, and caught Polites tighter. "Eat this, old man," he growled at Poseidon before untying the lace around the neck of the bag and unleashing the storm right into the God's face.

Once Poseidon got swept away and fell into the water below the ship, Odysseus navigated the bag so the storm would push into the remaining sails. They picked up the wind and made the ship rush away from danger. Odysseus tried not to look back. His eyes filled with tears with every thought that screamed at him to stay, to not leave the others behind... But he couldn't. He had to save the rest of his man. 

He had to save the rest of his men. 

He had to save the rest of his men.

He had to save-

A crash. The hit sent everyone flying forward. The sound of wood being ripped up by the rocks of a shore was unbearable. Athena held Odysseus and Polites under her wings and protected them against every flying piece of debris that came their way. 

Then another hit. A stronger one. The ship swung on its side, making them fall into the water. Before knowing what was happening, Odysseus felt a dull pain on the back of his head, as he hit himself on the shallow and rocky bottom. Suddenly, everything went dark.

...

Odysseus wasn't the only one to hit his head. As Poseidon fell into the sea, he took a hit from a thick piece of wood floating on the surface of the water. He gasped and however much he tried to stay conscious, he also passed out.

When he woke up and got back to the surface, Odysseus' ship was gone, as well as the storm and the night. It was day, the sun was high up and the sky was clear. He cursed and called his trident back to him. He made himself a solid space on the water surface and he stepped on it. He clapped the bottom of the trident on the clear water, making ripples spread everywhere around him.

He sent a message. 

"I swear to Mother Gaia I will find you, Odysseus of Ithaca," he muttered to himself. "Remember this day as the day you made a very dangerous enemy. I am going to be your darkest moment. The monster that is always one step ahead of you. Remember me, Odysseus. Remember. Me."

Chapter Text

Odysseus felt the cold water washing up against his body. He was lying on his back, his skin brushing against... Was that sand? Was he on a beach? On LAND? He heard waves crashing against rocks. Yes, he was certainly on land. But how did he get there? How did he end up on a beach?

All of these thoughts ran through his half-conscious mind in a split second. And then he felt a very sharp bolt of pain in his left arm. It came with a realization. Poseidon was after them. He destroyed his whole fleet. They fled. And they... Crashed? Yes, yes, they must've crashed on some island.

THEY CRASHED?!

Odysseus opened his eyes and took a fast deep breath. He almost choked on the air as it quickly entered his lungs. He sat up and coughed, pressing his right arm to his chest. He was shivering. He was cold and wet and confused. He looked around. It was day already. The sun was high up and the sky was blue - no signs of a storm. 

"Odysseus- Hey- Odysseus-" someone was talking to him. But he didn't know who or where the voice was coming from. He had the worst headache of his life and felt like information was entering his mind much slower than it would normally. He felt strong hands gripping his shoulders and turning him to the side. "Cap, it's me. It's okay, thank Zeus you're alive." Eurylochus had a deep cut under his eye. He also looked very not alright, wet and trembling with cold. He had a wound on his thigh, which was probably restricting him from walking. 

"Eurylochus, where...?" Odysseus was still gasping for air. His injured arm - it was probably the shoulder - sent waves of pain whenever he took a breath. He looked around once more. And then he saw. The remains of the ship they were on were all over the place. The other members of the crew - the ones who were left - were trying to help each other up or out from beneath the debris. And not a single winnion in sight. "Where's Athena? And 'Tes?" gasped Odysseus after a moment of looking all over the place. He got up on his feet in the clumsiest way he has ever done so. His body felt uncomfortably light and his limbs weren't listening to him properly. Eurylochus wanted to stop him but couldn't stand up so he just looked up at him. 

"'Tes! 'Thena!" called Odysseus. He felt panic spreading into his chest. He couldn't see them. Not until one of the men, a little further away from the shore waved his arm up into the air. 

"They're here!" he called him.

Odysseus gasped and turned around to see them. Once he noticed Athena's motionless white wings still holding onto Polites, he almost forgot about the pain. He ran to them right away, stumbling and barely able to stand on his own feet. He tripped a few feet away from them and had to quite literally crawl to them because his feet wouldn't let him get back up.

He got to Polites first, gently turning him on his back and checking his whole body for any new injuries. He found none - or at least none which were visible. That idea made him shiver. "Polites... Come on, wake up..." he whispered, trying to make his voice as steady as he could, though it was still trembling from the cold. 

It took a while - and a lot of Odysseus' self-control, trying not to start panicking even more - but then Polites opened his eyes. He was dazzled by the sun and raised his hand to cover his face. "What the hell..." he growled to himself, clearly annoyed and confused. "Ody... Dammit, where are we?..." He looked around and his eyes widened when he saw what the situation was. "Where's the ship?-" he tried to sit up but quickly gave up on any attempts to move.

"We crashed in the storm, I... I don't remember anything about it, but the ship is... It's gone," got Odysseus out of himself and looked at Athena. The crew member managed to wake her up and help her sit up. She looked terrible. The wound on her forehead turned into a bruise and her bloody tunic under her chest plate was now drenched in water. She was shivering. 

"It's okay, miss," the crewmate told her, once she realized, where they were - or rather where they were not. "We crashed. But we're gonna be alright." 

Athena gestured to him that she didn't need any help. "Thank you," she rasped, exhausted. She looked at Odysseus and smiled at him weakly. He has never seen her like this. Vulnerable, hurt... Tired. 

"'Thena-" he started, but she didn't let him finish. She took him by his healthy hand and got up on her knees. 

"I'll be okay, Odysseus," she told him quietly. "I just... Need to get to Hestia..." She coughed a little and a little bit of blood came out of her mouth. She spat it out to the side. "She'll help me... You gotta take care of yourselves, okay?" 

He gripped her hand. "I swear if I don't hear from you soon, I'm coming to Olympus and finding you myself," he smiled back at her.

"Yeah, right..." she looked around. "You're safe from Poseidon here on land... I'll know if he tries to get you again. I won't let him even if it took everything I had." She let go of his hand and smiled at Polites too before slowly getting up. 

Before she could go into her Quick thought dimension and get out of there, they heard voices. Human voices. Probably, women - they were coming from inside of the forest and were getting closer. 

Athena froze for a moment. She didn't want any mortals to see her - not like this. The vulnerability of Gods was something only a few of the humans could see. And she managed to disappear just a split second before two women walked out of the forest. They were both wearing everyday dresses, one of them - the younger one - had blond hair that almost seemed golden, and the other - she seemed as if she was somewhere around Odysseus' age, maybe a little older - had dark, almost black hair with natural light-brown stripes in it. Her eyes were the bluest shade of blue Odysseus had ever seen. 

"Oh by the love of Gods-" the dark-haired woman gasped. "See, I told you I heard a ship crash - go back to the village, Rheris, and tell the men to come help - they're hurt." She didn't wait a single second and ran closer to them. The other one - Rheris - tried to call her to come back, but it was no use. In the end, she decided to head back. 

Odysseus wanted to grab his sword but realized that he must've lost it when they crashed. He just hid Polites a little more with his healthy arm. Polites looked at the woman with shock on his face, but he took Odysseus' hand in a calming gesture, as he always did.

"Open arms, Ody," he whispered to him quietly, so only Odysseus would hear it. "Greet the world with open arms."

The woman raised her hands. "It's alright, I'm a friend, we all are," she said calmly. "My name is Lenia, I live in a village nearby, we can help you." Silence. She glanced over all of the men. "Who's your captain?" she asked. 

"That... Would be me," Odysseus replied weakly, yet still distrustful.

Lenia didn't dare to get any closer just yet, she didn't want them to feel threatened in any way. "Can I come closer, captain? I see you're both hurt."

Odysseus hesitated. But as Polites squeezed his hand a little tighter, he nodded. Without another word, Lenia walked up to them and kneeled across from Odysseus. She gently placed her hand on Polites' shoulder and looked at them both. "I'm one of the local caretakers. I can help," she said. "But first we must get all of you to the village."

Odysseus didn't want to trust her. He didn't want to trust anyone. But they had no other choice. There were only twenty men left. Twenty. Out of six hundred. And only three of them were somehow alright. So he nodded. 

About twenty men, older and younger, came to the beach. They helped the crewmates get up and carried the injured ones to the village. Odysseus didn't want to let them take Polites from him, but he knew very well that he wouldn't be able to carry him by himself. He let one of the men take Polites into his arms, while Lenia helped him get up on his feet. She let him lean on her and gently took him by the waist to support him. He thought nothing of it and neither did she - but the touch was caring, compassionate. Almost loving. The moment he felt her body near himself, he was charmed. Not in a falling-in-love way, no. Simply by the amount of warmth this human being had inside her heart. He knew right away that she could indeed be trusted.

...

The village was located between two of the hills that formed the island. The woods surrounding it were full of incredibly tall trees with rich green crowns of unnaturally big leaves. A forest overflowing with life. Lizards, squirrels, birds, and even deer, and hogs, all living in a seemingly perfect harmony.

The village itself was small. Several dozen houses, some smaller, some larger, were built in circles around a big fireplace that was now smoking. It was nothing Odysseus had seen before. He was used to the majesty and magnificence of the capital city of Ithaca and the lesser - but still significant - beauty of the towns and villages around the capital. There were no columns here, no statues. Nothing but modesty. And yet he was able to find certain beauty in it. It was almost as if he wandered into another world. He's never been a traveler by nature - he loved adventures, that was certain, but he barely ever left Ithaca. He did so only when necessary. The first time leaving his native island was when his father sent him to Sparta to meet Princess Penelope. Little did Odysseus know he would fall in love with this young woman at first sight. He remembered the day as clearly as if it happened yesterday - figuratively speaking, as he indeed did not remember everything that had happened the day before because of the blow to his head. 

An older man came to meet them at the fireplace after the villagers helped the men sit or lay down and offered them water and food. "And I thought you two were just going to pick some berries-" he told Lenia and her helper Rheris, who was now checking out Eurylochus' injured leg. Lenia sat Odysseus down on the ground next to Polites and kneeled down next to them. She wanted to help the captain first, but he stopped her. 

"No... He's in worse shape than I am. I can wait a while..." he told her and she nodded. First, she removed Polites' bloody bandages from his body to see how bad the wounds were. After seeing what state he was in, she cursed in a dialect Odysseus had never heard before.

"I would very much like to speak to you right now, but this man here needs help," she answered the old man. "We need to get him to my place, quickly." She waved at two of the villagers. One helped her lift Polites up and the other helped Odysseus back on his feet. Lenia knew she couldn't leave those two separated. 

They walked into one of the houses. It was quite far away from the central fireplace, and it was small but a little too big for just one person to live in it alone. As they walked from the hall into the living room, Odysseus came across an open door to the bedroom. There was a double bed inside, however, it seemed only one side of it was being used for sleeping. The other was neatly made, the pillow and blanket perfectly laid out as if they had never been used. Yet, a small glimpse into the bedroom revealed to Odysseus several signs of a man being present somewhere in the past. Indoor footwear too big to belong to Lenia, a second half-burnt candle on the other nightstand, books on a bookshelf too high for Lenia to reach - however no stool in sight. At last, before the inside of the bedroom got lost from his viewing angle, he noticed some men's shirts stacked on one of the shelves. There were two possibilities now that he'd seen it: either Lenia was a widow, whose husband had passed away recently and she hadn't had the chance to put his things away (or she didn't want to) - or her husband simply hadn't been present for quite some time now. 

They laid Polites onto a couch coated with deer fur. He was barely conscious now. One of the men tried to sit Odysseus down on the armchair, but he refused. He kneeled next to the couch and stroked Polites' hair. "Don't worry... We're safe now..." he whispered to him, gently kissing his forehead to let him know he was there with him. He looked to Lenia, who took bandages and some tools and herbs from the cupboard above the kitchen desk. "Is it bad?" asked Odysseus when she kneeled next to him and uncovered Polites' old bandages. She signaled to the men that they could leave now.

"Whoever took care of him before did a great job," she answered, carefully cleaning Polites' wounds with a piece of fabric dipped in some herbal solution. Polites squirmed a little and a small painful weep escaped his lips. Odysseus took his hand, trying to ease his pain as much as he could. "If they didn't tend to him like this, he'd probably be dead..." Lenia continued while doing her job. "Although I suppose he didn't have much time to recover, did he?" 

Odysseus shook his head and sighed. "No... No,  he did not... It hasn't even been three days since it happened..."

Lenia patched Polites up and then threw a blanket over him, tucking him in and making sure he was warm. "What happened to him? What happened to all of you? You don't look like normal sailors, you're warriors." She helped Odysseus up and sat him down next to Polites. "I'll take a look at that shoulder if I may. Okay?"

Odysseus nodded and let her sit next to him while she checked his injured arm. 

He wanted to tell her about what happened. But figured out that she doesn't have to know every detail. For example the Cyclops part. And the Poseidon part. And the "the rest of the fleet all died" part. No. Odysseus came up with a different story. 

They were the rest of the Ithacan army on their way home from a victorious, but miserable war that took the lives of almost all of their soldiers. There was one ship - with not many supplies for them to last long. They stopped at an island to seek food but came across some kind of a tribe. Polites got hurt while he was trying to protect Odysseus and the others. They managed to escape, but many of them died there. And then a very unlucky storm swept them to the shore of this island. Simple as that. That was the truth from now on. 

"Ithaca?" asked Lenia after she fixed his shoulder in one position with the bandages and sticks, making sure his arm didn't move. "That's not so far away from here. A week of sailing west through the canal nearby. But I'm afraid there isn't any way to get you there right now..."

Odysseus looked at her, a small spark of hope appearing in his eyes. "I'm not sure I follow?" he replied with a question. "There would be a way otherwise?"

Lenia chuckled. "Well, my husband would definitely be able to get you there," she said to him, smiling to herself a little, before shaking her head. "But he is not here at the moment. And I don't have any idea about when he's coming back..." Sadness got into her voice, but not the hopeless kind. There was warmth inside it. She missed him. She missed him a lot but knew that he'd come back eventually. It probably wasn't the first time he left like this. "But we have some very skilled craftsmen, maybe building a small boat wouldn't be a problem."

Odysseus almost gasped in that moment of hope. They can still go back. They can still get home. He can still get to see his wife and son. "I would be forever grateful for that service," he said without thinking very much. "But we cannot ask such work from you-"

She didn't let him finish. "You very much can," she smiled at him. "The people here are kind, taught to help others. We will be more than happy to help you and your men, captain." 

"It's Odysseus," he told her with a smile on his face. He didn't know what it was about her, but she made him feel safe. Welcome. 

"Well then, Odysseus, you need to rest first before we can figure anything out," Lenia got up and took the bag with bandages with her. "You and all your men are safe here. There is nothing to worry about."

...

There was indeed seemingly nothing to worry about. A few days passed, turning into a week, turning into two. The men were recovering, getting all the care they needed. Polites' state got better, then worse, and then better again. He was now able to sit up and eat and sleep a little more comfortably. Lenia let them both sleep on her couch - it was big enough for the two of them, while the others slept either at the fire or in some of the villagers' houses. The people were very kind to them. It was almost as if happiness and warmth originated from this place itself. 

At the end of the third week, when most of the men were more or less healthy, they started collecting materials to build a small ship. The villagers showed the crew the small shipping port built on the beach on the other side of the island. It was quite far away from the village, but Lenia showed them a much quicker path than the one they used. It led through a well-hidden cave in one of the hills. The cave's ceiling was tall enough for them to be able to carry things on their shoulders so it was a great shortcut for carrying logs, cloth, and whatever else they needed. 

It all seemed perfect. Hopeful. However, one thing still bothered Odysseus. Athena wasn't showing up. He had no message from her. And he was getting worried. 

Until one day, at the start of the fourth week, while they were returning from the shipping port. 

The men were laughing, obviously happy about being able not to think about the terrible things that happened not even a month ago, making jokes and talking about how they couldn't wait to get home. The ship's skeleton was already done and it was as solid and resistant as rock. The excitement was very much present. But Odysseus wasn't a part of the fun. He stayed in the back of the group, looking around. He felt they were being watched. He felt someone's eyes fixed on him. And when one of the bushes rustled, he stopped. He told the others to continue, that he'll just take a look around the island, and head right back. 

He stayed alone. 

"Show yourself," he said and reached for his sword, before realizing he didn't have one with him. "I know you're watching me, show yourself."

A chuckle echoed through the air. "Distrustful and skeptical as always, Odysseus," said Athena, using her wings to put the branches of one of the trees away, fully revealing herself. She had a small scar on her forehead from the blow that Poseidon dealt her, and bandages were visible from beneath her chestplate. Her wings were fine now, still white and fluffy. 

Odysseus didn't even say a thing. He just ran to her, tightly hugging her around her neck. "Don't. Ever. Do this to me again..." he said quietly, hiding his face into her shoulder. She was confused for a moment. But then she hugged him back.

"There won't be a reason," she said a little nervous, letting her hand lay down on his back. 

"I'm sorry... I'm so terribly sorry..." he whispered, hugging her tighter. "All I said was stupid, I know... I was angry, I didn't want to hurt you, I didn't..."

She stopped him. "No," she said, pulling him away from her and looking him in his eyes. "You don't even know how right you were, Odysseus. You were right about everything. I was the one in the wrong. Not you." She smiled and messed up his hair. "It's good to see you again."

They kept hugging for longer than they could tell. After some time, Odysseus looked at her again. "What about Poseidon? Are we still safe? Are you safe?"

She sighed. "Let's take this conversation elsewhere, shall we?"

She led him to the top of one of the hills. There was a small clearing on the top, so they were able to see the whole island, especially two of the beaches. The sun was setting and it gave the whole view an orange-ish tint. It was beautiful. 

"We haven't heard of Poseidon since you unleashed the storm into his face," scoffed Athena, after they arrived. "If the ocean wasn't still as calm and peaceful, I would probably think you've killed him." She smiled but without a single hint of happiness in her eyes. "We're trying to find him... But when Poseidon doesn't want to be found, he won't be found. He's probably still looking for you... But we have no idea where he is or how close he is to finding you." Her hand automatically went up to her forehead and she rubbed the small scar above her eyebrow. 

Odysseus turned to her. "You're worried about him," he said carefully. He didn't know what their relationship was before all this, but he figured they must've cared for each other in whatever way. She nodded.

"He's an idiot..." she sighed. "But he's always been the one there for me when nobody else was..." She looked away into the sunset. "I'd want to pay him back for it..."

Odysseus placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're doing it," he told her in an attempt to comfort her.

"But he is so blinded by anger that he cannot see it," Athena replied, before sighing again and smiling. "You take care of yourself, okay? How's Polites?"

"Better than he was," Odysseus chuckled. "He's... tired of staying in bed all the time, but he's still too weak to walk on his own." He smiled for himself a little and Athena noticed. 

"So you carry him around?" she nudged him. Odysseus laughed. For the first time since the crash, he laughed. 

"Most of the time," he chuckled. "He's been in a very... Cuddly mood lately." He felt butterflies in his stomach when he remembered what happened the night before, but quickly shook the feeling off. He rubbed the side of his neck, where he still had marks from it, that were now covered with his shirt's collar. 

"That's great to hear," Athena smiled, before looking up, as if she heard something. "I'm afraid I'll have to go... There's been chaos on Olympus since Poseidon left. Father needs me, I should better head back." Odysseus noticed that she had never called Zeus "father", but didn't manage to ask. She messed up his hair again, this time with her wing, and smiled at him. "If you needed me, just get up here and I'll find you. Take care, kid." 

"I'm- not fifteen anymore, 'Thena-" Odysseus blurted out the moment Athena called him like that. He fixed his hair and she laughed. He hasn't heard her laugh in ages. 

"But you're still short like you were then-" she smirked, before turning into her animal form. The owl sat on Odysseus' shoulder and rubbed her head against his, before setting off into the sky.

Odysseus remained alone, admiring the beautiful sunset. He glanced over the trees and the sea's surface, that was surrounding the island. Once his eyes landed on the western beach (the one they crashed on), he tilted his head. He saw Lenia standing there, the water washing over her ankles. Her hair was flowing in the evening wind, the same as her dress. Odysseus didn't see her face, however, he imagined her looking at the horizon, awaiting something.

Or someone.

He asked her about it when he got back to the village. They returned to the village at about the same time and met on her porch. "Well hello," she smiled at him. He let her in first and closed the door behind them. Polites was asleep so they just quietly closed the door to the living room and headed to the kitchen, where Lenia sat Odysseus down at the table. "'Tes ate a few hours ago, since then he's been sleeping," she said, looking through the kitchen cupboards. "You should eat too, it's getting late."

She's been caring for them like this since the moment they got here. She was busy during the day, but she always found time to make them dinner in the evening. She always smiled when she could take care of them. It made her genuinely happy, and Odysseus found that very... Attractive? No, that wasn't the right word. He wasn't attracted to her at all, he just felt... Safe with her. He knew they could trust her. It was as if she had him under some charm but he knew there was no magic involved. Lenia was a mere mortal, the same as he was. But her warm and kind personality could make up for the spell of a very powerful witch. 

"Thank you," he said when she gave him a plate with some cooked meat and vegetables and a glass of wine. She then placed a bowl of grapes on the table and sat down across from him. She took a few of the grapes into her hand and ate them one by one. "You won't be eating?" Odysseus asked her. It was rather weird and almost unethical for him to eat while a lady didn't. She smiled.

"Oh no, I ate with Polites," she replied, throwing one of the grapes and catching it into her mouth. "You don't have to worry about ethics, Odysseus. You're home. Eat." Her eyes flickered with something Odysseus couldn't identify. He nodded and began eating.

They sat in silence for a while, before he spoke. "I was taking a look around the island today," he started after he swallowed a piece of the meat. "I got up onto one of the hills, I believe it was the southern one, the view is stunning."

"It is, I love that spot. It feels like you can see the world from there," said Lenia, but let him continue.

"I had the feeling I saw you on the western beach... Do you go there often? To watch the sunset?"

She was surprised by the question, but she smiled afterward. "My husband is a sailor," she said. "He left home about a month or so ago... He usually sails back from the west so I sometimes... Go to the beach and hope to see his ship coming back."

Odysseus' chest tightened with guilt a little. "Does he leave frequently?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

She shook her head. "No, it's completely fine," she said. "It depends... Sometimes he's able to stay for months, years even, but nowadays he hasn't stayed for longer than two weeks." Sadness crawled into her voice, but she just sighed. "He finds joy in the sea. The kind of joy I can't give him. It's a part of him, it's always been."

"How long have you two been...?" asked Odysseus. The wine probably brought up his curious side, which Lenia chuckled at.

"Nine years. He saved me from the pirates that used to raid this island regularly. They took me, had me as a prisoner, but he saved me, took me with him, cared for me... And then returned me back here. He stayed for some time, then left... Then came back again with flowers, saying that he could not bear a moment without me and... Well... He became my husband, I became his wife."

Odysseus smiled, but the guilt he felt inside his chest didn't go away. "I... also have a family on Ithaca," he said quietly. "My wife and son, I... Haven't seen them in about..." he thought. How long was it since he left home? How long did the war last? Everything seemed so hazy, although he remembered every battle very clearly. "Twelve? No, ten, ten years," he counted then. "Feels like twelve but- I'm pretty sure it's been ten."

"They are waiting for you there," she told him comfortingly. "And it won't take long for you to get to them again. I promise."

He hoped so. But something told him, that not everything was as great as it seemed to be.