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Chapter Text

Lightning struck, thunder boomed, and then there was nothing.

And then there was something. And that something was not the Underworld like Eurylochus was expecting. Instead it was sand beneath him and the sun beating down on him.

He was alive. He had survived. 

When Eurylochus made his choice on the sun god’s island, he did it fully expecting death for his actions, he knew what he was doing perfectly well, his crew did too.

… The crew.

He whipped his head around in a panic. Did anyone else…?

“Is anyone out there?!”, he yelled, getting up on his feet. “Anybody?!”

He was only greeted with the sound of crashing waves and seabirds crying overhead.

… He shook his head. There was noone there. Just him alone on this unfamiliar beach. A curse almost slipped out his mouth, and he felt like crying.

Once again, people kept dying all around him, and he was one left standing. Why? Were the actions he had taken so awful that to continue living was deemed a more cruel punishment than death?

What was this a punishment for? Opening the bag of winds? Slaying the cattle of the sun god? Treason? 

Another thought hit Eurylochus.

Odysseus.

The one who warned against doubting him. The one who begged him not to kill that cow. The one who he mutinied against.

The one who chose to let everyone die just so that he could get home.

He must have survived that lightning blast, that was the point of his choice, right?

Where was that son of a-

“Captain!”

… Nothing.

Eurylochus cursed under his breath and finally worked on collecting his thoughts, survival mode kicking in despite his unwilling spirit.

He was on an unfamiliar shore, probably an island, all alone. No ship. No supplies. No shelter.

Think. 

First he’d have to determine if this place was safe. He didn't want anything coming to get him, not that’d he object to that-

So that was that. Scout.

He’d check the forest behind him first. If any dangers were lurking around, they’d be there, since the beach was too open to hide anything.

There wasn't much upon further inspection. No signs of civilization or people anywhere. So he was all alone. 

At least food didn't seem like it would be a problem, he spotted some plants that looked edible, and there was a healthy population of boars and even deer. He hesitated to get close to any of them, what if there was another cattle incident? So he ignored his aching stomach for the time being.

Water seemed to be not much of a problem either with there being streams around the woods, he thanked the nymphs for that.

Shelter was dealt with too before nightfall, a small one made of fallen logs would suffice, at least for now.

So, with the immediate survival concerns being settled, Eurylochus sat by his shelter, sharpening a large piece of wood he found into a makeshift spear, his only weapon as his broadsword was lost at sea it seems.

With each strip of wood dropping on the sand, a new thought emerged, and oh, how Eurylochus wished he could just shut his brain off for once, just postpone the terrible reality that had befallen him.

Since when being alive had become such a torment?

Ever since your captain gave his name away, ever since your captain embraced ruthlessness, ever since your captain decided that getting back home was more important than anything else, ever since your captain-

He shook his head. 

“Stop it.”, he said out loud, the first words he had spoken in hours.

Better not to think about it. But the more Eurylochus did not think about it, he felt like he was going to explode. He had never been one to keep his thoughts to himself. 

Sometimes it was to a detriment. Like when he planted those seeds of doubt in the crew, that was his doing, right?

“No. Just… don't.”, he told himself again.

But all that anger, all that uncertainty, all that regret, all that-

It kept bubbling inside him, threatening to overflow. 

… A hare had just wandered on the beach in the distance. And there was the feeling that governed quite a few decisions Eurylochus had made in the past. Hunger.

He got up on his feet, holding his newly crafted spear and slowly approached the hare, still oblivious to his presence and intentions. He winded up his arm, aimed and threw the spear.

It did hit its mark, the skewered animal dropping on the ground. Picking up the hare, Eurylochus inspected it. It seemed alright to eat, and it didn't really look divine in a way.

He thanked Artemis and pulled the spear out. “Alright, a fire should be next in order, it will be getting dark soon anyway-

Eurylochus stopped himself noticing something on the ground near him.

Drag marks in the sand and human footsteps.

“Huh?”

They seemed to be leading further down the beach. Something or someone – the size of the marks suggested the latter – had washed up here too and dragged away… Could it be Odysseus?

Eurylochus practiced caution following the trail. It didn't seem to go too far from his camp, which he couldn't determine if it was good or not. He didn't yet know if the thing he was following was dangerous or not. If it was indeed Odysseus who was dragged through here, he hoped for his sake that it wouldn't be dangerous.

He considered his previous condition. Stabbed all the way through the abdomen, the wound rendering him unconscious for several days, how many Eurylochus wasn't certain, he didn't count in the hopeless state he had been in. And he was pretty sure he saw the bandage get stained red again during the run for the ship, just before the encounter with Zeus.

The part of him that still cared for his captain, his brother, hoped that he was alright. 

The other part, that angry festering one, wanted to unleash all that fury upon Odysseus for what he had done. He wasn't sure which one would prevail in the end.

For now, he had to focus. For all he knew, he was fretting over nothing, and he was simply following a beast to its den. And he has had enough of beasts of all sorts lately. 

The trail ended at a rocky part of the coast, where a tall cliff loomed, and what seemed like a house was carved into it, torchlight coming from the alcoves.

Someone lived here. But was it friend or foe? He was so tired of foes the whole time. Who wouldn't be after everything?

Dread formed a pit in Eurylochus' stomach. What if this was another cyclops? Another Circe? Something unbeatable? He may have somehow survived Zeus, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe that he would be that lucky next time.

He decided that’d be better if he watched for a bit, just in case whoever occupied this place was home, he didn't want a repeat of the cave incident.

And he was right to wait first. At the far side of the coast, a fancifully dressed woman whose presence seemed to light up the area rounded the corner of the cliff. Eurylochus was unsure if he could trust her, but he could use the help. If she tried anything funny, he could probably run for it and escape. He hoped.

“Hey there!”, he called out, getting the woman’s attention. Bright azure eyes bore holes in his soul and he almost reconsidered this. She didn't say anything, simply watched him, with an air of curiosity, no fear at all.

He wasn't sure where to start, so he went for the first thing that came to mind. “I washed up on this island, and uh, I hoped you could tell me if you happened to find any others?”

The woman hummed, a strange kind of smile painting her lips. “Maybe I did.”

“Really? Does it happen to be a man this tall-”, Eurylochus started, bringing a hand up parallel to his neck, “messy hair, looked injured?”

She nodded. “That seems about right.”

He internally sighed in relief. Odysseus was alive. 

“You have him?”

The woman nodded again. “I do indeed.”, she said simply.

There was something about her tone… whatever it was, Eurylochus didn't like it. He made a move forward despite his better judgment.

“I have to see him-”

“I'm afraid you can't.”, she said with a too sweet smile, bringing a hand up to his chest to stop him. Something about the contact felt electrifying, almost like the lightning that almost consumed earlier, and he shuddered.

“What?”

“Don't get me wrong, you are… good looking, but not as good as him. No offense.”

The implications swirled in Eurylochus' head, and he felt sick. 

“I just asked to see him, not to join you in… I don't want to know what you meant by that.”

“My answer remains the same, sailor, you can't see him. Now, I will remind you that you are on my island. I am currently tolerating your presence, and my patience is wearing thin, so that’d be your cue to leave.”

Eurylochus breathed out, disdain on his features. “Fine.", he said, turning away.

He really didn't want to, but the small part of him that still valued his life told him to obey. There’d be other chances to catch Odysseus alone hopefully.

Leaving that part of the beach, he wasn't aware of the very person he was looking for standing by an alcove, watching him go.

Lightning struck, thunder boomed.

It was dark and cold. His vision was blurry and his eyes stung from the salt water. There was light, getting further and further away. It was almost peaceful.

By the time Odysseus realized he was drowning, it was too late to do anything, and his body too weak to even attempt to swim to the surface. Darkness followed soon after.

In the meanwhile, his mind wandered.

It wasn't unlike the time he had gotten dangerously sick in the fourth year of the war. The camp was being sieged and all hands had to be on deck. Odysseus could barely stand straight with his head burning up with fever. He took up watch duty anyway. 

Counted the scouts like sheep to be penned and shot at them. And then there were soldiers. One scout must have gotten away, how'd he miss them?

Still he shot, one, two, three. By the sixth, he could barely aim.

“Captain, you are wasting arrows, they're gone.”, his second in command had told him, but his hazy mind barely registered.

More were coming. He shakily raised his bow and squinted, almost blinked from the sweat dripping from his forehead. He couldn't miss this shot.

“Captain, that's enough, hey-”

A hand on his shoulder was enough to offset his balance, and it sent Odysseus toppling, almost falling off the rampart. 

His vision skipped a few scenes, one moment the ground was rushing up to meet him, and the next he was being carried through the camp. He never liked being carried, even as a kid.

When he was finally being laid down , Eurylochus was staring at him. “Don't go dying on us, captain. I’d hate to tell Penelope that her husband died because he was being an idiot.”

Of course, he dumbly responded with the only word from that sentence that caught his attention. “Penelope…”

Oh, how he missed her. The things he’d do for her, the things he did do for her.

“Penelope…”, Odysseus whispered, his throat feeling scratchy. Where was she? He had to see her. He had to-

There was that light again. It must have been her. 

He managed to turn his head and peel his eyes open, just a bit. The light seemed blinding, but he had to keep his eyes open.

There she was. Exactly as he remembered, and how longed to reach for her.

“Penelope.”, Odysseus said again, painful hope tinging the word. He wanted to reach out but he couldn't move, why couldn't he move, he had to-

She was walking away, taking that light away with her. 

“No… Don't- Penelope…”

Darkness dragged him away from reality once more.

He had been in the dark for way too long. And by that he meant literal dark. Torch light barely reached the cell he was being held in.

He really had to focus on his breathing the way his arms were pinned above his head. Oh, and he was sure some ribs were broken. Overall, he had to focus on his breathing.

A bit hard with his head pounding and his body aching everywhere. If he wasn't chained in that position, he would have toppled over weeks ago. And any position would be more comfortable than this one at this point.

Well, not that Odysseus trusted his counting ability with there being no daylight in the prison, but he was sure it had been at least two weeks. If the guards’ words were any indication.

He shifted his position a bit in hopes of getting more comfortable, but that just elicited a whine of pain to escape his lips. He had lost count of the injuries the Trojan had inflicted upon him. 

At this point he would welcome unconsciousness but it just wouldn't allow him that. So Odysseus remained fully aware of the pain he was in and the fact that no one was going to come for him.

He’d rot in here, and he'd never see Ithaca’s shores again. He’d never see Penelope and Telemachus again.

With his mind hazy from blood loss and pain, he barely registered that someone had walked into his cell, around two people, he didn't even recognize their voices. They kept whispering above him, but it seemed way too loud in his ears.

“... Keep it down, will you?”, he mumbled, swatting away the hands prodding him (when was he untied?).

“We’re getting you out of here, just hold on, alright?”

All that just sounded like ringing in his ears with throbbing at the side of his head refusing to go away.

A hand on his cheek. Friendly touch. That felt nice. He leaned into it, allowing his eyes to slip shut. He was so tired.

“Nope, we’re going to need you to stay awake, alright?”, the hand tapped his cheek several times.

Odysseus just wanted to cry. Why couldn't he just rest? He was just so tired.

“I will lift you now, brace yourself.”

Not that that prepared him for the agony that shot through his entire body at the movement. He cried out in pain, and he had to choke back a sob.

“You’re doing good, captain.”

“Just don't pass out yet.”

“‘m so tired…”, Odysseus whispered, voice scratchy from disuse. It was so nice and warm. He leaned his head into the person’s chest and sighed.

“No! Stay. Awake.”, the jostle that followed did nothing. He just wanted to rest. He felt safe, so he'd take the chance. 

“Wake up!”

And his eyes flew open. But he wasn't where he was before. Not in someone's arms, but lying on a rather hard surface.

Several things remained consistent from before. For starters, his head still hurt and his body did too. Right. Stabbed. The culprits lost to either the divine lightning or the ocean. Another was that it still felt like his mind was still treading through murky waters, lost and confused.

What did not stay the same? He was now alone. Where was he anyway?

Some sort of cave? No, it seemed way too tended to and lived in. A house carved into stone seemed like a more accurate description.

But where was that?

Odysseus tried to concentrate on his hearing. Waves crashing in the distance. Not far from the sea then. And… voices?

One was an unfamiliar female one, and the other… it couldn't be…!

He forced himself up to his feet, clutching his side, and stumbled towards what seemed to be the exit.

And just in time to see his own once second in command walk away from a strange woman.

“... Eurylochus?”

Chapter Text

How… it shouldn't have been possible, and yet there was Eurylochus. What kind of game were the gods playing?

Odysseus backed away, leaning against the nearest wall. Alright. Get it together.

He must have washed up on this place and one of the two people he just saw in the distance, Eurylochus and the strange woman, found him and probably tended to his wound (he just now noticed that the bandage seemed to be new).

Where was Eurylochus going? And who was the strange woman? Were they working together? Or was something else going on?

He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even notice that the stranger had approached. Her eyes brightened with a smile seeing him. Something about it seemed familiar, and not in a good way.

“Oh, you’re finally awake! How are you feeling?”, she asked.

“... Fine, I guess.”, Odysseus answered tentatively. “Where are we?”

“On my island, where you will be staying for the foreseeable future.”, she said with a grin. “Which might as well be forever.”, she added in a small voice.

Huh?!

“Anyways, I noticed that you talk in your sleep.” What a weird observation to make. “There is someone you mentioned, and I want to know. Who is Penelope?”, the woman asked, tilting her head to the side.

Odysseus blinked at the question. “She's my wife.”

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise and disdain. The man squinted his in confusion.

Eventually she just clapped her hands and smiled. “Anyway.”

“What-”

“You will be staying here with me! You may call me Calypso. I didn't catch your name.”

Odysseus backed away, alarms blaring in his mind. “And you don't need to know. I just need to get out of this place.” (And find Eurylochus while at it).

“That isn't possible, I am afraid.”, Calypso said, not looking concerned about that in the slightest. “You see, this island is weird in that you normally can't find it unless you are specifically looking for it, and just about no one knows of its existence. And just like one does not normally end up here, one cannot just leave.

“It must have been the will of the gods for you to wash up here and right to me.”, she said, still not wiping that too smug smile on her face.

Well, it was undoubtedly the will of the gods he ended up here, it was just the second part Odysseus objected to.

“Are you sure? That you can't just leave?”

“I'm positive.”

“There must be a way-”

“There is not.”, Calypso stated, a forcefulness in her words. “And besides, why would you want to leave when I have everything that you could possibly want here?”

A spark flew from her hand, and some kind of fruit materialized from it, she then threw it in his general direction. Odysseus almost didn't catch it in his shock. He stared at Calypso horrified, taking a step back.

“You’re a goddess?”

It was only at that moment Odysseus realized the gravity of the situation he was in. He was stuck on an island that is basically unfindable and impossible to leave even. And said island was the domain of a goddess.

“That I am.”, Calypso smiled again, before regarding Odysseus for a few moments. “I can see you are a bit winded still.” (Wow, what a statement). “Rest, go look around, whatever you please. We can… talk, later.”

For a few moments, Odysseus stood there dumbfounded as Calypso walked away. He really had a bad feeling about her. Perhaps running while he could would be a good idea. But where’d he go?

This island couldn't have many places to hide. And well, was hiding from a god really possible? This seemed like a ‘you can run but you can't hide’ situation so far.

At least there was something that he could do. And it was to go look for Eurylochus. Odysseus had a feeling that a reunion wouldn't go well.

Looking into the flames was quite the welcome distraction truth be told. A bit too effective too, given that he should be focusing on his food not getting burned.

Either way, it was a distraction, a much needed one, given Eurylochus wanted to avoid yet another breakdown that would lead to him doing something unwise.

Like returning to the strange woman’s lair and finding Odysseus. Not that he had a plan for what’d he do after, but he guessed it’d be to either punch him in the face for almost getting him killed or simply be relieved that he even made it in the first place. 

Perhaps even try and get him away from the stranger. Because he really didn't like the… vibes she was giving off. He may have had his differences with Odysseus lately (what a damn understatement), but he knew that he wanted him away from her if possible.

… He’d try again soon. Watch for the woman’s routine to determine when reaching Odysseus would be possible.

Hearing the shuffling of sand nearby, Eurylochus’ head snapped up in alert. Turns out, he wouldn't have to do anything. Odysseus was standing right there, a bit awkwardly, looking like he was considering leaving.

He cleared his throat before motioning to the fire. “May I join you?”

Eurylochus regarded him for a moment before looking away, not daring to look him in the eye. “Go ahead.”

“Thank you.”, he mumbled, and slowly sat down, favoring his side. 

Well, this Eurylochus had to admit, he may have been planning to get Odysseus but he really didn't have a plan for when he did that. And he certainly didn't have a plan now that Odysseus showed up by himself.

He seemed to be a relatively alright shape at least, for that he was relieved. 

While Eurylochus focused on roasting the hare he caught, Odysseus stared into the flames, something unreadable in his eyes. They sat there in silence, and every now and then they looked like they were going to say something but ultimately dropped it.

What were they supposed to say anyway? A lot would have to be talked out, but where to start was an entirely different thing. Where did things go so wrong?

“I'm sorry.”

Eurylochus turned his head to Odysseus. The man in question wasn't looking at him still, eyes looking through the flames and beyond.

“For everything.”

“... Are you?”

“Listen, okay? I know you're angry-”, he ignored Eurylochus’ snort, “-betrayed and I don't know what else. And you have every right to feel that way. I don't expect you to forgive me either, you are free to not do that even.

“Because I am not talking to you as your captain or your king, but as just a man.”, he stated, fidgeting with his hands. “So please. Hear me out.”

Eurylochus considered that for a few moments, before sighing. “Fine. Let's hear what you have to say.”

“I was just… so focused on getting back home, seeing Penelope again. After everything I’ve seen and been through, I thought that she’d help make it all right again.”, Odysseus said, turning his gaze away. “Even back at the war, she was my goal. She is my… everything.”

The larger man didn't say anything just yet. That was nothing new to him, throughout the journey it sometimes seemed like Penelope was all Odysseus was talking about. Eurylochus really hoped he had a better explanation for his actions, because missing home was not an explanation for giving up on what remained of the crew like that.

But Odysseus didn't really say anything further. Anything he was about to say seemed to quickly die in his mouth.

“... Is that it?”

“No! No, it's just… I don't know how to say it without sounding like a terrible person… which I guess I am.”

Eurylochus shook his head. “Alright, let me talk now. When I opened the wind bag, I doubted you. And I was wrong to do it, because you then managed to save our men from Circe, and then you handled the sirens. I thought that I was wrong. You told me not to doubt you, and from then on, things went relatively alright. I thought everything would be alright.

“And that monster… I thought you were all for protecting us, and then out of nowhere you let six people die?! … I still don't know what to say.”

Eurylochus brought a hand up to his face and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep back tears.

“We trusted you, Ody.”

He then let out a bitter laugh. “We trusted you and you used that.”

“Eurylochus…”

“You wanted to get home, yes, but so did we! Were you the only one who has a family waiting? We did too!

“What are you going to tell their children? Their wives?” he said that, and Eurylochus suddenly froze. “Ctimene…”

Odysseus seemed confused at the mention of his sister, though some sort of understanding, a similar one, filled his eyes. Eurylochus elaborated, his voice quiet. 

“When me and the crew mutinied, we… we just gave up. I didn't even think about…”

Odysseus nodded. “You didn't think about your own family…”

In his tears that Eurylochus finally allowed to flow, he huffed. “It's kind of ironic, isn't it. You thought about your family too much, I thought about my own too little.”

“I see what you mean.”

After a few moments, Eurylochus turned to his brother in law. “You tried to say sorry earlier… you were right that I’m still angry about what you did. And I can't say that I accept the apology…”

“That's totally fine, I know I messed up-”

“At least not yet.”

Odysseus blinked. “Huh?”

“... We both messed up.”

Eurylochus looked like he was about to say something more, but then he abruptly cursed and reached for the food he was roasted over the fire. It was almost burned at this point, the meat blackened. Despite himself, Odysseus had to hold back a small laugh.

“What?”, Eurylochus asked, looking almost embarrassed.

“Nothing, nothing. Sorry I distracted you.”

“... If this isn't edible, you are catching me something.”

“That's fair.”, Odysseus said, the ghost of a smile on his face. He then fidgeted with his hands again, before facing his companion again. 

“Do you think… we could make amends?”

Eurylochus seemed to consider that for a while (or he was busy trying to determine if his meal was salvageable, hard to tell), and then he sighed.

“I don't know… we may have both messed up, but what you pulled in the monster’s lair… it hurt, Ody.”, the most genuine kind of pain in his voice, making Odysseus' gut twist in guilt.

“I know, Eurylochus… and I am so sorry.”

“Doesn't change that it happened.”

“I know.”

“... Just give me some time to think about it, alright?”

Odysseus nodded. “Take your time.”

“We should also consider how we get away from this island, it’s going to work better if we aren't at each other's throats the whole time.”, Eurylochus added fleetingly.

“... About that. I don't think we can just leave.”

The larger man whipped his head towards Odysseus in bewilderment. 

“What.”

“That woman, Calypso is her name, she said that-”

And speaking of her, there she was, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, staring down at the two men. “There you are.”, she said, specifically addressing Odysseus. “I was wondering where you’ve been.”

Eurylochus glowered at her. “And why do you want to know that?”

At that, the once captain gave him a look. “Careful now…”. It almost seemed like he knew something the other didn't, but he wouldn't say what it is. Not safe to do so? Not the right time?

“It's almost dark, and me and my man-”

“Your what-”, Odysseus sputtered.

“Have made arrangements for the night.”

“No we haven't-”

At the dangerous look Calypso cast him, he quickly quieted down. She tilted her head as she gave a sweet smile. “Won't you come?”

Odysseus felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked at Eurylochus uncertain. “Don't.”, the latter’s slow nod said without any words.

He looked at Calypso. “May me and my friend have a moment? If you’ll allow it?”

The woman regarded that, and surprisingly agreed. “Of course, I will be right over here. But be quick about it.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Odysseus pulled Eurylochus aside, urgency in his expression. He firmly gripped the other’s shoulders.

“Listen, I have to go with her-”

“Why?”

“I have no other choice.”

“She's just a woman-”

“She's a goddess.”

“... A goddess?”

“See why I have to follow her?”

Eurylochus seemed uncertain about it. “I have a bad feeling about this, Ody…”

“I know, I do too. I don't trust Calypso one bit. But I have to go with her, because who knows what she will do if I don't?”

There wasn't any response to that.

“I will be fine, I promise.”

“Don't promise things you cannot do-”

“It will be okay… I know I am asking much of you with this, especially with the talk we had before… But I need you to trust me with this.”

Eurylochus sighed. “Go.”

Odysseus nodded and started making his way over to Calypso.

“Did you say everything you needed to say?”, she asked, a fake smile on her face. Eurylochus had

to keep himself from going over there and dragging Odysseus away from her.

“Yes.”

“Come on then.”

It would take some time for Eurylochus to find out, but he just knew he would regret ever letting Odysseus go with Calypso that evening.

Chapter Text

The next morning, unable to help his concern for Odysseus, Eurylochus made the way to Calypso’s lair, hand itching to reach for a sword that wasn't there. Not that it’d do any good, since the woman was apparently a goddess.

How’d he miss that when he first talked to her? He should have known. He encountered and survived three of them, and he did notice something common in all of them.

The gods’ presence was in a way, electrifying. He distinctly remembered a chill on his skin and a strange kind of feeling in his very bones, it was very hard to forget.

So how did he miss it with Calypso?

Eurylochus shook his head and steeled himself. He never would have done this in the past, but he considered this situation important enough to confront the goddess despite the danger.

He rounded the sharp face of the cliff that Calypso called home, and just like the day before, it seemed like he was just in time for something. He halted in his tracks and watched, all that big self talk about confronting the goddess dissipating like smoke in the air.

Odysseus exited the house on the cliff first. His posture seemed stiff, and even from this distance Eurylochus could see that his eyes were wide open like in shock.

Moments later, the goddess followed and stopped just behind him, uncomfortably close, and Eurylochus knew Odysseus well enough to know that he never liked people being in this kind of close proximity.

She seemed to be saying something, Eurylochus couldn't hear from that far away, while her hand was trailing along Odysseus’ shoulders. 

Then she was gone, off to gods-know-where, he just hoped she wouldn't be back any time soon.

Only after that was the second in command felt secure enough to start approaching. He began making his way to Odysseus, but was stopped short when the man in question began moving too.

“Captain?”, Eurylochus asked, watching him go by (was there any point in calling him captain now?).

Odysseus didn't answer, he just kept walking, towards the sea. 

“Hey-”

No response.

“What happened there? Talk to me.”

Eurylochus kept trailing after Odysseus, trying to get him to say anything. But nothing. He didn't know which one of the two of them was more like a shade at that moment, him repeating the same thing over and over, or his captain who simply didn't seem to be hearing a word he said.

He was starting to feel frustrated. They were on speaking terms the day before, what happened?

He was almost ready to yell out that frustration in an unkind manner when Odysseus stopped ankle deep into the sea and sank to his knees. That's when the frustration turned into concern once again.

“... Captain?”

Eurylochus tentatively moved to his line of sight, hoping that’d get some kind of response, but found something else.

The look in Odysseus' eyes was just… empty. Haunted. As if it was looking past the sea and into some realm unseen. He didn't even seem to notice that Eurylochus was even there.

“Hey, what's wrong?”, he asked, kneeling by the captain. “Talk to me. Did something happen back there? Calypso, did she hurt you?”

He gave a quick once over. No sign that something happened to Odysseus, at least physically. Then why was he in this state?

“... Ody, say something. Anything.”

Still nothing. Nothing as much as a whisper or a twitch. What now? Does one move a person in this state? Wait for them to come back around? Keep trying to get them to respond?

… Well, the sun would definitely do no good, beating down hard as it did that time of the year. Or perhaps it was just the sun god still being mad about the cattle. It could be either case.

It didn't change that a sunstroke would follow if they stayed in the open for too long. Still unsure if he was supposed to move Odysseus, Eurylochus decided to sit in a way that blocked the sun from hitting Odysseus. His large frame may make him relatively slow in a fight, but he was like a shield, made to protect.

He was often referred to as such during the war by his fellow crew members. And Eurylochus still felt guilty for not being able to protect them… but he knew that they knew he wanted to protect them. So while it felt like coping to convince himself that the crew wouldn't want him to blame himself, it did help somewhat.

And well… he still felt a bit conflicted about the person he was currently shielding from the sun. Eurylochus spent some part of the night thinking. And while he wasn't ready to forgive just yet, he was at least in the state to worry. In a way, Odysseus was still his brother. And while it was a bond broken, it wasn't one forgotten. Or one he wasn't ready to let go off just yet.

It hurt what happened, yes. But maybe, just maybe, it could get better.

But it wouldn't get better if Odysseus was in this state, unmoving like a statue and staring into nothing.

So, he waited.

Three times Eurylochus adjusted his position as the sun moved across the sky, not in a hurry for Nyx to take over.

He had taken to staring up at the few clouds in the sky when a voice broke the silence.

“... Why are we in the water?”, Odysseus asked hoarsely, looking over his shoulder at Eurylochus. Thank the gods, he was finally back to his senses.

“You tell me, captain.”, Eurylochus responded. “You just walked out here and wouldn't speak a word.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“I… I don't remember that.”

“What happened back there? You went with Calypso last night and you came out like that? There's no way that’s a coincidence.”

For a moment, Odysseus froze again. Breathing heavily, his hands clenching on his tunic.

“Hey, don't go drifting on me again.”, Eurylochus called out, laying a hand on his shoulder.

He didn't expect the captain to violently flinch and bat his hand away, almost shying away like a wild animal. Odysseus quickly seemed to recollect himself after that, shrinking into himself. His faint “sorry” was almost inaudible.

This didn't feel right. Eurylochus knew him well enough to just know that this kind of behavior was so unlike his captain.

He didn't manage to even inquire what that was about before Odysseus spoke again.

“... I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Captain...”

“Please, Eurylochus…”, Odysseus said, his voice breaking. “Just… leave it… I can't-”

“Ok, ok. We won't talk about it if you don't want to.”

The captain slowly nodded, turning away.

Eurylochus sighed and got up on his feet. He had gotten sore from being on his knees for so long. 

“Let's go to my camp for the day. The further from here, the better.”

Considering just how cruel the sea had been during those two years of wandering, it was strange it was so comforting.

The waters around the island were calm, waves gently crashing on the shores. It wasn't like the ocean waters, it was a sea, yes, but it felt much like a lake.

Easy to sink despite the salt. The surroundings muted, the senselessness brought by the water was… relieving.

A relief from the arms of Calypso, from the mercilessness of his current reality, away from home… 

There was no going back home, was there?

A muffled voice was reaching Odysseus' ears, so far away. 

“ Not again.”

Steadfast and calloused hands grabbed him and pulled him out.

The moment he made contact with the air, Odysseus sputtered, expelling the water that had gotten in his system. He whipped his head around to see that he was in waist deep water, Eurylochus' disapproving eyes on him.

Oh. It happened again.

“What is it with you lately? Do you have a death wish all of a sudden?”

Odysseus didn't respond. He simply brought his knees up to his chest and looked away.

“You're still not going to tell me anything? It's been two years since that night.”

Oh, if only he knew…

“I just can't.”

Because if Odysseus did speak about it, and he tried, it just felt like he was betraying something. What he was betraying, he couldn't bring himself to say either. He was weak, a coward-

“Listen… I’m not very good at these kinds of things, it was more like Polites’ domain really, being everyone’s shoulder to lean on… but what I want to say is that maybe actually talking about it could help.

“Because I know this much: I know you need help, but I can't help you if you can't even say what the problem is.”

Odysseus shook his head. “This isn't something you can help with, Eurylochus.”

“How are you so sure about that? I get it, Calypso is a goddess, but I’m sure there is something that-”

“There isn't anything you can do! Alright? … Just leave it.”

He didn't need to look at Eurylochus to picture the look on his face. Hurt, apprehension and pity.

“... If you decide that you are ready to talk, you know where to find me.”

So Odysseus was left all alone again, not daring to move even as the sun reached the horizon and the telltale soft footsteps behind him signified what was coming.

If he couldn't save himself, nobody could.

Over the next year, not many words were exchanged between captain and second in command. They would often sit together in Eurylochus' camp, either in silence or telling stories of home, to try and keep spirits up. 

It was hard for the both of them to hide just how hopeless their situation seemed. 

It was hard to miss the way the spark faded from Odysseus’ eyes with each passing day, oftentimes doing nothing but sitting by the shore and stare out at sea.

On the other hand, Eurylochus would often keep himself busy with various tasks to the point of exhaustion. 

Stuck on an inescapable island, one tormented by something he wouldn't talk about, the other starting to miss home more and more.

“Perhaps we got what was coming to us.”, Odysseus said one afternoon, looking up to the sky partially covered with clouds.

“Why is that?”, Eurylochus asked in response.

“Think back to all we’ve done. Ransacked a city to the point of no return, pissed off the god of the sea, believed that we could act however we wanted without there being any consequences… Us being here, this must be Nemesis’ punishment.

“Stuck on a goddess's island no one knows about. You just being stranded in general, and I Calypso's plaything to do whatever she wants with-”

“What?”

“What?”

“What did you just say. With Calypso.”

Realizing what he had just said, Odysseus nervously gripped at his tunic. “Nothing, forget I said anything.”

“What did you mean by that, Odysseus?”

“I said it's-”

“You're not ‘it's nothing, don't worry about it’-ing out of this this time. For the past three years, you’ve been acting, I don't know… weird. I’ve been trying to help you, but nothing from you, it's like you don't want to be helped.”

“Because I don't deserve it! Not after I… I betrayed her.”

“Her?”

Odysseus sighed. “I guess we’re doing this now. Penelope. I betrayed her.”

“You… how?”

“That first night on the island… when I went with Calypso… I should never have, you were right.

“I went to her home, but then…”

Tears were already filling Odysseus’ eyes as he explained. And suddenly, everything started making sense to Eurylochus.

“Calypso’s plaything to do with as she pleases.”

“My man and I made arrangements for the night.”

“Don't get me wrong, you’re good looking, but not as good looking as him. No offense.”

Eurylochus' blood silently boiled as the captain spoke.

“She…”

“Yes. Not just that first night. Every night.”

“For three years?”

Odysseus nodded.

“Gods, Ody…”, Eurylochus uttered in shock.

He had to get up and pace around the fire. 

If Calypso wasn't an immortal goddess and she couldn't simply destroy him at the snap of a finger, he would kill her.

He eventually stopped and stared down at the ground and then at Odysseus.

“I remember you told me that one of the reasons you didn't want to tell me was because you thought that nothing could be done about this, right?

“Well, something can be done. We are getting out of this place.”, Eurylochus said, flames in his eyes.

Odysseus snorted. “How. I told you about this island. We can't leave.”

“Have you thought that Calypso was just lying to you in order to keep you here? Takes one to know one, a liar I mean… I don't mean any offense.”

“None taken, but Eurylochus…”

“ We are getting off this godsdamned island. Tonight.”

Chapter Text

They had to leave as soon as possible. It would be a few hours at best before Calypso would want Odysseus for herself for the night, and of course it couldn't happen, not again.

Eurylochus wouldn't allow it. 

He may have had past disputes with his captain, but this was a fate he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

There was a cove on the eastern coast of the island, where he had been working when he wasn't checking on Odysseus or maintaining his main camp.

“A raft?”, Odysseus questioned, staring at Eurylochus' work.

It was big enough for two people, and it was currently being loaded with whatever supplies Eurylochus grabbed from his camp while they were leaving, he said that they only needed enough to make it to the next landmass they made it to and from there they could worry about getting enough supplies to last a longer journey.

“No ship, no crew, so this is our only way out of this place.”

“No, I mean, how are you sure this is going to work?”

“Doesn’t hurt to try, does it?”

“What if it is just me who can’t leave and you were free to go all along?”

“Even so, we’re in this together. You’re stranded here, I’m stranded too. But for now, we are going… Or at least we try.”

“What if we fail?”

… Eurylochus really didn’t want to think about that. He would just have to assume everything would be alright. Naive, yes, but what other option was there?

He wanted to see home again. He couldn’t watch his brother break day by day anymore. Getting off this island was killing two birds with one stone.

“This has to end.”, he said.

Odysseus slowly nodded, but the doubt he still held was palatable. Gods, was this what it felt, being the captain and trying to keep everyone from losing hope?

Either way, he was done now. Everything he had was loaded on the raft, and the time was now.

“Come on, help me push the raft in the water. “, Eurylochus nodded towards the raft.

With some effort, the makeshift boat was in the water, and with rather crude oars, the two men began rowing away from the island that had been their prison for the past three years.

With each stroke of the oars, the island was starting to get smaller and smaller, and Eurylochus found himself smiling.

“That's it, we’re doing it.”, he said, looking towards his companion. Odysseus was still staring towards the island, something unreadable on his face.

“Hey, lighten up a bit. We're making it.”

Silence again.

“Don't tell me you're going to miss that place.”

Ah, that seemed to do something.

“No, of course not. I'm just thinking… what's going to happen if we fail.”

“We won't. And since when are you so afraid of failing? Aren't you the same guy who was told his men were turned into pigs by a witch and your first reaction was to go save them?”, Eurylochus questioned, no bite in his voice compared to the last time he made that observation to Odysseus.

“This is kind of different… I never actually told you how I dealt with Circe, did I? I only managed to beat her because Hermes helped me out a bit.”

“... Hermes helped you out?!”

Odysseus shrugged helplessly. “Sometimes the answer isn't wits or brawn, but a magic flower given to you by a god.

“And it gets even better.”, he scoffed. “I may have won against her in a fight, but… let's say she didn't do… unspeakable things to me after only because I begged. There.”

“... Damn.”

“So now you know about all those things, make a guess as to why I have my reservations about this plan.”, he finished, a bit snappily.

Well, Eurylochus could make a guess, yes. It was only now really occurring to him just how at the end of day, it was up to the gods what happened to them.

“Who knows? Perhaps the Fates are on our side on this.”, he said.

Odysseus sighed, letting his shoulders slump and the grip on his oar loosen. “I'm just scared, Eury. What could happen if…”

“It's going to be alright. It has to.”

It just had to.

It was around the evening that several things started happening.

For one, the most obvious was that the sun was down by now, and Calypso would be out with the moon, looking for Odysseus.

Secondly, Eurylochus was beginning to rethink his plan. In his hurry and desperate to get off the island, he underestimated how far away the nearest land would be, could the raft really make the journey?

And finally, the sky was starting to get cloudy and the waves more powerful. Not a storm, just yet, but it looked like it would soon become one.

Was this natural or sent by the gods? It remained to be seen.

“You still sure about this, Eurylochus?”, Odysseus asked, fiercely pulling on his oar.

“What, do you want to go back there?”, Eurylochus responded, squinting in the salt spray.

Where were they even going? He wasn't sure. They just had to hold, and they’d be fine. Even if they didn't end up on Ithaca, they’d be away from the goddess.

The further the two pushed, the more the waves seemed to intensify. Almost like they were pulling them towards… something.

Eurylochus could see the way his companion tensed up.

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

He then cut himself off as he looked behind him and stared at something horrified. “Watch out! Wave!”

There was no time for reaction as freezing water crashed into them, and the raft creaked with the force of it.

The waves seemed less like waves now, and more like mountains, tossing them around like nothing. Poseidon's doing?

Eurylochus shook his head, his eyes stinging. “You ok?”, he asked.

“Yes, I’m fine… Is it just me or are we moving sideways?”

Now that Odysseus mentioned it, he noticed that too. He didn't even need a relative position to verify, he could feel it from the way the raft was moving.

One more wave crashed around them, and it caused a bit of the raft to splinter off. If they were to follow its trajectory, it headed further into…

“What is that thing?!”, Eurylochus exclaimed staring at what seemed to be a giant whirlpool. But no, it wasn't just a whirlpool. There was something in the middle, like a hole swallowing everything. It may have been just a trick of the light, but he could have sworn he saw the glinting of teeth.

Odysseus seemed to pale at the sight of the thing. 

“Charybdis…”

“Row…! ROW!”, Eurylochus yelled.

The two men began pulling their oars with all of their might, but the whirlpool only seemed to pull them closer towards the creature in the middle.

“We're getting sucked in!”

“Keep rowing! Faster and harder!”

At that moment, they both lurched as the raft suddenly picked up speed. It quickly made a round of the whirlpool, and the force of it seemed to launch the raft, which was on the verge of falling apart, nearly at the cusp.

“This is our chance! Row now!”

It was an uphill battle that was won eventually. Out of breath and muscles burning from exertion, Odysseus and Eurylochus didn't dare to stop rowing, even after they seemed to be out of reach of Charybdis’ pull.

Odysseus still dared to stop for a second and look behind him.

“Did… did we do it?”

“I think we did.”

They couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped them after a few moments. They had just escaped a giant sea monster pretty much intact.

“See? It'll be okay.”

And just as Eurylochus said that, he saw a huge wave coming right at them from the edge of his eye.

‘Spoke too soon.’ , he thought to himself as it crashed right into them.

When he came back to, it was daytime once again, still only slightly cloudy. The moment he recognized the beach, he realized it was all the way back to square one.

“Ody?”, he called out, looking around for any signs of his captain.

And surely enough, there he was, sitting a ways from the raft, both of them looking rather worse for wear. He was sitting there, knees brought up to his chest, and judging by the lack of response, he must have been drifting again.

Eurylochus got up to his feet and made his way to him slowly, dread forming a deep pit in his stomach.

“That's it. We're done.”, Odysseus spoke unexpectedly.

“What?”

“She will find out what we did… She will find me and she will-”, he said, spiraling, sinking.

“It’ll be okay-”, Eurylochus said, but that was the wrong thing to say it seemed like.

The captain huffed bitterly. “How? Just… just face it, Eurylochus. It's hopeless. It’ll never be ‘ok’.”

The larger man remained silent at that, still thinking of what he could say, and he’d have to say the right thing, because he could feel it, he was losing Odysseus.

“... You were right, you know.”, Odysseus spoke quietly. “On the sun god’s island. We're not making it back home.”

Eurylochus flinched as he was suddenly reminded of his own words and then immediately sprung up to get a hold of his friend's shoulders. 

“Hey, no! No, Ody, look at me. I was wrong about that, okay? I was wrong. I wasn't in a good place when I said that.

“You can't give up. Not now.”

Odysseus didn't respond.

The once-second in command was about to say something more, come up with another reassurance, but as if things couldn't get any worse, they just did.

“There you are, the two of you!”, a familiar voice rang out, one that made Eurylochus’ blood boil.

He turned halfway to see Calypso standing there, her deep azure eyes judging. 

“What is this…? So that's why I couldn't find Ody anywhere last night?”

The nickname felt extremely wrong coming from her lips. That was reserved for noone else but Odysseus’ family. And she definitely did not belong in that category.

She smiled looking at Odysseus, sweetly and darkly at the same time. “Come on now, love.”

Suddenly, Eurylochus felt hands grab onto his tunic, and looking down, he saw his brother, on his knees, his eyes filled to the brim with fear. 

“Please.”, he said, voice breaking and barely above a whisper. “Please, you can't let her… not again.”

Eurylochus found himself frozen. He couldn't move nor speak, only watch the way everything seemed to fall apart around him.

Odysseus pleading, begging him to do something, anything. 

Calypso approaching, ready to summon him away and do who knows what else. 

So much was going on and yet the silence rang in his ears louder than anything else he had ever heard before.

The goddess was so close now. Her hand moved to trail along Odysseus' shoulders. 

The silence that was filling Eurylochus’ head was broken by the ever so quiet pained, fearful gasp that escaped his brother's lips.

His fate was sealed. With that haunted look in his eyes, he got up, moving slowly, heavily and wordlessly, along Calypso, and getting further and further away.

Only then Eurylochus found himself to be able to move. Too late to reach out, to do anything to help.

He noticed the way Calypso turned her head to him one last time, spite and scorn in her eyes. With the flick of a wrist, a spark flew from her hand and straight towards the raft.

“No!”, he found it in him to exclaim, watching as all his hard work went up in flames and turned into ashes. If it was repairable before, it sure wasn't now.

Looking between the fire and the two forms walking off into the distance, Eurylochus just couldn't take it anymore.

He fell down to his knees and let it all out. 

That's what he got for letting himself believe? Believe that things could get better? Believe that he could set right what he had done wrong? Believe that getting back home was possible?

He should have known better. Wasn't the line between naivete and hopefulness almost invisible after all?