Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Odysseus walked through the forest, trying to find the palace were his brother’s crew had been captured by Circe. Stumbling, he leaned against a tree for a moment, closing his eyes. He jerked back upright once he felt himself falling asleep. Damnit no, he had to push on, he mentally cursed himself. He was just so, so tired. After 9 days of staying awake, all he wanted to do was curl up on his bed in his cabin and sleep for a week, but he couldn’t. He needed to save his men from Circe, they were relaying on him! They had already lost so many, he would not lose one person more, he refused.

So he forced himself to start walking again. Only to stop when he heard a familiar chuckle behind him, and a voice saying “I must say, what a brilliant speech you gave!”.  “Who goes there?” He called out, hoping he was right. “Just a friend, who could help you save your men. A foe like Circe is not to be messed with. You want to beat her? You’ll need the blessing of a certain god, divine intervention, someone who’s not afraid to… send a message!” The voice sang, laughter ringing through the trees.

That confirmed it then. “Hermes!” Odysseus called, happy to see his great grandfather again. With how busy the messenger god was, he could only visit every few years, but he was very dear to him. “Darling! You seem to have gotten into some trouble huh?” The god asked as he appeared in front of this favorite great grandchild. Then he saw how tired he looked. “Odysseus, love, you don’t look so great. When’s the last time you slept?” he asked concerned, while he put a steadying hand on his shoulder as Odysseus stumbled toward him.

“Ah, wruff, around 9 days ago…” Odysseus whined. With one of his loved ones here, he felt his wolf headspace rearing up. It had been so long since he had last let himself go, during the war and their journey so far, it was too dangerous. The only one who he’d let himself drop with sometimes was his best friend Polites, but he was gone now. He shuddered and whined again thinking about his friend.

Hermes immediately caught that his headspace was slipping. “Hey there little wolf, it’s alright.” Summoning Caduceus, he conjured wolf ears and a tail for his grandson, knowing it helped him feel more like a wolf. He stroked his little wolf’s hair and guided him down to sit with him. “Come on, you’re taking a nap first, pup. You are in no state to face Circe right now.” Odysseus let out a quiet bark, and pushed his head into Hermes’s hand, enjoying the pets. He gratefully curled up in his grandfathers lap and slept, feeling truly safe for the first time in years.

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He had his sword at her throat, and felt the Moley that Hermes had given him slowly wear off. He had won. “You’ve lost, Circe.” he said, “Now turn my men back!” The goddess looked at him, first shocked he could defeat her, and then a seductive smile appeared on her face. “My nimphs are like my daughters, I protect them at all costs. You’ve given me no reason to bestow you with my trust, but everyone’s true colors are revealed in acts of lust…” she sang, as she moved his sword aside and trailed a hand down his chest.

Odysseus stepped back, “What are you doing?” he asked, surprised at this change in approach. He swallowed a growl, his headspace closer to the surface after he woke up from the surprisingly refreshing nap with his great grandfather. Not that he didn’t still feel tired, in fact he longed to snuggle with the man, have his head be pet again, and take another nap- He refocused on his surroundings when a now half clothed Circe tugged him to a bed and dropped him on it, climbing on top of him with a grin. Panicking now, he pushed her away with a warning growl. “Stop! Don’t touch me!” The goddess huffed “well, if you want to save your men from the fire, show me that you’re willing to burn!” Cursing himself for spacing out with an enemy in front of him, he was unable to draw his sword from where it was pressed between his hip and the bed.

When Circe made to undo his chiton, the stress made him drop into his headspace. His ears and tail popped into existence, as Hermes had gifted him a charm to summon his animalistic features at will. This included sharp fangs and claws, Hermes wanting him to be able to defend himself. Growling and snapping at her hand made the goddess pull her hand back, shocked a mortal would try to bite her. Odysseus did the only thing he could think of and howled, calling for Hermes. Said god had stayed close, wanting to make sure his grandson survived. At the howl, he appeared protectively in between the goddess and his wolf, holding his daggers threateningly. “Circe, what do you think you’re doing to my great grandson?” he said icily as his little wolf cowered behind his back. “We were just going to have some fun in exchange for freeing his men… but I see now that he’s not exactly in the right mindset for that.” she answered, as she watched Hermes turn around and comfort Odysseus like he was a small pup, petting and shushing him. “Is he like some of my daughters then, taking on the mind of an animal when in distress?” she asked curiously, as the pup whimpered and pressed closer to the god. “Yes,” Hermes answered, “and it’s been a very stressful time for my little wolf, with Poseidon hunting him.” “Poseidon eh? I understand his desperation then.”

Now calmed down, Odysseus watched Circe curiously. ‘Want to go home’ he signed with a whine. “I know pup, I know. You’ll get home, I promise” Hermes comforted him softly. To Circe, he explained “When he’s like this, he often doesn’t talk, so we use a modified soldiers sign language to communicate.” Quieter, he admitted “I don’t know how there’re to evade my uncle though” Circe thought for a moment, then said “I know of a brilliant prophet, problem is this prophet is dead…” “Tiresias” the messenger god immediately realized, “I do still have a few favors to collect from him.” Odysseus perked up at that, letting out a happy yip. Circe smiled at the puppy, “I cannot get you home, but I can get you to the underworld instead!” ‘Why do you help us?’ Odysseus signed, suspicious. After a translation from Hermes, Circe sighed, and answered “Because maybe this one act of kindness will lead to kinder souls down the road. Besides, who could ignore such a cute pup needing help!” she teased, poking his nose. Odysseus sneezed, and happily wagged his tail as his grandfather sang “So true~”.

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The gloomy mist of the underworld parted for the bow of Odysseus’s ship. He looked into the distance uneasily. Who knows what they might find here. Hermes’s arm on his shoulder snapped him out of this thoughts, his grandfather looked at him with concern. He gave him a grateful smile back before turning to adres his fleet- or well, his ship. He couldn’t realistically call his small crew of 43 men a fleet anymore. “Men! Circe’s instructions were clear. No matter what we see or hear, we must continue until we find the prophet! This land confuses your mind, so be prepared for anything!” “Until we find the prophet!” everyone echoed. “Good.”

He sighed as he spotted a few of them looking wearily at the messenger god who stood behind him. Many still did not trust their captains word that Hermes would not hurt them, not after they had just been freed from another gods curse. It did not help that the god made no promises not to hurt anyone except his great grandson, himself.

Eurylochus had pulled Odysseus aside when the trickster made no move to leave after all the men Circe had captured were returned. “Captain, I understand that Lord Hermes has some connection to you. Can’t you ask him to leave us alone? We’ve had enough of gods interfering, don’t you agree?” Odysseus was almost insulted at the question. He had to stop himself from growling and baring his teeth at his second in command, or saying that they should be glad his Pappouli was so willing to help them to physically go with them. He couldn’t use that nickname here, and Eurylochus wouldn’t understand how busy the god normally was, or how dear he was to Odysseus. He could kind of understand the hesitation to trust a god, but this was Hermes. “Eurylochus, I promise you he’s here to help. He won’t lead us into danger. Well, not any danger he doesn’t think we can overcome, anyway. Besides, who better to have with us on a journey then the god of travelers?” His second in command looked at him with a frown. “Did you forget he’s also the god of lies and trickery? What if he’s lying?” “He wouldn’t to me. As your captain, I need you to trust me on this, Eurylochus.” Odysseus said, trying to stop another argument with the man. It seemed that that was all they did these days. “Okay” he said, knowing he couldn’t change his captains mind. “Thank you” Odysseus sighed.

He was pulled from his thoughts of the talk with Eurylochus by his crew calling him “Captain, captain!” Running down the ship and leaving Hermes behind, he looked at his remaining men, trying to find what the next damn problem was, but found them silent, and wide eyed looking over the railing. That’s when he realized that the sound of people desperately calling him came from the water. Horrified, he saw the hundreds of his former crew members, their translucent bodies flailing in the water and arms stretched towards him, desperate for help that would never come. He stumbled back with tears in his eyes, rasping “I’m so sorry…”. Somehow, they climbed aboard the ship, dragging themselves over the railing. People started screaming, and Odysseus wasn’t sure if it was the living or the dead. Maybe both. Distantly, he saw Hermes with his wings out, flying around the ship and pulling several ghosts back into the water, but there were too many of them and everyone else was too petrified to help. Crowding around him, his dead comrades wailed “Captain, why did you let the cyclops live, when ruthlessness is mercy? Why did you spare him, but let us drown?!” Curling in on himself, all he could say was a mantra of “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please, I’m sorry…” with tears beginning to flow down his face.

He deserved this. He had let them die, by being stupid enough to not listen to Athena and sparing the Cyclops. By being idiotic enough in his anger and grief to even give the monster his name. ‘Polites’ the name flashed in his mind by thinking of that horrific day. He wanted his friend back. He wanted to snuggle in his arms as a wolf, and run in the woods together and play-hunt, like old times. He wanted none of this to have happened! As if summoned, he suddenly heard a very familiar voice yell “What do you all think you’re doing?! Leave Ody alone!”.