Work Text:
When one has an omega for a king, there are certain things they should expect to happen. Like being stuck on the witch's island for longer even after the ship was already fixed because of the aforementioned omega's growing belly.
Frankly, Eurylochus should've connected the dots sooner. In his defense, he was a beta and less susceptible to the changes in other people's scents. And Odysseus hasn't shown any clear desire towards other alphas throughout all ten years of war. Heck, he seemed almost repulsed by the idea of spending his heats with anyone who wasn't his wife.
And yet there he was, an obvious bump under his chiton. The nymphs were absolutely amused, constantly fussing over the omega and trying to feel the child moving, despite Odysseus hissing at them and smacking their hands away.
So now the crew was staying on Aeaea until the child will be born, because Circe suggested not to experiment with how the aura of Land of the Dead would affect an unborn fetus.
Eurylochus walked out on the beach after helping the nymphs with carrying their laundry and noticed some of the crewmen sitting in a circle and speaking in hushed tones. The man sighed and walked up to them. He knew for sure what topic they were discussing.
"Are you still making bets on who the father is?" he asked sternly.
"Like you yourself aren't curious!" Perimedes said in defensive tone.
Eurylochus would be lying if he said he wasn't. Because Odysseus himself diligently avoided revealing the name. Some at first assumed it was Polites, even if he was a beta, but Eurylochus himself nipped this idea in a bud. The three of them basically grew up together and saw each other as brothers. The constant mention of Polites' name also hurt, the wound still too fresh.
"Still, I know it's none of my business. And neither is yours," he glared at the other men, but they were completely unaffected.
"Really, the only thing we all managed to agree on, is that we know for sure who can't be the father," Elpenor groaned.
Yes, because Odysseus might be an omega, but he was still royalty, thus having a benefit of being able to choose a partner. He would've pursued someone fitting his status, which meant all of the soldiers were out of question, especially his own ones – their king wouldn't take an advantage of them like this.
Not to mention Odysseus was a well-trained warrior, so he wouldn't let anyone take advantage of him. There were two generals from other kingdoms who were arrogant enough to believe they could. One of them ended up with a broken nose, the other had been walking with deep scratches from nails on his cheek and a black eye for the next few weeks.
Odysseus was also well in control of himself even during the peaks of his heats. Maybe a little too well. Eurylochus knew there were enough cases during war when the trojan soldiers would suddenly start protecting the omega from their own comrades, causing confusion among the trojan forces.
"And what do you think?"
Eurylochus startled, realizing the question was directed at him. The crewmen were looking at him expectantly. After all, the second in command was the only one who hasn't voiced his opinion about the mysterious father's identity. He frowned.
"If captain decides he wants to tell us, he will. I think we have more pressing matters to be concerned about."
"I think I know the answer," Leodes suddenly said.
Everyone's heads were immediately turned to the man, who was looking deadly serious, his chin on his fingers. Noticing that the attention was now on him, he continued:
"It's an idea I came up with a couple of days ago, and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. So I want you, too, to consider…"
He made a pause, took a deep breath and straightened his back before finishing:
"Zeus."
"What?!" Perimedes almost fell off the log he was sitting on from shock.
Eurylochus opened his mouth, yet Leodes raised his finger:
"Before you call my idea foolish, think about it: isn't it a well-known truth that god of thunder, let's say, often takes a certain "interest" in mortals, the results of this "interest" showing up nine months later? And are you not going to admit, that, objectively speaking, captain is an attractive omega?"
His friends fell silent, trying to comprehend what they've just heard.
"And he was there at Troy, almost always since the beginning, that eagle…" Perimedes slowly added.
"But this is…" Eurylochus cut himself off and bit his lip worryingly, glancing at where Odysseus was sitting farther away. Could it be the reason why he was so reluctant to talk about the child's father? After all, it's hard to resist King of the gods.
"Hey, maybe it wasn't like this," Elpenor noticed his worried expression. "You know how it also happens, he, like, took a form of Queen Penelope, convinced captain it was a dream or something, and then – bam – we're now expecting a new crew member to arrive!"
Eurylochus really didn't want to believe it, however Leodes' idea seemed to work way too well. He wasn't the only one to think so. Gossip spread like wildfire and by the end of the day every single crewman was convinced their captain was carrying the child of King of Olympus himself. Eurylochus feared what it would mean for the future of Ithaca.
***
Mortals and their ridiculous secondary genders. Yet in some roundabout way Circe was thankful to the Fates for sending this pregnant omega to her island. Because when his labor began and when the assisting nymphs witnessed his screams of pain, his contorted expressions, the amount and the variety of fluids that left his body, when they saw a newborn, this bloodied, wrinkled, wailing creature, they became absolutely appalled at the idea of getting one for themselves. And the rest of the nymphs who weren't present were scared away from it by the very colorful description of the process. At least now they would stop asking their lady if they could keep one or two men on her island permanently.
"I don't know how to thank you," Odysseus said, finally not looking so pale anymore.
"Try not to get yourself and your pup killed, I don't want my efforts go to waste," Circe gathered dirty sheets in basket with magic.
"I want nothing more than that."
The pup let out a loud squeal.
"Shh, hey there," Odysseus began rocking him. "I'm sorry you're so unlucky, little one, born far away from home."
"Hah, name him Telegonus then," Circe chuckled. She turned around and saw the omega staring strangely at her.
"Oh please, it wasn't that bad," she just made a little joke, that was all.
Suddenly Odysseus smiled softly:
"No, you are right, this is a nice name."
Circe raised her eyebrows:
"Wait, I wasn't actually serious–"
But the omega wasn't listening to her anymore, cooing at his baby. Circe rolled her eyes discreetly and left the room to give a mother and a son some privacy. She better receive some gratitude from the pup's father for doing their job for them.
***
This was it. They were absolutely, utterly screwed. Pavlos shook in terror staring at Zeus, the god's words ringing in his ears.
Choose: you, or your crew?
There was no way Odysseus would choose them. Pavlos wasn't naive. Right now their (former?) captain was struggling whether he should pay more attention to King of the gods or try to calm down crying Telegonus, the infant distraught by thunder roaring around them.
At the same time heavy silence fell among them, interrupted only by the baby's sobs.
The baby… the baby!
Suddenly Pavlos had almost an epiphany. They had a key to their survival. He just needed to present it correctly.
After all, the gods were known to somehow be simultaneously neglecting towards their offspring and protective of them when they did learn about their existence.
"My lord, you can't do this!" Pavlos yelled out.
"Well, this isn't for you to decide," Zeus smirked, clearly amused by his outburst.
"But if we die, who will guard your son?!" yes, maybe in reality they weren't much of babysitters, but he was desperate, can you judge him?
"My… son?" god of thunder repeated in confusion.
"This one right here!" Aretes joined in and pointed at Telegonus, who was now only letting out quiet hiccups, while Odysseus stared at them wide-eyed.
Zeus leaned closer and squinted at both the omega and the pup. Then grabbed Odysseus' chin and turned his head, studying his face under different angles. And after that he forcefully lifted the omega's chiton up, ogling his body for way longer than it felt necessary. Pavlos had to admit even he got uncomfortable from the scene. Meanwhile Zeus finally let Odysseus go and furrowed his eyebrows, glancing upwards, as if he was racking his brain. Then he redirected his attention to the baby.
It felt like this scrutiny was lasting forever. No one dared to move or to let out even the tiniest sound. Odysseus looked like he stopped breathing.
Suddenly the god's face lightened up and he broke into thunderous laughter:
"But I'll be damned, the boy has my eyes!"
Then he stopped laughing and looked at Odysseus again:
"So, what's his name?"
"Telegonus, my lord," Odysseus bowed.
"Wonderful," Zeus looked pleased. He made a small pause and turned to the crew. Pavlos swallowed nervously.
"And supposedly your men were guarding him this whole time?" the King sounded like he didn't fully believe it.
"Of course! These are dutiful and noble men. They are the best pack an omega could ask for!" Odysseus bowed even lower. For a moment Pavlos hoped those were the man's genuine feelings.
"Yet you are wounded," Zeus narrowed his eyes. "Taking the role of my son's guardian also implies keeping his mother safe to raise him properly."
In the corner of his eye Pavlos noticed how Perimedes paled. Aretes cussed under his breath. Damn it, there was no way to turn this situation into their favor.
"Ah, please don't be angry with them, my lord. This was merely an unfortunate accident. We've encountered sirens not so long ago, and one of them managed to get me with her claws," Odysseus lied. "But thanks to my pack's care, I'm fine now. And they did a great job at looking after Telegonus while I was recovering."
"Hmmm," Zeus scratched his beard, deep in thought. "But still, they did kill a sacred cow…"
Oh no, and now they were back to square one. Even Odysseus tensed up.
"My lord, we understand the severity of our transgression!" Pavlos dropped on his knees. "And we beg for your forgiveness! But we had no other choice! Surely you have heard that desperate times call for desperate measures?"
He was stalling, praying he or someone else would come up with a suitable exquise for why they didn't have to pay with their lives for the cow.
"We have sailed for so long, we almost ran out of our food supplies," Perimedes continued, his voice slightly shaky.
"Telegonus was hungry!" Leodes dropped on his knees next to Pavlos. "And growing pups like him need a lot of food!"
Zeus raised his eyebrows in surprise:
"Do pups really eat meat when they're this size?"
Odysseus nodded frantically, while pressing Telegonus' face into his chest to hide the fact that the boy didn't even have teeth yet. That was a huge gamble they were taking. Pavlos noticed Eurylochus looking at all of them in horror. Don't get Pavlos wrong, he liked the man, but he really hoped he would currently keep his mouth shut.
"Come to think of it…" Zeus started, tilting his head. "Hermes, that little rascal, also stole and sacrificed some cows when he was this small. Who knew babies like beef so much!"
"Who doesn't!" Odysseus pulled on a wide smile.
Zeus laughed again:
"Oh Khaos, so that what it was all about?! You should've started with this! Of course you are free to go, I'll deal with Helios myself."
Pavlos couldn't believe his ears. It… actually worked? Thank Fates the god's instincts took over in the end, but weren't strong enough for him to decide he would take care of his little demigod himself and smite the rest of them after all.
"My lord," Eurylochus spoke cautiously. Pavlos froze again. Please don't ruin everything, please don't ruin everything, he wordlessly begged.
"What is it?" Zeus turned to him.
Eurylochus took a deep breath through his nose and continued:
"I wondered if… we could… keep the cow? Since it's already dead…"
"Sure, it's not like Helios would have any use of it," god of thunder grinned. He then pointed at Eurylochus. "And make sure my son will get the best pieces!"
"Yes, my lord!" everyone on the ship nodded.
"Now then, I'll be taking my leave. Also I expect some great deeds from you in the future, young man," Zeus poked Telegonus on the cheek and vanished in a cloud.
Pavlos flopped on the deck, releasing the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
***
They've been sailing in relative silence for a while, Odysseus sitting with his face in his hands, Telegonus sleeping in an improvised sling.
Eurylochus was staring at the water, still struggling to comprehend what just happened. Somehow they survived an encounter with King of the gods, who descended on earth fully intending to punish them at first. His own reflection seemed to be mocking him, as if telling him: Wouldn't you look at this, apparently your luck hasn't run out yet after all.
The silence was finally broken by Odysseus:
"I'm not sure if I should be concerned or proud of you."
"Try being thankful," Perimedes grumbled, but without the real bite. None of them currently had any strength, both mental and physical, to restart a fight.
Odysseus seemingly ignored this remark and sighed:
"Yet, if the god of thunder finds out about our deception…"
"Well, maybe we weren't fully honest, but to keep his son alive and safe, we need to be in good health to watch over him, so our logic is still sound," Aretes crossed his arms with a smirk, clearly pleased with himself.
"It's not just what we needed the cow for, but also–" suddenly Odysseus cut himself off and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Hold on. Do you all actually believe Zeus is Telegonus' father?"
That caused a momentary confusion among the crew.
"Is he… not?" Pavlos asked unsurely.
"No he is not!" Odysseus angrily whispered, an infant next to his chest preventing him from shouting. Or maybe he was afraid Zeus would hear him.
He knew they were making stuff up, even if unknowingly, and yet still went along with it, instead of choosing an easy way out.
Eurylochus decided to dwell on this thought later. Right now he was busy feeling like an idiot for buying into this concept of Telegonus' parentage.
Meanwhile everyone were staring at the omega dumbfounded. And then slowly turned to Leodes, glaring at him.
"Hey, you have to admit that was a plausible theory! And it's not like he ever told us who the baby daddy is!" Leodes huffed, pressing his neck into his shoulders.
Odysseus blushed heavily and slightly turned his head to the side, light irritation on his face.
Eurylochus looked at the baby awoken by the commotion and now squirming in his sling.
At the rather dark-skinned baby.
Who was looking back at the man with his big grey eyes.
Grey, like thunder clouds. Like the eyes of Zeus.
But also like his daughter's, Grey-eyed Athena.
The goddess that left her mark on one of her chosen ones, and who consequently had grey eyes as well.
The only non-ithacan alpha Odysseus was noticeably comfortable with.
Eurylochus barely resisted from slamming his forehead against the mast for not figuring it out sooner, and not mere moments before the omega revealed it himself:
"It's Diomedes, alright?"
"Ooooooh," someone drawled.
"You know, that does sound more probable," the other one whispered.
"How in the world did you even–" but Odysseus didn't get to finish his question.
Another flash of light struck their ship, and a female figure materialized in front of them. Peacock feathers decorating her dress left no room for doubt about her identity.
Eurylochus felt anxiety paralyzing him as he was looking at Queen of Olympus.
***
"So let me get this straight," Hera rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You churned this pup out, while hiding who put it into you, and this made your men immediately assume that my husband is responsible, so when he showed up, they spouted this nonsense right into his face, and you didn't break their delusions so you could get away with your act of blasphemy?"
She threw a pointed glance at the beef that used to be a sacred cow just this morning. At least the mortals had the decency to look sheepish.
"This would be the accurate chain of events, yes," their king nodded, keeping his tone and expression neutral. (Wasn't this one of Athena's owlets? And the one who played a major role in the fall of that blasted city? Odysseus, wasn't it?)
"And what do you think now will happen?" Hera asked.
"Well, I never stated your husband to be the father of my child, and my crew genuinely believed that to be true at the moment, so technically, none of us lied about that," Odysseus said.
The goddess raised an eyebrow. Nearby a tall beta was staring so intensely at the omega she could practically hear the words "shut up, please shut up" repeating in his head over and over. It was becoming obvious why Hermes was quite fond of this mortal.
Hera sighed in exasperation. She didn't have enough wine to deal with this.
The infant squeaked and waved his chubby arm at her. Honestly, it was much easier to find babies adorable when she knew they weren't yet another living evidence of her husband constantly insulting her own domain. Hera hated to admit she was surprised that Zeus passed up an opportunity to get between this particular omega's legs – he was rather good-looking. Well, nevermind, she should simply be thankful to the Fates that the Sacker of Troy of all mortals wasn't soiled like many others.
"Alright then, since you helped greatly in putting those trojans and their foolish prince in their place, just this once, I will turn a blind eye to your actions."
It was always incredibly pleasing seeing the gratitude immediately appearing on mortal's faces. As long as they wouldn't forget to support it with proper sacrifices.
"My lady, and what about…?" the tall beta carefully asked, pointing at the infant, who was babbling excitedly and trying to reach for her jewelry.
Hera waved her hand:
"Zeus will forget about his existence in a week or two. So unless this child would bring too much attention to himself when he grows up, it should be fine."
She made sure the warning in her voice was clear.
"We appreciate your kindness, my lady," Odysseus bowed, the others following his example.
"Very well then. Now go, and try not to anger anyone else on your way," Hera said, and with that disappeared in a flash, leaving a single feather behind.
Something to entertain the little one with on their journey.
***
The boys were chasing each other around the trees, waving their wooden swords. It looked like they were recreating some scene from the legends of the past, or at least were trying to. This picture made it hard to believe that, according to Penelope, Telemachus got jealous of the new baby at first and even assumed he was brought to replace him.
"Stop glaring at the kid, he is yours, he won't start shooting lightnings."
Diomedes turned away from the window to the source of the groggy voice.
"I know that. And I'm not glaring at him, I'm just still surprised it worked out," the alpha walked up to the bed and sat on the edge of it.
Odysseus was lying in the center napping, while Penelope was preening his hair. Kymo was in a deep sleep curled up between her parents. Although the girl was still too young to tell for sure, but Diomedes suspected she was an omega. She would always respond with similar level of affection to Odysseus' cuddly moods. Like when he was in heat. Or like at the current time, when he was pregnant.
Diomedes couldn't help but soften his gaze at the sight of the omega's rounded belly. Penelope basically stepped aside during his previous heat, saying that their mate now owed Diomedes a daughter too, for the full set. Neither of them were opposed to the idea. He never thought one day he would be like this, thrilled at the prospect of raising a child since the day they were born (maybe he was just a tiny bit salty Odysseus only told him about Telegonus after Diomedes himself showed up on Ithaca, when the boy was already almost seven).
"Stop brooding there and get where you're supposed to be," Odysseus interrupted his thoughts, pouting and making grabby motion at him.
"A word of advice from someone who had to deal with him in this state twice – it's easier to comply," Penelope said without being distracted from her activity, clearly enjoying herself while watching them.
"But of course, who am I to disobey the order of my king," Diomedes let out a short laugh and crawled to the other side of the bed, lying behind Odysseus and hugging him.
As soon as he did, the omega smiled in content and began purring quietly. Being snuggled between his alphas was always his favorite position.
Penelope started humming a gentle melody. Diomedes closed his own eyes, feeling drowsy as well. Shortly after he registered two more warm bodies joining them. And with his family all gathered together in safety of their nest, he fell asleep fully.