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The air was cold and thick, a sense of dread in the breeze. Penelope gazed down from the stairs as the suitors yelled and cheered about their plan. She quickly ran out through the back, not bothering to put her shoes on. She ran to the docks, seeing Telemachus's ship approach. Her body was tense with worry, her face pale. Telemachus hopped off, excited to see his mother. He ran to her, but immediately dropped the smile when he saw her pale and terrified face.
"Mother," He said, "What's wrong?" He placed his hands on her crossed arms.
Penelope quickly put her hands on his shoulder, her voice low and urgent. "Telemachus, there is no time. You need to leave. Antinous, he's planning to hurt us. Hurt you. Everyone will come for you. You need to leave right now, Telemachus."
His eyes widened. "What? No, mom, come with me. I won't leave you." He said, his voice wavering.
"No." Penelope said firmly. "They'll chase us. I'm going to hold them off. You go. Don't come back. Only return if you have an army to take on these suitors. I love you so much, Telemachus. I'm so proud of you..." Her voice cracked at the last bit, hugging Telemachus and peppering his face with motherly kisses. Telemachus let out a small sob, returning the hug with all of his strength.
"I love you, Mom." He said weakly, already accepting the fate. "I love you too, my son." She took off her bracelet and put it on Telemachus. She gently nudged him towards his ship. With a heavy heart and tears streaming down his face, he went back onto the ship.
**********
Once the ship was decently away, Penelope ran back inside and to her room. The suitors were still celebrating, she had time. She ran to her room and barricaded the door with bookshelves and other furniture. She put her half-woven shroud against the window. She grabbed her daggers, and stuffed them in her belt, two in both hands as well. She sat on her bed, taking a few deep breaths. Her heart was pounding in her chest, yet felt like her breathing was so heavy and she could drop dead at any moment.
Then she started hearing it. They were looking for Telemachus, and getting angered to not find him.
"Where the hell is that damned kid?!" Antinous growled. "Spread out, find him. I'll take care of the queen."
Penelope cringed, knowing exactly what he meant by "take care of."
She heard his heavy and menacing footsteps approach her room, as if he had already got what he wanted. But Penelope wouldn't let him get what he wanted easily. She stood up, holding her daggers so tightly her knuckles turned white. Antinous banged the door, the furniture jiggling slightly.
"Penelope! It's just me, Antinous... Let me in." He said, his voice low, almost gentle. But Penelope knew damn well his intentions weren't pure.
"No. I heard what you want. You're not stepping close. My husband will be home soon! He'll kick your ass!" She said as a statement, so her voice didn't waver. It did waver, but firm enough.
Antinous laughed on the other side of the door. "Penelope. Odysseus isn't coming back. He can't save you. And I've been patient. Very, very patient. More patient than the rest. It's time to re-marry. And if I can't convince you with words, I think actions can do the job."
Penelope nearly gagged. "You're sick, Antinous. The door is barricaded, you're not getting in!"
Antinous laughed again, "You underestimate me, Penelope.”
He started ramming himself into the door, grunting, but it was working. Eventually, furniture fell. Penelope ran to the wall. The door burst open, and she slid behind it. Antinous barged in, sword in hand.
He was the opposite of Odysseus. Her husband always had a gentle stance. He would hold his sword protectively, not threateningly. Antinous's stance was tense and threatening, like he would always get whatever he ever wanted. Penelope was genuinely repulsed at the sight of him, and her heart felt heavy for how much she missed her husband.
"Where are you~" Antinous's voice was deeper now, his patience running very thin.
Penelope leapt at him, her dagger only slightly slicing his back as he quickly moved to the side. He grabbed her arm and threw her down, her head hitting her soft bed. Penelope jumped up and dove down, tackling his legs. Antinous yelled out, falling on his back. He quickly rolled over, pining Penelope down. He squeezed and twisted her wrists until she yelled out in pain and dropped her daggers. Penelope breathed heavily, her wrists now red and throbbing.
"I've got you now~" Antinous said, his hand holding her neck, and moving down. Penelope quickly lifted her hips, and kneed him right in the crotch (No more babies)
Antinous yelled out, his grip immediately loosening. She kicked him off, got on top and started punching his face over and over, screaming swears at him. She grabbed a dagger from her belt. As she swung it down, Antinous grabbed her wrist and moved her back, the dagger landing in his shoulder instead of his head. Antinous yelled loudly, blood pooling from the wound when Penelope removed the weapon. He kicked Penelope off. She hit her head on the wall, being dazed for a moment, feeling a warmth in the back of her head.
"Shit..." She muttered.
There was sudden chaos downstairs, and the lights went out. Penelope immediately recognized the voice some called.
"Ody." Penelope said under her breath. She immediately lit her candle, so she could see Antinous.
Penelope surged to her feet and charged. Steel hissed as Antinous snatched up his sword, meeting her halfway. The clash of metal rang through the chamber, each strike echoing like a spark in the dark. Their breaths came sharp and ragged, their movements fast enough to blur.
A sudden sweep of Antinous’s blade caught her leg. Pain shot through her, and she collapsed with a cry, the shock forcing the air from her lungs. Before she could recover, his hand clamped around her throat, holding her down
His voice dropped to a chilling hoarse. “I’ll spare you. And you’ll watch your son and husband fall. But first…”
He picked her up by the neck and threw her onto the bed. The impact knocked the world sideways; her vision swam, her chest burning for air.
With a desperate burst of strength, she grabbed his head, slammed it against the bedpost, and drove her dagger forward into his neck. Antinous’s breath hitched, his body immediately going limp. He slid to the floor, a huge puddle of blood forming under him quickly.
Penelope collapsed back onto the mattress, trembling, tears slipping free as relief washed over her as she let herself catch her breath. The distant uproar of the battle below was fading, but not finished. Not yet.
She forced herself upright, strapped her daggers to her belt, took Antinous’s fallen sword, and steadied her breath. Then she headed for the stairs.
Penelope stepped on a few pieces of glass, but everywhere else hurt so much, she couldn’t care much. She saw a suitor hiding in a corner, looking terrified. Penelope couldn’t bring herself to care.
“W-Wait, ple-” She pulled her dagger out and threw it right to his head, not giving him time to finish.
Soon everything went completely silent.
“Mother!”
Penelope froze. The voice hit her like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. She spun around.
“Telemachus… my baby.” Her voice cracked as she rushed to him, pulling him into her arms. She clung to him, trembling. “What are you doing here?”
“You think I’d ever leave you?” he murmured into her shoulder. “Never.”
A soft, helpless sob escaped her. Her heart felt too full, too tight.
“Father is home…” he added, a tired grin spreading across his face.
Penelope’s breath caught. For a moment she couldn’t move. After all the years of waiting and waiting, imagining his face in the dark… he was here?
Then she heard it.
“Penelope…?”
Odysseus’s voice — older, rougher, but unmistakably his.
Telemachus stepped aside. Penelope turned, and there he stood. Worn down. Exhausted. Marked by everything he’d endured. But alive. Real. Hers.
She didn’t think. She just ran — faster than she had in years — and threw herself into his arms. His embrace closed around her instantly, as if he’d been waiting to breathe again. He held her head gently, protectively, like she was something precious he feared might vanish.
“Penelope…” His voice wavered. “I’ve changed. I’m not the man you married. I’ve done terrible things. I’ve hurt people. I’ve taken lives. I only wanted to come home to you, but… I’m sorry.”
She pulled back just enough to see his face — older, lined with grief and guilt, but still the man she had loved for half her life.
“Oh, Ody…” She cupped his cheeks, her thumbs brushing away tears. “You were lost. You were scared. And you survived. That’s all I ever prayed for. You’re my husband. No matter what you’ve done, no matter how many times we have to start over… I’ll fall in love with you over and over again if I have to.”
She kissed him, soft at first, then with all the years of longing behind it. He kissed her back immediately, their tears mingling, their hands clutching at each other as if afraid to let go.
When they finally parted, Odysseus reached for Telemachus. The boy stepped forward, and Odysseus pulled him into their embrace. The three of them held each other tightly, a small circle of warmth in the middle of the chaos, crying quietly — not from fear, but from relief so deep it hurt.
For the first time in twenty years, they were together again.
And Penelope knew, with absolute certainty, that this time their family would stay together.