#circe was still an immortal goddess

[ducksido]

Heyo~! I’ve been loving your fics and hcs

idk if u do reincarnations, but if u do, can I pls have a Overblot x Yuu!odyseuss(EPIC)? Like they talk about all the monsters and gods they fought while the boys are either disturbed or intrigued by their stories or smth (and may or may not bring up Penelope randomly)

(ODYESUESS OF ITHICAAA!) (don't question the order)

Leona Kingscholar

"You fought what?" "Sirens. Annoying creatures. Sang a pretty tune and tried to eat me." "You mean, like mermaids?" "No. Worse. I tied myself to a mast and listened while my men plugged their ears with wax." "...Sounds like a Savanaclaw party gone wrong."

Leona thinks you’re full of it until he watches you solve a problem by literally outwitting a trickster spirit in under five minutes. That’s when he starts believing the war hero talk. He’s both impressed and annoyed—why is the new herbivore more cunning than him?

Later, mutters: "Figures you'd be the guy who pissed off Poseidon. You're like the sandstorm that just won't go away."

Azul Ashengrotto

Yuu: "Ah, the sea. I once built a raft from scraps and drifted for days while Poseidon tried to murder me." Azul: "...Poseidon?" Yuu: "Yeah. Sea god. Big beard. Angry. Held a grudge ‘cause I blinded his cyclops son." Azul: pales visibly "You blinded a son of a sea god?!"

Azul is completely horrified. You’re walking around with a deity's grudge hanging over you like a cursed pendant, and you casually work at the Monstro Lounge?! He starts subtly avoiding you—until you mention once building a treaty with Circe, and suddenly he needs to know more.

"Wait. You negotiated with a sorceress who turned men into pigs?" "Yep." "How did you survive?!" "Charm. And a strong liver."

Idia Shroud

"Waitwaitwait, you—you escaped the Underworld?? Like, actual Hades Underworld???" Yuu: "Yeah. I chatted with a ghost prophet, nearly lost my soul, the usual." Idia: muffled squealing noises "THAT’S STRAIGHT OUT OF MY FAV GAME." Yuu: “Probably based on me. I am a myth.”

Idia’s horrified but also fully invested. He treats you like a walking RPG protagonist. He even makes fanart of you fighting Scylla and Charybdis with your crew. The only time he freaks out is when you casually mention Athena used to whisper advice in your dreams.

“Wait… a goddess stalked you?” “She was a mentor.” “Yeah sure. That’s what I call my anime crush too.”

Vil Schoenheit

"You turned down immortality twice?" "Once with Calypso. Once with Circe. I had to return home." "...And what, pray tell, was so important that you refused immortality?" "My wife. Penelope."

Vil freezes.

He thought he was dramatic. He thought he was devoted to perfection. But now here’s Yuu, who turned down divine lovers and paradise because of love and loyalty??? Suddenly his standards for romance feel tragically inadequate. He stares at you like you’re from a tragedy—and, in fairness, you kinda are.

"...Was she worth it?" Yuu: softly “Always.”

Malleus Draconia

“You are… far older than you appear.” “I’ve lived other lives, yes. Mortals forget, but the soul remembers.” “…You warred with gods?” “Fought beside some. Fought against others. I once outwitted the goddess of dawn. She offered to make me her husband. I declined.”

Malleus is enamored. He’s finally found someone with a mythic quality akin to his own—a mortal soul shaped by legend, scarred by gods, and still enduring. He listens quietly as you speak of monsters, betrayal, loyalty, and flame-wrecked ships.

He’s especially quiet when you mention Penelope. “She waited twenty years for me. Faithful till the end.” “…A bond that outlasted time,” he says, eyes soft. “I wonder… would you wait that long again?”

Random Penelope Drop

The first time Yuu says her name:

Yuu: “Penelope would’ve liked this fabric. She had a gift for weaving.” Everyone: goes silent Deuce: “Who’s Penelope?” Yuu: smiles faintly “...She was home.”

Cue various expressions: Malleus looking thoughtful, Vil nearly tearing up, Leona groaning like “ugh this guy’s a tragic poem,” Azul furiously scribbling notes like “never piss off a weaver’s husband.”

Riddle Rosehearts

“You blinded a cyclops?! With what rules?! What justification?!”

Yuu: “He ate my crew. I had to escape his cave.” “You could have reasoned with him!” “He was a one-eyed killer. I stabbed him with a stake and called myself ‘Nobody.’” “…You gave him a false name?” “Yes. So when he screamed, ‘Nobody,’ hurt him, no one believed him.” “…That’s… that’s cheating!”

Riddle is horrified. Absolutely flabbergasted. You’re a walking handbook of everything he’s been taught to condemn. Rule-breaking? Lying? Inciting wrath from divine authorities?? You’re a one-person crime wave with charisma! But he listens. Always.

[merp-blerp]

TW: Discussion of sexual assault and suicidal ideation

I've been seeing some debate about Calypso and whether or not she sexually assaulted Odysseus and I want to throw in my two cents.

I'll say straight out of the gate that I don't currently like her much. I feel pretty icky about her personally.

Comparing Ody's behavior in Epic prior to "Love in Paradise" vs during the song feels so... clearly different. He seems very traumatized by whatever has been happening on that isle. It almost feels out of character for him to consider dying instead of fighting to get home alive like he had been, but putting myself in his shoes I can see how he came to that through what's textually known. He has been trapped on that isle for 7 years—that's nearly a decade, with no way to get out, everyone he knows and loves dead or far away with no way to know where he is or if he's alive. While I obviously would never think that's a good decision, I can see how he got to the point of wanting to end it. And if he's been sexually assaulted like he was in The Odyssey, I understand it more due to how that can warp a person's mental health.

I've seen some say, "Calypso is just a sweetie who doesn't know how to love properly" (paraphrasing of an actual comment I've seen). Even if she really just doesn't know how to care for a mortal, as many of the gods seemingly don't, I think she understands her power over mortals with her "Bow down now to the immortal Calypso" comment. She also understands that Odysseus doesn't want her, with the first part of her response to Ody's threats being "Oh handsome, you may try". She knows that he may try to escape by killing her (even though she can't die). Honestly, why would she feel the need to trap him if she didn't know good and well that he would want to escape her? She knew what she was doing was something that would make him want to run. Calypso being a goddess automatically gives their dynamic a power imbalance of course. Even though the assault is only implied, the fact that she's trapping Ody against his will, super infatuated by him, and still says "Soon, into bed we'll climb and spend our time", makes me feel like the indication is clear. What's stopping her from trying to have "sex" with him (sex isn't sex without consent)? She's already ignored all his declines. She seems to think that forcing her "love" onto him will make him love her. Yes, she uses lovey-dovey language so I doubt it would've appeared violent, but sexual assault doesn't have to look violent and the perpetrator doesn't have to appear aggressive. It's telling that I've seen some say, "Save that energy for Antinous" because Antinous is much more obviously bad, but this kind of thing isn't always obvious. That kind of assault is still extremely traumatizing whether it's sugarcoated as if it's love or not. It's dismaying that some reactions to Calypso bypass her potential assaulting or "She's weird, but she seems to care for him!" And since the sexual part of the assault is technically subtext (for now, who knows about later), I'll say that even if Calypso didn't sexually harm him, she still forces physical and verbal intimacy onto him and traps him so he can't leave. We see that. That's still assault. The only reason why I don't feel similarly about Epic's version of Circe is that her intent wasn't to have sex with Ody but to distract and throw him off with talk of sex so she could stab him as he's vulnerable; Circe never wanted to have sex with Ody in actuality. Calypso's intent was romantic intimacy and she didn't care if Odysseus said no, she completely bypassed it. Calypso saying "You're mine, all mine" feels as threatening as Circe's "I've got you" was meant to be.

Anything can change between now and the next two sagas. It could either be fully confirmed or denied that sexual assault took place. I actually don't expect either, as I don't think Jay would go too deep into such a traumatic concept in Epic, but then again I also didn't expect suicidal ideation to be brought up at all and it absolutely shocked me when it was, so I could be wrong. But whether it's confirmed or not, I don't blame any Epic fans who don't like Calypso or even hate her over what she did and what it's implied she did. It's icky watching some fans tell others they shouldn't hate Calypso because of this or that as if this isn't a sensitive and complex topic. It's creepy. I don't think we should tell people not to hate a character associated with sexual assault. The sexual assault might be subtext, but subtext is important and sometimes is implemented intentionally. Not every part of a story is going to be given to you at face value. Just because "Epic didn't say that" doesn't mean that the implication doesn't matter. People interact with stories in different ways, so you can disagree with others—no one can take that from you, but you don't get to tell someone they can't feel a certain way about a character. I don't like saying this because I really shouldn't have to put it in this perspective for it to be understood, but I can't help but feel like if Calypso and Ody's genders were swapped some people would treat this implication differently. Sexually or not she hurts him.

Normally I don't like taking lore from The Odyssey and automatically applying it to Epic, as Epic has changed a lot of rules from The Odyssey because Jay wants to tell this story his own story. For example, I personally choose not to assume Eury and Ody are brothers-in-law in Epic like they are in The Odyssey because that hasn't been stated in Epic so far. But to me, the implications of Ody's sexual assault are there enough for me personally to think that it might take place in both stories. Jay seems to want Epic to be accessible to many people, so it doesn't surprise me that this element of The Odyssey was brought up in a more subtextual/"hinted at" way.

Calypso is a very interesting character, maybe the most out of all the Epic antagonists so far for me, but we don't have to think of her as not doing anything wrong in order to enjoy that character, her songs, her cute physical character design, or Barbara Wangui's beautiful voice.

[The remainder of this post contains potential spoilers for the unreleased (to date) Vengeance Saga under the cut]

[Edit: Now complete with some post-Vengeance Saga release points]

Another defense of Calypso I've seen is that in the snippets for "I'm Not Sorry for Loving You", Ody says he loves Calypso, but not in the way she wants him to. This could mean they're friends and therefore doubt about the sexual assault could be cast.

It's hard to assess this because the saga's not out yet, but it's worth remembering that abuse can come out of care, in a complicated way. You can care for someone so much you end up hurting them, usually out of wanting to control them. Calypso seems to fit that concept. And most Epic snippets don't give full context, naturally, so who knows why Ody says this at the moment. Maybe he means it, or maybe he's bluffing to guarantee he'll get what he wants (which is to be set free in this instance), like when meeting Athena, or to appease a god, like when "apologizing" to Poseidon in "Ruthlessness". And of course, victims don't have to hate their perpetrators if they choose not to. Odysseus can care about Calypso and she can still have hurt him really badly. Both of these things can be true.

The way I read it, Calypso doesn't love Odysseus like she thinks she does. She's infatuated by him and cares for him enough to not be obviously cold like all the other obstacles Ody faced initially are. She declares that she loves him as soon as he wakes up on her isle without knowing him at all. She didn't even know his name. The washed-up person on her isle could've been anyone and she likely would've "loved" them. Calypso only loves Ody because he stops her loneliness, not for who he is. When she begins to state that she loves him she doesn't even know him. Over the 7 years, she seems to have potentially gotten to know him a bit, saying "I know your life's been hard", but Odysseus himself asserts that she doesn't really know what he's been through. You can call someone (against their will, let me remind you) "my dear, my love for life" all you want, but that doesn't mean you love them. Ody's her first companion in years if not ever, of course she cares for him on a basic level. She won't kill him or let him jump off a cliff. But she doesn't love him or treat him like a human and obey his boundaries and wants. She treats him like an object or pet she owns and has to guard.

In "I'm Not Sorry For Loving You" Calypso says that Ody is all she's ever known because she was abandoned. It's understandable that she would latch onto a living creature after being alone for so long. But that's not necessarily love, at least not to me. If I love someone I wouldn't bypass their refusal to do something. And I wouldn't trap them with me and not let them go, even when they're about to jump off a cliff because they see no way out. I'm not sure if Calypso means to bring malice, she at least says she "bring(s) no pain", but she does regardless or if she intends to. Calypso hasn't had anyone in her company, let alone someone to love, for so long, maybe in her whole life. That's why she doesn't know what love is, so of course when she catches fickle feelings for Odysseus she assumes that's love and has no clue what to do with her "love", as she admits in "I'm Not Sorry For Loving You". Calypso's actions are understandable, but that doesn't mean they're excusable or not abusive. What she does to him is understandable, but selfish and only serves herself, which isn't what you do to someone you love. Note that the way I use understandable here does not equate to forgivable, it just means conceivable. And her apology to him really waters down the magnitude of her actions, saying she "pushed" him, "came on too strong", and that her love might've been "too much" for Ody.

I apologize for this being such a long rant, but I wanted to cover all the excuses for Calypso I'd seen and speak my mind on why I think they're misguided at best.

Post-Vengeance Saga Edits:

Now that The Vengeance Saga has been released, I can comfortably say that I still don't like Calypso, and I think this saga just encourages me to do that. I wasn't anticipating the entirety of "I'm Not Sorry for Loving You" to basically have been featured in the snippets. I was expecting the official song to give more context, maybe showcasing Ody and Calypso having a dialogue, but no! That was really it. And I'm honestly happy for it. It seems like the show recognizes that Calypso is in the wrong, with the way we aren't meant to really ruminate on Ody leaving her. The excuse I talked about above using the theory that Calypso and Odysseus would turn out to have been friends because he said he loved her? I just don't think that held much water by release. I particularly want to point out the way @gigizetz drew Ody's face as he leaves in the commissioned animatic from Jay's stream:

While I can't say for certain that he doesn't mean the "I love you" in some way... he doesn't look like he means it to me. There's no lovey-softness in his eyes, like you might have when you look at your friends when saying I love you. He looks beaten down. Tired. Above, I proposed that Ody might just be blowing smoke to further get what he wants from her. I don't think there's quite enough insight for me to say I was necessarily right on that, but Ody doesn't actually appear that attached to her, certainly not enough so for me to confidently say that I think his "I love you" is genuine. He doesn't even look like he'll miss her, he looks beyond ready to go as she shouts, not pained by her tears. Honestly, Ody might've just said that so she'd stop talking so he could leave. Now there is one more saga left, so maybe he'll wistfully mention or remember her, but I'm not really expecting it based on the official visuals that Jay okay'd. Humbly, I'll say that I don't think Odysseus feels much for Calypso. We don't get happy moments of them together and not even a proper goodbye filled with mutual pain. We just get her backwards apology that basically says, "Sorry I hurt you, but not fully. Shut up and let me talk about me and justify why I trapped you. Wish you'd stop rejecting me despite the fact that I've hurt you. Let me shout that I hate that I fell for you—only because this hurt me unlike I wanted when I kidnapped you—who cares if it hurt you." This moment is not at all a redemption for Calypso. It's her downfall. Her negative character arc. She didn't want to be alone so bad she trapped a person against his will and now she is alone forever (in this show). She can't even have Ody as a friend (and she won't accept purely his friendship anyway based on how the song ends). Who knows how different things would've been if she had just been more... normal when he washed up on her isle? The situation was tragic for them both in different ways, but I'm not sorry for Calypso. Calypso is so interesting as a character. Side-lining her actions just bards us from being able to assess her.

[kevgansey]

couldn't help but think constantly about season 2, like we are getting introduced to new characters (and new cast members 💓💓), but mostly because of annabeth. i've always seen som and botl as annabeth's books, they let you understand her personality, what she wants, what she is.

so there's some of the annabeth's moments that i really exacted/hope to see in the next season cause i know leah would EAT these parts yeah

“we could use your intelligence” “because you have none on your own!”

on princesse adromeda where luke is talking to both annabeth and percy, and he tries to convince annabeth to join him, pushing on something that he knows annabeth is extremely attached to, her intelligence. annabeth tries to stay strong, to don't freak out about how, her long time friend, her brother has turned out. even with this sense of sadness she is always the sassy little queen that we have been introduced in the first book !

CC.

i love the scene at circe's. and i can't wait and i do really HOPE to see the reyna/hilla cameo. i guess this scene is important because in some ways we see annabeth give up immortality for percy. and this is just the first time.

the whole backstrory with cyclops and it will be even better if we get some flashbacks

every single memory from her childhood is important to the construction of her character, there wouldn't be annabeth if there wasn't her memories. i guess this part of her story is important to let the reader (and in future the watcher) think about how much bad things annabeth went though since the age of seven. she has been fighting monsters since she was seven.

the sirens scene

okay, this is mostly percabeth BUT i just love how determined annabeth is in that scene, yeah i know that lot of people would consider her actions pretty stupid but be honest with yourself. first of all she was 13, she was a child, second thing, because of that we are getting introduced to her fatal flaw, pride. in that moment annabeth didn't know if she would had another chance to listen to the sirens so she took the opportunity that she had.

“ Three people sat on a picnic blanket in Central Park. A feast was spread out before them. I recognized Annabeth’s dad from photos she’d shown me-an athletic-looking, sandy-haired guy in his forties. He was holding hands with a beautiful woman who looked a lot like Annabeth. She was dressed casually-in blue jeans and a denim shirt and hiking boots-but something about the woman radiated power. I knew that I was looking at the goddess Athena. Next to them sat a young man … Luke.

The whole scene glowed in a warm, buttery light. The three of them were talking and laughing, and when they saw Annabeth, their faces lit up with delight. Annabeth’s mom and dad held out their arms invitingly. Luke grinned and gestured for Annabeth to sit next to him-as if he’d never betrayed her, as if he were still her friend.

Behind the trees of Central Park, a city skyline rose. I caught my breath, because it was Manhattan, but not Manhattan. It had been totally rebuilt from dazzling white marble, bigger and grander than ever-with golden windows and rooftop gardens. It was better than New York. Better than Mount Olympus. ”

this part is just so extremely dear to me. we see what annabeth really wanted. her dad, her mom, her brother and her biggest desire to create building because she wants to be remembered through them. the things that we don't see in this scene are percy and thalia. thalia, she is gone, annabeth would neved see her again so why even think about her as someone who would come back in her life, and percy. percy, that she already consideres as her percy. she knows that she already has him in her life. this scene is so sad and full of meaning we see the cruelest desire that annabeth has. she wants her family back. she wants to be someone one day. and she wants to feel proud of herself.

[spuffyfit]

Hi so apparently people are defending Calypso now?? Guys what happened ???

I understand that Ody was the first human contact she’d had in years, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that she still disregarded the fact that he was married!

‘Tell me though, Who’s Penelope?’

‘She’s my wife.’

‘Anyway-’

And no, Wanting someone who’s taken isn’t wrong! It becomes a problem when you actively attempt to pursue that person despite them both having a spouse AND telling you to stop?

Not to mention their clear power dynamic, With Calypso being a Goddess / Nymph and bragging about how her island is hidden away??

‘Bow down to the Immortal Calypso!’ / ‘Last I checked, Goddesses don’t die.’ / ‘No one can come or go! My island stays unknown!’

Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to like an antagonistic character, I’m a fan of many of those types of characters such as Jason Dean / JD from Heathers, Morro / Garmadon From ninjago, Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter, but it becomes a problem when you’re justifying their actions, Let’s use J.D. for example!

If I were to Justify J.D. blowing up Westerburg High because kids were assholes and he lost his mother, that would be wrong, because yes, While losing loved ones and being bullied with no particular good influences in life can result in you being reckless, that still didn’t give him the right to blow up an entire school????? Not to mention there were innocent people in there too?

And I even saw some people comparing Calypso to Circe?

Circe not only backed off when Ody explained that he had a wife to go home to, but helped him too! And not even just that, she wasn’t even seriously trying to seduce him?? If you were on the stream for the vengeance saga then you would know that Circe was hiding a dagger. She was trying to KILL Odysseus for the purpose of protecting her nymphs, because what would you do if some guys just came storming into your hometown after you lost almost everything because you let some strangers live last time??

Calypso on the other hand had nothing to protect, and obsessed over Ody all on her own. I understand that no one taught her how to love properly, but if you really loved someone, would you constantly push their boundaries even after being told it’s harming them? I would hope not, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

By the way, Epic!Calypso is not cursed, that’s PJO!Calypso!

Sorry if this comes off as harsh, But cmon guys ☹️

@indigo-greer-collins @literallyangelshaw (thank u guys for helping me w this)

[goldhawk18]

Got inspired by @callimara, so here's my sona redesigned into Epic the Musical!!

I'm still working on her lore, but she has something to do with Winter.

Some say she was blessed by Demeter to become the personification of the season, others claim she ascended to godhood due to her loneliness and her intense desire to create wonders. And yet others whisper that she was simply excluded by the Horae, the triad of Seasons.

What can be sure is that this goddess wields her snowflake sword and graces the landscapes with her prowess. She represents both the beauty and danger of Winter. With the way she guides creatures to hibernation and coats their fur with white. The way she freezes water over into slippery sheets and cracking lines.

Usually, she can be seen frolicking around, pushing the boundaries of her power with experimentation (no wonder every single snowflake is unique). She is at home in the snow, and she sometimes disguises herself as a mortal to play with children and their friends. She delights in their joy and laughter.

Beware her wrath, though, when her sharp tresses pale and her eyes glow, frost trickling over the surface of her smooth skin. She will fill your bones with dread and despair, your body shaking and succumbing under the pressure of her strength, your pulse slowing down till it eventually stops.

When she's not on duty, she usually relaxes in hot springs and revels in a job well done. She takes the time to change her clothing, as she is as fickle as she is vivacious.

Her sacred animal is the snow leopard, elusive and athletic. It suits her well. You never know when she might sneak up on you, whether that may be a good thing or not.

Fun fact, she may or may not harbor feelings for the sorceress Circe, and she has no idea what to do about it. Myths vary, but most agree that she somehow came upon the island of Aeaea by way of her inquistive nature (she is a curious being and tends to explore when she's bored). She introduced herself, and tried not to melt from how bright and lively the witch was. She had never felt so...warm in such a strange, unfamiliar manner throughout her immortal life. Needless to say, after an entire year of visiting Aeaea everyday, the goddess had found herself yearning for Circe.

That's all I've got so far, but thank goodness for Milanote (not sponsored) in helping me figure out how to get from point A to point B.

I may or may not redesign her into Hades soon, but we shall see where the magic takes us. Which reminds me, I'll definitely draw her interacting with Calvalia in the future hehe

[skulkiee]

Hellooo

Uh yeah hi! This is paaart siiiix of the Strangler fig au i believe! Yeah. Enjoy!

The crew is falling apart. You don't need to be intelligent to see it.

And no. Elpenor does not know what in the name of Hades is going on with Polites and Odysseus, but he doesn't like it. And then the whole thing with the bag happened and then Posidon murdered like. Almost all of their crew!

By the Gods, it's not fair!

Maybe Elpenor is a bit drunk. Maybe he is tired, maybe it's the worry. Maybe Odysseus shouldn't have sent him to lead the scouting party around this too-perfect island.

Like really? If Odysseus has resorted to trusting Elpenor- of all people- the most to lead a scouting mission that could decide if the rest of them go to the Underworld or not, then wow, he must really be desperate.

And it's not like Elpenor is being mean about the captain, he's just saying it how it is. He has always done that, he doesn't understand why everyone else has to wrap their words in layers upon layers and skip around the actual meaning as if it's a dance or a song or a game.

And Odysseus is struggling. That's what he sees. They all saw how their captain reacted when Eurylochus died, how he reacted when Posidon did whatever he did to Polites. They still don't know what happened there. And with Eurylochus gone and Polites unconscious and Odysseus falling asleep on his feet and Perimedes left trying to make sure everyone is okay and alive, well that leaves Elpenor.

That leaves Elpenor. To scout the island. Gods, if anything goes wrong-

"Come inside!"

He blinks and looks up at the sweet voice, and oh. Elpenor probably should have been paying more attention. The rest of his men are already walking towards the strange, tall lady.

She smiles a sickening sweet smile and beckons them closer to the palace, "Welcome to the best part of your lives!"

She is odd. To say the least. Taller than any of the men on the crew, long hair tied back in a messy yet somehow charming braid that's a brownish colour with streaks of shining gold. A crown on her brow and incredibly unnatural pink flowers in her hair. Yellow hawk eyes staring into his soul.

The other men in Elpenor's crew seem enchanted by her. Elpenor doesn't get it. Maybe that's because he's got a perfectly good Perimedes back at camp.

"Go ahead and rest wherever you like!" She walks through the huge arched entranceway, the men following behind her like a flock of sheep, "I've got you, don't worry, Circe's got you now!"

Elpenor doesn't want to go in there. He does though, and stands in the entrance of the huge hall Circe has led the men into, watching carefully.

"Take a seat." Circe smiles that smile that Elpenor is swiftly coming to hate again, and nymphs- actual nymphs, how cool is that?- walk into the hall, each carrying different plates of food, "Let me bring you all something to eat, I bet you're tired from the years spent on your feet. I've got you, don't worry, Circe's got you now!"

Oh. Maybe she is nice then. Not that Elpenor can think of any immortals that are nice, and she clearly is one. Immortal, that is. But, well, first time for everything! That's what Polites says. Though she does keep speaking in third person. Maybe that's just a divine thing, Elpenor wouldn't know.

He smiles and starts to walk away, Odysseus would appreciate him finding a nice Goddess who wants to help them right? Well, she found them, but the captain doesn't need to know that.

Elpenor pauses, pulled out of his thoughts by a strange noise that sounds half person half pig. He stares into the hall for a moment.

And then he runs.

•

"Captain!"

Odysseus and Perimedes both look up, along with most of the crew, when Elpenor comes running into camp, clearly terrafied.

"Elpenor, back so soon?" Odysseus stands up and walks over to the panicked man, swiftly checking him over for injuries- of which there seems to be none, other than scratches from running through the forest, "Where's the rest of your crew? What happened?"

He watches Elpenor lean against Perimedes when the other man walks over, and Odysseus clenches his fists at his sides, he can see how scared the poor man is, but by the Gods, he needs to know what the threat is.

Elpenor does compose himself surprisingly quickly though, "Sir, since we left home, we've faced a variety of foes from a wide range of places; Gods, monsters, you know the roster, hostile creatures that we could resist." He pauses slightly, "But this was a hell of a twist, 'cause we are weak to a power like this."

Odysseus stares at him, "What was it?

"A woman." Elpenor holds Odysseus' unbelieving gaze.

"What?" Odysseus snaps.

"We came across her palace." Elpenor shrugs. He's still shaking, "She had us in just two words and she seemed to show no malice, to follow her was our choice."

"And?"

"Nothing could prepare us for the power that awaited inside." Elpenor says, "She offered us food, who were we to say no? Only I stayed outside, intending to fetch the rest of us so we could share this feast, but the rest went in."

Odysseus grabs his shoulders, "What happened?"

Elpenor stares at him, "I- inside the meal, she had cast a spell. She changed them, they transformed and it wasn't quick. She turned our friends from men to pigs."

Odysseus curses, turning away from Elpenor and Perimedes. Everybody else in the camp are watching them, "I have to go save them." He decides.

"Captain, no you don't." Odysseus spins around to stare at Perimedes, opening his mouth to yell at the man, but he speaks first, "Look at all we've lost and all we've learned, every single cost is so much more than what we've earned. You have to think about the men you have left before there's none."

"What?" Odysseus snarls, "How dare you-"

Perimedes doesn't back down, "Captain, you are not well. I do not know what has changed, but you have not been well since the war, and you don't seem to care that you are hurting the people around you because of this. She's a clever witch, and she's hard to slay. It'll be a game of wits, but you don't have to play, not if there is a chance everyone else gets killed in this."

"Me? Not well?" Odysseus laughs that half crazy laugh he does, "Hurting people? I think you've finally got your facts mixed up, Peri'. It's a very bold claim coming from the likes of you after all."

"Hey!" Elpenor snaps, having mostly recovered from his run in with Circe.

"Friends! Calm down. Please." The three of them all turn when Polites walks towards them. He looks slightly unsteady, but he's up on his feet, so it's something, "Lower your voices, we have an audience. And i could hear you three shouting from the boats."

Elpenor smiles at him, "You're okay."

Polites grins back, "Im alive. And Perimedes, you're not gonna persuade Odysseus to not try to get those men back, so i'm gonna go with him to make sure he's okay."

Odysseus had been fully prepared to run off into the forest and find this witch alone, but company is always good. And after Eurylochus-

Well he can't let anything happen to Polites, and something already has, so he's just not gonna let him out of his sight. Polites volunteering to come with him is just win win for everyone. Except Elpenor and Perimedes, but that sounds like a them problem.

Perimedes frowns at him, "But-"

"Of course, I'd like to leave now, of course I'd like to run." Polites glances at Odysseus for a moment before turning back to Perimedes, Odysseus wonders what he's thinking, "But I can hardly sleep now knowing everything we've done, and there's no length I wouldn't go if it was you I had to save."

Odysseus laughs again, "Yeah, and I can only hope you'd do the same." He snaps sarcastically.

"I can hear her still, and her voice deceives." Elpenor protests, "What if she can't be killed? Will you choose to leave?"

"I don't know." Odysseus answers truthfully. He doesn't think his answer inspires much confidence, but he grins at Polites. Both of them already have weapons, and he can't think armour will do much against an immortal, "Lets go!"

Polites rolls his eyes, "Sure." He says slowly, but he is smiling.

They hear Perimedes mutter "Okay so the dude who hasn't slept properly in nine- ten days now, and the dude who just got attacked by the God of the Seas are gonna go fight this witch. Great." as they walk off and into the forest.

I love writing Elpenor, to me he is a whole lot more chill than everyone else. So.

Anyways yes. Uhhh yes.

[burningvelvet]

Powerful women from the classical world + excerpt of a letter from Lord Byron to Thomas Moore describing his lover Margarita Cogni (Venice, September 19th, 1818):

“I wish you a good night, with a Venetian benediction, ‘Benedetto te, e la terra che ti fara!’ — ‘May you be blessed, and the earth which you will make!’ — is it not pretty? You would think it still prettier if you had heard it, as I did two hours ago, from the lips of a Venetian girl, with large black eyes, a face like Faustina’s, and the figure of a Juno — tall and energetic as a Pythoness, with eyes flashing, and her dark hair streaming in the moonlight — one of those women who may be made any thing. I am sure if I put a poniard into the hand of this one, she would plunge it where I told her, — and into me, if I offended her. I like this kind of animal, and am sure that I should have preferred Medea to any woman that ever breathed.”

The mythical and historical allusions:

In Roman myth, Juno was Queen of the Gods as well as a military figure often depicted armed. In Greek myth, Medea was a sorceress who gets revenge against her unfaithful husband through murdering their children and his lover. Although “Pythoness” could refer to demonic witches in other uses, Byron is using it here as another name for Pythia or the Oracle of Delphi, a divine priestess and the most powerful female office in the ancient world.

Faustina is either a reference to the Younger or the Elder. Faustina the Younger was the wife of Marcus Aurelius; he revered her so much that he gave her enormous power, although later historians (probably falsely) accused her of being a murderer and adulteress. Faustina the Elder was the adoptive mother of Marcus Aurelius and was one of the most beloved Roman women in history, whose coinage often features Juno.

Byron's life and writing in context:

When he was living abroad in self-exile, Byron often sought to entertain his friends back home by sharing his adventures in lurid detail. His vivid letters became well-read throughout the 1800s, and are considered some of his best writing. Travel writing and adventure stories were extremely popular in the 19th century, and even most of Byron’s fiction champions these themes. Living abroad and traveling became marketable parts of Byron's celebrity. He blended his own experiences into his work, and chief among these were his romantic experiences.

Shelley once compared Byron to the Greek myth of Circe when writing in a letter about Byron's excessive amount of pets. Circe was known for seducing men and turning them into animals who roamed around her palace. Like a witch or an alchemist, Byron frequently transformed his lovers into characters through his writing. Like countless others, Margarita Cogni was mythically immortalized through the writer's description of her. She and Byron's other Venetian lovers have become part of the wider Romantic era mythology tradition, like the constantly retold tales of Mary Shelley's invention of Frankenstein, Percy Shelley's drowning, and John Keats' love for Fanny Brawne.

By using references to classical women in this letter Byron is not only paying tribute to mythology, history, and the Italian landscape in a way that his foreign audience would find tantalizing, but he is also exploring romanticized notions of classical female beauty which are at turns conventional and unconventional. He channels the gothic sublime through the otherworldly power and danger these women all represent, as well as channeling more traditional concepts of feminine strength rooted in modesty, beauty, and passivity. Byron creates poetic contradictions.

Just as he famously describes himself as “changeable, being everything by turns and nothing long,” he utilizes paradox and inconstance in his writing, such as in this satirical formulation of Margarita Cogni as the ideal lover who is both Goddess and woman, mistress and slave, contemporary and classical, masculine and feminine, wife and adulteress, murderess and murdered.

One can clearly see how this is the same chameolonic, binary-blurring poet who would go on to write the gender-bending themes of Don Juan — “If people contradict themselves, can I / Help contradicting them, and every body, / Even my veracious self?” — and who years beforehand had written She Walks in Beauty — where “all that’s best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes.”

[wild-dagon]

As someone whose LOVE Epic the Musical for years (watching it progress on tictok) and Linked Universe

Let me drag you all down a rabbit hole with me.

Time is Odysseus 

He leaves his wife and young son to go and fight in a war

He struggles through all the monsters to make it back home

Malon is Penelope

His loyal wife awaiting his return.

Is constantly sought by suitors who want to marry her and take over Times kingdom/land but she keeps refusing them believing her husband is still alive

Twilight is Telemachus

Times some who grew up not knowing his father.

He grew up hearing stories of his heroic father but has never truly met him.

Wants to protect his mom from all of the suitors and keep their home safe

When he challenges the suitors they literally call him ‘little wolf.’

One of the goddesses can be Athena

Maybe Nayru since she is also the goddess of Wisdom

Or Farore since she is the goddess of courage and has been tied to Link.

Or Hylia herself as Athena favors Odysseus and Hylia favors Link

Saria is Aeolus

A male god in the original myth but sung by a woman in the musical, they are the god of winds and traps all the winds from a storm in a bag so that Odysseus can get home.

However they make it a game sending down little minions to whisper to the crew that the bag is filled treasure leading to them opening the bag and releasing the storm

Ruto is Calypso

The goddess who falls in love with Odysseus and traps him on her island promising him immortality if he stays.

He refuses her and returns home to his wife

Just as Tito falls in love with Link in Ocarina of Time.

Zelda(lullaby) can be either Helen of Troy or Circe

I prefer Helen as that is the woman the men, Odysseus/Time went to save in the first place.

The other Lu boys….

Maybe time left when Twilight was 3/4ish he doesn’t remember him at all and Wild was a baby making them brothers

Maybe Warriors was a boy who fought in the war and knew Time. Or more likely his father did. Maybe that’s who Twilight goes to ask for help in getting ride of the Suitors. He visits Warriors father and meets Warriors. Or heir fathers were Shield brothers making them sort of cousins.

The other boys live in Lon Lon (Ithaca) maybe their fathers were part of Times forces and he takes them in when he is the only one to return home.

It’s a rough idea but it’s bounce around my head for a while

[msweebyness]

MiracOlympus- Extras!!!

Here’s a special bonus, with some extra characters of importance! @artzychic27 @imsparky2002

Gabriel: Cronos

The god of time and the former king of the titans, and father of Adrien (Zeus), Kim (Poseidon), and Nathaniel (Hades). He locked his sons away in Tartarus as children to secure his power, but was defeated and imprisoned by them. Nath makes time every week to go down and troll him.

Emilie: Rhea

The former queen of the titans, ex-wife of Gabriel. She despised him for imprisoning her sons and helped overthrow him. Still mothers the heck out of her boys (and the new gods in general), regardless of how powerful they are.

Anarka: Leto

Goddess of motherhood and mother to Juleka (Artemis) and Luka (Apollo). Will eff you up if you mess with her kids, and vice versa. Still a chaotic free spirit.

Jagged: Aeolus

God of the winds and father of Luka and Juleka. Serves as mentor and teacher to the four young wind deities, telling them where the winds are needed that day. Still loves music.

Clara: Euterpe

Muse of Music, and eldest of the nine. Her younger siblings all adore her and she helped them all to embrace and master their special talent.

Vivica: Calliope

Second eldest muse, muse of poetry and epics. A bit shy, but loves to perform with her siblings.

Lucien: Zelus

God of envy and jealousy. In love with obsessed with Marc (Persephone), and couldn't handle it when he chose to be with Nathaniel. (Mylene (Demeter) feckin' HATES him, and has threatened him with a pitchfork more than once.)

Emani: Dolos

God of manipulation and control. Former lover of Nathaniel who would do anything to have him back.

Duusu: Argus

Marinette's (Hera) sacred peacock, and beloved companion.

Liiri: Aetos Dios

Adrien's sacred eagle, who carries messages for him and serves as a companion.

Xuppu: Delphinius

Immortal Dolphin, and Kim's best friend. Was his wingman and helped him get together with Ondine (Amphitrite).

Kaalki: Pegasus

Immortal winged horse, famed mount of heroes. Found as a foal and reared by Max (Athena).

Socqueline: Heracles

Greatest mortal hero who ever lived, had the strength of a god. Wore a lion pelt.

Aeon: Helen of Troy

Most beautiful mortal woman who ever lived, kidnapped as a teen by the Trojans for their prince. The Gods sided with the Greeks in the war to bring her back.

Jess: Atalanta

Mortal hero who could run as fast as the wind. A renowned hunter who killed a monstrous boar terrorizing her kingdom, and she refuses to marry unless you can beat her in a race.

Fei: Hippolyta

Queen of the Amazons, and total badass. Has never lost a battle with any mortal that dared challenge her.

Master Fu: Chiron

Immortal centaur, the wise and kind teacher of the greatest heroes.

Sublime: Pasithea

The goddess of meditation and relaxation, one of the most levelheaded of the gods, keeps everyone from working themselves too hard, especially her siblings.

Beck: Achilles

One of the most renowned warriors of Ancient Greece, one of the leaders of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. Invulnerable everywhere except for their heel, which is why they wear armored sandals.

Aglae: Circe

A powerful and skilled sorceress, and one of Eri’s most devoted students and followers, primarily uses her magic for healing and helping purposes…until you harm someone she cares about

Diane: Oracle of Delphi

Luka’s voice of prophecy on Earth, Diane inhabits his temple on earth and acts as his proxy to tell mortals (cryptically and indirectly, but those are the rules) about what will happen in the future.

Bustier, Mendeliev, and Winters: The Moirai (aka the Fates)

Winters- Clotho, Bustier- Lachesis, Mendeliev- Atropos

Three incredibly powerful goddesses who decide the fates and lifespans of all mortals.

Grotke: Prometheus

The titan god responsible for creating mankind. He cares deeply for them, to the point he was willing to go against Gabriel and steal fire to help them survive. I’m sure you know how Gabriel reacted to this.

Baark: Cerberus

Three-headed, enormous guard dog of the Underworld. Nathaniel and Marc's fluffy baby girl child.

Leave your thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Selene (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Kitten by Endymion

Sel by Helios

Mom, Mother, Mama by her children

Sweetheart by her parents

Age- 31 (immortal)

Location- Elis, Olympius

Personality- In contrast with her twin brother's flashy and outlandish demeanor, Selene is much more introverted. She has a classy regal-like flair & is also passionate, sensual, and loyal- to those she loves. She's married.

She has the standard abilities of a goddess. As Titaness of the moon, moonlight, lunar cycles, night, darkness, shadows, mind, subconscious, emotions, feelings, sensations, mood, behavior, prophecy, omens, premonition, intuition, instinct, reflection, madness, insanity, lunacy, delirium, femininity, womanhood, women, pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation, fertility, travel, journeys, wandering, navigation, sailing, water, oceans, rivers, lakes, tides, waves, dew, time, cycle, & months her other powers/abilities include lunakinesis (lunar energy manipulation), photokinesis; as it relates to moonlight, lunar gravitokinesis, fertility manipulation, umbrakinesis (darkness/shadow manipulation), communicating with/shapeshifting into her sacred animals, night vision, limited chronokinesis, being able to communicate with other nocturnal animals, dew manipulation, temporarily inducing a being with madness, limited sleep inducement, tidal wave manipulation, levitation, teleportation; by creation of moon portals, vitakinesis; by way of generated & actual moonlight, as well as limited chalázikinesis (cold manipulation).

Her divine symbols include the crescent moon, cloak, horns, silver, moonstone, torches, as well as the chariot.

A notable physical feature of Selene are her dark brown eyes which have flecks of silver.

Her sacred plants are the myrtle, willow, poppy, daisy, lily, rose, carnation, buttercup, orchid, & wallflower.

Selene’s natural scent is a mixture of lavender and lilies. 

She comes from a respectable Titan family. She’s the eldest daughter of Theia (Titaness of sight & heavenly light) and Hyperion (Titan god of heavenly light). Selene has a fraternal twin brother Helios (Titan god of the sun) as well as a younger sister Eos (Titaness of dawn).

Her nieces are Phaethusa, Circe (goddess of sorcery), and Lampetia. 

Selene is married to a mortal man named Endymion that has gained immortality. They currently share 25 daughters so far- a single birth, two sets of fraternal quintuplets, two sets of identical triplets, two sets of fraternal twins, and four single births. Some of her daughters include Pandia (goddess of the full moon), Ersa (goddess of morning dew), Achelois (goddess of the moon & comfort), Helena (goddess of the eclipse), Ioli, Cressida (goddess of the crescent moon), Esmeray (goddess of the half moon), Orani, Mona (goddess of the new moon), and an energetic two year old- Aurora (goddess of the celestial light).

She’s fluent in Latin.

Selene, her husband, and their girls live in the state of Elis, in a mansion bought by her parents. It’s built out of marble & ivory. Inside, the walls are made from moonstone. The roof is domed shaped- built from stained glass that shimmer under sunlight and emits a gentle calming light at night. The predominant color scheme is silver, gray, midnight blue, pearly white, & dusty pink. The flooring throughout the mansion is half glossy marble and half soft dark blue mink carpeting. The ceiling of the living room is a masterpiece of celestial art- painted with a large depiction of moon phases, swirling star patterns, and constellations. There’s stainless steel appliances in the kitchen in addition to Astrean Silver cupboards. The mansion is also baby proofed for the youngest children, some of whom are still crawling and learning how to walk. There’s also linen furniture with moonstone, glass, and marble furniture pieces. The mansion also has an observation deck- complete with telescopes for stargazing. 

Selene’s bedroom has a color scheme of pastel lavender, silver, and dark blue. The flooring is light gray mink carpeting. There are framed photos of her daughters, her other family members, as well as celestial art all over the walls. There’s also a faint smell of lavender. The king sized bed is an ultra plush dream with blue & silver satin pillows and many pale pink, dark blue, and light gray sheets & blankets. 

Her Astrean Silver chariot is in storage. 

The family also owns a vacation house in the state of Olympia.

The family has many cats as pets. There’s also the two immortal horses that used to pull Selene’s chariot.

She loves listening to classical, pop, and R&B music. Selene is obsessed with the song “Body Talk,” which was released by a Spartan noble named Hyacinth. Pale Blu’s song “Little Whisper Heart” is the ringtone for her smartphone.

Selene typically starts her day a bit late, considering that she’s up most of the night. She’s either cleaning up, doing the laundry, meal prepping, or pumping breastmilk for her youngest children. Selene has employed two full time night nurses- a nephelai named Avalon and an oread named Alaina. She doesn’t mind staying up at night as that’s when Selene has the most energy & clarity. If there’s a bit of free time before her daughters start waking up, she enjoys some quiet time with a book. 

She has a LARGE collection of romance novels in her library room- her favorite subgenres being thriller, erotica, paranormal, & historical.

Selene absolutely loves her wedding ring- an oval shaped halo blue sapphire ring that has a white gold band.

By the time the morning is in full effect, there’s no time to really freshen up, so she’ll settle for a quick cold shower before dropping off her oldest daughters at school and her youngest daughters at daycare.

Selene looks forward to the moment where she can fully relax- enjoying a warm bubble bath with her favorite lavender soap. She catches up on her reading and listening to music through her iCHOR Tech wireless speaker that’s connected to Musify.

A go-to drink for her is a diamond blue cocktail. She also likes mineral water, lavender tea, ginger ale, vodka martinis, her homemade iced hibiscus tea, champagne, pomegranate juice, cola, red wine, rum & cokes, medium cookies n’ cream milkshakes from The Frozen Spoon, as well as her homemade hot chocolate. Usuals from The Roasted Bean are a medium dark chocolate mocha and a large blueberry açai splash.

Before she leaves for work, Selene will check in on her husband, who’s generally lethargic, an aftereffect of his achieved immortality as well as a punishment that’s been lifted by Zeus (god of the sky, thunder, & lightning). If Endymion is asleep (which is usually the case), she’ll change the blankets on him and turn on the air purifier in their bedroom. If he’s awake, Selene will leave a cup of chamomile tea for him in addition to a bowl of rizogalo.

She generally has a romantic fashion style. Fabrics like silk, lace, satin, chiffon, linen, & denim are major staples in her clothing. Selene loves a good pair of high waisted skinny jeans. The color scheme of her clothes are primarily pastel hues of pink, purple, silver, blue, and white with pops of black & dark blue as well. Floral print as well as moon imagery are major motifs in her clothing. There’s her signature LBD (little black dress) hanging on the front of her closet. Staples in her closet include simple tees & tank tops, linen and silk blouses, leggings, mary janes, pointed toe pumps, ankle boots, flowing maxi dresses, midi skirts, tea length dresses, as well as silk & denim jackets. 

Selene is fond of wearing white gold and silver jewelry- her go-to accessory being a simple pair of white gold hoop earrings.

For high class events, she loves wearing elegant saris made of the finest silk and satin- embroidered with the most elaborate of designs.

For the most part, Selene keeps her makeup look generally understated with some mascara, eyeliner, some foundation, and lip gloss. She goes all out during social events- like date night with her husband. Selene’s fond of smoky shimmery eyeshadow in addition to a bold dark lip. 

A typical breakfast for her is a bowl of oatmeal topped with granola, honey, & dark chocolate chips. She also likes dosas with onion chutney, her husband’s scrambled eggs (added with tomatoes & black olives), as well as a bowl of Golly Grains cocoa craze cereal. 

Aside from riding her chariot through the night sky, pulling in the moon as an established Titaness in the past, another moment in Selene’s godly career was when she aided the Olympians in the fight against Typhon, a monstrous being that threatened the rule of the Gods. Her time left her permanently scarred- some raised jagged skin on the side of her waist. In Selene’s godly form, the scars glow like moonlight.

Long ago, she had a brief, but passionate affair with Zeus, all the while knowing that he was married to Hera (goddess of women & marriage). Selene got swept up in the emotions, finding the young king’s boyish arrogance and energy appealing. Before Zeus, she also had a long term relationship with Pan (god of the wild, satyrs, shepherds, & rustic music).

Something changed when she had her heart stolen by Endymion, who at the time was a shepherd, tending to his parents’ farm. Selene looked upon the mortal man with dark blond hair, pale blue eyes, a squarish jaw, and pink lips- silently declaring him the most beautiful being she’d ever seen. 

For months, she’d silently watch him on the farm- tending to the sheep with such grace & care, swim in the creek with physical prowess, and read in a cave on Mt. Latmos. One night, Selene came upon Endymion who was tending to a wound he suffered from earlier when he was practicing his archery with a few of his friends. “I can help sir, If you permit?,” Selene quietly offered. Endymion looked up at her in brief awe and shock. “An immortal. A Titaness. Why have you come here?,” he asked furrowing his brows. Selene sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. “I couldn’t find sleep. Your sounds of wincing kept me up,” she joked. Endymion smiled, his perfect pink lips giving way to his equally beautiful straight white teeth. Selene thought in that moment that she’d lose all sense & decency, but she maintained her composure. Endymion agreed and with her healing abilities, Selene healed the gash on his arm with divine moonlight.

For the next few months, Selene visited him nightly on Mt. Latmos. She’d almost be in a lucid like trance, watching and listening to Endymion read poetry passages & old epics. The sound of Endymion’s voice felt like soft silk caressing her skin. 

One night, Selene surprised him with a poem- a love poem she’d written herself about her feelings for Endymion. She was a body filled with frayed nerves as she nervously recited it, keeping her eyes on the parchment, knowing that if she were to look into his eyes, it’d be over. When Selene was finished, she abruptly tore the parchment into tiny pieces, letting them fall to the floor of the cave. She wrapped her arms across her chest. Selene looked up at Endymion, who was now standing in front of her. He caressed the side of her face with his thumb. “Forgive me,” she whispered unsurely. “What’s to be forgiven? No woman has ever written me something,” Endymion said as he placed a kiss upon her brow. He kissed her closed eyelids as well as her nose and then his lips finally met hers. The initial kiss was slow & tentative at first- their lips lightly grazing against each other, light & delicate. Selene moaned with desire as she brought her body close to Endymion’s- her fingers finding his naked chest through his chiton. He growled as he deepened the kiss, his tongue finding its way to Selene’s. It was all consuming, sensual, and passionate. It was as if they were sucking the air out of each other. Endymion stripped his chiton off, placing it on the floor of the cave. He laid Selene’s naked body on it and soon found his head between her legs. She cried out in pleasure when she climaxed, the sound of her moans echoing in the cave. Under the cover of the full moon’s light, they made love. 

When the relationship was initially found out, Selene’s parents warned against it. “No good can come from being with a mortal,” Theia had said firmly, but Selene didn’t care. She & Endymion were in love and they were going to be together- for eternity. 

When it was found out by the king, it turned into a huge disaster. When Selene went to see Endymion at their cave, she found him by a bed of slate. At first she thought he may have been drunk, but when she got closer, Selene saw him, deeply breathing, his eyes closed. She tried shaking him awake at first, then yelling his name, but nothing worked. Endymion was still alive. Why couldn’t he awake?

It was soon discovered that Endymion had been cursed by Zeus, who was still feeling bitter over the end of his own affair with Selene. She tried pleading with Zeus for many years, but was curtly rebuffed or outright ignored. Selene during this time was an emotional wreck. She stayed at her brother’s place in Rhodes. 

After a “sit-down” with Selene, Helios, their parents, as well as the king & queen, the decision was made to have Endymion’s curse lifted. Seeing her love’s beautiful blue eyes made Selene the happiest being in all the realms. 

Her favorite frozen treat is cookies n’ cream ice cream- especially the cookies n’ cream ice cream sundae at The Frozen Spoon. Selene likes her sundae with extra cookie crumbles, chocolate fudge, & whipped cream. 

When the time came for Selene & Endymion to get married, they had a private ceremony on Mt. Latmos. Helios served as the witness while Zeuxo (goddess of marriage) served as the officiant. Selene wore a form fitting backless pale silver mermaid style floor length silk gown. Her hair was in a bouncy high ponytail and she carried a bouquet of white roses. 

After all these years, Selene is very dedicated to her husband- even with the lingering after effects of the curse. There are times when she feels like Endymion isn’t trying hard enough to push through- to be a more active & involved spouse and father. There are also prolonged moments when she sees the Endymion before the curse- whether its him reading bedtime stories to their youngest daughters, helping their older daughters with homework, cooking dinner, and even spending time as a family in the backyard where he makes s’mores for all of them. Selene is also proud of the fact that Endymion made the decision himself to sign up for physical therapy- to strengthen his weakened muscles.

In the pantheon & in her family, Selene is known for her delicious jalebis- a crispy and airy swirly shaped dessert made by deep frying fermented batter then soaking it in a sweet, saffron-infused sugar syrup. She makes them often.

She has a good relationship with her parents, despite their feelings towards Endymion. Selene knows that at the end of the day, they just want the best for her. Theia believes that he’s using the curse as a crutch to be a “freeloading self-indulgent bum.”

Her favorite desserts include Eos’ mangalore buns, Theia’s malpua (topped with cardamom & extra powdered cinnamon), as well as the cookies n’ cream rolls and blueberry baklava from Hollyhock’s Bakery.

She wishes that she was a bit more closer to her sister- as Selene & Helios were fully established Titans by the time Eos was born. She knows that she only ever calls Eos when she needs extra help with the girls, but Selene’s been trying to change that- especially since her baby sister is to be married soon.

The BLT salad with extra mayo dressing, bacon, & croutons is her favorite thing to get at The Bread Box. 

Selene loves all her girls- especially dressing them up in extravagant saris. Some of the oldest ones do embroidery with her. She feels bad for her eldest daughter Pandia who often volunteers a lot of her free time to help her and the nannies with the youngest kids. Selene wants Pandia to be a regular teenager. She tries to spend time with her girls individually as well as all together as a family. On occasion, Selene has given more attention to her daughters that don’t have godly powers/abilities.

Guilty pleasures for her include the lamb gyros from The Parthenos Grill- the restaurant chain owned by Athena (goddess of wisdom), a slice of pepperoni pizza, as well as the chicken nuggets from Olympic Chef. Selene will typically order a box of 20 nuggets (with plenty of barbeque dipping sauce) along with a medium order of onion rings. 

For her long lustrous dark hair, she loves using the Glory’s Crown deep moisturizing shea butter shampoo and conditioner. She also likes the ambrosia honey hair gloss in addition to the refreshing lavender hair mist. 

Selene and Helios still have a close sibling bond. Oftentimes, he’s the one that she voices all her frustrations to when feeling overwhelmed- whether it's about Endymion, her worry of being an adequate mother to her girls, or her personal feelings of melancholy. To Helios she’s the “teen whisperer,” as Selene’s been helping out with navigating Circe’s attitude. 

Her financial income comes from being a licensed midwife with her own private practice. Selene owns a birth center clinic in downtown Elis called the Mene Cradle Care. Her and her other employees provide primary care for women- including prenatal & postpartum care, family planning, as well as gynecological services. Selene also attends home births- for women with low risk pregnancies. 

Selene has even released her signature parfum called Moonmist. The notes of scents include rich black currant, plum, lavender, sandalwood, fluffy marshmallow, and fresh peony. A 3.4 fl.oz. bottle costs 80 drachmas.

In the pantheon she’s good friends with Astraeus (Titan god of dusk), The Pleiades (Maia, Electra, Celaeno, Taygete, Alcyone, Asterope, & Merope), Leto (Titaness of demurity & motherhood), Hesperis (goddess of the evening & sunset), Aion (god of time, eternity, & the zodiacs), Felis (Titaness of cats), Epione (goddess of soothing pain), Nárkosi (goddess of sedation), Arktos (goddess of the night sky & constellations), Hesychia (goddess of quiet, stillness, rest, & silence), Lyrikós (Titaness of voice & song), Nymphe (goddess of self-care), Eváeros (goddess of air & the zodiacs), Karme (demi-goddess of the harvest), Philotes (goddess of intimacy, friendship, & affection), and Kéfi (goddess of mirth).

There’s also Alectrona (goddess of the sun & morning) who’s a close friend of the family. 

Selene was the official mentor towards Artemis (goddess of the hunt & moon).

She was mentored by another esteemed lunar deity- Phoebe (Titaness of prophecy, the moon, radiant intellect, & mystery). 

Selene also admires Nyx (goddess of the night).

For other means of income Selene models for/endorses her mother’s jewelry brand Euryphaessa, her eldest nieces’ designer shoe brand Phaelam, as well as Megaleio- the designer handbag brand started by Clymene (Titaness of fame & renown).

Kéfi gifted her a gorgeous sapphire blue moon jeweled clutch from Diamond Ave. Selene has also accepted her invitation to attend the upcoming NOFW- New Olympus Fashion Week. 

Selene enjoyed her most recent birthday- which was a laidback celebration at home. Endymion surprised her with breakfast in bed and afterwards they made love in the bath. During the evening, he helped some of the oldest daughters cook some of Selene’s favorite foods- like pastitsio and rajma dal with white rice. Pandia, Achelois, Esmeray, Cressida, and Ersa presented their mom with a cake they baked- a deflated two layer cake made from cookies n’ cream batter. They put way too much store bought vanilla frosting- mainly to cover the burns. Selene was touched. Even though the cake didn’t particularly taste all that good, she still ate a slice. 

She enjoys watching true crime shows as well as soap operas on TV. Selene’s a new fan of the paranormal romance drama Marked by the Lycan- which follows a young mortal woman named Melina who enters a very torrid & steamy affair with a werewolf shapeshifter named Aiden, the head of a ruthless motorcycle club. Selene sets up her digital recording device that is installed with her TV to record episodes of the show while she’s at work. 

In her free time Selene enjoys yoga, swimming, running (especially in her shapeshifted wolf form), hiking, gardening, cooking, pottery, going to the cinema, oil painting, going to the spa, shopping, tai chi, and spending time with her family & friends.

"I still rise with the moon."

[dootznbootz]

While their stories are different , Helen and Odysseus are very similar in "roles" of their narratives

Sounds nuts but hold on. I'm also probably wording that weird. but here we go.

Obviously with the time, the culture, and their genders to consider, they ARE very different but there's just...something that's been ITCHING me about them and their stories.

1.) Both of their homes/lovers are "fighting for them". Obviously the Trojan War is about bringing Helen home through the Oath of Tyndarius. (Also, "You kidnapped my wife, wtf?") Menelaus LITERALLY fighting to bring Helen back home. Penelope is fighting so that Odysseus has a home to come back TO.

2.) Paris/Calypso: Cause them both to weep in their stories, literally keep them captive through the means of an immortal/magic for YEARS. People will fight about how "willing" they are

3.) Deiphobus/Circe: Another "lover" where both were just...going through the motions. Trying to survive. Just another day in hell. Shorter amount of time. Both Deiphobus and Circe "defeats" involve someone's "rescuing" (Odysseus rescuing his men, Helen herself being rescued)

4.) Taken away from their home that they didn't want to leave

5.) Missing most of their only child's childhoods unwillingly

Even then, they are technically the CAUSE of each other's circumstances in life. Odysseus made a deal with Tyndarius to marry Penelope. Helen only got to choose Menelaus because of Odysseus' idea. Odysseus had to leave home because of said oath and still tried to resist leaving. Helen is only able to go home (aka the war is over) because of Odysseus' idea again. Both Penelope AND Menelaus leave the place they were born in (Sparta and Mycenae) to rule with their spouses in THEIR homelands. Even with how they're both an "enigma" could be something.

Obviously, they are not each other's "center of the world" but they both have affected each other with their actions (or actions under duress) Same with their spouses.

JUSt... SOMETHING'S ITCHING MY BRAIN WITH THIS skldjf klsdjf MAybe it's a whole "This is how men and women both "fight"" with their expected roles at the time and comparing the two? IDK I feel like there's something there.

I would even say that since Ancient Greece was patriarchal, the reason why Odysseus is abused by goddesses while Helen was abused by immortals who had the HELP of a goddess is because of the notion of "Men cannot be victims unless it was an immortal". Both went through the same horrifying experience regardless however.

Feel free to say something about this if you know more about this topic or shed some light on this or if you just want to chatter about this.

[sunny6677]

(Also—taking the opportunity to say this in a regular post as well, Iris—my oc— is aro-ace, but it's more so specifically in the context of humanity since she sees them like her own children and hasn't seen ANYONE like that in like ever since shes so focused on taking care of life and doesnt really think about romantic shit. If for some reason any of you want to ship her with an immortal being, it's fine, since I think if she for some reason were to date anyone, it'd have to be someone immortal like her. So—I'm cool with you guys shipping her with anyone in Epic so long as they're an immortal too, like a God or Goddess or an undead person etc etc. Just know that she'll likely never be in a sort of romance canonically since she's still aro-ace and experiences that sort of attraction very rarely. Not unless for some reason I decide to make things different here in this AU.)

If I draw it, it may be a one sided kinda thing, or Iris starts to slowly gain feelings for them but is still generally aro-ace—

[mizisuahell]

uhmmm who are my non-tpp blorbos that i can yap about... i feel like ive been too oc-pilled lately. ocs and sasha wire... they run my brain...

OH OH HAVE YOU EVER READ UHMMM 17776?? NINE??? AND TEN???? WHAT FOOTBALL LOOKS LIKE IN THE FUTURE????

So so so Nine (they/them iirc??) Ten (she/her) and Juice (he/him) (shoutout to satellite gender??) are all satellites in space that gained sentience. theyre also real look at these

nine, ten, and juice in that order. i hope. microsoft edge images is horrific

so nine gains sentience suddenly and is left all alone and ten reaches out to them and tells nine that shes their younger sister. and juice is tens pal. and they watch over earth where humans have stopped dying. thye dont age they dont die and no new humans are ever born and nobody knows why. and what do they do with this? they play extreme football.

so these three watch them play football while nine comes to terms with all that theyve missed. ten and juice are really fun too.

ten is basically guiding nine thru everything and juice is really funny and also kind of an asshole but i forgive him. satellite sentience and all. and they watch football, they watch people. its so good its just the idea that if humans could have anything we'd settle for comfort and fun. no need to get a job if you dont die. if the population is 100% stagnant then thats that. you dont need doctors or anything.

they DO have futuristic stuff but mostly theyve just settled where they are and its really sweet and cool and its so so so special to me i read it sometime last year and i still think of it often

ANSWERING THIS LIKE TEN YEARS LATER AND ON THE TUMBKR WEBSITE CUZ I COULDNT FIND THE ASK ON THE APP. HI IM HERE.

AND!!! this idea is sosososoos cute 😭 im so used to stories with similar plots of human gaining some sort of immortality everyone turns against the other and there’s an apocalypse but the idea of everyone just playing football is really funny but also so sweet 🥹 urgh I WANNA READ THIS. IF ITS A BOOK OR SOMETHING I WANT IT SOSOSOSOSO BAD.

and head in hands i have lore to go thru with my blorbo… i’ve been going through a greek mythology phase (blame epic the musical) and i’ve been highkey obsessing over circe 💔 a lot of people know her but some don’t so im just gonna give the basics rundown of what she’s most famously known for. basically she’s a goddess but she’s also a witch (not all goddesses are witches and sorcery is different from simply having divine power) who lives on an island i forgot the name of with her nymphs and all the wild animals. whenever sailors wind up on her island she lures them in, pretends to be a normal woman who just wants to help, but after they eat her food they eat her spell and she turns them into pigs. she’s most famous for her role in the odyssey— odysseus and his men end up on her island after escaping poseidon (sea god) and odysseus splits up his crew to scout the island. half of his crew find circe’s home, they get lured in, eat her food, become pigs. odysseus eventually goes looking for his men, and hermes (messenger god) gives him a special plant that will make him immune to circe’s spells. so he goes in, they chat, circe realizes he can’t be turned into a pig or whatever, so they agree that circe will free his men and they won’t hurt her. now there’s a million interpretations on how this encounter happens: in epic the musical, the root hermes gives him also gives him the ability to summon monsters to fight circe, and circe loses, but determined to protect her nymphs, she tries to seduce odysseus so she can just stab him, he refuses (because he’s married his wife is actually a big part of his character lol) and then circe, seeing how kind he is, agrees to free his men and give him advice on how to get home. in actual Greek mythology they sleep together (lmfao) and it’s either as a deal to free his men OR circe casts a spell on him. in almost all interpretations he stays as her lover with his crew on her island for a year. and she has his son after he leaves but that’s a whole other thing.

I ORIGINALLY fell in love with her in epic. problem is she’s actually a minor antagonist turned helper— she has like three songs because she’s not that major of a plot point in the original odyssey. but i loved her so much i read the book circe which is basically her lore, and you find out how she was raised how she ended up on that island why she turns men into pigs and then what happens to her after the odyssey. AND THIS IS WHERE SHIT GETS CRAZy. she’s the first child of the sun god helios and the nymph perse. (not helios’ first child in general, because all greek gods have like 600 kids) and she was hated by her mother because she was considered ugly (by god standards) and her voice was shrill, and her father did not see a future where she married well (cuz perse just wants to live rich lmfao). circe is harassed by her mom, but not as much by her dad because she sticks by his side and doesn’t protest about anything he says. but shit never gets better for her my poor girl because she gets two more siblings pasiphaë and perses who actively go out of their way to make her life miserable. and what sucks about circe’s story (for her not the story in general lol) is whenever she finds someone she loves they ultimately turn on her. she raises her youngest brother aeetes, who ends up not caring about her and thinking her as pathetic (it takes her a really long time to realize this i cry about it for hours) who ditches her for the kingdom their father gifted him. then she meets a mortal fisherman who’s life she saves by turning him into a god (this is the first act of sorcery she does) and then he basically gets an ego and treats her like dogshit. he falls in love with a nymph named scylla who shocker also harasses circe, and then circe uses the same flowers she turned the fisherman into a seagod into to poison her bath, accidentally turning her into a monster who actually kills six of odysseus’ men in the odyssey. later she confesses to her dad that she did both things, he thinks she’s lying, so he burns her and she’s ashamed until aeetes comes back and reveals his sorcery magic and says that circe is a sorcerer or a witch as well, along with perses and pasiphaë. helios goes to talk to zeus on what to do, and everyone gets a slap on the wrist but circe, who they send to an island where she is banished. ultimately this is the best thing that ever happens to her but also the worst.

AND A LOT OF SHIT HAPPENS BUT THE MOST GUTWRENCHING PART OF THE BOOK TO #ME is when she goes to pasiphaë’s kingdom where she rules with one of zeus’s demigod sons to help her give birth. after the whole birth thing, circe storms into pasiphaë’s bedroom accusing her of doing all this to shame her. then pasiphaë basically forces circe to realize her life has been shit as well, but circe can’t accept this because the pasiphaë in her mind is the abuser, not the victim. she turns down pasiphaë’s attempts at reconciling and leaves her kingdom. they never reunite (in the book at least) which makes me so sick… doomed sisters…

AND. you know how i mentioned she has a baby. normally i don’t really read a lot of stories about motherhood but her relationship with her son is so. head in hands. it really says a lot about her because even though this is the same woman who turned all men who came into her home into pigs she still is incredibly empathetic and human, which is a major part of her character. and her self-esteem is so low, as well as her self-regard in general— the second her son is born, she’s thinking about all the things she would do for him— and it’s shit like suffering through eternal pain, etc. and her son puts her through hell (not blaming him for acting like a toddler when he is a toddler but. he’s kinda evil 💀) she thinks that she deserves this kind of child and I SCREAMED CIRCE NO… CIRCE… and she defines her worth as a mom by how much she can sacrifice for him, which is so fawking sad.

and another thing i love with how she’s written in the book is how her empathy is her biggest strength and weakness, and when she comforts someone, she panics so much about seeing them in pain she doesn’t think about what she’s really saying, she just doesn’t want them to be in pain anymore. and it’s so URGSJSJEORJEIEKEKEKKSJSKSSJOEJSHDJJ. yeah. im literally insane about her.

[aikoiya]

Listen, ya'll. I understand the no-likey for Calypso.

And, honestly? Fair. Even if it isn't mentioned at all in the songs with her in them, & even if it turned out she didn't & was legit just creepy; in Homer's depiction, she did rape him.

Thing is, Odysseus wasn't a good man either. He killed a baby, sacrificed 6 of his friends to Scylla, & ultimately chose himself over his crew, even his own brother-in-law. Yes, he felt forced by Zeus, but he still killed a baby & killed his men.

If we can't recognize that Calypso's situation is complicated, then we also shouldn't recognize that Odysseus' situations with Hector's son & his crew were also complicated.

In such a case, she's a woman who raped a baby-killing traitor. So, ya know... Now the ball's in ya'll's park.

Like, don't get me wrong: Eff og Calypso.

But this isn't og Calypso.

We don't know that Calypso raped Odysseus, but we know for damn sure that Odysseus 1) killed Hector's son. 2) Sacrificed 6 of his friends to Scylla. 3) Essentially chose to save himself rather than not only the rest of his crew, but also his childhood bestfriend & the husband of his sister.

Like, yes, he had reasons & it was a moral gray area & maybe that's the point. But why should I accept a more nuanced look at his behavior if I can't give the other characters the same? Why is Circe not getting the same sort of hate when she was turning men into pigs, then cooking & possibly even eating them? Especially when she attempted to rape & kill Odysseus.

Something I'd like to point out real quick. "You're the most wonderful person that I'd ever known, because you're all that I'd ever known..."

"Alone for a hundred years, no friends but the sky & sun."

Similarly, she notes that she was wrong. Did you notice that in Ruthlessness, Odysseus did as a Greek should when he was asked to apologize. He explained his case, stated why he was justified or in the right. Or if he couldn't, then he would've given an offering.

On the other hand, Calypso... she doesn't make excuses. Instead, she just acknowledges that she was wrong for pushing & ambushing him, expressing sorrow, but also says that she didn't regret loving him. Now, I'm not going to deny the possible underhandedness of the "I'm sorry if my love's too much for you" comment, but she doesn't ask him to stay & doesn't offer eternal youth or immortality. As such, it seems more that she's getting out everything she's feeling before she never gets the chance again. As though it were a forgone conclusion.

And, I dunno. I can't help but find it interesting that so many people are choosing to hate on a woman who's been trapped on an island since the Titanomachy (which, according to my math, wasn't 100, but instead 900 years before the Odyssey) because she sided with her own father against Zeus. Did not fight in it, but sided with Atlas.

Similarly, in Homer's depiction, Zeus wasn't the one who sent Odysseus to the island. Instead, Odysseus got there by shipwreck.

Further, in the og, Calypso wasn't alone. Instead, she had slaves & Odyseus was just one of them. Also, she was the one actively keeping him there, but here, Calypso seems to suggest that she has no power over this; "no one can come or go." She also says that she'd been there "since she was young." So, depending on how young was young, she may not understand that anything she was doing was wrong because no one had taught her it was &, similarly, no real potential for much social interaction period. (Not an excuse, but something to keep in mind.) And we never see anyone else besides her, Odysseus, & the winions.

And in the og, she simply got angry with Hermes, said that the gods never let the goddesses have affairs, & offered Odysseus immortality/eternal youth if he chose to stay. Then, when he turned her down, she helped him to build a raft, & even sent a favorable wind to help him on his way. Still a rapist & horrible, but very different from how she acts in Epic.

Here, she is effing devastated & seems absolutely desperate, never once offers immortality/eternal youth, & doesn't even ask him to stay. As though she knew that he would turn her down. And, more to herself than him, she says, "I wish you would lie & say-" Because she knows he doesn't love her & she knows that if he did say it, it'd be false.

As such, I feel as though there's a very big difference between the og Homerian Odyssey & Jorge's modern reinterpretation, Epic. So, I think we should probably treat it that way.

Perhaps an actual play would show something different, but for the moment, I know nothing of that.

[skulkiee]

partttt twelve of the siren au :D

I should really come up with a name for this shouldn't i?

Anyways, part twelve, dont think i was done quite yet!! And yeah this one is a bit shorter but it felt weird making it longer. Like there wasnt much else i could say.

ANYWAYS!

We promised we'd be safe, another lie from the front lines

And so Polites goes back to the sea with his pod. They all go home. Home to the vast expanses of blue and the beautiful kelp forests and the tunnels and caves.

Sure, they still hunt, telling the sirens not to sing and hunt and kill is like telling a bird not to fly, like telling a God not to be immortal.

And they visit Ithaca from time to time, mostly once a month or every two months if the water gets too cold, but everyone looks forward to those meetings, even Epolenep. She has become great friends with Penelope.

Polites grins widely when Penelope introduces him to Telemachus as the prince's uncle for the first time, and soon the other sirens had started a betting pool over who would be next to officially be a part of the Ithacan royal family. (Hyacinthus won, claiming the title of brother from Telemachus.)

But sirens do live a rather long time, and so Polites watched his friends grow old, and soon Telemachus was the only one attending their monthly meetings consistently.

It's strange for Polites, to know that his family is growing old without him. He wonders if this is how the Gods feel when they take mortal lovers.

Even so, he is delighted when Telemachus brings a woman with him one day. Nausicaa is fierce and talented with most weapons. She's a brilliant young lady, a perfect match for Telemachus too.

They invite the sirens to their wedding when it happens, and Polites dances with Eurylochus like they did on Odysseus and Penelope's wedding when they were both still boys yet to experience the world in its fullness.

Soon there's a new prince in Ithaca, who Telemachus named "Hyacinth". After the flower, he claimed. He wouldn't admit it was because of the purple-scaled siren sat next to him. (The same one who probably saved his life, and if not his life, then the use of his hands.)

Soon Polites finds himself on land more and more often, spending more and more time with his old family. And then Odysseus dies (Polites tells him to say hi to everyone in the underworld for them all.) and he doesn't go back to the water.

He doesn't go back to the water for years. Not until each of the people he grew up with has left him behind. Hyacinthus is sat at his side when Penelope finally goes to join her husband in the underworld.

And then he does go back to the ocean, unwilling to stay on this empty island full of memories. He goes hunting with his pod, and he learns to live again. A few new sirens join them, and the kelp forest grows, and life goes on.

He and Hyacinthus still visit Telemachus and his family, the boy has grown into a fine king.

Sirens live long lives. Polites and Hyacinthus find themselves far away from the pod more and more often, they both start to enjoy the quietness and each other's company more than the bustling liveliness of their home.

•

Sirens live long lives. Apollo is a patient God.

He knows that Odysseus is favoured by one too many Gods after Athena's little stunt. Penelope is well liked too. In fact, hes pretty sure everyone in the royal family has at least one God or Goddess watching over them.

And Posidon turned Polites into a siren for a reason, even if Apollo hasn't quite figured it out yet. (His uncle always was unpredictable.)

So he waits. And waits and waits.

Waits until Odysseus and the others are dead and buried, until Telemachus is growing old. The Ithacan king wasn't supposed to grow old. The suitors were supposed to kill him on his twenty-first birthday. Penelope was supposed to die to a fit of violence from Antinuos. Odysseus was to be drowned by Posidon. (By Posidon's sirens.) Elpenor was supposed to fall from Circe's roof, Eurylochus and Perimedes to Zeus' thunderbolt. Polites to Polyphemus' club.

But the Fates never could be simple, could they? The God of prophecy should know that, more than most.

But Apollo is still bitter. And he's a patient God, he can hold a grudge for a long time.

So, he takes his bow and arrows, and hunts down the sirens.

They never saw it coming.

WE'RE NOT DONE YETTTTT :D

I love writing Apollo as a villain he litterally has no reason to do anything other than someone didnt die.

I do apologise for killing half the characters off but sirens live a long time and Apollo is a patient god :D

I havent gotten the next bit written yet but if it doesnt happen for a while im sorry school happened

I feel like ive talked more than usual. I should keep doing this :D

And hii @acpola01 @ghosthazard @corvisclouds i still havent gotten over how cool it is that you guys liked my writing :D

[aaronofithaca05]

The first night

Part 2: Wanax

“Father what?!!!!”. I was interrupted by a stoic voice coming from across the megaron as clear and cold as glass.

“Telemachus..I “. I tried to muster something to quell his fiery question but.

“She did what?”;  he asked once more.

“Telemachus, my dear joy, my little prince, what did you hear?”. I tried to compose myself  while my thoughts were  stuck one upon the other

“Everything..since the beginning.”, he said with confusion in his eyes

He exchanged eyes with mine. A cold sweat started to embrace me, as dark as last night but not a chill breeze but of winter´s freeze. I tried to compose myself, to talk, to say something. but then  noticed..

“Why I can´t talk''; I thought, “Why I can´t move my limbs?” i tried to said, but nothing, my lisps where shut and my eyes still.

“Are they here?”, “is this nothing more than a dream?” , “Am I still in the concave cave?” , my thoughts started to coalesce in a waterfall of doubts, shouting louder than poseidon´s waves.

Then I heard it: *oink* and a woman´s laughter.

I froze for a moment: “she can´t be here, she can´t be in Ithaca, she must be in Aiaia!”

*oink* *oink*

The pigs were getting closer.

I tried to recognize the room, tried to scrutinize everyone's reactions to the Daughter of Helios; no one seemed to heard what i heard; I tried once more when an oink felt sharper than a spear instead i saw flowers; white flowers gently growing in the morning light of the room, in the light of my throne

“Molly” I thought, “she's here to make everyone her next meal”, I tried to think, “she's here in Ithaca because of me”, “ I can't let her near”, “I can't lose here”, “I can't lose them too”.

Before the radiant Circe could enter the palace I shouted from deep inside like an earthquake: “Telemachus, dear son run for your sweet life!!!!!!”. I saw how my beautiful son shaked in fear while I was heading towards you, my Joy.

“Penelope, my queen, my life, my star, run upstairs and cover your gracious face, an immortal has come and shines worse than the summer´s sun”, I tried to muster this before seeing how your eyes started to fill with the radiance of stars.

You believed me though, as your entourage and you, climbed the pearly stairs to our bed.

I heard her steeps, as harmonious as the lyre´s strings and I thought: “think Odysseus, think, what can be her plan?, to suffocate you while she sheds Penelope´s blood, is she here for fresh lovers, is she here for ..is she here for …?”, that question: “ is she here for…? .Those words ravaged my mind and my eyes fixated again on the gentle flowers.

“THE FLOWERS” I shouted. “ Look how they move, how they snare, how they creep from below. the pain, the gold, the threads, the stick, the pigs”,I rumbled.

“ White”. It all become white.

“It was her,” I knew. Before being able to react, she stepped into the throne room.

As gracious as she was, as wild as her home, as intimidating as ever, she was there in my home.

“Your graceful goddess, mistress of Aiaia” I said in my kindest of voices.” Odysseus Laertides, father of Telemachus”, spoke as mellow as honey.

“Welcome to my Ithaca, to my palace, to my home” I welcomed her, waiting for a response but She as passive as a spider waiting for something to throw her thread, didn't say a word.

But I added in a joyful tone “ By your oath you must not harm me nor my people” . I remember the oath I made her vow, but it only applied in Aiaia, I feared as a knot was forming in my throat.

“hurt them or the taste of my bronze sword would be…” I couldn't finish my speech as you cut me.

“ODYSSEUS, STOP!!!” You shouted.

It was quicker than the evading foam of the sea, but as that I saw her transform

“HE..R HER FACE IS CHANGING, STAY BACK” I said as I saw her changing formswas  . “Stay back ! I'm warning you!.” I shouted imagining the monster that she would become:

“ A siren” to low for her grace, “scylla”, no, she pitied her.. I made recount of all my encounters but then It hit me as lighting of the mighty above.

“A chimera”. I  was getting ready to stick out my sword as the bow was hanging in the wall.

But as the thought was being  born, her  height diminished, her light arms became dark,

“ It's a girl?” I thought as her factions rounded and became mundane.

A sweet voice as morning dew let through her frail throat: “Our lord, your grace, i'm only here to bring you my harvest, my tribute to you” she said before tears formed in her little eyes. “Why do I get to taste your divine threat?” she let out amidst a nascent spring.

“You're a girl,” I said, perplexed.

Where is SHE? I asked, then it dawned “OHH you're one of her nymphs, aren't you?” I asked her with rage

“Tell Circe in my house her presence is not allowed….”. I was demanding to know before I felt a pain in the cheek, how I felt it touched my teeth”, how it started to rush like five hundred bites.

The sound traveled the throne room as the godly arrows of Eros, as silence followed suit.

A moment later I saw a hand, a delicate hand, marked by years of work, of pricked fingers, your hand.

“Mighty Wanax,  who's Circe??” asked the perplexed girl. 

she then added “  I'm (insert girl name here), daughter of (insert random name)”,  she recovered her normal voice as she saw there was danger no more. 

“ Shepherd as the only kin of his, I came to bring you the fattest pigs of us  as sacrifice to the gods of the isle, from my father and I”.

As she was speaking I saw her eyes turning from fear to pity, as you Joy were whispering something into her ear.

Then she looked at me and with a reverence said  goodbye.

“I told her that our rightful lord, our divine King, has become afraid of pigs as part of his crew was killed by Circe's boars”, you said in a calm voice after the storm of before.

My dear, thank you.... I lost myself… I tried to say before you cutted me again.

“Lost myself?”, you spitted from your mouth.

“I saw your deep eyes filled with blood, your tense wrists, your  forced grin, I saw anger in your words” you said before composing yourself again.

And delivered from the depths of your kind heart: “ My Joy I'm afraid of you”

-A...afraid, you are afraid of me? Those winged words cut deeper than immortal bronce, than mighty lighting than the grief I have been carrying since the beaches of Troy.

Did I become a threat, a….. monster to you? I asked.

Words couldn't exist as I mumbled my way through the syllables, letters then formed my deepest fear, losing you.

“Not dear, i'm afraid of what you can do to our people, you're still King after all, i pity you from my depths below bottom, but you aren't my Odysseus, not anymore” another cold rush befell on me, I was being skinned alive, no, I would have prefer that instead of making you say those words,

“I i..i. am...Odysseus”. I tried to say as I was getting myself out of the vortex of despair I was falling prey to.

“Why does she hate me, 20 years away, the horse, the boy, Polyphemus, the crew…..all has been in vain?” my head wanted to explode. I wanted to be Priam there, I was cursed to feel his demise too.

“I…i…i a..am sorry” I said supplicant while throwing myself to your knees, to your knees my love.

I thought I was falling to the house of the one of many guests, to the one whose house is set on the west but no; I felt a hand and kiss after all what had been said.

“You're Odysseus, son of Laertes, father of my joy, dear Telemachus” you said before adding” you're Odysseus King of Ithaca, you're but still my love.”. Those words felt like  woven wool blankets, as warm as a child could hope for.

“I..ahm” I said as I was standing up, as I was composing myself again, as seeing there was no threat again.…

Thank you, my queen” I said in my normal voice.

Everything was as normal as before, the people were there again, no one had runned away as I demanded when thinking Aiaia´s mistress was in the palace. No, they had been there petrified as there awaited king shouted to a little girl no more than 14 springs old. They witnessed how their beloved wanax was put in place by the hand of her faithful wife. Even he had been there all the time.

“Telemachus” I tried to reach him with his name..

Thanks so much to all of you! I´m tagging to my best friends and special moots:

@jarondont,@iroissleepdeprived, @nikoisme, @perroulisses,@poshgirlsstuff, @katerinaaqu @incorrecthomer, @dootznbootz, @nyx-of-darkness-1620, @sunshines-child, @randomkrab, @ironspdr6700, @fangirlofallthefanthings, @twomanyfandomshelp, @thehighpaladin, @the-decapod, @myblacknightworld, @simugeuge, @itszorrito67, @incorrectatlas @tunguszka20, @dootznbootz , @ironspdr6700