#ctimene of ithaca

[witless-winion1]

A day before the Ithacans leave for war

Eurylochus: My dear sister, may I have a word with you in private?

Penelope: yes, of course, Eurylochus. What did you wish to speak with me about?

Eurylochus: Would you do me a favor...please, can you look after Ctimene? I know we leave for Troy soon, but I’m worried for her health- recently, she’s been very unwell in the mornings, and frequently tired, and if neither me nor Ody are here to take care of her, I fear…just please watch over her, would you?

Penelope, realizing: oh

Eurylochus: …what are you thinking? My queen, you seem pale-

Penelope: it’s nothing, forgive me. Yes, of course I’ll look after her. But thank you for alerting me to her…condition.

(inspired by @notsolonedesert, aka the queen of Eurymene- Aha that rhymes- anyways the comic)

[insomniaruler]

Thinking of The Thoughts of Penelope and Ctimene, women with out their husbands, facing down a patriarchal court because there was no men to lead.

Penelope can’t have slept well in those 20 years. Her bed too cold, a kingdom to run in a patriarchal Greece and an infant to raise, but those first years can’t compare to the others. Every squeak of the floor boards, every night undoing just enough on the shroud too keep her freedom and still raising her boy alone. I wonder if in the long nights she doubted if she was just stalling against the inevitable. In her mind did she beseech the gods? For holding her husband back? For enforcing these rules that lead to constant fear? How many messengers did she send to her brother, asking, pleading if he had seen her husband after he had made it home with his beloved Helen.

What did Ctimene’s life look like? A friend of the queen, An aunt to a lonely prince, A sister to a king, a wife to a missing man. She was also likely pursued by all manner of men. How long did she spend politely refusing before she starts going silent. How many nights on the shore waiting for her brother and for her husband. Did every sail from the waves send a jolt of distressing hope? Just for it too be a merchant vessel. What was her role in court? Sister to the king she had to have been a beloved figure. Did she spend nights with Penelope, clutching a knife just in case the suitors got any ideas.

[emmikay]

Odysseus: I think Mum mixed up our lunches. Look.

Odysseus: (holds up a post-it note that says "I love you so much.")

Ctimene: Oh. Well, that explains this.

Ctimene: (holds up a post-it note that says "I love you but please be good. For the love of the gods, please be good.")

[zippyskyfalls]

"Alright, my brothers, listen closely..."

Weeks of planning, all leading to this. Penelope had to admit, this was her smartest plan yet.

Who would have thunk a wooden horse could fit over 600 men?

"Tonight we make the Trojans pay..."

Helen of Sparta, Penelope's cousin, was kidnapped years ago. A series of Devine events leading up to this moment. So many lives lost because of that single catastrophic event.

"Ten years of war, they killed us slowly. But now we'll be the ones who slay..."

No Trojan would be spared this night, all that will be left is ruins that historians will one day theorize if these events really even happened.

Penelope faced her soldiers, her helmet off in a moment of transparency. She should be open with her men, the ones she will lead.

"Think of your wives and your children. Your families wonder where you've been. " Penelope didn't have a wife, of course. Her husband was back home with her only son.

"They're growing old, and yet you're still here." The soldier put on her helmet, the symbol of her patron goddess engraved on the front.

A dove.

"Do what I say and you'll see them again.'

"Yes, mam."

They were all counting on her. She pointed her sword at specific soldiers, assigning each a job they must complete so the plan is perfect.

She plans for every fight, after all.

"Diomedes will lead the charge"

"Agamemnon will flank the guards."

"Menaleus will let our mates through the gates and take the whole city at large."

So many lives will be lost.

"Trucer will shoot any any ambush attack, and little Ajax will stay back."

But that was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

"Nestor, secure Helen and protect her. Neo, avenge your father, kill the brothers of Hector."

"Yes, mam!"

The men put on their helmets, bowing at her commands. They were all counting on Penelope's plan to be a success.

"Find that inner strength now, use that well of pride. Fight through every pain now, ask yourself inside!"

Penelope wandered to the back of the horse, staring back at her men as she touched the door entrance.

There were some questions that had to be answered before Troy was invaded.

"What do you live for? What do you try for? What do you wish for? What do you fight for?"

As the soldiers repeated the chorus, reminding themselves of their loved ones, Penelope leaned her head on the door and remembered her own.

"Odysseus..." her husband. The one who'd created the agreement that no war would break out when Helen chose her own husband.

He was meant to go to war instead of her, but Penelope managed to go in his place. There was a lot of arguing when the decision was made, but Penelope easily won her husband over.

"And Telemachus..." her son. He was only about 9 months old when she left to fight for her cousin's freedom. He's about 10 years old now, he must look exactly like his father.

"I fight for us... I fight for us..."

She knew what she lived for.

"Odysseus..."

She knew who she tried for.

"Telemachus."

She knew what she wished for.

Home.

"I'm on my way..."

She cut the door open, the quick motion of her sword cutting it as if it were butter.

"Attack!"

Red. So much red.

The clanking of swords so loud it could be heard across all of Greece. Penelope ran into the battlefield, spotting exactly who she wanted to see

Ctimene.

Her sword hit a Trojan soldier as he attempted to ambush and murder her sister in law.

Ctimene was the sister of Odysseus, they'd met many years ago. She'd snuck in at the middle of the night of her husband, Eurylochus' departure.

At the end of the first night, Ctimene managed to capture her husband and forcefully bring him back to a ship back to Same-- her kingdom.

Penelope spotted a dark figure, one whose face was impossible to spot. He ran towards her, nobody else managing to see the terrifying figure in front of her, and took a stab at Penelope's chest. Causing the queen to let out a scream of hurt.

But she was still alive.

All the was left was smoke.

"...what was that?"

In front of her, a man appeared. It wasn't the same one, he reeked of Devine judgement. His eyes yellow and his beard cloudy.

Zeus. The king of the gods.

"A vision of what is to come. Cannot be outrun, can only be dealt with right here and now."

He led Penelope to Troy's Palace, to which she climbed to the third story from the walls, her armor clanking down in pain.

She finally stood up in balance, her feet on the ground in the hallway of the large castle as she began to enquire. "Tell me how..."

"I don't think you're ready..."

How wasn't she ready? Could the king of the gods not see the massacre outside she had planned?

He lead her across the hallway, his eyes glowing of divinity.

"A mission... to kill someone's son. A foe who won't run, unlike anyone you have faced before..."

Penelope nodded, grabbing the handle of the door in front of her at the edge of the hallway.

"Say no more, I know what I'm ready."

"I don't think you're ready..."

She opened the door, her sword ready to strike when--

...she heard a laugh. Not a deep, sinister laugh like you'd expect. This was a child's laugh.

She walked around the room till she spotted a small cradle, inside was...

"It's just an infant.... it's just a boy."

How could Zeus, king of the gods, ask her to murder this child who's life was still ahead of him?

She faced the sky God, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

"What sort of immanent threat does he pose that I cannot avoid?"

The room began shifting, his face reforming to show someone else's

"This is the son of none other than Troy's very own prince Hector"

Hector... this boy was Hector's son?

"Know that he will grow from a boy to an avenger"

The whole room shifted, Penelope - an older, wiser one - sat tired on a throne. The same figure that tried to stab her moments ago was in front of her, sword gripped tightly in his hand.

"One fueled with rage as you're consumed by age."

"If you don't end him now, you'll have no one left to save."

Zeus' face shifted once again, his body now the same as her husband's

"You can say goodbye to..."

The soldier felt her heart skip a beat, no. It couldn't.

"Odysseus..."

"You can say goodbye to--"

Odysseus.

She was back in the infants room, she slowly took the child, her face dark as she cradled him and looked up at the god. There had to be something she could do...

"I could raise him as my own!"

"He will burn your house and throne..."

No. Another way.

"Or send him far away from home!"

"He'll find you wherever you go."

She stared at the infant whom she held, a small smile on his face as he grabbed her pinkie finger.

"Make sure his past is never known..."

"The gods will make him know."

Penelope kneeled to the God, tears running down her face. Could she bring herself to do this? To kill an infant and deprive another mother of his first steps? His first laugh? His first words?

"I'm on my knees for ya, down on my knees for ya! I'm begging ple--"

"This is the will of the gods."

She stared at the small child, standing up as she forced herself to look at the God one last time.

"Please, don't make me do this! Don't make me do this!"

"The blood on your hands is something you won't lose..."

He brought an illusion of her Husband, next to him was a young boy, about ten or so. His face changing between different mixes of Penelope and Odysseus' faces.

Telemachus. And the one thing that was consistent was he had her eyes.

"All you can choose is whose..."

°•☆______________________☆•°

HELLO!!! Thank you for reading the Warrior of The Heart AU's version of The Horse and The Infant.

You may be wondering what the AU is!

Well, we follow Penelope of Sparta, who took her husband's place and managed to go to war. The name of the fanfic is thanks to her Mentor: Aphrodite (specifically Aphrodite Areia)

In my original drafts, Hera was originally replacing Zeus, but I didn't want this to feel like a "we have Warrior!Penelope at Home" AU.

Our role swaps are

Odysseus - Penelope

Athena - Aphrodite (Areia)

Eurylochus - Ctimene

Polites - Helen of Sparta (I'm so sorry...)

Poseidon - Amphitrite

I'd like to appreciate a few people!

Thank you, @protagaster Aka Aster, for making my favorite version of the Warrior!Penelope AU. You're an amazing friend and have always supported my projects, and I will continue to do the same for you!

Thank you, @somereaderinblue Aka Blue for being such an awesome person! You've helped me improve my writing so much and I'm so lucky to be your friend. (I also gotta thank you for helping improve/Analyse my designs I had made for the original WOTH designs I'd made!)

Thanks @literallylink--who-tf-is-ravioli for being the chaotic push I needed to make this

I hope you enjoyed this!

[hiko-the-teacup]

[little-cereal-draws]

Eurylochus and Ctimene quotes

(Ctimene is Odysseus' younger sister and Eurylochus' wife)

Ctimene: We have a problem. Eurylochus: No, YOU have a problem. I have an idiot who keeps making them.

-

Eurylochus: I don't know how to tell you this, but… I love you. Ctimene: That's great, Eurylochus. Especially considering the fact we've been married for 6 fucking years.

-

Ctimene: Come to dinner tonight. I can’t cook, but I’ll bring plenty of free wine. Eurylochus: Marry me.

-

Ctimene: Can you cut me some slack, Eurylochus? I’m sort of in love. Eurylochus: I’m sorry, but that’s really not my problem. Ctimene: I’m in love with you. Eurylochus: *blushes* Oh. That brings me in the loop a little.

-

Ctimene: I'm trash. Eurylochus: As someone who's environmentally conscious, it's my duty to pick you up. Does 7 work for you? Ctimene: Ctimene: You smooth motherfucker. Ctimene: And yes it does.

-

Ctimene: Goodnight to the love of my life, Eurylochus, and fuck the rest of y'all.

-

Eurylochus, trying to flirt: So, you come around here often? Ctimene, confused: I mean, this is my house, so yeah.

-

Ctimene: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy. Eurylochus: I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep. Ctimene: I said within reason, Eurylochus. How about I murder that guy? Eurylochus: So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't? Ctimene: Well, duh. What kind of question is that?

-

Eurylochus: Smart is attractive. Educate me on something I don't know! Ctimene: The mouth of a jellyfish is also an anus. Eurylochus: Stop.

-

*Ctimene and Eurylochus are in Paris* Ctimene: I'm…moved. I…I don't know what it is I'm feeling right now. I feel…destiny? Eurylochus: But… Ctimene: I don't know what it is. I feel like… I just never thought I'd see it with my own two eyes. And here it is. It's just there. It's right in front of me, and… Eurylochus: This is what you wanted to see? The bridge from Inception? Ctimene: Yeah. Eurylochus: But the Eiffel Tower is behind us, babe. Ctimene: Yeah, but this is the bridge FROM INCEPTION. Eurylochus: Okay, alright.

[ij16]

Eurymene

Thunderbringer but it's Eurylochus thinking of Ctimene during his final moments

:)

[olivsie]

Messy sketch but anyway i like the idea of penelope and ctimene being friends

[yumeinati]

if ctimene/eurylochus/polites has 1 fan, that is me. if ctimene/eurylochus/polites has 0 fans, i am dead.

[rainestorm2556]

THIS IS SO CUTE

All of them lived happily ever after and nothing bad ever happened, trust me 🥹

[messymoonmad]

We don't talk enough about Odysseus' departure from ithaca

[nothing-impt]

My hand slipped :')

[yescallmejosey]

as always i have to interrupt everyone’s happiness with angst. So imagine, just imagine, the joy that ctimene felt knowing that her brother was alive and rushing to the palace. Penelope and Odysseus finish their song and the door is immediately slammed opened by Ctimene who throws her hands around Odysseus and hugs him. Only Odysseus can’t hug her back, he just can’t. And Penelope knows, by just looking at her husband, that the phrase “trading friends like objects” meant so much more than she thought. And there is weight in the air as Ctimene pulls out and asks “Where’s Eurylochus?”

[protagaster]

Penelope: Hey Ctimene, are you free tonight? Like, around sundown?

Ctimene: Yes, I am.

Odysseus: And you, Eurylochus?

Eurylochus: Umm... yes?

Penelope: Great! Because we're not.

Odysseus: You two go out without us. Enjoy your date!

[Penny & Ody run away hand-in-hand, giggling between themselves]

Eurylochus: ...

Ctimene: Did they just-

[zippyskyfalls]

I promised you guys I'd give you Penelope's design for the AU, so as a thank you for being patient I'm giving you all Ctimene, Penelope and Helen's designs!!!

Speedpaint!!!

[tenoart]

Penelope and Ctimene because Ctimene angst almost made me cry