#daddy Odysseus AU

[nonbinarylocalcryptid]

Random thought: The Odyssey, everything is the very same BUT Odysseus adopts Astyanax and carries him around in one of those weird ass bagpack baby carriers

Odysseus to Polyphemus: I'm Nobody, Nobody, Nobody 🎶

Astyanax: *baby noises*

Odysseus: keep it quiet buddy, dad is mansplaining manipulating manwhoring right now

Eurylochus in the background: *face palms*

Edit: holy cow guys, how did this reach 1000 notes??? Thank so much!!

If you want to see more #daddy Odysseus AU just look it up on my blog :D

[holly-opal]

So what if when they get to the suitors, they are killing everyone, and then Penelope and Odysseus reunite with tears, and it's super emotional. And then while they are distracted, a suitor is going to stab them. But then Astyanax just fucking jumps on his back and starts stabbing him repeatedly with Telemachus in the back like 😐

I can imagine the exchange is like

Astyanax: :3

Penelope: Who's that feral child?

Odysseus: Ours. I was pregnant :)

Penelope: [visible confusion]

Telemachus: I think his blood got in my mouth-

[lovely-p-issues]

Fic idea - Astyanax in Ithaca

for times when my English will become acceptable because writing this in Polish feels not right sample of the story under the summary c:

Of course, I was thinking about Penelope's reaction to Odysseus showing up with a new kid (10/11 years old, give or take, Astyanax) at their doors.

I imagined it as the Game of Thrones scene when Ned Stark comes home and shows Catelyn a baby who, he claims, is his bastard. If I were her, I would lose my mind.

But I think that Odysseus explained himself chaotically, yet truly and Penelope didn't fight with the idea of raising the little prince as their own.

But Telemachus? Well, that's a hell of a different story.

He spent his childhood without his father, missing his presence and hoping to meet him one day. He lived in his shadow, as the problematic son of the absent king that everyone wanted to kill, or as a painful reminder to his mother that Odysseus wasn't around anymore and that she needed to be there for the two of them.

Now his dad is back but with a new child.

A new child who knows his father so well. Odysseus was his only parent for ten years (if we forget about 600 uncles, but they died after like 3 years? if I get it right?) and they just get themselves on an impossible level.

Odysseus knows Astyanax's nightmares (they share them).

Astyanax knows his father's past and doesn't need to ask many questions, and Telemachus does. He hates to do it because he sees Odysseus's pain, he sees Astyanax's reproachful look, like he is going to fight Telemachus if he doesn't leave their father, and-

and he sees the sad, concerned eyes of his mom.

So he doesn't ask much about those 20 years. And somehow it's even worse.

Because Telemachus doesn't know Odysseus. Because it feels weird and not home, like they are forced to be close, but they are not. Because he knew his father from songs, stories and legends, and this man is not who he heard of and he doesn't know how can he fix it.

Telemachus doesn't like to think about it but feels like he gives up on Odysseus. He spent the last 20 years of his life trying to reach that man and- Telemachus is tired.

Besides, Odysseus has another son anyway, right?

The prince of Troy, cursed boy, son of Hector, Astyanax, who also turned out to be a pain in the ass.

He knows that he can't blame the kid for his existence or even for the fact that Odysseus took him to their home.

For that Odysseus often takes Astyanax for horse rides to show him the island. The thing that Telemachus did alone.

For that, Odysseus teaches the boy how to use a sword and they laugh a lot during that. The thing that Telemachus did with strangers, got dozens of bruises, always trying to do everything he could to impress the person that wasn't there.

He doesn't blame Astyanax.

He just can't stand him.

But the boy seems to love the idea of going after him whenever Odysseus manages to pull him off for a moment. It's okay when Astyanax watches him during the trainings with eyes shining with excitement. However, it's bad when Astyanax starts to talk.

Father said I'm getting better at parrying-

When I was with father on Calypso's island-

Father does this completely differently-

Telemachus is a patient man. He waited for his father for 20 years. But sometimes he asks himself if Astyanax knows that all this talking about Odysseus, the man he missed but can't actually get to know, is such a trigger for him.

Maybe Astyanax teases him to show how much more of a son Odysseus is?

With every day Telemachus is more and more irritated. He does his best to hide it, but he can't ignore this fire burning him from the inside.

The reason for this fragile peace collapse is, relatively, very stupid.

Telemachus was tired after all day when he met Odysseus.

"The situation in the city is now calmed down,’ he informed his father, combing through his wind-tangled hair."

Odysseus nodded and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Telemachus. Well done."

Telemachus froze, not knowing what to say. He couldn't even move. Finally, he nodded, wincing slightly at the awkwardness of his every interaction with his father.

"Of course, father."

Odysseus seemed equally perplexed. However, the whole situation changed when Astyanax appeared in the courtyard where they stood.

Or, he ran into it, almost toppling over, just to get to Odysseus faster and embrace him around the waist.

"Dad, you will never believe what I found with mother in the garden!"

Telemachus watched with unhealthy interest as his father's face lit up with a smile as he listened to Astyanax's excited chatter.

A sudden anger, though senseless and petty, flared his veins. He had to avert his gaze and drive it into the ground so that no one could see his anger. His jaw was clenched tightly.

Twenty years of life based on a vague memory. An entire journey to find his father. His faith, his efforts and his devotion. All this to not be able to have one real conversation with his father. All this to watch both his parents melt down over his new, little brother. All this to stand by and watch his dreams fade away.

He no longer watched.

He walked away before he could do something stupid. Something that would distance him even further from his father.

He holed up in one of the cool and dark corridors of their palace. He concentrated on his breathing and massaged his temples.

He was an adult and knew how to deal with his feelings. Not that anyone had ever taught him that.

"Telemachus, what's wrong? You don't even know what we found in the garden, you went too fast!"

He didn't know shit about how to deal with his feelings.

"Could you, for five minutes, let me live as I lived before you came along? Five minutes without your constant footsteps and shouting behind my back. Five minutes of peace and quiet! That's all I'm asking for!"

But Astyanax took a few steps back as if frightened by Telemachus' sudden outburst. A grimace twisted his face and he squinted as if Telemachus was an extremely difficult puzzle for his quick mind.

"Why are you so angry? I don't understand."

"At this point? I'm not sure anymore. All I know is that I wasn't this angry even once before you dragged yourself home with father and decided to act as if it had all been yours forever."

Telemachus had to calm down. For bloody hell, he had just shouted at the eleven-year-old as if he was guilty of anything.

‘Are you angry about your father bringing me with him?’

Damn it.

It wasn't true. To be fair, he did not want Astyanax to die that night in Troy or be lost in the depths of the burning city.

Still, did he want him here? He let his thoughts wander before he could finally admit it to himself.

Astyanax, essentially, was not the problem. Everything else was. Telemachus was as well.

"No. There are many other things I'm angry about, but not this."

He sat down on the floor and leaned against the cool wall. He hid his face in his hands and let the anger leave him with his next breaths.

"Forgive my shouting. You got me at the wrong time, brother."

And he heard the boy slowly slide down the wall and sit down a few steps away from him.

"You should be grateful, you know?" suddenly said Astyanax. "He travelled all the world to see you and Mom."

You won't scream, Telemachus said to himself. He took a breath.

"Yeah, he didn't really know me, so. I don't know if that counts."

"That's even better. I mean, he loved you anyway. All this time, he was thinking about you"

This logic was wrong, but Telemachus doesn't find enough strength to fight over it.

They stayed silent for a few minutes.

"He didn't want me, you know? He just didn't want me dead and I reminded him of you. He was also scared of what I would become if he just left me alone. And you are so awful but he wanted you from the beginning and he loves you and he was so proud and-" Astyanax put his arms around his knees, his voice breaking as he spoke his next words: "You're a terrible idiot, you know. But he still wants you."

Telemachus needed a few seconds to see that every now and then, Astyanax would rub his wet eyes with his little fists.

He wasn't ready for this, even after months of training he wouldn't be ready. He stays silent for a moment. Slowly, he puts his arms over the crying mess and draws him to his side.

"And you think that father carried you all over the world because he doesn't like you?"

"Because he's kind and he would be ashamed to tell uncle Polites what he did."

"As far I know he wasn't so nice all this time, right? But he never turned his back on you. If you don't trust me, trust that. Odysseus came with you to Ithaca, because he wants you."

Astyanax did not reply but rested his head on his side. Telemachus let him.

Later that night, Telemachus carried a tired Astyanax straight to his parents' bedroom and knocked. When confused Odysseus finally opened it, Telemachus threw the sleepy child at him without hesitation.

"Hug your bloody kid."

And he walked away. This was his moment to avoid uncomfortable questions.

Let me know what do you think. And yes, Telemachus and Odysseus have a proper conversation about being father and son, but later.

BTW sorry for all the errors, I'm so sleepy right now I barely see my screen

[viaviv124]

Ok i have a small scene in mind

Eurylochus asking why Odysseus cares so much for a child that isnt even his to begin with, he gets goodwill but this kind of attachment to another's son? Odysseus smiles as he replies:

"he may not be my son by blood but he is and always will be my son by heart. I wouldn't trade him for anything, regardless of all the frustrations and pains raising a child brings."

And all this was as Odysseus sat next to sleeping Astyanax, gently petting the baby with a finger before this little hand grabbed his finger tightly, holding it close.

And that's when Eurylochus understood that Odysseus was a father first and a warrior second.

[feathery-thing]

Fandom: daddy Odysseus AU !!

Telemachus: Am I a joke to you?

[little-cereal-draws]

Incorrect Odysseus and Astyanax quotes (inspired by @nonbinarylocalcryptid 's post)

Astyanax: That’s why we needed to get an expert. Odysseus: Oh, really? Who did you get? Astyanax: Odysseus: Oh! Right, that’s me… Yes.

-

Odysseus to Astyanax: I'm leaving for the weekend, so I hid 100 dollars in your room for food. Clean your room, and you will find it.

-

Astyanax: As someone who has a long history of not understanding anything, I feel confident in my ability to continue not knowing what is going on.

-

Odysseus: See, the problem is, Astyanax, you’re playing 3D chess. I’m playing 4D. Astyanax: I’m playing checkers. I don’t know what the fuck you’re playing.

-

Astyanax: Oh, fiddlesticks. Odysseus: Look, I understand this is a tense situation, but let's watch the fucking language.

-

Astyanax, upon learning how Odysseus did a magic trick: So you’re not magic? Odysseus: Well, not really. Astyanax: You’re just a liar.

-

Odysseus: Why is it so hard for you to believe me?! Astyanax: Odysseus: Oh, right. The lying.

-

Odysseus: We’ll find another route, it’s not safe for amateur adventurers. Astyanax: That sounds like a challenge. Odysseus: I have to stress, that is not a challenge. Astyanax: …Is exactly what you say to dissuade the weak of heart from accepting the challenge. Well, challenge accepted! Odysseus: There is no challenge!

-

Odysseus: Thought I was meowing back at my cat for the past hour, but it was just me and Astyanax meowing at each other from different ends of the boat.

-

Astyanax: What do you do for a living? Odysseus: I exist against my will.

-

Astyanax: *trying to buy a Father's Day card at Hallmark* Astyanax: Excuse me, do you have any that just say "You are my dad?" Store Associate: Well, I- Astyanax: How about "You killed my mom?" Store Associate: No… Astyanax: You know what, I'll just get a blank one. Astyanax: *writes ‘You are a father. This is a day. Here is a card.’*

-

Astyanax: That sounds like a terrible plan. Odysseus: Oh, we've had worse.

[themousefromfantasyland]

I think Odysseus could have adopted Astyanax without causing the eventual downfall of his family. But the tricky part is that for doing that, he shouldn't never have tried to cheat fate in the first place.

Think about that. In Greek Mythology the tragedy only happens when people try to avoid it. But what happens if you accept the tragedy wholeheartedly?

Imagine this scenario.

Odysseus spares Astyanax and he brings the baby with him. But Odysseus never tries to be Astyanax father.

The whole Odyssey still happens, with Odysseus being far away from Ithaca for whole ten years. But in the meantime, Odysseus raises Astyanax not like a son, but as a killer. His killer.

He raises Astyanax teaching him about Troy and Hector and how he is the gods' judgement against Odysseus. Odysseus promises that when the time comes, if Astyanax doesn't kill him, he will. The Trojan Prince will kill him, but the Ithacan king will not go down without fighting.

But something strange happens, despite everything, Astyanax still sees Odysseus as a father figure, even if Odysseus raised him to one day kill him.

When Odysseus and Astyanax reach Ithaca and together they kill all the suitors, Odysseus helps Astyanax find and be reunited with his mother, Andromache. Odysseus knows this will probably go super wrong for him, but he doesn't care. He accepts his face.

When the time comes, and Astyanax is a grown adult Odysseus knows what is about to come down.

But Astyanax can't go through it. He spares Odysseus in the same way he spared him as a baby. He even burns parts of the palace to technically fulfill the prophecy without killing Odysseus.

Odysseus and Astyanax say farewell to each other. Astyanax and Andromache go try finding the Trojan refugees that parted to what will one day be Rome. And Odysseus says goodbye to the son he never meant to have.

All that while the gods are so entertained that they just leave them part their ways.

@ariel-seagull-wings @thealmightyemprex @mask131

[scarletgemstone]

whe Odysseus has a bad day

(Odyessess is seen looking sadly at the sea he then feels someone tugging on his tunic he looks down and sees astyanax)

astyanax”hug?”

(He lefts his arms up odyuesses sighs softly and smiles )

Odysseus “ok”

(He lefts astyanax and they hug)

[icelynia]

Astyanax Lives AU- The Odyssey

I had this idea while reading through the Astyanax Lives AU tag and had to share it.

Basically this would be a retelling of the Odyssey, but through the eyes of fatherhood. What is the meaning of being a father? What is a good vs. bad father? Is it possible to be both at the same time?

These questions could be tackled through Odysseus saving Astyanax, Polyphemus & Poseidon, Zeus (& maybe Athena with him), Hermes and Odysseus, Odysseus & Telemachus, the Suitors & Telemachus, and probably more characters.

The Odyssey is a really great story to explore themes of fatherhood with, especially with the fate of Astyanax. Would Odysseus be considered a good father if he killed Astyanax and still took another decade to get home to Telemachus? Could Odysseus be both a good father to Astyanax and a bad one to Telemachus? Could you consider him a bad father to Telemachus, since even though he hasn’t been there, he wants to be and is fighting to get back ASAP? If we bring the gods into this, then would Poseidon be considered a good father to Polyphemus? What about a multigenerational aspect with Hermes and Odysseus? Could you call the Suitors fathers to Telemachus, as even though they weren’t good and want to kill him, they were some of the only male presence and physical male role models he had. How does the lack of a good father figure and actual father for Telemachus weigh on Penelope? 

Anyone is free to use this for a fic or story idea! Idc if you credit me either, just wanted to get this idea out into the world before I lost it.

[backpackingspace]

Okay so I've been thinking about @nonbinarylocalcryptid Astyanax lived/daddy odysseus au. Which is some good shit in general. Yall should check it out. But specifically I'm think about what it would be like for this child to grow up on calypso's island. He would have been what ? 3-10 there??

[animequeen4]

okay yall hear me out please. Okay most of the fandom appears to agree that ctimene is kind of a wild child right? Okay imagine if ctimene went with ody to the Trojan war and instead of ody killing baby astyanax ctimene smacks ody in the back of the head and goes like “this is my baby now” and just proceeds to walk away cooing the little baby and ody is just like 😶 and eurylocus can’t argue back because he finds her with a baby so cute and wholesome 🥹

Please note this is just a fanfic headcanon I know it doesn’t match the plot at all but I just like the idea of her being like “your mine now and I am gonna love and take care of you” plus sometimes this fandom can be so sad so I just want to add some sugary fluff thank you for reading please don’t come after me and hope y’all have a nice day

[nonbinarylocalcryptid]

Picture Odysseus facing Penelope after every single suitor is dead, covered in blood, Astyanax is ten years old (???), both the unhinged man and the burrito baby are fine of course

Penelope: is not that I'm not glad to finally see you again, my love, but I must ask, whose child is this?

Odysseus: lmao, he's ours, it's a long story, one that is true, and it happens in Troy, it's a true story, or a Troy story hehe, I'll tell you later

Penelope: can we keep it short and sweet? Just tell me who is the mother

Odysseus: Remember when I left for war? I was pregnant

Penelope: first, you are just a man, and second, you left twenty years ago, he's what, ten? The math ain't mathing

Odysseus: seriously, I'll tell...

Astyanax: I'm son of Hector, the crown prince of Troy, and his wife, Princess Andromache of Cilician Thebe.

Penelope: ...

Odysseus: ...

Odysseus: ...son?

Astyanax: yes, father?

Odysseus: what did we say about saying sensible things in the worst moment possible?

Astyanax: that I shouldn't and should read the room first?

Odysseus: then why didn't you

Astyanax: consider it payback for the horse 😂

[viaviv124]

I love how Astyanax (is that how you spell him) lives AUs are like "Nothing changes with the plot but now there's a sassy, feral child" and i love it.

[gay-furry-poseidon-lover]

coping with election stress by doing escapism and fantasizing abt Poseidon x Odysseus hate sex

[mellowfellowbellows]

I've been looking through the manwhore AU of Odysseus so

Helios: Nothing will make me change the fact that your crew ate my cattle.

Odysseus: Please don't kill me. What if I-

Helios: .. I am NOT sleeping with you, what are those IDIOT cousins of mine doing with you? Also, I would rather die than sleep with men.

I've been thinking.. What if Astraeus slowly lost feelings for Eos because of what was going on with his wife and instead gets them for the hot, flaming sun aka her brother

[themousefromfantasyland]

@thealmightyemprex

So what if when they get to the suitors, they are killing everyone, and then Penelope and Odysseus reunite with tears, and it's super emotional. And then while they are distracted, a suitor is going to stab them. But then Astyanax just fucking jumps on his back and starts stabbing him repeatedly with Telemachus in the back like 😐

I can imagine the exchange is like

Astyanax: :3

Penelope: Who's that feral child?

Odysseus: Ours. I was pregnant :)

Penelope: [visible confusion]

Telemachus: I think his blood got in my mouth-