#epic the musical tickle fic

[sunstone-smiles]

There Are Other Ways to Put On a Brave Face

Author’s note: Wooo!!! My first EPIC: The Musical fic! And my first fic of 2025! I was inspired by the rest of the fandom and their wonderful fics, so I wanted to add on with one of my own! I feel like Circe and Odysseus would be friends after the events of the Circe saga since he poured his heart out to her about being away from home and she assisted him on his journey. Plus, they share some things in common about being a leader. I hope you enjoy!

Series: EPIC: The Musical

Characters: Odysseus and Circe (when they’re friends Lol)

Word count: 3,015

Summary: Odysseus is about to meet his crew, but Circe sees that he has a low-spirited appearance that could drag anyone’s mood down. She doesn’t want him to leave unless he puts on a brave face!

---

Odysseus and his crew know firsthand how powerful of a sorceress Circe can be. But, after a tense battle and a little negotiation and sympathy, Odysseus is fortunate to have earned her trust as an ally. Especially since the next step in his journey is towards the dreaded Underworld, it’s reassuring to know that he doesn’t have to add Circe’s name to his ever growing list of enemies that he has, somehow, gained over the course of his journey.

Circe, with her long hair hanging at her back and tied with ribbons, stands over her desk and swipes a quill across a long sheet of parchment. Odysseus waits patiently and silently in the middle of her room, staring down at the rug and leaning back and forth on his heels. The sorceress adds a few more strokes of ink and a refined scribble or two across the page before laying the quill to the side. 

“There. Done,” she proudly states. With a twirl of her finger, the parchment rises from the desk. It rolls up neatly into a bundle and a red ribbon materializes around to wrap it. The now tied parchment drifts into Circe’s palm. She turns around, walks over, and presents it to Odysseus.

“Here you are. A map with instructions to the Underworld. Keep it safe.” She hands the map to the king. He clutches it tightly.

“Thank you again for your help, Circe. And thank you for returning my men back to humans,” his voice is grateful. “How can I repay you?”

Circe shakes her head. “You don’t need to repay me. I only ask that you get back home safe. Allow your love to prevail that you so desperately miss.”

Odysseus nods, glancing back down at the carpet as he’s reminded of those he lacks by his side. His wife and son. Penelope and Telemachus.

The captain lifts up his head as much as he can with the images of home pushing down on him. His eyes make contact with Circe’s, though his gaze is fragile and a step out of reality. 

“I will do my best.” His eyes drop to the floor as he turns to leave; his head angles towards his feet. Circe’s expression shifts to concern as she watches his shoulders hunch like a bolder was wedged between his shoulder blades, and every step he takes is like crushing his own, already low spirit. 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Circe speaks up. She catches up with him. “Now where do you think you’re going?”

Odysseus lifts a brow towards her. “Back to my crew?” his eyes glance to the doorway like it was obvious.

“Not like that you’re not!” She snatches the map from his hands and spins before placing it on a nearby table.

“What?” Odysseus stands there bewildered.

“Look at you! All hunched over and slouched,” she taps his shoulder with the back of her hand. “You haven’t even been to the Underworld, but you’re acting like you’ve already sailed to hell and back!”

“Well, you’re not too far off…” Odysseus shifts his gaze to the side.

Circe sighs with strained air. “Regardless… A captain should be the face of their crew. Put on a brave face! Stand strong!” The sorceress demonstrates by straightening her posture. She begins posing the king like a doll, “So shoulders back, chin up, chest out, and let me see a smile!” She steps in front of him and points to her own cheeks that are holding a smile. 

Odysseus’s head tilts towards the comfort of the ground. “It’s hard to do so when everyone has already been through so much.”

Circe’s concerned, almost motherly look returns on her face, although this time with a twinge of heartbreak as the captain’s words strike true. Circe gently lays a hand on his shoulder.

“I understand,” she says softly. Odysseus’s pained eyes meet hers. “But I bet your crew feels the same way. That’s why they need someone, more than ever, to put on a brave face and guide them.”

Odysseus pulls his eyes from Circe’s. 

When Circe felt like his crew were strangers, she did what she thought was necessary to protect her nymphs, the ones she cares for as if they were her daughters. She was stabbed in the back once before when kindness made her heart vulnerable, and in turn, a scar of cautiousness formed in the wound. Odysseus doesn’t blame her. Her cautiousness came from fear, and fear, like lightning and water, creates a chain reaction that courses through waves of people unless the two elements are ever prevented from touching. Circe, standing tall and like a warrior to her nymphs in the face of any unknown visitors, is that barrier.

Odysseus finally nods. “You make a fair point…” he says, allowing Circe’s words to take effect. He lifts up his head to face her with a little more strength than before. “Okay, I’ll try.”

“Good!” Circe steps in front of him like a captain who is about to give orders (or like Athena who is about to go over a lesson). She positions him again as she speaks, “Now roll back those shoulders, look straight ahead, flatten out that spine…” She pauses and Odysseus remains still so he doesn’t mess with her progress. Circe scans the king from head to toe to check her work. “And while we’re at it, let’s straighten out your stance,” Circe grabs Odysseus’s sides. Suddenly Odysseus yelps and scrambles away as fast as he can, nearly tripping in the process. He whips around, hugging his arms close to his torso.

“Circe! A little warning next–”

“What was that?” the sorceress cuts him off. 

Odysseus clears his throat and his posture shoots up like a tree that sprouted from the ground. His eyes are a bit wider, more alert, than they were before. “Nothing– It was nothing,” he says with his eyes darting to the side to avoid any eye contact whatsoever. “Just an old battle wound that I got from Troy.”

“Odysseus, please. I can see right through your lies,” she says as a matter of fact. “It wasn’t nothing. A battle wound wouldn’t make you jump away like that with a faint hint of a smile,” she leans forward with a subtle curl to her lips, like a lioness closing in on prey.

Odysseus grumbles, trying to stand his ground. “Okay, fine! It just…” he trails off as the confidence leaves him and the butterflies surface in his stomach.

Circe smirks, “Go on.”

Odysseus glares back at her, his fire as an impenetrable leader bursting through. “It just tickled! Okay? There!” He crosses his arms like a child who was forced to comply.

“Oh, is that all?” Circe shrugs and she strides up to him. Odysseus watches her movements like a hawk as she approaches by his side.

“Well, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Circe says.

Odysseus loosens his battle-ready stance, taken by surprise by her response. “Well, good,” he stands up straight, like the interaction never occurred. His eyes dart to the side, “Okay then–”

Circe continues, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about because you should be happy. Happy because now I know a way to get you to smile.” She leans forward on her toes with her hands behind her back and that same mischievous curl to her lips. Odysseus gulps and steps backwards, further into the room. Circe takes a step forward and reveals her fingers that are slowly wiggling in the air. 

“Circe, you can’t be serious,” the captain's voice remains calm, but his wide eyes that are unwavering from the sorceress reveal his frantic thoughts.

Circe takes another step forward, as poised as ever. “I’m as serious as Poseidon is to get his revenge on you.”

“Wow, okay. Harsh,” the king says with a bit of sass, but he immediately regrets getting distracted when Circe suddenly charges at him. Odysseus, with panicked yelp, turns on his heels and runs. 

Circe quickly closes the gap thanks to her head start. The captain rushes to the other side of the room, ready to make a tight turn before crashing into the pink cushioned sofa, but he feels a sharp tug at his cloak. He spins around to yank the fabric from Circe’s hand, only to be startled by the fact that Circe was right on his heels. He flaps his arms as he loses his balance, toppling backwards onto the sofa and wedging himself near the arm of the chair. Circe waltzes up to the opposite side of the couch and hovers over the captain with a grin.

Odysseus regains his bearings and sees Circe standing above him. Wasting no time, he scrambles to vault himself over the arm of the couch, but Circe lunges forward, catches his leg, then yanks him towards her as she takes a seat beside him. Clawing at the cushions, Odysseus flips onto his back and presses his spine against the arm of the couch.

“Circe–!” is all he can exclaim before a shout escapes from his lips when Circe’s hands strike and scratch at his sides before he could set up his defenses. A wave of giggles immediately follow, spilling from the king as he curls forward and digs his heels into the cushions.

“My goodness, Odysseus. I’m barely even touching you, yet you’re already giggling up a storm that even Poseidon would be jealous about. Are you really this ticklish?” Circe asks with a smile that won’t leave her face.

“Nohoho! I’m nohohot!” Odysseus shakes his head, trying to contain his reactions to uphold at least some sense of his dignity, though failing miserably.  

The sorceress lets out a long sigh. “Lying to me again, I see. For once, can’t you tell the truth?”

“Fihihihine! Yohohou’re tickling me! Now get ohohoff mehehehe!” he playfully snaps back. He kicks his leg at Circe. Circe dodges and looks appalled at his attempt.

She exaggerates a huff. “Good, but we can do better. And we need to work on that attitude of yours! You just tried to kick me!” she adds a bit more pressure to her wiggling fingers at his sides.

Odysseus barks out another laugh and throws his head back in the middle of his giggling that’s growing louder. “Yohohohou tried to kill mehehehe!”

Circe rolls her eyes. “That was before we were allies. Now we are allies and you still just tried to kick me!” She repeats herself to the captain like siblings squabbling between each other. She scribbles her fingers a little higher towards his ribs. Odysseus wraps his arms tighter around his giggling torso and sinks further down the arm of the sofa. As he slides down, he paddles his legs in the air as if he was swimming.

“Ahahahand I’ll dohoho it again!” Odysseus sasses, following through with his claim with another kick at Circe. The sorceress catches his leg in the air. With another smirk, she flutters her fingers into the back of his knee, causing the captain to let out a screech of laughter as he tries to sit himself up and grab at Circe’s hands, only to tumble back down and remain in a giggling, squirmy heep in the cushions. 

“Really? Well, you can’t do much kicking while your knees are being ticked, can you?” Circe teases, adding a few squeezes right above the top of his knee. 

Odysseus, being the stubborn and witty leader that he is, refuses to stand down and instead decides to taunt her, “Yohohohou call thahahat tickling?!” 

Circe scoffs as if she just heard the most offensive thing. 

“Oho, that’s it!” she exclaims. She yanks Odysseus’s leg forward and his back to plops completely flat onto the cushions. She pounces a hand towards his stomach, then claws at his belly like her chimera playing with a ball of string. Odysseus shrieks and kicks out his legs as a reflex; his laughter nearly hits another octave as he tries to shove at Circe’s hands digging at his sensitive tummy.

“WAHAHAIT! CIRCEEEEEhehehehe! I’m sohohohorryyyy!” Odysseus finally caves in and drops the sassy act.

“Oh no, Odysseus. You had plenty of chances to cooperate! Sorry isn’t going to cut it now! You asked for this!” Circe declares with a stern tone but through a wide smile. She starts scribbling her hands around his torso, like she is trying to find a specific spot that holds buried treasure. “Now, where are you the most ticklish?” she asks not Odysseus, but out loud to herself. 

Maneuvering around the king’s widely giggling frame, she crawls her hands over his ribs, pausing momentarily between some of his bones to test for larger giggles. When she moves her hands higher, the king absolutely squeals when a pair of her fingers graze across the upper half of his ribs that curve near his back. Odysseus quickly shoves her hand away.

Circe stops in her tracks, almost stunned by the reaction. Odysseus releases his backed up giggles before glancing up at Circe. His eyes widen and his laughter ceases from a gasp once he realizes what Circe discovered.

A devilish smirk grows on Circe’s face. “Well, that’s convenient,” her teasing words pair with her wicked expression. 

Circe makes a move towards his ribs. Odysseus immediately wrestles her hands away and grabs her wrists. 

“C-Circe! Hohold on! Dohohon’t!” Odysseus nervously giggles. Circe attempts another attack at his ribs. Odysseus re-grapples her hands and holds them away from him, keeping them both at a giggly standstill.

Circe chuckles at the game. “Looks like you’ve cornered yourself, Odysseus.” She leans forward and looms over him with a laughter-hungry smirk gracing her features. “If you make one wrong move, then you’re done for.”

Odysseus’s giggles already bubble over from the anticipation. Circe tugs and slips her hands from the captain’s grasp. Odysseus frantically slaps and shields away any of Circe’s tickle attempts like they were blades in the midst of a battle. She’s persistent, he’ll give her that.

“Circe! Wa—AHAIT!” he jolts forward when Circe finally digs into his ribs, finding just the right opening through his defenses. He throws his arms across his chest and boisterous laughter rumbles from his belly all the way into the room. Occasional high-pitched bounces of squeaks and squeals pair with his melody of hysterics. He rolls from side to side and tosses his head around, sometimes huddling his head up near his shoulder then giggling towards the ceiling. In the midst of her attack, Circe climbs her hands towards his underarms before quickly sliding them back down to his ribs, causing Odysseus to reel forward and a snort to emanate from the king. 

“Huh. It seems I didn’t even have to turn you into a pig to hear you squeal and snort,” Circe quips, greatly amused by Odysseus’s reactions.

He would try to counter her remark, especially after she so rudely teased him like that, but in his immobilized state of laughter, where words want to come out as clusters of giggles, surrendering to the sorceress is the smarter move.

“Ohohokahahay!!! CIRCEHEHEHE! Mercy! Plehehehease!” Odysseus manages through his rush of laughter.

“All right, all right,” Circe yields and pulls away her hands while retaining a smile. Odysseus plops onto his back and coughs out his remaining giggles that he was nearly drowning in. He’s thankful that Circe doesn’t have Poseidon’s version of mercy. 

The sorceress places her hands on her hips, staring down at the heep that is the captain. “So, when you leave this room, will you put on a brave face for your crew?”

Odysseus heaves himself up on his arms to sit up like he had just awoken from being knocked out. With his hair tousled about and his clothes all askew, he looks at Circe directly in the eyes, as sharp as an arrow landing in the center of its target. 

“Yes.” The captain replies with a tone that means business. After he answers though, his face eases into a soft, lingering smile.

“Good,” Circe nods. “Now that’s the captain I remember when he first strided into my palace with unmatched confidence.” 

Circe gracefully stands from the cushions as if she was lifted by a gust of air. Odysseus watches her walk past him before he swings his legs off the couch for his toes to touch the ground. He runs a hand through his hair, then stands so he can smooth out his clothes to tidy his appearance. When he looks up, Circe is in front of him, handing him the map to the Underworld. Odysseus takes it from her.

Circe provides him with another warm smile. “So then, let me see it. Let me see how you’ll stand tall when you meet with your crew.”

Odysseus releases a short breath of laughter. Even after all their roughhousing, she’s still not letting him off the hook about putting on a brave face just yet. 

The captain straightens out his back, holds his head up high, widens his stance, and smiles. For good measure, he even places a hand on his hip.

“How’s this? Is this brave enough for you?” the captain says with his regular whip of sass. 

“Ha, I could do without the attitude,” Circe responds. “But it’s much better,” her voice turns soft and caring. “Now go out there and be with your crew,” she nods to the door.

Odysseus bows. He’s, once more, appreciative of all the help the sorceress has provided him. “Thank you, Circe.”

He takes his leave from her room, eventually reaching the great halls of the palace where his men await. Some sit on benches, while others stand, but all look to Odysseus for guidance when he enters the room. 

His crew greets him with smiles on their faces.

Because they see their captain adorning one too.

As Odysseus converses with his crew, he sees Circe off to the side, leaning her back on a pillar as she watches. She gives him a wink. Just one brave face, like a boulder thrown into the sea, is all it takes to create a ripple amongst the waves.

[echos-of-laughter]

Decided to write another Epic fic! I saw the ✨️Hermes✨️ and ⚡️ZEUS⚡️ TikTok, and I could resist writing about Hermes and Ares sibling bond.

This is Lee!Ares and Ler!Hermes with a bit of Lee!Hermes and Ler!Ares at the end bc I couldn't resist!

Btw, feel free to give me constructive criticism about my writing! Just please be respectful 😊

Anyways, hope yall enjoy!

Hermes and Ares had just spent the day with their father. Well, more specifically, Hermes had spent the day with their father while Ares was brushed off to the side. Any time he tried to get their father's attention, the king of the gods just scoffed and went back to paying attention to Hermes. Ares wasn't mad at his brother, though. Jealous, maybe, but not mad. It wasn't his little brothers fault that their father played favorites. Hermes even tried to include him occasionally, but Zeus wasn't having it.

    By the end of the day, Ares felt horrible. He had sat down next to Hermes, and Zeus had just gotten up and walked off. As his father walked off, Hermes rubbed his back and said, "There there darling, I'm glad you're here," and laid his head on his big brothers shoulder.

    "Thanks, Hermes," Ares replied while laying his head on his brothers.

    "You alright?" Hermes asked.

    "Yeah. I mean, it's not like I'm not used to it. Father never has the time for me. It's fine. He's a busy god."

    "That doesn't make it right. You're his son, too. You're allowed to want his attention, and you're allowed to get upset at him for ignoring you."

    Ares sighed. "You might be right, Hermes, but there's nothing that either of us can do about it. Father is going to do what he wants, and we can't change that."

    "I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

    Normally, Ares would brush it off like he was fine. But this was Hermes, and Hermes always had a way of finding out how people truly feel, so he didn't even bother with putting up an act. "Just sit with me for a while?

    "Of course darling."

    And so they sat, arms around each other, looking out at the sea. It was as the waves were crashing against the rocks that Hermes suddenly got an idea. He abruptly sat up, startling his brother, who grew nervous seeing his brothers mischievous smirk.

    "Uh, Hermes? What's up?" Ares asked.

    "Nothing much, just thought of a way to cheer you up."

    "Oh? And what would that be?" Ares inquired with a fond look. He loved how determined his little brother could be when it came to making people feel better.

    "Well, that depends."

    "On what?"

    "How ticklish you are."

    "Um, I'm sorry, what?" Ares stuttered, cheeks growing red, "Im not ticklish! That would be ridiculous. I'm the god of war."

    "Oh really?" Hermes replied with a grin, "Then you wouldn't mind if I tested it."

    And with that, he flew off the ground and started running his fingers across Ares sides. The bigger god tried to block him, but unfortunately, Hermes was faster. He could feel nimble fingers wiggling across his ribs, sides, stomach, neck, and worst of all, his armpits. The messenger god was moving so quickly that it felt like there were thousands of fingers were spidering across his skin at once. He didn't stand a chance at holding back.

    "Hehehermehehehes! Stohohohohohp thahahahahaht!" Ares begged.

    "But I thought you weren't ticklish, darling!" Hermes suddenly stopped and let out a dramatic gasp. "You wouldn't have lied to me, now would you?"

    "N-no, I'm not ticklish!" Ares insisted.

    "Well then, I'm confused. Because I thought that it was you letting out that quite frankly adorable laughter earlier, but if it wasn't, then I guess we'll just have to keep going until we find out who it was!" And with that, he started tickling his big brother again, dodging any attempts to block his access or grab his hands.

    "NOHOHOHOHO! Nohohohot agahahahahain!" Ares laughed. He could feel the sensations coursing through his veins, and he wanted more than anything to make them stop. And yet, somewhere inside, he wanted them to keep going. He would never admit it out loud, but this was making him feel better. He always loved playing with his sibling, but most of them were too scared of him to even try anything. Luckily for him, Hermes had no such qualms.

    "Well, I'm not the one laughing. And you already said you aren't ticklish, so I can't imagine why you would be laughing. So who could it be?" Hermes teased. He then moved down to his brother's hips and got a squeal in response.

    "NOHHOHOHOHOHO! NOHOHOT THEHEHEHEHRE! HEHEHEHEHRMES PLEHEHEHEHEASE!" Ares begged as his worst spot was being tormented by fingers drilling, fluttering, and scratching over it.

    "Ares, not now, I'm trying to figure out where all this laughter is coming from." Hermes replied, sounding disinterested in his brothers pleading.

    "IHIHIHHITS MEHEHEHEHE! IHIHIHIHI LIHIHIHIED. IHIHIHI AHAHAHAHAHAM TIHIHIHIHICKLISH!" Ares shouted desperately, "PLEHEHEHEHEASE JUHUHUHUHUST STAHAHAHAHAP!" He could no longer take the torment on his hips, especially when Hermes began digging into the spot where his hip met his thigh.

    Hermes stopped as soon as he heard his brothers begging, "Thank you for being honest, giggles."

    "Whahahahaht dihid you juhust call me?" Ares asked, still giggling from residual sensations.

    "I called you giggles."

    "Ohoho, that's it!" Ares said, reaching out and grabbing his baby brother in a bear hug. "You asked for this!"

    He then dug his fingers into Hermes' sides, making sure not to hurt him.

    "Wahahahait! Nohohohho!"

    "Yes, brother, while yo may think you have won the battle you forget. I'm the god of war." He started to move his fingers up Hermes ribs. He then started a loop of tickling up to his armpits, then back down to his stomach, and around and around again.

    "Nohohohohohoho! I wahahahahas juhuhuhust tryhihihing to mahahahake you fehehehehel behehehehter!" Hermes begged, squeaking anytime his brother hit a particularly sensitive spot.

    "Well, you should have known that I would get my revenge. Now, all you have to do is say that I'm your favorite brother, and I'll stop." Ares said smugly.

    "Whahahahahat? Nohohohohho! I cahahahahnt sahahahay thahahahat! Nohohohot ahahahafter thihihihis!" Hermes replied stubbornly.

    "Well then, I guess I'll just keep tickling you forever and ever." Ares shrugged.

    "Hmmm, what if I do this?" Ares mumbled under his breath, leaning forward to start nibbling and blowing raspberries on the back of his little brothers neck and ears.

    "NOHOHOHOHO! STOHHOHOHOHP THAHAHAHAHAT!" Hermes said with a squeal.

    "You know what you have to say." Ares sing-songed, nibbling on a sweet spot on the back of his ear.

    "OHOHOHKAHAHAHY OHOHOHOKAHAHAHY! YOHOHOHOHUR MYHYHYHYHY FAHAHAHVORITE BROHOHOHOHOTHER! JUHUHUHUST STOHOHOHOHOP!"

    Ares stopped tormenting his brother instantly but didn't release him from the hug. Hermes slowly got his breathing under control and tried to move, but found that Ares was holding on too tight for him to move.

    "Ares...?"

    "Thank you, brother. That really helped."

    Hermes relaxed into the hug, as he could tell that his big brother needed it right now. They both went back to looking at the ocean, comforted by each other's presence.

    "Anytime darling, anytime."

[amazingmsme]

Ruthlessness in Other Ways

AN: day 14, the day we’ve all been waiting for!!! I wanna give a huge thanks to 😈 anon for helping with the title, it couldn’t be more perfect! Poseidon really puts Odysseus through the wringer with this one! I let myself get mean with it, lol. Took a lot of inspiration from the manwhore au, so that explains the sexual tension. Slight warnings in the beginning for mild violence & descriptions of drowning. Other than that, there’s nothing you need to look out for. Hope y’all enjoy, this one was super fun & flustering! Sorry this was later than I planned, I’ve been super busy!

Odysseus was thrown into the water from the force of the lightning bolt, and he plunged deep below the surface with splinters and debris from his ship. He sank deeper and deeper until Odysseus regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and gasped for air, gulping in sea water. He  desperately tried to preserve what air remained in his lungs. He frantically swam towards the surface, but felt himself sinking further. He was caught in a rip current, and he was yanked further below the waves.

His lungs ached, his vision was fading, he was starting to panic as he fought to get to the surface. His head was throbbing, ears popping, lungs about to burst, and finally, they filled with water.

The last thing he saw was a dark shadow swimming towards him. It can't end like this...

~~~

Odysseus awoke with a splitting headache, but he had no time to take in his surroundings before he was coughing up sea water. He wretched and gasped for breath, only then realizing he could only lean forward so far. He felt stone pressed against his back, his arms chained to the wall.

"That's it, hack it up," a cold voice spoke from behind, slapping an even colder hand on his back. Odysseus went stiff, eyes shooting wide open.

"No..."

A deep, sly chuckle sounded too close to his ear for comfort.

"Hello again."

Poseidon grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back to look him in the eye. He smiled at the pained hiss that escaped his victim, relishing in the fear etched on his face.

"Poseidon! I-" he was cut off with a sharp slap across the face.

"I'm not interested in conversation. I'd much rather make you beg for mercy," he growled, grabbing Odysseus by the jaw.

"Really? I thought mercy wasn't exactly your thing," Odysseus tried to remain defiant and cocky, refusing to give the God what he wants. He should've known better.

"I never said I'd show you any," he sneered, allowing himself to get closer. He grazed his claws over his throat as he let go of his jaw, brushing off the shudder and twitch as fear. What else would it be?

"Please, if this is about your son-"

"You think I still care about that?" Poseidon let out a low, snide chuckle. 

"What?"

"I just don't like you, Odysseus. And your suffering is just so fun to watch," he spoke casually, but wore a downright sinister grin. He pressed his trident against his chest, not enough to pierce his skin, but the threat was there. He drug the weapon down his body ever so slowly, slightly digging into the soft flesh.

He jerked back with a gasp, sucking in his stomach as he turned away, closing his eyes for good measure. Poseidon yanked him around by the hair once more.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he ordered. Odysseus forced his eyes open, meeting the God's piercing gaze. His eyes were full of fear and uncertainty, yet he had the gall to smile at him.

He gripped his hair tighter, pulling at the roots until he heard him yelp in pain.

"Wanna tell me what's so funny?" he asked in a low, threatening tone. Odysseus shook his head frantically.

"N-nothing!" he stammered, pressing himself against the wall of the cave.

"Then wipe that fucking smirk off your face before I slap it off," he threatened. Before Odysseus had the chance to answer, a swift backhand was delivered to his cheek. He could swear the webbing between his fingers made it sting even more.

"It would be so easy to just split you open," Poseidon mused, drawing a line down the center of his belly with the blunt tips of the trident. He really needed to learn how to sharpen his weapons better, because all Odysseus could focus on was how bad it tickled.

"Just get on with it then," Odysseus sighed, admitting defeat, squirming against the wall. Regardless of how blunt it was, it was still sharp enough to get the job done.

"No. You don't get the peace of a quick death," Poseidon said, pulling the trident back.

"Lucky me," he mumbled to himself. Poseidon sneered and lurched forward, metal clanging on the ground as he tossed the weapon aside. He slammed Odysseus against the wall, one hand gripping the base of his jaw while the other held him back by the shoulder.

"What was that?" he growled in his ear, warm breath ghosting over his skin. Odysseus gasped and tried to twist away, scrunching his neck. Poseidon's thumb rested on the edge of his armpit from where he gripped his shoulder.

Odysseus bit his lip and tried to turn away, but the hand on his jaw didn't allow it. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his breath came out in quick huffs through his nose. His arms were straining at their restraints as he tried to lean away, but... not in the way Poseidon expected.

He studied his expression, ready to scold him once more, until he noticed where his hand was.

Oh. Ooooh.

He looked back at his captive, a sadistic smile stretching across his face. He moved his hand down, raking his claws over his ribs, noticing the way Odysseus struggled to mask his reactions and pass off his smile as a pained grimace.

Things just got a lot more interesting.

Odysseus felt a chill run up his spine when he heard a slow, deep chuckle.

"Oh this is rich," he heard him say, and the hand around his throat forced him to look up. There was a sick, gleeful kind of curiosity shining in the God's eyes that hadn't been there before.

"What do you want from me?" he managed to ask. Poseidon only smirked.

"At first, I thought I wanted to hurt you. I had every intention of killing you slowly and leaving you to drown. But now, I'm second guessing myself," he said, leaning into the captain's personal space. Odysseus tried to lean away as much as he could.

"W-why the change of heart?"

Poseidon laughed, a contorted, garbled sound. "Humiliation is a far better punishment for you. Wouldn't you agree?"

"What?" Odysseus shook his head, brows knit together in confusion. No. There was no way he meant that.

"Tell me, king of Ithica. You wouldn't happen to be ticklish, would you?" he asked, curling his fingers ever so slightly so they dug into his ribs.

Odysseus choked on a gasp, jerking away from the touch as a blush quickly spread across his cheeks.

"And don't lie to a God," Poseidon added. He relished in the mix of fear, confusion and embarrassment on his face as he shook his head.

"Don't, please! Why that?" Odysseus stammered, pressing himself against the wall and staring him up and down. He barked out a quick laugh when both hands grabbed his ribcage before clamping his mouth shut to prevent anymore unwanted sounds from escaping.

"Because someone needs to break that fragile little ego of yours, and I look forward to watching you scream and writhe," he taunted as he began tapping his fingers against his ribs.

His breath hitched in his chest, and he instinctively twitched away. Poseidon smirked and scratched between each bone with sharp claws, and the first muffled giggles started to slip out. Odysseus tried to hold in his laughter as long as he could, but it was a futile effort.

"Trying to tough it out? Go ahead, it just makes it all the more fun when you finally break." Poseidon raked his claws up and down his ribs relentlessly, pausing to trace and scratch the spaces in between. Odysseus yelped, twisting side to side in his bonds. His breath was labored from the effort it took to maintain composure, and he had to bite down on his lip to stop the giggles from spilling out. Poseidon wrapped both hands around his entire ribcage and dug in with vibrating claws. The reaction was instant.

Odysseus finally cracked with a snort, releasing all the laughter that had been trapped in his chest. It was a rich, full sound, rare to those even among his inner circle, but now it took on a more desperate tone. He leaned away as far as the chains would allow, twisting uselessly.

"Really? That's all it took? I was honestly hoping you'd struggle a little longer," he teased in a purring, almost sultry tone. "But you mortals are so fragile, so sensitive," he slowly walked his fingers up his torso like they were climbing stairs. Odysseus shook his head as breathless giggles poured freely. "So easy to break."

Poseidon's hands jumped up to drill in his exposed hollows, kneading the muscles and scratching delicate skin. He threw his head back, cackling loudly as he desperately yanked on his arms.

"NOHOHO! J-just gohoho bahack to hitting mehehe!" Odysseus bargained, trying to appeal to his violent nature. Poseidon hummed in thought.

"I don't think so. Pain is an old friend of yours, isn't she? You've come to expect it around every turn. At some point, pain stops being effective at getting the point across," his voice was cold and emotionless, yet the sadistic glimmer in his eyes was proof that he was enjoying every second of this. He rubbed circles with his thumbs in the center of his underarms, sending Odysseus into wild hysterics. The chains rattled as he thrashed around, tugging on his arms with all the strength he had. His mouth hung open in a wide smile, nose scrunching as he snorted. His laughter was loud and deep, with a beautifully frantic undertone.

"But I doubt you were expecting this," to emphasize his point, he scratched up and down his exposed hollows, lightening his touch ever so slightly, but compensating by speeding up. Odysseus threw his head back with a giggly shriek, arching his back and jerking away.

"Confusion and utter humiliation are rather powerful tools of persuasion, wouldn't you agree?" he purred in his ear, making Odysseus squeal and scrunch his neck. Poseidon chuckled at the sound, reaching a hand up to flutter under his chin.

"N-nohoho!" Odysseus giggled and shook his head, slamming his chin down for protection. Poseidon smirked and cocked his head.

"Oh? You don't agree?" he asked as he began tracing up and down the length of his arms, from his pits all the way to his wrists. He watched the way Odysseus giggled and twitched as he lightly grazed the skin. His arms shook, muscles flexing as gentle fingers passed over. "It's not eating you alive that I'm doing this to you? That you're crumbling at the hands of a God, able to do nothing but laugh and scream? Your thoughts aren't racing, wondering why I'm not ripping you to shreds?" he taunted directly in his ear, lips ghosting over the skin.

Odysseus hated how true his words were. He clenched his jaw and growled through his laughter, "Shut uhup! Just shuhut uhuhup!"

"You think you're in any position to make demands of a God?" Poseidon questioned, and even his breath tickled.

"NO! Nohoho, I wahasn't-" he cut himself off with a scream that morphed into helpless laughter when the hands moved down to knead at his belly and sides. He twisted side to side, trying to hide his face behind a restrained arm. His hair was a mess, wet and matted to his forehead. Rosy cheeks were carved with dimples, and crows feet wrinkled at the corners of his eyes. He almost looked cute, in an endearing, pathetic sort of way.

"Let me make one thing clear: I'm in control," he taunted, gripping Odysseus by the hips roughly. He yelped and instinctively bucked his hips to get away, snorting and doubling over as much as he could when he gave another squeeze.

Poseidon arched a brow and smirked down at him. "What's wrong, did I find a bad spot?" he taunted, squeezing up his sides and drilling his thumbs in the divots of his hips.

"Nohoho plehease!" he shrieked and writhed in his binding, unable to escape the relentless touch.

"What did I say about lying?" Poseidon chuckled sadistically at his own joke.

"Plehehease, just lehehet me gohoho! Ihihi'm sorRYYYY!" His voice jumped an octave when sharp claws pricked and tapped against his hips. Full belly laughs gave way to shrill giggles, and the sounds he was making amused Poseidon to no end.

"Awww, what a sweet sentiment. Almost as sweet as those giggles of yours," he teased with a sly smirk, sharp teeth peaking out from under his lip. Of course he wasn't actually complimenting him, he only said it to get under his skin. "Too bad I don't care."

Odysseus flushed and stared at him in shock. "I-I dohohon't giggle!" he tried to sound defiant, but the giggles pouring from his mouth negated the effect.

"Denial's a good look on you. Next, I bet you'll try and say you're not ticklish," Poseidon snickered, reaching a hand up to tease his neck and ears. Odysseus snorted and scrunched his shoulders.

"Nohoho!" he tried to deny, shrieking when a claw traced the shell of his ear. "Stohohop! Plehehease, juhust stohohop!" he pleaded, shaking his head.

"That's right, keep begging. Not that it'll help," he let out a raspy chuckle, cupping his face with both hands. Odysseus was forced to look up at Poseidon as he squirmed helplessly, giggling himself silly as he scribbled around his ears and neck. No matter which way he twisted, the tickling never stopped.

"You humans are so sensitive; so fun to toy with," the God mused as his hands trailed back down his body. "So easy to break," he squeezed his hips again just to watch him buck and snort. "And yet, you all think you can win."

"Ihihi'm sohohohorry! I-it wohohon't hahappen again, I swehehear!" Odysseus bargained futilely.

"Oh, but it will. That's just the way it works," Poseidon explained, digging his claws into his thighs. Odysseus gasped and jerked beneath the threatening touch. "You'll get yourself into trouble and try to work your way around it, but you'll always lose." He slowly scratched down strong thighs, earning a ticklish scream and a violent twitch.

"Fuck! Noho, you cahahan't! N-not thehehere!" he begged through growing hysterics. His words only made Poseidon more curious as he began squeezing up and down his legs.

Odysseus squealed and jumped away from the touch, pressing against the wall of the cave and kicking out futilely. Poseidon looked him up and down with a hungry, scrutinizing gaze, evil smirk twisting into a sharp, dangerous smile.

"Awww, what's the matter? Too ticklish here?" he asked, raking his claws down the captain's thighs as he knelt before him. That alone drew out a panicked bark of laughter as he twitched away.

"N-no! Ihihi mehean- shihihit, stohohop!" he cut himself off with a snort as sharp claws delicately traced his inner thighs. Breathy giggles became hysterical laughter as the soft scribbling got faster and added more pressure. He threw his head back, practically dancing in place as he tried to escape the unending torture.

"Just look at you, barely able to speak. How pathetic," he taunted, scratching higher up his legs, enjoying the way his voice changed pitched. He pinched back down the muscle, drawing out a few giggly snorts. Poseidon couldn't help but comment on it.

"Those are some pretty funny noises you're making. I think I'll stay right here," he kneaded deep into his thighs, and Odysseus practically screamed.

"NOHOHO PLEHEHEASE! IHIHI'M SOHOHORRYYYY!" he threw his head back, cackling wildly. His legs gave out, but he was still held upright by his chains. His legs kicked and writhed in Poseidon's grip, his sanity slipping away with each passing second.

"Good," he growled, raking his nails down his inner thighs just to make him squeal. "But I'm not stopping any time soon. By all means, whine and beg, but don't expect it to help much." From this position, his bare, squirming stomach was right in front of his face. He grabbed Odysseus from behind, making sure he couldn't move away before biting his hip.

He let out a piercing shriek, followed quickly by frantic hysterics. He writhed and twisted in his hold, tugging on his arms with all his might. His vision went blurry as tears streamed down his cheeks, and he closed his eyes so he didn't have to watch his own torment.

Poseidon grazed his teeth across delicate skin, stretched taught over the bone. He nipped and nibbled at his hips, allowing his tongue to flick and trace the contours of his waist. That really seemed to drive him mad, so he continued nibbling along his hips and belly while his hands returned to his thighs.

Odysseus wailed in ticklish agony, babbling incoherently for mercy. He couldn't form a single coherent thought, legs trembling from the relentless onslaught.

"Ohoho shihihit- NOHOHO! FUCK- NOHOT THAHAHAT!" his arms strained to hold him up, leaning against the wall for support. Poseidon drilled circles where his hips and legs met, scribbling along the backs of his thighs. His back arched and he tried to jerk away, only for his leg to be trapped under a strong arm.

"Why, is this a bad spot?" he cooed, scribbling behind his knee all the way up the back of his thigh. His muscles quivered with every pinch and stroke, and his voice periodically cut out.

Poseidon slowed his touches to give him the chance to breathe. Odysseus gasped for air between helpless giggles, legs writhing in his grip as his claws scribbled against the sensitive skin. He hiccuped and snorted when he'd zero in on a particularly sensitive spot.

"I asked you a question," he growled, going back to clawing mercilessly, just to remind him how much worse it could be. Odysseus screamed and thrashed.

"YEHEHES OHOHOKAHAHAY? STOHOHOP!"

Poseidon smirked as he slowed back down, focusing on his right leg. Odysseus whined and snickered as the feather light touches clouded his brain. It was almost worse than when he just dug in. At least then his voice didn't sound so shrill and broken.

"Plehehe- staha- stohohohop! I-I cahahan't!" he pleaded through breathless giggles.

"You humans are hilariously pathetic. So weak and soft, unable to hold out against even the softest of touches," he taunted. Odysseus was limp and pliable, yet still struggled, providing a map of his most ticklish spots.

He continued the light scribbling, spidering his way to the tops of his knees. Odysseus snorted and kicked, laughter jumping up an octave. Poseidon smirked, meeting his eyes to flash him a smug wink before digging in. He clawed ruthlessly at his knees and the tops of his thighs, relishing in the resulting shriek.

He leaned in to whisper in a deep, threatening tone, "I hope you didn't think we were done. There's so many places I haven't even tried. And I plan on keeping you here as long as I like."

"What? N-nohoho y-you cahahan't just do thahat!" Odysseus insisted, eyes wide with fear as he frantically shook his head.

"Actually, I can. And there's nothing you can do about it." He grabbed his feet, wiggling his fingers dangerously close to the soles. "Nothing but laugh."

Odysseus was once again sent spiraling into hysterics, forced to accept his fate.

[rosiesramblings]

I Can't Help But Wonder

Fandom: EPIC: The Muscial

WC: 1.7k

Characters: Athena, Odysseus, Telemachus

A/N: Season's Greasons @amazingmsme ! I am your Squealing Santa this year! I've never written for EPIC before so please forgive any mistakes. That said, I am OBSESSED with the music so this was a very welcome challenge. I picked Athena, Ody, and Telemachus for your fifth prompt (A&B get into a tickle fight, C makes a teasing comment and then A&B team up to get C). I also ended up trying to see how many of the EPIC song titles I could fit in this fic. I counted ten total that I squeezed in - can you find them all? This was so fun to write - I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you so much to @cantsaythetword for organizing this year's @squealing-santa extravaganza! You did a great job, and I really appreciate you keeping the tradition alive! Now, on to the fic!

Even though it would have been nice, the world didn’t stop spinning just because Odysseus was finally home. There was still court to hold and merchant disputes to resolve, not to mention the job of explaining to the citizens of Ithaca what happened to all 108 of the Palace Suitors. With Odysseus recovering from his 20 year journey under the careful supervision of the palace physicians, Penelope hardly left his side, and that meant much of the work of actually running the country fell to Telemachus. It was a burden that he shouldered gladly - an opportunity to both prove himself as a wise and noble ruler, and to give his parents the time to fall in love with each other once again.

And how they fell. Often. In most of the rooms of the palace. Telemachus had taken to loudly clearing his throat before he entered a room after one unfortunate occasion that scarred him for life. He was tempted to flee to the ocean and beg Poseidon to follow through on the threat to gauge his eyes. 

Athena was unsympathetic to this particular plight of his - when he told her, she did this hideous snort-scream-laugh that made both his father and his mom come running, thinking there was an animal loose in the palace.

However busy Telemachus was during the day, both with his royal duties and the equally important task of not barging in on what seemed to be his parents’ best efforts to revoke his status as an only child, Telemachus always made the time to eat dinner with them. It wasn’t always easy - Telemachus often found himself red-faced and tongue-tied when his father attempted to make conversation, the right words always evading him. Some nights, Telemachus just spent the whole meal drinking in the sight of Odysseus’ face at the table. Having spent so long dreaming of his father’s homecoming, at first Telemachus found it difficult to believe that he was really there. But with each sunrise and sunset, Telemachus slowly convinced himself that his father was really, truly back. To stay.

*****

Telemachus followed the sounds of sparring through the palace halls until he found his father and his goddess. He wasn’t worried, okay, just like - appropriately concerned? It really hadn’t been long since his father had returned, and he still had a long way to go before the palace physicians granted him a clean bill of health. Sparring with a goddess definitely wasn’t on his list of approved physical activities.

Telemachus stopped in the doorway, shrouded in shadows by one of his mother’s tapestries hanging on the wall next to him. He took a breath. No one was bleeding. Both Athena and his father had wooden practice swords rather than real weapons. 

Even though it was clearly just practice, neither Athena nor Odysseus were pulling their punches. Odysseus was doggedly attacking Athena’s blind side, and Athena was swinging hard and fast, knowing that Odysseus’ endurance was shot to Hades.

Eventually, Athena swept Odysseus’ legs out from under him, and he went down hard. She smirked, panting with exertion, before offering her old friend a hand up. But Odysseus clearly wasn’t done yet, and he wasn’t above fighting dirty, either, because he laughed and flung a handful of sand at Athena’s face.

“You cheat!” She shouted, stumbling to her knees next to Odysseus on the ground. She reached for him blindly and he rolled out of the way.

“You’re the one who taught me that trick,” Odysseus laughed, springing toward Athena to grapple while she was still down.

“As a last resort against an enemy,” She said, finally blinking the sand from her eyes as she struggled for the upper hand. “Not against your goddess who is already half-blind!”

Just when it seemed that Odysseus had her in a pin, Athena reached around and drew a finger up his spine. Telemachus looked on in interest as his father let out a yell and dropped the pin immediately, trying to roll away. 

“That’s cheating!” He protested as Athena caught his ankle and dragged him back toward her.

Athena grinned, all teeth. “You’re the one who taught me that trick.”

“Bullshit!” Odysseus laughed as he tried to free his ankle and dodge Athena’s now-wiggling fingers at the same time. “If anything, you learned that from Polites. Wait!”

“I’ve done enough waiting,” Athena said, letting go of Odysseus’ ankle in favor of reaching up to squeeze his thigh, just above his knee.

His reaction was instantaneous. He let out a shriek before collapsing back to the floor, kicking out with his free leg and cackling.

“This is not fahahahAIR!” He cried as Athena pinched up and down his thigh.

“Oh gods, is that a hickey?” Athena asked, bemused. Still behind his tapestry, Telemachus made a face.

“Shuhuhuhut the fuhuhck up! I hahaven’t seen Penehehehelope in twehehenty yehehears!” Odysseus gathered his wits and latched a hand onto Athena’s upper ribs.

“Yohohou’re incohohorrigible!” Athena yelped, twisting away from Odysseus’ grip.

“Gotta mahahake up for lohohost tihihime with my looove,” Odysseus snickered.

Telemachus forgot himself. “Oh, gross,” he whined.

Athena and Odysseus both whirled toward him, and Telemachus got to witness what might best be described as the facial equivalent to a sunrise as his father recognized him, only to turn worryingly playful when the complaint registered. Athena’s face was stern, but the tips of her ears turned red and her eyes glittered with mischief.

“Telemachus of Ithaca. Is that any way to speak about your father?” Athena asked.

Telemachus turned red, both from the attention and the playful reprimand. He started edging toward the doorway to attempt an escape. “I just call it like I see it. And Father? You and mom. Are gross.”

“Odysseus, are you going to let your son speak to you that way?” Athena, the instigator, prodded.

Father cracked his knuckles and grinned. “Clearly my absence has made my son bold. The sass on this boy, ‘Thena!”

“Can’t imagine where it came from,” Athena muttered, shooting a devastating side-eye at Odysseus even as she crept toward Telemachus.

“Hmmmm. No clue,” Odysseus said as he lunged for his son.

Telemachus threw himself toward the door, but felt his father’s hand close around his wrist before he could make it through. He was yanked into his father’s chest with a yelp, and between the literal goddess of battle strategy and the veteran of 20 years, Telemachus found himself outmaneuvered. Before long, Athena held both of his hands above his head in one of her own, and Odysseus had thrown a leg over his son’s. Telemachus was well and truly pinned.

Humiliatingly, as soon as Telemachus realized his predicament, giggles started to pour out of his mouth. He yanked at his hands, not to escape, but in hopes of covering his rapidly reddening face.

“What’s this? We haven’t even started yet,” Odysseus laughed, incredulous.

“This does not bode well for you, young warrior,” Athena smiled, spidering her fingers in the air above Telemachus’ armpit.

Telemachus whined at the teasing, but couldn’t stop the flood of giggles. “Ihihihi cahahan’t hehehelp it!”

“Hm. I can’t help but wonder, if he takes after you in sensitivity,” Athena grinned at his father.

Odysseus smiled, taking the teasing gracefully. “Well, there’s an easy way to find out,” he said, and brought his wiggling fingers down on Telemachus’ tummy.

Telemachus let out a screech of desperate laughter before falling back into frantic giggles. Athena let her fingers descend into his underarm, scratching at the hollow in the most ticklish way. Telemachus shook his head back and forth frantically. He’d never been tickled by two people at once, and he was in ticklish agony.

“You know something? I sailed across the world for twenty years, and I haven’t found a single sound anywhere that is better than my son’s laughter,” his father smiled, tapping Telemachus’ nose and making him go cross-eyed.

“Ohohoho my gohohods, Dahahad, stohohohohop,” Telemachus whined, squirming now from embarrassment as well as ticklishness.

“Never,” Odysseus grinned, lighting up at the less formal slip. He gave his son’s thighs a few squeezes, relishing in the belly laughs that Telemachus gave in response. Athena switched to fluttering her fingers around Telemachus’ neck and ears, and Odysseus used one hand to bunch his son’s shirt up around his ribs.

“Tell you what. If you can tell me which monster I am, I’ll forgive your insolence,” Odysseus teased.

“Whihihihich mohohonster?”

Instead of answering, Odysseus took a comically deep breath before blowing the world’s longest raspberry right over Telemachus’ bare belly button.

Telemachus shrieked before cackling so loudly that Odysseus was shocked Penelope hadn’t come running.

“Come on, son, which monster?”

“AhahahahAHAHA - CHAHAHARYBDIS?” Telemachus could hardly breathe, let alone recall his father’s stories.

“Ooo, good guess but not quite,” Odysseus laughed. He bent down for another raspberry. “I’m a different beast.”

“AHAHAHAHAHA - SAHAHA -SCYLLAAHAHAHA?”

“Zero for two,” Athena shook her head mockingly. “Can you even call yourself a warrior of the mind?”

Tears squeezed out of the corners of Telemachus’ eyes as he gave it one final guess. “CAHAHAHALYPSO!”

“Wrong again, I’m afraid,” Odysseus smirked at his son, scribbling up and down his ribs. “The answer I was looking for was ‘The Tickle Monster.’”

If it was possible, Telemachus turned even redder. “NAHAHAHAHAHAT FAAHAHAHAHAIR!” he wailed.

“I know, I’m so mean,” Odysseus hummed, finally letting up and rubbing a soothing hand on his boy’s tummy to chase away the ghost tickles. “Lucky for you, I’m in a forgiving mood. No more monsters - I’m just a man. That can be the end of your tickly suffering for today.”

Athena let go of Telemachus’ hands and he brought them down to wrap around himself, still giggling. She got up from the floor and brushed herself off. “Don’t worry kid. Your father’s still worse than you on his back and thighs.” She grinned at Odysseus’ spluttering response and ruffled Telemachus’ hair. “Consider this as my goodbye. For today at least. Perhaps we can form an alliance and exact revenge tomorrow.”

Telemachus curled up so that his head was in his father’s lap. Odysseus’ hand began to run through his son’s hair as if he had done so a million times before. Before long, Telemachus’ eyes slipped closed. Odysseus pressed a kiss to his crown and said, “Sleep, Little Wolf. Dad loves you.”

Telemachus smiled.

[an-unknowntraveler]

Cheering up

LEE Telemachus, Ler Penelope and Odysseus. very slight lee Odysseus.

Pls don’t ask how I finished this so fast.

Twenty whole years... twenty whole years had passed since Odysseus was gone, then... he returned. He killed all of the suitors, to protect his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope.

Telemachus loved his father, but was struggling to get adjusted to having his father around, considering his father made... some rather... terrible dad jokes. Penelope feared Telemachus would dislike his father, despite it being the opposite.

And it was a year... after the return of Odysseus of Ithaca. Telemachus was training with Athena, but he kept getting distracted. "Is something wrong??" Telemachus heard a voice say, then he looked up. oh. it was just Athena. Telemachus didn't know what to say, or do really. He just sighed, and sat down on the ground, while Athena looked down at him with curiosity.

"Telemachus??" She called out again. And there it was.. no reply. she was slightly concerned, she was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts though, when Telemachus suddenly spoke up. She looked at him again, as he said the words of... "Athena, I don't know why. I love my father dearly — yet I can't seem to get adjusted to having him around. Despite him being gone for so long, and me constantly missing him." He looked ashamed of himself, and looked away from her, in fear of what she'd think.

"Oh... Telemachus... don't worry about it, please." her much stoic tone during training vanished softening a lot, as she kneeled down next to him.

"It's okay to feel that way Telemachus, it's confusing sometimes. your feelings are valid, no matter what. it's okay to be confused. or scared." She spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"you,me, Penelope, and Odysseus, know deep in your heart. You love your father. You might not be adjusted to having him around right away, but that doesn't mean you don't love him, because you do love him. That's what matters most."

Telemachus started crying, babbling about something. “Athena!! But- but— I don’t want to feel this way! It’s not making me feel better!” Athena didn’t know what to do, so she disappeared. Just like that. Telemachus cried more when she left, he felt alone. He kept thinking… why did she leave?? did she hate him? Is she ashamed of him?? She might be…

Penelope was walking through the palace, and found her son, Telemachus sobbing. she immediately went over to him. “Telemachus? My son?? Are you alright??? What happened?? Where’s Athena…?? Did you get hurt?!?” she suddenly panicked, worried he was hurt, and that Athena left him.

“What— no!!—“ Telemachus sniffled, he spluttered when he spoke. “I’m not hurt— I’m fine.. it’s just..” Penelope stopped panicking much. But was curious, and raised an eyebrow. “Just what, Telemachus…? Talk to me…” she looked at him, sad.

“How do I say this… mother…??? I… I’m not adjusted to having father around— I love him dearly— but I’m having trouble getting used to the annoying dad jokes, when I’m trying to acutally talk to him, I’m tired of the jokes!! I just want to be able to talk without joking, and humor..” Penelope’s gaze turned stern slightly.

“Telemachus.. your father is trying his best to get to know you better! He’s trying to have fun with you.. you need to be nicer!” She raised her voice slightly. Telemachus was shocked, on hearing her close to yelling at him. He felt hurt.

“I just spoke my feelings to you?! And that’s all you’re going to say??…” he sniffed. he stood up, and ran off, to his bedroom. Penelope’s slight anger turned into guilt. She didn’t want to hurt Telemachus, but she didn’t understand why he’s feeling this way. she sighed, and walked away. she went to hers and Odysseus’ room.

Odysseus was sitting on the bed. “Penelope!! hello—!!” Odysseus spoke akwardly, though he was happy to see his beautiful AAAMMMAAAZZZIIINNGG wifeee! but he was confused to see her looking… slightly guilty??… what had happened?? Odysseus became concerned. “Nel….?” When Penelope sat on the bed next to him, she looked down. He scooted closer to her, and held her hand tightly, slightly rubbing her hand with his thumb gently.

“I feel like I hurt Telemachus.” She suddenly spoke, and looked at her husband, who was confused, again. “Whaa….??” Penelope groaned.. “I said… I. hurt. Telemachus. Accidentally.” she poked him in the side each time, he scooted away from her when she poked him, slightly embarrassed. but then it faded.

“How’d you hurt him??” Penelope was scared to tell him, incase Odysseus got mad at her for it. “I… raised my voice at him.” Odysseus had never felt so stunned in his life?? his wife, the sweetest woman in the entire world. RAISED HER VOICE… “WHAT..??” He said a bit louder then he wanted.

“But you have to understand, he said your jokes are annoying, and that you won’t take him seriously. I told him you’re trying your best and yeah.”

“Oh.” Odysseus said.. “well.. where’d he he go. maybe we can cheer him up, huh..?” Penelope slowly looked up at him, and smiled. “Ohh.. yeah… you’re right. did you know, Telemachus is ticklish?? He’s as ticklish as you are!” “Oh- hey!” Her husband huffed. and stood up.

“well let’s go find him, Hon.” He walked out of the room, she followed. they walked around the palace, and eventually found him sitting in his room by himself. “Hey, kiddo.” Odysseus sat next to Telemachus on the bed, and Penelope sat on the other side of Telemachus. “We’ve been talking.” She finally spoke.

“About what.” Telemachus said, coldly. Odysseus raised an eyebrow. “are you giving us attitude??” Telemachus scoffed, rolling his eyes. “What if I am??” “Don’t be annoying.” Odysseus scolded softly. “We were here to come cheer you up!” Odysseus then said, happily.

Telemachus furrowed his brows in slight confusion, and annoyance. “and how are you going to do that?? I’m not a child anymore.” Telemachus kept up his annoyed front, till Penelope spoke, and Telemachus became nervous. “I told your father, you’re ticklish.”

Telemachus’ eyes widened with horror. “You told him… WHAT??” he panicked. Odysseus and Penelope smiled at him innocently, till Odysseus spoke. “First, you need to hug us. Cause you love uss… sooo muccchh!!” Odysseus was teasing him. And hugged Telemachus, and so did Penelope.

Telemachus hugged them back, till he stifled his laughter, as he felt one of them start tickling his sides. “Nohoho…. Stooppp…!!-��� then the second set of hands tickling him, he started giggling, and couldn’t help it. he figured out who was who eventually. his father tickled his stomach, while his mother tickled his sides, Telemachus giggled, and giggled, his laughter was slightly squeaky.

Telemachus snorted when his father tickled his underarms instead, and he kicked his feet slightly, and pushed against his father and mother a tiny bit. “Well that was a silly sound, wasn’t it??” Odysseus teased. Telemachus squeaked at that, and he blushed slightly out of embarrassment. He felt like he was dying.(from the teasing. Not the tickling.) “Hahaha— you guys! Stop it— I cahahant take ihihit!!” His laughter was joyful and infectious, and Penelope laughed softly.

Telemachus giggled more and more, his parents eventually stopped. Telemachus still giggled softly after that. And caught his breath, while his freckled face was still slightly flushed. “We didn’t bother you that much, did we??” His father asked, looking at Telemachus. And acutally hugged him. “No.. I’m fine… thank you.” Telemachus finally said. He hugged both of his parents. he snuggled against both of them softly. He was feeling slightly sleepy. and eventually fell asleep. his mother brushed the hair out of his face gently. and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight my son…” she said, and smiled. in Telemachus’ dreams. He was thinking of getting revenge. but he couldn’t tickle his dear mother. So he’d just have to tickle his father instead. hint hint…

[mythica0]

Dump of random epic stuff!

I’m making this because when I make individual posts of things like this they get like no notes. So! I put them together in hopes that it’ll get more attention!

First order of business, my new story board for wouldn’t you like, and some finished designs I haven’t posted yet! I’m aware the story boards are messy and might be hard to read, so just do your best!

On a relevant note, I still need some help figuring out how to draw a raft so I can do my storyboard for Dangerous! (And the rest of the vengeance saga, for that matter)

Next up, the fics in the works! I know I’ve said that I have a lot of drafts, but I’ve yet to say what they are! So here’s a list! (Title included if I’ve come up with one already)

-The Ruthless King: Ler!Ody, Telemachus, (edit: the suitors have some ler too, forgot to mention that) Lee!Suitors, Telemachus.- Odysseus alternate ending/more wholesome version!

- Switches Hermes and Aeolus- the two decide to have a tickle fight!

-Lee!Hermes, Ler Winions ft. Aeolus- during a hangout, the Winions decide some mischief is in order.

-Be Quiet!: Ler!Athena, Ares, Lee!Apollo- The war gods get irritated when Apollo plays his music to loud.

-Hey there, Handsome: Ler!Calypso, Lee!Ody- Calypso’s had enough of the silent treatment.

-Little Wolf: Ler!Antinous, Suitors, Lee!Telemachus- the suitors are bored, and mess with Telemachus.

-Nice try: Ler!Athena, Lee!Hermes- Hermes tries to Tickle Athena and she quickly turns the tables.

-Ler!Athena, Lee!Telemachus- Telemachus tries to start a tickle fight with his mentor and it ends up backfiring.

-Ler!Athena, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Lee!Hermes- Hermes asks for tickles after pulling a prank, and his siblings don’t agree.

- Too Serious: Ler!Aphrodite(might add more or change it), Lee!Athena- Aphrodite thinks Athena is too serious for her own good.

-Brotherly Teasing: Switches Zeus and Poseidon- the two are teasing each-other and settle it with a tickle fight

-Wondering: Ler!Penelope, Lee!Telemachus- Telemachus is wondering about his dad.

-Future son: Ler!Ody, Lee!Penelope- Penelope is 7 months pregnant with Telemachus.

-Ler!Artemis, Lee!Apollo: Apollo messes with Artemis.

-Ler!Hermes, Lee!Ody, crew- Hermes tickles everyone but Odysseus.

-Good Ol’ Times: Ler!Young Ody, Young Polites, Lee!Young Eury- the three reminisce on the first time they found out Eurylochus was ticklish

-Boo, Darling!: Ler!Apollo, Lee!Hermes-Hermes mocks Apollo.

And that’s all of them! In no particular order. (Told you it was a lot. All in various levels of progress.)

Next up: Chapter two of No More Suffering has been posted! Thought I’d inform ya’ll since it got like a singular note. You can find it by going through my masterpost, going to the part two of said masterpost, and then to the master post of No More Suffering: where you’ll find any updates to the fic whenever they’re made!

Also, just so ya’ll know! All my Tword fics are a spin off/take place in the above au! So no one has died in any of my tword fics! (I don’t like writing sad OKAY?!)

Next: PLEASE REBLOG MY STUFF IF YOU LIKE IT! This isn’t just for epic, but my fics usually get a bunch of likes and like no reblogs, which means 1- less people see it, and 2- I get a little de-motivated. So please reblog!! :3

Lastly! now that I have my own personal IPad, I might make tword art! But I’m a little nervous abt it, so it might take a minute and some requests to get me going.

Thanks for reading!

[hamilton-fluff]

ok ok ok...

epic the musical tickle fic idea, with Lee!younger Telemachus and Ler!Penelope

Telemachus when younger was a hell of a trouble maker and after one more incident that caused absolute chaos Penelope had enough

@amazingmsme and or @mythica0

*throws idea* take.

[kanene-yaaay]

"Greet the world with open arms" here and "greet it with open arms" there, yeah, yeah, I see, Polites. But what I really want to see is you keep that nice arms of yours widen open when Odysseus go for the ribs.

Thinking about Odysseus tickling Polite's while singing his "open Arms" song but now it's about tickles and teases. Something like

The tickling is amazing when you greet it with open arms. Smiles on our face. We'll be fine if we're laughing from our hearts. No matter the place they can light up the world. here's how to start.

Greet them all with open arms. greet them all with open arms ~

And then he just makes sillier and sillier lyrics while Polites is giggling and squirming, too occupied laughing to complain about his poke of fun

Odysseus getting closer, fingers wiggling, a dangerous, amused smirk in his face as Polites is scurrying away and sing songing "Try to relax my friend. I can tell you're getting nervous ~"

[milder-manners]

Which challenge was your favorite from Dream? (I'd say bar manhunt but maybe it's actually not your n°1)

I personnaly really liked the random item challenge and the death swap

- V

(Manhunt is def my n1, don't worry I'm pretty standard)

My non-manhunt favorites change pretty often but at the moment ...

THESE TWO!!!

Minecraft Random Item Challenge VS 2 Hunters my Beloved!!

Like you V, I fricking love this video. The Drama, the unintentional thematic items, the situational comedy, (the story fic potential)!!

The video starts off with pretty standard stakes, Sapnap and George vs Dream. An unfair match, but no one’s upset, the audience knows how easily Dream can turn the tables if the circumstances turn juuust right. And despite what the title says, Dream is a Hunter like Sapnap and George. They all only have one life, and are fighting to the death.

But then, not even 5 min in, the power levels get completely skewed. George and Sapnap both receive diamond weapons and George gets a diamond chestplate, and Dream gets his iconic turtle helmet. Suddenly, the fight becomes a chase, and Dream has to run for his life until a new item spawns in to even the tides. (He finds a ruined portal underwater, and inside its chest is a flint and steel.)

Dream then gets some good armor and a trident, and the dynamics change once again.

The video kind of takes a turn for the comedic here. It’s a 2v1, yet Dream becomes the aggressor. He’s starts initiating fights, the one who chases down Sapnap and George with his dozen tridents, and it’s the duo who begins running off, building up a tower to get away. And this goes on even when George gets netherite boots and chest plates, and Sapnap gets an elytra and rockets; they still mostly engage in guerrilla tactics to basically harass Dream. Dream literally begins yelling at them to come here and fight him.

And that tickles me so much because this is basically a culmination of how the manhunts conditioned George and Sapnap to treat Dream; a guy who’ll prevail against all odds.

And this over precaution is what ultimately does them in in the end. It gave Dream enough time and space to prepare a TNT trap that kills them all.

Man, it’s such a fun video. I didn’t even mention all the little moments between everyone, like “OH GEORGE” “IT’S OH SAPNAP!”, “You have better stuff than us” “Pff—how?”, “George, I know you can’t drive but you need to do a u-turn baby”; and how the items eventually gained a theme with each hunter, creating a pseudo narrative of a sky spirit and rock/metal spirit harassing a sea spirit. It’s such a good mix of tense competition, and silly fun.

Minecraft Hostage Simulator

Another 2v1 video but also a muffinteers video! This one is such a classic for me, I genuinely hope they revisit this one.

The gradual development of Bad becoming a complete menace. The long trek of the horn passing between George and Sapnap and eventually to Bad. That hilarious point in the Nether where the two beat the shit out of Bad while he hangs off the cliff as retaliation. Dream embracing his inner trickster archetype, setting a deal with Bad with specific conditions to loophole around them. Sapnap and George pulling off that incredible boat trick and snatching Bad from Dream. Dream getting murdered by dolphins, a complete turnaround from their usual grace. The dynamic shifting midway in the video to a 3v1 when the Hunters decide to work together to Get Bad.

And that epic fight/chase after the Nether!!! Oh My God!!

The improvisation, the lying, the music with the chase, the buildup of tension from the editing! The sudden introduction of the reason behind Bad being a hostage was that he’s a sacrifice to feed the dragon?!?! Chefs kiss. Incredible ten out of ten.

Again, I hope this video comes back but with a way for Bad to win. He was literally the star of this show.

[sunstone-smiles]

A fic with Odysseus and Circe will come out on Tuesday!

(I hoped for Monday but I realized that I'll be out tomorrow morning and I like posting fics from my computer rather than my phone. Plus, it gives me a little extra time to tweak some things!)

Per the results of this poll, here's a sneak peek (down below)! 👀

---

“Odysseus, please. I can see right through your lies,” she says as a matter of fact. “It wasn’t nothing. A battle wound wouldn’t make you jump away like that with a faint hint of a smile,” she leans forward with a subtle curl to her lips, like a lioness closing in on prey.

Odysseus grumbles, trying to stand his ground. “Okay, fine! It just…” he trails off as the confidence leaves him and the butterflies surface in his stomach.

Circe smirks, “Go on.”

Odysseus glares back at her, his fire as an impenetrable leader bursting through. “It just tickled! Okay? There!” He crosses his arms like a child who was forced to comply.

“Oh, is that all?” Circe shrugs and she strides up to him. Odysseus watches her movements like a hawk as she approaches by his side.

“Well, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Circe says.

Odysseus loosens his battle-ready stance, taken by surprise by her response. “Well, good,” he stands up straight, like the interaction never occurred. His eyes dart to the side, “Okay then–”

Circe continues, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about because you should be happy. Happy because now I know a way to get you to smile.” She leans forward on her toes with her hands behind her back and that same mischievous curl to her lips. Odysseus gulps and steps backwards, further into the room. Circe takes a step forward and reveals her fingers that are slowly wiggling in the air. 

“Circe, you can’t be serious,” the captain's voice remains calm, but his wide eyes that are unwavering from the sorceress reveal his frantic thoughts.

Circe takes another step forward, as poised as ever. “I’m as serious as Poseidon is to get his revenge on you.”

“Wow, okay. Harsh,” the king says with a bit of sass, but he immediately regrets getting distracted when Circe suddenly charges at him. Odysseus, with panicked yelp, turns on his heels and runs. 

---

That is all I shall reveal for now! 👀

[echos-of-laughter]

Hey yall, this is my first time writing a fic! I got inspired by this post by @amazingmsme

This fic follows theirs and is Lee!Hermes, Ler!Poseidon.

Again, this is my first fic so idk if it will be the best, but I hope you enjoy!

"For once, I think you're right."

    "Uncle, darling, can't we talk about this?" Hemes pleaded, panic growing as he realized that the only exit was blocked.

    "No, darling, I don't think there is anything to talk about." Poseidon said, lipstwisting into a wicked grin as he put extra emphasis on Hermes favorite nickname.

    Hermes felt his heart racing in his chest as he saw tendrils of water slowly creeping across the floor towards him. He quickly flew into the air using the wings on his ankles and started to look for a way out.

    Suddenly, the tendrils shot forward and pushed him down against the floor. It was as if thousands of gallons of water was bearing down on him at once, he couldn't move a muscle.

    Poseidon walked towards him and spoke, "Now, I was thinking you might prefer a more hands-on approach to the torture I'm going to put you through." He grabbed his trident as he walked and grabbed Hermes wrists through the current to bring them up and away from his body, leaving him defenseless.

    Hermes eyes widened as the trident was pointed at him. "Wait! No!" He pleaded, closing his eyes and expecting pain. However, after feeling the water subside he slowly opened his eyes. He tried to move his arms but found that he wasn't able to bring them down. He looked up and found the trident trapping them in place high above his head. He looked back to his uncle who was looking at him with a sadistic grin. Poseidon slowly walked the few steps towards him and straddled his waist. He lifted his hands and started wiggling his fingers above Hermes' exposed torso, showing what kind of torture he was referring to.

    "Wait! Uncle, is this reheally necessarry?" Hermes asked, accidentally letting a small giggle slip through his lips.

    "Giggling already? I'm not even touching you!" Poseidon teased, "Also, this is absolutely necessary after what you did."

    Poseidon let his hands drop and slowly started spidering his fingers all over Hermes sides. Hermes quickly snapped his mouth shut from the retort that he had prepared in order to keep himself from laughing.

    "Come on nephew, we both know you are going to break, you're way too ticklish not to," Poseidon taunted.

    Hermes cheeks instantly went red as he turned his head away from the teasing gaze of his uncle. "Shut uhup!" Hermes yelled, kicking his feet while his wings desperately flapped to try to get away from the electric sensations coursing through his body.

    Poseidons grin instantly widened. "Why should I? Does it make it tickle more when I mention how ticklish you are?" He teased, emphasizing that horrible word every time he said it and moving his fingers to his nephews ribs.

    "Nohhahahahahahah!" Hermes burst into high pitched giggles at the change of spots along with the teasing words being directed him.

    "Now we're getting somewhere! Listen to those adorable giggles. Let's see if we can make it adorable laughter," Poseidon taunted, smile growing a little softer at the sound of his nephews hysterical giggling. He moved his fingers even further up into the exposed skin of his armpits.

    Hermes face somehow got even more red as his uncles words reached his ears. He desperately tugged on his trapped arms as he swore internally at himself for wearing a sleeveless shirt, fully exposing the skin of his underarms. His laughter ramped up as Poseidon started drilling his thumbs into the center of his armpits.

    "Nohhohoho! Plehehehehease! It tihihickles!" He tried to plead with the elder god.

    "Ha! That's sort of the point." Poseidon laughed at him. "But I don't think that it's enough. Tell me nephew, where are you most ticklish hm?"

    "Lihihike I wohould tell yohohou!" Hermes spoke through his laughter.

    "Then I guess I'll just have to find out myself. Let's see, we've tried the sides, ribs, and armpits." Poseidon mused aloud, scribbling his fingers across each spot as he spoke. "How about here?"

    Hermes suddenly burst into childlike giggles as he felt fingernails swirling all over his neck and ears. His feet kicked out as the fingers scratched along the back of his earlobe.

    "Awww, well that's just adorable but not quite what we're looking for." Poseidon cooed. He moved his fingers down to his nephews quivering belly and Hermes lunched up and started belly laughing.

    "Hahahahah! No! Nohot thehehehre!" He pleaded.

    "Better, but not quite." Poseidon said disinterestedly. He got similar reactions moving down to the younger gods hips, thighs, and knees. However, he noticed his laughter getting more desperate as he approached his nephews wiggling feet.

    "Uh oh, I think I might have found someone's tickle spot!" Poseidon sing-songed as he sat on the youngers calves.

    "NO! No please not there! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Anywhere but there! Please uncle, mercy!" Hermes tried to plead.

    "Oh Hermes. Don't you know? Ruthlessness is mercy." And with that, he dug into the soles before him.

    The legs underneath him tugged at their trapped positions as he scratched over the heels, the arches, the balls of the feet, and especially those wiggling toes. He scratched his nails over the pads, underneath, and against the sensitive skin in between.

    While Poseidon was busy with this he didn't even notice his nephews look of shock when he started. He wasn't expecting his uncle to go for his feet, but he's glad that he did. He's hoping that his uncle continues to think that his feet are the worst spot that he has, though if he doesn't stop scratching the spot I between his pinky toe and his fourth toe, he might go insane.

    "NOHOHOHO! NOT THEHEHEHRE! PLEHEHEHEASE PICK SOMEWHEHEHEHHERE EHEHELSE!" The younger god pleaded, desperately tugging on his trapped legs. He almost got his ankles out from his uncle, when all of a sudden the hands moved off his feet to grab at his ankles.

    "And where do you think you're--" He was cut off by a squeal from the wiggling god under him, followed by frantic pleading.

    "AH! No no no no no. Please please. Not there. I will do anything, just not there. Please!"

    Poseidon was confused until he looked down at his hands. They were resting on Hermes' ankles with his thumbs at the joint where his ankle met his wings. Suddenly it clicked. Water swirled around Hermes as Poseidon grabbed his trident from the ground, releasing his arms. However, his relief was short lived as his uncle then placed the trident right below his knees so he couldn't bend them or move his legs at all. He also didn't have the flexibility to reach his ankles from this position, nor the strength to pry the trident from the ground.

    "So, it seems that I was mistaken. Your feet aren't your worst spot. I should have known. These little wings of yours are just begging for some attention. I mean, just look at them flapping, it's like their asking for my fingers to tickle them!" He teased his nephew.

    "Nohohohohoho. Plehehehease. I'll die!" Hermes begged.

    "Oh please, you'll be fine. You'll just laugh, and laugh, and laugh," his wiggling fingers came up, taunting the messenger god, "in three."

    "Nohohohohohoho!"

    "Two."

    "Plehehehehease!"

    "One."

    "Uhhuhuhncle!" Neither of them knew if he was tapping out or begging.

    "Zero." His fingers struck down, raking through the soft feathers and scratching his nails against the sensitive skin.

    Hermes. Went. Insane.

    He instantly fell back and started flopping around like a fish out of water (ironic, huh?). He started cackling so loud that Poseidon flinched.

    "Dam, and to think that one of the mighty gods of Olympus can be defeated just by a few fingers wiggling against his ankles. This is just pathetic." He taunted.

    "NAHAHAHAHAHAH! PLEAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Hermes could barely get a word out with how hard he was laughing. It was as if ticklish lightning was shooting up his legs directly through his nerves.

    His laughter suddenly went silent when Poseidon shifted to scratching at the spot where the wings connected to the ankles.

    Poseidon could tell that Hermes was reaching his limits, and he didn't want to actually kill the young god.

    "Do you apologize for what you have done? Have you learned your lesson yet?" He asked, slowing down to just tracing his ankles so the young god could respond.

    "Yehehehehes! Im sohohohohohory! Plehehehehease! Just stohohohhop!"

    Suddenly the sensations stopped and the trident was pulled from the ground. He instantly brought his knees up to his chest and started rubbing the phantom sensations away from his wings, still giggling.

    A hand appeared in front of his face. He looked up and saw his uncle fondly smiling down at him, offering a hand up.

    "Are you going to survive?" He asked the still giggling god as he helped him to his feet. Hermes legs were a bit shaky so he brought him over to his throne to sit down for a minute and got him some water.

    "I don't know yet, you are ruthless." Hermes replied in his typical dramatic fashion, chugging the water that he was offered.

    "Oh please, you didn't ask me to stop once!" Poseidon taunted, rolling his eyes.

    Hermes face went red as he avoided eye contact, "well, I am the god of mischief. And, besides, games are more fun if they aren't one sided." He suddenly shot up out of the throne.

    "Wait, how long have I been here? I have so many deliveries to make! Dad's going to kill me!" He started panicking as he frantically gathered his items.

    Poseidon stopped him by gripping his wrist, "don't worry about it. I'll tell my brother that I held you up to send messages throughout my kingdom."

    "Seriously? You might just be my favorite uncle after all," He teased.

    "I'd better be," He replied with a smile, squeezing the youngers' side, making him yelp. "Now go do your job, nephew."

    Hermes danced out of the way of the elders fingers and gave him a sarcastic salute, "Yes sir! See you next time!" He said as he flew off to finish delivering the rest of the messages.

    Poseidon watched him go with a fond smile. Though he would take it to his grave, he might just have a favorite nephew.

[amazingmsme]

Last Call for Mercy

AN: the much anticipated 600 strike fic is FINALLY here! I think we’ve all been dying to see Poseidon get his ass handed to him with some good ol’ fashioned tickle torture, & I’m here to deliver! That art by you know who (too scared to mention them in this fic) was such perfect inspiration for this fic! Grab a snack & settle in, ‘cause it’s kinda long (just over 4k)

Warning that it’s a little more intense & mean than my usual fics, but it’s Poseidon & he deserves it lmao. Kinda suggestive, but nothing more than that. (I will forever be inspired by the manwhore au) other than that, enjoy Poseidon getting what he deserves!

The wind whipped and howled, waves crashing against jagged rocks. The spray of the sea reached high, filling the air with the taste of salt. Dark clouds rolled in, quickly blocking the sun as rain poured from the sky.

Odysseus stood before Poseidon, calculating his next move. The God lay sprawled across the rocks, bruises and small cuts littering his skin from their previous fight. He looked smug, almost proud.

Odysseus couldn't keep this up forever, and he didn't want to. He was tired of fighting just to survive; it was all he'd known for the past 20 years. He was tired. So, so tired...

He had hoped Poseidon would be too. That when offered a truce: a final chance to leave the past behind, that he would take it. Of course, he could never be so lucky, nor Poseidon so reasonable.

He looked at his island one last time, coming to a decision.

"You're going to call off that storm." He spoke in a dead, flat tone. One that struck fear in the hearts of many and commanded respect.

Poseidon's triumphant smirk stretched further across his face, twisting his features with sadistic glee.

"Or what? You can't kill me," he taunted. Odysseus slowly shifted his gaze back onto him.

"Exactly."

Odysseus stalked closer, like a lone wolf closing in on a kill. Poseidon's grin faltered once he realized Odysseus was still coming towards him.

"Wait-" his eyes darted to where his trident now rested at the soldier's feet. "Wait!"

And then Odysseus smirked.

"Oh no. By the time I'm through with you, you're gonna wish I stabbed you instead," he said matter of factly.

Poseidon sneered, lurching forward threateningly. "What?"

But before he could say another word, the King of Ithica was straddling his hips, shoving his back against the rocks. He blinked in shock, at a complete loss for words.

"Cruelty comes in all shapes and sizes," Odysseus said, cracking his knuckles for emphasis. "Even ones you don't expect," he went on to crack his neck, rolling his shoulders just to drag out the anticipation.

Poseidon could've thrown him off, but he was curious where the mortal was going with this.

"Do your worst."

"I intend to."

Poseidon would swear he only screamed so loud because he was caught off guard. I mean, really, who in their right mind would try and tickle a God at a time like this? Who would even think of that?

Odysseus of Ithica, that's who. Because of course he would.

Odysseus dug into his sides, scribbling over bare skin made slick from the rain. Poseidon reacted immediately, folding in on himself with a bark of laughter as he scrambled to shove the offending hands away.

"Whahahat do you thihink you're dohohoing?" he demanded, growling through his laughter. Odysseus snorted in amusement, pinching up and down his sides.

"Thought it would be obvious," he taunted, flashing a sadistic grin. Poseidon managed to roll his eyes in annoyance, prompting Odysseus to claw at his stomach.

"Y-you ahaharrogant bastahard! I ohohorder you to-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there," he cut him off. "You're not the one in control anymore. I am."

Poseidon leveled him with a harsh glare, determined to prove him wrong. "Like hehehell you ahare!"

Odysseus shrugged, sporting a sly, malicious grin. "Agree to disagree."

Poseidon's annoyed scoffed morphed into a snort as he kneaded his lower stomach, right above his waistline. His eyes flew wide open in embarrassment, and he slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds escaping.

"That was a fun noise," he goaded, wiggling a finger in his bellybutton. "Let's hear it again, shall we?" Poseidon shook his head, ready to throw him into the ocean, but much to his dismay, a shrill screech pierced the air instead.

"Close, but I think it was more like this!" Odysseus demonstrated by squeezing his hips. Poseidon bucked and screamed through hysterical laughter. He tried his best to block the offending hands, but the King of Ithica was annoyingly fast for a mortal.

"Ohoho just shut up ahahalready!" he growled in response. That bastard had the gall to chuckle at him.

"Why should I?"

"I-I'll kihihill you!" But the force of his laughter severely negated the threat.

"Not a very convincing argument there, giggles."

"What dihihid you just cahall mehehe?" Poseidon growled through growing hysterics.

"Giggles!" he repeated proudly. To prove his point, he reached up to flutter against Poseidon's fin-like ears.

"Ihihi do nohohot giggle!" he denied through a particularly bubbly bout of giggles.

"Pft, yeah, keep telling yourself that, it won't make it true," he continued to taunt. Poseidon managed to roll his eyes. "Ihif you dohohon’t just shut up-!" he sassed, cutting himself off with a gasp. Odysseus arched a brow and began kneading his hips. He threw his head back in hysterics, bucking like a wild horse.

"Oh yeah? You’ll what?" Odysseus growled threateningly, trailing off. Poseidon sneered and reeled back, ready to slap him, to grab his hands, to throw him off, to do anything to stop what was happening. And then Odysseus grabbed his wrist and pinned his arm above his head.

They locked eyes and Poseidon shook his head, frantically tugging at his arm. How the hell was he so strong? He was a mortal for crying out loud! So what the fuck was going on? Then again, he supposed he wasn't putting up much of a fight, the way he was cackling and flopping around like a fish out of water.

The irony was not lost on him.

It didn't take long for Odysseus to wrestle his other arm into place. He held down both of Poseidon's wrists as he reached off to the side.

He had grabbed Poseidon's own trident, holding it high above him so the light could glint off of it perfectly. Each prong was sharpened to a point, and aimed right at him.

"Hold still, yeah? Unless you want to get stabbed," Odysseus chuckled at his own joke. Poseidon remained speechless as his brain struggled to catch up with itself. He heard a loud metal shing followed by the sound of crumbling rock, and suddenly he could move his arms.

He couldn't move his arms!

He tugged and yanked frantically, but his trident held firm. Each wrist rested in the space between prongs, but there wasn't enough room to slip free.

"That's more like it," Odysseus examined his handiwork, making sure the trident wouldn't budge.

"Are you out of your mind! Let me go!" His entire body grew tense when he felt hands rest atop his ribcage.

"You're a God, it shouldn't be that hard to escape if you really want to," he noted in a condescending tone. Poseidon glared up at him, arms straining as he tugged futilely.

"Just what are you implying?" he hissed through clenched teeth. Odysseus grinned wider.

"Oh I'm not implying anything." He curled his fingers ever so slightly, just barely pressing into the skin. Poseidon gasped and arched his back, desperately fighting off a growing smile.

"You insolehent prihihihick! Stohohop thihis at once!" he demanded through deep hysterics as Odysseus clawed at his ribs.

"That depends. You gonna call off that storm?" Odysseus asked, wiggling his fingers faster as he spoke, making it impossible for Poseidon to answer.

He shook his head and choked out, "N-nehehever!" Odysseus shrugged, not an ounce of sympathy to be found.

"In that case, I guess I'll never stop."

"You thihihink this ihis funny?" he sounded significantly less threatening than he had hoped.

"Hilarious, actually," Odysseus deadpanned, scribbling between each rib, inching closer to his gills with each passing second. Poseidon's laughter rose in pitch, and he struggled with renewed intensity. Odysseus smirked down at him.

"Aw, what's the matter? Is this a bad spot?" he asked, running his thumbs along his bottom gill.

Poseidon snorted, arms straining where they were pinned. His cheeks were flushed, long dark hair fanned out around him like rolling waves.

"Noho, please! Not there!" he begged, a forced grin splitting his face in two as he spoke.

"Oh, have you changed your mind?" Odysseus asked, cocking his head innocently. But his hands hovered above Poseidon's gills, wiggling just above the skin.

He sucked in a breath, leaning as far away as he could. "No-" he barely choked out the single word before he was lost to bubbly hysterics. Odysseus traced along the edge of each gill slowly, watching his reactions with a close eye.

Poseidon snorted and squirmed from side to side, lips twitching into a giddy, nervous smile.

"In that case, I think I'll stay right here." Poseidon's eyes widened in something akin to fear.

"Wait, don't!" he protested, arching his back with a giggly snort when Odysseus traced along both sides. He only had to use one finger to get him squirming and choking back laughter. Poseidon bit his lip, but sputtering giggles and shrieks still managed to slip out. "Stohohop!"

"Don't stop? Wasn't planning to, but whatever you say! Gotta give the God what he wants," Odysseus taunted. Poseidon shook his head, a blush quickly spreading across his cheeks.

"You knohohow dahamn well thahahat's not what I meheheant!" he argued. His laughter was uncharacteristically high pitched as he teased his gills, and Odysseus was eager to see what other noises this spot would produce.

"Mmm, actually, I don't," Odysseus corrected with a casual shrug and a shit eating grin. He jumped to the next gill, wiggling a finger just barely underneath the edge. Poseidon snorted and gasped, arching his back as he clenched his jaw. And yet, his laughter persisted.

It was much more shrill than what Odysseus was expecting, but he supposed that was because of where he was targeting. He made sure to be careful around the gills, keeping his touch light and fluttery. You'd think the lighter tickling was worse from the way he was acting. Odysseus considered the thought, watching the way the God writhed and giggled beneath him.

"Come on, it can't be that bad. I'm barely even touching you!" he noted smugly, ghosting his fingertips along his ribs and gills. Poseidon threw his head back and let out a wheezing laugh.

"Ihit's fucking ahahawful!" he screamed, sounding less angry than he intended, and more desperate than he cared to admit. But as humiliating and degrading as this all was, there was a small part of him that was grateful he wasn't enduring real torture. If the King of Ithica was crazy enough to pull a stunt like this, then there's no telling what he's capable of.

He would count his blessings where he could.

He was pulled from his spiraling thoughts when he heard Odysseus chuckle. "That's over dramatic, don't you agree?" he asked, tracing the rim of his gills at an agonizingly slow rate.

"Nooo!" Poseidon denied, but Odysseus was unsure if he was answering the question, or protesting as the tickling began to speed up. He twisted side to side, unable to dislodge the hands exploring his ribs. He snorted and kicked frantically when a finger hesitantly wiggled underneath a gill.

"FUCK, dohohon't you dahare! I will kihihill you!" Poseidon threatened through breathless snickers. Odysseus cocked his head, sporting a sinister smirk.

He leaned down, invading the God's personal space until their noses were almost touching. "I don't think you will." Poseidon sneered up at him until it was forcibly replaced by a bright smile.

"You cocky little-" his words were cut off by a squeal that gave way to breathless cackles. Poseidon thrashed and tugged on his arms, but his trident held firm against the rocks. Odysseus fluttered his fingers on the inside of the gills, just barely reaching in.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Odysseus taunted, cupping an ear with one hand.

"NOHOHOT THEHERE! PLEHEHEASE!" he begged, snorting and wheezing in between bouts of hysterics.

"Wow, you do have manners," Odysseus feigned surprise. He decided to cut him some slack and switch to a new spot. After all, this was pretty fun, and Odysseus didn't want him to tap out too soon. He was thoroughly enjoying every second of his well earned revenge... And the power trip he got from it wasn't half bad either.

Poseidon cackled and swore under his breath as he continued teasing the inside of his gills. His laughter began to sound as though he were screaming underwater, frantic giggles gurgling in the back of his throat as he tried to shove them back down. Odysseus had never heard such a laugh, and took it as a sign to slow down.

"You’re starting to sound a little desperate there, so I guess you deserve a break. Besides, we still have other places to explore..." he trailed off as he rested his hands on his biceps. He lightly pressed into the flesh, watching carefully as Poseidon's breath hitched. He drug his hands down until he reached his bare pits.

"There is no we," he snapped through clenched teeth.

"I don't know, I'd say we're pretty close," he said, just to get under Poseidon's skin. It seemed to work, as he scoffed and glared up at him. "What do you think?" he prompted, cocking his head to the side.

"I thihink you're fucking crahahazy," Poseidon answered as his lingering chuckles faded. Odysseus seemed to soften at those words, placing a hand over his heart as they locked eyes.

"Aw, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd take that as a compliment."

"Y'know, I liked you a lot better when you can barely speak," Odysseus snarked. He didn't give the God a chance to answer before he dug back in, clawing at his exposed pits. Poseidon practically screamed, thrashing around on the rocks as he tugged and twisted his arms in a futile attempt to free himself.

"That's more like it!" Odysseus cheered, raking blunt nails down the center of his hollows. He snorted and cursed at the sharp ticklish sensation.

"Nohoho ihit's nohohot!" he argued. Odysseus arched a brow.

"You just like arguing for the sake of it, don't you?" he asked, not afraid to call him out.

"Ohoho lihike you dohohon't!" Poseidon taunted back through his giggles.

"Yeah, but you're a God. Aren't you supposed to be above shit like that?" he reasoned.

"Absolutely not!" he growled in frustration. Who was he to tell him how a God should act?

"Oh, sorry, my mistake," Odysseus faked an apology, not once slowing his movements.

"Quit beheheing such aha smart ahahass!" Poseidon demanded. He continued to thrash and kick about, the sea surrounding them churning and sloshing. The choppy waves rose and fell in time with Poseidon's bellowing voice.

"No thanks, I'm good," he shot back smugly. "Now listen up, I got a question for you." When Poseidon didn't answer, he drilled his thumbs in the center of his pits, drawing devastatingly ticklish circles.

"Whahahat?" he cried out, frustration and desperation mingling. Why couldn't this mortal just shut his fucking mouth for five minutes?

Odysseus leaned in with a sadistic grin as he asked, "So, how does it feel to be helpless?" The question caught Poseidon off guard, nearly choking on his own laughter. "How's it feel knowing you can't escape?"

"Thahat's m-mighty presumptuous ohohof you," he challenged, even as he fought off his mirth.

Odysseus snapped his head down to look at him, eyes wide in shock as a bewildered smile tugged at his lips. "Wait, can you escape?" he asked, genuinely curious now. He'd seen Poseidon move around as if he were water, and for all he knew, maybe he was. Yet his body felt solid and firm beneath his touch.

Odysseus just might be hallucinating, because he could swear Poseidon blushed at the question.

"Ehehenough! You dohohon't thihink I'm tryihihing?" he snapped defensively, tugging on his trapped arms with renewed effort. The truth of the matter was, Poseidon technically could escape if he really tried. But using his powers to slip away so easily just felt wrong. He was a God for crying out loud, he should be able to free himself with his strength alone! And at this point, he was determined to do so.

Odysseus studied him before answering. "I think you could try a little harder," he goaded, skittering his nails over the tense muscles of his arms. Poseidon's voice jumped in pitch, bordering on shrill.

"Ohoho whahat do you knohow ahahanyways?" he challenged through breathless snickers. It was meant as a rhetorical question, really. So why then, did Odysseus feel the need to answer?

"I know you're pretty damn ticklish for a God," he shot back, relishing in the way Poseidon glared at him; cheeks flushed and mouth agape in shock.

"Excuse me?" he choked out, struggling to keep his laughter contained. Even in his delirious state, he had to admire the sheer audacity.

"You're excused," Odysseus chuckled at his own joke, smirking at the way Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"You're really not ahas funny as you thihihink," he managed to complain with minimal chuckles.

Odysseus looked down at him, tilting his head to the side with mock innocence. "Really? Then why're you laughing?" He punctuated the question by fluttering his fingers behind his ears.

Poseidon shook his head, scrunching his neck as real, honest to the Gods giggles spilled past his lips.

"Oops, my mistake. Why are you giggling?" Odysseus "corrected" himself, sporting a sly grin.

"Ihihi aham nohohot!" he insisted, despite the bubbly laughter lacing his words.

"Denial looks good on you," he quipped back, tracing along the edges of his ear fins. Poseidon's eyes flew wide open as a dark blush spread across his cheeks.

"Ihihit does nohohot!" he argued, trying his best to sound intimidating. Apparently it didn't work as intended, seeing as Odysseus was cooing at him.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," he goaded, gently pinching his ear, just to hear him shriek. Poseidon flinched away from the touch with a snort.

"Aw, you must be really ticklish here," he added with amusement. Poseidon shook his head frantically, bubbly giggles gurgling in the back of his throat. Odysseus now realized that his laughter just sounded like that. How cute.

"Nohoho! S-stohohop!" he pleaded. The light, teasing touch was downright maddening, and he couldn't take the relentless teasing.

"No thanks, I'm good," Odysseus casually shrugged him off. He scratched blunt nails against the thin skin of his fins, drawing out the most endearing snickers.

"Why you little- wait, dohohon't!" he protested when he saw a mischievous smirk flash across the mortal's face. But there was nothing he could do to stop him when hands latched onto his hips. He bucked like a wild horse, head thrown back as booming cackles escaped him.

"Don't what?"

"Your stupid trihihicks won't work ohon mehehe!" he yelled, thrashing from side to side in an attempt to dislodge the torturous hands squeezing his hips.

Odysseus heaved a sigh and shrugged, "Oh well, it was worth a shot." He moved down to knead his thighs, flinching at the scream that filled the air. He pulled back to cover his ears, allowing Poseidon a moment to catch his breath.

"Oho fuck you, I'm not being that loud!" he snapped defensively. Odysseus opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, the sky lit up with a web of lighting as thunder roared overhead. Poseidon gawked up at the sky, a dark blue blush spreading across his cheeks as Odysseus doubled over in laughter.

"I think your brother would beg to differ!" he cheered mockingly, poking all over his belly. Poseidon snorted and curled in on himself, but no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't escape the unbearable feeling of fingers on his skin.

"Just shut thehe fuck up! I'll kihihill both of you!" he threatened. Odysseus rolled his eyes as another clap of thunder sounded above, mocking him. This couldn't possibly get any worse.

"I really don't think you could kill anyone right now," he taunted, squeezing down his thighs until he got to his knees, and a loud snort slipped out. He stayed there for a few agonizing seconds before turning around, straddling his legs. And that could only mean one thing.

"Wait! Nohoho!" he shrieked as Odysseus scraped his blunt nails down his soles. He scrunched his feet and kicked as much as he could, but his legs were pinned fairly well, and he was weak from laughter.

"Aw, you have webbing between your toes! That's honestly pretty adorable," he taunted with a fond smile.

"Wha- no it's not!" Poseidon sputtered, fighting off a blush and doing a rather poor job. "I live in the water, what the fuck did you expect?"

"Y’know what? I don't like your tone," Odysseus said, scribbling along his arches. He let out a giggly yelp, jerking beneath the touch.

"Ohoho fuck you! Just lehehet me gohoho!"

"I'll stop whenever you want, just call off the storm!" he insisted in a snide, taunting tone.

"I-I cahahan't!" Poseidon lied as he desperately tried to think of any other way out of the mess he'd gotten himself into.

"We'll see about that," Odysseus called his bluff, glaring down at him with playful malice. He held down his ankles and grabbed his toes, stretching them back. He began furiously scribbling the webbing between his toes, and the reaction was immediate.

Poseidon kicked his trapped legs, scrunching his toes as much as he could. Bubbly giggles and shrieks escaped him as Odysseus continued to rub the thin webbing. His nose was scrunched adorably as he snorted and shook his head frantically.

"Stohohop!" he pleaded once more, but Odysseus wasn't so eager to let him off the hook. At least, not yet.

"You didn't stop when I begged you, so why should I?" he justified the prolonged cruelty.

"Behehecause I fucking sahahay sohoho!" he ordered in between helpless snickers.

That was the last straw. Poseidon was going to cave, one way or another; Odysseus would make sure of it.

He spun around suddenly, vengeance flashing in his eyes. "You still think you're in control?" he challenged, digging into his gills without warning. Poseidon was caught off guard by the change of spots, screaming and wheezing through hysterics.

"NOHOHO! Y-YOU MOHOHONSTER!" he wailed at the top of his lungs. He arched his back, struggling to free himself. He threw his head back in frustration, cackles flowing freely from his smiling mouth.

Odysseus scoffed at the insult and rolled his eyes. "A tickle monster, maybe," he agreed with a snide chuckle. "But didn't you say that ruthlessness is mercy upon our-"

"Ahalrihihight! Plehehease!" he begged, finally admitting defeat. As much as it pains him to say it, he just couldn’t take any more.

Odysseus wore a satisfied grin as he stared down at him. He leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Now was that so hard?” Poseidon rolled his eyes, a fading blush still dusting his cheeks.

“Incredibly so,” he deadpanned. With a heavy sigh and a wave of his trapped hand, the raging ocean calmed. “There you go, you crazy bastard,” he huffed, sounding almost fond.

“Thank you, that’s all I wanted,” Odysseus said, releasing the tension in his shoulders as he stared at the distant shore. “No hard feelings?” he asked, holding his hand out in a show of truce, forgetting for a moment that the God’s hands were still trapped.

In his deliriously giddy state, Poseidon had forgotten he was supposed to be trapped as he begrudgingly shook the mortal’s hand. He shifted form and slipped past the metal prongs on his trident, flowing into his full height as he stood on the rocks.

Odysseus was frozen in shock, looking between Poseidon and his trident.

“So you could get out the whole time?”

Poseidon’s smirk dropped as he realized the mistake he made. “Wait-” he tried to backtrack.

“And you were just letting it happen!” Odysseus added with a mocking smile, taking one last opportunity to tease him.

“Watch it, I can bring back the storm whenever I like!” he threatened, but it wasn’t nearly as scary as it should’ve been. “But I wasn’t going to resort to cheating in order to beat you,” he justified. Odysseus snorted in amusement, arching a brow skeptically.

“Cheating?” he repeated, making Poseidon scoff and drench him with a wave from behind. “Hey!”

“Using my powers to escape so easily would’ve just been cowardly and unfair,” he justified, because that’s totally the only reason…

“Yeah, cause you looked so brave giggling yourself silly,” Odysseus couldn’t help but taunt, enjoying the choked sputtering the comment earned.

“Whatever, it was getting loose. I would’ve broke free any second.”

“Oh? Is that why you tapped out?” he goaded further, still riding high off of the power trip. Poseidon weighed his options, but decided it wasn’t worth it.

“You’ve wasted enough of my time already. You’re lucky I have places to be,” he said, turning towards the water without another word.

“See ya later,” Odysseus called after him with a small wave. Poseidon froze in his tracks, looking back over his shoulder to glare at him.

“No you won’t,” he corrected harshly, flashing a small grin his way before melting into the waves, leaving Odysseus alone.

“Yeah I will,” he said to himself, smiling out at the calm sea.

[avesrinapproved]

some cute alexander snidbits from my epic: the musical fix it fic

Polites now chasing her around with one of the bird feathers trying to tickle her, Alexander squealing and laughing as she runs from him, darting behind Odysseus's legs to hide from him.

He chuckles, "Ooh, do I make a good shield?”

Odysseus smiles as Polites comes to try and snatch Alexander up, helping trip Polites up as she darts around his legs.

Polites laughs "no fair! it's two against one!" He complains, Alexander sticking her tongue out at him from behind Odysseus.

"Oh but I am just a shield." Odysseus informs.

"Captain, you tripped me. that's more than a shield." Polites points out.

"Ooh, I did?" He gives a smug smile.

"yes" polities wrinkles his nose at him

Both Odysseus and Alexander laugh "I think Alexander here is just using his wits."

Polites looks at them both with suspicion "well he is very smart.." he nods

"You were just out witted." Odysseus teases

------

It doesn’t take long for others to rouse and grab something quick to eat while they work. Rousing the other ships with their horns, communicating the course they're taking through a series of blasts.

Alexander's little grumpy face popping up from below deck. "can't you keep it down out here?" She asks all huffily,

Odysseus chuckles softly, at her request "I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep, But this is how we talk to each other while on different ships."

She pouts more "well then stop talking" she says, like it's an obvious answer.

-------

next island. Focus on that, that is important. Closer to home. Closer to Penelope, to Telemuchus..

"captain.." polites whisper shouts to get his attention

He blinks a few times as he turns to look at Polites, "Ah, I was unfocused.."

He shushes him and gestures to his lap where Alexander has fallen asleep

He looks down, getting a soft, loving look. Ooh, sweet child.. He smiles, She must be so tired from all this. He can't wait to get her home.. To give her a proper bed, a proper meal

Polites trys to hand the kid off to him so he can continue rowing

Odysseus gingerly takes her. Sweet small one. He'll tuck her in

She cuddles into his shoulder to snooze

[an-unknowntraveler]

Welcome home.

Sneak peak of the fic I promised I’d write 😝

Twenty whole years… twenty whole years had passed since Odysseus was gone, then… he returned. He killed all of the suitors, to protect his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. Telemachus loved his father, but was struggling to get adjusted to having his father around, considering his father made… some rather… terrible dad jokes. Penelope feared Telemachus would dislike his father, despite it being the opposite.

And it was a year… after the return of Odysseus of Ithaca. Telemachus was training with Athena, but he kept getting distracted. “Is something wrong??” Telemachus heard a voice say, then he looked up. oh.. it was just Athena. Telemachus didn’t know what to say, or do really. He just sighed, and sat down on the ground, while Athena looked down at him with curiosity.

“Telemachus??” She called out again. And there it was.. no reply. she was slightly concerned, she was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts though, when Telemachus suddenly spoke up. She looked at him again, as he said the words of… “Athena, I don’t know why. I love my father dearly— yet I can’t seem to get adjusted to having him around. Despite him being gone for so long, and me constantly missing him.” He looked ashamed of himself, and looked away from her, in fear of what she’d think.

“Oh… Telemachus… don’t worry about it, please.” her much stoic tone during training vanished, softening a lot, as she kneeled down next to him. “It’s okay to feel that way Telemachus, it’s confusing sometimes. your feelings are valid no matter what. it’s okay to be confused. or scared.” She spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder. “you,me,Penelope, and Odysseus, know deep in your heart. You love your father. You might not be adjusted to having him around right away, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love him, because you do love him. That’s what matters most.”

(Chat I genuinely can’t write but tis okay)

[an-unknowntraveler]

THIS IS ADORABLE, sobs, lee Hermes‼️

Rewarding revenge

🎂: epic the musical

🧁: Hermes

🍫:Odysseus

Summary: Hermes has tickled Odysseus one too many times for his liking. Time for a little payback.

A/N; thank you to the anon who gave me this idea! If you see this I hope it’s to your liking! I’m not super proud of the ending but whatever. Also, yay, more shameless lee Hermes! Enjoooyyy :3

Cw: mild swearing, really intense tickles! (But don’t worry, he enjoys every second of it.)

Rewarding revenge

It was another day on the ship, and Odysseus was thinking.

He had just had another interaction with Hermes a few days prior, and like he usually did, Hermes had decided to tickle the shit out of him.

While he didn’t.. hate it.. it was still annoying, and he wanted a bit of revenge.

So, he sent up a hopefully non-conspicuous prayer to summon Hermes.

When Hermes got the message, simply asking to hang out, he was definitely suspicious, but also amused and endlessly curious. So, he decided to go. Might be fun, after all! And Hermes is always up for some fun.

So, later that evening, when Odysseus was spending some time in his room, Hermes appeared.

“Hey, friend! I got your little prayer!”

Odysseus was honestly a little shocked that worked. He sat up in his bed, gently patting the space next to him.

“Ah, Hermes! Come, sit!”

Hermes smiled brightly and sat next to the soldier. “Well, how do you do?”

“Ah, I’m well. You?”

“I’m good as well! I must say, it’s not often I get a request just to hang out! I’m quite delighted you wished to spend time with me!”

Odysseus chuckled a bit. “Ah, well, you’ve been nice to me, and you’re pleasant enough company.”

“I know I am, thanks for noticing!” Hermes winked, playfully posing in a showy manner.

Odysseus laughed. He had summoned Hermes for ulterior motives, but he actually was quite funny.

He scooted a little closer, hoping Hermes wouldn’t notice. Hermes did notice, but he pretended he didn’t. He was curious! Wanted to see where this was going.

“So, what did you want to talk about, friend?” Hermes asked, still grinning.

“Ah, nothing in particular. Just whatever comes to mind.”

“I see, just a causal chat! Always love one of those- I’m quite the conversationalist!”

The joking remark got another laugh out of Odysseus, which caused Hermes to grin proudly. He was always happy to make someone laugh.

“That you are.” Odysseus got a little closer again.

“did you have free time to come down here? Or are you skipping out on your duties?” Ody asked, a playfully teasing tone to his voice.

“Hmm, not telling~” Hermes shrugged and then sing-songed in response.

Odysseus laughed again. “So you are skipping out? I mean, I imagine you’re quite the busy god, with all the various domains you have.”

“True! But I’m also quite speedy, don’t you forget! Nah, I had some time.” Hermes revealed with a laugh if his own.

“Ah, well that’s good. Wouldn’t want to distract you from your job, now would we?”

“That we would not.” Hermes laughed again, his little squeaky giggle.

Odysseus posed a question, seemingly out of nowhere. “So, Hermes- do you like to laugh?”

Hermes seemed a little surprised at the sudden question, but answered nonetheless. He had a feeling this might be why he was actually summoned.

“Why, of course I do! Who doesn’t?”

“Ah, that’s good. Let me help you with that!” Without any further warning, the captain snapped his arms around the god and started to scribble against his ribs.

Hermes immediately bursted into happy giggles, not trying to hold back in the least.

“Ehehehe- Ohohody! Ahahaha!” He called a bit, squirming slightly.

“What’s wrong? Can’t take what you dish out?”

“Ehehehehehaha! Ohoho, thahat tihihickles! Ehehehe!” Hermes giggles were bubbly and almost childish in nature, such a purely joyful sound that it made Odysseus laugh along with it.

“Ha! It’s about time I got a little payback!”

Hermes could easily get out of this. Easily. He was very powerful, after all. But he didn’t want to, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. But. He wanted to see if Ody could figure it out on his own.

“So, how’s it feel to be on the other end, huh?”

“Tihihickly!” Hermes snarked, an obvious statement, for amusement. It worked as intended, getting a small amused huff from Odysseus.

“Well no shit, Sherlock. That’s the point.”

To accentuate his words, Odysseus moved his hands to Hermes’ tummy, starting to press lightly on the surface.

Hermes giggles immediately increased in pitch, such a joyful, silly, sugar-sweet sound that Odysseus couldn’t help but laugh along. 

“Eeehahahahaha ohoho nohoho, dohohont doho thahat- ehehehehehe!”

“You know, you could probably escape easily if you really wanted to.” Odysseus commented, successfully realizing the thing Hermes wasn’t even trying to hide.

“Ihihi knohow! Ehehehehe!”

“So, why aren’t you? Do you perhaps like this?”

Hermes nodded, gleeful and giddy as he laughed. “Yehehehehes! Ehehahahahaha-! Tohook yohou lohong ehenohough toho fihigure ohout!” Hermes teased slightly, never one to hold his tongue.

“Oh, really? Are you in any position to give me sass?” Odysseus teased, getting far more into the role now that he knew his friend was enjoying it. He pressed down harder, vibrating clawed hands into Hermes’ stomach.

Hermes squealed, a bouncy, bubbly laugh falling freely from his chest. “Eeee! Ahahahaha thahahat reheheally tihihickles ehehehehehe!”

“Good. Maybe that’ll teach you not to sass me.” Odysseus didn’t let up, still pressing vibrating claws into the god’s belly, making him laugh giddily, his wings flapping slightly.

Odysseus’ eyes followed the motion of the white feathers, and he smirked. He took one hand and moved it up, grabbing one of the wings behind his ears and starting to rub the feathers in between his fingers.

Hermes squealed, a high pitched laugh leaving him. “EEEE! NOHOHOHO-! NOHOHOT THEHE WIHINGS!”

“Oh? Not the wings? Not these little wings right here?” Seeing how horribly it tickled the god, Odysseus brought up his other hand to grab the matching wing in the other side and do the same thing.

Hermes was completely lost to his laughter, chest and stomach shaking from the force of it as small tears formed in his eyes. That tickled so! Bad!

“EEEHAHAHA PLEHEHEASE, OHOHODYYY!” His laughter was squeaky and happy, and Odysseus found that it got more and more contagious the longer it went on, not being able to stop himself from laughing along.

“Hehe, that’s a pretty contagious laugh you’ve got there.”

Hermes was too busy laughing and squirming to reply, his sanity starting to slip in the best way from the ticklish sensation. It was driving him mad, unrelenting tingles racing across his wings and causing fluttering laughter to swarm in his belly.

“What’s wrong? Too ticklish to speak?” Odysseus emphasized the word with a teasing lilt, causing a slight blush to form on Hermes’ face.

The room was filled with the happy, bubbly giggles of the god of messages, squealing laughter echoing from him as his very sensitive wings were assaulted with happy, tingly sensations.

“EEE OHODY PLEHEHEHEASEE!” He begged through his loud, squeaky laughter, only partially true. Because he could probably get away if he really wanted to, although it might be harder considering how weak he was from laughter.

Odysseus just chuckled. “Tickle tickle tickle~” he spoke with a teasing lilt, and he could swear that Hermes squeaked at the words.

Hermes was overwhelmed but at the same time so happy. The tickles were driving him crazy and he didn’t even care, because it was so much fun, sending waves of pure joy through him with every wheezing laugh, every contraction of the muscles in his tummy and sides. Tears of joy had fallen at the point, trailing past the shaded boundary from his helmet.

“EEHAHAHA OHODY PLEHEHEASE STAHAHAP! EHEHEHEHEE!”

“I don’t know.. you tickled me first. Twice.”

“IHIM SOHORRRYYY PLEHEHEHEASEE!”

He was absolutely hysterical with laughter, face starting to hurt from being stretched into such a wide smile for so long. His thoughts were so foggy, his brain thoroughly turned to mush from happiness that he couldn’t even think straight enough to use his powers to get away. He loved it so much but at the same time he couldn’t take anymore!

Sensing that Hermes was getting a little overwhelmed, Odysseus decided to give him a small breather, just lightly tapping against his hips to keep him giggling.

Hermes took the chance to greedily take in air, letting his warm face cool down.

“Hehehehehe.. ohoho myhy gohods.. ehehehe- thahat wahahas aha lohot.”

“Oh, did you think we were done? Oh no no no, I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. I want you to be an absolute puddle of laughter by the time I’m through.”

Hermes eyes sparkled with excitement, hidden by the shade of his helmet, a few giddy giggles falling from him. He was honestly excited by the idea, even though he had just been wrecked within an inch of his life, he still wanted more.

Ody smirked as he saw the excitement ripple through the god of speed. “Oh, what was that~? Did that excite you?”

Hermes nodded, still unashamed for his love of being tickled.

Odysseus chuckled in response, before responding with a teasing lilt that caused more giddy butterflies to flutter within Hermes, making him giggle more than he already was from the light taps on his hips.

“Any last words before I make you hysterical again~?”

Hermes thought for a moment, before shaking his head, eager to get on with it.

Odysseus nodded and then started with kneading his tummy, making him burst into giddy laughter immediately.

“Ahahahahahaha! YohOU ahahare reheheally gohood ahat thahahat- EE!” He complained and complimented at the same time, half protesting but not really meaning a word of it.

“Oh, why thank you!” He grinned smugly, and then, just to be evil, he moved his hands to attack Hermes’ underarms and started to blow raspberries all over his belly.

“OHOHO NOHO- EEE! Dohohont dohoho THahahAT-!”

Odysseus felt his inner father emerging, putting on a sort of playful act and making silly noises as he blew raspberry after raspberry onto the messenger’s tummy, using his beard to add an extra layer of ticklishness.

“Omnomnom! This belly is really tasty!” He made little growling and nomming sounds, which made Hermes laugh even harder from amusement at the silly act.

Hermes was absolutely hysterical with laughter, kicking his feet slightly to try and expel the intense giddy energy rippling through him. Each raspberry sent waves of laughter and tingles across his belly, and it didn’t go away. It lingered, and then layered with each new raspberry or nibble, growing more and more ticklish as time went on. Hermes was crying with laughter and happiness, the feeling so intense and so amazing.

He squeaked and squealed as Odysseus blew a raspberry on his lower tummy, then on each side, then right over his bellybutton, then on his ribs, all over his torso, leaving waves upon waves of giddy tingles.

“AHahahahahHEHA! Ihihit tihihickles sohoho BaHAD EhehehehEHEHAHA!” His chest and stomach were shaking and bouncing from his laughter, the wide, giddy smile never leaving his face, his genuine happiness being contagious to Odysseus.

Odysseus chuckled as well, unable to stop himself at hearing the silly, contagious sound of Hermes’ laughter. He decided to lower the intensity for a bit, moving his hands down to start scribbling behind his knees.

Hermes kicked slightly on instinct, but he didn’t try to truly escape. His hysterical, squeaky laughter died down to giggles again, allowing him to take in air.

“Ehehehehe ohoho myhyhy! Ehehe- ihihi cahahant breheheathe- hoholy moholy..” Hermes breathed out through his giggles, taking in breaths and still feeling so giddy.

Odysseus gave him a chance to breathe for a moment, wiggling his fingers behind his knees and tracing around his ankles, before managing to pry his sandals away from his feet slightly, and scratching gently at the soles.

Hermes giggles increased, not nearly as hysterical as it was earlier, but definitely more than it was from the more gentle tracing.

“EhHahHaha ohohohody plehehehease! Ehehehehe!”

“Oh, come on. We both know you don’t actually want me to stop.”

Hermes nodded again. He really didn’t. He protested, yes, but he didn’t mean any of it. It was only instinct, the natural reaction to such intense tickles, even though he enjoyed every second.

After a few more moments, Ody smirked and turned to look at Hermes, speaking with a teasing, taunting tone.

“I’m gonna get your wings~” he sing-songed, scratching at the edge of his ankle, right before where the wings met.

Hermes frantically protested, a giddy nervousness filling his chest and stomach. “Nonononohoho!”

“Yes yes yes~ these soft, little wings are gonna get tickled~”

A faint blush dusted Hermes’ face at the teasing words, so many butterflies and zaps of giddy, nervous excitement rushing through him as the anticipation drove him up the wall.

“Are you ready~”

“Nohoho!” Hermes protested again, even though he would much rather the soldier get it over with rather than deal with this anticipation.

Odysseus smirked again, responding instantly and with a faux lack of sympathy. “Too bad.”

Without any pause, he grabbed each wing on one leg and started to scribble against the feathers, scratching at the base of the wings.

Hermes was once again immediately thrown into heavy , hysterical laughter. “EEHAHAHA! OHOHO MYHYHY GOHODS- NOHOHOT THEHEHEHERE! EEEE!”

Odysseus chuckled again, the contagious laughter fully infecting him. “Oh my, quite ticklish here, are we~?”

Hermes blushed a bit more at the teasing, the fluster only adding to the ticklish experience, if you asked him.

His free wings on the other ankle flapped frantically, drawing the king’s attention.

“Well, would you look at that. It seems like your left set of wings is feeling a little left out.”

“NohOhOHO-! PLEHEHEHEASE!”

“Please tickle your other wings? Why of course!” He taunted, switching sides.

He once again pinched and rubbed the feathers in between his fingers, making Hermes toss his head back as fits of laughter racked his whole body.

He got such an evil thought just then, leaning to one of the wings being his ears and blowing a huge raspberry right on it.

Hermes squealed with laughter once again, absolutely hysterical as mirthful tears dampened his face.

“NOHOHO- EEEEEHAHAHAHAHA! IHIHI CAHAHANT HOHOLY MOHOLY-EEHAHAHAHA!”

Hermes was in absolute ticklish agony, his whole torso quivering with the force of his hysterical laughter from the blissful torture. It was absolutely horrible and yet he loved it so much, rushes of euphoria filling him with every laugh, every raspberry on his wings, every overwhelming ticklish touch.

After only a minute or so of that, Odysseus stopped completely with a final wiggle in his bellybutton, leaving Hermes gasping for air in between fits of residual giggles.

He wiped his eyes under his helmet from the tears of laughter, his face still split in two from his wide smile.

“Ahahahaha.. wohohoah.. yohou’re reheheally gohood ahahat thahahat… ehehehehe…”

Odysseus chuckled a bit. “Yeah, I really did a number on you, didn’t I?”

Hermes nodded, still giggling and trying to cool his breathing and blushing face.

“Are you alright? I didn’t go too far, did I?”

Hermes shook his head slightly. “No, Noho, yohou’re ahalrihihight. That was greheheat.”

“Man, you really like being tickled, don’t you?”

“Yeheheah! It’s fun to laugh like thahat.. ehehehe.”

“Well, I’m glad to have provided that for you.”

“Thahank yohou, daharling.”

“No problem!”

After another minute or so, Hermes finally stopped giggling, and dusted himself off before standing.

“Well, I best be off. I do have a job to do! But don’t be afraid to send a message whenever you want to hang! This was splendid!”

Odysseus chuckled a bit. “And you dont be afraid to come down and ask me for tickles anytime you want.”

Hermes giggled a bit in response. “I’ll keep that in mind. Ta-ta darling!~”

“See ya round!”

And with that, Hermes flew off, leaving with a light heart and a wide smile.

———THE END———————————————————-

[fangirlofallthefanthings]

Hello!

My name is Char. (any similar nickname is acceptable) I am an artist, writer, and, as the name implies, a fan of many things. I mostly reblog or shout rare, post-worthy thoughts into the ether. At the moment, my interests lie with:

The Trojan War and Greek Mythology in general

Ancient History

EPIC: The Musical

Crochet

However, if anything shiny catches my eye, I'll also reblog that.

If you choose to follow, great! But there are a few ground rules you need to be aware of:

This is a safe space. If you're going to be a bigot, terf, ableist, racist, any sort of phobic, or disrespectful in any way, shape, or form, get the fuck out.

With that out of the way I have posted a few things that might tickle your fancy on A03! I am the account "A_Humble_Fan17" over there. Here is the link

There is much more on the way, but in the meantime, feel free to check out the tags "fanfic" and "char writes" for any updates or snippets! Here are a few things I'm working on:

A series of four works that go through Odysseus's life (details below)

An AU where Paris of Troy mistakenly kidnaps Penelope instead of Helen titled Ithaca's Nine

A medieval AU with a twist involving characters from the Iliad and Odyssey titled Adventure Awaits! that I will be updating here on Tumblr (link to Pt.1)

A post-canon fic for the movie trilogy Night At The Museum titled When The World's (Treasures Are) At Stake (link to snippet)

THE BIG SERIES:

A Boy and A Goddess: Odysseus fights the giant boar as a boy and wins, gaining Athena's favor and a large scar on his leg. Tiny Bean(tm) hijinx continue through the years as he becomes a man. And maybe a little self-discovery?

A Change of Plans: Word travels to Ithaca that Helen of Sparta is up for marriage. Prince Odysseus decides to go, mainly to make allies for Ithaca but partly to watch the chaos unfold. But when he meets Helen's cousin, Penelope, plans change. This work involves the evolution of OdyPen's relationship, the oath of Tyndareus, Odysseus winning Penelope's hand, their marriage, and Odysseus becoming king. Also baby Telemachus! :D

Troy Story: War. Lots of angst. A lot of blaming himself. But he finds unlikely friends and allies through it all.

The King and The Infant: (explanation here)

I can't wait to share more with you all! More is on the way! I promise! <3

Asks: Open! :D

Plus: linktree

Worm by my lovely moot, @iroissleepdeprived