#epic: the musical fanfiction

[thekingofthenameless]

I finished the thing!!!

[tunguszka20]

Odysseus: All the pain that I've been through, haven't I suffered enough?!

Fanfiction writers: Most definitely not

[scarlet-sam-chaos]

with #manwhore au going around again, me being me is posting dis again:

i cant mansplain, manipulate, manslaughter my way out of this (manwhore it is-)

“She offered me everything, Zeus,” Odysseus continued, his voice low and intimate. “But I resisted, for my heart belonged only to Penelope. Like this...”

‘Witnessing this,’ Eurylochus thought as he watched Odysseus- still bleeding and wearing what was practically rags by now- sway dramatically, ‘was worse than being potentially dead.’

Hera, sensing the tension between the mortal and her husband, cleared her throat pointedly. “That's enough, Odysseus,” she interjected with a raised eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.

Or, how Odysseus managed to save himself as well as his crew. He learnt that ruthlessness was mercy from Poseidon, and that there are other ways of persuation from Circe.

[ruthlessness69]

same scene, just a bit more of it

for anyone who's interested in my fic:

I have a request for help!

I need someone who's ready to read my fic (in translation) and help me to correct some things which might sound not really good or natural (English is not my first language and I feel a bit uncertain about how it turned out). please dm me if you'd like to help 🙏🩵

upd. link to the fic

[simping-overload]

ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴀᴍɴ ᴅᴇᴇʀ - ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʜᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ

a/n: showing my love for my favorite Greek God of all time, Hermes<3 this is a multichapter fanfic.

trigger warnings: animal hunting so animal death. Religious themes and practices

synopsis: You never thought helping out a lost hobo would end up with you in the loving embrace of a god.

『read on ao3』

『prev chapter ⟺ next chapter』

disclaimer: hermes is based on his BOZ, EPIC, and canon mythology. I don't really know how ancient greece actually was or how hunting works so take this with a grain of salt! It is just fanfiction :)

You come from a village that has been long-term worshippers of the goddess, Artemis. Each year, the village holds a festival, Laphria¹. With this festival, of course, comes activities, the most important being the hunt. Where 3 main selected participants, who were allowed to bring at the maximum two others along the hunt with them, they were to hunt down a large stag, whoever was to bring back the largest wins.

The reward would entail being given a large sum of money and being allowed to worship the goddess to the fullest extent, which means you'd get to say your prayers before everyone, including the high elders.

This year, you were finally chosen for the hunt, much to the joy of your family and friends. You were their best hunter and tracker, able to find an animal with ease regardless of how little the evidence that has been left behind.

After passing a familial trail—hunting a snow hare in the middle of snowstorm— you were gifted a beautiful pup who you named Winston². The two of you were jointed at the hip. There wasn't a place you'd go without him. This included the hunt.

You decided to bring two of your beloved friends along, Damian and Agnes. You set off at dawn, racing into the trees on the back of your horses, Winston running ahead as the scout.

Agnes and Damian were chattering away behind you as you looked over the map. You wanted to try and plan out all paths you could safely use.

"So...do you think if I win this, it would get Corinna at the very least interested in me?" Damian questions, fiddling with the horses' reins. He had a crush on Corinna ever since they were teens, spending most of his time trying to impress her— which failed considering he always made a fool of himself.

Agnes, bless her, rolling her eyes as she listens to Damian rant, just as the millions times before. She's been friends with him since they were babies. Both of their mothers were the best of friends, so it makes sense they were too.

You didn't come into the picture until you were about 7 or so, moving here to take care of your grandmother after she got sick.

You met Agnes when your mother invited hers over, and then her mother invited Damian's over. You all were just placed in front of each other and expected you all to click automatically. Thankfully, you did, and you've been friends ever since.

"Probably, but you need to remember Nikolaos is in this competition too, I know he's been desperate to get her hand as well." She pauses as her horse jumps over a fallen tree. She looks back at Damian with a blank stare and continues. "And also this could've been avoided if you just grew a pair of balls and confessed."

"I can't just do that— I need to get her attention first. Maybe we'll find that white stag the elders ramble about." Damian giggles as he pictures Corinna leaping into his arms and saying yes to his proposal. He was such a lovesick fool.

"Or maybe she's already interested and is waiting for you to confess. I've heard its custom in her family for the woman to wait for the man to ask, no matter how long it takes." You chime in, not looking up from your map.

"Wait wh—" Damian is cut off when a large gray wolf jumps from out of the trees, holding a white hare in its mouth.

Your horse, startled, bucks you off its back, sending you to the forest floor. You're now eye level with the wolf, noticing how its eyes are an unnatural golden color.

You and the wolf stared each other down for a moment before it huffed and leaps back into the trees. Agnes drops down from her horse and rushes to your side, while Damian goes off to fetch your horse.

You snapped out of your daze when you felt something wet touched your cheek. It was Winston, licking at you and whining in concern.

You pat his head to calm him, and you lean on Agnes for support as you stand. She brushes the dirt and leaves off your back.

"Hey, you okay?" She questions, her freckled face is laced with concern.

You feel fine, a little sore, but nothing you hadn't been through before. There was something about that wolf that just stuck with you, "Yeah, I'm fine. That wolf, though... its eyes were like pure gold."

"Maybe it's one of Lady Artemis' wolves? It wouldn't be the first time she's watched over the hunts." She suggests, steppingaway from you once you've steady yourself. Damian comes back with your now calm horse, handing you the reins.

"I suppose? Though I never heard of a wolf having pure gold eyes before... Anyway, Winston, did you see anything?

Winston barks in reply, his tail wagging before he runs off. You mount your horse and begin to follow him. You motion the other two to do the same.

Winston leads you to what looks to be a temple, one that seems to have been neglected for years. Nature has taken over, vines have trickled up and wrapped themselves around the columns, and grass and flowers grow from the cracks of the floor. The usual pure white of the marble has faded into a off white tan color with a thin layer of moss across the surface.

"Let's make sure the area is safe for us to set up camp here. Agnes, check out the back of the temple, and Damian, you'll start with the outer perimeter. I'll start with the inside. Regroup to the front once you're sure no one else has been here."

Agnes nods, and Damian gives an alright in response before going back into the forest. You dismount your horse, tying it to a loose fence post. You make your way up the cracked stone steps and into the temple.

The rays of sun lit the inside of the temple, illuminating the illustrations that line the walls and ceilings. Going off of the winged shoes on the god that was illustrated, this was a temple of Hermes. You wonder if there was ever a village that was here before yours that were worshippers of him.

Your search around the temple came up empty, with no human activity. Only animals and plants seemed to have been inside. You leave the temple in time to see with Damian and Anges coming back.

"There doesn't look like there's anyone for miles, only animals. I saw the cutest fox kits." Anges says.

"Same here, though I wasn't blessed with seeing any cute aniamls today." Damian pouts, dismounting his horse, kneeling down next to Winston to ruffle his fur, "Expect for this bugger." Winston barks and licks the man's hand.

You chuckle, "Looks like it's safe to set up camp here, we'll need to find something to eat, so I'll try and find something for us. You two just set up camp and remember to use the horn if anything happens."

They give you mock salutes in response before they begin to take the supplies off the horses and into the temple. You mount yours and whistle for Winston to follow as you trot off into the woods.

It doesn't take you long to hunt something down. After finding some boar tracks, Winston leads the rest of the way to the creature. Upon finding it, you ready your bow, steadying yourself on the moving horse as you focus your aim on the boar.

You suck in a breath, drawing back your arrow and whispering a short prayer to Artemis as you relase. The arrow pierces through the side of the boar, straight to the heart, quick and painless.

Suddenly, you hear a loud scream, and off in the distance, you can see someone running towards you with what looks like a... deer? Chasing after them. Winston stands alert, ears perked, and focused on the person getting closer to you. You hold your reins tight while Winston moves in front of the horse.

The person turned out to be Nikolaos. You spot his signature ginger hair showing from under his hood before he trips over a log and face plants in front of you. He doesn't try to exchange pleasantries as he scrambles up to keep running.

The deer came soon after, gracefully hopping over the log. It glanced at you for a meer moment, giving you enough time to see its golden eyes. The same color from the wolf.

You hop down off your horse, making your way to the boar.

You are for sure this time that it wasn't Artemis. Maybe some other god?

You wrap the boars legs tight with string as you bring it back to your horse, settling it on the rear. Positioned so it won't slip off, you mount your horse once more before going back the direction you came.

As you make your way back. Your mind wanders back to Hermes. It could be him. After all, he's one of the more playful gods known for his pranks and tricks. You'll have to make an offering to him for letting you sleep in the temple, regardless if it's abandoned or not, and so he doesn't prey on your friends like he did Nikolaos.

By the time you made it to camp, it was dusk. Agnes greets you outside, taking the horse reins from you. You take the boar off of the horse, taking off to the side as you make quick work of the animal, cutting off the hide and chopping the pieces of meat you need. You leave whatever is left for Winston and the other forest creatures to feast.

Damian is quick to start cooking. Thankfully, his mother was kind enough to pack spices so your group wouldn't have to suffer tasteless food.

Until the sky went dark, you spent the rest of your time eating and talking. Damian nearly choked on his food when he heard you recant the experience in the woods earlier. He says he wishes he could've seen the look on that bastards face when he was running away. Agnes jokes that Nikolaos probably looked like a scared chicken. Which admittedly, he did, come to think of it, his screams sounded like the human equivalent of one.

As the night went on, it got quiet, Damian was the first to sleep, and Agnes was next. Winston is sprawled out in between them, snoring away. Before you rest, you bring a plate of food and burning incense to the altar.

You whisper, "Please, Hermes. The God of speed and travel grant us permission to make sanctions in your temple. If you disapprove, we will be out as the sun rises. Take this food as a thank you for allowing us to sleep here for the night." You pause. "Also... please refrain from chasing us as a deer or anything else for that matter. While it was funny what you did to Nikolaos, I would rather not soil my pants." You chuckle, placing the food onto the alter and the incense in a dusty holder.

You go back to your original resting place, leaning against the pillar. You feel a soft and comfortable breeze flow through the temple. The sounds of the trees rustling soothe you into a nice slumber.

Still in deer form, Hermes walks through the woods, no set destination just allowing the fates to choose where he will end up. Faintly, he can hear someone whisper a prayer.

"Please, Hermes. The God of speed and travel grant us permission to make sanctions in your temple. If you disapprove, we will be out as the sun rises..."

It was not often that he received prayers, especially not in his sisters park of Greece. He lets the prayer pull him towards the location.

Switching to his human form, he approaches the temple. It was one of his firsts. A gift to him by his father. While unkept, it still stood strong.

He sniffs the air, a familiar smell, boar. Not only did he get a prayer, but he got an offering, too? Just what he needed after chasing the mortals.

He giggles as he makes his way inside, involuntary waking up Winston, who was silenced a quick shush and a pat to the head.

Hermes looks around at the mortals who sleep before him. Wondering who said the prayer, his eyes land on you. Still leaned against the pillar, head thrown back against it. Your hand is tightly wrapped around a dagger. Ready to strike if need be.

He studied your face for a moment, his hand twitched with the desire to trace over your features. You were very attractive for a mortal, and judging from the faint golden aura he could see emitting from you, you're the one who prayed.

He steps away with a grin, making his way to the alter. He picks the plate up, nearly drooling on the food. As much as he'd love to take his time eating, he's a glutton. In seconds, the plate is empty. He holds back a burp as he makes his way back out of the temple, glancing at you as he makes his way out.

Well, he's going to have some fun on this vacation.

[lovely-p-issues]

Fic idea - Astyanax in Ithaca

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now his dad is back but with a new child.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Besides, Odysseus has another son anyway, right?

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

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

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

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

He doesn't blame Astyanax.

He just can't stand him.

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

Father said I'm getting better at parrying-

When I was with father on Calypso's island-

Father does this completely differently-

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

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

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

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

Telemachus was tired after all day when he met Odysseus.

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

Odysseus nodded and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Telemachus. Well done."

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

"Of course, father."

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

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

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

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

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

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

He no longer watched.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Damn it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They stayed silent for a few minutes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hug your bloody kid."

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

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

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

[lovely-rants-alot]

one thing I noticed with the ithaca saga is how the challenge is framed.

With Penelope, she says 'whoever can string my husband's old bow'. Nothing really unusual, cause Odysseus is still her husband.

Where as the Suitors say 'whoever can string the old king's bow'. They feel entitled to being the new king. Odysseus is out the picture for them.

It would've been so easy to just have the lyric be 'whoever can string the king's old bow', but it's not.

To Them, Odysseus is no longer king, and I think when he does actually show up at the end of Hold Them Down, they would've been floored.

The fact they go back to calling him king when they're begging for mercy just adds salt to the wound. Like he's only their king when it's convenient.

I could be reading into this too much but it's still so interesting to me.

[mellohiizz]

mel mellohiizz............ can i beg for uu!parrot and uu!clownpierce art

i love the parallels between them, it's so fun to think about

[i-am-a-living-god]

Epic the musical inspired me to draw this for my really short kinda bad fanfic "please"

Umm the one-shot itself is pretty bad, but it you want to read it go for it lol, I'm not promising quality tho.

Sometimes you'll do a little doodle in class, decide that you want to digital-ify it and boom, before you know it you created whatever tf this is lmao

Song lyrics are from survive from epic the musical

[thekingofthenameless]

I think it would be funny if Athena tried to clean up and is just dragging bodies around since she doesn’t have all of her powers back yet

[poseidon-you-loser]

Cursed!Odysseus EPIC au drabble

(Warning: Iittle bit of body horror ahead)

“Choose.”

“Choose?”

“Someone’s got to die today and you will get the final say. You?” Zeus leaned in next to his ear, sparks alight in his eyes.

Odysseus held his side, blinking away the salt of the sea.

“Or your crew?” Zeus backed away as his eyes darted to the cowering remainder of his fleet.

“Please don’t make me do this, don’t make me do this.” He pleaded. He was so tired from it all.

Zeus paused, awaiting his decision, and his eyes unblinking in only a way that a god could.

“Please anything else. Please.” He begged, his knees giving out as he collapsed in front of the king of gods.

Zeus stared at him, then a wicked grin filled his face. “Very well.”

He breathed, looking up. “What?”

“Let’s make it a game. I won’t kill anyone. Their fate will rest in your hands, King of Ithaca.”

Odysseus stared in shock. “I don’t follow.”

Zeus stretched out his hand. “Your last game was a wind bag. Let’s see how long you last holding back the monster you’ve become.”

Odysseus felt a pressure in the air, a charge similar to the feeling before a thunderstorm. It made the air suffocating and his breath hitched as he pressed harder on his stab wound.

“The rules are this: you will have safe passage home if you do not kill a single member of your crew. If they kill you or release you off the boat, you all die. Can you play this game, Odysseus?” Zeus continued speaking.

Odysseus squinted at the brightly shining god, knowing there was a catch. There was always a catch. But he knew looking at the god before him that he had no other option. From behind him, Odysseus heard Eurylochus take a step closer to him. “Captain?”

Ah, and here he was, captain of the ship again. Words spoken so hatefully by his second reverberated in his ears once more:

“If you want all the power you must take all the blame!”

He told himself that Eurylochus didn’t know better, he’d never had to be captain, to own up to his mistakes for the crew.

And it didn’t look like he would start now.

Odysseus met the eyes of the god, never acknowledging the presence of his second. “Yes.”

Zeus, hand still outstretched, twisted his wrist in a flash and lighting struck Odysseus so hard that he lost his breath.

He might’ve screamed, but he wasn’t sure if sound even escaped him or could even be heard in that moment.

He vaguely heard the cries of his remaining crew, Eurylochus the closest to him yelling for him.

The bright white surrounding him abruptly faded away and he gasped on the deck as the lightning tapered off.

“Captain?” Eurylochus kneeled down to him, hands hovering over his body.

“Let’s see if you and your crew can handle the monster you truly are, King of Ithaca.”

Zeus boomed over him and that’s when a shiver went down his spine.

“Wait-“ he gasped out as his right hand supporting his weight on the deck suddenly cracked loudly.

He bit his lip as he groaned out at the terrible pain. His hand started to distort and he saw claws break through his fingertips.

He realized what was happening in horror. “No wait-please-“ he pleaded until he was interrupted by his own cry of pain as the rest of his body cracked sickeningly as it took a new form.

Eurylochus backed away from him.

The laughter of the king of gods boomed as he stepped back from them, taking his leave.

“Remember this, even one man dies and you lose the game. I will not shelter you from the wrath of my brother any more.”

Odysseus would’ve tried to respond to the retreating god, but he was busy holding his ribs as they rearranged below his skin.

He gagged and dry heaved onto the deck of the ship, nothing to come up from their lack of meals.

The whole reason they were in this mess to begin with, he thought bitterly as his breaths rattled in his aching chest.

It was agony for his body to betray him like this, but not unsurprising when betrayal was the most intimate feeling this crew felt.

He let out a guttural sound as his hands became giant paws, his hands clawed, and that wasn’t the only pressing issue.

His back throbbed as dark wings sprouted next to his shoulder blades, blood spraying out as they emerged violently from inside of him and tore through his clothes. He gasped out a strangled sob, and his tailbone had become some twisted tail emerging from underneath his cloak.

He’d felt every change happen slowly and agonizingly, until he was a panting mess on the boards of the ship, nothing human left about him. He blinked open his eyes, aware that his headache and stab wound from the mutiny were unfortunately still present.

His stomach growled loudly. A burning hunger unlike anything he had experienced before lit up his insides.

They had starved for countless days, this shouldn’t be anything new, right?

Right?

The burning felt all consuming and he vaguely realized what this feeling was.

Bloodlust.

His eyes darted to focus on his surroundings. He was so hungry, so desperate for relief, and he whined low in his throat as he picked himself off the deck.

He stood, noticing that he was much larger than before.

Even Eurylochus and his giant sword seemed small.

Insignificant, he thought.

Food.

A fumbling but still solid step was taken before he realized what he was doing and all the remaining crew on deck had drawn their weapons and pointed them at him.

Oh. Oh no.

Odysseus stood frozen. He opened his mouth to speak, finding an assortment of teeth of large sizes taking up space there and preventing him from forming words.

They had taken such a precious commodity from him. Who was he, King of Ithaca, former champion of Athena, and known strategist without his mind and his words?

A beast. A monster.

He gasped back a sob, backing away from his crew as they stared on in horror at him.

He felt something shift inside him, a minuscule thing really, but enough for him to groan as he grabbed his ribs.

He looked down to see a part of his flesh briefly reverted back to human before changing back to the grotesque combination of mammalian fur and reptilian scales.

He blinked, shock fading and his brain picked back up to problem solve.

Was this not permanent? Could he revert back to himself?

His stomach growled again and the bloodlust clouded his eyes. He fought it so hard, arms locking over themselves in front of him.

“Captain?” Eurylochus called for him, and the uncertainty in his voice was one he’d not encountered many times before they left for home.

He’d moved abruptly, tail swinging wildly as he backed himself to the edge of the ship. He was too large to go below deck and wait this out. Zeus knew this well he was sure.

He tried to open his mouth and speak once more, but all that left his throat was a low rumbling growl that reverberated through his chest and vibrated the very boards beneath him.

The crew did not drop their weapons.

Odysseus couldn’t blame them. The bloodlust was near impossible to fight and he panted harshly as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Penelope. Think of Penelope.

His left hand cracked loudly and he groaned. Looking down, he saw it was shifting back to normal, shrinking and taking on the hue of his flesh.

Taking a deep breath, he kept thinking of Penelope, her smile and the way she laughed.

More cracks of bones, more groans and growls of pain, but he didn’t stop.

Penelope. He would return to her, no matter the cost.

The cracking took a different sound. He looked down to see it had halted and even reversed, and the hunger hit harder than before.

He fell onto the deck, claws yet again supporting him as he fought back more bloodlust. It was so intense he could see red on the edges of his vision.

No. What had caused this? He was thinking of Penelope. What harm could she cause? She was the only thing keeping him human.

Or.

No. His drive to be with her is what caused his monstrous actions in the first place.

Scylla could attest to that.

But he couldn’t bring himself to think any differently.

He would do anything to see her again.

Saliva dripped from his panting mouth, and huffs of air burst from him as he could only see red.

Penelope.

I must have her.

The cracking became louder, but this time, it was not making him human again.

He howled, pain and hunger and bloodlust making him sound like a true monster.

He rose to his feet, and he heard distorted cries of fear from his remaining crew.

Good.

The blood from his stab wound still bled, red staining the fur and scales on his side, and he opened his mouth to roar.

These men betrayed him. He wanted to go home so badly and they were in the way.

He would make it back to Penelope, no matter the cost.

He charged at the nearest crew member, dodging the sword slashing down at him as his claws punctured their shoulder.

He raised them up in the air, and his memory told him this was the one who’d stabbed him, wasn’t it?

He’d opened his mouth, ready to feast upon him when a slash down his back, between the wings lying there, made him roar and drop the man.

He turned to see a man with a large sword. His eyes shined with horrified shock. His second. His betrayer.

Eurylochus.

Odysseus widened his eyes.

Eurylochus.

He froze. This was his friend. His brother. These were his men, his crew. What was he doing?

Odysseus could hear the echoing laughter of the king of gods in his head.

They were never meant to win this.

An arrow slammed into his right shoulder.

Stumbling back, he brought his left hand up to break the arrow shaft off with a wounded growl.

Red tinged his vision again and he took a step forward towards the direction of the shot arrow.

A clanging sound diverted his attention and he looked over at the source.

Odysseus took deep breaths as he saw Eurylochus shout at the crew, his sword tossed to the ground beside him.

The crew lowered their weapons. They had stopped.

He noticed that he also had stopped.

The crashing waves around them and his harsh pants were the only sounds for a moment.

“Captain?” Eurylochus held out his hands and did something he’d never expected him to do.

He stepped closer.

“We don’t want to fight you, Captain. Look at all we’ve lost and all we’ve learned.”

Odysseus recoiled, the familiar words hitting him hard.

Eurylochus was right.

The cracking started up again and he hunched over with a groan.

Eurylochus was right.

They couldn’t afford to fight each other like this. It was all a part of these god games.

He wouldn’t play their game.

He’d play his.

“Come back to us, Captain.” Eurylochus held out his hand and Odysseus could swear he saw the shadow of Polites from behind him.

He blinked and it was gone.

“You can relax my friend.” The words echoed, said by the wind and his second in front of him.

A sob choked out from his chest as he’d collapsed on the deck, nearly human again.

“Captain!” He’d heard murmurs around him as he panted harshly, bones trying to arrange back to what they once were.

Some didn’t quite make it, as he felt the uncomfortable feeling of sitting on a tail and the wings lying limply to his sides. He felt his head fall back and heard a hollow thunk at the same time his head jerked with impact. A hand raised to inspect found horns as well upon his head and his ears were not the shape or location he was used to.

They twitched when he touched them.

Eyes closed, he sighed and groaned at the pains of his body, and flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder.

“I’ve got you, Captain.”

“Eurylochus.” Odysseus slurred the words, teeth too sharp and large in his mouth and the blood loss, wounds, and body transformation trauma catching up to him.

“Rest. I need supplies for his wounds. Now!” His second commanded from over his shoulder.

Shuffling and murmurs confirmed a few of the crew’s compliance.

“We will get through this.” Eurylochus spoke under his breath.

Odysseus groaned again as a hand reached for the arrow lodged in his shoulder.

“Nooooo,” he’d moaned, a low underlying growl vibrating in his chest.

“I’m sorry, my friend.” A pause. A shaky inhale. “I’m so sorry.”

The arrow came out with one swift jerk.

He howled as his claws tore at the wood beneath him and his eyes shot open to see the stormy skies above him.

He would make it. They would make it. The gods would not win this game.

Part two is up now!

[impulsivebrainrot]

I'm slowly losing it istg.... HAKJSDFH

Anyway, this sem has been the far most insane one I've had yet .___. Trying my damn best to keep my grades up because stuff ain't looking pretty so far ;-;

Hell no have I abandoned this fic >:'>> Tho if worse comes to worst, I might just update during the Christmas break T-T Chapter 17 is halfway written (got chopped off from progress coz school started that time ;-;) And y'all will know it's updated once you see the cover art here, along with some format cleanups both here and on ao3 ;w;

In the meantime, have some concept art, these are very much beta designs but yah XD They'll somewhat appear in the next chapter :3

Won't say who's who just yet, but they were first mentioned in Chapter 9: "Cleaning Up Messes" :>

AGAIN SO SORRY IT'S BEEN MONTHS, EVERY WEEK IS JUST ABSOLUTE MADNESS ;-;;;;;

Stay tuned! ;w;

Also some random content...

First time EVER trying to make an animatic. Not part of the fic, just an AU where King and Papa Titan actually meet!! ;w; Don't really know how to explain it myself, I was just taking a break and seeing if I could rotate characters and whatever lmao (and it's too based on Gigi's animatic coz I didn't storyboard aksjdfhkj). But the big rip on PT's shirt is meant to be caused by Belos' mold or sumthn idk XD

Might change a lot of things when the official song drops, but the fic is still the priority ;w;

SEE Y'ALL! *goes back to suffering*

[evergreen292]

Nobody knows

"Remember me! I am the reigning king of..."

"...all the idiots!" Athena's voice interfered as Odysseus feels strong hand sealing his mouth. "Who just made me break gods' law of not interfering with mortals fate. Now pray for good weather."

"What?!"

Odysseus was totally bewildered. But the weather was good for the next couple of days and Athena, who seemed tense and visited a little too often, relaxed a bit and left. But just as the shores of Ithaca came into sight, something else happened.

"Hey, mortal!" boomed a cheerful voice across the whole sea. "Do you know who I am?"

"Poseidon?!" Odysseus bowed politely to the huge figure, towering in front of the ship.

"Yep, thats right. And you are my niece's best champion, witty Odysseus, right? Since you are supposed to be really smart, I have a little work for you. Some bastard crippled my son and left without even giving his name. And i don't have any free time to solve this mystery. How about you find him for me?"

"B-but..."

"And i don't take no for an answer" Poseidon's grin widened, showing sharp shark teeth.

"O-ok," Odysseus nodded nervously. "So, you said nobody knows who he was...?"

[monowritestoomuch]

I have the urge to write a Hamilton PJO au but instead of Hamilton being Percy and it being set in the modern day, I want to make it regular chb set in the 1700’s-1800’s with that timeframe’s overall vibe but make Hamilton and the crew all teenagers—

I think it’s a good idea 👍

[that-greek-mythology-girl]

I'm very sensitive to minor characters in stories, I'm always mad when the author and readers treat them like random people who died or just another casualty, when no, those people had lives and dreams and hopes and I want to know them.

Like, in Epic, there's 600 Ithacans. We only know five. (Polites, Eurylochus, Elpenor, Perimedes and Odysseus himself.), in the Odyssey, we know of 3 others (Antiphus, Eurylus & Amphidamas.), they were 600, I WANT TO KNOW ALL OF THEM. I want to know if they were married, if they longed for their wives as much as Odysseus did, if they also had children they never met but wanted to, or sisters they wanted to see again, or mothers they longed to feel the embrace of. We only ever briefly know Eurylochus was married to Ctimene, but what else? And the trojan women? We know of the important ones, (Briseis, Andromache, Creusa, Hecuba, Laodice, Cassandra, Polyxena, etc..) but there must have been tons of women suffering there, who were they before the war? Did they have fathers, brothers, sons who died? Or were they enslaved with their mothers, sisters and daughters? Do they ever get to feel happy again? I hate in when a book goes: "The poets won't sing of this person" or "The Poets don't care about this person" LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER, I'M THE POET, I'LL SING, I CARE. LET ME EAT UP EVERY SINGLE STORY EVER. All to say I'm considering writting fanfics about either Odysseus' crewmen or the trojen women.

Would y'all read that?

[yourlokalescholar]

Astyanax lives AU doodles!