#i love you Diomedes of Argos

[foopsie-daisy]

Yoo you have a Nobody bug? Sick!!

I've been taking care of a Dio bug for the past few weeks after finding him fighting a mouse in my yard, would your Nobody want to have a playdate with him?

I think they knew eachother, they had a fun time catching up

[restlesskeychains]

Uncle Diomedes AU’s are so great

[achillesisnotcomingdown]

I saw a post about autistic Diomedes and was very interested if you have any other headcannon that relate to that or just about him in general

Yes !! I love him sm. Let's go for my autistic Diomedes headcanon >:)

(also he's one of my fav characters so you can find more rambles and HCs about him on my acc ;))

(Just to make clear this is very self indulgent and many things r based on my own experience with autism)

Tbh it all started when I saw that and immediately thought of Diomedes

He can lie but he rarely considers it as an option. When someone asks him anything it just feels normal to tell the truth (and it tends to annoy Odysseus)

He also sucks at tones and facial expressions (both to use and to understand in others) so he appears as very unexpressive and hardly gets hints or sarcasm or anything (which may cause problems with some ppl (coughlyingodysseuscough))

He often sounds meaner and more rude than he means to, but ppl assume it's bc he has high expectations of them and it usually motivates them to do better.

He also gets praised for not complaining after months of eating the same 3 meals during a long expedition, but.... He genuinely enjoys eating the same things over and over.

As a kid he hated eye contacts but he was told it's rude so he forced himself to get over it. Now, he straight up stares too much at ppl, and that makes him come off as intimidating (he doesn't mean to, he just wants to be polite.)

He bites things, a lot. (Usually either his knuckles, the skin of his hands, or the inside of his cheeks. But tbh if he's not paying attention he will chew on anything between his hands).

In my experience all autistic ppl have at least one animal they adore. For him it's the horses. No matter how old he is, he will always go "omg horses" and attempt to pet them bc they're just that cool to him.

Also he has no clue he's different so he assumes "I seem to be the only one struggling with things such as social gatherings where there are a lot of ppl talking at once and a lot of different smells and all- that must mean I'm weak and need to toughen up."

And as you can guess, his meltdowns get pretty violent and sometimes dangerous (for others and himself) (but, well, he's a man from ancient greece how else do you want him to cope /lh)

Well, to sum up my HC in one meme

Actually ty anon im glad I get to talk about this HC lol

[specialagentartemis]

Reading (listening to, as Homer intended) the Iliad making me go oh. Ohhh. I should have done this before I read Gideon the Ninth. I get it now.

Particularly thinking now about the tidbit that in early drafts, our beloved gray-eyed Necromancer Warden of the Sixth House was named Diomedes Sextus. For Diomedes, king of Argos, young, brave, noble, heroic. Favorite fighter of Athena, bestest friend of Odysseus. And, notably, fought gods and—well he didn’t win exactly. But he got them good.

And specifically, he fought and wounded Aphrodite; Aphrodite, who is also called Cytherea.

And then of course Tamsyn Muir said she decided to change his name so she could make the Sex Pal joke.

Palamedes is a less heroic, less fondly remembered character in the Trojan War, but according to Plato, he unrelatedly invented both number and the alphabet, so you keep that connection to scholarship even if that’s not the first association with him. More interestingly, imo, there’s also an Arthurian Knight of the Round Table named Palamedes, best known for his unrequited love for Isolde (and his apparent ultimately gracious acceptance of her choosing Tristan).

I think this is actually a super interesting shift in thematic naming focus: from favored-of-Athena, fought-gods-and-wounded-them to unrequited heterosexual love, but didn’t act like a dick about it.

Also y’know. Sex Pal

[miyetko]

old OdyDioPen art that I don’t like that much but I want to rant about Diomedes and they way that others write about him because YOU ALL JUST DON’T KNOW HIM LIKE I DO OKAY

okay so I actually despise when people write OdyDio and make Diomedes hate Penelope. I’m (hate reading) re-reading The Song of Achilles and Miller kind of hints at OdyDio a little, but every time Odysseus brings up Penelope, Diomedes gets really bitchy like “shut up we don’t want hear another story about your wife” and it’s more used a representation of how he hates Aegiale but I still don’t like it.

Dio fucking loves Penelope and no one will convince me other wise

there was a lot of time between when Diomedes got to Ithaca (after being exiled from Argos) and when Odysseus gets back. I especially love the idea that Pen and Dio get fake married to detract some of the suitors, or at the very least, Dio hangs around the palace to make sure no one’s bothering her and Telemachus.

…and maybe when Odysseus gets back everybody gets not fake married… idk…

[gale-gentlepenguin]

(My Epic Headcanons)

Odysseus: Now that I’m back, I wonder what happened to everyone else? Hope they didn’t have as much trouble getting home as I did.

Telemachus: Oh I can tell you.

Odysseus: Great. Let’s start with Menelaus. How are he and Helen doing?

Telemachus: Well he was stuck in Egypt for a bit. But he wrestle Proteus who told him how to get home and break the enchantment on Helen.

Odysseus: Enchantment?

Telemachus: Yea, turns out Paris kidnapped Helen and used some sort of elixir to make her love him. So He and Helen were able to move past that. They explained when I visited… but I left as soon as they started going into detail on their sex life.

Odysseus: Wow, well that does explain a few things. What about little Ajax? Last I remember he was in some trouble but I don’t remember what happened

Telemachus: Died at sea. I don’t know the details just that he pissed off one of the gods.

Odysseus: Yea that tracks, what about Diomedes? I know that guy is probably still kicking.

Telemachus: Yeah actually. He got to Argos pretty quick. No travel problems

Odysseus: Lucky guy.

Penelope: Actually he wasn’t. His wife Cheated on him while he was away. He went to some other land. From what we know, he’s still alive.

Odysseus: I retract my previous statement. Let’s see… Please tell me Agamemnon is dead

Penelope: Yep, Killed by his wife (ex wife) and her lover. Now there is a whole family curse.

Odysseus: Deserved, but sounds like no one got out unscathed.

Telemachus: Nestor was fine. I was hanging out with him during my diplomatic mission

Odysseus: Oh that old bastard still kicking? He’s a funny guy.

Telemachus: He’s actually why I was late coming home.

Odysseus: Well I should let Menelaus know I’m still alive. Maybe he could visit.

Telemachus: We can always visit him.

Odysseus: Son, I’ve done enough sailing for a lifetime.

[moonlitenvyillust]

Telemachus✓ Penelope✓ Odysseus's turn!

{•} as how Canon says, Ody has a scar on his thigh from fighting the magic bull. Though to me i think he doesnt feel ashamed about that at all

{•} nicknames include "Pet liar" "warrior of the mind" (by Athena). "Snake" "Short king" (By Diomedes). "Shortie" (by Achilles, Patrocles, Agamemnon) "my husband" and "my love" (by Penelope.)

{•} refuses to eat fish after whatever happened with Poseidon was (600 strike)

{•} aquaphobic.

{•} how did he know Telemachus is genderfluid (my Canon) you may ask? Father instinct.

{•} Made multiple toys at Troy for Telemachus. But it was all lost at sea.

{•} When he Saw Argos again, he almost cried. And when Argos died, he cried.

{•} Athena gave him a necklace, an owl shaped pendant Made of Wood with a calming scent. After my goodbye, the scent dissapeared.

{•} knows that it was Eurylochus opened the wind bag during the start of puppeteer ("captain, there is something that i must confess")

{•} during Luck Runs Out, Ody knew what was going on. He knew that Eurylochus was trying to place a sense of distress in the ship

{•} his bow is heavy as shit

{•} has nightmares of those who died (the underworld reff)

{•} Telemachus asked him to sit down in front of him so that he could finish his sketch (the one i mentioned here) and thats basically where they started bonding over their art (Tele draws designs and Ody sculpts them)

{•} bear hugs. Need i say more?

{•} lies easily. Its the Hermes blood in him.

[penelope-is-waiting]

Hi I am Penelope Queen of Ithaca, I am still waiting on my husband @odysseus-of-ithaca-is-lost to come home. In the mean time I am dodging all of my suiters and raising our child @telemachus-of-ithaca by myself. I also love to weave, I weave all day and then undo it all at night so I can do it again tomorrow!

Likes: weaving, as well as my husband and my children.

Dislikes: Poseidon @idontloveanybodythatsmypower (he stabbed my husband!) and of course stupid suiters who think by taking over my house and being obnoxious I will forget about my husband and marry them. (Formally scylla we have learned to get along)

Kill count: you will never know stop asking

Death count: *laughs*

Husband: @odysseus-of-ithaca-is-lost

Another version of my husband: @odysseus-reigning-king-of-ithaca

Also my husband: @penelope-simp

Another: @odysseus-of-ithaka

A siren version: @just-a-mer

My son: @telemachus-of-ithaca

Another version of my son: @young-telemachus

Yet another version of my son: @the-prince-telemachus

And another version of my son: @telemachus-is-lost

And another: @taken-by-the-seas

More: @another-telemachus-wont-hurt

And finally, the other version of my son: @telemy

Another of my son: @ithacas-prince

Another Tele: @telemachus-of-ithika

My daughter: @reigningprincesstofithaca

My other son that is not Telemachus: @ceixion-of-ithaca

Adopted kids: @unhinged-as-hell @daonedaonlyskh @little-starshark-with-wings @vicious-daughter-of-zeus @clown-energy-skyrocketing @chaotic-child-of-apollo @garmadon1616 @a-princess-of-ancient-greece @yourfavoriteearthshaker @aris-not-ares @the-hyacinth-whisperer

I wish he was my kid: @thefallenwaxwinged (ooc: he totally is at this point)

The girl living with us I am trying to adopt: @when-fate-is-mistaken

My dog: @argosfrfr

Another dog of mine: @argossisterfrfr

Friends: @heraaaaaaaa (Formally enemies)

My daughter in law: @nausicaa-of-phaeacia

Young version of my daughter in law: @the-princess-nausicaa

Another version of my daughter in law: @phaecianprincess

Gardener: @paris-you-idiot

Most annoying person I know: @sillypuppetmeister

He will not leave my house either but is not as annoying: @the-only-decent-suitor-here (apparently he is also my son now? But not in the will)

The guy who kept my husband away at sea for a decade and I will never forgive: @that-little-fucking-shit

My husband's friend who is really cool, actually: @diomedes-of-argos

For anyone who wants me and my husband @odysseus-of-ithaca-is-lost to adopt them

And of course, here is our family portrait @little-starshark-with-wings drew!

RP blog for the odyssey/epic the musical (although it branches into percy jackson territory occasionally depending on what blog I'm interacting with)

In character post will be colored like this

"If Ares is talking it will look like this"

Don't be weird please (and no nsfw) and don't be mad if I do not present penelope the way you want this is supposed to be fun so let's keep it that way

I do not interact with blogs based around biblical characters as I am a Christian, and it just makes me uncomfortable I also will not be interacting with post that have slurs or other offensive language such as GD.

(Penelope will not have any romantic feelings for anyone other than Odysseus on this blog warning)

And of course don't take anything I say in character to heart I don't want to offend anyone if I come across as rude I'm so sorry I don't mean to

Also, warning things can be very violent on this blog I usually try to tag, but I may miss some.

And of course feel free to tag me and send ask! Your not being obnoxious I'd love to be tagged or receive a ask that's what I made this account for was for all yall to have fun and interact! (On that note tho do not start sending me messages if I do not respond. I will not respond if you do that)

Also I'm the admin of the ooc discord server and community for greek mythos rps here on tumblr if you run a rp blog here on tumblr for greek myths send me a dm and I'd be happy to invite you to join!

[lyculuscaelus]

Ok now maybe imagine if it didn’t take too long for Odysseus to finish the oar quest as instructed by Teiresias, say, a year or two (maybe three but tops I swear) from when he sailed from Ithaca to the mainland and went all the way northwards, until he at last finished the ritual and then returned once more back to his homeland.

It wasn’t a woeful journey, this time—just receiving Xenia from different cities, meeting some old faces and new faces (cue Acarnan and Amphoterus sons of Alcmaeon in Acarnania; maybe catching up with his brother-in-law Alyzeus in the city of Alyzia; maybe visiting Amphilochus in Amphilochia cuz why not; maybe helping out a young Thesprotian prince Polypoetes son of Pheidon the deceased king in a war and having to sign an adoption contract), disguising as an old man, lying his way northward—“hey look I’m just a simple Cretan but I can tell you about Odysseus if you want” (turns out all those non-Homeric traditions are stories Odysseus in disguise told to those Epirotes along the way), maybe all the way to Buthrotum where Helenus and Andromache welcomed him unaware of his identity (as he yapped about how he was a Ciconian whose hometown Ismarus was destroyed by cruel Odysseus as he was brought along the way until getting marooned in Thrinacia and something something Phoenicians and stuff) as they traded stories and ended up lamenting the fall of Troy and talking shit on Odysseus—including Odysseus himself (“fun,” says Odysseus as he continues throwing slanders on himself, “now shall I tell you how he died by some guy named Telegonus, someone born to him on Aeaea though I didn’t see anything”), maybe reaching the land of Illyrians where he heard about their history from Cadmus’s arrival to the not-so-recent Epigonoi war (and all Odysseus can think about is his bestie), maybe finding his way past the Riphean Mountains to Hyperborea where he finally performed the ritual (I mean, no ship, no salt…sounds like it).

Then maybe he’s picking a path south-east to visit some old friends (*snaps* what did you say Nauplius has done again *picks up a rock* alr say it again), maybe traversing the rest of Greece from Thessaly (didn’t see you back in war—how are y’all faring, O so many sons of Heracles?) to Mycenae (your dad sends his regards from hell, Orestes) to Argos (wait where the heck is my Diomedes) to Sparta (Menelaus: hehehehe I knew you’d make it old buddy oh btw your son has your thighs) to Pylos where Nestor finally gave him a ship to go home cuz he had no oar left (Nestor: also Peisistratus my boy I know you want to go to Ithaca for some…*coughs* specific reasons so here’s the ship and you’re the captain).

Back to Ithaca! Telemachus celebrated Odysseus’s return with joy (and was surprised by Peisistratus’s arrival). During his father’s absence he had run the kingdom well—a good job continuing to reestablish the class of nobility in Cephalonia as Odysseus willed it. Then Odysseus found Penelope waiting at the olive tree, as she met his gaze and smiled—and the world was again back into shape, for Odysseus, the great craftsman.

And this time, Odysseus finally realized he was this old, this tired, after all the years of traveling. The world of wanderings, in the end, had become too much, too far away, for the man of twists and turns. Not even the world of reality could mend the scars left in his heart, a mind forever haunted by shadows of the past. But for now, a world of home would do—it’d be everything for him, really—just a man with his family, and the peaceful days he had long craved.

So he swore to stay, here by the side of his love ones, never again to be apart. So he stayed, for the rest of his life, till death in the coming days did them part…

He’d inherit his father’s farm after old Laërtes’s death, and teach Telemachus the art of gardening, to take care of all the grape vines, fig trees, pear trees, apple trees, and…olive trees. He’d sing his tales to the new generation of Ithacan children, mentoring them on the virtues of Xenia, of bravery, of love. And he’d go back to his old habit of carving, sculpting figurines out of wood—oh, but he’d make so many wonders—the monsters of legends (that he had seen), the faces of old acquaintances (that he would never forget), the images of gods (that he had stolen)…and he’d show them all to his family, and sometimes, to his people struck by curiosity.

Meanwhile, Telemachus would be so delighted to indulge a father who had long missed the chance to raise his own child, as a son who had never got the chance to make any childhood memory with his father. And so often would they roam around in the forests, catching up days forever lost to them both. Meanwhile, Penelope would be so enamored of her husband’s passion, as the one who knew his mind best (oh, what a blessing of homophrosyne). And so often would they pace around in the farm, chattering at length from the rosy-fingered Dawn till the star-filled night…

Maybe at some point, the memories would prove to be too heavy for the old king. Days and nights his family would find him whispering commands that went unheard, words of comfort that he no longer needed—or that he needed the most. All he saw were illusions of the horror he had once witnessed. All he heard were hallucinations of the Siren song he had once heard. Maybe after all these years, ptsd had finally caught up with him. Maybe it went even worse after Penelope’s passing…

Until one day, a stranger knocked the gate of Odysseus’s palace open.

Prince Telemachus offered him food—he politely refused, asking to meet the old king right away.

Odysseus came out, fixing his gaze on the visitor’s face—it seemed foreign, yet strangely familiar—it was as if he had known him so long ago, in a place he couldn’t quite name. But the stranger only moved forward, meeting Odysseus’s eyes.

“Come,” he said gently. “Time to join the rest of them…time to join her.”

And Odysseus knew.

Turning to his son, Odysseus muttered a few words of comfort. Somehow, Telemachus knew this to be a farewell—he embraced his father one last time, smiling in tears.

The prince of Ithaca watched the two of them walk away, to the sea where the stranger came from, as he suddenly leapt, spreading a pair of wings, carrying Odysseus off quickly. Realization struck him finally.

The stranger was none other than fearful Thanatos.

So this is the Death that comes to him from the sea, in such a gentle way.

[uselessmoonlight]

Stranger part 19

Reader is Telemachus' friend, and when he leaves for his "diplomatic mission" he asks her to watch over his mother. Later, once the king has returned, she stumbles upon an injured Poseidon.

Previous / series masterlist / character sheet / next

Content specs: she/her pronouns used, afab reader, Platonic! Telemachus x reader, Epic!Poseidon x reader, possible OOC!Poseidon, Polites’ daughter! Reader, unrequited love, blood, fighting, nudity, illusion, possibly more?, trying to avoid using y/n, slowburn, suggestive themes.

Please check out the poll at the end of the chapter!

Two young adults were sat in silence in one of the rooms of the palace, an owl sat in the windowsill, ready to both intervene, and relay information to her mentee and friend, and his wife. For an hour neither spoke, not knowing what to say, but time was ticking as guests of the palace trickled in, coming from far and wide for the celebration.

Awkwardly, Ónoma started the conversation. “So, you like me.”

“You don’t have to sound so disappointed about it.” Telemachus answered, somewhat angrily.

“I am disappointed though.” She stopped him from interrupting her. “It’s not because you are not good enough or anything, I just thought that, for once, I wasn’t just a woman, a potential partner to someone. I thought it was just friendship, true friendship, but now I don’t know.” She trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

“We are friends, you are more than just some girl, that’s why I like you.” Telemachus started, but Ónoma cut him off.

“I don’t know if I can trust your intentions. You are the greatest, sweetest, most thoughtful friend I’ve ever had, but I can no longer tell if that’s because of who you are, or if it is because you wanted something more from me.” She explained. “And it sucks, because I don’t want to paint you as some manipulative mastermind, but my mind can’t help but wonder. It’s not far-fetched either, because your father is a known wordsmith and you’ve been taken under Lady Athena’s wings as well.” She paused. “I don’t want to hurt you by suggesting that you could’ve done that, but you must understand why I might think that.”

The prince was silent, speechless even. Matters of the heart are truly the greatest challenge one can face. After a long pause he came to a conclusion. “Perhaps it’s best if I keep my distance for a while, to get over it, you know.”

“Or we could find you a nice princess tonight.” She offered hopefully. Both of them knew Telemachus’ solution was the best one, but neither wanted to go without the other. Through the years they’d developed an almost co-dependency.

“It’s worth a try.” He replied, taking her hand and holding it to his chest for a moment. It only broke his heart to hear her suggest considering other women, but for now, with her hand near his heart, it ached a little less.

When the two friends got to the main hall, the party was already in full swing. Ónoma felt entirely out of place amongst the royals and nobles in attendance. She spotted Odysseus talking animatedly with a man she assumed to be Diomedes of Argos, king Nestor was also easily recognizable, his age a dead giveaway, but aside from that she could not conclude who any of these people were.

Most of the man’s comrades from the Trojan war were no longer amongst the living, so she wondered if he himself even knew these people, or if this party was more strategic than she’d first thought. An opportunity of diplomacy, under the guise of celebration. The man had relied on Xenia a lot during his journey.

The last people to arrive were easy to recognize, Helen’s beauty was easily recognizable, and Menelaus was, well, Menelaus. He was not unpleasant, but there was something off about him. At least he wasn’t his brother, Ónoma would not be surprised if Agamemnon had a spot in Tartarus. All that she’d heard about the man was rather unpleasant.

The celebration had gone by surprisingly well; Ónoma had had a discussion with king Nestor, the man truly had learned a lot in his long life and had some meaningful insight in certain things. Diomedes had approached her, asking about her role in fighting off the suitors commended her bravery. She’d let the sexist undertones slide, not wanting to get in trouble with him, but she’d appreciated the praise none the less.

Menelaus had mistaken her for a palace slave, and she’d awkwardly redirected him to the servants. She did not receive an apology from him, but his wife had been pleasant enough. Their daughter had been even nicer, Hermione had been able to marry the man she wanted to after the passing of Neoptolemus and had been thriving ever since. After speaking about her with Telemachus, however, she learned that she was not a fan of the girl, with what she’d tried to do to Andromache.

Polycaste had been incredibly pleasant company. She’d ended up talking of her troubles with the daughter of Nestor, leaving out some details, but the girl had had interesting views. Her father’s wisdom had clearly rubbed off on her. Perhaps she’d be a good match for Telemachus, the two of them seemed to get along quite well.

Even more surprising had been the actions of the Ithacan king, he’d apologized to her and had proceeded to boast about her to the other attendants; how she’d defended his wife, gaining the aid of a God in doing so, how she was vital to the workflow of the island and of her duties in the temple. Perhaps this was his attempt at making things right after his previous actions, but Ónoma did not appreciate all the attention, even if she recognized that he had good intentions.

Telemachus did not appreciate the attention his friend was getting either, sure he’d promised not to act on his feelings, but that didn’t mean they no longer existed. Competing with a God was bad enough, now there were other princes, even kings vying for her attention. not that she showed interest.

At the end of the night Ónoma had danced more than she ever had before, being unable to refuse any of the men who’d asked because of their status. She all but ran home the second she was able to do so. she was dizzy and exhausted and promptly passed out the second her head hit the pillow, still wearing the fancy clothes and jewellery.

Next.

A/n: If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know. I might mess up, but you can always check out the tag "epic the stranger saga" as all works related are tagged with this.

I might make a spin-off/ alternate ending series, since this series is nearing the end. let me know if you'd be interested in the following:

Taglist:

@apollos-dodgeball-target

@barrythestrawberry041

@darling-eos

@doodle-with-rhy

@glaciuswduo

@hardbarbarianfox

@h0ne4bee

@isla-finke-blog

@keikeiluvyou

@missam

@suckerforblondies

@trashcannotbealive

@visha1965

[hunterofartemis7]

Adopted by the gods AU pt.16

*2 years after the events of the dinner Zeus planned, Hera comes up to Athena while she’s training Ody and Dio*

Hera: *smirking*

Athena: can I help you? I’m kinda in the middle of something

Hera: remember that deal that Odysseus would go back to Ithaca when he’s 18 or when he becomes king?

Athena: yeah? Why?

Ody: mom what’s going on?

Hera: well that time is now.

Athena: Odysseus is only 13, what are you on about?

Hera: the king has fallen ill and can no longer rule over Ithaca. And since he can’t, it’s up to the heir to take the thrown.

Athena:….

Odysseus: mom….?

Athena: boys go to your room

Diomedes: but-

Athena: now!

Ody and Dio: *runs off to their rooms*

Hera: *still smirking*

Athena: *slaps her across the face* WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?

Hera: *shocked* how fucking dare you!? Raising your hand to your queen!?

Athena: start acting like a queen and maybe I’ll treat you like one, now what did you do!!?

Hera: I did nothing! This is pure coincidence! I’m just happy about it.

Athena: why!? What have my sons ever done to you in the 13 years they’ve been here that makes you want them off Olympus so badly!?

Hera: they aren’t gods Athena! They aren’t supposed to be here!!!

Athena: it’s not like they’ve caused any problems for us!

Hera: it doesn’t matter!! You shouldn’t have ever brought Odysseus here in the first place, much less Diomedes! It’s time for both to go!

Athena; I am not sending my 13 year old sons to the mortal realm to run a kingdom that they barely know anything about!

Hera: I thought you were teaching them?

Athena: there is only so much I can get those two to pay attention to.

Hera: doesn’t Odysseus have friends in Ithaca?

Athena: that’s two people out of the thousands in that kingdom! And he’s fucking 13!! What 13 year old can run a kingdom!?

Hera: he won’t be alone while doing it. His mother will help him

Athena; THAT FUCKING WOMAN IS NOT HIS MOTHER!!

Hera: whatever 🙄. The boy has no choice. He’s the heir and Ithaca needs a king.

Athena; they don’t need a 13 year old who doesn’t know what he’s doing yet and doesn’t want to be there!

Hera: argue with me all you want, Zeus already approved this for both boys

Athena: WHAT!? He can’t do that!!

Hera: well he did. Go ask if you don’t believe me.😈

Athena:….*runs off to find Zeus* Father!!

Zeus: *flirting with a nymph* huh wha- oh hellos daughter

Athena: did you already approve my sons going back to their birth kingdoms!?

Zeus: yes I did

Athena: why!? They aren’t 18 nor are they near ready to rule a kingdom!!

Zeus: Athena Ithaca needs a king—

Athena: they have a king! And queen, and a fucking princess!

Zeus: the king is sick and you know this. The queen can’t rule alone and their daughter is far too young.

Athena: and 13 isn’t!? They aren’t going!

Zeus; you don’t have a choice Daughter.

Athena: I am their mother—

Zeus: and I am your king and father!! You will obey my orders! If you don’t I will make so you will never see your sons again! Do you understand!?

Athena:………*looks away* yes father..

Zeus; good girl.

Athena: *leaves to tell Odysseus and Diomedes*

Ody and Dio: *play sword fight in their room*

Athena: *stands their watching them from a minute, not being able to bring herself to tell them*

Dio: *notices her* mother! *drops his sword and hugs her*

Ody: mama! *does the same and hugs her*

Athena: *hugs them both*

Ody: mama please tell us you convinced grandmother to not make us go..🥺

Athena:….. *looks away, can’t meet his eyes* I’m sorry..

Dio:..what..?

Athena: I’m sorry….i tried to argue with her but lord Zeus already approved this.

Ody:…mama..

Athena:..you both are going back to your birth kingdoms of Ithaca and Argo. I’m sorry..

Ody: no! No I’m not going!!

Dio: me either! You can’t make us!

Athena: I don’t want to! I would love if you both could stay here but father already made up his mind. If you don’t go willingly than he’ll force you both to go and make it where none of us will ever see each other again.

Ody: *starts crying* mama please don’t make us go! We don’t want to leave!

Athena: I don’t want you two to leave either.,.but we don’t have a choice.

Dio: how do they even expect us to run a kingdom!?

Athena:….i don’t know. Look just because you both are going to the mortal realm doesn’t mean I’m leaving either of you. I will still be there guiding and helping you as much as I can.

Odysseus: it won’t be the same! Me and Diomedes are going to be in completely different kingdoms and you’ll be on Olympus!

Athena: and you think that’s gonna stop me from seeing either of you?

Diomedes: will we still be able to see each other?

Athena: yes. Maybe not as often as you’d both like but yes.

Ody: I still don’t want to go! I don’t want live there with those people!

Athena: you think I do? I fucking hate everything about this but we can’t disobey Zeus’s orders.

Ody:….*clings to her and cries*

Diomedes: *does the same*

Athena; *hugs them both close, trying not to cry*

[leynaeithnea]

Tydeus, Son of Oeneus, father of Diomedes....who fell in the war of the Seven Against Thebes. They all know how you died...

...in a desperate, dying frenzy eating the brain of your enemy; immortality denied. They know how you, as exile, came to Argos and married a daughter of the king, like Polynices, son of Oedipus. And how you soon joined your brother-in-law on his doomed quest to claim his rightful place on the throne of Thebes. How you, as envoy, tried for peace - denied, yet defeated Thebes once? twice? over. In friendly games, then betrayed: fifty against one in nightly ambush against you. Hope for peace was lost. They know how you died in that war, and how your armies failed to take Thebes...and failed even more to reclaim your own throne. They know how your son swore an oath to avenge you. And how ten years later, he, and the other sons of the fallen Seven, warred once more against Thebes; victory on their side. And how your son joined the armies sailing for Troy and how he gained immortal fame.

But who ever asks: "Where did this man come from?", "What lead this man into exile?" Who ever tries to understand?

Well, I shall try, with what I've been given, to tell your tale, and hope to do it justice.

Cursed house of Parthaon, destroyer, son of the god of war. Sons of Parthaon doomed to war each other - outright, and in secrecy - in a frenzy for rulership, a doomed house of fathers who would soon learn to bury their sons. A curse? (What did you do to deserve this fate, I wonder? Or was it simply your ancestors love for bloodshed, that would grant you all this suffering?) Doomed house of Oeneus, in your childrens veins the blood of War ran twice over.

Im starting early in the tale, long before great-hearted Tydeus was born. But you have to know, so you understand in what haunted house Tydeus grew up in, why he became an exile, why he choose the Theban war……

So instead of with you, Tydeus, we will begin our tale with your father Oeneus, son of Parthaon. His two brothers, Melas and Agrius, they have always envied his rule over Calydon, which he secured through his marriage to Althea, (his cousin once removed, descenant of Ares) the daughter of Thestius of Pleuron. Thestius, too, was the father of Leda, mother of Helen, for whom the Trojan war was fought.

Now often have there been wars between Calydon and the Curetes of Pleuron, and for now there was peace. And you Oeneus, you let Dionysos into your house, and turned away your gaze when he caught the attention of your wife and so Deianira was born, (He gifted you a vine for it, and showed you how to plant it.) and Meleager was born to you too, beloved by Ares - cursed to die, when the wood in the fire during his birth was burned.

But then you forgot Artemis in your sacrifices, and she sent you the Calydonian boar, and you called the heroes to defeat the beast. And Atalanta drew first blood. And Meleager killed it and offered its skin as reward to Atalanta. And the brothers of Althea, scorned to hunt with a woman, tried to claim the boar skin for themselves, so in a burst of anger Meleager killed them. And there was war between Calydon and Pleuron & Olenus close by got dragged into it, too. (Olenus: place of birth of Capaneus, who did not stay, but left for Argos scorning his fathers weakness, who would join the Seven Against Thebes, and who would die, blasted by a lighting bolt of Zeus)

And Meleager refused to fight in the war he started, so the war came to the doors of Calydon and nearly the city was sacked. And all his brothers died in that war. And yet he refused to fight, until they begged him. Then he went to war and fended off the armies and fought his way almost all the war to Pleuron with Ares, victory was on his side, when Althea, scared that he would now kill her father too (not just her brothers) burned the wood that held Meleagers life. And Meleager died. And Althea, in horror of what she had done, hung herself. And Meleagers sisters mourning never ceased, and they were turned to birds. Now all but two of Oeneus' children remained: Gorge, and Deianira. And yet the war was not over.

So, begrudgingly - for he feared to loose these, his last children, too - he gave Gorge as wife to Andraemon, a king of Aetolia (was the city he ruled Pylene? Or another nearby?) in return for his miliary support.

And they defeated Pleuron, and Oeneus appointed his brother Agrius to govern the city. And with the thread of Andraemons forces, as well as Calydons, Olenian Hipponous, father of Capaneus and Periboea, sought for peace. Here Oeneus was a guest in Hipponous' halls, and he lay with his daughter Periboea, unknown to all. And Capaneus left the city, in scorn for his fathers refusal of war - he would find a loyal wife and forces in Argos.

Now Oeneus and Hipponous reached an agreement for peace, and Oeneus returned to Calydon. And Deianira married Heracles - Oeneus was relucant to let her go, the last child in his house. But now Periboea was pregnant, and rumor said she had lain with Hippostratus, but she claimed that it was Ares who had joined her bed, though she knew the childs true father. Knowing that Oeneus was bereft of wife and male issue, Hipponous send her, in the end, to Calydon. As price of honor, a peace offering. Trusting that her tales of Ares' involvements would be enough to keep the peace between their cities: for Oeneus lacked a male heir now. And Oeneus took Periboea as wife, and she gave birth to Tydeus, Oeneus' true son. (Did Hipponous suspect? Or was it luck or fate or godly intervention?)

A few years later Olenias was born, younger brother to Tydeus. They grew up in Calydon, the home haunted by the ghosts of Meleager and his brothers who still burned in the memories of their father and the wailing of their bird-sisters could still be heard in the winds. And Melas, brother of Oeneus, and his sons, still envied Oeneus‘ throne, for why had Agrius received a city but not he? Still…the children matured: Tydeus reaches stern adulthood. He was impulsive, and loud and full of life, and somehow he filled the emptiness his dead siblings had left behind, he loved sparring and hunting in the woods, he was fierce and quick to make friends and quick to anger, and quick to forgive those he loved and loyal to his family and country. His little brother was eager to follow after him, striving to be just like him, he was not yet a man, but had nearly left boyhood behind. Both of them were eager to prove themselves.

One day, Tydeus and Olenias went hunting. The Calydonian boar was dead, but there was still plently other game in the woods. They hunted in the forest between Pleuron - their uncles abode - and Calydon. Daring? Sure. Did their parents know they were out alone hunting? Probably not. They were traveling to Pleuron, hunting on their way there. They found their prey. Olenias drew first blood, Tydeus dealt the death blow. And as Tydeus skinned the boar Olenias wandered off.

Night was fast approaching and as fate would have it, the sons of Melas were hunting in the very same forest of their uncle…or maybe they knew the sons of Oeneus were traveling alone. They had not forgotten their fathers desire for the throne. Their own. And doomed Olenias ran into them, as he lost his way in the dark and they convinced him to join their hunt. Its dangerous alone in the forest, don’t you know? Especially so late at night, so they said to him. They promised to help him find Tydeus, once they hunted their game, they knew it was close by…Innocent, unfortunate youth. He trusted them, for his cousins had always treated him fairly before. He could not have known the darkness of their hearts, the plan they formed in brotherly silence the second they saw him stumble through the thicket. Olenias could not have known that they planned to take him to force his father off the throne (wasn’t it easier to string a lie to have the young boy follow them willingly, rather than kidnap him by force?) Little did Olenias know that the game his cousins hunted for was not a boar, not an animal at all, but his older brother: Tydeus, heir of Calydon.

He, in the meantime was looking for Olenias, concerned for his safety in the dark forest. He carried the boar skin on his back, which he had planned to gift to Olenias. After all, it had been the first time his brother had drawn a games blood. But in the rush of the hunt Tydeus had lost track of time. He should have been more careful, he knew, and now he searched for his younger brother.

Melas' sons found him first.

Eight against one, they ambushed him, and Tydeus defended himself, recognizing his cousins and knowing within a heartbeat their reason for the attack, their jealousy that had long been brewing - his anger rose and he killed every one of them, proving himself, but at what cost? - not knowing the brother he had been searching for was in their midsts; confused and caughed unawares by the fray. When the ninth body dropped to the ground, Tydeus stormed to Pleuron where he faced off Agrius, yelling about the ambush, fury born of bitter betrayal driving him into a rage. Yet all the while he kept looking around the halls, expecting to find his brother already there, having found safety in the halls. Upon hearing the news, Agrius however had his heart already fixed on the throne of Calydon, secretly gleeful and his brother Melas' unlucky lot. Tydeus saw the gleam of triumph in the eyes of Agrius, so alike to the one gleaming in the eyes of Melas' sons. So Tydeus asked the men to find the bodies of the men he had slain, to prove his point, and to demand justice for himself. And that they did. Carrying nine bodies, one of them still breathing - barely. Tydeus upon catching sight of his brother Olenias, let out a frightened cry. He tried to rush to Olenias, but they held him back from his brothers still bleeding side. Olenias, barely holding on to life's light, noticed Tydeus and his mouth formed words that did not escape his lips, reaching out with his blood-covered hand. But the youngest prince of Calydon lost his strenght before Tydeus could fight off the grip of the men that held him down, before he could fall down at his side to plead for his forgiveness and before he could ask how he ended up in the fray. Even before Olenias stops breathing Agrius now already demanded Tydeus' exile. Tydeus…oh Tydeus, fratricide unwilling, who would believe you now? Did you not also slaughter the sons of your uncle, all of them, in a single night? And before the words declaring exile were even spoken, Tydeus turned and ran, leaving the gated halls of Pleuron and Calydonian woods behind - to atone for his brothers murder, that was the customx, horror and guilt drove him forth - but there was rage boiling in his gut, for he knew the ambitions of his fathers brothers. Yet he left as exile, deep in his heart set to be back to take his kingdom when the time came. Leaving Aetolia behind, he wandered through Achaea and Arcadia for months, never quite able to escape the haunting image of his brother dying in his arms, a life he took. The only thing Tydeus carried with him when he left was what he'd been wearing, his weapons, and the boar hide. He kept the boarskin for himself. Unlike Meleager, he would not go to war for it, but instead he carried it, a memory of his brother. A memory of his sin. Eventually Tydeus would reach Argos - he had lost track of time, of himself - the heavy boar hide on his back a steady reminder of what he’d done. And then he met Polynices, an exile who also suffered betrayal, and was denied his right to the throne, who was haunted by his family's ghostly sins.

But Agrius, rid of Tydeus for now waited patiently until Andraemon, son-in-law to Oeneus, had his attention elsewhere since he could involve himself in war on behalf of his father-in-law if Agrius acted too soon. The ruler of Pleuron did not have to wait for long. Tydeus called to arms from Argos to march against Thebes. And they followed his call. And when news arrive from Thebes, Agrius rejoiced. Now he had free reign. Tydeus, the exile, last potential threat and beloved prince of Calydon was dead. Their troops suffered many losses. Oeneus was utterly defeated - again bereft of children. And now nothing was standing in Agrius‘ way.

So he deposed Oeneus, and while the Aetolian region was united when Tydeus called to arms, it was in friendly alliance and love and loyalty for their prince. But now Agrius ended up seizing Calydon from Oeneus, and Olenus too.

He let Andraemon keep his his city. But now he was not able to fight Agrius for the rest of Calydon and help his father-in-law. At this point Agrius has more influence and forces than him, a war only a fool would start. So Agrius rules over Calydon and its surrounding regions...

…until Diomedes comes, son of Tydeus, still heady with victory over Thebes, new king of Argos, marches to Aetolia, his goal to free his grandfather from imprisonment. He joins forces with Thoas, son of Andraemon, and they defeat Agrius - most of his sons are slain and he ends his own life when he is exiled, the sons of Porthaon now all know the loss of their children - and they free Oeneus. And Diomedes hands the throne Thoas. Andraemons son now rules over Calydon and the regions Agrius held, as well as the ones Andraemon had kept, the ones who had remained loyal to Oeneus. And with these Thoas will match against Troy, and Diomedes, with his own forces will join the war and bring victory for the Achaeans.

///

Thanks again to @lyculuscaelus @holy-mother-of-whumpers and @akaittou for helping me dig through the research and make sense of all the sources for Tydeus as well as figuring out the family trees, political and geographical relations as well as the details for Tydeus' exile ♡

[fangirlofallthefanthings]

heard you have headcanons on ody and dio meeting again after he returns. how does that go? how does penelope feel?

Ooooo!!! Boy, do I have ideas [insert shakey turtle of excitement here]

So, it's a little bit complicated, and I don't want to give too much away since it relates to what I'm currently working on, BUT!

I GOT YOU, FAM!

Basically: after Diomedes gets kicked out of Argos (it's very sad, the poor man), he realizes he has nowhere else to go except literally anywhere but the Eastern Mediterranean. So, he sets off for Hesperia (aka modern Italy) to start a new life there. But in this time of heartbreak, he's missing Odysseus even more (they had a sad goodbye on Crete; it's a long story), and he decides to stop at Ithaca on the way to get some supplies and maybe visit Ody. But when he gets there, he finds that Ody is MIA and Penelope is running things. So he hangs out for a while and gets to know Pen and Telemachus (who is about 11 or 12 by this point), and quickly figures out why Ody would talk about her literally any chance he got. She's beautiful, yes, but she's also just as cunning and wise as Odysseus is... The same qualities Dio fell in love with. And Pen is curious about Dio, too. She's heard many stories and news about her husband's schemes with Dio, and she starts falling for him a bit, too. But Diomedes doesn't want to dishonor the Bro Code by getting with Penelope. Ody loves Penelope! Dio could never hurt Ody like that. So... He leaves. He says goodbye to Pen and Telemachus and heads off to Hesperia. He and Penelope wonder what could have been since they believe they will never see each other again.

BUT THEN ODY RETURNS TO ITHACA!!! YIPPEE!!! Diomedes hears this news, but he has his new city to run, so he doesn't return immediately. After a few years, though, he gets usurped and kicked out again, so he's like, "Welp. I have nowhere else to go," and he goes back to Ithaca. He and Ody reunite and there's hugs all around and it's really sweet. Dio soon finds that OdyPen had another kid, a daughter (I haven't figured out a name for her yet, but she's two when Dio shows up). This part of the story is very loose, but I do know they all put two and two together about all their feelings eventually (Odysseus is very happy about this as you can imagine lmao!) It's little slice of life stuff from there. A little hc I have about the three of them is that Dio teaches OdyPen's daughter how to box because she's a little firecracker and needs to get rid of excess energy somehow, but she can't stay still long enough to weave (plus she's really little and doesn't have the fine motor skills for that yet). Dio and Ody also work together to hone Telemachus's and Diodotus's skills (who Diodotus is... you'll know soon enough lmao). I also hc that Pen frequently tricks OdyDio into wrestling each other so she can watch for her own entertainment. She's just sitting to the side, eating her bowl of table grapes, enjoying the show okasdfhsdugif- I also hc that... Once OdyPen passes on, Diomedes leaves again. The kids don't want him to go, but he can't stay. He wants to honor Ody's wish for Tele to be king. If he stays, people will think he wants to take over. He doesn't want a war among Ody's people so... he leaves. He establishes one last city in Hesperia and feels his life coming to a close. He climbs a nearby cliff by the sea to enjoy the view, looking east. Then Athena shows up, and he accepts immortality. Sorry... Got sort of sad toward the end there, but that's a few things! I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm very scattered rn. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask! I don't bite, I promise! :D

[superscrub323]

Aphrodite Cheers Ares up after the Trojan War

Aphrodite walks in on Ares sharpening his spear. Aphrodite: Hey babe... Ares looks at her. Ares: Hmmm? Aphrodite: Remember Diomedes of Argos? Ares raises an eyebrow Ares: Yes, and I assume you have a good reason for bringing him up. Aphrodite shows Diomedes coming home expecting a hero's welcome from his wife only to find out his best friend's son decided to marry his wife and banished Diomedes from the city. Ares:...

Ares: I love you...but damn you are scary. Aphrodite hugs him Aphrodite: I love you too and you damn well know it.

[dark-side-of-the-moon-ody]

Odysseus

My name is Odysseus of Ithaca, I am one of the last survivors of the Trojan War and the king of Ithaca

< Pronouns?

"He/Him"

< Age?

"46"

< Family?

"Married to Penelope of Ithaca and father to Telemachus of Ithaca"

< who's your Mentor?

"The new US constitution." (Athena)

This is Post-Vengence Saga Ody, so don't be mad if he's kind of mean to you. He IS the Monster... rawr rawr rawr.

Blogs he interracts with:

@bright-side-of-the-moon-tele - my son, he totally loves me

@penelope-is-waiting - my dear wife 💙💙

@true-diomedes-of-argos - sewage rat :3

@sw33t3tsl0v3r - Polites' wife (if you touch her, I'll be copying Odysseus ❤️)

@l0n3princ3ss - my sister, Eurylochus' wife

Amazing art

TAGS:

○°《Nobody answers》•○ - Odysseus speaks

•▪︎《This Life was Amazing》▪︎• - Polites speaks

☆°•《Mutiny》•°☆ - Eurylochus speaks

♡°○《Can't Control my Body》○°♡ - Possessed Odysseus

[radiojamming]

hi there! your aristeia of diomedes sounds super interesting!! can you tell us more about the project - from reading between the lines, i think it's a video game? also this is a random question but i love finding blogs i didnt realise were run by classicists - did you study ancient history at uni perchance? <3

Howdy! Thank you so much! This project's gone from being a test game to kind of being my creative baby, so I'm always super hype to talk about it!

The Aristeia of Diomedes is a text-based game made with Twine that essentially tells the whole story of Diomedes' life from his birth to his questionable end (did he die? is he immortal? did he turn into a bird???) while interweaving stories of his ancestors and Argos on a whole. An aristeia, in storytelling terms, is a moment of a character's excellence; Diomedes has the longest written aristeia in the Iliad, and so I treated this game as a way of showing his whole life like one big aristeia.

Originally, I wanted to write a novel about Diomedes à la Song of Achilles, but nothing I made turned out the way I wanted. Eventually, a friend suggested using Twine. That made me think about how oral history is traditionally very interactive, and how an itinerant storyteller like Homer might have asked his audience questions, or encouraged them to speak and react. Using Twine gives a player more control over the kind of story they want to hear and encourages them to build Diomedes' story alongside the storyteller.

The game is based on numerous written sources like Homer's epics, Hesiod's writings, Pindar's poetry, and histories written by people like Apollodorus. I've also tried to weave in more Mycenaean history from archaeological record to make it a little more three-dimensional. I've taken my own artistic liberties here and there to solve some of the inconsistencies between sources and to fill in the blanks left by lost sources, but also to make this story my own. :D

I have a background in history, and I've definitely dabbled in ancient western history! My specialties are actually in maritime history, polar exploration history, and illuminated manuscripts, but I started off wanting to get into Ancient Greek and Roman history. I've done archaeological field work at a Roman dig site in Britain, so it's a veeeeery familiar world to me.

(Bonus archaeology trip pictures because yissss!)

So yes, this is a passion project of mine and I'm so happy people are interested in it! :DDD