#it’s because of odysseus’s love for penelope

[ronniesan2006]

I WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TOO-

My contribution is based on reinforcing the idea of ​​changing gods during God Games, mainly with Hestia and Dionysus. But I'm going slowly.

Artemis changing with Apollo, not only because they are siblings and the counterpart of each other, but because there are quite a few aspects that Artemis could reproach Ares about Penelope (although I consider that like Apollo, she doesn't know her well and just made the first mistake that occurred to her, lol). The first one: Why would Penelope deliberately slaughter wild animals? Didn't she first wonder if those sheep had an owner? Of course Penelope is wrong

"You know I love wild animals, but hunting is something that shouldn't be taken as a game. Knowing that those sheep belonged to someone, I think Penny is wrong"

I have a feeling that Ares would answer her something like this

"Sadly, she learned the lesson the hard way, but I'm sure that because of that event, something of this caliber will never happen and she will be more careful when hunting"

Personally, my favorite change, Hephaestus with Hestia. Here, Hestia, would not only be the most difficult to convince (for me) but she would also be touching on an important subject. Penelope went to war and let the fire of her family go out because of her absence and it gets worse if we consider that with her, an important member of that family, Ctimene (Odysseus' younger sister) went.

"I think the punishment they gave that warrior is fair. She left her family, which caused her home to become cold to the point that it doesn't feel like a home anymore and don't get me started on the fact that she took someone very important to that family…"

Ares would clearly be nervous, and I can even imagine how, unlike how he showed up with Artemis, he took off his helmet as a sign of respect towards his aunt and spoke kindly.

"Hestia, protector of the home fire, let me tell you that her sister in arms forgave her and also, I promise you that if you help me free her, she will return to her home where that flame will rekindle in your name" (Hestia would accept a little reluctantly)

Dionysus, at first it made me a lot of noise because I said "But- he never participated in the Trojan War" and then I remembered that this is an AU and it's horrible to limit creativity (xd). Well, the things that Dionysus reproaches Ares would be how Penelope let her father drown in wine out of sadness and he died with a broken heart for not seeing his daughter. Ares rolling his eyes when he hears Dionysus speak as well as Athena when she sees Aphrodite

"Your little and beloved Penelope, says she loves her father very much and yet, she let him drown in wine and in his own sadness"

"She was fighting"

"Rather, mocking the cursed nymph. Why don't you let her also drown in infinite pain, just like her poor father and finally rot?"

"Wait!… Please reconsider"

And I'll only leave those three because I'm still in doubt with Athena and Zeus (How curious). I really love this AU and I wanted to contribute with ideas that I had and this also helps me to organize my ideas and be able to write my own fanfiction xd

UPDATED WARRIOR! PENELOPE AU SWAP LIST!!

Characters who swap:

-Penelope 🔁 Odysseus

-Ares 🔁 Athena

-Hera 🔁 Zeus

- Ctimene 🔁 Eurylochus

- Aeolus 🔁 Polites

-Tiresias(the prophet) 🔁 Circe

-Aphitrite (Poseidon’s wife) 🔁 Poseidon

-Calypso 🔁 Antonious

-Scylla 🔁 Polyphemus (the cyclops)

-Dionysus 🔁 Aphrodite

-Artemis 🔁 Apollo

-Hestia 🔁 Hephaestus

Characters who don’t swap:

-Telemachus

-Hermes

DISCLAIMER!!

This might change over time since I’m still developing this AU and I’m the kind of person who changes ideas constantly, if anything changes then I’ll leave it here

[bloodyshadow1]

hello @mer-acle as luck would have it I am your secret santa too. you wanted something based on Athena so here it is. I was planning on posting this closer to christmas, but since you gifted me that goregous Athena piece I thought what the heck.

It's not your normal torturing athena story but I hope you still like

Athena’s skin burned, her veins screamed, and her bones ached.  One minute she was standing in front of her father before all of Olympus, victorious from his gauntlet, the next he was shouting and she was on the ground.   She was in pain, her shield melted onto her arm since it took the brunt of the blow.

Her father was still shouting about something, probably a warning to the rest of Olympus not to defy him.  Athena’s body begged her to stay down as her head rang from pain and the crack thunder.  Athena knew the wisest move would be to stay down, to let her father throw his tantrum and make a plan for when he cooled down.  

But she could not.  This was not fair.  She might have mocked his infidelity, but why should she suffer for his ego when she won his game?  She had earned her victory when she had made it through 5 other gods by blood, wit, and words. Why should she suffer more for mentioning his infidelity than he ever did cheating on his wife?

This was wrong and Athena would not stand for it.  Regardless of sense and what the rest of the family was yelling at her, Athena rose to her feet even if she had to lean on her spear to do so.  Still, in front of all of Olympus, she stood in defiance of their king.  

For Zeus, he looked angry, as his wrath turned to hatred.  Not even Ares had ever made their father look this angry before.  He shouted at her, from what she could make out from his lips something ‘Thunderbringer’ and ‘wringer’ but her ears were ringing too loudly for her to hear him.  In defiance of him, in his rule and his words, Athena moves forward.  

Purple in the face, Athena watches as her father gathers his storms to strike her again, but she does not stop.  He was angry, not uncommon for him, but for the first time since she was birthed from his skull, Athena fed the fires of her rage.  

Athena thought of Odysseus, her dear friend who she never got to call the word to his face.  Trapped on an island, violated by a goddess he did not love, all because of her father’s cruelty.  She thought of Telemachus and Penelope who were forced to endure his absence and the men who came to take his place all these years.  

She thought of her dearest Pallas, her first friend and the first blood she spilt.  All because Zeus’ arrogance would not let even his banished daughter lose a spare.  She thought of her mother Metis, the only source of softness Athena had as a child in the pits of her father’s guts.  She was gone now, gone forever because she could give birth to a child with her husband.  Her first, last, and only gift she was ever able to give to Athena, her armor was also smoking, perhaps unusable after today.  Were she able to allow herself the time, Athena would have cried at its loss.  

Lastly, Athena thought of a little girl, a baby.  A child born without sin, but with a prophecy hanging over her head, one that did not even apply to her, yet the King of Olympus deemed the death of his daughter a small price to pay for his safety.   

Never again, Athena had swallowed enough poison and pain in her life.  She looked at her father, her king, and advanced.  For the goddess of wisdom is going to war.     

There is no god on Olympus who could match the raw power of Zeus, not his brother, not his sisters, certainly not his daughter.  Athena knew this better than anyone.  She doubted that she would, could, win against her father. Zeus is Zeus afterall, but she will be damned if she will let him treat her like this for standing up for her friend.

Her father tossed another one of his thunderbolts at her, probably thinking he could end her little fit of rebellion then and there. This time though, Athena was expecting it and rolled to the side.  Her body screamed at her begging her to stop,  to lay down and die, but that was not Athena’s way.  Before, he caught her by surprise, in a moment of weakness, Athena did not believe that her father would truly hurt her.  That had been a mistake and the pain and scars would be the price she paid for that mistake.  

‘You can rest when you are dead and not a second before,’ was something she told her students Achilles, Diomedes, and Odysseus.  Achilles was resting, Diomedes was not, and she would be damned before she let Odysseus rest in peace trapped on Calypso’s island. She was many things, but she was not a hypocrite when it came to battle.  While she was alive she would not lay down like a beaten dog. 

She met her father’s attack with a charge, Zeus was powerful, but she knew she was as good as dead if she did not close the distance.  His thunderbolts were the most powerful weapon in all the cosmos, her shield was already gone and her Aegis around her neck was powerful, but it could only withstand so much.  She needed to end this now.  

One bolt echoed behind Athena, missing her by a hair, then another as she closed the distance.  Something came into her mind as she moved forward, how sloppy her father was.  His blows were powerful, the whole arena shook every time his bolts crashed to the earth, but as a warrior he was lacking.  It was not hard to be dangerous when you wielding the power of Olympus and the most destructive weapons the elder cyclopes ever made.  But on the battlefield, if not for his godhood, well, Athena had seen many warriors like him.  She could read him like a book.

Big and strong men who thought because they wielded a blade twice the size of the men around them that they were unstoppable.  They thought their strength was a perfect substitute for skill and would carry them on any battlefield.  At least until they came upon someone far more skilled who actually knew how to fight.

As she dodged lightning, Athena wondered when was the last time Zeus had actually fought someone instead of turning them into dust with one blast.  No one challenges the king of the gods, so perhaps his last real foe had been the Typhon?  

That sounded right, the Bane of Olympus against the king, thousands of years ago.  The great spawn of Gaia and Tartarus tore the earth apart as he made his way to Olympus.  The other gods fled save for Zeus, and if the storyteller was being honest, Athena.  Yes, Athena had been so loyal back then, she stood by her father’s side as the Typhon and the creatures he spawned.  She had seen her father fall against the giant while she fended off the nightmarish army.  It was her who distracted the Typhon while Hermes returned their father’s stolen sinews.  She had fought for days back then and despite the blood and sweat she spilled those days she had been written out of the story.  

Athena might have cared, but not enough to let it bother her, back then it only mattered that the threat was dealt with and Apollo had returned to the mountain so someone could heal her wounds.  Zeus had been sloppy and out of practice even back then, now it appears he had let himself go even worse if she could make it this close to him.  

As he went to summon his bolt again, his face growing redder with frustration every time she dodged, Athena made her move.  Before the bolt was back in his hand, her spear pierced his wrist, spraying golden ichor all over him.  He looked as shocked as he was in pain.  

Athena tried to not give him time to recover as she drew her sword from her hip and charged.  She managed two swings before he was able to recover, a deep cut on his chest from which gold spilled out, and one on his shoulder that he was able to dodge somewhat before she could dig deeper.  

Before she could go for the kill though, Zeus grabbed her sword hand with his injured hand.  He might be a shit warrior, but no one in existence could deny that he was a strong bastard.  It hurt as he squeezed down on her wrist but she did not let him have the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.  “Ungrateful bitch,” he spat at her before backhanding her with his bleeding hand.  

Athena spat out blood but did not back down even as her head rang inside her helmet.  He had one of her arms now, he was stronger than her.  In a grapple she knew despite her experience she would lose.  But while Athena was not as strong as her father, she was sneakier and willing to do whatever it took to win.  

As Zeus started to say something, Athena let out her secret weapon.  The bronze of her shield had melted from his first attack, but it had cooled since then.  It was not a pretty weapon by any means, but with how it melted into sharp, jagged, and ugly edges was enough.  Before he could say anything she slammed her deformed shield into his throat and ripped it open, gold pouring out like rain.  

Even Zeus, the King of the Gods, could shake off such a dreadful wound, Athena was counting on it.  He fell to his knees, clutching his gaping throat, it was not enough to kill him, but all creatures weakened to such a wound.  She dashed around him, unclipping her Aegis from around her throat.  

Swiftly, Athena wrapped the cloth of divine make around her father’s injured throat like a noose.  For the first time since Pallas died, Zeus wore the Aegis that was once his.  And like her half-brother killing the great Nemean Lion, Athena pulled her Aegis tight.  

Zeus did not go down without a fight, wounded as he was, he was still the king for a reason.  He thrashed against Athena with the strength only those who knew they were going to die could muster.  But while Athena was weaker than the children of Kronos, she was no dainty flower to be manhandled.  She was a war goddess and proved her mettle hanging on to the edges of her Aegis with an iron grip.  

Athena drew strength from those who lost and who she had yet to lose.  The mother that had been the only source of softness in the abyss that was her father’s guts.  Her first friend who had been taken by her hand and her father’s actions.  Odysseus who was still alive, but tormented because his crew killed a cow.  Her muscles  grew tight as she pulled harder, “you will never hurt the ones I love again,” she snarled like a beast.  

Between her strength and leverage, there was nothing that the King of the Skies could do and eventually he succumbed to the darkness.

Athena kept her grip tight on her Aegis for a few minutes after her father stopped thrashing about.  She would not lose everything she worked for to him playing possum.  Eventually though, Athena let her Aegis slacken once she was sure he would not wake in a moment.  Not even Zeus could get up after that.  With a sigh, she knew she had not a moment to lose.

Athena knelt down to the pools of golden ichor that covered the stage, a mix of both of theirs, her own wounds had not stopped just because she decided to fight her king.  With a touch the golden blood of the gods turned into golden thread.  With that thread Athena wove a golden net even stronger than the one the family used years ago to entrap him.  

Back then it took days of planning before Athena could formulate a plan to depose Zeus with the help of several other gods.  Yet here she was, able to topple her father alone.  She learned from her mistakes last time and when she strapped him in the net, she made sure there was no way out.  He would wake eventually and this time Athena did not want anyone pulling a Thetis and freeing him.  

With her father secured Athena finally looked at her surroundings.  At the monsters and gods in the stands watching them with baited breath.  Some looked afraid, some looked unsure, but there were some who looked hopeful for some reason that Athena could not quite comprehend in her state.  The family looked at her with mixed eyes as well, she would deal with that later.

“Hermes,” Athena shouted, her voice was raw but full of authority.  

Within seconds the messenger god was in front of her, “hey there sis,” he said trying to sound like he was not nervous.  “What can your favorite messenger of the gods do for you.”

“Go to Calypso’s Island,” Athena commanded, “tell Calypso to free Odysseus at once by the authority of Olympus.  Let her know that if she refuses, I will be the next visitor to her island,” she let the threat go unfinished.  Athena knew Hermes would get her point across.  

“My father’s game is over,” she shouted to the masses.  Some looked shocked, some looked frightened, but some, even those amongst the family, had a strange look of hope that she did not understand.  

It took everything she had to not sway from the pain now that adrenaline was slowly leaving her system.  But after what just happened, she could not afford to show any weakness.  Whatever comes next could wait, Odysseus needed to be free, Telemachus and Penelope needed to be safe.  Then she could rest.

[oddyseye]

I agree with your position on Calypso being childlike in Epic is detrimental to male victims of sexual assault, but it *is* within Homer's original work that the suitors had malicious thoughts about Penelope in a similar way. He didn't focus on it so explicitly like Jorge is going to do in Epic, but there are several times when Penelope mentions how much of a threat they are to 'us', and an additional moment where the suitors *do* deliberately express desire to have sex with her, and wait until she has left the room to speak in such a manner. From Wilson's translation:

She [Penelope] went back to her room, and took her son's uneasy words to heart. She went upstairs, along with both her slaves, and wept there for her dear Odysseus, until Athena gave her eyes sweet sleep.

Throughout the shadowy hall the suitors clamored, praying to lie beside her in her bed. Telemachus inhaled, then started speaking.

"You suitors, you are taking this too far. Let us enjoy the feast in peace. It is a lovely thing to listen to a bard, especially with one with such a godlike voice."

From Fagles' translation:

Astonished, she withdrew to her own room. She took to heart the clear good sense in what her son had said. Climbing up the loft chamber with her women, she fell to weeping for Odysseus, her beloved husband, till watchful Athena sealed her eyes with welcome sleep.

But the suitors broke into uproar through the shadowed halls, all of them lifting prayers to lie beside her, share her bed, until discreet Telemachus took command: "You suitors who plague my mother, you, you insolent, overweening... for this evening let us dine and take our pleasure, no more shouting now. What a fine thing it is to listen to such a bard as we have here --- the man sings like a god."

I do wish that Jorge had left in that aspect of Odysseus' time trapped with Calypso intact, as well as his time with Circe. The musical suffers without it because this then does seem to be like a sensationalism thing. Anyway, I have enjoyed reading your breakdowns so far! I hope to see more with the next saga coming out in a few days. Wishing you all the best.

Okay, first off, thank you for being respectful, unlike half the brain-dead trolls who can’t read. I appreciate that you came with receipts, and you know what? That’s rare around these streets, so kudos for that. Seriously. You clearly care about the material, and that deserves respect. But now, let me roll up my sleeves because I do have some things to say.

Here’s Wilson’s translation again, from the same scene you mentioned:

“The suitors made a din throughout the shadowy halls, each man praying to lie beside her in her bed.”

Praying. Highlight it. Circle it in red. These losers were not planning anything; they were fantasizing. Not plotting, not scheming, not planning some coordinated assault. Praying. These morons are fantasizing about her like horny teenagers, not predators with an actual plan. Because that is what they are. Youth.

Even Fagles, who’s more dramatic in his language, sticks to the same tone:

“The suitors broke into uproar through the shadowed halls, all of them lifting prayers to lie beside her, share her bed…”

Lifting prayers. Again, they’re fantasizing, not attacking. These guys are scum, but they’re not warriors. They’re lazy, spineless leeches who drink Odysseus’ wine and stuff their faces with his food while posturing like kings.

The original line goes as follows:

"οἱ δ᾽ εὐχόμενοι πάντες ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλοισι λέγοντο κοιμηθεῖν."

Translated literally, it says:

“And they, all praying, said among themselves to lie with her.”

Let’s focus on εὐχόμενοι (euchomenoi), the main verb here. It’s crucial because it doesn’t mean “plotting” or “planning.” It means praying, wishing, or hoping — a nonviolent, internal desire directed toward the gods. These guys weren’t conspiring to assault Penelope. They were sitting around fantasizing and asking divine forces to grant them her love (or, more likely, her submission).

Now, let’s look at κοιμηθεῖν (koimethein), which translates to “to sleep”. It is...not even sexual. It is literally a normal verb, “to sleep.” Homer had plenty of vocabulary to describe acts of physical aggression if that’s what he wanted to imply. Words like βιάζω (biazō, meaning “to force”) or ἁρπάζω (harpazō, meaning “to seize”) are all over the Iliad and Odyssey. If the suitors were intending rape, Homer would’ve used more explicit language. He didn’t. Let me contrast this with an actual moment in the Odyssey where sexual violence is implied, when he recalls his time on the island of Calypso:

“ἔνθα μὲν ἀμφ᾽ ἀνάγκῃ, τῇ δὲ θεὰ ἐρῶσά μιν ἔσχε.” (“There he stayed out of necessity, for the goddess, in her love, held him there.”)

Notice the two parts here. Odysseus stayed out of necessity, not because he wanted to. And why was he there? Because Calypso held him. That’s not love. That’s entrapment. Homer makes it clear that Odysseus had no agency in this situation — he was kept there against his will.

Homer uses the same word when Odysseus describes his time with Circe:

“ἀλλ᾽ ἔμεν᾽ ἐν σπέσσι λαῶν ἀνάγκῃ.” (“But I stayed in her halls by necessity.”)

The word ἀνάγκῃ is usually translated to “necessity,” but its meaning runs so much deeper. It implies force, constraint, distress, even violence. This isn’t a neutral word, and it sure as hell isn’t romantic.

When the gods finally intervene in the situation with Calypso, Hermes doesn’t mince words:

“ἀλλ᾽ ἤτοι δὴ νῦν οὔ τοι θέμις ἐστὶν ἄνακτα θνητὸν ἀνδρῶν ἐρύκειν.” (“It is not lawful for you to keep a mortal man here.”)

The gods themselves have to tell Calypso to let him go because she won’t do it willingly. That’s not the behavior of a tragic lover — it’s the behavior of someone who refuses to relinquish control.

Even when she finally agrees to release Odysseus, she doesn’t make it easy for him. She says:

“καὶ τὸν ἔασα πονεύμενον οἴκαδε νοστῆσαι.” (“I will allow him, suffering, to return home.”)

Notice that word — πονεύμενον (poneumenon), meaning “suffering” or “toiling.” She’s not helping him. She’s forcing him to work for his freedom, as if she’s making him earn the right to escape. And what does she give him to leave? Not a ship, not safe passage — she hands him an axe and tells him to build his own raft. But anyway, back to the topic at hand. They suitors, yes, they are lusting after Penelope, but there’s no plan of attack here. They’re scum, but they’re cowardly scum. They want Penelope to hand herself over to them, not because they’re forcing her physically, but because they think they can break her spirit. The whole point of the suitors is that they’re lecherous freeloaders who don’t actually have the guts to do anything.

And let’s talk about context. Penelope is a queen. She’s surrounded by her maids, she has her son in the house, and she’s got the weight of Odysseus’ legacy protecting her. The suitors know they can’t just drag her off to a bedroom without consequences. They’re playing a long game of manipulation and coercion, trying to wear her down until she chooses one of them. That’s why they’re so frustrated by her weaving trick — because she’s outsmarting them at their own game.

If Homer had wanted to imply a real physical threat, he would’ve. This is the same guy who wrote gory, brutal battle scenes and didn’t shy away from dark topics. He wasn’t subtle. If the suitors were planning to physically assault Penelope, we would know. Instead, what we get is a bunch of entitled men sitting around, praying to get lucky.

Now, does this mean the suitors aren’t a threat? Of course not. Their presence is invasive, degrading, and psychologically abusive. Penelope has to endure their constant disrespect and their lewd comments, and that’s horrifying in its own way. But we have to call it what it is: harassment and coercion, not rape.

And I know some people will argue that it’s “just a retelling” and that Jorge has the right to make changes. Sure, he does. But if you’re going to adapt one of the most iconic texts in Western literature, you have a responsibility to understand what you’re working with. You can’t just slap modern trauma narratives onto these characters without considering the implications.

So yeah, I disagree with you. The suitors weren’t planning to rape Penelope. That’s not what Homer wrote, and it’s not what the story is about. The fact that so many people jump to that conclusion says more about our culture than it does about the text.

That said, I do appreciate your thoughtfulness and your willingness to engage in this discussion. It’s rare to see someone actually care about the nuances of the Odyssey, even if we don’t agree. Thanks for that.

[ghostvibesonly]

THERE ARE OTHER WAYS DID NOT GO WHERE I WAS EXPECTING IT TO OH MY GOD /POS

PENELOPE’S THEME AND INSTRUMENT?? ODYSSEUS BEING QUITE LITERALLY BACKED INTO A CORNER AND HAVING SEEMINGLY NO OTHER WAY TO SAVE HIS MEN BUT STILL NOT BEING ABLE TO BRING HIMSELF TO GO THROUGH WITH THE ACT (EVEN THO IT WOULDN’T BE A TRUE ACT OF BETRAYAL BECAUSE THERE’S NO ACTUAL CONSENT ON HIS SIDE AND IT WAS SOMETHING HE WAS ABOUT TO BE COERCED INTO)??? CIRCE BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BEFORE AND BELIEVING THAT “BECOMING THE PUPPETEER” IS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP HERSELF AND HER NYMPHS SAFE SO SHE OFFERS THIS “ACT OF PASSION” TO STILL HAVE A FORM OF CONTROL, AND THEN SEEING ODYSSEUS IS NOT LIKE THOSE BEFORE BECAUSE HE’S SO IN LOVE WITH PENELOPE (WHO HE HASN’T SEEN IN 12 YEARS) THAT HE REFUSES HER OFFER AND PLEADS BECAUSE IT’S NOT WORTH IT EVEN THO THATS THE ONLY OPTION HE’S BEEN GIVEN??? HIM CALLING HIMSELF A PUPPET MAKING HER REALIZE THAT THIS CYCLE OF ABUSE AND CONTROL ISN’T WORTH IT ONLY TO COME TO A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE SHE KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE TRULY IN LOVE AND TO BE HURT, SO SHE OFFERS HIM AN ACT OF KINDNESS INSTEAD???

“Maybe showing one act of kindness leads to kinder souls down the road”

[icarianlibrary]

BAHAHAHA RIGHT?? Me and this other person who just YAPPING about the characters in EPIC (What I said is below) but the 3 Min slow mode was CRAZY.

Circe is so intelligently written. She is a women who only cares for things if it affects her directly, or her nymphs. Throughout the Circe Saga, we see her judge, manipulate, and almost kill Odysseus. But in the end, she ends up helping Odysseus with the divine and mutual goal of the Hatred for Poseidon. Though the dismay for him are for completly seprate reasons: Odysseys’s hatred stems from Poseidon’s ruthlessness; while on the other hand, Circe’s hatred stems throug the abuse and manipulation Poseidon puts women through, they have the understanding that they both hate Poseidon, which ultimately makes her caves. Circe is so incredibly written as an anti-villian, and recognizing that she is not confined by the boxes of “Good guy” or “Bad guy” can extremly change one’s views on her can exponentially change their view on her. Along with this, Jorge does an incredible job of writing morally ambiguous characters. Name one character who is truely the villian? You can not. Odysseus is a villian throughout the entire story to other’s around him. Poseidon is mearly avenging his son. Polities may seem like the peacemaker, but quoting Hamilton here “If you stand for nothing what will you fall for”. On the other hand Eurylechus has the Crew’s best interest in mind, but he has struggles with Hubris. Penelope unthreaded her tapestry every night in mallice to avoid the suitors. Telemachus never stood up for himself. Zeus was just going by justice and providing the best future he could with the circumstances, persuading Odysseus to kill Astynax. The gods mentioned in God Games simpily do not care for the Jouney(ssy) of Odysseus, and are overall reckless, even going so much as wishing bloodshed on others, but they also let him reign free after the convincing of Athena.

Athena is not able to understand human emotions until she meets Odysseus’s son 12 years after falling out with Odysseus because of her Apathy. Athena really only wanted Odysseus’s success though, and knew emotions would get in the way. I already covered Circe, so I’ll be skipping her. Calypso was a game for the gods. She manipulated Odysseus, but she also was longing for someone to love her. Hermes did his best to help Odysseus, but ultimately was sent in a grey area overall because of his relation to the gods. No one in EPIC is the hero, nor the villian. They’re all the puppets in someone else’s game.

NO ONE in EPIC is a redeemable character, and that’s why they’re so likeable! Odysseus has a savior-complex that he looses into a selfish reason to only save himself and his family. THE MAIN CHARACTER. The EPIC characters are so likeable because they aren’t perfect or only flaws. THAT is what builds a great chaarcter, and Jorge does a splendid job building onto that.

The thing is, even the gods are pawns in the game they created. Take Prometheus, he played the gods’ games and won. Daedlus, syphilis, all of them. We, as humans tend to gravitate towards an explanation for EVERYTHING. That is my personal belief on why the Greek myths are as they are, humans need an explaination for things! For me, as a Mormon person, my explaination lies in the hands of God, BUT in the hands of people from ancient Greece (Or modern day Hellensitic folk, hey y’all!!), that is their explaination! The myths, and every content inside are all an explaination human’s use to understand. We are the player, they are the pawns.

So NONE of my EPIC the musical mutuals were gonna tell me that an EPIC-secret-Santa-art-thingy was going on?? Hater… /j ily <33 ANYWAY take the EPIC doodles for compensation

Ignore how bad Polites is colored, I drew & colored him in a FedEx store while waiting for my father to get his order finished 🙂‍↕️

[artiquar]

my dear penelope, we've twenty lost years of love to make up for.

[wolfythewitch]

To add onto to what I mentioned about aroace stuff, I think it's just in general. sometimes I look at ships and I don't get why they like each other? Like I think it's cute but when I think about it a little bit, I don't really understand it fundamentally. That could either be a product of being aroace, raised heavily religious and conservative, or a weird concoction of all three lmao

I think this is part of the reason why my favorite pairings are usually already established/married. Otherwise I just! Don't understand

[melodyartist-blog]

I started reading House of Odysseus by Claire North again, which I had dropped a long time ago, since the characters where really annoying and the way it was written bothered me too much, maybe it's the adaptation's fault idk, but you really have to turn off your brain to make it even minimally enjoyable... that's not even true !Because they still find a way to make me hate everyone, there is a big ass problem if I find Antinous less annoying than Helen and she is one of the "protagonists"

I gave it the benefit of the doubt several times but it's really not my cup of tea 😭(I'm halfway through it though...). But I must say that since I'm very biased I wanted to try and draw Menelaus from the book, based on the awful descriptions, that are not even coherent since in the first chapter he is described in such a way that he looks like a Minecraft character with big ass hands and in 10 chapters later he is described having a thin neck, so I took on some creative liberties

We are not gonna talk about the blacksmith comment... And the whole paragraph beneath that is all about his hands and piercing gaze

What can I say... there are parts where I like him for how he is portrayed but it's like 10% of the time. He's loud, arrogant, mean, hot headed and he is trying too hard to get Penelope's favour, a red flag who walks on legs that are thick as logs...sigh I guessed that's fine...

But there are scenes that he is in that have a nice comedic effect especially when he is serious... I think that those are not meant to be funny so that's an other issue

[australet789]

How many times do i have to say Odysseus is my babygirl, meaning he is a pathetic wet man who fucked around and found out so hard he made himself a name out of it

[haze-of-hyperfixations]

a concept. to consider. what if. what if there was a Remember Them reprise after the Thunder Saga. "We are not to let them die in vain" except he's the only one left so it's "I am not to let them die in vain." and there's no backing chorus of his men. because. they're all dead.

and the line takes on a whole new meaning now that he's the one who chose to let them die.

(not in vain. it can't have been in vain, it can't have been for nothing. i have to see her. i have to see her, because if i don't make it home, those men died for nothing. the ends always justify the means. i can justify anything as long as it ends with Penelope and Telemachus both in my arms again. but if it doesn't-

but it will. it will. it has to.)

and our- ... -and my comrades will not die in vain...

[zarnzarn]

(check the tags for more and also the tag for other fics in the story!)

athena, scowling as she gets bullied into marrying the people she pined over for the last 1000 years, suddenly realising something: wait a minute

odysseus: what?

athena, frozen: wait a damn minute you know what this gives me rights to do

penelope, also realising: oh fuck yes

odysseus: I don't like the sound of whatever's happening here what are you two fucking talking about?

athena, grabbing the marriage wine and tossing it back, then kissing her new wife and husband and handing penelope a spear as she picks up a mace: we'll be back shortly, you can start celebrations without us.

penelope: do u have anything that can start a fire

athena, pulling out an old contract and scanning it before throwing it over her shoulder: yes. are you scared of heights or can we fly.

penelope: fucking bring it I've waited years for this moment

zeus: where are they going

hermes, picking up the contract: they're going to... Ogygia? Oh fucking shit they're going to fucking kill Calypso- hey, hello, WAIT-

[dootznbootz]

Hi. I'm cyberbullying a long dead poet because of his shitty fanfic. Enjoy. I'd love it if you joined me.

(Before you get mad at me, yes, I know Eugammon of Cyrene is an important figure and all that. I'm sick with some sort of flu. Let me cyberbully an ancient dead fanfic writer in peace.)

[idiotwhotalkstoomuch]

Ngl I'm pretty weirded out by depictions of Circe that make her characterization as motherly when her myths are *reads notes on hand*

Turning Scylla into a monster because she was jealous her lover liked her.

Making Odysseus sleep with her after turning his men to swine and discovering he took moly.

Turned Picus, a married man, into a woodpecker because he said no to her sexual advances.

[backpackingspace]

Wait hear me out Athena with a tapestry cape that penelope made her and owl themed wooden jewelry that odysseus made her

[silverorchideon]

Do you think King Odysseus had a balcony overlooking the sea? A sea once so peaceful, of water lapping at the shores. Do you think he once saw beauty in it?

Do you think that Odysseus stared out at the sea during his odyssey, a reminder of home? Do you think he heard the waves and thought of sitting on his balcony with Penelope? Do you think his view is forever painted with grief and suffering after coming home?

Sketches under the cut

I wasn't planning on actually painting these, but...

Do you think that Odysseus would want to remain still? To go somewhere would be to leave, and whose to say he wouldn't be sent on another odyssey? Could he handle being separated from his family for yet another adventure? How much longer until he breaks?

[kindred-spirit-93]

reigning queen of ithaca, the lovely penelope

@bookwormgirl123 hello sweet person. your reblog of my trio post yesterday made my heart smile so enjoy more of my naiad muffin <3

bonus mama and son doodle:

telemachus rarely sees his mother with her hair down both literally and metaphorically. single handedly ruling a kingdom is no easy task yet somehow she manages to do it whilst raising the sweetest boi ever.

here he asked for his favourite story of his father... how he won her heart :')