#queen of Ithaca

[that-guy-in-the-chiton]

Buff Penelope (cuz she’s Spartan 😉)

[haveafuckingfanfic]

Just imagine when things finally settle down for Odysseus and he has both his family, his palace and his kingdom back.

Penelope tries to initiate affection, but Odysseus flinches and causes her to back off. She talks to him, ‘Ody I’ve been trying to help you, I keep trying but you reject me. What’s going on?’

Ody fucking breaks down, sobbing and goes on a rant. ‘Why?! Why do you still love me? I don’t deserve it. I’ve done so much. I’ve lost so many people. I killed so many men, I have so much blood on my hands. I’m a monster, Penelope, a monster!”

Pen just cups his face and forces him to look at her, “Because I love you, Odysseus. I love you, no matter what has happened, no matter what you have done or who you have killed. You came back to me…that’s all that matters to me.”

Ody hugs her as he sobs. His mind tells him she’s lying, but he knows what she says is true. She comforts him, wrapping him in her arms and clutching his head to her chest. She loves him. She always will…

[southerndragontamer]

Thunder Bringer

Inspired by this set of YouTube comments/post

The lightning cracked down on the deck of the ship so hard it bobbed and dipped threateningly into the waters. His vision flared white as his skin prickled from the sheer heat of it against the chill of the wind as it lashed against him. Odysseus’ heart stuttered and he felt his stomach drop.

Zeus was just as intimidating as he had been that night in Troy almost twelve years ago, in the infant’s room where he’d given Odysseus an impossible choice in what to do. He expected to see lightning bolts striking down around him, to feel it humming against his skin as he watched his men die.

What he didn’t expect, in any capacity, was for Zeus to grab him before anyone could react and pull him close enough for him to feel the humming of power under the divine skin. Just as his cheeks flushed and he was about to yelp, partly out of surprise and partly from pain of the stab wound that had begun to bleed through the bandages...Zeus began to move, made Odysseus follow along and his heart skipped a beat when the god began to sing in a rich, dark voice.

“Pride is a damsel in distress

Hiding away where only I can undress her”

Odysseus couldn’t help the gasp, the way he twisted as Zeus’ broad hands slipped up his chest, ran along the edges of his tunic and tugged as if to pull it off before they slipped back down. Humming power followed every movement in almost soft pulses, quick fingers pulled his tunic up.

“Try all she can not to confess

In the end, it's all the same once I apply all the pressure”

His head fell back in a pained cry as fingers dug into the bandages, into the wound and his knees threatened to give out. In an instinctive act that in any other situation would’ve likely gotten him killed, he grabbed onto Zeus’ forearm.

There was a rumble of thunder in the air and against his ear, amused and a huff of what could pass for a chuckle before the grip loosened a bit. Then he was twisted around to be with his back against the god’s chest, that strong arm wrapped tightly around his waist despite the hiss under his breath.

“Thunder, bring her through the wringer, show her I'm the judgment call

The one who makes her kingdom fall~”

Odysseus’ shudder was a full body one, it was an easy threat for the king of Olympus to make, with the power of the heavens under his fingertips it wouldn’t be any stretch of the imagination for Zeus to be able to easily destroy what he desired, to leave scorches of ruin and blackened earth where buildings stood and people once lived- he was spun, his footing stumbled as he ended up half arched into the god’s chest.

“Lightning, wield her, use and yield her, show her what she can't conceal

For true nature will be revealed~”

The arch in his back curved more as the god leaned down, one hand on a hip to hold tightly and the other trailed up his chest in a slow caress as he started to pant. Zeus leaned in close, inches away as he grinned darkly.

The mortal was reminded of a trident under his chin, the sound of waves crashed around his ears, the deep abyss the sea around an air bubble, the sensation of a hand clenched tight in his hair to pull it back and expose his throat-

“Tell me, Odysseus

If I were to make you choose

The lives of your men and crew or your own

Why do I think they'd lose?~”

The voice in his ears jolted him back to the present, rich and dark like thunderclouds instead of sharp and fluid like crashing waves, he gasped like a surfacing diver out of his memories to focus.

The sound of his name in that regal tone made him shudder from head to toe, attention completely focused on the King of the Gods. Zeus wasn’t offended by his momentary lapse in concentration though, an amused yet dark grin flashed with teeth.

“Enlighten me, King of Ithaca

Since hunger was far too great

I wonder who'd take the weight of the damned

And suffer a gruesome fate to the”

“Thunder Bringer, here to ring your

Ears until you're deaf with fear and

Spear you while your death is near”

Odysseus’ head fell back in a pained shout, the scream barely locked in his throat as Zeus’ hand slammed itself on his wound, as he felt pure power flood his veins. The sound of sizzling, popping, the scent of burning flesh and cooking meat lasted for what felt like an eternity as the injury was cauterized but was really only a few seconds as his body jerked and twitched under the sky king’s touch.

It felt like his body wasn’t his for a second or two, tugged along the way Zeus wanted it to be directed. It was so easy…between one heartbeat and the next his body was his own as he heaved for air, tears in his eyes and body trembled like a leaf.

“Lighting wielder, here to yield your

Time for you have passed your prime

Sublime you for your act of crime”

A hand was suddenly at his throat, fingertips hot and crackling as they ran a path of danger and threat along his neck. A phantom slice to indicate the crime he talked about. But despite it his back couldn't help but arch, his head fell further back to give more room.

As his body moved on its own to submit to Zeus’ touch, despite the threat and danger, despite the situation not at all being the right moment for it, Odysseus suddenly understand exactly why Zeus had been able to bed so many, everyone knew about the ones that weren’t willing and it was despicable that the King of the Gods didn’t know the word ‘no’ then again the Titan Goddess hadn’t been the best to teach him that-but regardless there had to be some that were entirely willing even knowing who he was, what Hera might do to them when she found out. And no one ever knew about them because Zeus’ cruelty was all they focused on in the stories for the most part.

The hand at his neck pulled away and he was righted up, a hand curled around his jaw as Zeus spoke one word, oddly softer, but still with that undercurrent of command.

“Choose.”

Odysseus blinked a few times, his mind struggled to get itself from the state of near ecstasy and pain to actually think properly. He panted and echoed confused, lost in a way.

“Choose?”

Zeus looked almost soft, sympathetic in a way, completely at odds with his former confidence and pride. His breath caught in his chest and his heart skipped a beat, it…it felt almost tender. Almost sweet, even if it shouldn’t have been.

“Someone's gotta die today

And you have got the final say

You?

Or your crew?”

His head was turned to the side, to the faces of the stunned, fearful crew that had seen the entire thing. Unable to grab their Captain from the Sky God’s grip, forced to watch as he was pulled along like a puppet. The guilt and shame and the pure horror on their faces tore at his heart.

His knees shook, his heart ached as he shook his head hard, unable to look away from them, he felt like he was back in the infant’s room all over again. Faced with an impossible choice he didn’t want to make, he couldn’t do this again. He felt like he was going to fall to his knees, tears filled his eyes as he half cried. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t, not again, not more pain.

“Please don't make me do this

Don't make me do this!”

Gold, the color of the divine, of ambrosia, of power, of royalty-of lightning flashed and filled his vision with a rolling rumble of thunder that echoed to the point he almost felt deafened. When his vision cleared…he was in another space.

It reminded him of Athena’s Quick Thought, but instead of ticking clocks it was the white noise of static and sparks that made his hair raise and his chest felt tight, hard to breathe like the air was thinner.

Zeus’ hair curled around him like a living stormcloud, lightning arced through the currently storm black curls as the god tipped his chin up, sparks danced along his skin and made the human king tremble. That soft, almost tender tone again.

“Don’t you remember what you heard as you left Scylla’s cave? We are the same you and I”

“I…”

Odysseus couldn’t help but finish, his voice fell in harmony with Zeus’, just like he had before with Scylla as his head spun, partly from the thin air of this space created by Zeus’ power. Partly from being overwhelmed by everything.

He was not that prideful, not that stupid to think he was the same as one of the gods, but…that hadn’t been the point of it had it?…Scylla was a monster, and one could argue Zeus was too in many ways. Odysseus had sworn to do anything to get back to Ithaca, that he’d become a monster if that was what it took…and he had.

He could make out the voices of his crew, all of them seemingly all around him, repeating his own words back at him.

“When does a comet become a meteor?

When does a candle become a blaze?

When does a man become a monster?

When does a ripple become a tidal wave?

When does the reason become the blame?

When does a man become a monster?”

How many times had he heard that now? How many times had his own words all those years ago back at Troy come back to haunt him? To remind him of how much suffering he’d gone through, how much he could’ve prevented…..

“I can take the suffering from you”

His knees shook as he heard Penelope’s voice through his crew’s, tears in his eyes as his heart ached. It didn’t sound like the siren had, just too perfect to the point it was off, it sounded like she was right there, like he could reach out and grab her and never let go-

He tried, he reached out half blind out of desperate longing, out of need to see her again. To be with her, with his son who he hadn’t seen since he was a mere babe-

“Let me take the suffering from…”

He blinked as he only found his hand empty, the wisp of clouds almost lovingly seeped around his fingers. He was back on the ship, the rain pelted against him like ice yet he wasn’t entirely cold as Zeus’ chest was at his back, arms slipped around his shoulders like a weight in an embrace that was familiar yet alien and so warm.

Odysseus panted slightly, his head spun from endorphins of the increased oxygen, from what had just happened. His mind was split between being focused on the god wrapped around him and Penelope….oh his beloved Penelope.

Of course he’d heard her say that she’d take his suffering, that was what Penelope did for him, would do for him when he’d be home….her and, Telemachus, thinking of them was how he’d stayed sane so long, after so much death and bloodshed, even after he’d finally understood what it meant to be ruthless, to be a monster in human skin…they were all he could focus on.

His beloved wife, his dear son….they were his light, his drive, his very threads of sanity…he couldn’t be without them. He couldn’t leave them behind. He swallowed hard, he felt like he was going to throw up, he felt like he was never going to forgive himself….but he already blamed himself for everything else, what was one more time?

“Captain?…”

Eurylochus’ voice made him tremble as he looked over at each and every one of his remaining crew, by the look on his brother in law’s face-his sister was never going to forgive him for letting her husband die on the way home, even if he’d never say what exactly happened-he already knew what choice Odyssesus would make.

Because he’d have made the same choice if it was him that was only focused on Ctimene.

Odysseys’ voice was choked, watery and already grieving as he responded, as he tried to keep his vision clear and not let tears mix with rain.

“I have to see her….”

He expected rage, he expected Eurylochus to move to try to grab him from Zeus and stab him again, but his second in command, his brother just spoke in a matter of fact, resigned yet sort of detached hopeful tone? It was something that made guilt begin to curl like sour milk in his stomach.

“But we’ll die.”

The next two words that slipped out of Odysseus’ throat felt like shards of glass, were filled with so much pain it was almost a physical thing, his sorrow and regret thick like tar in his throat as he teared up, as he fought the urge to break down into sobs.

“I know”

Only he didn’t get the chance to cry as he was yanked off his feet, pulled up into the sky as Zeus leapt up into the air with the screech of an eagle reverberating in the sky. The wing tattoos on his arms glowed and lifted out of his skin to flare from his back, the stormclouds swirled around them both until the mortal king couldn’t tell the difference between them and the god that held him.

All around him he heard Zeus’ voice again, his back arched as power flooded through it, as pain lit up every nerve. His scream was lost in a boom of thunder.

“Thunder, bring her through the wringer

Show her I'm the judgment call

The one who makes her kingdom fall

Lightning, wield her, use and yield her

Show her what she can't conceal

For true nature will be revealed”

His body didn’t feel like it belonged to him anymore, a passenger in his own mind as the god of thunder forced his mortal form to take what it wasn’t meant to. Muscles locked up and convulsed and twitched, it felt like his blood began to boil, senses fired on all cylinders and knew nothing, his body began to glow, sparks flew off his skin, everything felt white hot and agony. Then just as he began to feel like his heart was going to explode from how fast it raced, he felt broad hands curl around his face and lips on his.

Instinctively in the confusion and pain he kissed back in a plead for any release from this torture, what flowed through in response was pure sensation that registered through every nerve ending as torment and suffering and he faintly tasted blood mixed with something almost sweet.

As his vision began to blur, his body felt less like it was going to melt into a puddle of ooze and more sturdy, more put together. Zeus pulled away and gold glittered on his lip as the sound of sizzling crackling filled his ears.

Then Odysseus was in freefall, body surged down towards the deck as if thrown it was just enough time to process what had been done to him, gold flickered to white as he made contact. Wood splintered and shattered, exploded underneath the symbol of raw fury he’d become at the god’s touch, he thought he made out his crew screaming, barely made out bodies being flooded by light, for a few split seconds he thought he heard Eurylochus…

“I’m sorry Ody.”

Then he hit the water and everything went black.

[nockstormbringer]

PLATONIC TELEMACHUS WITH TWIN SISTER READER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHES BASICALLY A COPY OF ODYSSEUS AND A MAMAS GIRL WHO TRIES TO KILL THE SUITORS REGULARY

Napping || Telemachus

Synopsis → Telemachus with a twinsister! Reader who is a mini-Odysseus.

Warning → The Suitors, Voilence, Abuse, Telemachus lowkey being a hypocrite, Mentions of Monsters

A/n → Oh my god, I'm finally able to post, currently in English finishing this request. These two girls in my English who are sitting right next to me are rough housing and laughing so loud, its embarrassing. 🤡

Word Count → 697

↳ Oh my god, Telemachus would absolutely dote on his sister. Doesn’t matter if she’s the elder or younger twin.

↳ Though if she is the younger twin, he’s absolutely gonna be that brother who constantly reminds her of it. Doesn’t matter place or time.

“Y/n/n, I’m just looking out for you. It’s my duty as your big brother to defend you.”

“You’ve never even been in a fight.”

“Don’t change the subject.”

↳ He’s so hypocritical too, like yeah, sure, you’ve fought monsters and won fights against men larger than you, BUT, he advises you that climbing that rock could get you hurt.

↳ He’s such a dork though, and gets excited every time he finds something he thinks you would love. Like a cool rock, maybe something that use to belong to your father before he left for the war of Troy.

↳ Telemachus no doubtably defends you against the suitors, even if you’ve proven to be able to handle them in a fight.

↳ He’s watched you fight many battles, and win majority of them, so when an altercation starts up between the suitors and/or himself, he knows you’ll be there to end the fight quickly and swiftly.

↳ He fears for the day you come of age, worried that Queen Penelope can no longer prevent you from marriage.

↳ Even so, he knows that suitors could absolutely kick his ass, so he tries to keep you away from them at all costs.

↳ Telemachus loves spending time with both you and your mother. At least once a week, there will be a day where you three just do whatever. From spa sessions, to long walks alongside the shoreline, the same one in which Odysseus promised to return from.

↳ You both are constantly told of how you both resemble Odysseus, whether with your fighting skills, personality, traits or just overall everything that made the King of Ithaca so him.

↳ More than once, have the servants been spooked, especially those who have been serving the castle from before you and Telemachus were born, because of how much you two look and even act like Odysseus.

↳ It’s one of the biggest things you two are praised for, and one of the biggest things the suitors hate about you both.

↳ After a particularly hard day, whether from a fight gone wrong, the suitors were somehow worse than usual or just feeling gloomy, you both just rest with each other.

↳ You two just sleep in either your own or Telemachus’ room, or even the garden. One time, Penelope found you two sleeping against Odysseus’ statue.

↳ Argos' so cute, he switches between sleeping in yours, Telemachus and Penelope room. Absolute cuddle bug of a dog, he's so loving.

↳ Telemachus would be torn between wanting you to accompany him to get Odysseus back. He doesn’t want you to get hurt on the journey, but he also worries for what the suitors will do.

↳ Obviously you go with him, but he was still hesitant.

↳ After that whole ordeal, big family reunion with Odysseus!!

↳ You all cried, like a lot. Penelope and Odysseus have their lovebirds moment and it sends both you and Telemachus into tears.

↳ But yay! No more suitors!

↳ Its sort of weird at first adjusting to Odysseus being home again, considering you and Telemachus hadn't actually known him before the war, but you all fall into a nice routine.

↳ Odysseus makes up for lost time and takes old man naps with both you and Telemachus, roughly 2-5 times a week. Penelope joins most days.

↳ Telemachus trains a lot, wanting to get stronger, to protect you, Penelope and even Odysseus. Your father tries telling him that he can protect all of you, but everyone can see he's getting older. Even he.

↳ But, nonetheless, Odysseus humours Telemachus, and trains with him, giving great pointers and teaching him new tricks. Most days, you join in, and Odysseus loves training with his kids.

↳ You've managed to hand their asses to both of them, leaving them with sore muscles and aching bones. Both Odysseus and Telemachus are incredibly proud of you.

↳ Overall, Telemachus tries his hardest to protect you, even if you or someone else kick his ass. <3

thank you!! ♡

[valendraws]

I made Penelope! And a head canon that Ody when first wooing her gave her flowers and she started putting them in her hair so he continued doing that as affection for her and when he left and Telemachus grew older, he started doing it for her too

[zarnzarn]

Part four (+FOUR ASKS FUCK YEAH) of the reverse odyssey au! all tagged on the blog.

1/2/3/4

||

Penelope takes a shaky breath and waves off the maid trying to light one of the lamps. The maid bows nervously and leaves the room, bumping into the fake door with a squeak before running off.

Must be new. Who's hiring them, though?

A rustling noise next to her pulls her attention away and she turns to watch Polites nod gravely to her and then sink down at her feet, petting Argos. If she'd had energy, she'd raise an eyebrow, but all she can think of is how Odysseus would have teasingly asked her why she wasn't chiding Polites for looking so unkempt and miserable with his wooden leg unpolished and crutches uncared for, in his roundabout, carefree way of being worried. Already Eurylochus had run himself into the ground and taken so ill he could barely speak. She'd have to keep a careful eye on them both.

In her most secret, private moments, Penelope remembers Anticlea's muttered words about Athena teaching Odysseus her emotional repression along with the battle strategies, and has to tamp down on a smile desperately in case an owl is nearby.

Although, on the topic of Athena.

Penelope looks out at the sea, grimacing at the green algae now covering the waters. It was poisoning the fish, that much was for sure, making them float to the surface in droves of corpses, a clear insult to the water god- and only Athena with her cunning would be able to cause such widespread damage.

On one hand, it was glorious to see how much the goddess loved her husband, no matter if her infamous pride was probably the larger reason why she had poisoned the oceans so. It was still in part for Odysseus' curse that the waters now found themselves under a brutal, uncaring attack, becoming more filthy by the day, and something in Penelope's chest that was still a nymph despite all her effort to rid herself of it purred in satisfaction.

On the other hand. How long till they ran out of fish?

Queen Anticlea, bless Hestia, was the descendant of a farmer, and had spent much of her time as queen overseeing the grain of their kingdom and bullying them all into establishing good agriculture- but the rains had been bleak and old Leartes had not remembered to barter for a freshwater supply this year, so they ran the chance of running slim, especially with six hundred men now returned.

The heavy doors creak open and Penelope comes back to herself. A problem for later.

"Good evening, everyone!" A voice calls from beyond, nasal and cheerful, and they all rise.

Ctimene is a tall woman, thin and sleek, with a chiton bare of patterns but made of the finest cloth. What comes to mind since the day Penelope first laid eyes on her is sharp, from her hairstyle to her amber eyes, someone who wears a smile as warm as her brother's but doesn't expect you to believe in it like he does- doesn't need you to, because she's going to get her way regardless.

She'd left Ithaka a few months after Penelope arrived, coming home sporadically from where Penelope assumes she's been happily terrorizing Same, but she remembers how her husband's sister is.

That she and Odysseus did not kill each other in the womb itself is something of a minor miracle, is the general consensus amongst everyone.

"Princess Ctimene," Penelope says, bowing.

"Queen is what your missive said," She replies before Penelope can speak further. Her eyes narrow and Penelope carefully shows no sign of her impending headache- Hermes' eyes are not to be looked upon, and his children share his preference- and holds the gaze calmly. Ctimene throws her hair over her shoulder with a toss of her head. "So, did my idiot brother finally run out of luck?"

Penelope blinks and- actually looks. Ctimene is a stone tower, but Penelope can suddenly see the cracks- a trembling lip, the flash of agonized grief in her eyes, fingernails clenched into her own palm.

"No!" She blurts out, stumbling down the stairs to take her hand. "No, he's not- he is not lost to us, sister, I should have written that before."

"What does that mean?" Ctimene's eyes narrow, as she pulls herself up, emotion hidden once again. "Speak plainly, Pen."

Pen hits her straight in the chest, stealing her breath from her for a moment. It has been so long since her Helen and Clymenestra and Iphitimene have called her that, and for Ctimene to do so so easily, even though they barely know each other-

She takes in a shaky breath and holds herself back high. "Poseidon has- cursed Odysseus, for blinding his son instead of killing him. His men were allowed to return in exchange, but he swims the seas as a strange creature now, with the tail of a fish, unable to speak to us; we spent the last year on the seas, looking for him, but were taken away by bad luck and bad timing just as we reached him and-"

"What are you talking about?" Ctimene interrupts incredulous, unfolding her arms to finally let her body language show. "What? Poseidon? How in Gaia's name did that fool- I thought he was being held hostage by Troy or something! Cursed?"

Penelope tries not to let her resolve waver. Ten years of only letters and missives have taken their toll, as much as she was spitefully determined to not let them; to have to deal with the injustice now that the war was not yet over for her, that there was still a fight left before she had her husband in her arms again, her darling, trickster husband who she spent every morning missing, every moment she was alone aching for-

Her husband, who had been at her fingertips, who had looked at her for that one brief moment with recognition and joy so bright and loving and a smile so wide at her presence that her final image of him now was blurred because of her tears-

Her husband, who had been swept away. Whom she had failed.

"Yes," She replies. "But during our search- we were blessed... by the presence of Lady Athena herself."

"Let me guess," Ctimene interrupts, lips quirking in amusement. The men around her frown and look at each other with disbelief as she has no reaction to the news, as if gods appeared to mortals as often as the goats bleated. "She lectured you all for running off without a plan and dragged you back like disobedient children."

Penelope's mouth opens and closes, with no idea what to say. She feels her aunt's paranoia about the wrath of the gods grip her and she has to actively fight the urge to shake this woman and tell her to keep her mouth shut, but- was that not... technically what had happened?

"I would not put it that way," She manages, hoping that no one is around to hear. "Athena's counsel is unparalleled-"

"Do not bother," Athena says next to her, and several people shout and fall to the floor, trembling. Penelope herself feels her heart drop to the ground in fear. "You might convince a mountain to move aside, before you get this insolent woman to show some respect to me. Hello, Ctimene."

"Hi, Athena," Ctimene straightens up, hands behind her back as she grins, suddenly looking much more younger and childish. "Where have you been? You haven't come to meet me in ages!"

"On the battlefields of Troy," Athena says dryly. By someone's grace, she is not yet angry; although from the pieces Penelope is putting together, her husband's mentorship seems to be much less hands-off than she'd assumed it was; and she can describe Odysseus as many things but significantly not someone you can spend a lot of time with without having a high tolerance to annoyance.

That would give Ctimene some leeway with her casualness, but she really needed to stop talking before Athena grew cross with them as well-

Ctimene pouts, moving closer. "That's no excuse," She insists, giving half the people in the room so much stress that Penelope thinks they'll keel over in a faint, and the other half some new resignation to dying violently. "I want your wisdom too!"

Athena- laughs?

"When will you ever change, weasel?" She says, lips twisted in amusement.

"Never," Ctimene says, warmer than Penelope's ever heard her, before straightening up and tilting her chin up. "So. You want me to take the throne."

"Yes." Penelope steps in, heart pounding nervously. Talking in front of Athena with a clear mind was wracking, but Ctimene's familiarity gives her confidence enough to step in. She knows politics. She had ruled Ithaka for ten years. She is a princess of Sparta and the best statesperson of her lands, and she must believe in herself for others to believe in her. "I have written up a contract-"

"None is needed," Ctimene interrupts, waving a hand dismissively. Penelope is stunned silent for a moment, letting the other woman turn away to comment on the worn curtains- then her blood boils. This- This absolute-

It takes every inch of her will to calm herself down and not show any sign of her anger in front of all the people looking on. It is a skill honed well from arguing her father and uncle in court, but in front of Athena it feels scorchingly worse, unbelievable mortification.

"May I ask why?" Penelope says, voice cold.

Ctimene turns in surprise, eyes flicking to the side and back. "I do not contract with family," She says, voice slightly smaller, and all the anger goes rushing back out of Penelope, leaving both embarassment and relief in its wake. "I have no designs to the throne of Ithaka, after all. But if you want, I could."

"Please," Penelope inclines her head, walking forward to place the scroll in her hand. "And in the future, do remember that while dealing with any of the Spartan family, at least, there is no love lost between blood. Contracts are needed in every aspect of politics."

Ctimene nods, and Penelope turns away to bow in front of Athena while her courage lasts. "Goddess of Wisdom, patron of Ithaka," She pitches her voice respectably. "May I inquire about a matter, if I might recieve your blessings to do so?"

"Granted."

"Our people rely on fish," She says simply. Does not look up to see if Athena is angry, about to fly into a rage and curse her for her insolence. "I would greatly be thankful if you would let me know if we require to trade for supplies from the mainland this year."

Athena is silent for a long moment. Penelope's heart pounds. Then- "It will last a month more. Do not eat seafood till then."

Her breath escapes her. "Thank you, Pallas Athena."

She turns back to the men, lifting her chin. "We will stay in for the rains and resume our search next summer, giving Odysseus time to return to the sea. When we sail, Ctimene will be crowned queen, and rule with her husband until we return. But the men who had come with us the first time will be all replaced by a new cohort."

She silences their loud protests with a raised hand, trying not to waver in the face of their betrayed looks and devastation. "No," She says firmly. "Odysseus sacrificed himself for all of you to return home, to make new lives safe and happy; not spend time chasing him down on the high seas endlessly. Honor his choice. We will have rotations every season, barring the storms. Choose amongst the remaining men who will be coming by next harvest."

Polites looks at her as the men are dismissed, filing out of the main hall muttering desolately. "I will not be leaving, Penelope."

Her lips quirk. It might be the first time he's called her by name. "Wouldn't expect any different." She's incredibly aware that this is uncharted territory, her first actual order as Queen of Ithaka. Ten years she had learnt the politics, but it had been under Anticlea and Laertes, with an end date she could look forward to. Now she is no longer a replacement sovereign, no longer has a husband sailing back to lighten her load.

Queen of Ithaka. How ironic, that of the three jewels, of all her sisters, she was the only one to achieve their dream of being able to rule alone and visible- yet it meant was that she would never be happy.

She turns back to Ctimene and Athena, who are both staring at her with the same unreadable expression.

Discomfort rushes through her- had she said the wrong thing somewhere?- but she pushes it aside to bow again. "How is Eurylochus?"

Ctimene smiles, and something genuine breaks through. "Better. Did you know he was not eating, though?"

Penelope starts at the sudden accusation, shocked. Feels anger rise at Eurylochus' idiocy, putting her at odds with her sister-in-law because of his own stupidity. "No, I did not," She said evenly. "Rations were distributed equally."

"But you must have known!" Ctimene snaps. "How-"

Athena places a hand on her shoulder. "Screaming helps no one."

Ctimene jerks her head to the side, cheeks burning. Penelope opens her mouth to say something, but the other suddenly rushes past, skirts billowing. "I have to go. Let us meet in the evening, Penelope."

"Alright," Penelope says, and when she turns back Athena has disappeared as well.

She takes a long breath, shoulders slumping as the doors bang closed. Then looks beside her and squints. "You better be eating. I don't want to hear nonsense about fainting and wasting away from you, understand?"

Polites snorts and gets to his feet. "Yes, your grace."

She groans, putting her head in her hands, exhausted. "Why did he have to not eat? Now Ctimene blames me and will fight me on everything as recompense. How was I supposed to even know!"

Polites sighs, and she remembers with a start that he is Eurylochus' best friend as well. "You must understand, Penelope." He says quietly, with all the sorrow that she knew he'd been pushing aside for a brave face with the men, their unending optimism made person. Some days, even she couldn't tell whether he was acting or not. "That the reason we got into this mess at all was because of the two of us."

Penelope frowns. "I'm sure that's not-"

"It was on Eurylochus' behest that we stopped for food. It was on my insistence that we trusted the Lotus people. Odysseus would still be here if it wasn't for the two of us, pushing him to make decisions on behalf of all of us, then standing back while he took all the punishment for it."

"That is what ruling is-!" Penelope exclaims, but is cut off again.

"It was still our fault!" He bursts out, voice cracking. "Do you know, not one second-in-command survived the Trojan war? That the war only stretched as long as it did because Odysseus was the only strategist determined to not let even one of his men be a casualty? I myself saw three soldiers throw themselves in front of fatal blows for Patroclus, I saw Diomedes' general get shot down after he forced his king to stay back while they inspected a rumor about a crack in the wall- man after man died for their rulers, and us? All six hundred, whole and hearty, returned miraculously to our families, our home; while our brother and friend-" His face twists up. "-our ruler who made it possible is lost to us. Ten years of his love and care and jokes made us lose sight of the fact that he was still our King, not just our captain. We should have been the ones to go, Penelope. Even if every man, every soldier had been Poseidon's cost- we knew the risks. We knew when we sailed that not all would return. If no one else, me and Eurylochus should have had the damn courage-"

He breaks into sobs and Penelope drops all sense of propriety to pull him into a hug, mouth downturned as she silently cries as well, shoulders jerking.

"I miss him," He sobs. "My best friend. Why did the gods have to take him? Why must the Fates be so cruel?"

Penelope's eyes mist over, as she turns to stare out the window, out at the poisoned ocean, her husband swimming somewhere under its waters.

Come back, she begs. Oh, Odysseus, everyone loves and misses you so. Come back soon.

[letsplaythermalnuclearwar]

my one complaint with this saga is that it didn't have Penelope

[babushka-of-chaossss]

Guys… we have yet to see Penelope, yes we hear her motif, yes we see her as a siren, yes Odysseus hallucinates her a couple times… but we never actually see her at least not yet

so the first time we’ll see Penelope will be in the challenge, which is the first song of the Ithica saga

[sea-owl]

This is 100% me most likely looking too deeply at things, but I want to talk about Penelope's shawls we've been seeing her with this season.

Shawls, when used in fiction, are often symbols of protection for their wearer. They are often wrapped around the body one way or another creating an extra layer for the wearer. With Penelope, we see them often wrapped around her arms and circling her back. We can also see it as a form of comfort for her as the shawl not only acts as a barrier of sorts but also wraps around her like a hug.

This also has me thinking back into greek mythology with Queen Penelope of Ithica. She, too, had a garment of cloth that served as her protection from the suitors for three years. That was the funeral shroud Queen Penelope was weaving for her father in-law after his passing, and Odysseus had still not yet returned home. Queen Penelope would work on the shroud during the day but at night would undo all her work so she could further delay giving her husband time to return home.

Both these items of cloths have served as protection for both Penelope's and I'm excited to see the moment Penelope's drops her shawl in front of Colin. That will be the moment she fully vulnerable with him.

[valorianknights]

EPIC: The Queen Saga

Circe and Calypso!

As much as I love these two, there is only one true Queen of Ithaca:

🎶PENELOPE 🎶

And Siren-Penelope, who's not fooling Ody.

He knows his wife and this imposter is gonna get what's coming to her lol

She's a lot of fun though!

[nyssasatelier]

Speed paint of my Penelope design :

Who should i do next?

[brainrotcharacters]

Penelope, princess of Sparta, queen of Ithaca, mother of Telemachus, and monsterfucker

[ij4ever]

Penelope of Ithaca

Made on Adobe Illustrator, but I had to export it as a jpg to post it here, so it's raster. If it appears blurry, sorry!

This was also my first time drawing a person in this style on Illustrator, so what do you think?

[d-0gstar]

Brain rot got too heavy did a phone doodle of penelope

WILL be drawing her properly when I get a chance

[aaronofithaca05]

Penelope's dissociating

[hermitcrabx17]

"Back at home my wife awaits for me, she's my everything, my Penelope"