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wren-kitchens · 30 days ago

Text

i know you’re watching me, show yourself

2520 words

this is not a horse. undoubtedly, it would sound like the ramblings of a soldier who spent too long at war if he tried to explain this to anyone, and so he has done nothing about it—although, there is little he could do about it even if he were to be believed. he does not wish to worry his family or his people, especially now he's finally got them back after so long, and the not-a-horse has not yet made its intentions clear, so it does not yet seem to be enough of a threat to be worth coming off as insane to the ones he loves. but regardless, this is not a horse.

au where poseidon is a horse 👍 because i have free will

this is probably gonna be part 1 of many more!

this is not a horse.

undoubtedly, it would sound like the ramblings of a soldier who spent too long at war if he tried to explain this to anyone, and so he has done nothing about it—although, there is little he could do about it even if he were to be believed. he does not wish to worry his family or his people, especially now he's finally got them back after so long, and the not-a-horse has not yet made its intentions clear, so it does not yet seem to be enough of a threat to be worth coming off as insane to the ones he loves.

but regardless, this is not a horse.

odysseus has spent enough time around gods and monsters and the dead to know when something is not of the mortal realm, and he is fairly certain he knows exactly what (or should he say who?) this is. which only makes its inaction ever more confusing and concerning, as he knows full well that poseidon would be unlikely to stop at anything to get his revenge.

if it weren't for the fact that it is the god who hates him the most in all of olympus, odysseus would likely be pleased to keep the horse as his own steed; it is unlike any animal of its breed he has ever seen, with a thick muscular body and legs twice the width of any equine he has known before. he has no doubt that it could crush his skull with a single kick, should it so wish��and odysseus imagines it wishes very much that it could.

and yet, it has been a week since it appeared, and no harm has come to odysseus, or any of his companions. of course, he is endlessly grateful for whatever mercy poseidon may have dredged up from the depths of his heart, but even that sentence seems like a trap. after all he’s faced, the god of the ocean showing up in disguise cannot be a good omen, and there is certainly a side to this visit that odysseus has not yet uncovered.

telemachus is enamoured with the creature, despite odysseus' attempts to dissuade him from approaching, and spends a good portion of the conversations he has discussing its sleek coat, or the feathered fur above its hooves and how it must be a divine gift for odysseus' long-awaited return. he does not seem discouraged by how the horse follows odysseus wherever he goes (despite his frequent attempts to escape) and simply walks alongside them both. admittedly, this has become a blessing, as telemachus seems to have lifetimes of stories and questions and excitement yet for odysseus to unravel, and he is always overjoyed to share it with his father.

penelope was suspicious at first, and likely still is, but grew to accept the new presence of the giant beast in their palace as a new oddity, almost like she expected to be faced with a horde of wild animals following her husband home. she is not as enthusiastic about the creature's tendency to follow odysseus wherever he goes as telemachus is, but is soon to admit she finds it amusing that even the wildlife is glad for his return. of course, she was the first to laugh when odysseus tried and failed to throw the horse off his scent by sprinting in and out of various rooms, only to find himself face to face with it once again. to his great relief, penelope draws the line at the horse sleeping in their bedroom, and the horse seems to understand that it would have no chance at changing her mind, as it goes to the royal stables every evening without instruction.

frankly, it has become almost second nature to see the animal alongside him. telemachus has suggested he try to ride it more than once, clearly eager to see how such a specimen would take him, but odysseus has tempted fate far too many times to even remotely consider getting atop the horse. after 20 years of gods and monsters, it would be simply embarrassing to die to a horse in his own halls—he can only imagine how his men would respond once he landed in the underworld alongside them. eurylochus would never let him live it down, he is sure of it.

"you cannot fool me." odysseus has said many times. "I know who you are, and I will not let you succeed in whatever plan it is you have."

the horse has never replied, and which only convinces him further that this is poseidon—it would be just like him to make him act like a madman. well, he shall not be fooled into letting his guard down, no matter how many times he must talk to an unreplying horse.

"father, tell me again why you will not ride him?" telemachus asks on one lazy afternoon. he has taken a great liking to stroking the horse's fur, and suprisingly, the horse also seems to enjoy it—at least, it gladly sits beside his son and lounges alongside them both in the grass. when this charade is all over, odysseus will take great pleasure in informing his son that he has been petting the god of the seas all this time.

odysseus gives a long exhale, trying to think of a good enough excuse. "he reminds me of one i met on my journey." he says carefully, and the horse huffs next to him, as if it finds that amusing. odysseus resists the urge to drive his elbow into the horse's flank. "it was a wild beast- it could have killed me had i not been careful." he gives the horse a smug look. "i will not give him another chance."

telemachus tilts his head to the side as he watches the horse flick an ear. "i can only wonder how anything so incredible could do so much damage."

the horse flicks its tail, looking almost prideful. odysseus would roll his eyes if he did not want to keep the truth from his son so much. "i have found that the most incredible things tend to be the most dangerous." he says, and telemachus nods absentmindedly. he does not understand, of course, and odysseus would give anything to keep it that way. he wishes he himself did not understand.

"how many gods did you meet on your travels?" telemachus asks, with a little more attention on odysseus than the horse.

"oh, too many to count." odysseus smiles as telemachus' eyes widen in interest. "the wind god aeolus both assisted and tricked me, the goddess circe turned my men to pigs but helped us get to the underworld, and i first met hermes on her island." he pauses, not quite knowing how to tell the next story. "zeus gave me some of the most.. painful decicions i have had to make in my life. i was stranded on calypso's island for seven years before hermes helped me leave."

telemachus stares at him in wonder. "you have seen so much of the world." he says, evidently amazed, and odysseus finds himself appreciating how his son manages to make the worst years of his life sound like an adventure of the ages. "i cannot hope to compete, but- when you were gone, athena visited me."

"athena?" in a moment, odysseus feels 30 years younger, hearing the stories of gods from the bards that played in the halls of the palace. athena visited his son. "you must tell me that tale."

grinning in pleasure, telemachus instantly regales him with how he fought antinous after the suitor insulted penelope (like father like son, odysseus thinks in amusement) and how athena came to his aid as he began to lose. something in odysseus' chest clenches as he talks about the conversation he had with athena about the friend she had regretted losing, and how she wanted to make up for her mistakes by befriending telemachus.

"i don't know who her friend was." telemachus admits. "she didn't say; i think it may have been too painful for her or something, but she said he was a lot like me."

odysseus smiles. "i would have to agree with her."

telemachus blinks in confusion and interest. "you know who she was talking about?"

"of course i do." odysseus grins, finding that he enjoys the astonishment in his son's eyes more than he ever expected to. perhaps he ought to have been a bard himself—he would have been good at it, he thinks. "i must say, it is wonderful to hear that she considered me a friend after all those years."

for a moment, it doesn't seem that telemachus has understood what he means, because he continues to stare blankly at him. suddenly, he gasps, and odysseus can't help but laugh as he says, "you were her friend! father- how could you keep this from me?"

"you had not told me athena had visited you!" odysseus says, still laughing at the indignation of his son.

"is there another god you have met that you have not told me about?" telemachus demands, sitting upright in excitement. the horse swats at odysseus' leg with its tail.

odysseus frowns at the horse, much to his son's amusement. "i met poseidon." he says, if only because he doesn't want the horse to kick him next. "it was not an enjoyable experience."

telemachus seems to recognise how little his father wishes to talk about his experience with the sea god, as he doesn’t press further. "so that would be.." he pauses to count. "seven gods?"

"i suppose i have travelled far." odysseus chuckles. it sounds far fetched, even for him. "that's probably why hermes lent his assistance."

"truly, father, you of all people should be devoting yourself to him." telemachus nods solemnly, and odysseus almost doesn’t realise he’s making a joke until he catches that sparkle in his eye.

odysseus laughs. "perhaps i should make him a temple. he would like that."

"oh, don’t let that be a jest, darling." comes an alarmingly familiar voice from behind them.

telemachus yelps in surprise, spinning around as odysseus braces himself for the worst. "don’t tell me i have something else i must do?" he practically begs.

hermes laughs. "oh, no- don’t worry darling, your journey is over. i just heard my name!" he smirks, looking over to telemachus. though the trickster god has yet to do him harm, odysseus feels a jolt of protectiveness. "and this is your son! well, no wonder you wanted to get home—you are just adorable!"

telemachus blinks in surprise. "i- thank you, lord hermes."

"how polite!" hermes grins, clearly impressed—as he so should be. this is odysseus' pride and joy we're talking about here. "i understand what athena likes about you." telemachus practically glows with pride, and odysseus smiles. "so, about that temple?"

"i will- begin work on it as soon as possible." odysseus says, a little taken aback. of course, it's probably justified anyway—hermes has been invaluable to his journey home. he has already thanked him, but- "wait, when i left calypso's island, you said you didn’t fight for me. what did you mean?"

"oh, has no one told you?" hermes says with a laugh. "you were only able to leave because athena fought half the pantheon for you." he grins. "she was wonderful, darling, you should have been there."

it's odysseus' turn to stare in astonishment. "athena did that for me?"

the horse huffs in apparent displeasure, and hermes' gaze shifts towards it. judging by the way he stifles a laugh, odysseus figures he was right about who this is. "i like your horse. what is its name?"

"father says he is too wild for a name." telemachus says before odysseus can answer, and hermes apparently can’t suppress his snort this time.

"yes, i imagine he is." the god says, and telemachus looks so confused, odysseus is close to laughter himself. "well, i best be off again. delightful to see you, darling." hermes gives a little wave before he is one with the air.

telemachus turns to odysseus, who hurries to hide his smile. "what's so funny about the horse?"

"ah- inside joke." odysseus lies. "but i suppose i have to start on a temple for hermes now." he says, pushing himself to his feet. the horse stands too, and odysseus very nobly does not roll his eyes at it.

"he really likes you." telemachus grins, patting the horse's flank.

odysseus has to doubt that, but he doesn’t say this aloud. "he sure does want to follow me everywhere, huh?"

"i still think you ought to name him." telemachus says. frankly, odysseus would also like to name the horse and see how poseidon would react, but he'd rather not die at the hands of a prideful kick. "i never know how to refer to him, other than 'the horse'."

"well, that's what he is." odysseus shrugs. "he could have a much worse name, like 'dog'. that would be a terrible name for a horse." he says as if he is imparting some incredible wisdom onto his son.

telemachus just laughs. "i don’t think he'd appreciate being called 'dog'." as if to agree, the horse huffs loudly, stamping one hoof on the grass. "he ought to have a better name, i think."

odysseus looks at the horse, weighing up whether or not he ought to give into his son's requests. "i do not wish to risk offending him, if i give him a name he does not like."

"i suppose you know more about these kinds of beasts than i." telemachus admits, and odysseus silently sighs in relief.

before he can stop himself, odysseus finds himself asking, "what kind of name would you have given him?"

telemachus gives the horse a pat on its side, somewhat thoughtfully, which it seems to appreciate. "i’m not sure. something strong, like a warrior or a king."

odysseus nods. he wonders where his son learnt to be so observant; poseidon is nothing other than a warrior and king of the seas. penelope was probably the reason, he thinks with a slight smile—she always used to pretend she could not hear anything as she wove, so she would always hear the most bizarre stories from both servants and visitors alike.

the horse gives a huff, and odysseus looks at it. "what?" he says on instinct, and only realises how foolish he must look when telemachus stifles a laugh. "i may as well ask. it's polite."

"i’m certain." telemachus grins, obviously humouring him, and odysseus smiles back. "is this what you became when you and athena stopped speaking? conversing with horses?"

odysseus gives a gasp of mock outrage, and telemachus laughs as he pulls him into a hug battle to the death. despite how his son is at least a foot taller than him, odysseus' strength earned from battles and hard work alike allows him to keep him in his arms even against telemachus' attempts to slip through, and frankly, everything was worth doing if it means he gets to share this moment for just that little bit longer.

#epic the musical #etm #epic odysseus #epic telemachus #epic poseidon #the horse and the king au #the general idea is that poseidon gains more respect for odysseus after 600 strike cause he literally followed his advice to a tee #and if he can take down a god then like. he’s probably p good #but also he's not gonna actually admit that so he just kinda. hangs around ithaca. as a horse #he also has no idea where he expected this plan to go #zeus would be embarrassed but he turned into a cow and flew away to steal europa so like he can’t really talk here #anyway i just thought this was funny and so i wrote it #the concept behind poseidon as a horse is literally just a clydesdale or a shire horse cause they're my favourites <3 #wren writes

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