#they’re going to ithaca!!!!!!!!

[spineless-lobster]

Rip odysseus you would’ve loved joining jorge rivera-herrans on his trip to ithaca to celebrate the release of the final saga of epic the musical the ithaca saga coming out december 25th 2024

[tapwater-made-everyone-gay]

!!!SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T LISTENED TO THE VENGEANCE SAGA OF EPIC THE MUSICAL!!!

I find it really interesting that people are so upset about the Poseidon loss, using “it’s weird that a mortal beat a god” when the whole thing with gods in Greek mythology is that they’re parallels to humans. That’s why they have emotions, human anatomy, feel pain, and bleed (even if it is ichor that comes out). There are multiple cases of gods being beaten by humans, primarily demigods, but still humans—MORTALS. What makes them so powerful is their domain. Take that away? They’re practically powerless.

Poseidon is shown to be arrogant, claiming that the only reason he’s still hunting Odysseus (DESPITE killing his men, teaching his lesson, and even likely knowing about the brutal siren deaths) is because “the top dog can’t be seen letting his prey go. How else can I send the message that I’m a big dog? It’ll ruin my reputation!” He’s a cocky bastard, playing with his prey, telling Odysseus to get in the water because it’s more entertaining to him than just getting his revenge and killing him then and there. He talks like he’s never felt pain in his life and doesn’t think he ever will because “the top dog is untouchable”.

But he forgets that he needs his domain, needs his range to keep himself from losing. When Odysseus pulls the same trick with the wind bag (which he should’ve seen coming), he isn’t ready, because he’s never had to fight that fight. Odysseus has, and he has the anger to push himself farther. The god gets downed (which has happened many times with many gods as discussed earlier), and he still acts cocky. Odysseus opened the bag. He can’t leave. But that knowledge—knowledge that he’s stuck here and will eventually die anyway—allows Odysseus to make his decision. He can hurt Poseidon for as long as he’s capable of, make him suffer just as much because, hey, he’s going to die anyway, right?

Now, Poseidon has an out. He can get rid of the storm before Odysseus even lays a hand on him, let him go home, and flood Ithaca like planned. But he doesn’t, because he’s so in his own head that he doesn’t realize the position he’s in. And then Odysseus makes the first stab, and then the other. It hurts, even more because, like I said, Poseidon has probably never felt this pain before. And Odysseus doesn’t plan on stopping, not until Poseidon calls off the storm. He’ll go until his arms stop working, and if Poseidon hadn’t given in, he probably would’ve.

Poseidon can’t stop him either because the wounds are made before the others can heal. Does this punishment seem familiar? It should, because it’s the exact same one given to Prometheus by Zeus. Truthfully, it’s a punishment made for a god.

I should probably stop here because this has gone on way too long, but I do understand why some people might think it’s weird. We’re raised to believe that any god is untouchable, that they’re all-powerful and incapable of harm, especially at human hands. But that’s not Greek mythology. Gods aren’t capable of death, but they are capable of suffering, and a lot of them do. Just because the one suffering this time is one of the “big three” doesn’t mean it’s unrealistic.

Epic’s message isn’t the same as the original, and it never has been. It’s about what you’re willing to sacrifice, how far you’re willing to go for your own gain, and what the repercussions are when you do. Poseidon really kick started that message hard, and I think it’s poetic that it ends with him facing the outcome of that message himself.

Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves, but it’s not the same being on the receiving end, is it?

[clownzaf]

DC x Epic But it’s Tim Drake like everything I do

Ok but what if in one of the expeditions of Janet and Jack Drake they brought home a Wind Bag, only leaving Tim with the order of not opening it ever bc it will anger the gods.

Tim, obviously, never opened it. But his parents never counted on the silly creatures that would plague Tim the rest of his life until he opened that bag.

It’s ok tho, they may be annoying sometimes but they offered him company during the nights alone in a big cold house and they were really silly so he allowed it.

Aeolus also visit sometimes, the first few times it was to try to convince him to open the bag, but Tim was born and raised within Gotham’s high society AND Janet Drake. He knows when he is being manipulated and he knows when they’re trying to send him the wrong way.

Aeolus gave up eventually, but they make sure to drop by at least once a year to see if Tim’s still alive and if maybe there’s a chance he wanted to open the bag.

He doesn’t.

Later, when he became Robin, the Winions started to follow him around, hiding themselves from Batman and the rest but playing pranks on them almost every night.

Until one day there’s a fight between the JL and some gods (thanks Wonder Woman! Bc they’re SO EASY to fight for us mere humans!) and who’s one of the gods fighting? AEOLUS.

The Batfam is shocked when Red Robin enters the fight and the winions that were fighting (they seem to silly to fight but those things have CLAWS and bite like a motherfucker) just. Stop. And go to hug Tim.

Sometime after all those years Tim was considered between the Winions like “The Winion Prince” because he would feed every winion that came his way and would also play with them as if they were cats. They love him.

Aeolus also stops fighting for a bit just to hug Tim quickly and then keeps fighting.

Tim goes to fight Aeolus and they just, stop the fight, smiles at Tim direction and says “Yep, mine!”

And that’s how Aeolus became Tim’s patron god, and Tim became known in the Greek community as “The winion prince” (He wanted something cool like “The wind warrior” or the “soldier of the wind” but names fly in Olympus and the next time he encountered a deity (for a mission to Aeolus) they looked at him dead in the eye and say “Welcome, Winion Prince”.

Tim died inside a little that day.

The Batfam is shocked but they eventually started to ask Tim to make their grapple swings more fun, and Damian started to demand seeing his Winions (Which were officially his, he had an army of Winions) and once he tried to steal one, saying that “Drake had enough” and that “he wasn’t gonna miss specifically this one” (which, wrong, 1- That was winion Ctimene and she loved the princess of Ithaca, and 2- All his Winions had collars and silly hats so Tim knew which is which and he does head count every night)

Batman doesn’t like Aeolus at all.

[idk-what-to-put-here-so-egg]

I’m gonna summarise Epic: the Musical songs in one sentence

The Horse and The Infant: the Greeks go stabby the Trojans and Odysseus has to kill a baby

Just a Man: Odysseus kills the baby lmao

Full Speed Ahead: you’re introduced to Odysseus crew and they’re all hungry

Open Arms: Polites shows Odysseus the world is kind

Warrior of the Mind: Athena enters Odysseus mind and mentors him

Polyphemus: they meet a polyamorous Polyphemus who wants to kill the crew for killing his sheep

Survive: The crew tries to kill Polyphemus but instead he pulled the uno reverse card

Remember Them: Cyclops go blind lmao

My Goodbye: Athena breaks up with Odysseus

Storm: A storm arises as Odysseus and the crew leave and find the wind God’s island

Luck Runs Out: Eurylochus questions Odysseus leadership

Keep your Friends Close: Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag with the storm and tells him not to open it but his crew opens it so bye bye Ithaca

Ruthlessness: Poseidon go 🌊 💥 on the crew and Odysseus manages to escape with 43 other men

Puppeteer: according to Eurylochus “woman scary”

Wouldn’t you Like: Hermes gives Odysseus drugs

Done For: Odysseus confronts Circe

There are other ways: Circe tries to seduce Odysseus but cos he’s a not cheating good guy he instead rants and somehow doesn’t die

The Underworld: Odysseus remembers all the deaths he’s gone through and has a mental breakdown

No Longer You: Tiresias reads the past and future and Odysseus has another mental breakdown

Monster: I’m the monster Rawr Rawr Rawr 🦖 🦖 🦖

Suffering: Sirens try to seduce Odysseus but fuck up miserably

Different Beast: Odysseus and the Crew go fuck up the sirens

Scylla: Odysseus fucks up 6 of his men

Mutiny: Eurylochus fucks up Odysseus and a Cattle from Helios

Thunder Bringer: Zeus goes fuck up the crew except Odysseus

[deadbaguette]

Crack AU treated seriously: Diomdes goes to Ithaca with a twist

So this would generally be your typical Diomedes going to Ithaca AU. Presumably after getting exiled (? Is there a better word for it?), instead of going to modern day Italy he goes to Ithaca under the impression that he’ll see Odysseus there. But, of course he doesn’t because The Odyssey is happening. The twist that makes NO SENSE and is just purely my want to see my platonic rarepair happen (Telemachus and Neoptolemus/Pyrrhus), and the twist is: for whatever reason, Neo is there with Diomedes. Don’t ask why because I could not explain to you a good reason to make this happen lmfao

Story elaborated below but it’s a little long be warned

I like the dynamic of Neoptolemus and Diomedes, mostly because in so many ways as soldiers Diomedes foils/contrasts Achilles but in so many ways parallels his son. Diomedes gets on begrudgingly with Neo, and I could go on a whole other rant on a different post about some fake dynamics/scenarios for just them, but the main point in this post is that Neo somehow SOMEHOW tags along with Diomedes. They reach Ithaca together and meet Penelope and Telemachus.

They greet Diomedes and Pyrrhus with good courtesy, but the elephant in the room of “hold on where tf is your husband??? he was so eager to go back to you guys???” is very present. One way or another Penelope explains the situation, that being Odysseus is absent/mia (much to his own dismay) and the suitors all trying to wed Penelope. Diomedes is sad obv (I’m not gonna go super big into the angst right now) but he tries to brainstorm with Penelope on solutions for her predicament. Since Odysseus was his closest friend (more than friend for me personally but u can interpret it as platonic if u want) and he knows that Odysseus would want what’s best for his wife and son, they think of a solution that can the guarantee of their safety as of now until they hear news of Odysseus. That solution is fake marriage bcs I am a bit of a sucker for that troupe.

But back to Neoptolemus because he’s here too, I want him to bond with Telemachus what with their dads not being here (one’s dead one’s absent). Neo is like way stronger than Telemachus so at first he thinks he’s a bit of a wimp (keep in mind they’re like both teenagers, Neo’s life was just kinda fucked up), but over time they get along better. Pyrrhus’ relationship with Odysseus is a little complicated, so while Penelope and Diomedes might share all the good stories/parts of Odysseus with, Pyrrhus got off to a slightly rocky start with him lol. What with Odysseus taking him away from his mom and basically all the war shenanigans (war crimes), Telemachus for the first time has a whole and humanized version of his dad. It’s more than what the suitors have said out of malice and jealousy, the things Neo has told him have opened up the trickery/cunning side of Odysseus more than he’d known before. He’s jealous that it seems like everyone knows more about his dad than him, but he’s grateful to have someone his age who would view Odysseus more like he would: an annoying dad/uncle??? (Neo vehemently objects to this, and Odysseus would too. “You’re not my fucking dad!!!” “Holy shit thank the GODS for that!!!”)

All in all, happy family. Odysseus returns home to Penelope and Telemachus, and now two surprise guests too. Telemachus has like 3 kinda parents now (Diomedes might be more like an uncle) and a kinda brother/friend/??? I love my little delusional found family. Odysseus is more than a little surprised, considering this IS Neoptolemus. Kid did a 180° in terms of personality in Troy and then ANOTHER 180° somewhere on Ithaca at some point. Or maybe more like a 90° turn in terms of personality, I imagine Telemachus is the most sane of the family and it is much to his dismay.

And when they all eventually die (Diomedes won’t ascend to godhood here I want him to be in the underworld with the rest of the fam) they’ll live happily in the underworld and Pyrrhus can catch up with his dad and mom.

[heyyallitssatan]

Ok so, I want a warrior Penelope au, but Odysseus is still a warrior

Odysseus, student of Athena, warrior of the mind, foretold to changes the tides of mankind and the divine

Penelope, students of Ares, warrior of the heart, foretold to change the battles of men and gods alike

Together they will revolutionise war and fighting and ruling, they will change the world, warriors of the heart and mind

So I thought maybe Penelope would go with him to Troy, but then I realised that ruins everything, so instead she still stays behind with their newborn son and Odysseus promises to return before the boy even knows he’s gone

He doesn’t

So warrior Penelope had a choice to make, she can stay with her son, raise him and rule the kingdom (the people can complain all they want, who’s gonna stop her), and then when the suitors arrive instead of proposing the never ending weaving thing, she tells them whoever can best her in battle will win her hand (because she knows that only one man ever will) also, Telemachus becomes a warrior of both the heart and mind, taking the best strategic parts of Odysseus and the strongest parts of Penelope, becoming a warrior unrivalled by all but god kin, so when Odysseus does return home there are no suitors to kill, but she does make him best her in battle, they tie and she knows it’s really him and they live happily ever after (also Eurylochus doesn’t open the wind bag, they still get detoured either by someone else doing it or by some godly shenanigans, but those bitches do it together, Odysseus will return with most of his men in tow) (also also, he’s not a dumb fuck and doesn’t I cure the wrath of Poseidon, because he either kills Polyphemus or doesn’t tell him his name, they incur his wrath a different way that really just amounts to Poseidon being pissy and taking it out on the first human he finds)

Or, equally good, she sets out on her own venture to find her husband, her crew is fairly small in number, mostly warrior wives (because fuck you I do what I want there’s a coalition of warrior women in Ithaca now) including her right hand Ctimene, and her son Telemachus (she leaves the kingdom in the charge of someone she trusts I don’t care who right now), she starts searching for her husband, this leads to some absolute bullshit where through godly shenanigans and just generally shit terrible luck they keep missing each other just barely, but they’re too stubborn to go home so round and round they go, several years later they both manage themselves to the same island, so they’re together, but more shenanigans and it’s still several years more before they’re home to Ithaca, only to discover that in the mean time they’ve been declared dead and their kingdom’s been stolen, so the three of them literally fight their way to the throne and reclaim it

I like both models, I think both are nice

[blasphemous-fool]

Okay and what if Ody DIDNT choose himself. Huh?? What if he sacrificed himself for Eury and the rest of the crew. They weren’t ever gonna go back to Ithaca- even if they WANTED to, which they didn’t anymore. Clearly.

“Ody, we’re never gonna make it home”,,,, they’d given the fuck up. If Odysseus died then they’d find some island (if a monster didn’t get to them first) and die of starvation or some shit. If they’re LUCKY and nothing else happens. Eury was never gonna see his wife again and he made peace with that. But Ody couldn’t

And Penelope?? Telemachus????? Oh my god the suitors would have no opposition. Tele would be dead and idk abt you but if my husband never came home, my son was killed, and his murderers did whatever they wanted to me and my home and my crown? Fuck that I’m throwing myself off a cliff

Did you really want Odysseus to make that choice? Is that how you wanted the story to end? I hate it but I hate it so much less than the only other alternative we had

Also, it’s common knowledge he’s been a war criminal for over a decade at this point did we forget that already

[hunterofartemis7]

Adopted by the Gods AU pt.7

*5 years later*

Odysseus: *11 years old, training with Diomedes*

Diomedes: *11 years old, getting his ass handed to him*

Athena: Diomedes get up!

Dio: what do you think I’m trying to do!? *immediately gets knocked back on his ass* ow!

Odysseus: *holds his blade to his neck* I win.

Diomedes: you suck. *pushes the blade away and gets up, dusting himself off*

Athena: come on my son, be a good sport about it. *brushes some of the dirt off his hair* you’re not gonna win everytime.

Dio: yeah but you yell at us like we’re supposed to.

Athena: I am your teacher and your mother, it’s my job to encourage both of you do your best when training.

Diomedes:🙄

Odysseus: come on brother, don’t be a sore loser! You beat me last time. *hold his hand out and how if good sportsmanship*

Diomedes: …. *sees Athena slightly glaring at him and shakes Odys hand* I’m kicking your ass next time

Odysseus: we’ll see.

Athena: good, and Language.

Diomedes: sorry mother

Athena; alright you two go hit the showers

Ody and Dio: *drops their weapons and runs off to the showers*

Athena: put your weapons up and they’re already gone🙄. I gotta start being more specific with those two.

Ares; *leaning on the doorway* well that was entertaining

Athena: what do you want brother? *picks the discarded one weapons off the ground*

Ares: father is hosting another one of his dinner parties.

Athena: and I care why? You know I haven’t gone to those in years

Ares: oh I just thought you should know who was coming

Athena: again, why do I care?

Ares: because father invited the king and queen of Ithaca.

Athena: *freezes*………what?

Ares: *smirks* yeah, just fingered you’d want to know that the couple who supposedly abandoned your son were going to be in the same vicinity as him. And father said that your attendance was mandatory.

Athena: why the fuck would he invite those people here?

Ares: their king is of godly blood, being the grandson of Hermes.

Athena; fuck

Ares: *smirking*

Athena: you are enjoying this way to much

Ares: maybe. Wonder how you plan to lie to your son this time😏

Athena: the fuck is that supposed to mean!?

Ares; oh nothing~ just that you seem to habit of lying to him about his parents

Athena: I have never once lied to him! I told him he was abandoned and I adopted him! What else does he need to know!?

Ares: are we really about this have this conversation again sis?

Athena: no, because there is no convention to have!

Ares: *shrugs* if you say so, but you can only hide this for so long *leave*

Athena: there’s nothing to hide! Mother fucker… *leaves the training arena*

Odysseus: *runs up to her, his hair still dripping wet* mama! Mama!

Athena: wh—boy did you even try to dry your hair?

Odysseus: nope! Can I go to the mortal world and hung out with my friends?

Athena: dry your hair off and you can.

Odysseus: *shakes his head like a wet dog*

Athena; *steps back to avoid getting wet* gods just because I call you a little wolf doesn’t mean you have to act like one!

Odysseus: sorry mama! Can I go now?

Athena: *waves him off*

Odysseus: YAY!! *runs off to find Hermes*

Athena: okay that’s one kid accounted for..now time to find the other one!

[flwrkid14]

Tim Drake: Haunted by the Hero He Once Was

Tim Drake doesn’t sleep much these days. Not because of patrols or late-night cases—though those still keep him plenty busy—but because every time he closes his eyes, he’s dragged back to that life. Odysseus.

The memories of who he used to be haunt him.

The sound of swords clashing, the screams of battle, the endless nights staring at the stars from a ship lost at sea. The guilt that weighs heavy on his chest for every life lost, every sacrifice made. It feels too real to be just a dream, too visceral to shake off when he wakes up drenched in sweat.

But it’s not just the memories. It’s the knowledge. The knowing that he was once the man who tricked gods, toppled empires, and survived the worst the world—and Olympus—had to offer. There’s a part of him that remembers being invincible, outsmarting fate itself.

And now?

Now he’s just Tim. Gotham’s forgotten son. Not even the “golden boy” of the Bats, but the one who’s always had to claw his way into the family. The one who’s always had to prove he belonged. The weight of being a mortal again, with all the fragility that comes with it, feels unbearable.

Sometimes, when he looks at the Bat-Signal lighting up the sky, all he can think about is the beacon of Ithaca—waiting, calling him home after years of war. But Gotham isn’t home. Not really. It’s a battleground, just like Troy. A place where people bleed and die for causes that never seem to end.

And here he is, trapped in it again. Only this time, there’s no escaping the battlefield. There’s no homecoming. No happy ending.

The worst part? The bats don't know. He hasn’t told them. How could he? “Hey guys, by the way, I was Odysseus in a past life, and the guilt of everything I did, every choice I made, is eating me alive.” Yeah, that would go over well.

So, he stays quiet. Carries the burden like he always does. Alone.

But it gets harder. Each day, the memories get stronger, more vivid. The temptation to just... run. To leave it all behind like he’s done before.

But Gotham isn’t Troy. And the bats aren't his army.

They’re his family. Even when they don’t see him. Even when he feels like he doesn’t belong.

Still, sometimes, late at night, when the city’s quiet and the weight of two lifetimes presses down on him, Tim wonders if maybe, just maybe, he was never meant to have peace. Not as Odysseus. Not as Tim.

Because gods and heroes? They don’t get happy endings.

[sparklingcid3r]

wut did the convo between darry and child services go like? obvi was complicated but like genuinely how did he convince them he could b the guardian of 2 teenage boys? he genuinely must have nerves of steel.

also like must have been the worse adjustment if he always confided in paul or his dad when stressed, but now has no one. like his just isolation from any close relationship is soooo noticeable, esp compared to his brothers who actively lean on their best friends

just ignore that this might end up horribly inaccurate🙏 i’m here for a good time alr leave me alone😭 but fr darry was going through the traumas of odysseus on his voyage back to ithaca when he should have been getting lit at the club😔

Darry’s shell shock looks a whole lot like numbness. That’s how he feels, too, so when the same officers who just told him they’re very sorry, but his parents have been killed in an accident, he just stares and hears them iterate for him what exactly he needs to get done immediately. He forces himself to actually listen, because this isn’t about him, it’s about Pony and Soda and keeping a roof above their heads.

He needs to locate his ma and dad’s birth certificates and legal documents to have their wills probated and assets distributed, schedule an appointment with the funeral director, schedule a date for the funeral itself, meet with the court to be appointed Pony and Soda’s legal guardian, but that’s only after they deem him fit to be the sole caretaker of two teenagers. They’ll assign them a case manager. They’ll ask him what his salary is, they’ll call his old coaches to ask about his time management and self-discipline—what if he comes up short in some way? What if he makes a mistake and gets his brothers thrown in a home?

Fuck, then there’s the personal arrangements. He needs to call the college dean and tell him extraordinary circumstances have forced him to drop out, probably he’ll still have to pay for the rest of the semester he didn’t get to finish. When the case manager comes over for their meeting—the house is a mess from Darry’s birthday party, they’ll think Darry is okay with raising his brothers in filth. Something about bank statements too, he’s sure he’ll have to go over it, see what his parents have been paying for, what he’ll need to pay for and what he has to cut now that money’s about to be tighter. Bills, taxes, he needs to draw up a system to distribute those payments overdue or not. Groceries, do they need to go shopping soon? With what money? With Darry’s money, he needs to get a job now.

Darry gets to work.

Identifying the bodies is the first thing he does. He lets Steve and Johnny stay over to keep Pony and Soda company. Two-Bit offers to come with Darry to the hospital, but he refuses. When he gets to the hospital, he sees Dally standing at the entrance, cross-armed and stone-faced. He doesn’t even look at Darry when he arrives. Just pushes himself off the pillar and shrugs. “Your call.”

Darry says nothing, so Dally follows him in. The police lead him to the morgue. The sheets are carefully folded back to reveal their faces, and Darry’s stomach heaves and his eyes blur. His parents are shredded. They’re just bodies, sliced, crushed bodies. He doesn’t even realize he stumbling until a steeled hand grabs him and keeps him upright, and Dally’s saying “Easy, easy, man. Breathe, Darrel. That them?”

Darry nods. All he’s think is that it’s going to be a closed casket funeral.

The wills are the next thing he deals with. Once those are probated and the surrogate has deemed them official, Darry is free to pay the fees and obtain his inheritance, as well as transfer his parents’ money to his name in the bank.

Next, Darry searches for a job. Something physical, or something to do with numbers. He was going to be an accountant after all, might as well make some use of the few months he spent studying. After busting his ass hunting and applying, he lands a job at Fitzmorris Roofing and starts as soon as he can. The pay is decent, but not enough, so he keeps looking. Eventually he finds out about a firm at the edge of town looking for a bookkeeper, so Darry goes in for an interview and walks out with his second job.

Then are the bank statements. Darry gets issued a copy of his parents’ bank statements from the previous month and spends entire nights going through them. After crunching the numbers twice, he finds out that in two months from now, they’ll have to go without paying the electricity bill for a few weeks while Darry’s paychecks catch up with expenses. Better than going hungry. They’ll just have to deal with the dark.

So far, they’ve been feeding off the numerous donations from families around town. Lasagnas and casseroles and meatloafs, that’s what they’ve been pushing around their plates for the past two weeks. Darry surmises they have about one more week to make those last, then he’ll need to crack open a cookbook or two.

He meets with the funeral director. He advises Darry on what graveyard to pick, what kinds of caskets to hold the bodies in, how much of the burial will be covered by insurance. All Darry understands is that this is money he’ll need to cut from their budget. It eats at him.

Darry blinks and a week has gone by.

He doesn’t really remembering seeing Pony and Soda during it. Everything’s a blur. But he looks at a calendar and realizes with a seize of his heart that their case manager is supposed to meet them for the first time in—an hour and a half.

Shit, he hasn’t even gotten to cleaning the house yet. There’s laundry on the fucking couch, for Christ’s sake. Darry snatches it up and bangs down Soda and Pony’s door, dumping it on the bed. He sees a lump under the blanket and a jolt rocks him—that’s your brother, that’s Ponyboy, he’s grieving, he’s in pain, he needs help—but all he can do is kick the mattress and tell him, “On your feet, Ponyboy, Mrs. Mulligan’ll be here for dinner.” Pony doesn’t move, but there’s nothing else Darry can do, so he rips the blanket off Pony and leaves, slamming the door behind him because his own strength has become unfamiliar to him.

Soda’s in the backyard doing whatever the hell Soda’s been doing while Darry was out, and he’s called in but he comes trailing in like a wet dog. Darry doesn’t know what he’ll do if this meeting doesn’t go well, if Mulligan says Darry is not suited to provide for his brothers, how he’ll possible be able to live by himself knowing his brothers have been separated, so he snaps for Soda to stand up straight and fix his hair. Soda looks at him blankly, and again there’s a voice in Darry’s head—Sodapop’s not alright, he’s not talking, he’s not smiling, he’s not laughing, you have to fix this—but all he can say is “Now, dammit” and hits the countertop, spooking Soda enough to get him to flee, and Darry’s alone again, cleaning the table of the bills and documents, pushing them on top of the icebox and out of sight.

Darry’s prepped one of their last donated meals, macaroni salad, and set the table as nice as he can.

Fifteen minutes before Mrs. Mulligan arrives, he checks in on Pony and Soda. He stands outside their door, hand raised to knock, but he can hear them talking.

Talking about him.

“He’s gone crazy, Soda, I swear. When’s the last time you saw him stand still for two seconds? If you’ve seen him at all.”

“Dunno, Ponykid.”

“I miss Ma. I miss her and Dad. It’s like Darry hasn’t even noticed they’re gone.”

“Naw, baby, don’t say that. He’s trying, I think. He’s trying awful hard. We just don’t see it.”

“You don’t even know that. What if he’s making plans to shove us in a boys’ home?”

Darry can’t take it. His breath is lodged in his throat, but he can’t go falling apart right now, not when he’s come this far and still has a long way to go. He just knocks and calls them out to the living room.

Darry can’t meet their eyes when they sit in the living room. Pony’s lean on Soda’s shoulder but Darry can’t think about that, he’s got to put the macaroni salad in a bowl and clean off the utensils and “Pony, I told you to wash the dishes this morning.” With his back turned to his brothers, Darry winces. Anger never used to seep out this easily. But everything was enough of a threat to push him over the edge. Everything everyone said to him pierced him like a hook, made his tongue feel heavy and his blood feel hot. He needed to put a lid over it tonight.

Mrs. Mulligan’s eyes don’t rise to Darry’s when he opens the door for her. She looks behind him at their living room, at Soda and Pony on the couch, makes a funny noise in the back of her throat, then extends her hand out to Darry. Immediately Darry knows he’s going to be on the defensive the entire night. This woman does not approve of where Soda and Pony are being raised. Whether that means she doesn’t approve of the East side as a location or Darry as a guardian, he isn’t sure.

She drills him, but it’s disguised as gentle. Darry does everything slowly. Serving the food, making small talk, discussing Pony and Soda’s grades. Mulligan switches to speaking directly to the boys, and Darry’s not hungry, but he pretends to enjoy chewing the rubbery macaroni and keeps his head down.

Despite their reservations about life without their parents, Soda and Pony defend Darry to the case manager. It goes smoothly enough that she leaves Darry with a smile and a promise to stay in touch.

When the door clicks shut, Pony is gone in the blink of an eye back to his room. Soda just stalks into the kitchen and starts wrapping up leftovers, cleaning off the dishes. Darry tries to get Soda to sleep, but Soda turns to him.

“I’ll do the dishes, Darry. Just don’t get mad at Pony.”

“No, Soda, I’ll do it—“

“You’re tired, Darry. Let me be useful?”

Soda always knew how to spin the conversation in his favor. He was right. Darry was tired. He was just… tired.

But there’s a reason Darry hasn’t given himself a restful night yet. He doesn’t trust himself yet.

“Give me the sponge, Sodapop. Pony needs you.”

Darry’s had sixteen years to learn how to outmaneuver his kid brother. He’s not in the mood to fight fair.

Soda concedes and draws away from the sink, but he lingers in the doorway. “We need you, too, Darry.”

“I know. I’ll be here in the morning.”

He wouldn’t be. He’d be gone by the time they woke up, on top of a roof with bundles of roofing slung over his shoulder, but it wasn’t his physical presence that mattered. He was going to keep their heads above water, no matter what it took.

“When’s the funeral?” asks Soda.

“Friday.”

Two days. Two days until it was official and their parents were covered in dirt. Darry just needed to keep it together until then.

“G’night, Darry.”

“G’night.”

When the funeral comes, Darry’s quiet. Pony and Soda are weeping, unashamed by it, so Darry’s the one people feel comfortable giving their condolences to. He shakes a lot of hands, feels disgusted by it, like he’s collecting germs and other people’s bad luck. The gang is there, even Dally, but they hang in the back of the crowd, discounting Two-Bit, who’s up front with his ma and sister.

After Darry gives the eulogy he doesn’t remember writing, he watches twin caskets get sunk into the ground, dirt spilling on top of them, and Darry is officially alone. He leaves the ceremony, goes and sits down on a bench outside the fencing.

Not yet. Don’t break yet.

A shadow falls across his own. Dally’s taking drags from a cigarette at his side. He’s just as quiet as Darry, but offers the cancer stick. Darry accepts it, taking a few puffs. He’s out of practice and coughs the first time. Dally just pats his back and waits for him to try again. It feels good, but not the kind of good Darry knows he can depend on. He’s still got to stay healthy if he’s going to be trudging around in the sun for half his day and sitting around doing math for the other half.

“Do what you gotta do, as long as it’s nothing permanent,” Dally says.

“Couldn’t if I wanted to,” Darry replies, handing back the cigarette. His eyes sting.

It’s like the world’s stopped rotating after his parents are put to rest. Not when Darry actually expected it to. He closes the door to his parents’ bedroom, the room he’s been sleeping in for the past… however long it’s been.

He doesn’t even make it to the bed. The moment the door’s locked behind him, Darry’s loosening his dad’s tie from his neck, yanking at his dad’s collar to untighten his airways, but it doesn’t work. He slumps against the door and slides down, messing up his hair and crying into his arms, only as hard as his silence will allow. Pony and Soda are in the next room over, still teary, consoling each other. Darry won’t steal their reprieve.

He falls apart alone, wondering how he’s meant to wake up tomorrow in a world he doesn’t want to live in. And when he picks himself up and puts himself back together, he’ll do that alone too. He doesn’t have a choice.

istg sometimes yall just gotta LET ME COOK 👩‍🍳 can u tell i got super into it the longer i went on for lmao

oh btw this doesn’t scratch the surface of everything darry prob needed to do. he would have had to choose what his parents wore in their caskets, dealt with the scrapping of the car, assumed responsibility of the real estate deed (the house), communicated with pony and soda’s high school, communicated with his parents’ former employers, etc etc. the break was uncatchable i fear

[bless-my-demons]

Redamancy: Chapter Twenty

Series Summary: What happens when your soulmate is a vampire that struggles to maintain a diet of trying not to kill you? Common sense says run for the hills, nothing is worth your life - but my heart is whispering why not, what’s there to lose?

Warnings: angstyyy

Notes: Posting a day early - y’all can thank @losa12308 for catching me in a good mood, hope this helps ya feel better hun❤️

Word Count: 2130

Series Masterlist

Reader

Nearly two weeks Jacob Black has not only been ignoring and avoiding Bella, but Quil and I too. Ever since the night of the movies, since his uncharacteristically rude outburst at Mike Newton. Both of my best friends were stressed about it which in turn stresses me out. I’ve called him multiple times to leave voicemails about what he’s doing to his friends, but it was to no avail - radio silence remained.

Bella said Harry Clearwater told her it was mono, but anyone could smell that bullshit from a mile away. Did mono render you catatonic? Unable to communicate with people that care about you?

An uneasy feeling settled in my gut, it had to be more. Something was keeping him from us and I want to know what that something is.

I need to know, I can’t just lose another one…

• March 4th, 2006 • Home •

Reader

“Mom!” I shout through the empty house, trying to locate her.

A rare day we both have off to spend together and I’m about to ditch her.

“Yes, sweetheart?” I hear her voice drift from the laundry room as I make my way downstairs.

Turning as the sound of my approaching footsteps, she raises her eyebrows at my appearance - noting that my state of dress isn’t exactly for a day-in at home anymore.

“Bella called, was wondering if I’d go hiking with her? I think she just needs to take her mind off of Jake and wants company.”

My moms face falls slightly, but I can tell she won’t stop me from running to my best friend’s aid, “Just be careful and take your phone.”

“Thanks mom!” I surge forward and hug her quickly before snatching my keys from the hook by the door on my way out.

“And be back before dark!”

“Of course, love you!” I shout back.

“I love you too, honey!”

I speed almost the entire way to Bella’s - wanting to get her mind off of Jake was true, but she also wanted help finding the meadow.

As in, the meadow.

Her and Edward’s meadow.

• March 4th, 2006 • Ithaca, NY •

Jasper

For months I’ve been feeling with this crack in my soul because of her and I’ve been doing it alone. Admittedly it’s my own doing, but the chafing of not really having my brother in my corner has worn away at me in way that doubles the pain of the loss.

I find myself gravitating towards his closed door, something that before Ithaca would’ve been an odd sight, and knocking on the thin wood.

“Go away.” The words rumble in his distinct baritone just loud enough for me to hear.

“No.” I answer simply, just as tired.

The door whips open in a flash and his eyes send a shock through me. Not because they’re dark with hunger - but dark with anger. And his emotions reflect it threefold.

“What do you want?” His tone raises my hackles, reminding me that my brother isn’t one to be messed with in a mood like this one.

A delicate hand curls up and around his chest, the owner of it completely blocked from view by his massive frame, and he visibly deflates. His anger dialing back a fraction at the influence of just her touch.

A slice of pain lances through me, regret or just plain loneliness at this point I’m not sure.

“Hear him out.” Rose orders him softly, kissing him on the cheek as she slips out from behind him and meets my eyes before disappearing down the hall. “Good luck.”

I reign in the laugh that threatens to bubble up at her throwing me to the wolves, but it’s another thing I’m doing to myself of my own free will, I need my brother.

Holding open the door wider for me to enter, he turns on his heel and deposits himself into the loveseat across from the tv, some muted football game flashing on it.

“I miss you and I’m sorry.” I unload on him with no preamble. No drawn out apology has ever been a requirement of his, short and to the point always a favorite to him.

A dark laugh thunders from him in a way that crushes me even more, “That’s it?”

I nod, I had thought about this conversation for months since he started avoiding me, but all my rehearsed words vacate me.

“That’s one hell of an apology.” The remote emits a small crack as his anger continues to boil. “I got no say, no one wanted to hear me out, and I’m just supposed to suck it the fuck up and just go with the flow of what’s best for the family.” He’s practically vibrating with barely constrained rage, but I let him continue. “She’s not just yours, Jasper.”

A shock jolts me for the second time, his sadness tugging at my heart heavily.

“She’s yours and that’s what makes her mine.” I can tell my confusion spurs Emmett on and he rises from the couch, “As your brother, it’s my responsibility to be her protector and you fucking ripped that away from me. You’re hurting her on purpose and it’s hurting me.”

I’m speechless as his words sink in. Familial-like bonds in a coven as old as ours are strong, but I had no idea.

“She was also my best friend-my little sister. I told her I would be there for her and you’re making me break my promise - something I’ve never fucking done.” Turning away from me to pace in a very non-Emmett move, “Are you going to say anything?”

“I had no idea-”

“You never considered, never noticed, never asked. It’s only been you in pain. You and Edward. You don’t even see what it does to Alice every time you ask her to check on Y/n.”

Her name sends agony anew through me, a thin knife that slices flesh from bone with surgical precision.

“I’m scared.” He would’ve missed my whisper if it weren’t for his supernatural hearing.

“Scared of what?” He’s before me in a flash, gripping my shoulders. “Scared of loving her?”

“Scared of her loving me! Scared of hurting her!” The house falls into dead silence, listening. “You’ve never known terror like this with Rose! You’re not afraid to kill her just from being around her, smelling her, touching her. You have no restrictions, no boundaries!” Tears of venom swirl my vision, but refuse to fall.

I push him off me and turn, attempting to reign in my distress.

“Bro-”

“I can’t do this without you. It’s like wave after wave of grief and I’m at my limit Emmett.” The seriousness in my tone softens him, love and compassion flow from him in a way that feels like his old self and it loosens the tension inside me a fraction.

“I may be angry with you, but I’ll never leave you.” My brother spins me around and engulfs me in his signature bear-hug.

Esme may be the mother of our group, but Emmett is the glue holding us all together. I’d be drowning without my brother and if his death-grip of a hug is any indication, he knows it.

• March 4th, 2006 • Forks, WA •

Reader

“I’m pretty sure we passed that tree two times in the last hour, Bells.” Tromping behind my best friend, I keep my eyes fixed down to prevent myself from tripping over the dense foliage.

“We’re close, I just know it.” There’s a desperate edge to Bella’s voice that stops my teasing and squeezes my heart, I know that feeling. To be grasping for something out of reach to link me back to him.

Pushing through a particularly thick cluster of low-lying branches, I smack face first into Bella’s backpack.

“Bella, you can’t just stop-” Finally my surroundings make sense and I realize we’ve found it. It’s brown and sad as fuck, but we actually found it.

I spin, taking in every inch of the dead meadow as Bella drops to the ground, fingers clutching the crunchy grass. Facing the middle again, I gasp at the figure standing before us, the sound startling Bella into a standing position next to me.

“Bella and Y/n.”

“Laraunt.” His name is a choked gasp on my best friend’s lips.

“I didn’t expect to find either one of you here.” He begins pacing casually in front of us “I went to visit the Cullen’s, but the house is empty? I’m surprised they left you both behind. Weren’t you both sort of… pets of theirs?”

“Y-yeah, you could say that.” Bella answers him as I reach for her hand, a sort of dread sinking in as I think over his words and what he might be getting at.

“Do the Cullen’s visit often?”

You need to leave, darlin’. He’s not safe.

“Yeah absolutely - all the time.” Bella’s lie causes the hair on the back of my neck to raise.

“We’ll tell them you stopped by.” I chime in, trying to make it seem believable and also trying to keep the shaking from my voice - both from the deadly turn of the conversation and from hearing his voice in my head.

“I probably shouldn’t - Edward,” the name rolling of her tongue has her squeezing my hand in pain, “Because he’s pretty protective.”

“But he’s far away, isn’t he? They both are.”

Terror begins to flood my chest, he’s making sure we’re alone.

“Why are you here?” Bella flips the questioning onto Laraunt.

“I came as a favor… To Victoria.” His answer practically stops my heart and I know he can hear it.

“Victoria.” The whisper slips from me without a second thought.

“She asked me to see if either of you were still under the protection of the Cullens. Victoria feels it’s only fair to kill Edward’s and Jasper’s mates, given they killed her’s.” His eyes flicked between us, no doubt sensing the blow of both of their names. “An eye for an eye.”

“Edward would know who did it! And he’d come after you.”

Threaten him.

“Jasper would hunt both of you down.” My emotions fill my voice, the threat not as potent as it could be.

“I don’t think they will. After all, how much could you mean to them if they left you here, unprotected?” The vampire sighs, like he’s actually fucking torn, “Victoria won’t be happy about my killing you, but I can’t help myself - both of you are so mouth watering.”

“Please don’t, y-you helped us-” Bella begins to panic, but he flashes directly in front of us with his speed, fingers reaching for our faces.

“Shhh-shhh, don’t be afraid! I’m doing you a kindness - Victoria plans on killing you slowly, painfully. Whereas I’ll make it quick. I promise, you’ll feel nothing.”

“Edward I love you.” Bella’s confession slips as I close my eyes and squeeze her hand in mine. At least we go together, right?

“I can’t believe it.” The awe in Laraunt’s voice opens my eyes as twigs begin snapping in the tree line behind us.

One large wolf, black as night, emerges from the forest. Large being a gross understatement - more like the size of a fucking horse. Behind the massive animal emerges more of the same, although slightly smaller, but no less scary.

A pack of wolves. A pack of supernaturally huge wolves.

And they’re facing down a vampire, no less.

A vampire on a mission to kill us.

Run.

The command zings through me and takes charge. I yank on Bella’s arm as Laraunt bats away the first wolf like it was nothing, it’s yelp stunning her into action.

The panicked sprint through the woods for her truck is much faster this time than the hike out, neither of us stopping or looking back.

Afraid to see if anything was giving chase.

Afraid to see if the wolves didn’t buy us time.

The ride back to Bella’s was tense to say the least. Too stuck in my own head to even say anything to her, the terror still coursing through my veins keep my mouth shut and fists clenched. What if Laraunt got away from them? What if he was still hunting us?

I never realized until now how scary it is, not having the supernatural protection of the Cullens.

I never realized that I took for granted the safety Jasper surrounded me with. Well, used to surround me with.

The sour thought sends another all-too-familiar painful zap through my chest.

As soon as Bella pulls into her drive, I hop out and climb into my own as she runs inside, probably to tell her dad about the absolutely massive wolves lurking in Forks’ woods.

Wolves that might’ve just saved our lives.

Next

Taglist Part 1:

@aoi-targaryen @Min-jianhyung @pbbsl @timelordhunterandmysterysolver @sheerangermany @clearwater-hoe @Blackbluerose666 @ivy-plays @random-human02 @delightfulbluebirdstarlight @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @gaymazinglula @l3ejm @angelfuzzy2 @losa12308 @thekinkpopstandsforkrackheads @flyawayprincess @ropickle @catbusloki @deviat3dsn0wf0x @lovesanimals0000 @unrevived @h-naec @cutesnakemum @zudooms @itsmytimetoodream @stinkii-boii @acoolnight @anothercoffeeblogx @irishblend10 @from-now-on-im-switzerland @kyraslife2 @naolvshan @kiiwiigii @rosedpetal @kiaraandrea @foolsgoldxo @heartfilia01 @azuredgalaxies @geekysimmerthings @graciereads @ramen-girl-2424 @0hmydekiru @creeqvealley @cherriebat @whichwitchisthebitch @dragon-rider-with-a-book @secretfairytailpetscookie @psychobitchsthings

[hecates-corner]

THE VENGEANCE SAGA

🌊 SPOILERS AHEAD 🌊

PLUS, MENTIONS OF S.A.

🔱 NOT SORRY FOR LOVING YOU

Even though Calypso’s actions infuriate me, her actress’ voice (Barbara Wangui) is incredible and so compelling. She sounds like a lotus flower, and just that notion is marvelous, now that I say that. She is the island of the lotus eaters, and I do really like that she isn’t blindly in love with Odysseus.

She can see she hurt him, but she still believes she was in the right. She’s sorry she did all she did, but she wouldn’t take a single moment back. Calypso only admits she’s wrong for “pushing” him. This allusion only shows that she regrets the pain she caused him when she forced him into bed with her, for several years. But does she regret the action?

It’s so well written, an apologist song to make excuses for her. But still, it’s only meant to toy with your emotions. And yet, she doesn’t play the “one song character”, the “tiny plot point”. Jorge gave her pain, and anguish, and loss. He made her seem human, while still holding the godlike apathy and blamelessness.

🔱 DANGEROUS

And onto my favorite song, for the reason alone that it’s a crazy banger with HERMES IN IT! I knew half of this song when it came out, and can lip sync this in my sleep. By the gods, it’s incredible.

Ahem. Right, the analysis. Okay.

Odysseus’ first four of lament in the beginning hurt extra hard when the silence plays out. The crew would have responded… had they lived.

(Anyone else getting nostalgia for last winter from this?? How fast time goes! We have one saga left, and— shoot, right. Ahem ahem.)

And then, the beloved Trickster Lord comes whirling into frame. Dancing. I can just FEEL the light-up floor, the disco ball… you’d think he and Hera would be good friends, huh?

This gives us a little glimpse into Hermes’ lordly self. That he is great with instructions, that he’s almost prophetic with them. He’s not specific, he’s vague, but looking back, you can only go, “OHHHH!” Hermes is a cunning god, and aside from that, he lifts Odysseus’ spirits. He really is Odysseus’ friend.

And then the parallels. To Wouldn’t You Like, to Keep Your Friends Close. Ouch. No, wow. No, scratch that— both.

It makes me wonder if Odysseus “Danger is my middle name” of Ithaca will ever figure out that Athena rooted for him, in the end. Makes me wonder if we’ll hear from Athena again.

🔱 CHARYBDIS

GYATT DAMN. TALK ABOUT INCREDIBLE?!

THIS might be my favorite song, for the typical reasons. You can hear the actions, and when I watched the animatics, it only showed me what I pictured. Perfectly portrayed.

I avoided spoilers for this song, not knowing how good it would be. Damn, am I glad.

Storm parallels, of course. And then, the sheer terror and turn of relief, when suddenly you realize he’s not as close as he thought he was. One last obstacle.

Love the fact that when he sings, “So if you don’t have much to say,” you realize Charybdis won’t be singing. I adored that. This song shows off how smart Odysseus really is.

🔱 GET IN THE WATER

This song is just plain terrifying. It’s scary. It’s cold.

The screaming shakes me to my core. At first, I hadn’t been fully on board (haha) with the choice of Poseidon’s voice actor, and then I took a few more listens to Ruthlessness, and reevaluated that thought. Besides that, he’s quite literally perfect for this song, specifically.

Let me tell you that Steven Rodriguez understood the assignment when he was told to say, “I can’t,” “No,” and “Ruthlessness is … mercy upon … ourselves … DIE!”

Realizing that the line about “gouging [his] son’s eyes” is a cheeky revenge for Polyphemus is incredible. You know what’s funny? Poseidon and Odysseus aren’t so different from each other.

Especially now.

Besides that, oh god, the memories of his loved ones singing into his “final moments” is painful. Thought we’d heard the last of Polites, Jorge? REMEMBER, JORGE?

It’s a double entendre, too. They’re singing to him, telling him to keep going, and yet, they’re telling him that they’re waiting for him, too. Now… some for better, and some for worse.

Will they forgive him the same way he’s forgotten how to do, when he dies?

🔱 SIX HUNDRED STRIKE

Aka, Poseidon discovers the indomitable human spirit.

Let me tell you, hearing the guitar made me gasp. Missed that riff, in all its glory and power, let me tell you. Plus, the wind bag’s theme, too!

This is a boss battle. That’s it. I swear to god, put the instrumental of this banger in Hades by Supergiant.

The screaming in this really made the song. The voice acting. The change of tone. The change of Odysseus’ tone. He’s never been afraid to talk back to gods, has he?

I was only miffed that there was blood on the trident in the animation, and not ichor. But that’s what you get when you’ve been devoted to Greek mythology all of your life, you become an accuracy snob. All in all though, I ADORED that animation. Like… holy shit. Holy FUCKING SHIT!!!

Then, the stabbing and gasping. Poseidon attempting to make him feel bad, second-guess himself, by screaming and calling him a monster.

“Look what you’ve turned me into! Look what we’ve become!” Odysseus KNOWS that he and Poseidon are similar. Fathers willing to defend their honor, and the honor of their sons. However, Poseidon was always defending his own honor, and Odysseus was always protecting the lives of those involved.

And the CHOKING NOISES from POSEIDON??

“After everything you’ve done… how will you sleep at night?”

“Next to my wife.”

AND I GASPED. AND I CHEERED!!!!!!!!!!!

On a much more hilarious note, I saw @justvea18 post a version of this meme as Poseidon. Was giggling my ass off. Go check it out, please.

[punkfistfights]

it’s me again and i’m here to rant about how people hating on eurylochus again.

the WHOLE POINT of the test of the wind bag is that the crew’s trust of odysseus has been shaken since polyphemus. they fully trusted him prior but after he led to the deaths of several of the crew members and then let the cyclops live, they’re not sure how they feel anymore.

and odysseus wasn’t going to tell them what was in the bag. but the winions gave them an answer, even if it wasn’t a true one.

eurylochus wants to get home to ithaca just as badly as odysseus but he wants to do so without the risks odysseus takes! and his concerns were just shut down and now odysseus may be lying to him (and don’t try to argue that odysseus would never lie to eurylochus, he is literally famous for lying to reach the goals he’s after) and his trust is shaken and he…makes a mistake.

should he have opened the bag? ofc not, but the deaths of those men is not solely his fault, they’re primarily odysseus’s fault for revealing his name and address to polyphemus after refusing to kill him. if he’d either killed him or kept his mouth shut, poseidon wouldn’t be after him and none of those men would’ve died to him.

and with regards to circe, the difference between him wanting to leave those men and odysseus sacrificing six men to scylla is that eurylochus didn’t know if those men could be saved! he likely actively believed they could not since neither him nor odysseus know magic and why should he believe odysseus could change her mind when the last couple of times odysseus has tried to change people’s minds, it’s lead to 557 men dying?

eurylochus isn’t innocent and everything isn’t odysseus’s fault but the opposite is also true and the demonization of eurylochus and woobification of odysseus is actually starting to drive me mad

[unknownchoatic]

im not the first person to use this idea and people have probably come up with the same thing… BUT!:

Odyssey au where when they’re fighting the cyclops Odysseus takes the hit for Polites and somehow hes not immediately dead. so like Eurylochus and Polites and all the other guys have to make an escape plan and as they’re hiding and trying to figure out what to do Polyphemus just drops to the floor (lotus eater wine moment). So as they’re trying to stop Odysseus from bleeding out he overhears the ideas for the escape plan, decides that each plan is shit and so from his position (laying on the cave floor bleeding out) hes like “sharpen the club into a spear and blind him” and Eurylochus is like “great idea Captain” so they do it.

and then its like normal escape except for the whole Odysseus doxxing himself part (yk cause at this point hes lost so much blood and is hurt and probably isn’t even conscious). so they get on the boat and sail while trying to heal Odysseus. but like… healing doesnt happen and the wound gets infected or smth (idk some kind of complication). so Odysseus is in his cabin (? room? idk) all fever-y and delirious and Eurylochus and Polites visit but they don’t tell the rest of the crew (other than the doctors) how bad his condition is getting.

and so the journey home is actually a lot smoother (yk cause Odysseus isnt being a boyfailure) and from the cyclops’ island they go back to Ithaca. and like at some point when they’re still a few days away Odysseus really starts dying. like he’s hallucinating and in so mych pain and he does even rlly recognize Eurylochus or Polites and like they both know that he is probably gonna die. so like in his final moments Polites holds him and is like “you can relax my friend,”

thank you for coming to my ted talk

(also alternate ending where by some miracle he hangs on until they get to Ithaca and there (where theres like good medical supplies and actual doctors he recovers)

[masterofthewarcry]

In your Diomedes goes to Ithaca post Troy AU, would he be there prior to the suitors or would you have him going off to Italy and establishing his lands there first and then going to Ithaca, finding the palace overrun with the suitors?

oh he’s there prior to the suitors

he shows up pretty soon after troy wraps up; the general consensus is that it only takes him ~4 days to get home, so i imagine it wouldn’t take him too long to get to ithaca post getting kicked out by aegialia and cometes

so he and penelope have time to do the friends to lovers thing before the suitors start showing up. diomedes for sure holding himself back every day more and more men show up to contend for penelope’s hand, but he himself won’t marry her, because marrying her would mean odysseus is dead, and odysseus is the whole reason he came to ithaca in the first place!

so they’re stuck in this weird limbo of being sort of together but not really because they’re both mourning odysseus and hoping he’s still alive at the same time. and like diomedes is sort of a dad to telemachus but not really because he tells telemachus about his real dad all the time. and he’s sort of a suitor but not really because even though he and penelope have a thing going on he’s not gonna marry her.

[deadbaguette]

I loved your hcs for the "Diomedes goes to Ithaca au" sm! May I ask more about that? In your au does Telemachus ask Diomedes to teach him how to fight? And what kind of relationship do Penelope and Diomedes have? Are the suitors scared of Diomedes?

Omg I’m so glad to hear you liked it! Yes, I would love to answer more questions about it !!🥹❤️

Does Telemachus ask Diomedes to teach him how to fight?

I would say so! But I think Diomedes won’t end up teaching him much for one of the following reasons (i’m not sure which one yet):

Telemachus is young when Diomedes first meets him, like tween/early teen. It’s the first time Diomedes confronts the thought that maybe, he shouldn’t make a child warrior out of Telemachus. He’s seen child warriors, HE was a child warrior. He personally had no problem with teaching Telemachus, but he hesitates this time because he considers Odysseus. He knows Odysseus didn’t want to go to war, he knows he would’ve done anything to keep Telemachus safe, and if there is anyone that should teach Telemachus to fight, he felt it shouldn’t be him.

Athena tells him not to lol. Not his fate or some bs. This is obv a much easier route, and I could probably get away with Diomedes teaching him some form of self defense. < this is with probably a lot of persuasion though, since Athena likely doesn’t allow Telemachus to get so strong yet in this scenario because it could impact his fate.

And what kind of relationship do Penelope and Diomedes have?

Considering this IS an Odypendio AU, it’s not entirely platonic but romantic isn’t there perfect word either. But I also don’t imagine it to be a friends with benefits type situation. It’s more like partners?? If that makes sense???? Diomedes at the surface level is taking Odysseus’ place. BUT, it is very important that neither Diomedes of Penelope really think of it in this way. Penelope cannot think of Diomedes as her husband while Odysseus is gone, because he’s her husband. And likewise, Diomedes cannot think of Penelope as his wife because that’s Odysseus’ wife. The one all his stories are about, the one that lights up his world, the one he longed to return to.

Both of them are kind of at this like impasse where they have grown to care for each other, and they’ve built some level of codependency that is reminiscent of a relationship. But until they’re sure Odysseus is there and alive, they’ve both acknowledged that nothing is official. They care deeply for each other, but like at the same time they both love Odysseus too much to make it official. I’m sorry if this is a very confusing and borderline incoherent answer 😭

Are the suitors scared of Diomedes?

Terrified. Diomedes is like the strongest soldier in the Achaian/Achaean army that’s alive. Plus, considering how in the Odyssey, Odysseus wiped the floor with the suitors, I imagine Diomedes could do so even easier! And they know this, so they still push Telemachus around (Diomedes has been forbidden from intervening, something about politics and fate), but when Diomedes tells them to get out they will.

Tysm for the ask! It means a lot that people are interested in my silly AUs <3