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Chapter Text

Penelope was 20 when Odysseus was called to the Trojan War, sparked by a golden apple and the over-excited passions of a Trojan.

She was 30 when the Achenes won, laying waste to the city and bringing her cousin home.

She was 31 when the first suitors arrived, after news of her husband became less and less .

And she was 33 when the ship that had left the shores of Ithaca returned, but with only 43 men, and without its captain.

She was 33 when her husband's companions chased the suitors away, shedding blood within the walls of the palace, and Eurylochus had to give her the terrible news that Odysseus would not return.

He had been carried away by the sea, like many of his companions before him.
The same sea that he knew and had always respected, and that seemed to have become his tomb.

Penelope was 40 years old when her son, Telemachus, became king of the Ithacas, and she retired to private life in the countryside, hoping to find peace.

A peace that will be interrupted by the arrival of one of the most trusted men she has ever known, in the company of a stranger who perhaps, if the gods will, could bring relief to the woman's suffering.

Chapter Text

Sing, daughters of the great Zeus and Olympian Mnemosyne, protectors of us writers, the deeds that this story wants to bring

Of how love is not lost, not even after "death", and of its merciless twin, rancor, the one who infests the hearts of mortals like a snake

Our story begins in Ithaca, specifically in its countryside

There lived a woman, of very cultivated beauty (but fortunately not enough to be kidnapped by a Trojan with hormones at full blast) who once lived in the royal palace
But not as a handmaiden or servant, but as a queen

She was Penelope, mother of the current king of the Ithacas, Telemachus, and widow of the Greek hero who helped destroy Troy, Odysseus.

Twenty years had passed since they had last seen each other, and seven years since she learned of his death, at the hands of the ocean.

She had decided to retire to the countryside, leaving her son to govern the kingdom (after having taught him everything there was to do, of course) and since then she lived there, between the calm of the fields and the chatter of the farmers.

That day, however, a 2 Targelion, a sudden knock on the door of the house led her to leave her loom (are you really obsessed with this loom?) to open.

It turned out to be Eurylochus, Odysseus' trusted companion and husband of Ctimene.

The man had a tense expression, which he tried to hide with a smile.

The woman however, noticed something coming from the door, which was immediately closed by the man.

"Eurylochus" she began "I wasn't expecting you to visit."

"Hi Penelope, sorry in advance if I didn't send you anything to let you know, but Ctimene told me today and honestly I forgot" He apologized instead, a little excited "We need to talk"

"Do you want to sit down?" she asked

"No because...
Listen, Ctimene and I are about to have a baby." Finally he revealed "You'are about to become an Aunt."

"That's fantastic!" she exclaimed "Do you know what to call them?"

"Calm down she only told me today.
Anyway we don't even know what sex they are , let's pray to the gods that they will be healthy." He concluded

Penelope however noticed how the man was glancing quickly at the door, as if something was about to come in suddenly

"It seems like you have something else to tell me."

The man sighed at that, looking at her with perplexity.

"Actually, I didn't come just for that." He began. "A man came to the palace today, asking about you.
Telemachus asked him what he wanted before bringing you here, but he insisted that only you could understand."

"Only me? Well, what is it?"

"Penelope.
He says he knows about Odysseus."

Those simple words were enough to make the woman change expression, in a grimace of pure shock

It had happened a few times that strangers came to claim to know about Odysseus, when the hope of his return was still present in her soul

In the end, everyone turned out to be a scammer or a fake, hoping for some sort of reward

"Eurylochus but he-"

"I know Penelope, but he has something familiar.
As if I had already seen him somewhere."

"...Then let him in.
If he really needs to say something, I will listen to him."

The man in front of her obeyed, and the door slowly opened

A figure wrapped in a brown cloak entered, which covered his long hair, and revealed an almost enigmatic expression

He made a sign, as a sort of silent greeting, to which the queen responded with the following words

"Greetings stranger.
My friend here has brought you to my home for a reason that you have given him ,that Is well known to me.
Let it be clear, I have already had to deal with people who deceived me about my beloved, and I did not hesitate to chase them away.
So I hope it will be different with you."
She said, with the old posture she still possessed

"I recognize that I am not the first to send messages like this.
But I can assure you that I carry something more"
He answered instead

He glanced at the man next to them, before (finally) taking off his cloak, revealing his face
A face that seemed marked by a scar from a lightning bolt
His eyes were an intense blue, and his gaze was that of someone who has seen a lot

Penelope did not have time to realize that Eurylochus let out a scream, as if he had seen the devil
He had to hold on to a wall to avoid falling, but he stared fearfully at the man in front of him
A fear that only someone who had seen the wrath of a God in action could have

"Eurylochus, what's going on?"
She asked with concern

"Penelope, get away from him for the love of the Gods!" He exclaimed, "That's Poseidon!"

The woman looked back at the stranger, who didn't seem to have moved an inch from there, and she observed him with an almost ironic calm for his situation
The similarities were there, but then what was he doing there?

"He was the one who sank many of our ships, after-"

"You blinded my son." He concluded, "And you killed his livestock and invaded his house.
I remember it well."

"Wait." She paused for a moment
"You blinded one of Poseidon's sons?!" added, surprised, "So that's what that unexpected event was that you told me about that cost many of your ships!"

Then she turned to the God, seeking answers in him

"What are you doing in my home?
If you seek vengeance, you won't find it here, the man who wronged you is gone."

"...I need your help."
He replied, almost ashamed
"To find him."

There was a moment of silence, almost in disbelief, before Eurylochus broke it with an offended look

"After everything you've done to us?
After you threw him into the sea and drowned him, leaving us without a captain and a king, you think we'll help you?!"

"I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't tried to kill Helios' sacred cows!"
He added angrily

"Oh sorry, why was sinking our other ships just because we blinded your son totally justified?"

"I think you wouldn't have sat around doing nothing if someone had-"

"COULD YOU STOP FIGHTING LIKE TWO CHILDREN!"
The woman finally shouted, causing surprise in the two
"I want to know what the hell happened to my husband, since it seems much has not been said before"
She added, turning to the God
"In what sense you drag Odysseus down?"

"I actually wanted to drown everyone, but I only managed to get him."
He replied, as if it were normal and his interlocutor was not literally the king's wife

Obviously the woman's reaction was what one would expect, and it would have been strange if she hadn't thrown something at him
In fact it would have happened, if the god hadn't said the following

"But before you slap me rightly, Zeus has already done it."
He continued, pointing to the scar

"Did he punish you for that?"
Eurylochus asked a little surprised

"Not so much for that but because I interrupted fate.
And before you ask, we gods are also subject to fate, and we cannot hinder it in any way."

"Excuse me, but what did fate say about us?"

"Eurylochus.
You were supposed to die, only Odysseus was supposed to survive."

"...."

"Anyway." He continued, "Zeus banished me from Olympus after the deed, forcing me to wander among mortals.
Until recently I received a message from Athena begging me to find him, because his soul never arrived in the Underworld according to Hades' records.
She promised me she would convince Zeus to let me back among them."
He took a rolled-up scroll from his pouch with the goddess' symbol on it
"This is proof that I am not lying to you."

Ah, Athena, patroness of heroes and strategist of excellence, of course she would not abandon her hero.
She took the scroll with trembling hands, and read its contents.

"So this means that-"
But before she could finish her sentence, the man before her knelt, taking her hand.

"Penelope.
I ask you to follow me on my journey to find the hero Odysseus.
To soothe your spirits and bring peace to the hearts of the Ithacans, who miss their old king.
I know my role in the affair, and I know that you now bear a grudge against me, but I promise you that I will do everything I can to find him."

She looked at him a little stunned, and then saw the reaction of their spectator, who instead seemed skeptical
Inside the woman, several emotions moved, first anger at knowing that all this had been caused by a silly argument between the two parties (an argument that Eurylochus had preferred to reduce to an "accident" without explaining to her how things had gone) and then uncertainty in her own beliefs that had led her to isolate herself, and then disdain for the god's act

But in the end one feeling was stronger, hope

"Okay.
I'll come with you."

The reactions were obviously of surprise, in particular Eurylochus seemed on the verge of leaving

"Penelope, can I talk to you for a moment in private?"
He asked, clearly ready to say all sorts of things.

With the woman's consent, the two went into the other room, leaving the guest in his thoughts.

"Listen, I know you miss Odysseus so much, I miss him too.
But we can't trust Poseidon!"
It's literally his fault if we lost many of our men." He began.

"I know, but I should remind you that it all started from a mistake of yours.
And then look, Athena herself asked to find him, it means he's still alive!"
She replied instead, showing him the scroll.

"Then I'll come with you.
I won't leave you alone with him."

"No. We don't know how long it will take, and you have small children and one on the way, I don't want to risk making them orphans."
Have you seen him?
Now he's a mortal like us."

"Mortal or not he as still an God's mind.
A violent one at that, don't you think about your safety?"

"I think about my safety, don't worry.
If Athena asked to find him, and he never arrived in Hades, it means he's still alive.
I have to at least try, I can't stand the thought that maybe he's somewhere in these lands."

The man understood that she wouldn't move easily, so he tried one last strategy

"And what do we tell Telemachus?
He'll never let you leave alone with who took from him-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY MOTHER'S HOUSE?!"

It seems that there would have been no need to call the young king, who came just in time to end up in a misunderstanding
The two entered the room and saw the boy intent on unsheathing the spear (swords were not yet for them) against the invader

"Mom, what is this guy doing in your house?"
He asked rightly
"I told him to wait."

"Telemachus...this is Poseidon"

"...What?"

After a long discussion~

"I will not let you travel alone with him."
The boy concluded after a discussion that we decided to avoid because you already knew

"Telemachus, you must stay here to be king, the citizens need their guidance."
Was the predictable response of the woman

"And I need you.
I do not want to leave you alone."

"For the last time I will not be alone.
We will leave with several men trusted by your father."
She replied again
"I'll be fine."

The son, however, was not at all convinced, and turned his gaze towards a perplexed Eurylochus and a serious Poseidon

And where will you go?
Do you at least have a lead?"

The woman looked for an answer in the god, who fortunately seemed to have one

"We would review the less dangerous stages that he followed, according to Athena he could be in them."
He explained
"At least, let's try to ask around."

"So we don't have a plan.
Fantastic."
Eurylochus commented

"Mom, I trust you and I just don't want to lose you too."

The woman approached her son, and kissed him on the forehead, holding him tight

"Telemachus, your worries are plausible, but I promise you that we will find him.
The Gods have given us hope today, and we will take that chance."
She reassured

"...
Okay, I will start the preparations."
He concluded