Chapter Text
How long has it been?
20 years.
I love you…
Odysseus was finally asleep. He hadn’t wanted to be, as he was finally home to his beloved wife, Penelope, but his journey had left him exhausted. Athena had helped him out, holding back Eos, the dawn goddess, so he and his wife could catch up after their 20-year-long separation. But with Odysseus barely being able to keep his eyes open, it seemed Athena had found it fit to let him sleep for a bit.
Odysseus was laying with his head on his queen’s chest, and as he slept she fidgeted with his hair. Penelope was absolutely delighted to have her husband back. But she wished, more than anything, that it hadn’t taken this long.
Far away from Ithaca, the Fates spun the threads of life. Odysseus’ thread had been particularly interesting for them, but now they noticed something odd. The thread was knotted, the present time tied back to the start of his decade-long journey home. It now seemed like from then until he arrived back in Ithaca, there were two versions of Odysseus’ odyssey.
~
“Ody, Ody!” a voice yelled as Odysseus was shaken awake. Gods, he was sore. His bed must have been much less comfortable than he remembered. “Honestly, how could you possibly fall asleep in here?” Something was weird. That voice was so familiar, but it felt wrong. It wasn’t his son’s voice, and definitely not his wife’s. Perhaps an attendant? But Odysseus couldn’t forget the true owner of that voice, no matter how much he wanted to. Odysseus forced his eyes open. He was sitting on the ground, surrounded by thirty or forty men in battered armour. The walls, the ground, the ceiling, all around them was wood. He knew exactly where he was. Odysseus was back in the Trojan Horse. How? He thought. Screw that, why? Odysseus had just gotten home, just reunited with his family, and here he was, back at the beginning of his journey. Or rather, the middle of it. After all, this moment was ten years into his twenty-year-long absence.
“Captain! Are you okay? You’re staring,” asked the same voice. Eurylochus, his brother-in-law and second in command. Odysseus never thought he’d hear that voice again.
“Y-yeah. Exhausted. It’s been a long war.” Odysseus sighed. He was doing this again. “Alright my brothers, listen closely. Tonight we make the Trojans pay,” he began. Strangely, Odysseus remembered every word of his original speech, and since it had gone so well the first time, he elected to keep it exactly the same. “Ten years of war they killed us slowly, but now we’ll be the ones who slay!” Odysseus continued, assigning each of his men a role in the ambush they were about to do. Diomedes, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Teucer, little Ajax, they all had their roles, and if Odysseus truly was back in the past, they would complete them as needed.
Again, Odysseus found his mind wandering back to Penelope and Telemachus, his beloved son and wife. They were what he lived for, tried for, wished for, and fought for. His everything. And he would get back to them again. But first, he had to finish this war. Odysseus had to kill the infant Astyanax again. But this time, there would be no whining, no guilt. Odysseus would do whatever it takes to get home. This time, he was ready.
Odysseus began to fight his way toward the walls of Troy, taking out enemies here and there. It was nice, he thought, to have his younger body back. Ten years had really done a number on him, and he was glad to be more nimble, even stronger, than he had been at the end of his journey. Suddenly, the sky darkened. Around him, lightning struck, and he heard the screech of an eagle. A mysterious figure cloaked in a dark robe approached Odysseus and stabbed him in the gut. “Augh!” Odysseus screamed in pain. Great. The vision. “What was that?” This time, instead of genuine curiosity, Odysseus’ words were laced with accusation.
“A vision of what is to come. It cannot be outrun, can only be dealt with right here and now,” the God-King boomed. Odysseus really didn’t want to deal with King Zeus’ antics, just wanted to kill the baby and get it over with. Yesterday, he had murdered 108 men, and he didn’t feel a touch of remorse. They deserved it. And this baby hadn’t even really had the chance to live, so Odysseus barely felt bad at all for the child.
“Tell me how,” the hero replied.
“I don’t think you’re ready,” Zeus claimed. Odysseus sighed. He had been ready since the second Zeus had started talking. “A mission. To kill someone’s son-“
“Astyanax,” Odysseus interrupted.
Surprised, the god nodded. “Yes, the son of Troy’s very own Prince Hector.” With those words, the infant floated into Odysseus’ arms, and he didn’t even give the child a glance before throwing it off the tower. Odysseus supposed he could have killed him a different, faster way, but tossing the baby had worked last time, and Odysseus wasn’t keen on changing too much.
“Well,” King Zeus said, ripping Odysseus from his thoughts. “Now that’s over with, it is time for your journey home, little king.” The war was over. Odysseus could go home now, or at least begin to make his way there. But first, he wanted a word with the wisest person he knew.
“Athena!” Odysseus called, once he was alone for a bit. “I need to talk to you.” Time froze around him, and he found himself in his own mind, his mentor standing in front of him. She looked different from when he had last seen her, but of course there was a ten year gap between the Athena he knew and the one standing in front of him. Nothing, for a god, but everything to a mortal. This Athena stood taller, confidently above her surroundings. Her armour was pristine, cape and plume undamaged. And she lacked the scar she had gained courtesy of her father.
“You seek counsel,” she stated. Not a question, she already knew what he had called her for. “Speak.” Gods, Odysseus had forgotten how, well, unfeeling she used to be. Their fight and her friendship with his son really must have changed her.
“This might sound crazy but-“
“You can do away with the warnings,” Athena interrupted. “I can tell when you lie to me, it’s easier to get it out right away. Do not waste my time, king of Ithaca.”
“Okay, okay. I have this… feeling that my journey home is going to take a really long time. Do you have any tips for getting me home fast?”
“That is all? Well, wise of you to ask me. But you know the answer. Follow your mind, not your heart, or your gut. Or, you could listen to what I tell you,” the goddess responded, prompting leaving. Odysseus was now back in the real world, not his own mind. That conversation had been unhelpful. Odysseus had considered confiding in his mentor about the predicament he found himself in, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Odysseus would get himself home on his own. Sooner, this time. And he would keep his men alive.
He already was the monster, after all.