Chapter Text
[ODYSSEUS]
Alright, my brothers, listen closely
It was Eurylochus who spoke, mainly to his two crew members. “Ah, good old Troy– felt like ages ago, even if the war just finished yesterday.”
If only it were years ago, Ody thought, grimly glancing down at his empty hands. They could never be empty again, tainted by the blood of warfare and hardheartedness.
It was strange, really. He had no problem with the premeditated slaughtering of myriads of Trojans in their sleep, but when it came to an infant, one single infant, his morality flipped.
The way he smiled.
The way his eyes lit up.
The way he... was.
All he could see in those innocent eyes were his son’s– eternally the eyes that haunt his memories.
Tonight, we make the Trojans pay
Meanwhile, Odysseus peered over at his younger self. There was an unparalleled, uncontrollable fusion of anger, of pity, of nostalgia, of... everything.
He was mad at the brash decisions he was soon to make.
He was pitiful for the hardship he had yet to endure.
He was nostalgic, perhaps missing the man he once was.
Ten years of war, they've killed us slowly
But now we'll be the ones who slay
“So,” Alexander mused, “this is the great Trojan War, am I right? And this is you planning to kill them in their sleep?”
Ody nodded, darting over the way his older self turned away dismissively. “Correct.”
“I must admit,” Alexander continued, “the wooden horse was not a bad idea.”
“I mean it worked pretty well– not to mention,” Polites shrugged, commending his captain indirectly, “all six hundred of the men under his command survived Troy. We won the war and remained unscathed. I think Ody deserves a little more than not bad.”
The war has barely started for you, Odysseus bit back, eventually deciding against interference.
“Oh, don’t flatter me, Polites,” Ody beamed, “but if you really must...”
“Please stop flirting and let’s resume the uh, thing,” Eurylochus interjected.
“We’re not flir–”
Think of your wives and your children
“Yeah Ody,” Eurylochus chuckled, “think about your wife and son.”
“Hey!” Ody rolled his eyes. “That was hardly flirtatious. We’re all friends here. Plus, Penelope doesn’t mind. Right, Penelope?” He looked over at the older version of his wife, who returned a thoughtless glance. She was too busy comforting what looked like a slightly distressed Odysseus, seemingly dissociating, than to entertain meaningless allegations that didn’t actually surface.
On the contrary, Burr gave a curt, internal insult to Hamilton with that line, considering his affairs. Someone sure didn’t think about his wife and his children. It was petty, perhaps, but nothing could be inherently pettier than two full-grown men requiring a duel to diminish a dispute.
Your families wonder where you've been
They're growing old and yet you're still here
Do what I say, and you'll see them again (yessir!)
About that, Odysseus refrained from impulsively mentioning.
Diomedes will lead the charge
Agamemnon will flank the guards
Menelaus will let our mates
Through the gates to take the whole city at large
Teucer will shoot any ambush attack
And little Ajax will stay back
Nestor, secure Helen and protect her
Neo, avenge your father, kill the brothers of Hector (yes, sir!)
“You are quite inspiring, mon ami,” Lafayette complimented Ody, who offered a kind smile back. “The fast pacing is just how I like it. It brings the motivation.”
“Thanks!” Ody replied. All Odysseus could do was count the number of egocentric comments his younger self attained before that very ego caused his downfall. Perhaps he was looking too far into it– so what? Of all activities, watching a theatrical recount of his shameful life was not on his to-do list.
Find that inner strength now (woo!)
Use that well of pride (woo!)
Pride.
Hearing that word made him feel sick.
Maybe it was just one of those days, Odysseus tried to convince himself. It wasn’t working.
And to think he was beginning to approach some kind of peace.
What a distant hope.
Fight through every pain now (woo!)
Ask yourself inside
What do you live for? What do you try for?
What do you wish for? What do you fight for?
(What do you live for? What do you try for?)
(What do you wish for? What do you fight for?)
“Reminds me of Yorktown,” Alexander commented to his fellow revolutionaries. “Everything happened so quickly that we haven’t really stopped to comprehend it.”
“Y’don’t say,” Hercules replied.
Penelope
Odysseus found some comfort in the chasm he was stuck in, leaning on Penelope’s shoulder. That was the one thing that remained consistent in his life– his motivation.
Meanwhile, Eliza peered over at a preoccupied Alexander, wondering if he had the same running mantra in his war.
Penelope
And Telemachus
“That’s me!” Telemachus whistled enthusiastically, bopping his head with the war cries.
I fight for us
I fight for us
(What do you live for?) Penelope
(What do you try for?) Telemachus
(What do you wish for?) I'm on my way
(What do you fight for?) Attack!
There was division in the room– some faces lit up in excitement at the warfare, others grimaced and shied away from the sight.
Others were grateful that this was depicted in some artistic sequence. It was quite visually appealing for the most part, perhaps an art style of the future.
Who was that?
Zeus, Ody, Odysseus, and Athena simultaneously reflected. Such a name evoked very different feelings for all three of them, yet they all converged at the same intersection– they were mostly negative feelings.
[ZEUS]
A vision
Of what is to come, cannot be outrun
Can only be dealt with right here and now
“Is that Zeus?” Alexander inquired, recalling his mythology studies.
Eurylochus raised an eyebrow. “You spoke to Zeus? Like, god-king Zeus?”
Ody tentatively nodded, ashamed of the very much reminiscent content that was soon to show on the screen. “Unfortunately. Please don’t judge me too harshly for what you’ll see,” he directed to the unaware half of the room.
Alexander could vaguely construct what this judgement would come from, but he was uncertain.
The flaw of fame was that they all saw your mistakes.
He never sought fame. He sought peace.
Hamilton was quite the opposite.
[ODYSSEUS]
Tell me how
[ZEUS]
I don't think you're ready
A mission to kill someone's son
Alexander chimed, “Oh shit, is that Hector’s son?”
The reluctant flick of a nod from Ody was plenty of evidence.
“Oh, shit.”
A foe who won't run
Unlike anyone you have faced before
[ODYSSEUS]
Say no more
I know that I'm ready
[ZEUS & ENSEMBLE]
I don't think you're ready
While it was one of the less grim parts of his journey, he would forever be haunted by it. This was the start of his whole dilemma between mercy and ruthlessness, how the price of peace was war. He could slay those who deserved it, but not those who were defenceless– the infant did nothing wrong, except be born into such a family.
Life really wasn’t fair, was it?
The image of the infant sunk into the audience, and it was Angelica who spoke.
“You’re going to kill a baby?” she asked, coherently unimpressed.
“I–” Ody tried to defend himself, but no words came out. The guilt was all too fresh– he couldn’t bear the heart to possibly justify his actions. Expecting Angelica to give him some verbal lashing, another voice clocked in.
“He didn’t have much of a choice,” Penelope objected, crossing her arms. “I’m guessing you’ll see why. It was an infant or his family.”
[ODYSSEUS]
It's just an infant
It's just a boy
What sort of imminent threat does he pose that I cannot avoid?
[ZEUS]
This is the son of none other than Troy's very own Prince Hector
Know that he will grow from a boy to an avenger
One fuelled with rage as you're consumed by age
If you don't end him now, you'll have no one left to save
“Oh, I see,” Angelica clarified, still aloof. After all, the baby did no wrong.
Washington spoke this time, more apologetic if anything. “Difficult decisions must be made in war. That’s just the harsh reality.”
Ody didn’t humour his comment. Deep down, however, he knew the man was right.
You can say goodbye to (Penelope)
You can say goodbye to (Penelope)
[ODYSSEUS]
I could raise him as my own
[ZEUS]
He will burn your house and throne
[ODYSSEUS]
Or send him far away from home
[ZEUS]
He'll find you wherever you go
[ODYSSEUS]
Make sure his past is never known
[ZEUS]
The gods will make him know
“At least you care,” John interpolated, noticing the distress Ody attempted to hold back. “A lot of men don’t. You were given an impossible choice. Sacrifices must be made. Whatever happens to this baby, it was barely your fault.”
Jefferson shrugged, alas speaking, to Hamilton’s dismay. “To me, it just seems like the gods don’t give a flying shit about you.”
“That would be the kindest way to put it,” Odysseus muttered, causing a few turning heads. A sense of trepidation filled Ody– what other problems would come up in the waves ahead?
[ODYSSEUS]
I'd rather bleed for ya, down on my knees for ya
[ZEUS & ENSEMBLE]
He's bringing you down on your knees for ya
[ODYSSEUS]
I'm begging please
[ZEUS]
Oh, this is the will of the gods
[ODYSSEUS]
Please don't make me do this, don't make me do this
[ZEUS]
The blood on your hands is something you won't lose
All you can choose is whose
“Oh, Ody,” Polites reassured, pulling him into a hug. “I’m sorry, why didn’t you tell us about this? You shouldn’t have to keep this to yourself, that’s unfair on you.”
Ody shook his head, numbly staring at the ground. “I didn’t want to talk about it. Or put the burden on you. Or make you guys see me any differently.”
“Oh please,” Jefferson interrupted, rolling his eyes, “you were at war for how long was it? Like ten years? Did you think you were going to leave Troy without some blood on your hands?”
“It’s not about the blood, Jefferson,” Hamilton retorted. “I’m sure he’s fine with that. It’s the fact that it was a bloody child.”
Jefferson raised an eyebrow, amused. “Is that not just another body? How can he go around killing sleeping Trojans and not give a damn but when it comes to a baby, he’s all sappy?”
Many of those on the Greek side flinch.
“Shut your damn mouth, Jefferson,” Hamilton retaliated, evidently pressed. “Don’t you dare utter a word out of that vile mouth of yours about war, you didn’t fight in ours. You can’t talk about these experiences firsthand if you’ve never had them. You hate how I run my mouth, but here you are- you hypocritical, insensitive prick.”
That seemed to shut him up.
“Well, uh, younger dad,” Telemachus muttered, “most of us don’t blame you for whatever choice you make. Some people are all bark, no bite.” He shot an aggravated look at Jefferson, who rolled his eyes away. Gods, was ignorance a pain.
All Odysseus could think of was this– if this pretentious asshole is judgemental over Troy, he’s going to critique every bit of the next few destinations.
Either way, the screen began to fade into a new visual, reading...
Just a Man.