Chapter Text
3rd pov
Odysseus has had a series of good days recently and been happier in the last few months than he’s been in years, but he does not honestly think he will ever lose that sense that had kept him safe a few times through his 20 years of travel. So, when just under 2 years after he returns, he feels a presence moments before the world goes black, he is not panicked or fearful, for it does not feel malicious in any way.
Penelope has faced a lot on her own, 20 years of loneliness aside from a few maids and staff, along with her son and family, and she’s only just recently recalled what it’s like to laugh and love and smile the way she did when she was young still, with her husband back at her side and their son close constantly, though he’s been more willing to leave recently given how much time has passed. So when her husband is late returning to bed, she is worried, especially as she feels a gentle, almost wind-like hand cover her eyes and the world goes black.
Telemachus can not say he is entirely certain what to think, given he has lived over 20 years without his father and a good chunk of those he was forced to act certain ways to both keep in to rules of Xenia and to not have the suitors acting out before they had anyone to help them defend themselves. He knows he’s still working on his confidence and strength, but there’s just something about having his father back that helps with that immensely, not that he doesn’t love his mother and sher certainly trained him as best she could on the chance the suitors ever attacked them first, but there’s something about his dad that just makes it easier to see himself as strong, especially after the man has been here almost 2 years to dote on him. So, when he feels a presence, he barely manages to turn before he’s out, the world black.
The rest should be far easier. A voice with no body mutters, the wind carrying the words to no one, though there is a note on the door of the King and Queen’s chambers on the off chance this goes longer than it should that reads : They should be back within a few days, sorry if they aren’t, that means there’s been a problem, but it’ll be no more than a week.
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Odysseus had truly not thought that anyone would be stupid enough to take Helen, not after all the suitors going for her hand said the oath that said they’d fight for her husband. He had not ever thought someone could be that stupid, had not been able to think or comprehend that, so when he gets the summons - and desperately tries to avoid it as well - he is still trying to decide whether Paris of Troy is just a true idiot or if he thinks his actions will have no consequences and still hasn’t decided by the time he’s getting ready to get on his ship, saying his goodbyes to his wife and son, while also giving his brothers the chance to say goodbye as well, to their parents, spouses and children, aware that once he officially steps on the boat, they will be forced to get on as well or be considered desserts after a certain time.
He has known Athena’s presence in the war for a while, given he can feel her pretty often in the back of his head, her irritation coming and going in waves without much context to him, at least not yet. He can only imagine the headaches and sleep he’s going to lose if his patron is this angry though. He goes to hand his son back, when he freezes, a sort of power he’s not ever quite felt tickling at his senses, that has him thrusting his son at his wife and turning quickly, sword drawn in a single movement, which has his citizens moving backwards and his brothers coming to his side, looking for what has caught his attention.
For a moment everything is still, and then Odysseus’ world goes dark, and the last thing many of the army and his family see is him collapsing, before their world’s too go dark. Time freezes in place, as well as wiping the last few moments from the citizens memories, wanting the return to be as smooth as possible, still uncertain exactly how much they are going to leave, all the memories, just something the soul and instincts will remember ro some mix of the two, but they’ll have to be skillful and smart about it, to do it under the gods noses.
Wish I could’ve frozen time for both, but it was too risky to try that, not without potentially raising some attention, not that kidnapping was much better, but still the better option. The voice grumbles, before it drifts away, leaving things as they are.
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Penelope is the first to awaken, glancing around for her husband and son, hand rising to find her dagger - which is gone but something she can worry about later - spotting both on the ground near her. She sighs, relaxing the slightest bit, seeing both of them breathing, before looking around. They’re in a large room, many klines and a few beds settled in it, though she sees a doorway that obviously leads to more rooms, but she’s not leaving her family defenseless, so she’ll have to wake one of them and let them check while she wakes the other. With but a moment’s thought, she gently touches her husband’s shoulder, shaking him the slightest bit as she calls his name.
However, unlike usually, he does not react, not immediately anyways, which has her concerned, especially as she starts to shake him harder, getting no response from her battle hardened man at all, despite that working even during the throes of nightmares and the occasional flashback, though she usually saves it as a last resort instead of a second. However, with him not waking, she turns a bit panicked to her son and calls his name, watching as he starts to rouse almost immediately. So, then maybe whatever brought them here hit Odysseus harder than them? She knows not, but as Telemachus joins her at the man’s side, looking just as worried, she can’t help but be grateful.
“Mom?” Telemachus knows not where they are currently, his weapons are gone as well, but he knows his mother had called for her, had sounded the slightest bit panicked, and honestly from how his dad looks a bit disheveled, he gets the feeling the man is not waking, which worries him as well. Penelope sighs, gently cupping her child’s cheek. “I want you to go check the rooms there, see what they are and if they might have anything to help.” He nods and gently presses a kiss to her forehead, before hurrying towards the doorway, moving through it carefully, a bit surprised by how many bedrooms there appear to be, but not a one has anything that looks helpful, most are in fact more empty than not.
“There’s not really anything in there, just a lot of bedrooms.’ Telemachus tells her as he returns, though he spots a door she might’ve missed from where they had woken, not quite right behind them, but still definitely in the darker side of the room. ‘I’ll check in there, something tells me I’ll have more luck.” Penelople follows her son’s movement, hand on Odysseus’ neck to keep track of his pulse, the other gently running through his hair - which they had cut short recently - to calm herself. The bedroom here proves more useful, the bed there being big enough for all three of them, and a bottle with a glowing liquid - silver in color - resting on the nightstand. He carefully picks it up, before bringing it with him. “This was the only thing in there.” Telemachus crouches down next to his parents as he hands it over, gently resting a few fingers on his dad’s wrist to feel his pulse, a habit he’d picked up from his mom.
“I don’t know what this is, so I hope we are told.” Penelope frowns, and then a loud clatter has her shifting slightly, her son as well, both getting defensive, especially with a member of their family down and unable to protect himself, but they blink in surprise at what they see. There is a group of people - a good chunk of them in fact, at least a few hundred - all of them appearing to be unconscious, just as the two of them were. However, among them, Penelope spots something that has her breath leaving her, because that certainly looks like herself, 20 years prior, as well as her husband and their son, a babe currently floating in the air to not be crushed or injured, likely. “Well, this just got interesting. Go grab the babe, my son. We do not want them to accidentally hurt it while waking.” Telemachus doesn’t question it, merely gently as well as awkwardly grabs the baby, heading back to his parents side carefully, not wanting to step on anyone.
“Who are they?” He asks once he’s back into the area they have, sitting with one arm gently curled around the baby, the other again on his dad, this time his chest since it’s easier for him. “If I am right… I believe we have been brought here by a god, one who wishes us to see something, because that looks a whole lot like your father and I 20 years ago, likely around the time he was leaving, and that is you.” Penelope points a gentle finger at the baby in his arms, which has him starting. She can’t quite help her laugh, least of all since he now has a confused, interested and yet scared look on his face. The sound must wake the others though, as she hears movement back with them.
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Eurylochus is the first to wake, rising quickly, head moving around as he tries to find out where they are, but other than a doorway with more doors, all his brothers, and an area of darkness he can not see in, they’re simply in a room with a bunch of klines and beds, an interesting choice in his opinion, but he forces himself to focus, attention returning to his brothers. He wakes those closest, setting them to wake others, until they have most of them awake, and active, before turning his focus to their King and Queen, not quite certain what to think of the lack of their baby and not wanting to focus on it. He beckons Polites forward, the man will handle this better than he can.
Polites gives Eurylochus a look at that, but moves forward deciding Penelope will be the easier one to wake, as well as the better one. She wakes quickly, looking panicked as she can not find Telemachus, before her attention turns to Odysseus, who she shakes, causing him to sit upright quickly, attention turning to her immediately at the sight of her tears, hands rising to gently wipe them away. “Penelope, my love, what is wrong?” She sobs, the sound almost smothered but not quite, hands shaking as she cradles them to her chest. “I can’t find Telemachus.” Those words have him rising as well, gaze scanning the room, noting everything, but he also can not see their son, and perhaps more worrying, his connection with Athena is extremely dull, so much so he would almost call it dead. He turns to his brothers but they both shake their heads, neither had seen him either.
A scuffle grabs almost all of their attention, causing them to jerk around and fall into stances, which has them realizing they don’t have their weapons, making them grateful when the figure that steps out - covered completely in a dark cloak - is not all that strong looking, they could easily take them, if not for the bundle their arms. The panic that strikes Penelope and Odysseus is strong, but neither acts on it, cautious of what this stranger wants. They don’t stop walking, moving until they hit the wall of brothers, who do not move. A second cloaked stranger emerges from the dark area, which has them all tensing, because this one is definitely a bit more dangerous. “We were not certain how long the being that brought us here would have your child floating, so we decided to grab them before they dropped. I apologize for the panic. If you could let my son through, he’ll hand you the babe and come right back.” The voice is definitely a woman, though it’s low and threatening.
The men shift, but eventually part, letting the first figure through, who merely heads straight for the King and Queen, not faltering once, before softly - awkwardly as well, to most of their amusement - offering the baby, letting out a small choking sound when Telemachus won’t let go of his clothes. There’s a few chuckles, before Penelope takes the boy, tears falling in relief, her husband at her side to keep an eye on both and check them over, while the figure retreats back to the dark spot, which has the second one doing the same.
“Alright, now that that’s over, does anyone know why we’re here?” Polites asks as he claps his hand, voice still cheery though his gaze is a bit dark as he looks over the men because they would somehow piss off a god before they’d even set off, the damn children. A noise erupts from behind them, and they all jump, whirling to a strange thing on the wall.
All attention is on it as words appear, thankfully they can read them.
I have brought you here to share both past and future, but how much you all will remember has yet to be decided, your actions will affect the outcome. Now, for those who need to know, the potion will wake someone for a certain amount of time, but don’t use more than a mouthful, so use it only when you either desperately need them or want to hear their opinion.
Otherwise, this dark device will show you the future. It will pause for breaks and such, as well as when it is time for you to go to sleep, since I get the feeling the emotional toll will have you watching less and less each time. Are you ready?
There’s a grumble and murmurs, but the army slowly settles on klines and anything else nearby, leaving the beds for the moment, though Penelope and Odysseus settle on one, settling against the headboard, their son cuddled between them. Eurylochus and Polites settle on the closest kline.
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Pen and Tele work between the two of them to get Ody on the bed, settling him under the covers, before curling up against his side, though making sure they can still see this device, as well as set the potion aside for the moment, uncertain if they need to use it yet. Though both have a sinking feeling they know what this might be about.