Chapter Text
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Penelope
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They had been on the way to Aeolus's island for a day and a half, and it wasn’t that bad so far. She’d been on plenty of trade missions, the longest of which had been 4 days, after that, they would see how the constant rocking affected her. Sleeping was fine, if she didn’t have the comfort of the hammock, she could at least listen to the ocean and be lifted off to sleep.
She remembered not to forget what Ares had said and clung to her goal like a lifeline. Currently, she was standing at the bow of the ship. Somehow between the time when they boarded the ship and now, she had acquired a spyglass. It wasn’t much help, there was nothing. But that didn’t stop the feeling that they might be close.
Pray one more time.
A presence that felt like it knew what it was talking about said in the back of her head. She decided that she would do another quick prayer. However, she had said multiple in the month leading up to the voyage, so of course, it wouldn’t be enough. She clasped her hands and sent out a little prayer to Aeolus.
Aeolus, son of Hippotes, I humbly beg that you guide us to you, so that I may find my husband.
Now all she had to do was wait . After saying that word for so many years, it felt daunting to say it in any other context. She would not be waiting as long to get him back; certainly not 16 years.
"Probably more close to a five-month journey." the familiar memory of eurylochas estimating how long they'd be gone. "don't quote me on that, I could be wrong. it could be longer."
Eurylochas was commanding the crew, and Penelope's job was to tell Eurylochas when she didn’t like an order he made so that he could make the necessary changes. The only thing they were doing right now was rowing. The sail however had caught on a gust of wind and was sending them somewhere. Penelope made a beeline for Eurylochas to let him know they might be there soon.
He greeted her before she could say anything, “Captain, this is the first good breeze we’ve gotten all day.”
Penelope stopped to stand beside him, but looked back towards the bow, “We might be there soon Eurylochas. So get ready and tell them to do what you did last time.”
“Don’t worry, at least we actually need to open the bag this time.”
Penelope gives him a slap on the arm for the crude humor, but walks away; she trusts him to get the job done at least.
She knows Polities is sleeping as he had taken the night shift. Telemuchus is also under the deck, helping with dinner if she’s not mistaken. She goes to the stern, where there's a trap door and a ladder leading down to the common sleeping area. It also leads into a kitchen area, and she wants to see how Telemuchus is faring. She also needs to schedule their first mother-son sparring match. She had beaten him entirely too easily.
She opens the trap door and climbs down the ladder, only to be met with an entirely different picture than what she was expecting. The cooking station has only one person running it, and it’s certainly not Telemuchus. In the middle of a room, sits a table she recognizes, but the sight before her is unfamiliar.
all the men who are awake huddle around the table, some sitting, some standing. However, they are all whispering, seemingly in respect of the people sleeping close by.
They don’t notice her, so she observes and slowly makes her way closer. They take another round without noticing her, and Telemuchus has a very concentrated expression. After another round, Telmuchus throws his cards down in rage.
“I hate this game.”
“I don’t think anyone enjoys poker as much as they say they do. It is a game about lying after all.”
Penelope announcing her presence seemed to startle half the table, including Telemachus. The high-pitched screams nearly make her laugh.
“Mother!”
She patted his shoulder, “Carry on. I simply came to let you all know we’ll be at Aeolus's island shortly if luck is on our side.”
Telemuchus’s expression changes, like he’s having the same thought process as her, it shines in his eyes so brightly it nearly hurts her to keep eye contact. He must be more eager than me to get there already. She thinks. When they go back to their game, she turns to go back up.
She feels something jolt while she’s on the ladder halfway up. She nearly falls off, but keeps her grip tight and continues her ascent to the stern. The first thing she sees is the island. It's so huge only a blind person could miss it. The crew has taken spears attached to ropes and embedded them into the side of the island. How? She has no clue, but she had told Eurylochas to do what Odysseus had done, so she couldn’t complain. There was one sturdy-looking rope embedded into a rock closest to the ledge. The others were wedged into the side, and while useful for an anchor, it was hazardous for climbing.
With a nod, she called on Ares’s strength and gripped the rope hard. She began climbing.
(this is a perfect cliffhanger spot but I’m going to resist because the chapter is too short, you’ve escaped your fate today.)
It was harder and easier to climb than she had initially expected. The rope burned her hands in a way she hadn't been prepared for, but it was easy enough to pull herself up, she hadn't thought she had the arm strength for it... but apparently, she did. The hardest part was getting herself off the rope and onto the rock sticking out of the side of the island. once she was on sed rock, it was only a matter of climbing 2 other rocks, and then she stepped up onto the soil.
It looked like the home of a wind god, that was for sure.
"Great wind god Aeolus, I'm sure you are already aware, but I have urgent need of your help. My husband is dead, and I would humbly ask for your help getting to Circe's island."
"Huh." Aeolus mused from somewhere, which startled Penelope, but her prayer seemed to be answered, "Your husband greeted me in a similar manner." that made her freeze in her quest to locate the god with her eye. Instead, she stands shell-shocked, but before she has time to compose herself, Aeolus has something in her hand and is handing it to her before she has time to react.
Aeolus starts to nudge her towards the rope again, and this time she says, "I don't think I need to repeat this sentiment, but just to be safe, keep your friends close and your enemies closer." the last part is a whisper, but Penelope hears it loud and clear. With one hand she holds onto the bag, and with the other, she pulls her belt off her long chilton, now it's just her armor. She swings one end of the belt over the rope and grabs the ends. she grabs it, twists it around her palm, and hopes she doesn't regret doing this. With a jump, she slides down the rope securely. however, the belt pulls on her shoulder painfully, and when her feet hit the deck, she topples over. At least she's not in the ocean.
When Penelope stands up, she can feel that her shoulder is definitely dislocated but decides that she'll pop it back in later. Eurylochas greets her in the next moment, asks her about her shoulder (which she brushes off,) and hands him the windbag with her good hand.
he levels her a look and asks, "Ready?"
She casts one look back to the island where the crew is already detaching their spears, "it felt a tad too easy, but yes."
he looks at her for a moment, "We'll talk about it later I'm sure."
"When Polities is awake."
"yes, three uses you said?" Eurylochas holds up the bag. She nods, and in the next second, the bag is open.
we're up we're off and away we go...