Chapter Text
“Welcome.”
Odysseus was quick to draw his sword, unlike Polites, who flinched back as a bunch of small purple creatures came out of the bushes. He felt a pang of recognition as he stared at them warily, but curious.
Hadn’t he seen them before?
Odysseus’ eyes flickered from one purple creature— Lotus Eaters. Harmless, but sometimes clueless , a voice in his mind supplied—to the other, his sword gripped tightly in his hand. “Stay back!” he said loudly, almost shouting as he pointed the sword towards the bolder creatures. Some of the Lotus Eaters stepped back; others just echoed his words back to him.
Polites didn’t want him to attack the poor creatures. Just look at them! They were so cute. So he put a hand on the hilt of the sword to stop his captain from attacking them.
“My friend,” Polites smiled at him, a big and bright smile he was known for. “Greet the world with open arms.”
Honestly, Polites had expected Odysseus to brush off his words and strike. He wouldn’t blame Odysseus if that was the case—he would never blame his friend for anything, less for his distrust. But these creatures looked too innocent and harmless to be dangerous.
But when, instead of attacking, Odysseus just scoffed and tried to talk with the Lotus Eaters, his heart filled with warmth.
‘Why are you proud of him? This was your fault’, a voice in his head said, one he ignored.
Maybe he could finally show Ody how great it’s to lead with kindness instead of ruthlessness.
And most importantly, help his friend heal now that war is over.
“We are only here for food,” the words snapped Polites out of his thoughts, making him focus back on the conversation. They were delivered straight to the point, but at least Odysseus didn’t look like he would attack the moment one of the Lotus Eaters made a wrong move.
Small wins, yes. But wins nonetheless.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sudden noise made his senses heighten. His ears straining below the helmet to find where it was coming from.
Polites closed his eyes to follow the noise better. If Odysseus noticed, he didn’t comment on it. His heart filled with suspicion the more he thought about it. It sounded like somebody breaking something hard, but what could be breaking? And most importantly, by whom?
He brushed it off quickly as somebody stepping on branches and his paranoid mind making it sound like a scary noise. It would make sense— ‘Don’t lie to yourself’ , Polites quickly pushed the voice down—Eurylochus could have gotten worried and decided to follow them—or even one of the Lotus Eaters could be playing and making the noise.
When he localised where the sound should be coming from, his eyes landed on the woods. It wasn’t very far from them. It was a small patch of grass surrounded by bushes, trees, and flowers—It looked too peaceful to be dangerous.
He let out a small breath of a laugh, shaking his head. Just his paranoid making things up.
He turned his head to tune back into the conversation between his captain and the Lotus Eaters when the sound returned.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Polites felt his body shudder with primal fear, then kind that made you want to run and hide. The noise sounded louder—closer—but what made him scare was that it sounded like whatever was breaking was harder than a mere branch. It was something that was putting up a fight.
‘You know what it is’, the voice said in a low murmur, this time Polites didn’t push it back. Did he know?
His head snapped towards the direction of the noise without bothering to warn Odysseus, hand ready on his sword in case whatever was making the sound was dangerous.
The air around them felt... calm. At the same time, it felt oddly oppressive, like the calm before the storm—and he felt like he was right in the middle of it. He didn’t like the feeling one bit.
Polites’ gaze focused on the woods, his eyes searching for something wrong among the nature. But not matter how much he looked for something amiss, everything seemed... completely fine. Nothing was ever completely fine, which made him more suspicious than before.
‘If you knew that, why did you trust the Lotus Eaters?’ The voice sounded amused this time. Polites tried to ask it what was it talking about, and what was happening. The voice didn’t respond.
Great, he was hearing sounds and voices. Maybe he was going crazy? It was normal for some soldiers to become paranoid after being in war for so long—more so after ten years.
He shook his head as soon as the thought registered. It wasn’t possible to just go insane suddenly without warning. He was fine just weeks ago.
Right?
Crunch. Crunch.
The air around them shifted—did Odysseus even notice?—becoming denser and more charged than before. His breath caught in his throat, his body tensing like a string and preparing for what was about to happen.
Just at the edge of the woods, he could see a dirty hand shooting out from the ground, the fingers flexing and moving awkwardly. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was trying to crawl its way out.
Was the person buried alive?
It made his heart clench with sadness. He wanted to help the poor person, to go there and dig them out himself. However, his body refused to move, rooted in its place with fear and suspicion at what was happening right in front of his eyes.
He didn’t understand why he was so scared, he had seen worse things in war. Although, something about all of this screamed wrong, his mind was telling him it shouldn’t be happening. And that filled him with terror.
The hand wiggled its fingers again, reality shifting around it as if it was a mere illusion.
Polites didn’t notice it, his heart thudding hard in his chest. For a moment he wondered if it was going to break out of his rib cage, his breath was escaping his lungs for sure.
What was happening? Who did that hand belong to?
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Polites flinched as the sound came back, a small movement barely noticeable, but there. Was a bit of peace too much to ask?
“...ites?”
It sounded a bit familiar, he couldn’t fully remember when he had heard it before or how, though. It didn’t stop his heart from skipping a beat every time he heard it, the sound sending a pounding pain through his head.
He kept watching the hand with a conflicted mind, not knowing what to do. Would it be wise to help somebody unknown who was buried alive?
Wait-
“Poli...?”
How were they even alive?
The realisation made his body go cold. There were no other ships when they docked here, the person must had been there for a long time.
From the ship to here was about half an hour.
Nobody would be alive after being buried for so long.
How could there be a hand moving from somebody who should be dead?
He narrowed his eyes in a mix of emotions, mostly fear and suspicion. The hand was clearly male and had some kind of... armour? So, another soldier, but one... dead?—alive...?
The more he spent thinking about this, the more the bad feeling in his chest grew. This was all wrong, and he didn’t want to be in the middle of it. Maybe he could tell Ody and just try to find another island to get food.
This one was too creepy for his tastes.
“Polites!!!” shouted Odysseus with concern. Polites flinched, snapping out of his trance. His eyes flickered towards his friend immediately, a nervous smile on his lips. He noticed the purple fruit in Odysseus’ hands, the bad feeling in his stomach settling heavier. He should be happy—they got food, they could finally leave this weird island behind.
So why was his mind telling him to run? And where was the voice and noise?
Polites closed his eyes tightly, taking a deep breath. He felt his lungs expanding. ‘Calm down, it was just your imagination. Nothing more,’he thought as he calmed himself down. He opened his eyes, now calm, and noticed better how worried Ody was.
Odysseus had an expression of concern, his eyebrows pinched together and lips curled downwards in a frown. His hand hovered above Polites’ shoulder for a moment, unsure if he should touch or not. After pondering in silence for a few seconds, he seemed to come to a conclusion and lowered his hand.
“Is something wrong, Polites?” Odysseus tightened his grip on the lotus fruit, pausing before he continued. “You were oddly quiet,” he said concerned.
Polites flickered his eyes discreetly towards the woods, realising that there wasn’t anything there now. Was it really just his imagination?
Yes, that must be it. Just his mind playing tricks on him.
It looked real though...
With a smile that didn’t quite pass as real he looked back at Ody. “I’m fine, my friend. Just got lost in my thoughts for a moment,” his eyes flickered towards the woods briefly again before returning to Odysseus. “What have you got there?” he asked, referring to the lotus.
If Odysseus noticed his change of topic, he didn’t comment on it. He furrowed his eyebrows, clearly suspicious, but... amused too. No, he couldn’t have seen that.
He really needed to sleep before he made up more things.
“The creatures gave me this,” he started, extending his hands with the lotus as he glanced at it warily. “Don’t know if it’s safe though,” always the careful one, but this time Polites had to give it to him. The fruit looked suspicious.
The lotus was a purple fruit, carrying a soft golden glow which clearly came from inside. It didn’t seem dangerous at first glance, but something told him they shouldn’t eat it.
“Maybe we could find something else to eat,” he offered, looking up at his captain. “That fruit looks suspicious,” he said quieter. He hoped Odysseus would listen to him—it gave him bad shivers.
Odysseus looked bit surprised, but nodded. “Sure, there must be something else to eat around here,” he said as he threw the lotus away, his eyes following its movements for a short moment.
Polites gazed up at the sky with a soft frown on his face, noticing that it was becoming darker, signalling the day was coming to an end. This couldn’t be good, if it became night and they returned to the ship without food, what would they do? Odysseus seemed to be thinking the same, judging by the calculating glint in his eyes.
Sure, they could return with the lotus. But risking that the effects weren’t temporal...
“It controls your mind and never lets you free.”
He winced at the memory, not knowing who told him that. Although, he sounded trustworthy and he believed them.
Polites bit his lower lip, crouching down to the Lotus Eaters’ level—or as close as he could. “Lotus Eaters,” he said, trying to gather all the attention from the creatures. He succeeded with some. “Could you tell us where there’s other food to eat, please?” he asked, keeping his tone polite. His eyes flickered towards Odysseus, his friend didn’t seem to be paying attention right now.
“A cave! (Scary cave...)” the Lotus Eaters responded excitedly, some throwing their arms in the air. But, Polites froze at the answer.
Scary cave...
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
He shook his head, smiling brightly. “A cave!” he bumped his shoulder against Odysseus’ to get his attention, feeling proud of himself. “I told you that greeting the world with open arms works,” he whispered smugly.
Odysseus smiled back—faint, but true. “You were right. For now,” he turned towards the Lotus Eaters, asking politely, “And where do we sail to find this food-filled cave?”
Now that he paid attention, Odysseus looked... peaceful. And it wasn’t that Polites was complaining, but seeing him this peaceful made him think that something was wrong with his friend.
He was never this peaceful unless he was with Penelope.
He decided to ignore it for now—he will address the issue once they were on the ship. He barely caught the Lotus Eaters telling them to go East.
He took his friend’s hand, helping him up. Then he made his way towards a nearby cliff to watch the sunset together—and, well, to say the last part of his lesson. Which spot was better than where they could watch the sunset? None in his opinion.
“This life is amazing,” he spread his arms, smiling out at the ocean with his gaze filled with hope for a peaceful future. “When you greet it with open arms,” he knew that wasn’t very likely to happen—but why not try? Somebody had to try for the world to really change.
“I see in your face,” he wrapped his arm around Ody’s shoulders, leaning a bit against him. “There is so much guilt inside your heart...” Odysseus was gazing out at the ocean, his expression almost blank.
Wait... was that the lotus in his hands?
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
“So why not replace it and light up the world?” he continued slowly, unsure. Polites didn’t feel safe at the moment. Odysseus shouldn’t have the lotus—he threw it. He saw it with his own eyes. “Here’s how to start...”
He heard the sound closer which wasn’t good neither.
Suddenly, Odysseus turned his head around, his lips pulled up into a mocking smile. He tilted his head to the side, shaking it in disappointment. “Greet the world with open arms?” he mocked, laughing in amusement and something darker.
Polites unwrapped his arm from around him, trying to step back, but regretted it when his foot touched air. Fortunately, he realised almost immediately and didn’t fall off the cliff.
His gaze swept over Odysseus, he looked normal—but he didn’t feel like this was his real friend. He had a malicious aura around him, and he would never laugh at him like that.
The copy of his friend—he wouldn’t call him Odysseus until it was proven that this was his real friend— gazed at him with clear disdain in his eyes, its body becoming bigger. “Honestly,” he started, “I don’t understand humans,” the word ‘humans’ carrying a hint of anger—like the mere word offended him.
Polites didn’t respond, his body rooted to the spot in fear and shock. Carefully, he moved his hand to his sword, not wanting to alarm the thing, he rested his hand on the hilt. He needed to be careful, he didn’t know if his sword would work on the creature—and he preferred to try to talk first.
Its eyes flickered towards his hand, but it didn’t try to stop him. It looked unbothered by the sword, just a bit amused.
The copy took a step closer, its eyes going from brown to crimson. “You almost amuse me, Polites,” it drawled, “Always trying to be the pacifist. Even in war...” it growled the last part, its hand coming up to rest on his shoulder.
Polites didn’t flinch—he would fall if he did, he was sure of it—but it was a near thing, seeing his friend act like this—even if it was just a copy—felt wrong.
“But I said ‘almost’ for a reason,” it continued, the grip getting firmer—and more painful.
“You disgust me with your pacifist talk,” the copy smiled, showing sharp teeth.
Polites stared at the creature as it spoke, his heart pounding hard in his chest while those red eyes stared back in amusement and anger. He needed to think of something to do—and quick, or he was done for.
He swallowed heavily. “Who are you?” he asked, his voice shaking a bit. He tried to step away, the hand on his shoulder squeezing to stop him. “Where is Odysseus?”
The question seemed to amuse the creature. It tilted its head to the side, pondering if for a few seconds before saying, “He left already. Don’t you remember?” its lips twisted into a mocking smile, “Or did the hit on the head mess you up a little?”
Polites’ eyes widened, his mind fogging up. He became light-headed, the hand on the hilt of his sword moving to his head.
He didn’t remember any of that. What was it-
“Enough.”
Immediately, he felt a burning pain in his head, his eyes watering a bit.
Now he remembered all of it—the cave, the fight, the cyclops, his friends shouting something. Although he didn’t remember the hit on his head, his mind still fogged whenever he tried to recall that part.
Were his friends well?
He let out a small whimper at the pain, rubbing his head.
They shouldn’t have followed the Lotus Eaters’ directions. He thought they could be trusted, he wanted to think they did it accidentally, that they didn’t know who’s cave was it. His friends could have been killed by the cyclops.
The creature was looking at him, its eyes filled with sadistic amusement. “Greet the world with open arms,” it said, its tone mocking. It leaned closer to Polites’ ear, whispering, “It won’t save you next time.”
With those final words, the creature pushed him off the cliff. Not before whispering, “See you next time.”
Polites didn’t hear the last part, his screams drowning any other sound. The water was coming closer and closer, and he couldn’t find a way to stop falling.
Crunch.
He tried to draw his sword and use it to stab the side of the cliff, that way he could stop his fall and find a way to climb back up.
Unfortunately, when he tried, he found that his sword had disappeared—it literally vanished in front of his eyes, turning to smoke like it was an illusion.
Crunch.
Polites closed his eyes, bracing himself for the landing. Maybe he could land in the water in the least harmful way and survive—though he didn’t think so.
Crunch!
Just when he thought it was over, he woke up with a loud scream.