Eurylochus found him the next morning, asleep with his head against the edge of the crate.
"Oh, Odysseus," Eurylochus murmured, lifting his captain as if he were a child, and carrying him back to his bunk. The lotus fruit in Odysseus' hand thumped to the deck, uneaten.
The sun was high in the sky when Odysseus woke up, unsure if the lotus had been part of his dream or not.
He came on deck to find the fleet had stopped at an island that was barely more than a sandbar with a few scattered trees. On the beach, several men tended to a large bonfire, and the remains of one of the sheep lay on a bed of palm fronds and branches.
"Captain, you're awake," Polites' voice called out to him, and Odysseus turned to see him coming over, his face going from joy to worry and back again. "Eurylochus said he found you this morning," he reached out with his good hand to put it on Odysseus' shoulder, looking into his eyes. "We weren't sure when you would wake up. How many—"
Odysseus waved him away. "None, I'm fine. What's going on here?"
"Eurylochus wanted to prepare the sheep for eating. He's decided to butcher the first of each ship's supply, and dry the meat here, before we continue on. We don't know when we'll be able to make a fire large enough again.
Odysseus nodded. "Good plan, he's always thinking ahead."
"Did Cassandra tell you if we're going in the right direction?" Polites asked, his voice very soft, and Odysseus could barely make out the words over the waves.
"She said..." he began, slowly, trying to parse out an explanation that wouldn't frighten his friend. He'd tell him the whole story eventually, but, for now, he didn't need to know. "East is as good as any direction."
Polites looked at him sidelong, but his smile didn't waver, and he didn't push. He waved down at Eurylochus, who was standing on the sand, overseeing everything. Mando was hovering over his shoulder in the same pose, arms crossed, and as stone faced as a creature made of mist could be, but Eurylochus did smile as he waved back.
"Eurylochus in a good mood, the world must be ending," Odysseus said, waving as well. "Eurylochus!" He called out. "Save some of that meat, and we will have a feast before we begin sailing for home!"
The men all cheered, and the work continued.
YOU ARE READING
Defying Fate
FanfictionI read a Tumblr post while back about Odysseus meeting and adopting the prophet Cassandra, who had been cursed so that "Nobody would believe her." Of course, if he's going to adopt Cassandra, whom he never met in the original story... why not adopt...
