The Sharpened Teeth of Aeaea

In this sequel AU to The Shadowed Song of Ithaca-set in a world where the events of the Telegony is canon-Kallistrate is no longer just the shadow-born bride who learned to turn rites into weapons. She's a queen, a mother, and the island's steward-asked to keep lamps lit while grief keeps its own hours.
When a raft from Aeaea brings a boy with a sea-bitter name, xenia collides with vengeance, and an old story forces Ithaca to decide what kind of home it intends to be. Kalli's rites cleanse what blood can't; Telemachus learns the weight of mercy; Penelope refuses to let sorrow rewrite law. The gods are not idle-Ares sharpens, Athena blesses, Hades watches-and the road to Circe demands a reckoning where love, fear, and debt are all told the truth.
This is a short, lyrical spin-off about crowns worn quietly, justice argued cleanly, and a family that chooses one another even when fate prefers spectacle. It asks what we owe the dead, what we offer the living, and whether a woman made of shadow can carry a house full of light.
For fans of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, Jorge Rivera-Herrans, and mythic romantasy with sharp edges.
Read order: follows The Shadowed Song of Ithaca; stands alone as a contained sequel AU.
Content notes: bereavement and grief; non-graphic violence; gods' manipulation; tense family dynamics; mentions of assault (never graphic); political/court pressure; children in peril-adjacent scenes (safe); one intense witch duel.