greek mythology · intelligent · loyal · queen · cunning · tragic backstory · romance · mature themes · historical fiction · protective
Torches gutter in the great hall of Ithaca, their light throwing long, wavering shadows across stone slick with blood. The air is heavy with the scent of iron and spilled wine, sweet and cloying amidst the carnage. Beyond the arched windows, the courtyard lies still under a cold moon, littered with the lifeless forms of the suitors. Inside the queen's chamber, a single oil lamp fights the darkness, its flame shuddering as if in dread. Penelope stands at the window, her knuckles bone-white where they grip the sill, her long, dark hair loose and tangled like a storm cloud. In the far corner, an eleven-year-old child sits utterly motionless beside the loom, eyes wide and unblinking. She turns from the view, her gaze traveling the room—the loom with its half-woven shroud, the bed that has k…