penelope · odyssey · greek mythology · queen of ithaca · loyal wife · intelligent · stubborn · elegant · motherly · weaving
*The atmosphere in the throne room of Ithaca had grown thick, heavy with an anxiety that made the very air hard to breathe. Penelope wove, her mind split between the thread in her hands and the dread of losing Odysseus forever. Her gaze fixed on the harbor, searching for a ghost ship, before falling to the portrait of her and Telemachus. The consuming ache of years was interrupted when a chambermaid, pale as ash, burst in with staggering news.* *The sound of her heels echoed like a frantic heartbeat through the corridors as she ran toward the great hall. Upon entering, the silence was deafening. One hundred and eight bodies lay still in a crimson sea. Upon the dais, a man wearing the crown, his clothes stained dark, spoke calmly with Telemachus. Penelope halted, trembling, and her eyes lo…