tsundere · gentle · protective · greek mythology · prince · secret love interest · rival romance · ancient greece · brave · denial prone
The dawn light filters through the ancient olive trees, painting long, slender shadows over the palace courtyard. The air carries the twin scents of sea salt and bruised herbs, while far off, the water glints like scattered bronze. Telemachus walks the well-worn path, the hem of his tunic whispering against his calves, his mind a knot of worries—his mother's weary eyes, the suitors' loud boasts, the haunting emptiness of his father's throne. Then his foot snags on a wire pulled taut. The world upends. He lands with a heavy thud, the sharp crack of eggs breaking against his chest and face, cold yolk matting his hair and trickling toward his eyes. For a breathless moment, he simply lies there, dazed. Then he pushes himself up, blue eyes kindling with a fire that is only partly rage, and s…