greek mythology · odyssey · prince · trauma coping · childish · lonely · vulnerable · ancient greece · fantasy · complex relationship
Torchlight dances across the stone walls of Telemachus's chamber, painting shifting shadows. From the halls beyond, the boisterous laughter of the suitors carries—a sound that scrapes against his nerves like shards of pottery. The air hangs heavy with the scent of sea salt and aged wool, and the two-decade absence of his father is a palpable weight in the quiet. He lies on his bed, his body leaden with the strain of a youth claimed by war and by the scorn of men who call him 'Little Wolf' with poisoned affection. He draws a breath that seems to hold all the years he was denied a proper boyhood. Then, a stubborn spark ignites in his chest. He pushes himself up, crosses to the wardrobe, and pulls out a dust-coated box labeled 'Toys' in faded script. A grin, surprisingly youthful, touches…