22. Οdysseus

22

Οdysseus

S he knew me too intimately. I had been foolish to think that she would not, after our time together. I had picked Odette, after all, for her intelligence. But now her insights left me exposed in a way I could not afford. The bond between us after that night we shared could not be ignored, even amidst the battles and continuous hardships we had faced since. I needed to get her alone, so I could explain; so she could understand her place in the scheme of things.

Odette was too much of an open book, like any woman, unable to hide her emotions as a man could bury them. Her grief when we had first met was all-consuming, then her anger palpable. Her shrewdness now felt … dangerous, foreboding almost. It set my teeth on edge, and I did not want the men catching on.

So, instead, I gathered the men on deck as I stood at the prow of the ship, watching a new shoreline draw ever closer. When all the men were gathered, the women they kept as their own behind them, I turned to address them.

“We will make a stop at Aeolia,” I announced. “Aeolus, Master of Winds, resides here and can aid us on our journey home.”

A murmur of approval rippled through the crew, while one of the deckhands raised a forest green banner to signal to the other ships in our fleet that we were to head for shore. Finally, an island I recognised. Finally, a place the men could go without fear of being attacked, or drugged, or killed.

I looked towards the Lotus-Eater men. A crescent moon had hung low on the horizon the night we had left that island, and it had swelled into a gibbous moon before the men had come right, the drug from those plants finally purged from their bodies. Now they, too, were in agreement with the rest.

But, when my eyes met Odette’s shrewd gaze, I knew she immediately saw my facade for what it was. Shaking my head slightly, I dismissed her silent enquiry. There would be no further discussion here, not with the men watching. Instead, my eyes directed her to my quarters and she gave a small nod in understanding, following my summons to the small space.

It felt like a lifetime ago that I had tied her up in here for insolence.

Now, the space seemed even smaller with her in it, her presence both a challenge and an allure. I pushed that feeling aside, reminding myself of the stakes.

“Do you even know this Aeolus?” she asked me, as soon as she closed the door of my quarters behind her.

I rounded on her, until I had her pressed up against the door with nowhere to go, and her chin was firmly in my grip.

“You do not get to question my judgement, do you understand?” My voice was low, so the men beyond the door would not hear us, but that charged the air with something electric, and I saw a flash of defiance in her eyes at the same time her nostrils flared.

“You are back to using and discarding people as you see fit, I see.”

“You dare …” My grip slid down to her neck and tightened on her, but Odette didn’t so much as wince. “I have treated you with respect, and yes, I have grown to care for you. I place a careful shield around you, to protect you from what others would have me do to you. Yet, at every opportunity, you seek to break it.”

Odette tried to let out a laugh, but with my hand on her windpipe, it came out garbled. “Nothing you do is to protect me, Odysseus. It is to protect yourself. You use me as a confidant when it suits you, and when I scratch too close below the surface that it alarms you, you like to remind me that I am a captive.”

Rage roared through me and it took everything in my control to only let a drop more strength squeeze her throat before I released her.

She didn’t even rub where I had held her when I set her free.

Stubborn woman. Gods, I …

“Aeolus will help us get home,” I said, cutting off that other – that horrifying – thought. “And once we arrive in Ithaca, you will become one of Penelope’s maids. You will serve her faithfully, and you will not breathe a word of what has happened between us.”

I couldn’t lose Odette, not now that I knew what this feeling was. And I was most certainly not going to jeopardise my marriage to Penelope.

Odette’s eyes held a mixture of shock and anger. “You could let me go,” she countered, her voice trembling with suppressed fury. “If you cared for me, truly, you would not keep me in bondage.”

I shook my head. “You know too much. It would be too dangerous to set you free,” I reasoned.

“Liar,” she seethed.

And damn me to the Underworld if she wasn’t right.

Before she could pull away, my lips crashed into hers, a fierce and desperate kiss that held all the anger that it had to be this way. My hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer until her warm body was pressed against mine, as if I could erase all the boundaries between us. The heat of her mouth, the taste of salt and longing, it ignited something primal in me.

Only Odette had ever managed to do that.

She responded in kind, matching my intensity. My hands roamed over her back, down her bum, squeezing, pulling her impossibly closer until we could both feel my hard erection against the softness of her. There was only here, only now, only the raw connection between us as our breaths mingled, as her heartbeat became mine. For a brief, blinding instant, nothing else mattered.

Then the reality of our situation clawed its way back into my mind, tearing through the haze of desire. My body shuddered as I broke the kiss, my arms still holding her close, my forehead resting against hers.

She pulled away from me. My arms tensed in resistance, but that only made her more determined. “You are a coward, Odysseus. Afraid of a woman who has nothing left to lose.”

I let her go after that, a cold, steely resolve dousing the flame of desire. “Call it what you will, but my decision stands. You will serve in Ithaca, and you will keep your silence.”

I turned away from her, signaling the end of our conversation. As I heard her footsteps retreat, I felt a pang of something akin to regret. The weight of my choices pressed heavily on me, but I couldn't afford to show weakness. Not now. Not ever.

I waited in my quarters until I could get myself under control. Rearranging myself – composing myself – I made my way to the front of the ship, taking my place at the prow. I watched the shoreline draw closer and the island of Aeolia grow larger, its jagged cliffs adorned in greenery rising majestically amidst the relentless expanse of the Aegean Sea as my men rowed, rowed, rowed .

As we drew closer, the scent of salt dissipated and the air became clean, rich, earthy – like the earth after it had just stopped raining. It was a tantalising promise of respite that urged the men to row harder until we hit the shore.

Aeolus was there to greet us as we disembarked. “Odysseus!” he called, his arms open wide, the sleeves of his robes billowing in the winds he conjured. “There was word on the winds of your arrival.”

“Aeolus,” I replied in greeting, hugging the other king briefly before drawing back. “I’m sure your winds told you why we are here.”

“Ah, my friend, there is plenty of time for that. Why don’t your men settle here and I’ll have my servants come and bring them a fresh kill to cook, replenishments, pots to heat the wash water, and scrubs. You and I can go to my home, and when you too are refreshed, we can talk about what it is you seek.”

I looked around at the men, my eyes once again catching on Odette, always finding her. I couldn’t help it. At this point on our journey, it was becoming a bad reflex.

“You can bring the woman,” Aeolus noted.

I grunted, gesturing with my head for Odette to follow us, and together, Aeolus and I turned towards the great paved walk up towards his house on the cliffs. Sand gave way to smooth stones and then to a decorative pathway, the borders sculpted by a delicate hand. Almost as delicate as the footsteps behind me that told me Odette had followed.

The house was by no means a palace, but certainly grand with its high ceilings, terracotta columns, and detailed architraves that matched the path that led us here. Aeolus swept us through to a guest suite where one kline bed? 1 draped in a gauzy canopy sat in the centre of a room that separated off into two different bathing chambers. His servants were already drawing baths, the fragrant aromas of the dried flowers and oils so potent they made my eyes water.

Once upon a time I was used to such smells, but after so long at sea, the closest thing to them that I remembered was the salt scrub and warmed oil Odette would leave out for me. Then I remembered the sand crabs and had to stop myself from barking with laughter at the woman who now stood at my shoulder.

“We will leave you two to wash and rest. Just follow the hallway to the great home when you are ready for food,” Aeolus said, before bowing his head in good will and turning back the way he came.

The servants left not long afterwards, leaving Odette and I still standing in the doorway.

She turned to her right and headed for one chamber without a word. Turning to the left, I followed suit.

The bathing area was done in the same style as the rest of the house: terracottas, browns, and sand beiges that must have appealed to Aeolus, but felt drab to me. The marble bath, however, was a welcome sight. The steam rising off it beckoned me, and it wasn’t long before I was sinking into its depths with a sigh.

Outstretching my arms along the edge of the marble, I leaned my head back, enjoying the water lapping at my chest, watching the candlelight flicker against the damp stone walls. Then I heard it – the water splashing, as if Odette was dipping her dainty toes in and out of the water in a pitter-patter movement, like a child. Her laughter followed. Then the sounds of the water, the movements, became more rhythmic and I had to hold back a groan as the images in my mind took me places.

I gripped my cock as I imagined her touching herself, lathering herself. Imagined her hands becoming mine. I fisted once, twice, the sound of my own movements in the water interrupting hers. I stilled to hear them again, but they’d quietened, as if she knew what I was doing.

Frustrated, I snarled and rose from the water, reaching for the nearest towel and drying myself off with harsh, efficient movements.

“Refreshed?” Aeolus called out as I strode into the great room.

“Thoroughly,” I assured him. “I thank you for your hospitality, for myself and my men.”

“And your women,” Aeolus added, a gleam in his eye.

I turned to see what he was looking at: Odette in a fresh dress, the palest shade of tourmaline blue I had ever seen, the fabric draping across her body in a way that framed her silhouette beautifully, curves and drapes in all the right, flattering places.

I scowled. “I don’t need you to dress my people too, Aeolus.”

The other king was already shaking his head. “A beautiful dress for a beautiful woman, that is all. It was only going to waste away in the closet otherwise.”

I doubted that. There were plenty of women, and nymphs, that graced the attention of Master of the Winds.

“It’s lovely, thank you,” Odette said, her voice softer than I’d ever heard it.

It only made me scowl more deeply. But I had to be careful what I said next. Aeolus was not one to be coerced; he could only be persuaded through diplomacy. The man had an absolute hard-on for “the balance of all things”. Though I found that balance often swayed towards respect for his power.

“Not as lovely as you, my dear. Come, sit beside me, and the two of you can tell me what brings you to my island.”

Odette did as requested, her eyes briefly meeting mine across the table, before diving back into the feast spread before us. There was an array of choices, reflecting the bounty of both land and sea. There were platters of roasted lamb and pork, seasoned with garlic, thyme, and rosemary and drizzled with olive oil, the smell of which made my mouth water. Bowls of olives, figs, and dates provided sweet and savoury accompaniments. Freshly baked bread, still warm from the oven, sat alongside cheeses made from goat and sheep’s milk. The centrepiece was a large swordfish, probably caught that morning, grilled to perfection and garnished with lemon and dill. Pitchers of rich red wine and golden honey mead were placed between the plates, and Aeolus poured us all a generous helping of the two.

“Don’t worry, I’ve ensured your men receive the same bounty. What they don’t eat can be taken as replenishments for your ships. There was certainly a lot to go around,” Aeolus laughed.

Looking at the feast myself, I wasn’t surprised. Most of the men wouldn’t be able to stomach this after so long on brined goods and dry bread – though that probably wouldn’t stop them from attempting to gorge.

“You are too kind,” I told Aeolus. Particularly seeing as we had come here seeking another favour from him – one I had yet to ask.

Aeolus regarded me with knowing eyes, his attention briefly flickering towards Odette before returning to me. “Odysseus,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of ages. “You came seeking the Bag of Winds.”

I swallowed the tart wine I’d taken a sip of, choosing my next words carefully. “Yes. We are at your mercy. This journey has been long and arduous already, and while I am happy to regale you with tales you will no doubt find entertaining, my friend, I am also anxious to get my men home.”

“And no doubt anxious to get home to your wife, Penelope,” Aeolus said, his eyes sliding over to Odette before they returned to me.

My eyes met Odette’s.

“Yes.” I didn’t miss the gleam of interest in his eyes when I turned back to him. “I come to ask if you can grant us the winds that will guide us safely home.”

The gleam in Aeolus’ expression turned ruminative, as if weighing the implications of my request. He glanced between Odette and I once again before leaning back in his chair, his hands braced on the table. “I can conjure the winds you require,” he said slowly. “For a price.”

He looked to Odette once again, and I had to resist the urge to stab my fork through his eye. As it was, my grip on the utensil bent it when I saw Odette’s perfect lips open into an ‘O’, but otherwise she seemed actually amenable to the suggestion, none of her other features tensing or narrowing at the idea.

Did she really want to stay with this kolaktēs? ? 2

“No,” I said firmly, surprising even myself. “She is not for sale.”

Aeolus sighed, then threw his hands up with a laugh. “Very well, it was worth a try. You cannot have everything you want without a little risk.” He chuckled again.

I did not join him.

Aeolus gestured to one of his attendants, who left the room and returned minutes later with a small dark brown pouch, cinched at the top with a leather drawstring. As he got closer, I recognised the accented gold swirl across the top of the pouch. It was a wind symbol, the same one that decorated the pathways and junctures of this house.

Of course.

“The legendary Bag of Winds,” I guessed.

Aeolus nodded, taking the bag from his attendant and weighing it in his hands. “Contained within are the winds that will guide you safely back to Ithaca. Except,” he paused, cocking his head to one side, “for the west wind. Do not use it unless you wish to send another home.”

Aeolus looked at Odette as he said that last part, and she paled at his words.

He must have meant Troy, guessing where she’d come from.

I gave a grunt of thanks as I accepted the bag, and abruptly stood. But, keenly aware that I must continue to play the political game until my men were safely on the ship and back out to sea, I gave him one small offering. “Odette – stay, eat, as long as you wish. Aeolus will have plenty of enchanting tales to tell you. I will see you down at the ships before nightfall.”

That should appease the wiry fuck.

It took every ounce of me to stride from that hall without her, to not look back. To not see if Aelous had reached his hand across the table to touch her. To show Odette that I trusted her. And all the while, Aeolus’ words reverberated in my skull: ‘ You cannot have everything you want without a little risk’, the warning about the west wind, and the implied suggestion that Odette’s presence was a similar gamble.

That night, fatigue weighed as heavily upon me as the Bag of Winds, a surprisingly dense pouch, which informed me just how far we had left to travel. Yet, the seas were calm when we set sail under the stars and sleep claimed me.

Visions of home and the challenges ahead flickered like a storybook through my mind. In the hazy realm, I could have sworn Odette took the bag from my chest and replaced it with her hand, a soft whisper in my ear.

“It could take us far from Ithaca,” she murmured. “It could give us a chance together.”

Her breath on my cheek felt so real, but when I grasped at my chest, the bag was still there.

It was just a dream, a figment of my weary mind, mixing the image of a life I could not have with the reality the gods bestowed upon me.

1 ? Similar to a four-post bed.

2 ? Flatterer or sycophant, someone who uses charm deceitfully to gain favour.