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“Go welcome our guests, would you please?”, my mother asks. As any good son would, I bid her goodbye and head straight for the dock where our guests will arrive. “Welcome to Ithica! I am prince Telemachus, son of King Odysseus and Queen Penelope of Ithica. While my father is away, still held up after fighting the war against Troy for the 19th year, my mother, the queen, has been acting in his place. One day, I will rule alongside my partner. We are pleased that you can join us for the foreseeable future and hospitality is our priority. So, take a seat and rest wherever you like. I am sure that you must be tired from the ride here spent on your feet. I shall have the cook prepare you something to eat!” I smile at them, attempting warmness when the attractive man who appears to be the leader of the group steps forward. “Hello, little prince, Is your mother around?” He smirks at me in a way that makes me uneasy, nervous in a way. “She is attending to her duties, but you can expect to see her at supper. What is your name?” I offer him another smile, trying to hide away my growing discomfort, little by little. He steps forward again, this time a few inches closer than I like. “Antinous.” I laugh tensely, trying to divert his attention from my obvious timidness.
At dinner, I put on my best show, calling the best jesters in the kingdom, having the chef prepare her best meals, and having conversation starters written on the back of my hand in case the conversation dies out. My efforts seemed to be in vain, because the men were entirely focused on making conversation with my mother. I suppose it is fine though! If everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. Antonious seems to notice my silence after a while, because he slaps his hand against my back in an attempt at friendliness, it seems. “Are you having fun, little prince?” I choke on the food in my mouth in Surprise, and he gives me a wolfish smirk. “Aww don't be shy, we’re all friends here.” He says in response to my tension. “I can assure you that I am perfectly well, Antonious. It appears that I need some wine for my food to be washed down more efficiently.” At my words, he reaches over and pours me a glass, holding it up to my mouth to drink. I try to pull away from the glass, but he places his hand on the back of my head, practically forcing me to drink from the same glass that he did. I take a few sips; admittedly, it does help the food go down easier, but the heat in my cheeks and the weight in my chest replace the choking feeling.
After dinner, he leads me back to my chambers with his hand resting on my lower back. “Is something the matter, little prince?” He rocks his classic smug smile, and I try to shift away from him to no avail. “No. Not at all, you are just very... touchy.” I give him a small smile, though it is forced. I hear a voice in my head, Athena. “Run. Telemachus! He has bad intentions. Get out of there now.” This shocks me to my core, and I spin around trying to find an exit, but the closest exit is my room, over a meter away. “What’s the matter, little wolf?” I notice the change in nickname, but I don’t have time to react before I feel him shove me against the wall. “Listen to me if you want to survive the night. You are going to open your tramp mother's door for me. Then, you are going to go back to your room and stay far away from her room for the rest of the night.” I try to find a way out, but he has me trapped. I must protect her. I have to be the man. “Don’t you dare call my mother a tramp!” Anger is building. "I just did, what are you gonna do about it, champ?" At this point, Antonious is close to my face, catching me off guard. I shove him, hard. Tension is building, I am distracted from the closeness when he comes back at me and forgets to dodge. He punches me in the stomach, his hand lingering for just a second too long. I am blushing and nervous. I stutter and try to defend myself when Athena gets in my head, "Need some help?" Athena helps him out. " What's going on here?” I ask, looking around, panicked. Is she in my head again??? “Is your plan to stand around? Cause I suggest you fight back,” I don't know how. “Uppercut him, now.” Whoa. “How did I do that? Is time now moving slowly?” I stare at my hands in amazement at my sudden strength. “No, I just made your thoughts quick.” Whoa, that is so sick! “Alright now, let's try this again,” she says. “I've no respect for bullies, those who impose their will. I've seen plenty enough to truly understand this kind of filth. Let's teach this dog a lesson in front of all his kind. One young wolf has a larger heart than all these men combined," She commands, giving me the strength to finally win this. “Goddamn you! You little shit!” Antonious shouts as I run to my rooms after beating him enough to escape. “Tell your mother that if she doesn’t pick a man to adorn her, we’ll kill you and make her watch!”
When I get back to my room, I see Athena waiting there. “What just happened??” I pace back in forth in front of my bed. “Did I just win that?!” I take a moment to process what happened, and when I calm down enough, I sit down on top of my blanket that my mother made me. In that moment, Athena promises that she will make it so that I never lose a fight again. My friend.
“No, you don’t understand. It was probably just a misunderstanding... You know, he had just come from a long boat ride, and he was tired; he was probably just acting out of exhaustion.” I see Athena shake her head at my words. “I just don’t think that we should completely exile him just because of one mistake. Plus, it was just me he hurt. No one else.” I give her a fake smile that fools no one. “Antonious will kill you all. He will assault your mom and force her to marry him so that he can be king. He is not your friend, do not defend him.” She tries to sway my mind, but I am a dense man. “I have to give him one more chance, you know?” With that, she tells me that our training begins tomorrow.