When I found out that there was an Ithaca in New York, I realized that I had to write this story. All rights to rightful owners.
The old woman weeded the garden. Five of her grandchildren were inside playing video games. She hated those games; those kids needed to be outside. The woman, Elena, at seventy five, had nine children and seventeen grandchildren. Actually, she had ten children, but her youngest baby had vanished twenty years ago. Odie had been born with six brothers and three sisters. He just vanished when he was sixteen. Odie had been teased by his brothers, but no thought he would run away. They waited for hours, thinking he was staying at the library. Hours turned into days. Days into months. Months into years. Years into decades. Everyone decided he was dead.
Now, twenty years later, Elena watched a black car pull up at the curb. A dark skinned man got out of the car. He was well built, but his face looked very kind. The man walked up to the old woman. He nodded, "Mom, I missed you."
"Odie?" She asked. It was impossible. Odie hadn't returned in twenty years, why would he come back today?
The man nodded, "I'm home."
She stared at him. He acted like he was just coming home from school late. Elena felt tears run down her face. She stood up and hugged him. "I missed you, too."
Odie, now thirty seven, smiled, "Mom, I have so much to tell you. How are the others?"
His mother pulled away. She looked at her son, "Your father and uncle died trying to put out a fire about fourteen years ago."
He nodded, "I was at the funeral. I didn't want to face you. I could bear it."
"Your brothers and sisters all have families. Your oldest nephew is eighteen, and the youngest is two. How are you? Do you have special girl in your life?"
He smiled and led her to the car. His mother smiled as three children, a dog, and blond woman got out. The woman smiled brightly. One of the three children was a boy. He was a blond teenager with dark skinned. The second child was a girl. She was dark skinned, like her father. Her black hair was braided down her back. She smiled sweetly. The last was young girl with pale skin with long black hair. She held a worn teddy bear in her arms. A little black dog ran around, finally being able to move after that long car ride. Odie gestured to the woman, "Mom, this is my wife, Valerie. Our son Telemachus. And our daughters Penelope and Jocasta."
His mother smiled at the children, "How old are you?" It was a fair question, after all she had never met them before.
Telemachus said, "I'm about to turn seventeen. Penny's twelve and Jocasta is six."
Valerie said, "You are not seventeen."
"I was rounding."
"You were fifteen last week."
"Rounding, a lot."
Jocasta walked up to her grandmother and gave her flowers. The old woman smiled, "Do you want to come inside. The other children are playing video games."
Penny muttered, "Mother says video games were what destroyed Dad."
Odie glared at his wife. "I never said that exactly," she said.
Odie turned back to his mother, "Valerie doesn't like video games. We were, actually, going for a picnic. Do you want to come?"
She considered it. Five annoying children were inside. Elena couldn't leave them, yet, they probably wouldn't even notice her gone. Odie was back and she was't letting him go anytime soon. "I would love to."
The two teenagers kicked a soccer ball from one another. Valerie and Jocasta set the food out on the blanket. Odie handed his mother some lemonade. Elena was sitting in a folding chair. She smiled, "Thank you, Odie."
Valerie smiled, "If only Atlanta and Theresa could come with us."
Telemachus laughed, "Poor Aethra. Uncle Jay made her go sailing. She would have to be in the sunlight. And breathe fresh air." He fell to the ground in laughter.
Penny glared at her brother. "Don't be rude. She prefers school to nature."
"Some people should be like that," Valerie muttered. "Given that some people are going to fail 10th grade."
Telemachus, clearly the said person, didn't hear her, because he was in a laughing fit. Penny aimed the soccer ball at her brother, but her father said, "Don't, young lady."
She nodded and put the ball down, "Yes, sir."
Elena turned to her son, "How are they so well behaved? You and your siblings were not this polite. And where did you think of their names?"
Odie smiled, "Valerie and I liked the story of the Odyssey and Oedipus Rex. Our friends and us all had Greek themed names for our kids."
His mother smiled, "How did you meet these friends? Are they from Ithaca?"
"No, we all went to Olympia High. I got a scholarship. That's why I left."
She nodded, "I understand now. But, why haven't you come home?"
Odie procrastinated by taking a sandwich from his wife. "Well... Mom, I fell in love. We got married my second year of college."
"But," his mother said. "How did you two meet?"
The teenagers exchanged a look; how was their dad going to hide his life with this question? Odie cleared his throat. "I got into a fight with one of my roommates, so I ditched them. I drove around until I found a small town with a breathtaking beauty. That was junior year, right, Val?"
His wife handed her mother-in-law a sandwich. "That was the January before y'all went to Greece for Spring Break."
"Junior year, I was right."
Telemachus cried out in pain as a sandwich was hurdled at his head. Jocasta was sitting on the grass was faux innocence. "Casta," her mother said. "Behave, don't act like this again, or else."
Jocasta shuddered, them quietly handed her sister a sandwich. Penny sat down on the blanket. Telemachus was the only one not in the general area, since he was laying in the grass, ten feet away.
The old woman watched as the dog returned from its nap in the car. The dog ran to Odie and it's master began to pet it. "Poor, Argos. The kids interrupted your nap and you had to wake up."
"What kind of dog is he?" His mother asked.
"She," he said, "is a mutt. A spoiled, pregnant mutt."
Jocasta looked at her parents, "We're not selling the puppy are we? I already picked out names. One will be Spot, another is Woofy, and Patch, and-"
"We are not naming them the most stereotypical dog names." Penny said.
Odie turned to his mother, "Did you have to deal with all this when we were younger?"
She nodded, "Only, you boys were a lot worse."
Valerie laughed, "I highly doubt that."
After lunch, Odie's phone rang. He looked down a the number, and walked away to answer. His tone was hushed, but urgent. "Theresa, what is it?... Aethra was kidnapped by a what?... Where's Jay?... And the others?... Are Herry and Megan still in the mountains?... What about Neil and Echo?... Do you want us to meet up with them?... What! You left my jet in the hands of Neil?... No, no Theresa. He is not fully capable... Alright, we'll be there as soon as possible."
He walked back over to his family. "Mom, something came up and we have to go back to Olympia."
"What happened?" She asked him.
"Just some business."
They all had been eavesdropping. Telemachus muttered, "Aethra's really regretting going sailing."
Valerie glared at him, "Car. Now."
After the teenager fled, they packed up and followed him. It was a quiet ride back.
Odie and his mother stood in front of the house. She was sad to see him go again. "I'm going to miss you. And my new grandchildren. Promise me you will come home more often."
"I can't make that promise. I won't want to lie to you." He hugged. "We will try, but I'm pretty busy. I promise to call you so the rest of the family can remeet me."
He kissed her forehead, walked back to his car, and drove off.
His mother nodded. She had been dying of curiosity since his phone call, but she didn't question it. Someone he knew had been kidnaped. She was almost one hundred percent he wasn't involved with anything illegal. However, she hadn't seen him in twenty years. Still, she wanted to believe he was a good person. A criminal wouldn't have such a wonderful family. She did wonder about that trip to Greece he had mentioned. It was expensive to go to Greece. Their family was Greek, and Odie had always wanted to go. Finally, Elena reached a conclusion.
Odie was a good person, she thought. He had reached everything he had through hardworking and effort. Of course, unless the gods had helped him. But, that was impossible.
She walked back into her house. She never saw the yellow jet fly through the sky with Odie's car attached to the bottom.
This is the whole phone call:
-Theresa, what is it?
-Odie, we have a serious problem. Aethra's been kidnapped by a drakon.
-Aethra was kidnapped by a what?
-A drakon. It's a kind of dragon, but more lizardy.
-Where's Jay?
-He and Lux went looking clues. Castor and I are trying to use the spell books for help.
-And the others?
-Archie took Alex to California for some doctor convention. Atlanta and Malcolm are in their lodge in Montana. Atlanta and Mal will get here in three or four hours.
-Are Herry and Megan still in the mountains?
-Yes, they could use the portal, but they aren't answering their phones.
-What about Neil and Echo?
-They're in New York. I think they went to a Broadway show. It was either Wicked or the Phantom of the Opera.
-Do you want us to meet up with them?
-Neil took you jet, so he can meet you at the airport or a field.
-What! You left my jet in the hands of Neil?
-Odie, he's perfectly capable of driving the jet the short trip from New Olympia to NYC.
-No, no Theresa. He is not fully capable
-Odie, my daughter in danger. Please, just get here.
-Alright, we'll be there as soon as possible.
Background:
-Archie is a doctor, Jay is sailing instructor, Neil is a play-write/director, Therea is mayor, Odie is the computer programming teacher of school, Atlanta is the biology and gym teacher, you can decide Herry's job probably a mountain guide or something
-Telemachus- oldest and only son of Odie and Valerie, named for the son of Odysseus
-Penny- second child of Odie and Valerie, named for Odysseus's faithful wife
-Jocasta- third child of Odie and Valerie, named after mother/wife of Oedipus
-Aethra- only daughter of Jay and Theresa, named after Theseus's mother
-Castor- youngest son of Jay and Theresa, Lux's twin brother, named after Gemini
-Lux- oldest son of Jay and Theresa, Castor's twin brother, named after Gemini
-Malcolm- modern version of Melion, adopted son of Archie and Atlanta, named after Atalanta's husband
-Alex- modern version of Ajax, only biological child of Archie and Atlanta
-Echo- Neil's daughter, named after Echo
-Megan- Herry's only child, named after Heracles's first wife (I don't know why I added this part)