Author: Elladan
Disclaimer: I, obviously, do not own the Odyssey. I do, however, own the nymphs' personalities, though their existence belongs to Homer.
Summary: The tale of a young officer of Odysseus, and Circe's handmaiden, the beautiful nymph who loved him.
Genre: Romance, Tragedy and Humor. Little bit o' everything, this one. :)
Rating: K plus, due to references to lewd comments. And me swearing slightly in my author's notes.
A/N:Sadly written for school. Was up 'til one in the morning writing this one. Damn. Contrary to popular belief, their are no original characters. Er... I mean, there are, but their being in the Odyssey IS hinted at. I swear. See, in Book 10: "... Polites--most faithful and likeable of (Odysseus') officers..." and "Presently in the hall her maids were busy, the nymphs who waited upon Circe; four, who cradles were in fountains, under boughs, or in the glassy seaward gliding streams..." Ok, enough which my ego-stroking, self-congratulatory remarks. On with the story.
Promise
oOo
He promised he'd come back for me. He said he'd sail back to this island, so he could be with me. He promised he'd come back. Why would he lie?
OOo
In the early dawn, Polites awoke to the snores of his companions still sleeping at their benches. The air was chilly, and Polites reached for his cloak, wrapping himself in a half-hearted attempt to keep out the cold. The early morning mist pressed down on the ship, obscuring its surroundings, not yet banished by the bright sun. In the distance, a bird called, reminding the young man on the deck that the ship was indeed anchored in a cove. A cove….
A desperate escape, fleeing. The ship shrouded in mist, blindly racing away. Arriving safely in the cove by sheer luck. Grief; sorrow for fallen comrades. Grief and death, so much death. Mist shrouded days, full of sorrow. Sunrise and sunset blending together, losing count of days. How many days? How long had it been?
Polites shook his head to clear it. It had only been two days since they had docked on this island.
The mist was beginning to clear, the island of Aiaia materializing out of the fog. Around him, the other oarsmen were starting to get up too, grumbling and cursing. Eurylokhos, Odysseus' brave second-in-command, walked methodically between the benches, shaking those who refused to get up with a large hand. More cursing ensued from his rough wake up.
Polites turned away from where Eurylokhos was attempting to wake an oarsman who was--in all appearances--dead to the world. Toward the back bench Polites walked, where the youngest member of their crew still slept.
"Elpenor, get up," Polites muttered, shaking his friend's shoulder. "It's morning."
Elpenor grumbled, shoving Polites away. "G'way… 'm tryin' t' sleep…"
Polites rolled his eyes, grinning. "Get up, or I'll take the flat of my sword to you."
Elpenor laughed that time. "Why don't you just get Eurylokhos over here as well? He seems to enjoy abusing sleeping innocents too."
"Just get up." Polites laughed, grabbed Elpenor's cloak, pulled it off him and half-ran down the length of the ship. His sleepy friend followed, naturally, reaching toward his source of warmth, though the sun was fully risen and the day had finally started to warm.
The other men were in a group around Eurylokhos on the beach, talking loudly. When Polites and Elpenor drew closer, their voices could be heard clearly over the lapping of the waves.
"Where is he?"
"Why did he abandon us? Has some monster eaten him in the night?"
"What do we do now?"
Eurylokhos wasn't as clever as Odysseus, but he was loyal and true, and Polites silently applauded his handling of the situation. Soon Eurylokhos had quieted the men, and had begun to assure them that Odysseus would return soon. Before the men had a chance to become anxious again, Elpenor spotted their captain coming down the side of the cove, dragging a huge buck behind him.
For the first time in what must have been weeks, Polites saw real joy spreading across his comrades' faces. It didn't last long.
The next morning, Odysseus called his men together and divided them in two, placing Eurylokhos in command of one group. The two men drew for which company would explore and which would stay behind. Polites knew it was fair, but, Gods above, he wished he wasn't in the group of explorers.
Elpenor caught Polites arm as Eurylokhos' company began their trek. Elpenor's eyes were bright, his cheeks wet. He was in the group to stay behind. It struck Polites at that moment how young his friend was, and how much he had already been through. Elpenor was neither very good in battle nor very clever, but he had a good heart. For all we know, Polites thought, I could be heading into imminent death. Clapping a hand on Elpenor's shoulder, Polites attempted a smile, and followed the rest of the company toward the center of the island.
oOo
"Thaddea! Someone's coming!"
Thaddea sat bolt upright with as much grace as a startled nymph can manage. She had almost been dozing, staring up through the leaves of her favorite tree. Her friend and fellow handmaid was practically flying across the glade, her curls of blond hair streaming out behind her, her skirts above her knees.
"Gods above, Charissa, what are you on about?" Haidee questioned loudly, rising out of the nearby stream.
"She says someone's coming," replied Thaddea, more subdued. People just meant another set of victims for their mistress. The nymph sighed, brushed a strand of auburn hair out of her chocolate eyes, and turned back to where the youngest nymph was still babbling.
"There's at least a score of them, all men, headed right--"
"What's going on?" Halcyone, Circe's senior handmaiden, had swept down from the trees into the clearing.
"Chari says that a group of fresh meat is on the path to this very clearing."
"Haidee, please try and be more of the gentle nymph I know is hidden in you somewhere," Halcyone sighed. She acted exasperated, but Thaddea could see her grey eyes smiling. "I'll let Circe know." And with that, the eldest nymph turned toward the stone house, dark locks swinging behind her.
Thaddea stared through the leaves of the tree for a long time, while Charissa giggled and chattered and Haidee made indelicate remarks. At last, Halcyone returned to tell the three of them to go into the house. As soon as the dark haired nymph had returned to the stone build from whence she came, the three younger women hid in their customary place behind the bushes to watch.
Charissa was right, Thaddea noted, there were at least twenty men who entered the clearing, but only one caught her eye. He was near the front of the group, watching the house warily with clear blue eyes. His light hair hung in waves a little past his shoulders. He moved with a friendly grace, and Thaddea could tell that he was well liked among the other men. Simply, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
"Thaddea, what are you doing?" whispered Haidee fiercely in the brunette's left ear.
"Nothing," Thaddea replied, still staring at the young man.
"You're staring. Blatantly. "
" 'Dee, I know you're a romantic, but you know that we aren't supposed to interfere…" Charissa whispered almost desperately from Thaddea's right. From within the house, Circe began to sing. Thaddea continue to watch. She couldn't let him be turned into some… pig. She wouldn't let Circe do that to him. She just… wouldn't. Struck by a sudden impulse, Thaddea started to stand up. It would be so easy just to tell him not to go in, not to take Circe's potion. So easy…
On either side of Thaddea a hand reached up and pulled her roughly back behind the shrubbery. "NO!" the other nymphs hissed. Thaddea blinked. She could have sworn he had looked at her, in that second when she had risen above the bushes, brown eyes meeting blue. Now all Thaddea could do was watch while her mistress transformed these innocent men into beasts. She stared at her delicate hands lying in her lap, tears starting to form in her eyes.
OOo
Polites stared at the bushes in astonishment, and blinked a few times. Standing behind them a moment ago was a girl, with unsurpassable beauty. Long auburn hair framed a porcelain face set with deep brown eyes, eyes staring right at him. But then she was gone, as though never there in the first place. Shaking his head, Polites turned toward the house, suddenly noticing the song wafting out of it. Just inside was a beautiful woman, singing, and weaving fanciful colors into a gorgeous tapestry. The men around Polites were silent, until he stepped forward and spoke, smiling as the enchanting music wove itself through his mind.
"Friends, there's no need for stealth; here's a young weaver singing a pretty song. Shall we greet her?"
The men agreed and the company walked into the enchantress's house, dazed by her song. They swallowed without question the drink she gave them. Then, in a wave of her staff and a flash of light it was over, each man turned to a squealing pig, to be penned in front of Circe's house. Their human minds remained however, and as Polites the pig lay in the mud in the corner of the pen, one thought ran through his mind: My fault, my fault, my fault…
oOo
Thaddea was sitting by the pen, silent tears streaming down her face, when Charissa sped back into the clearing, curls flying. "One of them got away!" she said excitedly, sitting down on the grass next to Thaddea. "The tall muscular one. He went back to the cove and told his captain about everything and now Odysseus--that's the captain's name--is coming back here to rescue the rest of his men!"
"WHAT?" asked Haidee, incredulous, emerald eyes wide. "You little gossip!" She swung down from the tree so she hung upside down on the lowest branch, her blue-black hair almost touching the ground.
"And now," Charissa continued, smiling broader, "Hermes himself spoke to Odysseus and told him how to beat Circe, and he's on his way right NOW."
"It never ceases to amaze me how you know these things," Haidee said, flipping down gracefully from her branch so she was seated next to the other nymphs.
"And you're not going to tell her? Circe, I mean?" asked Thaddea, speaking up for the first time since the Pig Incident, as it was lovingly referred to by Haidee.
"No." Charissa's stared at Thaddea, appalled. Thaddea shrugged and leaned back against the fencepost, sneaking glances at one of the pigs, who was watching her with oddly human eyes.
That evening, after all was said and done, and Odysseus had made Circe swear to do no more harm to him, Thaddea and the other three nymphs waited upon him. Circe had made it clear that they were to treat him as royalty. The rest of the night however, was spent in the corridor; eavesdropping on to the conversation in the dining hall and listening to Haidee make lewd comments about Halcyone bathing Odysseus. Thaddea wasn't really listening to either, until Odysseus asked to see his men again, and Circe acquiesced to his request. At that, Thaddea rushed to the door just in time to see Circe wave her staff and return the men to their natural state. And there he was, taller and more handsome than ever, surprise etched into every line of his face as he stared at his own skin.
oOo
Polites couldn't believe it. He was human again, something he thought would never happen. The men around him cried out in joy, running toward Odysseus, their relief clear on their faces. The witch, Circe, seemed changed, and she requested that Odysseus bring the rest of his companions to her house. Circe must have changed, Polites thought, for Odysseus agreed, and returned shortly thereafter with the rest of their shipmates. Elpenor ran toward Polites, overjoyed to see his friend alive and well. Polites was glad too, but his mind was elsewhere; it still lingered on the beautiful maiden who had sat by the pen crying for him. He knew she worked for Circe, that much was certain, but all other information about her eluded him. Who was she?
That night Polites feasted with the rest of Odysseus' men and Circe, and the next night and the next. Two beautiful nymphs waited upon them at dinner each night, and though the bubbly blond seemed quite taken with young Elpenor, neither of the nymphs was the one Polites had seen on his first day at Circe's house.
The next day he saw her. She was walking among the trees by a stream, humming something to herself. Polites called to her and she ran off through the trees. Cursing himself for startling her, Polites hurried after her. "Wait!"
She spun around, hair glinting in the dappled sunlight, and then smiled when she realized who it was.
"I didn't mean to startle you." He grinned sheepishly. "I am Polites, a crewman of Odysseus."
"I know." She smiled shyly. "I'm Thaddea, one of Circe's handmaids. And a nymph." Thaddea took a step forward, almost apprehensively. "Will-- will you walk with me?" She indicated the path running along the stream. Polites nodded, and began walking, his smile broader than it had been in a long time.
oOo
Seasons pass by quickly in Circe's house, especially to a nymph. For a year--too short a time for Thaddea--Polites and the other men stayed with Circe, feasting and reveling. Thaddea spent all of her time with Polites; talking, laughing, loving. He told her about Troy, and the war, Ithaka, and his long journey up until he reached Circe's island. She told him of naiads, dryads, witchcraft and life on Aiaia. Many hours were spent lying on the grass staring up through the tree branches at the bright wheeling heavens, looking at constellations.
When a year had passed, Odysseus told his men that they were to leave the next day for the land of the dead. According to what Circe told him, it was necessary so that they could finally return home. Thaddea was sitting under her tree, watching the leaves flutter in the breeze, when Polites came to her. He sat beside her on the grass, and took her slender hands in his.
"I-- I have to go," he said, his voice sorrowful. "We leave tomorrow for the land of the dead."
Thaddea just looked at him and said nothing, tears trickling down her cheeks. It was just like what cynical Haidee said would happen; one day he'll up and leave and forget all about you. Except…
"I'll come back for you. I'd take you with me, but it's-- I wouldn't want you in danger. I'll come back, I promise. Once we get back to Ithaka, I'll take the first ship I can find and I'll come back for you, I swear it! Please, Thaddea, believe me. Wait for me."
"I'll wait," Thaddea promised, looking up through her tears.
That morning the ship was loaded, and a strong wind filled its sails as it glided out of the cove into the open sea, across the sparkling waves. The ship returned, in time, for a brief visit to the island of Aiaia. Thaddea rushed to Polites and seeing that he was alive and well, wrapped her arms around him and held him as though she would never let him go. However, in the morning the ship was to set out to sea again, so soon after it had arrived. Thaddea came down to the cove to say goodbye, and Polites promised again to come back for her.
"I'll wait," Thaddea whispered as the wind blew the ship out of the cove. "I promise."
oOo
He promised he'd come back for me. He said he'd sail back to this island, so he could be with me. He promised he'd come back. Why would he lie?
I said I'd wait for him. I've waited so many years; the seasons passing seem the same. I said I'd wait, and I will.
Maybe he waits for me, at the gates of Hades.
Gods, I mustn't think that.
Just keep waiting.
oOo
----fin----