Entries from a diary recently recovered on the island where Helios' cattle
once grazed.
First entry:
Having lost my original journal during the raid on Troy, I was forced to pick up this new one. The captain wasn't too happy about it. He was hoping that we could use the journals to make a story about the long war. "Something to share with our sons when we get back" he said. Poor man. His son will truly only meet him for the first time when we get home.
May Poseidon make our voyage a swift one. We have been away from home far too long.
Fourth entry
Funny, didn't we just come from a battle?
I have the worst headache. Not just from being hung over, but from hitting my head on the side of the ship while retreating from the armies of Kikones. Ugh, ten years of listening to Odysseus, and we ignore him not a week later. Why did we do that? Why didn't we retreat like he told us to?
Because we were drunk, that's why. Stupidly, horribly drunk. And so many of our friends died because of it.
As Zeus and the Gods of Olympus as my witnesses, I will never ignore Odysseus' orders again.
Sixth entry
Heh. Telykhamos still refuses to believe me when I tell him what he looked like after eating the lotos flower. Nor did he find my impression at all amusing.
We had to literally drag him from the flowers to get to the ship. And even then we had to dunk him and his compatriots in the ocean before they would wake up enough to be useful.
How powerful a flower it must be to erase thoughts of home so easily. Almost makes me wish I had tried it.
Almost.
Twelfth entry
I have been fighting war for ten years, and yet I have never feared more for my life then I do at this moment. The captian's faith in the goodness of others to strangers has placed our lives at the whim of a gigantic, one- eyed beast.
It figures that these Cyclopses do not listen to Zeus. A thunderbolt would do nothing to their tough hides. Like a rock they are.
How unlike Odysseus to be so trusting in going into an unknown place. I've never met a more canny and careful man. Maybe he's lost his touch over the war. As it is, I can only hope Athena graces him soon, for there is no way we will ever beat the brute in arms.
It's waking up. Damn it to Hades! This means two more of my friends for a meal. Or perhaps, me for a meal.
Thirteenth Entry
We're safe. For how long is anybody's guess. The captain came through, aye, came through with flying colors. I can only assume that he was inspired by our drunken state back on Kikones, but he gave the giant wine until the beast passed out.
Then we gouged its eye out with a pike we had made from a tree trunk among the monster's belongings. That was messy, very messy. Really, it's one thing to kill a man in the heat of battle, but it's quite another to gouge out a sleepers eye. Even if the sleeper ate all your mates
Enough of my squeamishness, whoever reads this will want to know the rest of our escape. Odysseus, that wily bastard, lashed us to all the monster's sheep, then clung himself to the largest ram. Without it's sight, the monster couldn't tell that we were escaping. "Odysseus, raider of cities" we call him! "Odysseus, master of disguises" more like!
Or "Odysseus, foolish braggart" maybe. The captain had to go and boast, didn't he? Now he has brought the wrath of the Earthshaker on all of us. The Earthshaker!
We are never going to get home.
Seventeenth
Maybe I spoke too soon. I can see the fires of Ithaka. Bless Aiolos, and the fair winds he provided. I'll see my son before the day is over.
Except, except that bag still bothers me. Aiolos gave it to the captain when we left his island. Why? Why did Odysseus get it? We fought too. In the Cyclops' den, I stood right behind him to gouge that thing's eye out.
Why does he get all the gold? It isn't fair.
"Why don't we share it?" Someone just asked. He's right. The captain's sleeping. We won't take it all. We'll just. spread the wealth.
It's only fair.
Twentieth entry
Didn't we just leave here?
And this time Aiolos won't help us. We are cursed, he says.
We are cursed men. I knew it, we will never get home.
Twenty-second entry
Now I know I have had every experience in the world. Waited in a horse, fought a monster. and turned into a pig. What power this witch has, I'll remember to have more caution next time.
Thank Olympus for Odysseus! Why did we ever doubt him? He has always been true to us. He wishes to be home as badly as we do.
Forty-third entry
A year. We've been on this island an entire year. What is wrong with the captain? Does he not feel a longing for home? Has he forgotten the Lady Penelope? What madness has the witch cast on him?
I will speak to him tonight. I will remind him of all that we have still waiting for us. This island is beautiful, but I still can think of nothing but Ithaka.
Hold, he's coming now.
Forty-fifth entry
O death. Death, everywhere How many more shades must the captain meet? This land of Hades is no place for the living. Just let us be gone from this place for ever more, and I will make offerings to Hades every seventh day from the moment I touch home again.
Forty-eighth entry
My, but the captain looked a fool, tied to the mast screaming for us to let him loose.
I'm amazed he trusts us so well, after we freed the bag of winds that was too take us home. He truly has faith in us.
Well, we trust him, don't we? Even after he angered the god Poseidon with his boasting, we still trust him to bring us home.
Forty-ninth entry
This may be the most dangerous thing we have ever faced. I have never seen a whirlpool that size. If we get too close, that's it for us. All of us.
Why is the captain taking up those spears? Does he know something we don't? Should we not have trusted him?
But, every time we don't trust him, it turns out he was right in the end. And he has always fought for us. And it looks like that's what he's going to do right now.
Fight for us.
I'm trusting you, captain.
Fifty-third (and final) entry
He may fight for us, but I think he asks too much. We are not all heroes such as he. We cannot go so soon after so many of us died. That monster. it made the Cyclops look friendly. No matter how Odysseus fought, even he was powerless against it.
And now he wants us to not touch the cattle? We've been here a month. We have no food, no wine, nothing. I would rather have died in the belly of that six headed nightmare then waste away such.
We will make offerings to the gods, to Helios when we return. We will ask forgiveness, and compensate him for the cows. He'll understand
The captain'll understand.
First entry:
Having lost my original journal during the raid on Troy, I was forced to pick up this new one. The captain wasn't too happy about it. He was hoping that we could use the journals to make a story about the long war. "Something to share with our sons when we get back" he said. Poor man. His son will truly only meet him for the first time when we get home.
May Poseidon make our voyage a swift one. We have been away from home far too long.
Fourth entry
Funny, didn't we just come from a battle?
I have the worst headache. Not just from being hung over, but from hitting my head on the side of the ship while retreating from the armies of Kikones. Ugh, ten years of listening to Odysseus, and we ignore him not a week later. Why did we do that? Why didn't we retreat like he told us to?
Because we were drunk, that's why. Stupidly, horribly drunk. And so many of our friends died because of it.
As Zeus and the Gods of Olympus as my witnesses, I will never ignore Odysseus' orders again.
Sixth entry
Heh. Telykhamos still refuses to believe me when I tell him what he looked like after eating the lotos flower. Nor did he find my impression at all amusing.
We had to literally drag him from the flowers to get to the ship. And even then we had to dunk him and his compatriots in the ocean before they would wake up enough to be useful.
How powerful a flower it must be to erase thoughts of home so easily. Almost makes me wish I had tried it.
Almost.
Twelfth entry
I have been fighting war for ten years, and yet I have never feared more for my life then I do at this moment. The captian's faith in the goodness of others to strangers has placed our lives at the whim of a gigantic, one- eyed beast.
It figures that these Cyclopses do not listen to Zeus. A thunderbolt would do nothing to their tough hides. Like a rock they are.
How unlike Odysseus to be so trusting in going into an unknown place. I've never met a more canny and careful man. Maybe he's lost his touch over the war. As it is, I can only hope Athena graces him soon, for there is no way we will ever beat the brute in arms.
It's waking up. Damn it to Hades! This means two more of my friends for a meal. Or perhaps, me for a meal.
Thirteenth Entry
We're safe. For how long is anybody's guess. The captain came through, aye, came through with flying colors. I can only assume that he was inspired by our drunken state back on Kikones, but he gave the giant wine until the beast passed out.
Then we gouged its eye out with a pike we had made from a tree trunk among the monster's belongings. That was messy, very messy. Really, it's one thing to kill a man in the heat of battle, but it's quite another to gouge out a sleepers eye. Even if the sleeper ate all your mates
Enough of my squeamishness, whoever reads this will want to know the rest of our escape. Odysseus, that wily bastard, lashed us to all the monster's sheep, then clung himself to the largest ram. Without it's sight, the monster couldn't tell that we were escaping. "Odysseus, raider of cities" we call him! "Odysseus, master of disguises" more like!
Or "Odysseus, foolish braggart" maybe. The captain had to go and boast, didn't he? Now he has brought the wrath of the Earthshaker on all of us. The Earthshaker!
We are never going to get home.
Seventeenth
Maybe I spoke too soon. I can see the fires of Ithaka. Bless Aiolos, and the fair winds he provided. I'll see my son before the day is over.
Except, except that bag still bothers me. Aiolos gave it to the captain when we left his island. Why? Why did Odysseus get it? We fought too. In the Cyclops' den, I stood right behind him to gouge that thing's eye out.
Why does he get all the gold? It isn't fair.
"Why don't we share it?" Someone just asked. He's right. The captain's sleeping. We won't take it all. We'll just. spread the wealth.
It's only fair.
Twentieth entry
Didn't we just leave here?
And this time Aiolos won't help us. We are cursed, he says.
We are cursed men. I knew it, we will never get home.
Twenty-second entry
Now I know I have had every experience in the world. Waited in a horse, fought a monster. and turned into a pig. What power this witch has, I'll remember to have more caution next time.
Thank Olympus for Odysseus! Why did we ever doubt him? He has always been true to us. He wishes to be home as badly as we do.
Forty-third entry
A year. We've been on this island an entire year. What is wrong with the captain? Does he not feel a longing for home? Has he forgotten the Lady Penelope? What madness has the witch cast on him?
I will speak to him tonight. I will remind him of all that we have still waiting for us. This island is beautiful, but I still can think of nothing but Ithaka.
Hold, he's coming now.
Forty-fifth entry
O death. Death, everywhere How many more shades must the captain meet? This land of Hades is no place for the living. Just let us be gone from this place for ever more, and I will make offerings to Hades every seventh day from the moment I touch home again.
Forty-eighth entry
My, but the captain looked a fool, tied to the mast screaming for us to let him loose.
I'm amazed he trusts us so well, after we freed the bag of winds that was too take us home. He truly has faith in us.
Well, we trust him, don't we? Even after he angered the god Poseidon with his boasting, we still trust him to bring us home.
Forty-ninth entry
This may be the most dangerous thing we have ever faced. I have never seen a whirlpool that size. If we get too close, that's it for us. All of us.
Why is the captain taking up those spears? Does he know something we don't? Should we not have trusted him?
But, every time we don't trust him, it turns out he was right in the end. And he has always fought for us. And it looks like that's what he's going to do right now.
Fight for us.
I'm trusting you, captain.
Fifty-third (and final) entry
He may fight for us, but I think he asks too much. We are not all heroes such as he. We cannot go so soon after so many of us died. That monster. it made the Cyclops look friendly. No matter how Odysseus fought, even he was powerless against it.
And now he wants us to not touch the cattle? We've been here a month. We have no food, no wine, nothing. I would rather have died in the belly of that six headed nightmare then waste away such.
We will make offerings to the gods, to Helios when we return. We will ask forgiveness, and compensate him for the cows. He'll understand
The captain'll understand.