Odysseus had just gotten past that monster, and finally, his homeland was in sight. Soon, he would be able to see his Penelope and his son, Telemachus. How would they react? He hoped they would forgive him for the delay. After 20 long years of trials, he was finally about to return home.
As he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he didn't notice a light engulfing him.
He opened his eyes to find himself in a strange room with some kind of giant whiteboard. Looking around, his heart nearly stopped: those... were his men? Polites, Eurylochus... but how were they alive? Was this a divine illusion to bring him more suffering?
Athena and Hermes were there too, as well as Circe and... Calypso.
What was happening in this place?
Meanwhile, in the waters near Ithaca, Poseidon was wondering why there was an empty raft floating in these waters.
"What is going on here?" Odysseus demanded. "I was so close… Tell me, Hermes, wasn't that monster the last challenge?" His voice was louder than it should have been, his hand gripping the top of the bag of winds.
Hermes was at a loss, which would normally be impossible for the god of travelers. His descendant looked older than he should; the last time he had seen him, his foolish crew had killed one of Helios's sacred cows, which had enraged him immensely, but his father had forbidden him to watch any further, fearing he might try to interfere—as if he could defy the king of the gods.
Athena was confused. Why did Odysseus look so old? She hadn't left him that long ago... or had she? Perhaps her isolation from the mortal world had muddled her sense of time. Or maybe she had simply spent too much time with Odysseus; he tended to exaggerate dates, always adding or subtracting some units of time for dramatic effect or to try to convince and deceive someone.
Circe's mind froze for a moment. One minute she was in her palace, enjoying an incredible meal prepared by one of her nymphs, and the next she was in this place, surrounded by unfamiliar faces—Lady Athena, the man she had helped some time ago, and... Hermes. Her expression darkened a bit; why was he here, exactly? Circe could already feel a headache coming on.
Penelope's eyes filled with tears. She would recognize her husband's voice, no matter how much time had passed, and now she could hear it. But this time it wasn't just a memory as it had been for the last 13 years. If only she could get past the 600 of her husband's men who had magically appeared there with her... She would panic about the situation after their long-awaited reunion.
Eurylochus was on guard. What was that light that had suddenly transported them to this place? They had been starting their journey back home when, suddenly, they were here. His captain looked completely different, and the place was strange. Eurylochus hoped they could reach Ithaca without any more problems; he missed his wife. But for now, he would stay on guard, ready for trouble.
Polites was disoriented. One moment he was on his way to talk to his best friend, and the next he was in a new place with all his friends and some strangers. Odysseus looked exhausted; Polites felt sorry for his best friend. His large beard and hair and ragged clothes made him look like a beggar. Well, he supposed his friend could use a bath; he didn't want to spend the entire journey with his captain in such a state—his other companions were already enough.
The rest of the crew didn't know what to do and were just whispering among themselves.
Ctimene was excited; she could hear her brother's voice in the distance, and judging by the number of his crew members, her husband must be nearby too. She was eager to scold the two idiots for making her wait so long; the journey from Troy to Ithaca shouldn't take this long. Now, if only she knew which of the two idiots had the sense of direction of someone without eyes or ears...
Calypso was happy that the man she had found on her island's shores was awake. Unfortunately, there were too many people around them, but perhaps she could convince him to find a secluded spot where she could make her move.
Telemachus was simply excited about all these new faces around him; they looked interesting, and that man who had shouted a little way ahead had a voice that sounded strange but familiar. Did he know his father, perhaps?
Odysseus was losing his patience. Hermes and Athena were just looking around, not bothering to answer his questions; Circe alternated between glaring at Hermes and looking around; and Calypso was giving him that look he hated.
As he prepared to make more demands, another unknown voice spoke first.
"Hello, hello hello, is this thing working?" a strange man's voice seemed to echo throughout the place. He quickly added, before anyone could say anything, "Everyone, say 'what' if you can hear me."
"What?" Odysseus could hear several confused voices, including his own.
The mysterious voice laughed to itself as it said, "It never gets old hearing you all say that." The voice cleared its throat to compose itself. "Anyway, welcome to my cinema room," it said proudly, as if expecting praise.
"What's a cinema?" Odysseus heard a child's voice coming from behind the crowd, and he couldn't help but agree with the question.
"Ah, yes, you don't have cinema yet. Truly dark times…" They felt a bit offended. Just because their world was a bit harsh didn't mean they were in dark times; this was in the era of the Titans, after all.
"You'll understand soon enough. For now, I think some reunions are in order." After saying that, two lights flashed from where the child's voice had come from, and then Odysseus found himself face to face with the goal of his last 20 years.
He wasted no time wrapping his arms around his wife; the weight of his journey seemed to lighten as he finally felt the warmth of his beloved again. He didn't even notice when his tears began to stain Penelope's beautiful dress, but at that moment, it didn't matter.
Penelope felt her strength returning, and the depression she had been drowning in finally seemed to lift. Her husband was here, her Odysseus. She couldn't hold back the tears that fell onto her beloved's hair.
"Mother, who is this?" Telemachus felt his confusion growing. Who was this man? Why was his mother so emotional about him? And why did his presence feel so familiar?
Odysseus felt Penelope release one of her arms from the embrace and turn toward the boy. "Oh, Telemachus, come say hello to your father."
Telemachus's world seemed to slow down, the word "father" repeating in his mind as he looked at the man, who turned to look back at him. On his face was an expression of joyous realization, and Telemachus finally understood why he felt such familiarity with this man. Without hesitating, he joined the embrace.
Odysseus was now certain this was no illusion; the familiar warmth of his wife could never be replicated. This was his Penelope and his little Telemachus, his son, there with him. In that moment, Odysseus felt he was the happiest man in the world.
Suddenly, everyone could hear sniffles echoing throughout the room. "It's such a beautiful scene... I couldn't be more moved." The voice sounded as though it might burst into tears at any moment. Ctimene, who was holding Eurylochus in a headlock after another emotional reunion, noticed.
"But I didn't bring you all here just to reunite you; I brought you for something even better," the voice said, growing more excited. "I'll be having you all react to dear Odysseus's journey here."
"My... journey? Why, exactly?" Odysseus was confused and a bit apprehensive. Would his wife hate him for his actions? And his sister? Oh, his poor sister… when she found out what happened with Eurylochus, she'd be devastated.
"Simple. I've been given permission to alter the fate of your world a bit, so by showing your journey, I hope to help you," said the voice, leaving everyone intrigued.
"See, I come from a very powerful race of beings, mind you, who frequently get bored. So, with some effort, I managed to convince those who oversee your dimension to change your destiny in exchange for our entertainment," his voice was animated, as if he hadn't just said something only a worshiper of Dionysus would think of.
"And at certain intervals, I'll allow you to ask questions or clear up doubts," he quickly added, before Athena could open her mouth to start questioning.
"Another important thing: some of you are from different times, so to avoid spoilers, your voice will fail if anyone tries to say something about the future that could ruin my experience."
Right after that statement, everyone found themselves seated on various sofas and chairs, all facing a specific wall.
Odysseus thought he might have some problems later.
Athena hoped to learn a few things and find out what had happened to Odysseus; just because she was angry at him didn't mean she didn't care about him.
And Hermes was eating something delicious he found in a gadget in the corner of the room. Apparently, this food was called popcorn. For some reason, it seemed perfect for the situation.
"Oh, and one last thing: your story will be told as a musical."
"What do you mean by a musical? And what in Hades is a musical?"
He didn't get an answer before the screen lit up.