As Odysseus stands there, still in shock, he looks down upon Polites' lifeless body, tears starting to fall down his face. As he stands there, though, he feels a hand on his shoulder, and it's shaking him slightly, trying to gain his attention. He suddenly starts to hear Eurylochus calling out to him. "Captain... Captain? Captain! CAPTAIN!" As his final yell reaches Odysseus' ears, the captain's eyes fill with a glare of determination mixed with rage. He begins to give orders to his men. "We must move quickly. We don't have much time. He didn't notice I mixed lotus in his wine." He says, the scene suddenly having a phantom appear behind Odysseus, showing him mixing the lotus he had been given earlier into the wine right before he gave it to Polyphemus. "Mark my words now: this is not the end." Eurylochus suddenly asks a question, pain and sadness mixed with confusion on his face as he does so. "But, captain, what'll we do with our fallen friends?" Odysseus grips his blade tightly, his knuckles growing white as a few more tears fall down his face. "Remember them. When the fire begins to fade for the fallen and afraid, we are not to let them die in vain. Remember them!" He says, the soldiers saying it at the same time, nodding in agreement, rage on their own faces. Odysseus can't help but see the body of the poor soldier whose name he never learned that was bitten in half in front of him, right beside of Polites, as he says those words. "We're the ones who carry on the flames of those who've gone and our comrades will not die in vain!" He cries out, the soldiers echoing him.
Odysseus begins to walk over to the cyclops' club, starting to cut pieces of its handle off, slowly sharpening it. "I need all our hands on his club!" He yells, the soldiers running over to help him. "This is how we're getting out of here: use your swords to sharpen the stub... and turn it into a giant spear!" Odysseus says, Eurylochus smirking, his face filled with rage and a determination to get revenge on this cyclops, as he and the soldiers all yell out as one. "Let's kill him!" They say. Odysseus shakes his head, disagreeing with them. "His body is blocking the path! If we kill him we'll be stuck inside!" He says, Eurylochus and the others finishing up with the club, having turned it into a rather strangely shaped spear. It'll work, though. They had left the point of the spear in the fire of the cave, heating it up for the past few minutes. "Captain, where do we attack him?" Eurylochus asks, all of the soldiers beginning to prepare to move the club-turned-spear. Odysseus smirks and points directly at the cyclops' eye. "We gotta stab him in the eye!" He says, Eurylochus and all the soldiers replying with a resounding "Yes sir!" As they begin to aim their spear. It's large, and unwieldy, so it takes all of them to lift it "Remember them!" All of them say at once, continuing to aim the spear. "When the fire begins to fade for the fallen and afraid, we are not to let them die in vain... Remember them!" They cry out, Odysseus joining them as he uses his shoulder to support the back of the club, helping it be moved. "We're the ones who carry on with the flames of those who've gone! And our comrades will not die in vain!" They say, as they start charging forward, the spear aimed right for Polyphemus' eye. "NOW!" Odysseus yells as they get close, signaling everyone to let go of the spear as they throw it, its burning hot tip slamming into the eye of the cyclops with ease.
The cyclops yells in pain, roaring as it tries to move its hand around, trying to get enough of a grip to stand up. "SCATTER!" Odysseus yells, letting everyone know to get away from the cyclops, who could still kill anyone it got its hands on. Suddenly, other voices appear. They're clearly from other cyclopes, and not from any of Odysseus' crew. Terror fills everyone's hearts, as they begin to wonder if they'll survive this. The cyclopes appear outside of the cave entrance. It appears like there must be at least 20 of them. They ask a single question to Polyphemus. "Who hurts you?" They wonder, as Eurylochus' face and voice fills with horror. "There are more of them?!" He quietly whispers, as the cyclopes ask their question once again. "Who hurts you?" They question, as Odysseus whispers to his men, a single, quiet command. "Hide." He says, choosing to hide himself in the same shadows where Polyphemus had hidden his club earlier. "Who hurts you?" They ask yet again, as Eurylochus gulps and whispers to Odysseus. "Captain... we should run..." He quietly says. Odysseus smirks, as he says a single word to Eurylochus "Wait." He says, his smirk not wavering. The cyclopes ask their question one last time, wondering why Polyphemus hasn't answered them. "Who hurts you?" They ask, getting a little worried. Eurylochus' fear is just growing, as he doesn't want to die. "Captain, please!" He says, and Odysseus glares at him, getting slightly angry that Eurylochus won't listen. "Wait!" He harshly says, and before Eurylochus can talk again, Polyphemus finally speaks, clutching at his face in pain, his missing eye causing excruciating amounts of it. "It was Nobody! Nobody!" Polyphemus says, still on his knees in pain. The other cyclopes turn and begin to leave. "If nobody hurts you, be silent." They say, as they leave Polyphemus alone. Polyphemus, terrified at the thought of being alone, begs the other cyclopes to stay. "Don't go!" He says, heart filling with fear. Odysseus smirks, whispering to his crew. "Let's grab the sheep and away we go!" He says, as suddenly, everything around him seems to freeze in place. Odysseus looks around, wondering what's going on.
As Odysseus looks around, he sees Athena, and she speaks, slight anger in her voice as she tightly grips her lance. "Have you forgotten the lessons I taught you? He's still a threat until he's dead. Finish it." She says, glaring at Odysseus. He responds with a single word. "No." He says, and Athena gains a confused and frustrated look on her face. "No?" She asks, her glare seeming to grow in intensity. Odysseus sighs. "What good would killing do... when mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to use?" He asks, a tired look appearing on his face. "My friend is dead! Our foe is blind! The blood we shed, it never dries! Is this what it means to be a warrior of the mind?" He says, turning away from Athena as he leaves the cave. Athena gains a worried look on her face as she reaches towards Odysseus, trying to stop him as he walks forward, shouting "Don't!" Unfortunately, it's to late, as Odysseus turns around, facing the cave, and he yells. "Hey cyclops! When we met, I led with peace, while you fed your inner beast, but my comrades will not die in vain! Remember them! The next time that you dare choose not to spare, remember them! Remember us! Remember me!" He says, smirk returning to his face as he boards his ship, along with some of the sheep he brought from Polyphemus' cave. He's still covered in the blood of his fallen comrades, making him look genuinely insane. "I'm the reigning King of Ithaca!" He confidently yells out, as he signals the ship to begin to sail once more. All the other ships follow this order, though one of them doesn't move as quickly, as most of its crew had been killed in the battle with the cyclops. They were already down almost half a ship. "I am neither man nor mythical!" He says, as he sees the cyclops is still in his cave, having difficulty standing, let alone moving around. "I am your darkest moment! I am the infamous... Odysseus!" He cries out, as the scene turns back to the cave. Polyphemus sits up, facing the direction of Odysseus' ship as a sickening smile appears upon his face, blood running down from his eye socket.