Odysseus and his crew can be seen rowing their ship forward, the sail drawn closed. He begins to speak to the crew. "Friends, Circe's instructions were clear. No matter what we hear, full speed ahead!" He says, his crew joining in with him on the last three words. "Until we find the prophet." Odysseus then states, taking a deep breath before continuing. "My comrades, this land confuses your mind... So no matter who we find, full speed ahead!" Odysseus says once more, his crew joining again on the last few words. "Good." Odysseus states, and suddenly, everything around him and his crew seems to change, even the water, as they enter the Underworld. Everything around them is covered in fog, and the water seems to be gray, yet glowing, and it's filled with faces, all of them having expressions of agony upon their face.
As the crew continues to row the ship forwards, many of the souls begin to reach up and try to grab the ship, some of them not having hands to do so, and thus using their ripped apart skin and wounds to do so, only for the force of the rowing to knock them off. Odysseus closes his eyes, gritting his teeth, as he begins to speak. "All I hear are screams..." He says, wincing slightly as he actually hears a violent scream come forth. "Every time I dare to close my eyes. I no longer dream... Only nightmares of those who've died." Odysseus says, quickly opening his eyes as the memory of Poseidon's trident crushing a ship enters his head at the same time as he remembers seeing Polites get crushed by the cyclops. "Nothing's what it seems!" He cries out, his crew echoing him. "Nothing's what it seems!" They say, continuing to row their ship forwards, knocking the souls in the river beneath them away. "And here in the Underworld the past seems close behind..." He says, slight anguish filling his voice as the crew nervously looks around as more fog begins to appear. "This land confuses your mind..." They anxiously state.
Suddenly, Odysseus grips his head as if he has a headache, and closes his eyes once more. The crew look at him, worried expressions on their faces, but Odysseus doesn't notice that as he opens his eyes, hearing the voices of his dead crew speak to him. "When does a man become a monster?" They ask, before suddenly, Odysseus sees the dead crew members appear in front of him within the water, some even grabbing the ship. "Five hundred fifty eight men... Who died under your command..." They say, the water seeming to lap around them, almost as though it's trying to drown them once more, as Poseidon had drowned so many of Odysseus' crew. The spirits start calling out to him, fear and anger tinging their voices. "Captain! Captain! Captain! Captain!" The dead crew yells out, as one of the dead crew members climbs onto the ship from the side, angrily glaring at Odysseus as it drags itself towards him, its guts hanging out from its torso, as its legs are missing entirely. This is clearly the soldier who'd been bitten in half by the cyclops. Before it speaks, another soldier appears in the water right in front of Odysseus' eyes. This is the one who was stabbed by Poseidon's trident, based on how there's a large hole in his chest, and his limbs are twisted as though he'd fallen from a great height. He glares at Odysseus as well. The entire dead crew asks a simple question, the two soldiers Odysseus never even learned the names of seeming to lead them as the one bitten in half grabs his leg while the one who had been stabbed by Poseidon grabs him by his chlamys. "Why did you let the cyclops live when ruthlessness is mercy?" They all cry out.
Odysseus shoves them away from him, anger filling his voice as he speaks once more. "All I hear are screams... every time I dare to close my eyes..." He says, starting to look utterly exhausted again, the crew partially joining in with him, as though they're trying to warn themselves not to close their own eyes. Odysseus gains a panicked look as he continues speaking. "I no longer dream... only nightmares of those who've died..." He says, the crew once more looking at him with worry even as they join in with him, their own nightmares of seeing friends die in front of them coming to the front of their minds. The crew, still looking at Odysseus, speak once more. "Nothing's what it seems!" They say, only for Odysseus to echo them this time, something he hasn't done before. "Nothing's what it seems!" He says, as the crew looks around, rowing through more souls in the water below them. "But in The Underworld, the past seems close behind." They state, Odysseus gripping his hair, almost as if he's about to tear it out.
As Odysseus paces around the ship, gripping his hair, he begins to speak his thoughts out loud. "I keep thinking of the infant from that night... I keep thinking of the infant from that night!" He cries out, when suddenly, he hears a familiar, but faded, voice. "This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms..." The voice states. Odysseus, shocked, turns to look to where the voice is coming from, and there, sitting in the spot Polites normally sat in when rowing the ship, Odysseus sees his old friend. The spirit of Polites smiles, and Odysseus, shocked, merely speaks his name in confusion. "Polites!" He says, sadness and excitement both tinging his voice as he gains a nearly hopeful expression on his face. Polites' spirit merely continues smiling as it speaks again, standing and walking over to Odysseus. "Whatever we face, we'll be fine if we're leading from the heart!" The spirit says, finally standing directly in front of Odysseus. It gently wraps its arm around Odysseus, the same way Polites had when they had left the Lotus Eaters. "No matter the place, we can light up the world. Here's how to start: Greet the world with open arms! Greet the world with open arms!" Polites' spirit says, before vanishing just as suddenly as it had appeared. Odysseus, shaken by this, gently reaches an arm out towards where he had last seen the ghost, quietly saying his name. "Polites..."
Before Odysseus can reflect for too long on what he just saw, the ship suddenly slows down, as if something is pushing back against it. Odysseus hears yet another voice, this one even more familiar than that of Polites, but one he hadn't heard since before he left for war. "Waiting..." The voice states, as Odysseus looks around, trying to spot where it's coming from. "That voice... It can't be..." He quietly states, saddened by the very sound of the voice, fearing his suspicions, hoping that he's wrong. "Waiting..." The voice says again, and suddenly, the person comes into view. They're sitting down in a chair, skin wrinkled, eyes ever so slightly open, but weariness obvious upon their face. Yet, despite how tired they seem, they also look like they're hopefully anticipating something. Odysseus, shocked, can only utter a single, questioning word. "...Mom?" He asks, not sure that what he's seeing is real, or rather, he's hoping it isn't, though he knows it must be. The spirit smiles, fully closing its eyes, laying back in its chair. This was Anticlea, Odysseus' mother, and all he can do as he sees her spirit is begin to cry silently, tears falling down his face as Anticlea talks once more. "Waiting... Odysseus, when you come home, I'll be waiting... Even if you're the last thing I see, I'll be waiting..." She says, Odysseus reaching out to her, tears of sorrow falling down his face. "I'm right here, mom!" He says, hoping Anticlea will notice him. She keeps speaking, though, seeming to not hear him at all. "Waiting..." She says again, as Odysseus tries to speak to her, more tears falling down his face. "Can't you see, I'm..." Before he can speak, Anticlea opens her mouth, and she and Odysseus speak at the same time, Odysseus' voice full of sadness, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she'll notice him. "Waiting..." They both say at the same time. Odysseus collapses to his knees as he speaks once more. "I took too long..." He states, gripping his chest as he feels an ache deep inside. This isn't a physical pain, no, it's a far deeper pain, an emotional, spiritual one.
Even as Odysseus looks towards his mother's spirit, she speaks once more, her words simply filling Odysseus with nothing but regret. "I'll always love you..." Anticlea states, soft smile on her face. Odysseus talks again, the full sorrow he's feeling entering his voice. "...and ventured too far..." He says, reaching out for his mother's spirit one last time as she slowly starts to leave his view, the ship moving forward at its normal pace yet again. "I'll stay in your heart..." Anticlea says, her smile seeming to slightly grow, as if the very thought of her son fills her heart with joy. Odysseus tearfully speaks again. "While you were..." Feeling slightly choked up, he can't finish his words as Anticlea joins in again, both of them speaking at the same time. "Waiting... Waiting... Waiting..." He says, collapsing once more, turning to try and catch one last glimpse of his mother as the ship keeps taking him away from her spirit. "Bye, mom..." He sorrowfully says, slowly standing up as her spirit fully leaves his sight.
Once he's fully standing again, Odysseus angrily yells, his anger at his mother's passing while he was gone mixing with the sorrow of all the comrades he'd lost as he does so. "All I hear are screams!" He cries out, his crew echoing him. "All I hear are screams!" They yell as well, continuing to row through the souls. "Every time I dare to close my eyes!" Odysseus angrily yells, the crew joining in with him on the last five words. Odysseus marches forward, fiercely grabbing the mast of the ship as if to help calm himself. "I no longer dream!" He screams, the crew echoing him yet again. "I no longer dream!" They yell, starting to row with even more force than before, as if they're fighting with the water they're in. "Only nightmares of those who died!" Odysseus states, the crew beginning to speak again. "Nothing's what it seems!" They yell out, Odysseus echoing them this time. "Nothing's what it seems!" He angrily states, as he and the crew all begin to speak at the same time. "But in The Underworld, your past is always close behind! Your past is always close behind... down in The Underworld!" They all say, as the ship comes to a halt so abrupt it nearly causes them to fall overboard.