DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains topics of eating disorders, vomiting and sleep deprivation. Reader's discretion is advised.
Odysseus learned a few things from Apollo while staying in his infirmary. One, Zeus treats him like a son and not a side piece like he does other omega mortals. Two, Ares is a creep and does treat other godly omegas like side pieces, almost worse than the mortal omegas. Three, if you don't have enough weight on your body, your heats stop completely because your body is trying to stay alive and reproducing under these stressing situations is bad for the body.
Odysseus liked that last note more than anything. Sure, his men starved, sure he was starving, but if it meant he didn't have to be used by Zeus, then the king was willing to pretend to eat and then throw it away. He didn't want to be a sex toy, even though that is what he signed up to do when giving himself to Zeus.
The Ithacan King made up his mind when he was handed a small portion of food.
"Your body will go into a thing called shock if you eat too much too fast at your weight. So this is a good portion to get you started," Apollo said, he looked tired as if he was up all night trying to figure something out.
Odysseus grabbed the fork, picking up a small piece of meat from the plate, "is everything alright?"
Apollo just sighed and put on a feigned smile. "Nothing you need to worry about, my family is just more friendly with types of intercourse than I'd like to think about."
Odysseus nodded, taking another bite, it tasted really good, he almost forgot to stop eating. He didn't want to gain weight, it was a bad idea to, even if Apollo said to do it as well.
"Was it Ares again," Odysseus asked, after chewing and swallowing and taking a sip of the drink Apollo kept by the bed at all times.
Apollo wiped his face, as if to say "when is it not Ares?" but remained silent about the subject.
"You keep losing weight," Apollo changed the topic. The weight of his words hung heavy.
"I'm trying my best," Odysseus responded.
"If you were, you wouldn't be losing this much weight, still. Not having your heats is taxing on your body, it needs practice each month to keep it healthy, to know that you are healthy. Once you start them again, we can look into finding something that will kind of stop them so that if my father tries anything, you don't produce any children," Apollo explained, gesturing to the plate.
"I'm sorry that my best isn't good enough," Odysseus responded. His food suddenly tasted bitter and disgusting.
"I know you're afraid, but please, my family gets to leave and do stuff, father, I mean Zeus, makes me stay here, I don't want to bury a person I consider a friend. Please, just eat," Apollo pleaded.
Odysseus faked a smile, nodding before taking a slightly bigger bite of his food, it fought its way down to his stomach.
Apollo woke with a start, sitting up. He rarely wore the covers on his bed in case the sound of gagging was echoing through his infirmary. And tonight was no different.
"I'm going to strap that fool to the bed and make him shit himself, I swear to the gods before and after me," Apollo grumbled, but found himself just standing outside of the closed door, listening to Odysseus vomiting.
The king was sobbing, maybe from the pain, maybe from missing his wife. Who knew? So, Apollo just decided to sit outside of the bathroom, listening. The god of healing was at a loss for what to do. How do you fix someone who is resistant to help?
The next morning, Odysseus woke to find himself in the same room, but Apollo wasn't there. Instead Hermes was. The face he wore was sad, and surprisingly old.
"Hermes," Odysseus rasped. He did too much last night, but then thought of Penelope, so he just went through the motions of getting the little bit of food and mostly water out of his system, but thinking about Penelope made the ordeal harder, so he let the tears flow. Apollo slept through it anyway, right?
"Apollo's worried about you," Hermes stated, he tried to wear a smile, but it just made him seem sadder, and older. "So, he's out but wants me to watch over you, make sure you eat and everything. No bathroom after you eat for about an hour though. And you need to eat at least half of the plate."
"Hermes, I-" Odysseus started.
"You will, that is an order from me, if you don't I'll force you," Hermes stated, his voice cracking.
Odysseus nodded, looking down when Hermes put the plate in front of him. He was being a child, he was making his friends sad by being selfish and childish. He didn't want to do that, but he couldn't eat the food, no matter how good it tasted at first, the thought of Zeus taking advantage of him, making him do stuff that he never wanted to do in the first place. He just couldn't.
But, he didn't want carefree Hermes and sweet, kind Apollo to force him into doing stuff either, especially when it hurt them to do that stuff. So, Odysseus ate half of the plate. It tasted okay, then gross, but he stomached it. He had to let the food stay there for an hour, but Apollo was his watcher, his minder, so if Hermes was doing that right now, then he couldn't just throw it up again. So, what was he supposed to do?
Apollo sat next to Hera's throne, the woman just sat there, working on some sort of small fabric item. The queen would glance at the horrid offspring that wasn't hers thinking that he was asleep, but then he would readjust his position and see that his eyes were wide open. He never sat in quiet solace for this long before, so the problem that he's working in his head must be more wicked than she thought. Hera was about to ask what was wrong until Apollo stood up.
Walking to the middle of the room, the younger god kneeled in front of the queen. He looked exhausted, he needed some sleep, but that wasn't her job to fix.
"Hera, please I need some help, or guidance, or something," Apollo started.
"You could have asked while you were sitting next to my chair, Apollo," Hera retorted, never looking up. "You look terrible, exhausted even. My husband asked you to take care of that boney concubine he has being fixed up, why is that wretched thing causing you trouble. If you want my guidance, dispose of it."
"But, it isn't up to you, I'm sorry, but I need guidance that doesn't resort to Odysseus being thrown off of Olympus," Apollo glared at a glaring Hera.
"Why should I help you if you talk to me like that, it's hurtful to a woman you know," Hera fake sobbed before going back to her fabric.
"He doesn't want to be Zeus' concubine," Apollo answered.
"Then he should not have offered himself to my husband to save the men who stabbed him," Hera responded.
"He doesn't want to bear Zeus' children and I think together we can help, as well as getting him to eat and get to a healthy weight," Apollo started. "This project, Zeus wants me to work on, is a mortal who lost everything from Poseidon, Aeolus, to even Zeus himself. He lost his way through Circe and Scylla as well. He needs a break, but refuses to give himself one. Please, Hera, God Queen, please aid me in saving this mortal from my father."
"Alright, bring me to the mortal king of Ithaca," Hera stood from her throne, resent flickering in her eyes, distant.