A few days after the last battle, Agamenon, Diomedes, and a couple of others tried to rally all the Greek men for another fight. Odysseus could hear them on the ship's deck, shouting. Agamenon said, "Grab your spears, men. We still have more Trojans to kill." But Odysseus didn't grab his spear, as the idea of fighting filled him with no joy. In fact, it filled him with dread.

Diomedes said, "Us Greeks are stronger than those Trojans, but we have to keep fighting." But even though Diomedes was his best friend, Odysseus still didn't prepare for another battle. Instead, he stayed down below, in the ship's cabin. Images of the last battle consumed him, of blood everywhere of both Trojan and Greek. Of Hades carrying off more men than he could count.

Was the smell of blood still covering his hands? And what of the girl that Odysseus had killed a month ago, for their ships to sail in the right direction? Would the stain of her blood ever leave Odysseus? Certainly, she was merely Agamemnon's captive, but she was still a girl. Odysseus would have never thought he'd ever have to kill a member of the fairer sex. Such creatures were meant to be comforters to men, not someone to have a spear driven through their hearts.

Staring at the gold cloak his Penelope had given to him, Odysseus had to wonder if he deserved the comfort, it gave him. Every time he wore it; it was almost as if his wife were wrapping her own soft but strong arms around Odysseus. But would she want him when he returned?

Before he'd left, they'd both sworn that their love was more than one of Aphrodite's spells, but would his wife be able to love a man whose hands were not only stained with the enemy's blood, but a girl's, too?

Odysseus heart almost broke at such a thought, and before he knew it, his eyes filled with tears. Oh, Penelope!

Was that the sound of his name on the ship's deck? If Agamenon expected Odysseus to try to rally the Greek troops as he was doing, the commander had better think again. This was the man who'd accused him of not doing enough for their army in the last battle, despite all the Trojans Odysseus had killed even during the argument. Granted, he realized Agamenon was only saying the opposite of what the commander truly meant again, but it still hurt a little.

Especially as Odysseus still smelled the blood on his hands and couldn't stop thinking of how disappointed Penelope might be in him when he'd finally arrived home. Even Diomedes voice couldn't get Odysseus above deck. He simply wrapped his golden cloak around him, wishing he could believe his wife would do the same.

Suddenly Odysseus heard voices. Loud voices. Angry voices. Confused voices. Scared voices. A lot closer than before.

All the soldiers that Agamenon, Diomedes, and the others were trying to rally to fight the Trojans again were now swarming around the ship's cabin, right next to Odysseus. Was he expected to tell the men what to do now? How could he when he had no idea what to do himself?

What had happened to Athena's champion of strategy? Could she have abandoned him? As Odysseus pondered the terrible thought, the ship lit up, almost as if on fire.

Zeus threw his lightning bolt at the Greeks to aid his Trojan relatives, shocking all the men on the ship. The soldiers' voices grew louder and angrier, as they attempted to talk over Zeus. Thunder crashed next, as the god of the sky threw his lightning bolt as hard as he could. How long had Zeus been causing this terrible storm?

"How dare the mighty Zeus attack us proud Greek men?" said one man, grabbing his spear. Several men cheered.

"Does Zeus think we'll just give up because he's on the Trojan side?" said another holding his own spear in the air. Even more men cheered.

"No because us Greeks have Athena, the goddess of strategy on ours!" said a third. With that, all of the men raced to the battlefield.

Odysseus picked up his own spear and ran to battle. The others were correct. Athena would never desert him or the Greek cause, and they couldn't let Zeus's storm defeat them. Not when Helen still lay with Paris.

OOOOOOOOOO

But no matter how determined the Greeks were to fight, it soon became clear it was impossible to do so in the dark storm. The Trojans fared no better, even though Zeus had conjured the storm to aid them. The rain poured down so heavily that no one could see enemies from allies. Even when Zeus threw his lightning bolt, the glow was too quick to see much.

Athena would say there was time to move forward, and time to step back. Now it was time to step back. He could almost hear her, whispering in his ear.

"We need to call a truce for the rest of the night," Odysseus said to the tall shape he thought must be Agamenon, as men hurled spears and swords blindly. "Some of our men are attacking other Greeks."

The Trojans agreed to the temporary truce, and Odysseus once again wondered how he could have questioned, even briefly, Athena's dedication. As the goddess of wisdom, she was always right, and as Odysseus was her favorite mortal, the Greek cause would ultimately prevail.

But tonight, they will sleep. Odysseus made his bed on the ship with the other men.

OOOOOOOOOO

The next day, when Odysseus woke from his bed, Agamenon immediately threatened to leave. He prepared to steer their ships right out of the city of Troy, while his brother's wife still lay with Paris. Odysseus smiled inwardly, once again thanking his Penelope for telling him that Agamenon often used reverse psychology.

"How dare you say such a thing!" the other men said, preparing their weapons with extra vigor.

"We cannot give up this easily!" The men seemed ready to run off their ships into the next battle now. Athena would be pleased with Agamenon; his methods were almost as good as Odysseus's.

Except Diomedes, though an intelligent man as well, didn't understand Agamenon's methods at all. Enraged at Agamenon's threat to leave, he attacked the man, telling him he had no right to be their commander.

Watching for a moment, Odysseus's eyes widened as Diomedes and Agamenon punched each other in the face. He'd always thought Agamenon only fought with his brother that way. And didn't they just call a truce last night so Greek men wouldn't attack other Greek men? "No!" he said, shouting.

Both men paused in their fist fight.

"Diomedes, you don't know why Agamenon said what he did. Maybe he has a reason." Would Odysseus be blind to Agamenon's methods without Penelope's insight? He liked to think not; after all Odysseus was Athena's favorite for a reason. But Athena was fond of Diomedes as well, and the man was clueless at what Agamenon was truly doing to motivate the soldiers.

Where would Odysseus be without his Penelope, who was definitely as wise as he? She will still want him when he finally returns. The other possibility was too horrible to contemplate.

Diomedes and Agamenon finally climbed off each other, shrugging. Agamenon flashed Odysseus a thank you.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

Penelope sighed, wishing one of these young Ithacan men would thank her. In her husband's stead, she'd found trading partners that would give the island grain in return for fine wool and renewed other trading arrangements that had been intact for years.

Ithaca would not go hungry. On the contrary, it would remain a thriving port of commerce.

But the men, boys really, shouted at Penelope from her throne. "We should have another party!"

"You're keeping all of the grain for you and your son." Their faces were so red with anger, they almost reminded her of Ares. But Penelope wasn't afraid of them. After all, they were only slightly older than her Telemachus. And they'd never seen a real battle.

Once again, Penelope took a deep breath and said firmly, "We have just had a festival a couple of weeks ago to celebrate the new trading arrangements." Her mind flashed to the last festival, where everyone had danced, laughed, and enjoyed wine and great food. Every Greek loved a good party, and it had felt good to enjoy themselves while they'd waited for the war to end. "But I am keeping the grain for all of Ithaca to eat over the winter."

A lanky boy who would probably grow into a tall man in a few years shook his head. "Not likely. I think the real reason is because you just don't want to do so."

Were all men inherently impatient? How difficult was it to understand that now was not the time for another festival? "No matter what argument you use, my answer will be the same," Penelope said calmly, but leaving no room for argument.

"Party! Party! Party!" said another, jumping up and down as he spoke. The boy was swift, he might be compared to Hermes when he became a man.

"As I said before, there will be no party for now." Penelope would say it as many times as she needed to. And it looked as if she would need to a lot, considering the crowd of young men clamoring for attention near her throne.

It was a bit disappointing. She'd hoped to spend more time with Telemachus today.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Why must you spend all day on your throne, Mother?" Telemachus asked that night. Dinner had finished, and she wished to say goodnight to her son.

Penelope sometimes wondered the same. She'd always believed she was a patient person, but those young men were trying. "Because they won't take no for answer when I tell them we cannot have another festival so soon."

Telemachus's eyes lit up at the possibility of a party. "Why not? I loved dancing at the last one. We could have another and dance the night away again!"

Penelope smiled, picturing the look on her son's face as he danced. "I know, but if we have another so soon, there won't be enough food for the winter."

Telemachus sighed but nodded. "I see. You are wise, to think of such things, Mother."

Penelope immediately embraced her son, finally hearing what she'd wanted to all day. That someone understood her decision. How was it that he looked older just then then the young men in the throne room that had demanded her attention all day?