The fires crackle in the quiet night. “You ready, brother?” A man asks. The man wears a thin fabric wrapped around his head and a golden helmet above it. He’s larger, burly, but kind. “Yeah, I think I am… How about you, Elpenor?” the younger man asks. Elpenor shrugs. “I dunno, but all I do know is that these damn Trojans are about to regret messing with us for the last decade.” He replies. Another man approaches, this one older with a large white beard. “Elias, are you prepared?” Elpenor asks. Elias nods. “Yes.” He says bluntly. Finally, a strong and muscular man approaches them all. He’s tanned, with short black hair and a large, wide broadsword slung over his shoulder. “Elpenor, Elias, prepare to storm the gate… Perimedes, you’re with me.” He says. The soldiers all salute, standing tall for the man. “Yes, Sir!” They whisper aggressively. Perimedes looks on as his two friends head to the other side of the gate, turning his attention to the tall commander. “Eurylocuhs, how about you? Are you ready?” Perimedes asks. Eurylochus nods. “I was born for this, Peri.” He replies. After a short while, the sounds of fighting come from beyond the gate. “Ready…” Eurylochus commands. Perimedes grips his sword tightly, his reflection catching his eye. His messy brown hair, slight beard, and young blue eyes. Suddenly, the gate is opened, and the city of Troy burns around them. “NOW!” Eurylochus shouts, charging into the fray. “FOR ITHACA!” He shouts as he runs.

  Elias and Elpenor hesitate but follow as Perimedes charges after Eurylochus. The swords clashing around him excite Perimedes. He grins. He locks eyes with another Trojan and the two charge at each other. Perimedes swings his sword down, and the Trojan blocks it. He kicks Perimedes in the chest plate, knocking him to the ground. The Trojan then prepares to stab him, but Perimedes slices at one of his legs. Blood sprays and the silver blade of his sword is bloodied with the Trojan’s own. Perimedes jumps up and thrusts the sword down into the Trojan’s neck. The Trojan's helmet rolls away, revealing a younger man with brown hair and blue eyes, almost resembling Perimedes. He gasps and stumbles backward. He looks up to find another Trojan about to slice through Elpenor’s neck, and lunges in to defend his friend. “Peri! Glad you’re still with us!” The big man shouts. Perimedes nods and kills the Trojan. Elpenor and Perimedes defend each other while Eurylochus storms the palace’s entrance. Elias follows him but is caught in the back by a stray arrow. Perimedes follows the trajectory, noticing an archer atop the city’s walls. “Elias! Behind you!” He calls out, and Elias gets up slowly, turning and firing an arrow at the archer, killing him easily. Another arrow flies towards the older man, hitting him in the right eye. He flies back, and Elpenor shouts in dismay. Another Ithacan soldier rushes over to protect him. “You two! Over here! Grab one of those Trojan’s shields and protect me!” he demands. Perimedes nods, grabbing the shield off of the soldier he killed. He protects the soldier from arrows while Elpenor staves off the onslaught of Trojans. “Who are you?!” Perimedes asks aloud. The soldier looks up at him, his green eyes barely peeking out from under a red headband wrapped around his forehead. “I’m Polites, and I intend to save this man’s life. Keep those arrows off of me!” Polites shouts, and Perimedes nods.

  Eurylochus rushes up to the palace doors, kicking them in. “Odysseus, where are you!?” He shouts. A shorter man with long, curly hair appears. His beard indicates he’s older, and he wears a special helmet confirming his identity as King of Ithaca. “Eurylochus! Where’s your squad?” He demands. Eurylochus looks over his shoulder. “Out there, keeping those Trojans out of your way. You head up to the Prince’s chamber, I’ll keep this area secure.” He says, his voice tired. Odysseus shakes his head. “No, you go help King Nestor find and protect Helen… we don’t need any more enemies in this fight.” He commands. Eurylochus nods, and Odysseus heads up the stairs. He sighs, looking over his shoulder in dismay. “Where is he?” He asks himself. As he walks, he can hear someone following him. He draws his sword and prepares for a fight. He rushes up to the top of the stairs, backing towards Prince Hector’s chamber door. Suddenly, a stabbing pain persists throughout his chest. He looks down to find a sword sticking out of his stomach, and a ghostly figure holding it. The phantom vanishes, and Odysseus looks around frantically. “Who was that…?” He asks aloud, and the night sky is parted by a beam of light. A man’s face stares at Odysseus and grins. “Hello, Mortal. You just saw a vision of your future if you don’t kill that enemy behind that door.” He says. Odysseus narrows his eyes, examining the beam of light. “Helios.” He says. Helios chuckles and moves beside him. He wraps an arm around the King of Ithaca, leaning on him. “Ody, buddy, you need to kill the monster behind this door. If you don’t, well, you can say goodbye to that beautiful wife of yours back home. And that son of yours, too.” He says. Odysseus’s eyes widen. “Penelope… Telemachus…” He whispers. Helios nods. “Yeah, they’re destined to die if you don’t kill the son of Hector… hate to break it to you.” The God of The Sun says. Odysseus nods. “I can do it.” He says. He walks around Helios, resting a hand on the doorknob. “I don’t think you are, but remember what’s at stake, King Odysseus.” He says coldly, vanishing with the light. Odysseus opens the door, and his heart shatters. A cot, sitting right next to the window, with a small infant sleeping inside. He looks around for any other combatant, and much to his despair, finds nobody. “It’s… you…” He says, walking over to the child. He looks down at him, finding the name of the boy engraved on a metal plaque above his head. “Astyanax… I’m so sorry…” He says, grabbing the infant by the bedding he’s snuggled up with.

  With the fighting dying down, Eurylochus finds Perimedes, Elpenor, and a wounded Elias being tended to by Polites. “Thank the Gods the arrow was fired from across the city… if it went any deeper, we would have had to burn you along with the Trojans!” Polites jokes, and Elias laughs. “Where’s the King?” Eurylochus asks, and Permiedes removes his helmet. “I don’t know, but I’m just glad we’re all safe and sound. And hey, if King Odysseus was slain, you can be King of Ithaca.” He says, smiling at Eurylochus. He glares at Perimedes instead, shoving him in the chest. “You put respect on my Brother-in-Law’s name, Perimedes, or I can have you burned as well,” Eurylochus says coldly. He suddenly laughs, and the others laugh as well. Elpenor gasps, pointing up to the highest window in the palace. Perimedes follows his friend’s pointer finger, spotting a man carrying a baby across the room. He emerges on the city’s wall, overlooking the whole city. “Is that… Odysseus?” Polites asks, standing up. Elias joins him as well, and the group watches who they assume to be the King walks with the child. He heads up to the nearest guard tower, and upon reaching the top, he raises his hand to the sky. “Helios! I offer this boy as a sacrifice to ensure we make it home!” He shouts and drops the boy from atop the tower. Polites looks away, and Elias reassures him. “It probably wasn’t a child.” He says, his deep voice soothing the medic. Eurylochus and Permiedes rush through the crowd of soldiers only to find a small, red splatter on the ground, the body of the infant covered by the bedding. “Holy shit…” Eurylochus says softly, and Permiedes feels vomit rising in his throat. “My Gods…” he mumbles, backing away from the infant’s corpse. “My Brothers!” Odysseus calls out from atop the castle wall. Everyone looks up at him, listening to their King. “I offered this boy as a tribute to the Gods, ensuring we make it home safely! Now, return to our ships! Split the spoils of this war with the other Kings, and prepare to return home!” he orders. The brave soldiers of Ithaca slam their heels to the ground, shouting “Yes, Sir!” To confirm their loyalty. Perimedes heads back to Elpenor, Elias, and Polites, with a look of concern on his young face. “It was. It was a damned child…” He says, heading back to their ships. Elpenor looks over his shoulder as they head back, catching Odysseus wiping a tear from his eyes as he walks back to Hector’s chamber.

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  The ship rocks back and forth in the sea, the waves crashing against the fine wood used to craft the hull. Eurylochus and Odysseus talk to each other, with Polites resting on the bow of the ship, keeping watch for remnants of the Trojans or their allies. “I think the Captain’s gone soft…” Perimedes says softly, and Elpenor perks up. “Huh?” He asks, wiping his eyes. Perimedes sighs. “I hope you had a good nap. I can’t sleep, knowing what King Odysseus did to that child.” He replies. Elpenor yawns, covering his mouth. “I know… I was exhausted, though. I hope the kid’s parents are okay.” He says. Perimedes scoffs. “You know who that was, Elpenor? That was Astyanax, the Lord of the City, son of Prince Hector. His family is probably more worried about the city we sacked over his wellbeing.” He says coldly. Elias clears his throat, offering bread to both perimedes and Elpenor. “I imagine they’re still grieving, Perimedes. Even if they are royalty. Imagine how King Odysseus would react if someone threw Telemachus off of the wall of Ithaca… He’d be devastated. Right?” He asks. Perimedes shrugs. “Probably. I wouldn’t care as much… but that’s just me.” He replies. Elias sighs, and Elpenor shakes his head. “You speak that way now, but wait until someone you care about is slain… you’ll care then.” He says. Perimedes shrugs. “Oh well. Is this all you could spare, Elias? Are we running out of food?” He asks the older man. Elias takes a deep breath, clearly calming his nerves. He speaks slowly. “Use the past tense… I was on my way to the King to tell him we were out of food… the surplus was depleted during the sacking. We gave away too much to the other Kings.” He says. Permiedes rolls his eyes, falling back on his cot. “Amazing.” He says. Elias nods, standing up. “I must tell the King. I’ll come back when he has a plan.” He says sternly, heading above deck.

  “Eurylochus, tell me what happened in the city while I dealt with Astyanax,” Odysseus says. Eurylochus scoffs. “I will, Captain, if you tell me why you threw that boy off of the wall.” He replies. Odysseus sighs. He turns away, noticing Elias approaching him. “Elias! What seems to be the issue?” He asks, noticing Elias’s look of concern. “Captain… we are out of food. Our supply is gone.” He says. Eurylochus chuckles. “I knew we gave away too much to the other Kings… you need to think more of your own, rather than the others.” He says to Odysseus. The King frowns. “Eurylochus, though you may be my second in command, I am still your King and Captain of this vessel. The other eleven ships I command listen to me, not you. Now, instead of snide remarks, how about you give us ideas on how to solve this issue.” He says. Eurylochus frowns, resting his chin between his thumb and pointer finger in thought. His eyes light up. “Captain, we won the war, we don’t need to ask for permission! Let’s raid the first city we come across, and take the food for ourselves!” He exclaims. “What!? Hell no! You said it first, the war is over! Leave the bloodshed behind, let’s just ask them for some help instead!” Polites argues. Eurylochus frowns at this suggestion and turns to Odysseus. “Sir, you can’t possibly think-” “Let’s do both. Polites and I will venture ahead to ask whoever we find for some food. If they refuse, that night we shall storm their city and take what we need.” Odysseus says. Eurylochus sighs. “You can’t expect me to agree…” he says. Odysseus smiles, resting a hand on the tan man’s shoulder. “I don’t expect you to, but I hope you’ll at least give me a chance. After all, you are my brother-in-law. Imagine what Ctimene would say if I told her how stubborn you’re being.” He says with a laugh. Eurylochus chuckles, and nods. “Fine. We’ll try your plan, Sir.” He says. Odysseus nods. “Polites, where is the closest town?” He asks. Polites rushes over to the map table, examining it for a moment. “Based on where Troy was, and how long we’ve been sailing, I’d say… the port city of Ismarus!” he says. Odysseus nods, walking over to the edge of his raised portion of the deck. “Men! Prepare to head for the port city of Ismarus!” he shouts. The men rowing nod. “Yes, Sir! Full speed ahead!” They shout in unison and the ship’s speed increases.