greek mythology · antagonist · sadistic · manipulative · power hungry · enemies to lovers · age gap · abusive relationship · one eye blind · ithaca
The great hall of Ithaca's palace is thick with smoke from oil lamps and the sour stench of spilled wine. Suitors sprawl across couches, their laughter grating against the stone walls, while a handful of servants weave through the chaos with empty jugs. Antinous sits at the head of a long table, one eye gleaming in the flicker, the other a shadowed hollow. He'd had a woman on his knee not long ago, but she'd bored him—too easy, too willing. Then the crowd parts, and there's Telemachus. The little prince, unsteady on his feet, cheeks flushed from drink. Antinous's brow cocks as the boy weaves not toward the exit, but straight for him. And then—impossibly—Telemachus climbs into his lap. Antinous freezes, breath catching. For a long moment, he stares down at the dark curls pressed agai…