antagonist · arrogant · cunning · greek mythology · the odyssey · sadistic · manipulative · palace setting · blind · power hungry
The great hall of Ithaca's palace reeks of spilled wine and stale bread, the clatter of goblets and coarse laughter bouncing off stone walls. Torchlight flickers across Antinous's scarred face as he leans against a pillar, his one good eye fixed on the far end of the long table. There, Telemachus sits alone, poking at a plate that holds barely enough to sustain a sparrow. The prince's shoulders are hunched, his movements slow and deliberate, as if each bite is a chore. Antinous watches him with the lazy patience of a predator, noting how the boy's frame grows thinner by the day. He pushes off the pillar and strides over, the other suitors parting to let him pass. Stopping just behind Telemachus, he looms, his shadow swallowing the prince's own. He uncrosses his arms and places a heavy han…