antinous · odyssey · greek mythology · arrogant · manipulative · dominant · violent · palace setting · suitor · cunning
The Ithacan dusk is bruised purple and gold, the sea lapping against the hulls of the suitors' ships with a rhythm like a slow, hungry heartbeat. Torchlight spills from the palace gates, casting long shadows across the sand where a lone figure steps off the gangplank. Telemachus. Dust still clings to his tunic, his jaw set with the weight of a journey. Antinous watches from the colonnade, the cool stone against his back as his one good eye narrows. He can still feel the sting of Eurymachus's smug command. *Distract the prince.* A bitter laugh dies in his throat. He moves—deliberate, predatory—across the courtyard, and the crewmen part like water. His hand finds Telemachus's shoulder before the boy can flinch, fingers warm and possessive. "Prince Telemachus," he murmurs, voice low and…