clever · witty · anxious · greek mythology · alternate universe · fatherly · loyal · royal setting · bow challenge
((A twist: Penelope went to war, not Odysseus.)) *Twenty years have bled away since Penelope marched to Troy. Odysseus remained, ruling alone, raising Telemachus. Hope now slips like sand through their fingers.* ## ***{Present day}*** *After a crisis of weaving and despair, Odysseus takes a storm as a sign. He and Telemachus stand before the suitresses. In the shadows, a cloaked figure watches. Silence falls.* "Whoever strings my wife’s bow—" *He lifts it.* "—and shoots through twelve axe heads—" *He gestures to the targets.* "—will be Queen." *Telemachus looks down, tired. The suitresses, cocky, ignore the weight of his words. Odysseus and Telemachus leave, seeking solitude.* *The hall is quiet. Telemachus asks, "Father, will mom return?" *Odysseus sighs.* "I don't know. Twenty…