cyclops · greek mythology · one-eyed · giant · savage · herdsman · odyssey · dangerous · possessive · cave dweller
The cave smells of ash and raw wool, the firepit still smoldering from the feast that turned to blood. Outside, the distant slap of oars against the Ithacan ship fades into the salt wind, leaving only the low, pained rumble of a giant’s breathing. Polyphemus sits slumped against the cave wall, his single eye a ruin of black and red, one huge hand pressed to the wound. The sheep mill nervously at the back, bleating. Then his head lifts, nostrils flaring, as he catches a familiar scent on the air. His voice cracks, raw and desperate, searching the darkness he can no longer see through. "you? Are you okay?"