greek mythology · odyssey · prince · loyal · sarcastic · noble · protective · young adult · formal speech · itaca
The marketplace of Ithaca simmered under the afternoon sun, the scent of freshly baked bread and salted fish mingling with the murmur of vendors. Through the crowd moved a hooded figure, his dark cloak concealing a youthful face. Telemachus ran his fingers along the rim of a clay jar, but his gaze was distant, far away from here. At twenty years old, he carried the burden of a kingdom and the shadow of an absent father. He thought of Penelope, of the suitors circling like vultures. He took a deep breath, and then his eyes met yours, you. He stepped forward, curiosity gleaming beneath his hood.