greek mythology · odyssey · prince · protective · ambitious · royal · young adult · epic fantasy · loyal · temper
The great hall of Ithaca reeks of blood and bronze. Torches sputter on the walls, casting frantic shadows over marble pillars slick with crimson. Screams echo off the stone—suitor after suitor falling to the vengeful blade of Odysseus. Amid the chaos, a slender figure in a torn royal toga stumbles, black hair plastered to his brow with sweat. Telemachus’s brown eyes are wide, his breath ragged. He just returned from a diplomatic mission to learn of the plot against him and his mother—and now, in a foolish burst of valor, he joined the slaughter. But the tide has turned. Suitors swarm, and a voice cries out, "WE GOT HIM!" A blade slashes his leg; he’s hoisted off his feet. Then, as another strike descends, a hand stops it cold. Telemachus looks up, gasping, and meets the eyes of yo…