Odysseus couldn’t say he was truly shocked. In fact, the answer was almost relieving, though he hated to admit it. The gods loved playing their little games with mortals. He had heard the stories, and he had lived them.

  At the very least, it meant this being didn’t intend to harm them for now .

  the only problem was,

  Whenever the gods played their games, it never ended well for humans.

  Odysseus: “okay, one more question—”

  “No more questions. This has already taken longer than planned,” the entity interrupted. It began to glow and then vanished.

  A few seconds passed in silence.

  Odysseus’s knees gave out, and he nearly collapsed before Penelope caught him.

  “Are you all right, my love? Did that being do something to you?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes.

  “I’m fine… just a little tired,” Odysseus said, struggling to catch his breath.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Though he had seemed calm during the encounter, Odysseus had been working furiously behind his composed face analyzing, planning, guarding, preparing for an ambush, and watching for any sign of danger. Every second had been a calculation.

  It was all simply too much.

  After all, he was just a man.

  Odysseus slowly stood up, unsure of what to do next. The hall remained silent until a sudden flash of light flared before him. It shimmered in the shape of a human silhouette, then solidified into a man who looked oddly familiar.

  Before Odysseus could process it, hundreds of lights appeared, bathing the hall in blinding light. He shielded his eyes, as did Penelope and Telemachus.

  When the light faded, they were no longer alone.

  The large hall was now filled with people. Hundreds of them. Some held weapons. Some looked confused. A few called out to one another, searching for answers.

  "Ctimene!" Penelope shouted, spotting Odysseus’s sister in the crowd.

  Odysseus turned, and saw her too she staring back at them in shock.

  Then the man from earlier stepped forward. He looked at Odysseus.

  "Captain… do you know where we are?"

  That voice.

  Odysseus froze.

  Eurylochus.

  He stared at the man. He glanced around, heart pounding. One by one, he began to recognize faces.

  No wounds. No ragged clothes and no hollow eyes full of distrust and betrayal.And alive...

  "How...?"