polyhexianbirb reblogged

tel/ody/pen stuff i’ve had in my silly brain for a while

first off i see everyone talking about how long it takes for telemachus to get used to odysseus actually being there and getting to know him as a person rather than a legend, but.. however. the first ‘i love you’s. cause odysseus is used to telling telemachus he loves him. i mean thats his kid, he knew him as a baby, and he knew he loved telemachus. but like. tel doesn’t know odysseus. like he does, but barely. he knows odysseus is his father and he’s used to the idea of that, and he knows he’s supposed to love him, but they missed 20 years of each other’s lives. so? when doesn telemachus tell ody he loves him?? great question. it happened 8 months after odysseus returned, right after dinner and story time. it slipped out as telemachus left the dining hall and bid his father goodnight. it came naturally and telemachus didn’t even realize what he’d just said. odysseus was WRECKED.
for the first few weeks after odysseus got back, telemachus slept in his and penelope’s room. like they wpuld just NOT be apart. even after that they still never let each other out of their sight for too long. guys seperation anxiety and abandonment issues in this family are SEVERE but they do work through it it’s okay
once he’s comfortable, telemachus tells odysseus secrets and stories not even penelope knew about.
odysseus has a hard time seeing telemachus as an adult and not an infant. like it’s so weird for him to believe that the child he once held in his arms is a man now.
subsequently, odysseus and telemachus do a lot of infantile father-son things together. to make up for the years they lost. they skip rocks, swim in lakes, tell really stupid horror stories. and then they rule a kingdom as king and prince. they talk business, travel, kill suitors.
odysseus and penelope rule the kingdom EQUALLY!!!! this is so important because its set in ancient greece, when queens were typically only used to bear princes and to adorn the king. penelope has just as much say in what does and what does not happen in ithaca. they’re partners. in marriage, crime, and ruling.