“What do you mean he hasn’t been home since yesterday morning? We haven’t seen him since the day before, either-”
“Politeeesss!!”
“He has to be somewhere in the forest, I can’t imagine where else he would be.”
“I suppose we all overestimated just how well he knew the woods around here.”
“He might not be lost. Maybe he’s gotten stuck somewhere. Or hurt, or sick.” “He might not be lost. Maybe he’s gotten stuck somewhere. Or hurt, or sick.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to think about it. Curse him and his habit of exploring alone. I’m gonna go back to the palace, get a hunting dog or two. You keep looking for him, and we’ll meet up by this tree in half an hour, okay? Then we’ll search out farther.”
“Got it.”
Bark! Bark!
“Politeeesss! Where are you?!”
Hnghhh…
Polites slowly, wearily cracked open his eyes. The light from between the cracks in the rocks had grown brighter. And there were voices outside, so loud that they made his head ache worse, in perfect harmony with his throbbing ankle.
Is that…
“Polites!”
He cleared his throat, and called as loudly as he could without tearing his throat to shreds; it cracked anyway, halfway through the shaky plea; hoarse from spending half the night crying for help. “O-Ody? Eury?”
Another bark, frantic shushing. Then the voice again, clearer this time, hope overpowering anxiety. It was Odysseus. “Polites?!”
Thank the gods. Polites shivered and leaned closer to the cracks between the rocks. “Over here! The-”
He cut off with a choked gasp before coughing stole the rest of his breath. Frantic but hushed clamoring made its way closer to his unintentional hiding spot.
“Polites, are you in there?” Eurylochus this time, and the heavy thud of knees hitting the dirt. If Polites twisted and squinted through the cracks, he could see his knees, another pair of sandals, and a dog’s paws dancing around. “Are you okay?”
“I’m-” Polites faltered. No, he definitely wasn’t fine. And if they had been looking specifically for him, there was no point in lying. “N-no. I…I’m stuck. I was exploring this little cave and something shifted and the landed on my foot, and I think another trapped me in here. And it’s cold, I…” he wheezed weakly. “Can you get me out?”
“Yeah, of course!” Odysseus’ voice joined in, telling the dog to stay put. “We’ll get you out. Stay calm. We’re here now.”
Polites had never heard words so comforting. He leaned back against the cold, rough rock as more tears bubbled up from his chest, but now they were in relief rather than the fear of dying a slow, lonely, stupid death. Perhaps his mind had run away with him a little, but he hadn’t known if he was going to be found.
Odysseus’ voice cut through his anxious thoughts again. “Gods, we’ve been searching for hours. It’s almost noon, when did you get trapped in here?”
“I…” Polites shuddered again. The boulder scraped ominously- no doubt Eurylochus was putting his all into heaving it aside with brute strength, and Odysseus perhaps strategizing to use a tool to help. “M…maybe since last night? Before the sun went down.” It had gotten so cold and dark in this scary little cave.
“You don’t sound good. Are you sick?”
“I-I don’t know, I haven’t-”
“Hang on, hang on, I’ve got it-” Eurylochus’ grunt interrupted, and the cracks of sunlight wobbled. Polites covered his head, for a moment terrified it would fall on him.
Then the boulder was slowly dragged away from the entrance. And there were his friends- Eurylochus flushed and panting, Odysseus already peering into the hole to find him in the darkness. A brown dog poked his head into view as well, long snout sniffing around the edge and letting out another yap that made Polites’ head pound, like, yup! Found him!
“Oh, gods, you look a mess,” Odysseus remarked as he wasted no time crawling into the foul-smelling cave with Polites and examining him closer. Then he turned his attention to his ankle, and the rock it was partially stuck under- Polites hadn’t been able to reach it in his precarious position. Odysseus hefted it up with a grunt, and the movement was almost more painful than letting it stay like that.
“You’re free?” Eurylochus hovered on the outside, and at Odysseus’ nod, he reached down for Polites- both arms extended. Polites probably could have crawled out on his own, but he reached up and wrapped his shaking hands around the warm muscle, and with a little unhelpful push from Odysseus, he was hoisted free from the little tomb he was sure he’d gotten stuck in for the rest of his life.
Polites collapsed with a gasp against Eurylochus’ chest, more shaky than the simple movement would account for. Odysseus followed out and made himself busy with keeping the now frantic hunting dog away while Eurylochus pulled back and looked him over.
“I think Odysseus is right- you do look and sound terrible,” he muttered, examining Polites’ bruised and swollen ankle before checking his head. “You’re warm. You must be starving, too.”
“Damn, we should have brought food,” Odysseus grumbled, standing up. “Can you walk, Polites?”
“What should he need to walk for?” Eurylochus answered before Polites could even process the question, and strong arms wrapped under Polites’ knees and back. The suddenness with which he was hoisted into the air made him dizzy, and he closed his eyes. “Unless you’d prefer piggyback?”
Polites managed to shake his head. He didn’t want the responsibility of holding on to anything. As they started moving, it took him a moment to remember the previous comments. “I’m more thirsty than hungry…”
“Oh. Oh! I did bring water!” A beat of rustling, and a waterskin was shoved into Polites’ hands. He almost dropped it. “Take all of it. We’re only about an hour’s walk to the palace. Thank the gods we had this pup to track you with, or we might have never found you.”
Odysseus kept talking as Polites drank, a soothing chatter combined with Eurylochus’ chest moving with even, slightly burdened breaths to promise he wasn’t alone. He could even hear the occasional pant of the dog, and the way Odysseus patted it on the head.
When Polites went silent again for a time after draining the waterskin, Eurylochus carefully adjusted him to be more comfortable. “Your mother will be very happy to see you, though perhaps not in this state. She was the one that alerted us to your absence this morning, and we’ve been searching for you since.”
Polites pressed his face- or as much of it as he could without agitating his stiff neck- into Eurylochus’ shoulder as he shivered in the burning midday sun. Eurylochus’ gait faltered.
Odysseus’ voice cut through. “Are you crying?” It held a tone of disbelief and surprise, but quickly gave way to a retraction of his judgement. “I mean- that’s understandable, actually. Don’t worry, we’re gonna go home and get you cleaned up. Stuff some food in you.”
“See to that ankle,” Eurylochus added, his steady pace resuming.
“Tell your mom you’re alright.”
“Have the royal physician check you for fever.”
“And snake bites.”
“And bug bites.”
“A sore butt.”
“Chapped lips.”
Polites couldn’t help but laugh through his tears as they kept adding on with increasingly ridiculous suggestions, completely burying his weak attempts to brush off their remaining plans to help. “Thanks, thank you…”
“Don’t thank us, friend. You clearly need it. You look like a cave goblin,” Odysseus chuckled, and Polites felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. Eurylochus did the same with his entire body.
Polites fell asleep on the way home. He woke up halfway through a warm bath administered by gentle hands- he didn’t know whose, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know right now, so he just kept his eyes closed and trusted they wouldn’t let him drown when he fell asleep again.
He woke up again in a soft bed- likely a guest room in the palace, and his mother waiting by his side. She hugged him and scolded him with equal ferocity, forced him to drink some broth, and he felt her kiss against his head as he wandered away again to Hypnos’ domain.
