#odylenus

so, for starters, i should clarify that i'm working on a novel where Helenus and Odysseus interact plenty, but in that universe there's no sexual or romantic tension.

Odysseus captures Helenus and works to get information about Troy out of him, alternating between showing him scraps of kindness, trying to reason with him and appeal to his intelligence, and straight up torturing and humiliating him. i've posted before about how every time i see Odysseus mischaracterised to be better than he was, i make him worse, and uh. i see a lot of mischaracterisation. my Odysseus has a sadistic streak, and when his pride is wounded, he lashes out.

their relationship is a back-and-forth; Helenus' spirit is never fully broken and he enjoys taunting Odysseus. and he wins in a way: prophecising that Odysseus'his son will kill him and planting a seed of paranoid that will fester with time. i've posted snippets on my main showing their dynamic here (short one) and here (longer and regarding said prophecy).

many years after the war, Helenus is ruling Epirus when Penelope comes to him. she knows he is a prophet. she tells him that suitors are beginning to gather in Ithaca, insisting she take one of them as her husband. she asks Helenus to tell her: is Odysseus still alive? will he ever come home? so long as he will, she will wait for him, however long it takes. but if all hope is lost, she will resign herself and remarry.

Helenus looks to the future and sees a glimpse of Odysseus with Calypso, sleeping with her unwillingly, before setting off to try and reach home. he could lie, persuade Penelope to remarry, destroy Odysseus' marriage. for a moment, he's tempted. instead, he reassures her Odysseus will return.

his vision of Odysseus with Calypso has unsettled him. Andromache says it's only fair- he is responsible for the rape of all the Trojan women, and now he knows how it feels. but Helenus argues that rape is not a punishment, and nobody deserves it, no matter how bad they are. it seems almost like he's projecting. Odysseus never showed that kind of interest in Helenus, but Diomedes... for three days Odysseus was away, collecting Pyrrhus and Philoctetes as Helenus told him to. in that time, Diomedes was in charge of him. he won't speak about what transpired in those three days.

a few years after Odysseus returns from his, well, odyssey, he and Penelope visit Epirus to negotiate trade and alliances. needless to say, it's extremely tense. Andromache and Deidamia have their own reasons to hate Odysseus, so Penelope ends up the main negotiatior, as nobody has bad blood with her.

over drinks that night, Odysseus observes that before he was captured, Helenus could be hedonistic, impulsive, immature. he never expected to rule, and was secure in his privilege as a god's favourite. what he went through changed him, made him the thoughtful, empathetic, levelheaded man he is today. he's a good ruler. so maybe it was all worth it? Helenus traces the scars on his face with his right hand, where he is missing his last two fingers. he knows Odysseus is right in a way, but he still walks with a limp, still wakes screaming some nights. he won't offer him the mercy of forgiveness. Odysseus will have to live with what he has done. he watches the way Odysseus eyes Telemachus mistrustfully. he could tell him: he's not the son who will kill you. but he doesn't.

that's where their story ends for me.

however! i do think there is great potential with Helenus/Odysseus in other universes, and i can rotate several conflicting plots in my head. i've written fic for them before where it's incredibly fucked up and toxic (content warning! heed the tags!) but i also think it could go a more nuanced way.

1) what if Odysseus got somebody else such as Diomedes to take on the "bad cop" role while he plays the kind, reasonable one, tending to Helenus' wounds? would Helenus fall for this tactic? absolutely not. but despite him knowing better, he might grow attached anyway. loneliness and desperation are powerful things. and what if it becomes more than a tactic to Odysseus? what if he also gets attached as he gets to know Helenus? what about when the war ends and they have to go their seperate ways?

2) what about before the war? while the Greeks and Trojans are still trying to reach a way to resolve the mess with Helen and Paris, Odysseus would be sent as an ambassador, and Helenus, with his skill for languages, might catch Odysseus' eye. he would be youngish at the start of the war, 16 in my timeline. Odysseus in his mid twenties. but that kind of age gap is nothing unusual to the ancient greeks. what if, believing everything will be resolved, the two start spending time together, and eventually they sleep together.

to Odysseus, it's a way to pass the time with a pretty boy who can carry a witty conversation, but to Helenus, this is his first real relationship outside of Apollo. the feelings start to deepen. but then it becomes clear that the Trojans won't return Helen, and the Greeks ask for too much, and they're forced to break off what they have and stand on opposite sides. over the course of ten years, they surely cross paths on the field of battle from time to time, but they keep their distance, and never come to blows. when Odysseus captures Helenus, he knows he needs to get information, and he knows Helenus won't give it up easily. can he bring himself to do what needs to be done?

3) this one is a bit of a wildcard, but consider an AU where Odysseus washes up not among the Phaeacians, but on Epirus, ruled by Helenus. he goes to the palace to throw himself upon the king's mercy, only to realise he knows that king, and despite ten years and a lot of stress, Odysseus is still recognisable.

Helenus isn't unreasonable. of course he will help Odysseus get home. Ithaca isn't even that far. but that can wait a few days, until the weather is better for sailing. in the meantime, Odysseus can stay in the palace.