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Odysseus (seasickness) wrote in forgotten_gods,
@ 2010-01-18 02:41:00

Entry tags:

odysseus, penelope

Who: Penelope and Odysseus
What: Home again, home again, jiggity jig.
Where: Their home in Ithaca, NY.
When: Afternoon, Sunday
Warnings: None.

"Home".

Odysseus snorted at the phrase that had been running through his mind when he had stepped onto the familiar dirt and the biting cold of Ithaca, New York.

"Home" never had such a freezing temperature close to making Odysseus into an ice cube that even his own sharp wits couldn't thaw him from. There were no land to farm, no olives to take from the trees and no warm sun of Apollo's to take a nap into. And while the man had his second thoughts about journeying out into dark waters once more, the lack of a shore with white sands and a crystal clear ocean made things even more painfully different.

So "home" was now a past, an image in his mind that would be forever remembered for as long as the gods saw it fit to be.

But while he was cursed to long for a place that he had but little time to enjoy before Hades called for his soul, Odysseus was blessed to have found his wife once more and to have her by his side.

And so it was the familiar relief and guilt routine that plagued his mind when he stepped through the front door and placed down his rucksack, eyes immediately searching for his wife.

Because home wasn't home, until he felt the warmth of his wife in his arms.

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the_earnest_one
2010-01-18 04:51 pm UTC (link)

It was not unlike Odysseus to disappear, it almost seemed natural as in the sound of his name against her lips. Penelope had spent most of their first born lives without her husband, and now that he was back a second time there was raising beat to her heart at the thought of his return. There had never been any reason for her to doubt him before, and she would not start doubting now. A month was hardly the twenty years she'd spent waiting, listening and dreaming of his face.

At the sound of that door opening her heart rushed, even as she walked gallantly like the Queen she was. Her arms circled around his neck as she pulled him in close.

"Welcome home, my husband."

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seasickness
2010-01-19 04:42 am UTC (link)

His arms followed suit, lining her waist as hands traveled up her back, pulling her closer - just what he needed to know that he was truly home.

"Thank you," he breathed out with the same breath that he had inhaled, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She smelled like the sea he longed for and even now, the olives of their true homeland.

Odysseus' growing stubble grazed against her smooth skin as he kissed her, gently, before releasing her just enough to gaze into her eyes.

"It's good to be home, my love."

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the_earnest_one
2010-01-19 05:00 pm UTC (link)

There was a smile line of tears that threatened to line her eyes, for what reason she wasn't sure. Holding her composure as the strong woman she was she did not allow them to fall on her cheek.

A memory passed her thoughts, of the time this man disguised as a beggar came to reclaim her hand in marriage and she knew not if it was really him. The mind could start to play tricks on a lonely woman's heart. She had spent many nights then out by the sea, walking along, laying on the beachy sand letting the tide that rushed to shore wash against her body to feel as if she had some connection to the man who stole her heart.

"Your welcome," she said in a soft whisper. "Odysseus."

Her hand passed against his cheek with a soft and light smile in her eyes when that kiss released her lips. She would always be the wife that he rushed to come home to, and no centuries or new ages could change that. She would always have a quiver in her stomach when he did return, a joy she couldn't explain.

The cold New York nights had reminded her of his absence, now she did not want to let go of his warmth.

"I am glad," she said proudly, embracing him again, letting her fingers wrap around his neck and tangle in his hair.

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seasickness
2010-01-25 03:31 am UTC (link)

His wife, his ever-loyal wife, didn't even have to speak for Odysseus to understand how much his presence meant to her.

He could feel it through her embrace and her slim fingers. He couldn't even voice his own need for her as a home, as one of the very few things in this world that he would care so deeply for. There never was a day passed that he did not thank the gods to know that she was still living - something to actually live for now that he was immortal like the gods.

"How are you? Anything happen when I was gone?"

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the_earnest_one
2010-01-25 04:47 pm UTC (link)

What would Odysseus have been without Penelope? What would she have been without waiting for him earnestly and with a wide open heart? She never doubted in him, and for what they had been through in the past, a month or two was of little consequence in comparison. She would have been a disloyal wife to have not greeted him with open arms, something she would always do regardless.

She hung on for a few moments longer before he asked her those questions. "I have been well, husband." She had been working on her textiles, preparing those few late winter shows before the new year braced. "I have kept busy with my textiles and a few winter shows before the new year started." Her fingers glided against the side of his face again, not ever having enough of seeing his face and having the ability to touch it so gingerly.

"And you husband?"

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seasickness
2010-03-02 03:09 am UTC (link)

It never amazed Odysseus to know of his wife's own mental strength, the way she was able to carry without his presence. Sometimes he wondered if she would be better off without him, as his tendency to roam placed them both at odds, for he did not always alert her ahead of time. But the fact of the matter was, that she was still here and the way she held onto him like that meant that he was still welcome home.

Odysseus smiled back at her, careful not to look tired as he was moments ago. It had been a long journey home, as it always was, but even if he had felt tired and worn upon entering the door, it melted away with the warmth of his wife's embrace and her touch on his face. He raised his hand and similarly caressed it, feeling the smooth feel of her skin under the calloused pads of his fingers.

"I am well now that I'm back, with you, Penelope. Though I fear if I keep standing, I may loose my balance soon. My feet are incredibly worn."

His eyes glimmered as he spoke his last sentence, close to giving away the craftiness that he was renowned for, but to his wife, it was only a look of playful mischief and nothing more. Quick and firm, the movements of his solid arms swept his wife into his arms as Odysseus made his intentions known, moving towards the stairs.

"So, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if we took this upstairs, would you? My feet tire, I feel it might be good to lie down."

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the_earnest_one
2010-03-16 07:10 pm UTC (link)

Penelope smiled playfully, having missed that spark in his words. To hear his voice. She would ask him if there was anything he needed, a hot bath, food, or something to drink, but in his mere gesture she knew there was little else he wanted at the moment but her company.

"Whatever you wish, Odysseus," she said in a faint whisper, her fingers playing in his hair as he ushered her into a new location. Once in the bedroom, she only chuckled lightly a glimmer in her own eyes.

She'd missed him, and everything about him. His hands, his kiss, his very presence. He would be foolish to fall on that bed only for sleep.

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seasickness
2010-03-31 06:21 am UTC (link)

Even with the settings changed, and the fabled tree no longer presiding over their heads once he had stepped into the bedroom with his beloved wife in his arms, Odysseus would have still felt at home and never misplaced.

There was no solid tree that could compare to what his wife meant to him. Always that guiding beacon awaiting him at home.

His eyes never left hers as he placed her onto the bed. A chaste kiss to her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, her hair - familiarizing himself with his wife through touch, smell, and what he remembered to be. He followed her onto the bed, his arms never far from holding her, and his lips never still.

"I wish to be forever at your side. You bring me peace and joy, all I ever need in this lifetime and the next."

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the_earnest_one
2010-03-31 07:27 am UTC (link)

The woman never gave up her strength, almost as if Odysseus saw any sort of slip in her character he wouldn't admire her as much as he did. That was a wayward thought, and one that rarely surfaced in her mind, especially when those touches seared against her skin, making her heart pump a little faster.

There were few men like Odysseus, and though they had been through trails and tests that a most marriages today faltered over; he was her rock.

Her eyes slid closed at the feel of his lips against her skin, her hands finding places on him to roam to familiarize herself.

When he threw out such romantics, she could hardly think of a reply, just feeling slightly overwhelmed with having his hands to touch. Their time together at times seemed shorter than the time apart, but when there were reunions such as this, the wait was well worth it.

"Of course, Odysseus," she said in a faint whisper. "I will always wait for you," and she would. At this point, nothing could break her from his side, not even the ocean.

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