#epic tickles

[coolbananas143]

Hi guys if this post gets to 50 notes I’ll finish my odypen tkl fic I’ve had in my drafts for literal months

[amazingmsme]

Like Salt in the Wound

AN: first fic of 2025, woohoo! Starting off strong with some angst/comfort & I honestly wouldn’t want it any other way! Odysseus really needs a hug, but I guess he’ll just have to get wrecked instead, lmao. Telemachus & Athena’s friendship means everything to me! I had an absolute blast with this one, & I hope you do too!

Odysseus had only been home just shy of a year, but even a few months spent with his beloved family repaired more of his soul than he ever imagined. There were nights where he slept peacefully; the nightmares fading away as his wife cradled him in her arms. He was less jumpy, more at ease. He no longer drew his sword when he heard a loud clatter or bang, instead merely gripping the hilt until he was sure there was no threat.

The past still haunted him, but he had learned to cope as best as he could.

He had changed, yes, but he was still Odysseus, and the man Penelope fell in love with all those years ago continued to shine through in little ways.

It was in the way he held her with such tenderness, the way he cupped her cheek and kissed her. How he laughed at his own terrible jokes. The way he blushed and shied away when she said something suggestive. How he hung on their son's every word, showering him with love and affection to make up for lost time.

He might've done terrible things to return to them, but he was not nearly the monster he saw himself as. There was still the smallest unspoken softness about him, but it slowly grew larger every day.

He shoved his insecurities down, only allowing Penelope to see him so weak. But there was one secret he kept from even her.

The first time he saw Telemachus, dawned with spear and helmet, wearing Athena's cloak, he felt a wave of panic wash over him. He couldn't let his mentor do to his son what she had done to him. He refused.

But then, Athena apologized. She actually admitted to leading him astray, and offered the chance to rebuild a better, more peaceful word. That this time, things would be different. She promised to train Telemachus with empathy, to not shut him out like she had done to Odysseus all those years before.

The idea terrified him. He saw so much of himself in Telemachus, and knew first hand how easy it would be to strip away his vibrancy and innocence. He had been hesitant to allow her to continue training him, but he caved the moment his son asked.

It felt... strange, watching the two of them interact. Watching his Telemachus spar with Athena stirred old memories that brought a bittersweet smile to his face. Oh, what could have been.

Telemachus had told him that Athena once called him her friend, on the day they first met. She didn't say his name, but he now knows she was referring to his father. Odysseus just wished she would've admitted that back then.

They both acted differently in each other's company; unlike they ever were with him.

Telemachus adored Athena. He looked forward to her visits, lighting up the moment she entered a room before running off for his next lesson. He was never so eager when Odysseus trained with him, questioning his methods and suggesting what Athena would do. He tried not to let it get under his skin, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't sting a little.

Athena might as well be a completely different person with Telemachus. She was patient and understanding, gently correcting him when he made a mistake. Odysseus seemed to remember her harsh tone and judging words when he was to screw up. It felt hypocritical, and it left a sour taste in his mouth.

He felt horrible for harboring such thoughts, and yet, he couldn't help it. He was jealous. Athena already knew Telemachus before he ever had the chance to truly meet him. She taught the boy how to fight; something he had been looking forward to doing himself. He still had much to learn, but he would rather listen to a Goddess than his own father.

Odysseus could never fault him for doing so. After all, he had been the same way at that age.

He remembered how great it felt to have her favor. To earn her praise after a battle well fought. She used compliments sparingly and went heavy handed on the criticism, so you would know when she really meant it. She would try to hold in her laughter when he would tell jokes, but he was able to catch her off guard on more than one occasion.

Even if the friendship had been one sided at the time, it had felt real to him.

So you can imagine how much it hurt to see Athena and Telemachus get along so well.

She didn't push him as hard as she did Odysseus, making sure to respect the young prince's boundaries. With the King of Ithaca, she sparred with him as her equal, as if he had the strength and speed of a God, and ridiculed him when she bested him in combat, pointing out everything he did wrong. But with Telemachus, she held herself back, only increasing the difficulty once she knew he could handle it. Her criticism was constructive and soft, and it made Odysseus roll his eyes. That wasn't the Athena he knew.

She didn't brush him off or keep him at arms length either; she welcomed the friendship with open arms. She called Telemachus her friend, to his face. And without a drop of condescension! She gave him plenty of breaks to go goof off, sometimes even joining in on the fun. Odysseus had only been allowed three breaks at most. 

It was fine. He was happy for them. Well, mostly for Telemachus. As long as he was happy, that's all that matters.

They were deep in the woods, close to where Odysseus killed the boar all those years ago. Oh how Telemachus loved that story. He loved all his stories, really. Odysseus feared that he would never quite live up to the legend Telemachus saw him as.

He was currently training him on his sword work,  blocking every strike Telemachus made. He swung down towards his father's shoulder with the blunt practice sword, only for Odysseus to parry the blade and spin around behind him. 

Telemachus whirled around just in time to block the sword with his shield, tucking and rolling across the ground. He popped back up, slashing across the back of his father's legs. Odysseus played along and fell to the ground, crawling as if he were severely wounded.

"Great job, you've disarmed your opponent and hold the advantage. But I could get up if I try, so I'm still a capable threat. What will you do?" Odysseus talked him through it, waiting for his son's next move.

"I..." Telemachus started, thinking of his options before committing, "I go straight for the heart," he said, raising his sword high above his head before stabbing down. He softened the blow just before poking Odysseus in the chest.

The King of Ithaca arched his back, screaming and writhing in mock pain. Telemachus couldn't help but chuckle and roll his eyes at the dramatics, but his amusement was obvious.

A slow clap sounded from behind, and Telemachus turned to see Athena watching from the trees. Her scar was healing well and she sported a proud smirk, "Well done, little wolf."

Telemachus smiled wide, running over to greet her. "Athena!" He threw his arms around her in a tight hug, one that she reciprocated.

"I see you're keeping him busy," she addressed Odysseus with a fond smile of her own.

"Are you kidding? He practically begged me until I agreed to spar with him," he teased. He stood up, brushing himself off, taking a step closer.

"Father!" Telemachus whined, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Athena chuckled and shook her head.

"Well then, how about I take him off your hands for a bit?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Be my guest," he invited, taking a seat on a fallen log.

"Alright Telemachus, let's give him a show."

"Alright!" he cheered, pumping a fist in the air. He snatched his discarded sword from the ground, taking a fighting stance.

Odysseus watched the training session with a gentle smile that felt more forced than he cared to admit. It was as though he were looking into his own past through rose tinted lenses.

They moved around each other with such practiced ease, as if it were a well rehearsed dance. Telemachus grinned from ear to ear, dimples on full display. He never smiled like that when it was Odysseus teaching him. Instead, he wore a tense, focused expression, broken only by the occasional smile before determination settled back once more. They bantered back and forth, goading and teasing each other as weapons clashed.

"Ha, is that the best you got?" Telemachus taunted as he parried another strike. Athena smirked, arching a brow before swiping her spear behind his legs and knocking him off his feet.

"Nope."

He sprung back up, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Bring it on then!"

Athena charged at him, only for Telemachus to sidestep her at the last second. He spun around, kicking the back of her knees to buckle her legs. She yelped and stumbled forward, leaning against a tree for support.

She stood up, studying the tree thoughtfully. Odysseus watched on skeptically, unsure where she was going with this.

"Is this a dogwood tree?" she asked, running a hand up the trunk.

Odysseus scooted closer to the edge of the log. No, she wouldn't!

"Uh, I don't know. Why?"

"I'm pretty sure it is," she mused, barely holding back a smirk.

"Really? How can you tell?" Telemachus asked, stepping closer to get a better look at the tree.

Athena looked down at him, allowing her smile to make its presence known. "By its bark."

She fucking did!

It took Telemachus a moment to get the joke, but once he did, he threw his head back in laughter. "Oho man, that's a good one!"

"Hey, that was my joke!" Odysseus spoke up, because what the hell gives? He told that joke to Telemachus a month ago and all he got in return was a fake chuckle! And further more, he could barely remember Athena ever laughing at his jokes, but suddenly, they were funny enough to steal?

Telemachus looked at his dad and shrugged. "Sorry, I guess she's just funnier than you!" he teased.

Okay, ouch. Odysseus clenched his jaw, ducking his head to hide the twitch of a frown tugging at his lips.

"I suppose she is," he agreed, trying to play along. He looked back up, an empty smile back in place as they resumed sparring.

"Flattery won't get you very far," Athena rolled her eyes, but joined in on the playful taunting. "That goes for both of you," she cast a quick glance towards Odysseus, faltering when she could've sworn she saw a look of sadness on her old friend's face. But it was gone just as fast as it appeared. She decided to let it go for now, but made a note in the back of her mind to check in on him later.

"I don't know, it's gotten me pretty far in the past," Telemachus bragged, showing off with some sword twirling that Odysseus had taught him.

"Okay, take it down a notch," she teased, but her words only embolden him. He tossed the sword in the air, catching it with his other hand.

"Make me!" he taunted. Athena grabbed her spear and shoved the blunt end against his chest, effectively knocking him off balance. He fell on his back, playfully glaring up at her from the dirt. "That was mean."

"You were being cocky."

"Yeah, and?" he asked, arching a brow. Athena shot Odysseus a look when he barked out a laugh, but a smile played at the edge of her mouth.

"The last thing he needs is more encouragement."

Odysseus merely shrugged, sporting a smug grin that put her mind at ease.

Then again, he'd always been a great actor.

Odysseus couldn't help but to feel like a third wheel. They clearly enjoyed each other's company more than his own, so why not just... slip away?

He scooted off to the side, sitting on the edge of the log. Neither one seemed to notice, so he casually stood to his feet, giving his back a stretch. He silently slipped into the shadows of the trees as they continued training.

He didn't go too far, but far enough to feel alone. He leaned against a tree, rubbing a hand over his tired face. He was surprised when his palm came back wet. When had he started crying? He quickly wiped away his tears, sniffling softly. By the Gods, he needed to get ahold of himself.

He closed his eyes, taking a few deep, yet shaky breaths. He could still hear the faint echoes of their taunting jeers in the distance, and sighed. He supposed he'd better head back before they noticed he was gone. He took his time on the way back, staring at the ground and dragging his feet.

Meanwhile, Telemachus and Athena continued to spar, although she had noticed the moment he left. She had known something was off, but she didn't know it was that bad. She tried to keep Telemachus busy so he wouldn't notice his father's absence.

She was lost in thought when a foot suddenly connected with her face and she was sent tumbling to the ground.

"Whoa! Dad, did you see that?" Telemachus cheered and jumped in the air, turning around for his father's approval. "Dad?" He looked around, but saw no trace of him. Panic began to creep inside his chest. He ran into the woods, shouting, "Dad? Where are you?"

"Telemachus, wait!" Athena called after him, but the kid was fast and he was on a mission. She ran after him, calling out for Odysseus as well.

As soon as he heard them call out, he ran towards them, yelling, "Over here!"

He came into view, and Telemachus ran into him with a bone crushing hug.

"Where were you?" 

Odysseus wheezed as the air was knocked out of him, wrapping his arms around his son. "Can't a man take a leak in private?" he joked. Telemachus chuckled, shoving at his chest.

"Just tell us next time! I roundhouse kicked Athena in the face and you didn't even see it!"

"Really? That's amazing! I'm so sorry I missed it," he apologized, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You'll just have to catch her by surprise and do it again, eh?"

"I doubt that'll happen," Athena piped up, crossing her arms.

"I wouldn't underestimate him," Odysseus praised, slinging an arm around his shoulder as they walked back to the clearing.

"Yeah Athena, don't underestimate me!" Telemachus taunted, sticking his tongue out at her from behind his father's back. She scoffed, eyes widening in shock.

"That's it, you're in time out when we get back!" she scolded.

"WHAT? You can't do that!" he yelled, a blush quickly spreading across his face as his father's laughter filled the air.

"Shehehe put you in time out!" he giggled, patting his son's back comfortingly.

"Don't laugh," he whined, but the smile on his face told him he didn't really mind. After all, he had barely heard him laugh since he returned.

"On the contrary, laugh it up Odysseus," Athena said, but something about her tone made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "When we get back, it's your turn."

"I don't know," he trailed off, hesitant to accept.

"You gotta! I never get to see you fight!" Telemachus begged, and he caved.

"Well if you insist. But go easy on me, I'm not as young and spry as I used to be," he said, and now it was Athena's turn to laugh. She threw her head back as she cackled, loud and hearty. She wiped a tear from her eye, glancing over to see matching quizzical expressions.

"Wait, you're serious? After what you did to Poseidon? Absolutely not," she deadpanned.

"You fought Poseidon?" Telemachus practically screamed in his ear, making him flinch away.

"You mean you haven't told him? If you ask me, that should've been the first story you shared," Athena mused.

"Come on, you gotta tell me what happened!" he hopped in place and shook his father by the shoulders until he relented with a chuckle.

"Well, it's kinda a long story. One you'll hear at dinner so your mother can enjoy it too," he deflected.

"Boooo!" Telemachus whined, giving him a thumbs down. "You can tell it twice!"

"He just wouldn't let me go home! So I stabbed him until he called off his storm," he huffed out, telling an abridged version to satisfy his son.

"With his own trident," she added. Telemachus stared at his father in awe.

"Whoa," he said breathlessly. Odysseus rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"What can I say? I had limited options," he shrugged, ducking his head down.

"Why so bashful all of a sudden?" Athena asked, cocking her head as she looked down at him. Odysseus gawked, face turning red.

"What? I am not!"

"If you say so," she conceded. "Now, what's do you say you and I have a go, just like old times?" she asked, shooting Telemachus a wink out of the other's sight. He arched a brow quizzically, unsure of what plan she had brewing up. But whatever it was, he wanted in on it.

"You're on."

Athena lulled him into a false sense of security, sparring bantering back and forth before she struck. She dodged his attack, managing to disarm him as she spun around, locking one arm beneath his and held the back of his neck as she held his own sword to his throat with the other.

"Alright, you win," he held his hands up in, surrender, furrowing his brows when she didn't move. "Um... did I... do something wrong?" he questioned, not daring to move an inch.

"Not at all. I just noticed you seemed a little down today."

"Athena," he warned, tensing with a gasp as she squeezed the back of his neck. Telemachus watched on curiously.

"Do you remember my lessons on morale?" she asked, ignoring the threat.

Odysseus was squirming now, tugging at her arms, but she held firm.

"Come on 'Thena, not here," he whined, voice dropped to nearly a whisper. The nickname melted her heart, and made her feel only a little guilty for what she was about to do.

"You mean not in front of the kid?" she taunted, waiting until he opened his mouth to speak before scribbling at the nape of his neck.

Odysseus yelped and flailed around in her hold, scrunching his neck for protection.

"Hey stop! What are you doing to him?" Telemachus protested as he saw his father struggle in Athena's hold. From where he sat, it looked as though she was about to snap his neck. She flashed him a sly, knowing smile.

"Yeah Odysseus, what am I doing?" she asked in such a playful tone, even Telemachus hadn't heard.

"Huh?" he cocked his head, confusion knitting his brows together.

Odysseus clamped his mouth shut, but a wobbly smile tugged at the corners of his lips. She tossed the practice weapon aside, scratching just behind his ears with both hands. He snorted and tossed his head around, grimacing as he tried to contain the giggles building up inside his chest.

"Come on, you're usually so talkative," Athena prompted, reaching around to flutter under his chin. He threw himself back to try and get away, but only succeeded in leaning against Athena's chest for support, feet frantically pushing against the ground as he fought to escape.

Telemachus watched on with a growing smile as he realized what was happening.

"Wait, father, are you ticklish?" he asked, not bothering to hide his excitement.

"No!" Odysseus choked out, yelping when Athena reached down to tweak his hip.

"Ignore him, he loves to lie. But you didn't think you got your sensitivity from your mother, did you?" she asked, somehow finding a way to tease both of them at once. Telemachus looked away, cheeks dusted a light pink.

"Well, yeah, kinda," he admitted, unable to take his eyes off the pair. Athena rolled her eyes fondly, easily evading the frantic hands slapping at her wrists.

"You share more similarities with your father than you might think," she said, shooting him another wink. Odysseus shoved at her arms as they wrapped around his waist, shrieking when she picked him up off the ground.

"No! Put me dohohown! Stohohop!" he broke down into deep chuckles that were quickly melting into hysterical giggles. Telemachus had only ever heard his father laugh like that when he told terrible jokes, but he had always kind of assumed he was playing it up for his behalf. He didn't know he actually giggled like that! It was a funny, infectious laugh that seemed adorably out of place.

"Careful what you ask for," Athena smirked before dropping him to the ground, quickly pinning his arms above his head. He desperately pulled at his arms, surprisingly strong despite being mortal. "You sure are struggling a lot. I think I might need some help," Athena raised her voice, making the hint as unsubtle as possible. Telemachus was by their side in a heartbeat, sporting a mischievous smirk.

Odysseus could only grin wider as he shook his head. "Son, wait! She's ticklish too, wouldn't you rather go after a God?" he tried to bargain by deflecting the attention onto Athena, who scoffed in disbelief.

"Excuse me?" She drilled her thumbs in the center of his exposed pits for even suggesting such a thing. Telemachus ignored his father's screams for mercy, tapping his chin as he considered the offer.

"Sounds tempting, but you're the one pinned down," he reasoned with a shrug, planting himself on his kicking legs. Athena held up a hand for an approving fist bump.

"Wise choice."

He grinned as he knocked their knuckles together, adding a few extra slaps and bumps. Athena's hand just hovered there awkwardly, not copying any of the steps he taught her. He shrugged, "Eh, still needs some work."

Telemachus wasted no more time and latched onto his knees, squeezing around the bone. Odysseus snorted and tried to kick his trapped legs, barely able to move them an inch. He couldn't help but laugh along at his reactions, noting, "Wow, mom was right! You do have a funny laugh!"

His words sparked a blush to spread across his cheeks as he cried out in protest, "Shehehe sahaid whahahat?" Logically, Odysseus knew Penelope talked about him while he was away, or at least, he hoped she would. But she really talked about him, not just the legends he left behind. She humanized him...

Maybe a little too much, but still.

"No no, she said it in a good way!" Telemachus assured, spidering over his knees with blunt nails. Odysseus wheezed, drumming his legs against the ground to cope with the ticklish jolts shooting through his nerves.

"I agree Odysseus, your laughter is quite endearing. It's such a shame we don't hear it more often," Athena chimed in. He whined through his giggles, unable to pull his arms down from where she had them pinned. She traced maddening circles against his exposed hollows, making him squeal and arch his back. But no matter how hard he tried, he remained trapped between his son and his friend.

Granted, he might not be trying all that hard. What? He hadn't laughed like this in years, so sue him. And Telemachus seemed to be having fun, so why stop him?

He shook his head in denial, blushing profusely at her words. "Nohoho ihihit's nohoHOHOHOT!"  Loud cackles abruptly gave way to a hysterical shriek as Athena began scratching the spot just behind his ears with long, sharp nails. A stream of giggles and snorts spilled past his lips, nose scrunching adorably.

"I don't know, you sound pretty cute right about now," she drawled, leaning over him to "inspect" his face. Odysseus giggled and tried to look away, failing to protect his now exposed ear with his shoulder.

"'Thehehenaha!" he whined, sounding all too giddy to actually mean anything by it.

"Yep, you look cute too-"

"Ohoho just shut up!"

Athena mock gasped, and Telemachus covered his mouth in shock.

"Uh oh," he teased in a sing song tone, poking all around his stomach. He twitched with each touch, pulling on his arms desperately each time he felt that nagging finger wiggle into the slight pudge of his belly.

"Oh you're gonna regret that," Athena growled playfully. She turned his head to the side, keeping him pinned with one hand. She took a loud, exaggerated breath just so he would know what was coming.

His eyes widened in giddy fear and his thrashing grew stronger once he connected the dots. Empty protests fell past his lips, "No, no wahahait! I'm sohorry, I'm sorryyyy! Plehease dooooon't!" He was already giggling, and his smile only grew wider.

Telemachus couldn't help but laugh along and tease, "She hasn't even touched you yet!"

"Bullshit! You both HAHAHAHAVE! Ohohokahay, oKAHAY! I GEHEHET IHIHIT!" he squealed as Athena leaned in to blow a loud, obnoxious raspberry on the side of his neck. She grabbed his hair and moved his head so she could get the other side.

Not wanting to be left out, Telemachus clawed at his father's stomach, encouraged by his hysterical laughter. Odysseus jolted in place, unable to curl in on himself for protection. The only thing he could do was kick frantically and laugh his heart out.

Which, unfortunately for him, caught his son's attention.

"Great idea, dad! Can't forget about the feet!" he taunted, wrestling his legs down to untie his sandals.

"Nohoho, plehehease! Ihi don't deserve thihihis!" he pleaded, hiding his face behind a pinned arm. Athena snorted in amusement and pulled away to stare down at her friend.

"Actually, if anyone deserves a good laugh, it would be you," she said, her tone softer, yet still teasing.

"Hehehey!" he whined at the remark, his blush now reaching the tips of his ears.

"Yeah, laughing at your own jokes doesn't really count," Telemachus added, raking blunt nails down his arches.

"HEHEHEY!" Odysseus shrieked indignantly at the comment. He tried to keep his feet planted on the ground, but all it took was a quick scribble against the backs of his knees to get him kicking again. "Ihihit counts!" he insisted through deep, rumbly chuckles.

Both Athena and Telemachus rolled their eyes. Telemachus decided to take it a step further and shrugged, unable to hide his smirk.

"Does it though?" he asked skeptically. Before Odysseus could answer, he scratched just beneath his toes. Odysseus cackled wildly, thrashing around as best he could, bucking hard enough to throw Telemachus off.

Athena took that as her cue to back off as well, releasing his arms from where they were pinned. He either didn't have the strength to pull them down, or he just didn't care at this point.

Odysseus let out a giggly groan, throwing his head back against the ground. "You two ahare thehehe worst!" he spoke through residual giggles, but didn't mean a word of what he said.

"Yeah, but I learned from the best!" Telemachus quipped, reaching out to pinch his side one last time. Odysseus jerked away, finally yanking his arms down as he barked out a laugh.

Odysseus scoffed in amusement, a wide smile still plastered on his face. He doubted it would be going anywhere for a long time.

He shook his head fondly, gently shoving at his son's shoulder. "You're a real piece of work. Both of you," he added, shooting Athena a playful glare.

Athena decided not to say anything... to him. She just smirked and addressed Telemachus, as if Odysseus wasn't even there. "Notice how he said just about everything except stop," she noted smugly, and Telemachus muffled his giggles behind his hands.

Odysseus gasped, his fading blush quickly returning. "Well- I- you two looked like you were having fun," he justified with a huff, crossing his arms as he looked away.

"Like you weren't!" Telemachus goaded, throwing his arms around him in a bear hug, rocking side to side.

He couldn't help but give in to the smile tugging at his lips. "It was coerced." Telemachus laughed and shoved him away.

"Oh whatever!"

"Regardless," Athena piped up, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It's... refreshing, hearing you laugh again." Odysseus placed a hand atop her own, leaning into the touch.

"Yeah well, you better not make it a habit. There's easier ways to make me laugh, you know," he sassed.

"Ah, but this is the most entertaining," she shot back.

He turned to Telemachus, pointing with his thumb at Athena over his shoulder. "See what I mean? Piece of work."

"Careful, or I'll go for round two," she warned.

"Maybe tomorrow. After all, I believe I'm overdue for some revenge."

"Is that so?" she cocked her head, and Odysseus nodded smugly.

"Yup."

"Well then, you'll have to earn it," she teased, standing up and offering him a hand.

"And you better watch your back, because the tickle monster strikes when you least expect it," he threatened, pointing at Telemachus.

He giggled nervously and took a step back, a pale blush dusting his cheeks. "I'll uh, keep my guard up."

The response made Odysseus throw his head back with a hearty chuckle. He threw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer and ruffling his hair.

"Just relax. You won't even see it coming."

"That's not as comforting as you think it is," he deadpanned.

"It wasn't meant to be," Odysseus quipped, and Athena had to stifle a snicker at the comment. "But I believe it's about time we head back for dinner."

Telemachus whined, even though he knew his father was right.

"We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow," she promised.

"Or you could join us," Odysseus invited after a moment's hesitation. The offer took her off guard, but she softened nonetheless.

"Really? I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"Come on, 'Thena! It'll be fun!" Telemachus encouraged, tugging on her arm.

"Yeah, and you'll get to hear the story about how I stabbed your uncle until he cried."

"In that case, how could I resist?"

The three walked back to the palace, chatting all the way. It may very well be true that Athena and Telemachus were closer than they had ever been, but that doesn't mean the friendship wasn't still there. And Telemachus thought the world of him, that much was made clear.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't know why he had been so worried in the first place. He was home, he was loved, and that's all that matters.

[wholesome-lee-trash]

Fandom: EPIC the musical

Characters: lee!Odysseus, ler!Poseidon

Word count: 2,811

Warning: Intense tickles, Greek Mythology, tell me if I need to add more!

A/N: Yall voted, and I think I delivered. Buckle up, it's over 2k words.

Get In The Water

"There you are," the deep voice spoke menacingly, "Coward."

Oh no. Odysseus had heard that voice before. Years and years ago, when he still had his crew, before he got trapped on Ogygia with Calypso, before he fought Charbydis. He knew that voice. It was one he'd never forget. The man who killed most of his crew, the man who showed no mercy unlike what Odysseus had shown his son. No - not a man. A god. The God of the Ocean.

"I've been waiting for this moment. For the perfect time to strike." Poseidon's deep voice rumbled around Odysseus.

The man held onto his handmade raft for dear life. Silently praying to the other gods to keep him safe.

"When your home's so close and you've reached your coast; that's when our paths collide." Poseidon's body emerged from the tides, glaring a deadly look at the worn king. "I've got a reputation, I've got a name to uphold. So I can't go letting you walk or else the world forgets I'm cold." The god of the seas points the prongs of his trident towards Odysseus' stomach. "Now get in the water."

Odysseus listened to the god's words. He was so close. So close to home, to his wife, to his son, to his people. The gods just loved messing with him, didn't they? Let him get close enough to see the shores of his homeland, and then prevent him from getting there. First, it was Athena, abandoning him for having mercy on the cyclops. Now Poseidon wanted to mess with his head, too. He could hardly handle it anymore. All he had was a dinky raft and the dirty clothes on his back. Why now? Why, when he was so close to getting home?

"Get in the water." Poseidon repeated. "Or I'll raise the tides so high, all of Ithaca will die," He pressed his trident into Odysseus' stomach. The man stepped backward on instinct.

The god of the sea should really, really stop poking him with that trident. The prongs of the trident were sharp, but not too sharp. Instead of hurting or drawing blood, it felt like someone's nails were pressed into his skin. And oh gods, did it tickle.

"Wait," Odysseus pleaded.

"Get in the water." Poseidon cut him off.

"Stop this, please!"

"I'll make tidal waves so profound, both your wife and your son will drown."

"No!"

"Get in the water!" Poseidon demanded, shoving the sharp trident further into his stomach. Odysseus squeaked at the tickly poke, realizing a second too late that he gave himself away. He slapped a hand over his mouth, praying to the gods that Poseidon doesn't notice, that he thinks the sound was just some of the wind hitting the raft weirdly, that him putting his hand over his mouth was a product of him being upset and not wanting to lose his family.

But Poseidon did notice. He noticed the squeak, and the hand Odysseus put over his mouth to stop the noise a second too late. He was confused by the mortal's sound, by his action. Why would the mortal make such a noise? Then, Poseidon remembered the step back from the trident. Curiously, he pokes the man with the prongs of his trident again.

Odysseus stepped back again, looking up at Poseidon warily.

"What's this?" The god asked, his tone lilted.

"What's... what's what, Lord Poseidon?" Odysseus asked, feigning ignorance. The god of the sea was not amused.

"Your steps back. Your noise. Your hand over your mouth. But only when my trident touches you. I wasn't even pressing that hard. It couldn't have hurt you."

Odysseus wasn't sure what to say. He could lie and say it did hurt, but then he'd look weak. Pathetic, even, in front of this god that already wants him dead. Or, he could tell the truth. And admit to Poseidon that it felt like a tickly poke. But he was the King of Ithaca. No way would he admit he's ticklish. He had a reputation. Maybe not one as grand as Poseidon's, but a king couldn't be reduced to something as childish as a ticklish boy.

Of course, Poseidon was far from stupid. He was a kid once, many years ago. He had two brothers and a whole ton of nieces and nephews. He knew that his trident could be a bit ticklish, if he poked gently enough, and in the right spot. He didn't mean to tickle Odysseus, of course. The wretched, cowardly mortal had blinded one of his sons.

Perhaps, Poseidon mused, this could be used to his advantage.

"Are you ticklish, Odysseus of Ithaca?" He asked, rather bluntly.

Now, Odysseus was no stranger to this question. He had many friends over the years, he had Penelope back home. Unfortunately, even with all those times being asked, it never got any easier to answer. Maybe he should lie, to save his pride? No. He's lied before, and it's only ever gotten him tickled, and teased relentlessly. It's probably an even worse idea to lie to a god, not to mention that Poseidon is one of The Big Three. Maybe he should tell the truth? No. It'd be awkward, and he'd be teased for being a ticklish king. A king should try to preserve his pride and reputation.

So what option does that leave?

"I am a king, just as well as you. I, too, have a name to uphold. You may not tickle me."

"Oh, I 'may not,' hm? Well, that's just too bad, little mortal. Because I will teach you a lesson, some way, somehow. Regrettably for you, I believe I've just found the perfect means to do so."

Poseidon shrunk down his form, still towering over the mortal, joining him on the raft. Odysseus scurried as far away from the god as possible. It was a little raft, built by only his hands, so it wasn't very far.

"Lord Poseidon, surely we can talk about this? You are a civil god. You seem to want to do right by your child. I want to do right by my child, as well. So, I need to get home to him."

"Ah, trying to get out of this, are you?" Poseidon chuckles, inching closer to the mortal. "No."

Poseidon grabs Odysseus' ankle, hauling the man into his lap. Then, he pulls the smaller one up so his back is against his chest.

The King of Ithaca is immediately squirming, fighting to be released from the hold. Poseidon may very well drown him, here and now. But he couldn't die. Not when he's this close to getting home. Not when he's this close to seeing his wife and son again.

"No! Let me go!"

"Hey- stop moving!" Poseidon demands and grabs his wrists. He yanks the smaller king's wrists, pushing them into his chest. "Stay still."

Odysseus was scared out of his mind. Here he was, tired, hungry, and dirty, on a tiny raft, almost home. Now he's stopped by Poseidon, held in his lap like a toddler. Poseidon, who had wanted to kill him for about a decade now. Why wasn't he just getting it over with? He's going to kill him, if only to avenge his son, he needed to escape.

"I'm not going to kill you."

Odysseus freezes. Did he say all that out loud?

"I think humiliation might teach a better lesson to a cocky and quick-witted soul such as yourself."

"What?" The king of Ithaca asks. And then feels a tweak on his side. The first of many. "Wait- wait wait wait-"

Poseidon had to admit, it felt good to watch the mortal squirm. It was nice to finally get revenge on him for blinding his son, albeit in an unconventional way.

"Why should I, hm?" Poseidon asks, using the hand that wasn't holding Odysseus' hands to his chest to pinch gently up and down his sides. He leaned close to the mortal's ear, whispering, to blow air on it so he'll shiver. "Why should I grant you mercy, when you didn't give my son mercy? And now he has to suffer through life, blind as a bat? Mourning the sight he once had? Now he can never see his friends again, you know."

"We were trying to get away! We only hurt him to disarm him! Stop that!" Odysseus says quickly, getting the words out before the laughter could come. He would not laugh in front of the God of the Sea. Wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"You said that last time. And no, I won't stop it."

"Poseidon!"

"Hm?"

This was it. Odysseus well and truly hated the sea god now. There was no way this was happening. It must be a dream, or some hallucination from the lack of people around. He tried to squirm to the opposite side, but Poseidon's fingers just followed him. But he wouldn't laugh. Wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Stop it!"

"No."

The mortal groaned. Trying to lean his body away. Maybe he could roll out from his stuck position. But Poseidon was stronger than him, and kept him mostly upright, his hands still pinned to his chest.

"Stay still, mortal. I need to teach you a lesson."

"I learned it already!"

"No, clearly you haven't."

"I learned more than you!" Poseidon pauses at the mortal's words.

"Oh, have you now?" Poseidon offered a chance to redeem himself. But Odysseus just loved to dig his own grave.

"Yeah!"

"Yeah?" Poseidon leans down to growl in his ear. He was going to use the type of teasing he used to use to get his niece, Athena. "Then how about you explain to me how I should tickle you?"

"What?"

"Explain how I should tickle you."

May the gods help him. Athena used to do this to him. He didn't understand it, never knew how to answer. He couldn't very well answer that question truthfully. He'd never live it down. No, he'll just say what he does when it's Athena tickling him.

"I don't know if you're qualified to tickle me, with how ticklish you are."

The dark chuckle that rumbled against his back was all Odysseus needed to realize he messed up.

The squeezing fingers on his lower tummy only confirmed it.

"Wait!" Odysseus pleaded.

"Not after that comment." Poseidon tutted. "Maybe if you were kinder, I'd consider it. But no, you just had to go and say something like that."

Odysseus wouldn't laugh. He wouldn't. Not as the god of the sea was tickling him. Not the one guy who had killed most of his crew. But dear gods, it was hard.

"Wait!" Odysseus tried, but then closed his mouth. He realized that if he kept it open, he would start to laugh. He was absolutely not laughing. No. He wouldn't let Poseidon win.

"Nope. You've gone with no repercussions for far too long. Now, it's time to face the consequences of your actions." He moved his hand to gently start brushing his fingers over Odysseus' ribs. The other hand still holding the mortal's hands to his chest.

Odysseus arched his back, biting his lip. The fingers made his nerves spark with energy, made his lungs bubble, and fill up with laughter.

Poseidon was amused that the mortal was fighting his laughter so valiantly. Of course, it wouldn't last forever. He just had to be patient. It seems like his ribs were a good spot; he'd just stay there for a while. Skittering and poking and spidering.

It was when he dug into a divot between two of the bones that Odysseus broke.

"No- nohoho- wahahait!" He squirmed, trying to get his hands back from Poseidon's grip.

"Couldn't hold out any longer? And you call yourself the reigning king of Ithaca. Pathetic." Poseidon asks, a healthy bit of condescension in his voice.

"Poho- Poseidon!"

"Hm?"

Odysseus wasn't really sure how to respond. He didn't quite know what to do in this situation. How could he respond? Tell him to stop? He wouldn't listen. Athena usually tickled him to cheer him up, or when he was being a bit too cocky. But she always stopped when he was done. He was a little worried Poseidon wouldn't stop when he was done, which was making him even more anxious. Athena knew his limits and would stop once he was pushed too far. Poseidon didn't know his limits. Or he did, but he wouldn't care. This is all for revenge to him. It wasn't playful revenge, either.

"What is it, mortal?"

"Gehet- off!" Odysseus tried to squirm away again, but Poseidon held him still.

"Hm... no. Let's see if we can find your tickle spot, shall we?"

"NO!" Odysseus protested loudly, but Poseidon didn't listen. He tried the mortal's armpits, making him giggle and press his arms to his sides as much as he could. "Nooohohohoho!"

"Does it tickle here? Hm?" Poseidon asks.

Odysseus shook his head no. The god might've won the game of not laughing, but he couldn't force the king of Ithaca to admit he's ticklish.

"No? It doesn't tickle? That's too bad. We'll have to try another spot, then." He removed his hand from his armpit, instead fluttering his fingers over his neck and collarbone. Odysseus tried to shrug up his shoulders, as if that would help. He tilted his head to the side the fingers were wiggling on. But that only exposed the other side of his neck. Poseidon seized the opportunity to gently nibble on his neck. Odysseus squeaked, not expecting this.

"Naha- nohoho!"

"Mm, so tasty." The god teased, rubbing his beard over the mortal's neck. Still holding Odysseus' wrists, Poseidon moved his other hand down to his hip to squeeze.

The king of Ithaca was so embarrassed by his reaction. He tried to kick out, but that didn't work because the god's legs were crossed on top of his. He tried pressing backwards, but of course Poseidon's body was there, preventing him from escaping. So then he tried bucking his hips up, only forcing Poseidon's evil fingers deeper into his flesh. It tickled so badly, it felt like his nerves were lit up brighter than a Christmas tree. The tingly feeling shot up his spine, laughter bubbling in his chest.

"Wahait! WAHAIT!" He begged. He was playing it up a little bit. His hips weren't his worst spot. It was up there, but certainly not his worst. But if he could convince Poseidon that they were, maybe he wouldn't find his real worst spot.

"Why should I wait? You seem to be having so much fun. Just listen to all that laughter."

"Ihihi'm NOHOHOT!"

"Sure. Whatever you say, mortal." Poseidon let go of Odysseus' hands, and now both hands are squeezing his hips. He presses his thumbs into the divots, massaging in little circles.

Odysseus didn't even realize his hands were released. All he could focus on were the tickles. He didn't even realize he could move his hands now. He was feeling giddy and elated. Maybe the tickles weren't so bad. He soon noticed that his hands were now free, and moved them to grab at Poseidon's wrists.

"Ah, I was wondering when you were going to move your hands."

"M-myhyhy brahahain! Ihit's fuhuzzy..." Odysseus tried to explain.

"Is it?" Poseidon clicked his tongue in mock sympathy. "Poor mortal. You just can't stand it, can you?" Poseidon moved his hands down to squeeze at his thighs.

That's when Odysseus lost it.

He screamed, going silent for a second.

"WAHAHAIT- STAHAHAP, PLEHEHE-!" His desperate pleas were interrupted by hiccups, his body needing more air.

"Oh, is this your spot? How pathetic. The King of Ithaca, captain to all those men, godlike general in the war- and yet, you cannot handle being tickled. You're weak."

Odysseus couldn't handle it. He tried to squirm away, tried to get him to stop. Soon enough, his laughter went completely silent. Only hiccups broke through, his lungs desperate for air.

Poseidon realized this was a genuine problem. Mortals needed to breathe. So he stopped, simply holding him instead.

"I forgot that you mortals need to breathe." He spoke hesitantly. He knew it was his mistake.

"It's... okahay..." Odysseus said, riding out the giggle high. "It... thahat tickled..."

"As it was supposed to." The god rubbed his arms comfortingly. "Take a moment to breathe... I believe you've been humiliated enough. You've learned your lesson, right? Don't go blinding my sons. Or daughters, for that matter. And showing "mercy," as it is ruthlessness in disguise."

Odysseus nods, not wanting to be tickled anymore.

"Then I believe my work here is done." Poseidon lowered him to rest on the raft, and stepped down into the water.

Gentle waves pushed the raft quietly to Ithacan shores as the king of the mentioned land slept peacefully for the first time in years.

[mythica0]

(alt plot to "open arms") polites getting tickled by the lotus eaters?

Fuzzy little fellas

🎂: Epic: the musical

🧁: Polites

🍫:Lotus eaters (ft. Ody)

Summary: The Lotus eaters have taken quite a liking to Polites. Unfortunately for him, their affection has quite the effect on him.

A/N: I GASPED in joy when I saw this request. I absolutely love this idea thank you so much for requesting it. It’s a little shorter than I would like but oh well. Also I haven’t been doing it recently, but I finally got to end the fic with its title again! (I used to do that with all my fics for those unaware.) huzzah! But without further ado, Enjooyyyyyy :3

Fuzzy little fellas

“Thank you!”

“Welcome!”

Polites and Odysseus had just finished getting information on food from the Lotus eaters, on their island.

They were just about to head back through the forest towards their ship.

However; the little fuzzy creatures didn’t want Polites to go.

“Stay! Nice man stay!” One spoke, latching onto his leg.

“I’m sorry little guy, but I can’t stay. I have to get to my home.”

“Awwwww” “boooo!” The voices of the creatures echoed around them. It seems they had grown quite an attachment to the sunshiny man.

Odysseus smiled fondly and gave an amused huff.

“We have time until sunrise. We can stay for a while.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Go ahead and spend some time with the lotus eaters.”

Polites smiles, and the lotus eaters cheer.

“Yay!” “Nice man stay!” “Friend!”

Polites laughs a bit and sits on the forest floor, allowing the small creatures to come up to him.

They swarm around him, snuggling into his lap and hands, asking for pets. He happily obliges.

“You little guys are so cute..” he whispers a bit.

As much as he was enjoying the affection, there was a slight problem. It tickles. Badly.

The small creatures were nuzzling their fuzzy selves into his side and legs and neck, and he was trying not to squirm too much but… man that fucking tickles.

He was trying to suppress his laughter, both in hopes that the little creatures wouldn’t get upset and that they wouldn’t notice how ridiculously ticklish he was.

He was doing.. okay-ish. For a while. Small giggles and snickers leaving him, as well as wearing a wide, wobbly smile, but managing to suppress the majority of his reactions.

Until one of the Lotus eaters got into his shirt, and it all went out the window.

“Pfft- ohoho nohoho! Nohohot thehehere! Ehehehehe!”

Odysseus looked on in amusement. He knew exactly what was happening as soon as Polites’ smile got wobbly. And he knew it was only a matter of time until his friend broke into giggles.

“Gehehehet ohohout ohof thehere! Ehehehe!”

The lotus eaters seemed confused, but also excited. They liked Polites’ giggles, even if they weren’t sure what was causing it.

“Why laugh?” “Yeah, yeah, why you laugh?!” They asked and chittered excitedly.

“He’s ticklish, that’s why.” Odysseus chimes from the sidelines, watching with an amused grin as he leaned against a tree.

“Trahahahaitor! Ehahahaha!” Polites accused, although it lost all bite behind his wide smile, shining eyes and adorable giggles.

The Lotus eaters tilted their heads, not understanding.

“It means when you touch him in specific spots or ways, he laughs. And one of you found his weak spot.”

“Oo! Where?” They chittered excitedly at the prospect. They loved his laughter, and if there was a way to get more of it they were certainly down.

“Ohohody dohont yohou dahahare!”

“His stomach, extra ticklish.” Odysseus ignores the protest and nods towards Polites’ tummy, where one of the Lotus eaters was still nuzzling and scurrying around.

“Ehehehe plehehease thahat tihihickles! Ehehahahaha!”

“Oo!” “Yay!” “Laugh more!” The lotus eaters chittered again, and then started to intentionally tickle him, especially on his tummy.

“Eee! Nohohoho! Ohoho gohohods- thahat thihihickles!” Polites squirmed around, trying not to fall backwards so he doesn’t crush the small creatures. Their fuzzy little bodies and paws tickled so bad! He couldn’t stop himself from giggling and squirming, fighting his instincts to double over and curl in on himself with all his might.

“Yay!” “Tickle nice man!” “Yeah, yeah! Make nice man laugh!”

Odysseus still watched, smiling. As much as his friend protested, Odysseus knew he loved it. His smile was genuine and he wasn’t really trying to make the creatures stop.

Eventually Polites lost the battle and fell into his back, which only put him into a more vulnerable position as the Lotus eaters swarmed around him, scratching lightly along his ribs, sides and oh so ticklish tummy. He was lost to happy giggles, covering his flushing face with his hands as he squirmed and giggled.

The Lotus waters seemed to be drinking up his giggles, wide, excited smiles adorning their adorable little faces. Their small tails wagging behind them, some of them even brushing along Polites’ knees which made him laugh even more.

He was having quite a bit of fun, as embarrassing as this was. Not only did he get to have a good giggle and just not worry for a while, but also he was being cuddled by adorable fuzzy creatures! What’s there not to like?

As he squirmed on the ground his bandana shifted, his hair became a mess and his glasses went askew, and eventually he squealed when one of the small creatures worked their little fangs onto his tummy, and around his navel.

“EEE- ohohoho nohoho-! Nohohot thahahat ohoho GOhODs-!” His laughter grew squeakier and high pitched, it tickled so much and he couldn’t do anything about it! Well, not anything that would risk hurting the small creatures and he wasn’t going to do that!

But as much fun as it was, it was getting kind of overwhelming and the Lotus Eaters didn’t seem to understand when he actually wanted them to stop.

Seeing the signs of his friend being done, Odysseus walked up and picked up the Lotus eater on his tummy. “Alright guys, he’s had enough.”

“Awwww!” “But he happy!” “Yeah, he laugh!”

Odysseus chuckled a bit. “Let this be an excellent learning opportunity for ya little fuzz balls.” He spoke informatively, almost like a teacher during lecture and set down the Lotus Eater gently on the forest floor. “The laughing is a reflex, and doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is happy in this case. It can be enjoyable, but after a while it can get to be too much, you get it?”

There were mutters of agreement echoed around the Lotus Eaters, and they got some final head pats from Polites before backing off and allowing him to stand.

“Alright, we gotta go now.” Odysseus spoke, a hint of empathy in his voice.

Another saddened echo, just like before.

“But it was great meeting you! Maybe we’ll come back to visit, yeah?” Polites replied, ever the optimist, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Oo, yeah!” “Yay!” The small creatures cheered in agreement.

Then the two men left, both feeling in significantly higher spirits. All thanks to those fuzzy little fellas.

———THE END————————————————

[fairy-curls]

Sweet Dreams

AN: I recently listened to Epic the musical for the first time. Then I listened to it over and over again because it’s just so good!! I honestly wish I hadn’t put it off for so long, but alas, I’m here now. Writing a tickle fic for the very first time because I actually adore Telemachus so so much. But I couldn’t find any stories with him as the lee so I had to do it myself. Be the change you want to see in the world 😤!! I hope someone enjoys this as much as I enjoyed writing it 💜

Summary: Telemachus tries to sleep but Hermes decides to be his personal sleep paralysis demon.

Word count: 6.0k

Warnings: I haven’t read the Odyssey…lmao. This is a tickle fic! If you don’t like that pls don’t read this

˚₊‧꒰ა ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Telemachus was absolutely exhausted. His day had ended up being much busier than he had originally planned for.

He woke up bright and early that morning to do some solo training, practicing techniques that Athena had mentioned he still needed to work on, before sitting down for a quick breakfast with his parents. The Ithacan royals weren’t always able to eat all their meals together, often caught up with their personal responsibilities, but they made a point to at least have breakfast together, enjoying a peaceful moment before the day got away from them. Telemachus especially looked forward to mornings now that his father was finally home, always happy for a moment to learn more about the man he had longed to meet for so long.

After that, servants whisked him away to the palace baths. There he quickly washed up before being fitted into one of his nicer tunics, a bright white linen that stopped just above his knees, perfect for the heat of the day, and a light blue cloak draped over his left shoulder.

He met with a few different heads of noble families, to go over things like current crop cycles and trade routes. They were in the beginning of the warm season, the busiest time of year for the island’s residents. People were constantly rushing around, plowing fields, checking their irrigation systems, doing everything they could to prepare for the season.

Although, many were worried about the constant humidity that had become the norm for the last couple weeks. Dry summers were expected and there was growing concern amongst the common people regarding the sudden humidity and how it would impact their crops. So much so that even Ithaca’s nobility began pressing the issue. Telemachus had several meetings discussing the topic, where he took notes to share with his mother and father later so they could determine how to best reassure the people.

He was excited to be taking on more responsibilities, finally starting to feel like he was growing into his role as a prince! Though, he would admit, hearing different men drone on about the same thing over and over was honestly quite draining.

Later on in the day, Telemachus and his parents were joined by a noble family for dinner. They had a daughter around his age and were, not so subtly, hoping Telemachus would be interested in becoming a suitor for the girl. She seemed…nice. Quiet. And was admittedly very pretty. But he just wasn’t interested in settling down just yet. The prince still felt like his life was only just beginning, and didn’t want anything to get in the way of his aspirations.

By the time that was finally over, Telemachus was ready to roll into bed and never get back up. Of course, that’s when Athena chose to make her appearance for the day, dragging Telemachus outside for a sparring session. At least combat training was infinitely more interesting to him than his political duties. Athena even told him he was showing steady improvement, which immediately brightened his mood. Right before she knocked him on his ass for the thousandth time.

And now, after running around all day, he stood alone in his bedroom. Finally.

He sighed, slipping off his sandals and padding over to the chest beside his bed where he stored a few simpler tunics for sleeping. As he rummaged through the bin, he noticed a faint sound coming from somewhere within the room. It was high pitched and somewhat melodic. Like a little jingle bell of sorts.

Gods, one long day and he was already starting to hear things.

Telemachus shook his head slightly, as he unclipped the cloak from his shoulder and began to slip out of his tunic. It was probably just a ringing in his ears as they adjusted to the silence of his room after a busy day.

Except the noise continued, getting louder even, till it felt like it was echoing inside his mind. As it steadily grew in volume, Telemachus recognized it as laughter. Like a high pitched giggle that sounded almost mocking.

At this point the prince was officially freaked out. On another day he may have been determined to investigate the strange occurrence, discover its source, and put a stop to it. But today, all his determination surrounded getting into bed and passing out.

Besides there was nothing in his room, not that he could see anyway. So he finished changing into a loose beige tunic, before padding over to close the curtains of his windows, ignoring the mysterious giggles.

As the curtains shut the noise suddenly stopped. His mind was quiet once again, which was good…although he couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the whole situation. Especially now that he had the sudden feeling he wasn’t completely alone anymore…

Telemachus had become quite good at detecting Athena’s presence when she would make her random appearances. The hairs on the back of his neck would stand up and he would suddenly get the feeling he was being watched. No matter where he was, alone or not, he always just knew she was there.

This felt similar but slightly more ominous. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this presence didn’t have the purest intentions.

Besides that, Athena didn’t giggle. Honestly, she didn’t laugh much to begin with. Telemachus had a hard time imagining her making such a weird sound. Plus she would never get in the way of his sleep! She always reminded him that rest was just as important as hard work. ‘Tired minds can’t prosper’ or something like that.

Telemachus closed his eyes, clenching his fists at his sides. This was…fine. He was going to turn around to an empty bed, lay down, and forget this ever happened. Yep yep yep, this was totally normal and he was definitely not about to be murdered by a crazy giggly spirit in his bedroom.

He slowly turned around before opening his eyes to…nothing. He sighed, a small relieved smile crossing his face. Sure, he was clearly going mad, but that was a problem for tomorrow’s Telemachus. Today’s Telemachus had worked hard already and deserved sleep.

“Hello darling.”

“AHH!” Telemachus screamed, jumping away from the sudden voice that appeared behind him. He whipped around to see a man, only slightly taller than himself wearing a similarly cut tunic, only in white with a red trimming along the bottom hem and the top part only covering the left shoulder, leaving his right side exposed. What stood out the most though, was the helmet covering an array of golden curls and his sandals, both of which had a pair of white wings attached, allowing the man…no—god, to float slightly above him.

“Oh my me, darling! You should’ve seen your face!” The god laughed, head thrown back so far that he began floating upside down. “I didn’t think mortals could fly, but you’re certainly jumpy aren’t you.”

Telemachus’ eyes widened in recognition. That laugh. That’s the sound that had been literally driving him crazy a moment ago! He stammered, confused by the god’s sudden appearance, “I- you- Hermes?”

The god in question gently lowered to the floor, actually the same height as Telemachus when on the ground. He hadn’t realized god’s could even be human sized. Athena was so tall, he simply never considered it.

Hermes bowed with a flourish, one arm raised to his chest with the other extended upwards, “Indeed I am.” He smirked up at the boy. Then in the blink of an eye he was behind Telemachus once again, hands gripping his shoulders, leaning into his space, “And you’re Telemachus~”

Telemachus was surprised by the god’s speed, flinching just slightly. Though, in all honesty, he probably should’ve expected it. Hermes was the fabled messenger of the gods after all.

“You know me?” He attempted to look back at the god, but Hermes moved out of his line of sight at each attempt. After a moment of back and forth, he resigned to just face forwards for now.

Hermes giggled at his own antics, his nails digging into Telemachus’ shoulders. They were surprisingly sharp. Like claws even. Yet, somehow they didn’t hurt at all.

“Of course I know you, darling!” Hermes finally drifted to float in front of Telemachus once again, “You’re Athena’s little mentee.” He said, poking the tip of Telemachus’ nose with a quiet “boop.”

Huh. Well, that made sense. He supposed gods probably got together and talked the same way regular people did. It was honestly kind of nice to hear Athena mentioned him at all. There was a bigger question nagging at him though.

“Sooo…why are you here?” He asked, doing his best to sound polite. Telemachus knew how important good hospitality was to the gods, something his mother always reminded him of growing up in a palace full of loud burly suitors.

He wouldn’t risk offending Hermes. If what his father told him about his long journey home was true, accidentally pissing off gods is in his blood.

At the moment, Hermes was flitting about the room, inspecting each and every corner. Telemachus didn’t have too many things in his bedroom, and even less that would interest a god, but he didn’t question the process.

The prince’s question went ignored as Hermes shuffled through a few parchments on the small desk across from his bed, seemingly more interested in his things than in the prince himself.

Telemachus stifled a yawn, staring longingly at his bed. At any other time he would’ve been ecstatic at the idea that a god, other than Athena, chose to personally visit him. But right now, he was just sooo sleepy.

He looked back over to where Hermes had been floating, only to find him directly in front of his face, so close their noses almost touched.

“Wah!” He yelped, stumbling backwards, the backs of his knees bumping against his bed.

Hermes grinned, shiny teeth on full display. It was honestly a little unnerving, especially when he noticed how sharp the god’s canines seemed to be, much sharper than a normal person’s would be.

“Would you like me to leave, darling?” Hermes tilted his head in question, allowing Telemachus to catch a view of the god’s eyes for the first time since his appearance.

They were like little pools of light hidden just beneath the brim of his helmet. Telemachus thought the way they scrunched up into crescents as Hermes smiled made them look a lot like tiny moons.

“No—” He lied, “Of course not! I’m just…confused is all…” He concluded, hoping the god wouldn’t question him any further. And maybe hoping, deep deep down, that Hermes would simply get bored of him and leave, at least for the night.

Hermes stared at him, expressionless. Just long enough to make Telemachus squirm under his gaze, before he smiled again. “Good!” He chirped, “Now, what’s that?”

The god was pointing behind himself at the standing loom set up next to Telemachus’ desk. A roll of cloth was attached to the top beam, the strands in process of being woven into a simple pattern.

In Ithaca, weaving was a practice most often done by women, but as a child Telemachus spent most of his time following his mother anywhere he was allowed. When he watched her slowly craft tapestries and fabrics with her own two hands he was amazed, and asked her to teach him.

Of course, she obliged, and throughout Telemachus’ childhood he and his mother spent many hours together by a loom. He even had several small tapestries that he made himself from over the years tacked onto the walls of his room. Mostly images of monsters and warriors from the stories his mother would tell him before bed.

But the one he was working on now was different. Most people had tapestries depicting the members of their family, and they would update them every few years or so as families naturally changed in size.

Before his father had left for war, his mother made one of the three of them. In it he was just a baby, cradled in his parents arms.

Now that his father had finally returned home, he wanted to make a new tapestry, showing how they looked today. That after all this time they were still a family.

“Oh. I’m making a gift. For my father—Well, for all of us, technically. My parents and I.” He smiled softly, “It’s still a work in progress, obviously.” He had only just started on the row with the tips of their hair, an unfortunate result of his busy schedule lately.

Hermes merely hummed in response, now laying down midair, floating in lazy circles around his head. People often told Telemachus he couldn’t sit still for long, but he was starting to think he wasn’t nearly as bad about it as Hermes seems to be.

“So you crafted all those little designs yourself then?” Hermes asked, gesturing to the various pieces covering his bedroom walls.

Telemachus smiled, managing to push his desire for sleep out of his mind for the moment. It wasn’t often he got to talk about his semi-secret hobby.

“Yea! It’s something I’ve been doing since I was little, actually”

Hermes nodded, thoughtfully, “That’s actually rather impressive, darling.” He complimented, watching the young prince’s face light up at the slight praise.

“Though, I thought weaving was just something women did? I had no idea the prince of Ithaca was so in touch with his femininity~” Hermes teased, shiny eyes glinting down at the boy.

“That- that’s not- I-” Telemachus sputtered, a soft pink flush spreading across his tan cheeks. That was the exact reason this particular interest was kinda, sorta, a secret. He wasn’t really embarrassed about it…well okay maybe he was. But it was hard to talk about knowing that his identity as a man would be questioned.

“A-Athena says that weaving is a respectable craft that helps build focus!” The prince practically shouted, willing the embarrassment to leave his body as he faced the god’s clear amusement at his actions.

Hermes laughed that same jingley giggle, flying faster around Telemachus before grabbing him under his arms and hoisting him up into the air. Telemachus startled, squirming as his feet left the ground.

“Wha— Hermes!” Telemachus squeaked, watching the floor slowly get further away from him. Thankfully the god didn’t take him far, only lifting him about a meter into the air before releasing him onto his bed. He let out a quiet, “oof”, as his head hit the pillows.

Hermes slowly drifted down like a feather, only to plop right on top of Telemachus’ waist, legs straddling either side of him and hands holding the prince down by his shoulders.

“Oh darling,” He giggled softly, tapping his claw-like nails on Telemachus’ soft skin. “I can definitely see why Athena is so fond of you.”

Telemachus screwed up his shoulders at the sensation, the god’s nails being so pointy that it tickled, just slightly, “I-Is that why you’re on top of me?”

Hermes dragged his hands closer to the prince’s neck, clearly fascinated by the boy’s responses to his actions. He watched a wobbly smile grow on Telemachus' face as he alternated between poking the right and left sides of his neck. Even better was the way Telemachus instinctively scrunched up his shoulders to protect the sensitive skin of his neck, stuck squirming back and forth, unable to stop himself from chasing the tingly sensation.

Hermes hummed, once again ignoring a question the prince had asked him. Only this time, the thing distracting the god was Telemachus himself instead of a few random scrolls.

“H-Hermes?” He tried again to gain the god’s attention, not sure how much longer he could stand to be poked and prodded.

“Yes darling?” Hermes, fortunately, responded this time around. Unfortunately, he moved on from poking Telemachus’ neck every few seconds to using all his nails to gently trace circles into the boy’s skin.

Telemachus was really having trouble focusing now, having to bite his lip to prevent himself from letting out any potentially embarrassing noises. His shoulders were hiked up to his ears and his face was a perpetual shade of pink that threatened to spread down to his neck if Hermes kept this up.

“Y-you- Whahat are you dohoing?” He squeaked out, unable to avoid the soft giggles that punctuated every other word.

“Well I don’t know, little prince. You tell me,” Hermes grinned down at him, very much enjoying the young prince’s flustered state. “Are you ticklish?~”

Telemachus gasped softly at the question. He had never quite understood why but the mention of tickling or being tickled always seemed to make him feel really…flustered, in a way other people didn’t seem to understand. Even as a boy, when his mother would poke at his tummy or wiggle her fingers behind his ears he would get so shy, running to hide in the nearest corner where no one could see him.

The prince could only shake his head, knowing that opening his mouth would allow more quiet laughter to flow out of him.

Hermes tsked at him, shaking his head as if disappointed, “You know you should never lie to a god, darling.” He sighed, one hand moving to poke at the boy’s side, “You mortals are incredibly bad at it.”

Telemachus closed his eyes then, the sight of Hermes’ ever teasing grin too much for his sleepy brain to handle. Using his now free arm he attempted to cover the expanse of his side. Of course when he did so, Hermes simply moved to poking his belly instead, resulting in yet another back and forth between the two as the god would simply move to whatever area Telemachus failed to protect.

A quiet whine sounded in the back of his throat, his small wobbly smile slowly widening into a full on grin.

“Hehermeees! Stop ihit! Plehehease!” He pleaded, squirming under the god in a feeble attempt to throw him off.

“Hm? Stop what exactly, darling? You have to be more specific.” Hermes finally decided to leave the boy’s poor neck alone. Only to then shove both his hands under the gaps in Telemachus’ tunic, gently scratching along his sides and belly as he did so. The sensation of ten pointy claws dragging across his skin was the prince’s breaking point, an endless flood of boyish giggles set free within the small room. “Come now, use your words~”

Telemachus was sure he looked a bit like a tomato right now, his cheeks growing warmer as the god continued to tease him. He didn’t even understand why this was happening right now! Was barging into people’s homes, inspecting their things, and then tickling them just something Hermes liked to do?!

Prying his eyes open to glance up at Hermes showed the god staring at his hands as they danced upon skin, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in an expression of the utmost focus. As if tickling a prince was some important task on his to-do list. He noticed Telemachus watching and smiled before shoving his hands further up to vibrate against the spaces between the prince’s ribs.

Telemachus squealed, his hands thrusting out to grab ahold of Hermes’. Hermes cooed at the noise, enjoying the way the prince’s blush darkened in response.

“YOU KNOHOHOW WHAHAHAT!”

Hermes hummed, pretending to think for a moment. “No, can't say I do. There’s a million things you could want me to stop right now. Should I get off you? Leave your room? Oh! Would you want me to stop talking? It wouldn’t be the first time someone told me I—”

“STOHOHOP TIHICKLING MEHEHE!” Telemachus practically screamed, trying, and failing, to pry the god’s hands away from his ribs.

Hermes blinked at him, seemingly confused by the request, “But Telemachus, darling,” He slowed his hands to simply walk his fingers up and down the boy’s ribs, granting him the small mercy of being able to speak, “How could I possibly be tickling someone who isn’t ticklish?”

Telemachus remembered his father telling him about his encounters with Hermes. He had said that the god helped him out in two separate instances while he made his journey home. That he was incredibly playful in a way that made him feel lighter in otherwise perilous environments.

Well Telemachus would say Hermes was more than just playful, he was a downright menace. He fully understood now why people called him a trickster god.

“That is what you said isn’t it?” Hermes continued, bored of waiting for a response from the prince, “Maybe I misheard you somehow? Hm?”

Telemachus groaned, “Ihihi dihihin’t say ahanythihing!” Which was technically true. He only hoped the god wouldn’t call him out for lying again.

Hermes tilted his head, either not noticing or simply choosing not to mention his little work around. “Well then, little prince, answer the question,” He leaned closer, close enough that Telemachus was sure the god could feel the heat radiating from his bright red blush, a thought that in turn only made him blush harder. “Are. You. Ticklish?” He questioned, tasering the boy’s sides at each word.

Frantic giggles emanated from the boy, more so from Hermes’ words than his actual hand movements now. He wasn’t usually so easily flustered, or at least he really hoped he wasn’t, but somehow the god had found the one thing that could always turn his mind to mush.

“B-buhut I- Ihihi- Ah!” A gasp left him as Hermes shoved his hands under his arms. Telemachus immediately clamped his arms down at his sides, but it did nothing to stop those sharp nails from tracing gentle swirls in the spaces beneath his arms.

Hermes shook his head disapprovingly, “No buts, darling. How about this, if you answer honestly…I’ll stop, whatever it is.”

And just like that, it was so easy. Such a simple way to end this whole thing. Telemachus could say goodbye to the trickster god, go to sleep, and try to forget about this weird night. But…

Telemachus whined, twisting side to side as if that would somehow allow him to evade the hands he had literally trapped under his arms. He simply couldn’t help it! Despite the truth being painfully obvious, the thought of saying the words out loud was just so embarrassing.

“Hehermes pleheh-AH! PLEASE!!” Telemachus screamed as Hermes suddenly dug into his hollows, scratching at the sensitive skin.

“I already told you how this ends, darling.” Hermes laughed, amused by the silly prince’s reactions to every little thing, “I can’t do much more for you. What’s that thing you mortals like to say? Gods can only help those who help themselves? Hm?”

Telemachus was fully belly laughing now. His back arched away from the mattress and legs kicking out behind where Hermes perched atop him. And yet, the god continued scritching away, lighting the boy’s nerves on fire with every twitch of his fingers.

“I really don’t see what’s so funny, darling. I mean all I’ve done is ask you a simple question.” Hermes shook his head, sighing, “Alas, it appears I’ll have to let Athena know her little mentee has gone insane.”

At the mention of his mentor Telemachus shook his head wildly, blush spreading to the tips of his ears.

She could not know about this. He would actually die if she found out. How was he supposed to look her in the eye during their training knowing that she knew a few pokes in the right places turned him into a blushing giggling mess.

“HEHERMEHES!”

“Telemachus~” Hermes sing-songed.

“IHIHI CAHAN’T!!” Telemachus whined, peering up at him through squinted eyes, hoping the trickster would take pity on him.

Hermes hummed, pretending to think. “Well. Maybe there is something I can do to help.”

Telemachus closed his eyes once again, not wanting to see what the god had in mind. He could only hope that Hermes’ definition of ‘help’ didn’t actually mean ‘make everything worse’.

…Oh

worse

Worse

WORSE—

Hermes had leaned down to bury his face in the crook of Telemachus’ neck and began nibbling at his skin with those sharp teeth he had witnessed earlier. All the while still, he continued clawing at the prince’s underarms.

On top of that, Hermes’ feathers and fluffy hair brushed against the underside of his chin and face. Leaving behind a tingly sensation that, on its own, wouldn’t really be that bothersome, but in combination with everything else? Was absolutely maddening.

Telemachus writhed beneath the god, hips bucking up suddenly, as if that would cause the immovable force that was Hermes to topple off him. Despite logically knowing there was only one way out of this, his over the top reactions continued, much to Hermes’ obvious delight.

Although…

“NAHAHAHAHAH!” Telemachus’ mind was a foggy haze. His already sleepy brain melted down into soup with the continuous tickling. He honestly couldn't very well remember what Hermes wanted him to do at this point.

Hermes, refusing to be silent for any extended period of time ever, began making little “Om nom nom” sounds as he scraped his teeth against the young prince’s neck. Biting him gently every few seconds before continuing.

Telemachus was even more embarrassed by the ridiculous sounds, a small snort escaping him as he shook his head.

Hermes immediately shot up at the noise, gazing down at the boy with literal sparkles in his shiny eyes.

“Oh. My. Me, darling! What was that?!” Hermes genuinely laughed, not expecting a prince to make such a sound. “Turning people into pigs isn’t exactly my area of expertise, you know.”

And with that, Hermes had officially murdered Telemachus. Now his gravestone would probably read something ridiculous like ‘Here lies Ithaca’s most ticklish prince. Who quite literally combusted after a flustering encounter with our Lord Hermes.’

The boy’s whole face, neck, and ears had turned bright red. His damp hair stuck to his forehead, even as he continued to squirm. He hardly felt like a person at the moment. More like a puddle. A sweaty, blushing, incredibly ticklish puddle. The only thing he could feel other than Hermes continuing to torment him was the slight ache in his cheeks from smiling for so long.

Hermes sighed wistfully, “You know, I always forget how sensitive you mortals are,” He watched the young prince beneath him squirm every which way, desperate for an escape that he simply would not achieve.

“You’re all so squishy,” He suddenly vibrated his digits where they lay beneath the prince’s arms for emphasis, laughing along as the boy threw his head back against his pillow with a pitchy squeal. “Maybe I should visit you more often, little prince.”

Telemachus’ eyes snapped open, face to face with a smirking Hermes. The trickster giggled in that high-pitched chittering way that he often did.

“What? You don’t like the sound of that?” The god pouted as Telemachus frantically shook his head.

“Well that’s not very nice, darling.” He sighed, looking despondent for just a moment before a mischievous grin quickly returned to his face. “I suppose I’ll just have to come back and punish you for hurting my feelings instead.”

“N-NO! NOHOHOHOHO!! YOU CAHAHAN’T!!” Telemachus cried out, unable to handle the possibility of this becoming a reoccurring activity. He would never get anything done if he thought Hermes could appear at any moment and tickle him to pieces.

Hermes simply ignored his pleas returning to his spot pressed against the prince’s neck, likely in an attempt to get Telemachus to repeat the noise he had found oh so hilarious.

Telemachus forced what little brain power he had left to think. But it was so hard to focus! Everytime a thought crossed his mind Hermes would wiggle his fingers just a little harder, or his hair feathers would brush against Telemachus’ ears, and the thought would be chased away. It honestly felt like wading through sticky mush, searching for something he wasn’t quite sure still existed. But there had been something. Something he was supposed to say—

He jolted suddenly, a gasp interrupting the otherwise steady stream of laughter. Something wet had pressed against the base of his neck, close to his collar bones. Something wet…and kind of warm and—

Oh…

No!

Hermes just licked him!

“OKAHAHAY!!” He shouted, the sudden assault seemingly jogging his fried memory, “IHIHI’M TIHIHICKLIHISH! IHIHIT TICKLES!! NAHAHAHA MOHORE!”

Hermes quickly vibrated his fingers in place under his arms one last time before stopping, and sitting back up.

Telemachus laid there, twitching as if he was still being tickled. His laughter slowly died down into pitchy giggles that didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Looking down at Telemachus’ frazzled state, the god couldn’t help but smile. A real, fond smile, rather than his usual impish grin. He genuinely found the boy to be quite adorable. Especially laying there as he was, face flushed and breathless with a little smile.

“Darling,” Hermes tilted his head, “There’s really no need to state the obvious. I do have eyes.”

Telemachus groaned, residual giggles still tumbling past his lips as the ticklish shocks still lingered.

“Y-You…you’re s-so—”

“Careful now, darling,” Hermes’ eyes flashed in warning, “I am still a god you know.”

Telemachus remained quiet at the reminder. Although, part of him got the feeling that Hermes wouldn’t really do anything to hurt him. Still, he wasn’t willing to test that theory.

He took a few deep breaths, allowing himself to calm down and finally stop laughing, “Do you think you could get off me now?” The prince asked, squirming slightly underneath the god who for some reason still hadn’t moved.

“Of course!” Hermes said, unmoving. “But first-” Telemachus groaned loudly, annoyed at the prospect of having to do literally anything else.

Hermes merely giggled at him, “Calm down, darling. This shouldn’t be hard.” He reassured, “I just need you to raise your arms up for me.”

Telemachus blinked up at him slowly. Maybe the lack of sleep had officially made him delirious because he swore the request made no sense.

Seemingly sensing the boy’s confusion, Hermes deigned to explain himself, “See, my hands are a bit stuck at the moment.” He gave the slightest wiggle of his fingers that still had the prince gasping as if he had been stabbed.

Telemachus glared up at the god defiantly. He knew for a fact that was untrue. Hermes was way stronger than him! Gods were always stronger than humans, that being a large part of why they were so revered—and feared.

Hermes was still messing with him. And clearly enjoying doing so, based on the way he was seemingly unable to stop giggling.

“We both know that’s not tru-AH! HERMES!!” Telemachus shrieked, feeling the god dig his nails into his skin once again.

“You calling me a liar, darling?” Hermes leaned down, grinning wickedly at the boy, “You might wanna listen to me before I change my mind about stopping. Hm?”

Hermes was close enough to him that Telemachus could feel the breath fanning his face as he spoke. And somehow, that tickled too, his already overstimulated senses easily set off by any little thing.

The prince’s giggling sounded desperate as he shook his head, knowing very well he couldn’t take much more of this. He forced himself to think about his end goal, what he had been working towards all day. Finally falling asleep in his cozy bed.

Telemachus bit his lip, steeling his nerves, before slowly lifting his arms upwards, hovering just high enough for Hermes to remove his evil hands.

Hermes slowly raked his nails down the boy’s skin, smiling at the way Telemachus’ arms trembled in place, hiccupy giggles bubbling out of him.

As soon as the hands were gone Telemachus clamped his arms down once again, wrapping himself in a tight hug, as if that would protect him from the phantom tickles that still lingered.

“Y-You’re *hic* me-mean.”

Of course, Hermes simply laughed. Because laughing at Telemachus’ mild displeasure seemed to be his new favorite pastime.

“I’m mean?” Hermes gaped, hand dramatically pressed to his chest. As if the idea that the boy he just several minutes tormenting could think such a thing was entirely ridiculous.

“Honestly, darling! I really could have been a lot worse. I wouldn’t have even stopped if you didn’t look like you were about to pass out!” Hermes pointed at him, as if it was his fault their little ‘game’ had ended.

Though, he certainly wasn’t wrong. Telemachus thought his bones felt a bit like pudding. Even with Hermes still sitting on top of his waist he could probably fall asleep right now.

Hermes stared down at the Ithacan prince for a moment, watching his eyes flutter shut and his breathing slowly even out.

This was the son Odysseus had fought so hard to get back to. His own great great grandson.

Gods having children with mortals was nothing new or even unexpected. His own father had slept with who knows how many different people, providing him with an absolutely ridiculous number of siblings. Most of which their supposed father, literal king of the gods, couldn’t give a single crap about. He was well within his right to ignore Ithaca’s existence entirely.

But…Hermes couldn’t help but feel the slightest tinge of affection towards these silly little mortals. Even if he chose to show it in unconventional ways.

The messenger god smiled down at the boy sleeping below him and quietly disappeared.

˚₊‧꒰ა ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Telemachus was only half asleep when he noticed the weight suddenly disappear from his hips. He blearily opened his eyes to see Hermes had left.

Huh. He honestly didn’t expect him to leave so silently. No fancy flourish to his exit—

“Still awake, Darling?”

Once again, the god’s sudden appearance startled the prince. Telemachus looked over to his left to see Hermes sitting cross-legged beside him. For some reason he was holding one of the chalices they usually kept in the dining areas.

“You’re still here.” Telemachus mumbled, rolling onto his side, now facing the god’s knee.

Hermes smiled softly, “For now, yes.” He gently wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulders, “Sit up for me, alright.”

Telemachus whined quietly as he felt Hermes slowly dragging him into a sitting position. He was about to protest before he felt something cool press against his lips. Blinking his eyes open he saw the chalice Hermes was holding, filled with water.

Oh.

Well that was rather unexpected. But also...nice.

Telemachus took the cup into his hands, taking slow sips of the water until it was empty. He hadn’t even realized he was thirsty till now. Maybe Hermes did spend his time flying around tickling people, since he seemingly knew what they needed afterwards.

Hermes took the cup from him and he immediately crashed back into his pillows, getting comfy once more. It seemed the god planned on sticking around till he fell asleep. Something he didn’t mind the sound of, surprisingly.

Telemachus tensed slightly as he felt Hermes reach out to brush a hand through his hair. He quickly melted into the touch, the feeling of gentle fingers scratching at his scalp almost instantly relaxing him enough to fall asleep.

But first…

“Hermes..” the prince mumbled sleepily, just barely awake.

“Yes darling?”

“Promise me you won’t tell Athena ‘bout this?” Telemachus whispered, voice so soft Hermes might not have heard him if he wasn’t right next to the boy.

Hermes laughed quietly at the request. Of course Telemachus still managed to worry about his mentor when practically asleep.

“Don’t worry, darling. I promise.”

Telemachus’ only response was the tiny puffs of breath escaping his open mouth. The prince was finally asleep.

Hermes sat and watched over the sleeping prince for a brief moment, feeling so deeply and utterly fond.

Floating up and off the bed, Hermes quietly drifted over to the thin linen sheet tucked at the edge of the bed. He gently draped it over the boy, hesitating briefly, before leaning over and pressing the tiniest kiss to his forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Telemachus.”

[jar-of-hearts131]

Hi! I know I haven't uploaded anything new in a while! Found this in my WIP folder and figured I'd finish it for y'all! Hope you enjoy it!

Rest, or Else

Lee!Eurylochus

Ler!Odysseus

-------

Sigh.

You know, sometimes Eurylochus wished he had pulled an Odysseus and faked madness or something.

It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to go to war, or that he disliked his crewmates. It's just that the days on the ship heading back could be so boring. Usually, he was fine with the monotony. But sometimes, on days like today, he felt as if the lack of excitement would actually drive him mad for real.

He stared down at the paperwork he was sorting through, glaring as though it alone was responsible for his boredom.

A knock on the door caused him to look up, and a small smile appeared on his face when he saw his brother and captain, Odysseus, standing there.

“I know that paperwork is just so intriguing, but it's time for dinner.” He quipped with a laugh.

“I'll be done soon Ody, there's a lot here.”

“You can't stay cooped up forever. Especially when it looks like you're plotting a murder for that inventory list.”

Eurylochus snorted. “You should be thanking me for doing it. Pretty sure this is your job captain.”

Odysseus raised his hands in mock surrender. “And I appreciate you doing it. But you still should come on out.”

Eurylochus sighed. “Just give me enough time to finish with this sheet, then I'll join you all.”

“Alright.”

Odysseus rejoined his crew in the ship's small dining hall. He didn't even get a chance to sit down before he had to break up a fight between Perimedes and Elpenor. “These two are going to be the death of me.” He thought. With the commotion, he temporarily forgot about a certain workaholic down in the study.

Eurylochus remained deeply absorbed in his work. Despite the boredom, he was handling it quickly and efficiently. Sure, he had said once he finished with the inventory he would leave, but there was still so much to do! And he wasn't one to leave work unfinished. He was so focused that he didn't hear the door opening and closing, only snapping out of it when a hand landed on the desk directly in front of him.

“What happened to you coming out once you finished?”

Eurylochus glanced up to see a very annoyed Odysseus. “Sorry, got distracted. I'll go now.”

As Eurylochus stood to leave, Odysseus stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Not so fast. This is the third time you missed a meal in the last week.”

As if on cue, Eurylochus's stomach growled loudly. Odysseus sighed and handed him a plate of food he had taken. “I figured this might happen so I brought you some food.”

Eurylochus sat back down sheepishly. “Thank you.” He took the plate and started eating. It was only then he realized just how hungry he was.

Odysseus pulled up a chair and sat down, with his characteristic grin, although the corners of it were tinged with worry. “Of course. What kind of captain would I be if I didn't look out for my crew? And on top of that, you're my brother, and one of my closest friends. I'm not gonna let you work yourself to an early grave. That's my job.”

Putting the (now empty) plate aside, Eurylochus picked the paper back up. “Thank you again, I'm going to try to get some more done here.”

Slightly stunned for a second, Odysseus shook his head before reaching out and snatching the paper out of Eurylochus's hand. “No, you've done enough. You're going to go and spend some time resting.” Eurylochus opened his mouth to protest, but Odysseus held up a hand to silence him. “I’m not asking here. As your captain, I order you to get some rest.”

Eurylochus just smirked and crossed his arms. “Pulling rank on me? I thought you were above that.”

Odysseus smiled back at him, although a bit sad. “Not when it comes to the wellbeing of my men. Now go to bed. I’m sure there will be a barrel-load of tasks in the morning. And you look like shit.”

Eurylochus did feel a bit sleepy, but he wasn’t that tired. He could do another hour or so. “Ody, I’m fine. I’ll go to bed in an hour, just let me-”

“No. You just missed dinner because I let you do ‘just one more thing.’ I’m not going to argue with you on this.” Odysseus stood from the chair and pointed at the door. “Bed. Now.”

Eurylochus scoffed. If Odysseus wanted to treat him like a petulant child he would act like one. “Make me.”

Odysseus didn’t say a word as he stepped over and picked Eurylochus up out of his chair and casually threw him over his shoulder. “Now, if you don’t want me to carry you out like this in front of the whole crew you will go to bed. This is your last chA-!” He dropped Eurylochus and lurched forward when he felt a hand prod his side. He turned to see Eurylochus on the floor with a shit-eating grin on his face. For all his seriousness he could be an asshole sometimes. Odysseus just grinned and cracked his knuckles. “Oh, you’re asking for it now.” He pounced.

“SHIT!” The two men were locked in a wrestling match, each fighting for dominance. Odysseus eventually got the upper hand and pinned Eurylochus’s wrists to the floorboards with one hand. “Ody, you need to chill. At least take me out to dinner first.” Eurylochus figured he was already doomed, he might as well make the most of it.

Odysseus didn’t say anything, just stared at him with a deadpan expression until the silence became awkward.

“You gonna say anything? Usually you have some snide remark, has the great Odysseus finally lost his voice?”

Odysseus, with a nonchalant tone, said “Nah, I was just wondering for how long you would dig your own grave. Admittedly, I thought you would go on a little longer. You were more of a smart-ass when we were kids.”

Eurylochus just smiled cheekily. “Well one of us had to be the mature one, and it certainly wasn’t going to be you.”

Odysseus gasped with mock offense, placing a hand on his chest. “How can you! I can be very mature! And here I was thinking we were friends! I’ll never forgive you for this.” He “wiped a tear” before turning his head away with a “Hmmph!”

Eurylochus raised an eyebrow at the theatrics. “Uh-huh. Sure. Very mature.”

That little shit. “You’re gonna regret that.”

Eurylochus didn't have time to respond before he burst into laughter. Not many people knew he was ticklish, and even fewer knew where. Unfortunately, Odysseus was one of those very few people. And he was taking full advantage, ruthlessly digging into his sides. “And now you’re laughing at me? That is so rude!”

Through his mirth, Eurylochus barely heard him. He was mostly focused on the fingers that were now scratching at his ribs. “DahAMn it, Ody!”

His friend grinned. “Aww, you look adorable! You should smile more often!” It was uncommon to see Eurylochus smiling, and even rarer to hear him laugh, so Odysseus was going to treasure every second. Granted, they rarely interacted in private anymore, and Eurylochus had a reputation as the serious one, and intended to keep it that way. However, Odysseus had sensed his brother’s mounting stress as the days passed; returning home was going to be like walking into a new dimension, and he had no idea what to expect. He liked to be in control of the situation, and had a hard time letting go of what bothered him. So, Odysseus knew that he needed a reprieve deep down, even if Eurylochus never would admit to it himself.

While Ody was briefly lost in his own head, Eurylochus took an opportunity to try and turn the tables. He suddenly bucked, causing Odysseus to lose his balance, and fall forward. He didn’t fall far, thanks to the hand holding Eurylochus down, but his other hand slipped, and in an effort to rebalance himself, Odysseus’s nails grazed Eury’s bicep.

“EEP-!”

Odysseus jolted (again), caught off guard by the uncharacteristic scream, before laughing himself. “Screaming already? But we just started!” He then moved to pin Eurylochus’s hands under his knees, so both of his own hands were free. Eurylochus was wearing an expression of utter mortification, mixed with a bit of excitement that only showed in his eyes, a detail that hadn’t gone unnoticed. But, Odysseus decided to be nice, and not point it out. Not yet anyway.

He then placed his hands on Eury’s biceps, but not moving them. “Don’t think I had forgotten about your worst spot.” He lightly tapped his fingers, drawing out barely muffled giggles. “But, I think we’ll save this for later. Don’t want the fun to end too quickly!”

Eurylochus groaned, letting his head fall back and wincing as it hit the floorboards. He didn’t mind this, it was actually kind of fun to mess around and forget about his responsibilities, but Odysseus could be such an asshole sometimes!

Said assholery was displayed in the next comment made: “Tell me where to go next.” Eurylochus balked, unsure if he had heard correctly. “Huh?”

“You heard me. Tell me where to tickle next.”

“I…” Eurylochus was lost for words, he wasn't quite sure how to respond. “I don't know!” He whined, pulling on his hands to try and hide his deep blush.

“That's fine, I can wait.” Odysseus said with a relaxed yet smug tone, his fingers never ceasing their tapping.

Eurylochus squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the feeling. The tapping, which would speed up, start and stop, and never followed any sort of pattern wouldn't let him fully relax. He felt constantly on edge and couldn't stop huffing breathy giggles out of his nose, and he was getting more antsy by the second.

“Ohody, plehehase!”

“Please what?”

“Juhust get ohohon with it!”

Odysseus paused for a second to think it over, and decided to be merciful. “Alright, because I am a nice captain, I won't make you wait much longer!” And he began to count. “Five.”

“Oho gohohods!” Eurylochus hated (loved) this.

“Four. Three.

“Why ahare you so mean?!”

Odysseus just smirked. “Two.”

He formed his hands into claws.

“One.”

He held them over Eurylochus's stomach, who sucked in as much as he could in response.

“One half.”

“Ody!”

Odysseus barked a laugh at Eurylochus's indignation. “Okay fine. Zero.” And he dug his hands in.

Eurylochus would deny forever that he squealed like a little girl. Honestly, if you asked Ody, he kind of sounded like a piglet. It was adorable, really.

“Awww, Eury!” Odysseus cooed. “I think Polities has some competition for ‘cutest laughter’ now! Listen to you!” He lightened his touch to just grazing over Eurylochus’s stomach, causing the squealing to turn into the softest giggles he ever heard. His face softened too, shifting from a look of playful malice to one of brotherly love. After all, they didn’t get much time to mess around like this anymore.

“Now, what were we talking about? Oh right! We were discussing how you need to stop being a stubborn little shit and start taking proper care of yourself. Because I care about you…” He pokes Eury in the stomach. “The crew cares about you…” Another poke. “And you need to care about you!” Poke poke poke.

“Okahay okay! Noho need to be mehean about it!” Eurylochus swats at Odysseus, finally giving in. Odysseus, the smug little shit, sits back grinning. “Glad to see you finally come to your senses.” He gets up, offering a hand to Eurylochus. “Now, if you don't go to bed this instant-” He is cut off by a sudden hug. “Thank you for caring.” Eurylochus's deep voice says, in a softer tone that is unusual for him. Odysseus pauses, then returns the embrace. “Of course, brother.”

They hold each other for a moment, before Odysseus breaks the embrace. “Now get your ass to bed.” He scolds. Eurylochus laughs and puts his hands up in mock surrender. “I'm going, I'm going.” He leaves, waving as the door closes behind him. Odysseus smiles and shakes his head, tidying up the papers on the desk.

He doesn't say anything when Eurylochus sleeps in the next day. Neither does the crew. He needs the rest. When he wakes up, and finds out he slept through the morning, Eurylochus isn’t happy at first, but he cannot deny that he feels more energized. Maybe taking a break every now and then isn’t so bad after all.

[bimobuddy]

Fight Little Wolf

Epic tk fic!!! New fixation dropped!!

I heard Athena singing this to Telemachus and knew what I had to do

Lee! Telemachus, Ler! Athena

Summary: Athena is training Telemachus, who's reluctant to strike at a goddess

"Come on, strike!"

It was a nice day out. The sun was shining, the wind wasn't too harsh, and waves in the distance could be heard dancing up against the shores. Each god seemed to be in a decent mood today.

Each god except Athena, it seemed. She wasn't angry, though, just mildly frustrated at worst.

The young man came at her again, and she easily dodged, grabbed his wrist, and pushed him forward onto the ground, sighing.

"Telemachus, you must strike. How do you expect to win a fight if you don't strike your opponent?" She reached up and took her helmet off. It was pretty warm and she didn't see a reason to wear it when she was just training a mortal. A mortal that wouldn't strike her anyway.

Gray eyes met his hazel ones, and Telemachus looked away. She could see he was reluctant and holding back. He had a similar build to his father when he was his age after all, he should be able to hit pretty hard.

"I just.. don't want to hurt you, Athena Prom-"

"We've been over this, you can just call me Athena. I'm friends with both you and your father, no epithet is needed." She huffed. She grew fonder of this boy and his family each day. And she greatly appreciated and acknowledged his respect.

Telemachus flushed. "We are friends, Athena, and I don't want to hurt you." He admitted. Despite being young, he was a big guy. He may not be the exact build of his father, who's been in war and fought gods and monsters, but he was slightly taller than him and decently strong from having fought off suitors for a good portion of his life.

The goddess propped her hands on her hips. "What am I known for, boy?"

He blinked. "Goddess of Wisdom." He answered. When she only raised a brow, he realized that wasn't the answer she was looking for, so he continued. "Master of War."

She nodded. "I am a goddess and a master of war. You are a mortal boy. I don't mean to demean you by saying this, but I promise you will not hurt me."

Telemachus lifted himself from the grass and dusted himself off, confliction still evident on his face. "But mortals can bring harm to the gods. Father harmed Pos- .. The Sea God so badly that he lifted a storm."

"Yes, but Odysseus was also running on pure rage and desperation to get home to his family. That brings out an unnatural amount of strength in anyone. However, you and I are just training and no one's life is at risk, so I doubt you will tap into your adrenaline like he did. Now pick up your spear, and strike."

She got back into position, grabbing her own spear. Telemachus reluctantly got back into his stance and started to spar once more. Though just like before, he was pulling his strength, and not really aiming for Athena, but her weapon and shield.

It wasn't hard for her to disarm him with a slight poke to his hands with her spear, causing him to hiss and drop his weapon. He rubbed his hands, though he got nothing worse than a papercut.

"Telemachus." She scolded, setting her spear and shield down. "What will it take to get you to fight back? You fought those suitors with everything you had."

That struck a nerve. He whipped his head up and stared at her. "You didn't hear what they wanted to do to my mom!" Almost immediately he lowered his head in shame for yelling at a goddess.

"I'm sorry-"

"No," she cut him off, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Don't apologize. You're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I didn't realize how that had effected you."

"She's my mom, I'd do anything for her." He said, his tone weak and a little sad.

"I know.. That's a good trait to have." Athena frowned. Not only was this training session not going according to plan, but now her mortal was sad.

This wouldn't do.

She tried to think back to her own family, and what they'd do cheer each other up. Those who liked each other anyway. Godly relationships were complicated.

Zeus? No, he'd never been one to get emotional and cheer anyone up. The most he did was give gifts to Hera after he had angered her.

What about her uncle Hades? She didn't see him often, but she did remember seeing him dancing with Persephone in the garden after something had upset her. But that wouldn't work with her and Telemachus, since she viewed him more as a nephew.

She didn't even consider Poseidon since they'd never really been that close, especially after the Medusa incident.

Okay, so uncles are out of the picture, what about her siblings? She went through the list. Apollo was more one to tend to your physical wounds rather than emotional. Ares was like her and usually released his emotions through fighting. Hermes?

Perfect.

"So are you going to fight back, or do I need to give you a reason to?" She asked. Her tone remained the same as before, since she wasn't used to being playful.

Telemachus looked up at her. She could tell he was getting irritated, but would never admit that to the goddess standing before him. "I guess I can try again." he sighed, starting to get up.

Though, before he could fully stand, she pushed him over until she had his right arm pinned over his head. The young man kicked his legs a little. "A-Athena?"

"We're not using our weapons this time. That's not enough to motivate you. I'm going to try something different to get you to fight back." Was all she said before she started to skitter her fingers up his ribs.

He gasped and arched his back, a panicked smile splitting his face. "A-Ahathena, wait!" he tried to use his free hand to block hers, but she didn't budge, still wiggling her fingers into the spaces between his ribs.

And wow did he look like his father. Same smile, same way he scrunched his nose up. Though she did notice he laughed like his mother, from what she had heard of it.

Odysseus' laugh was loud, and came from the chest. It was infectious and most people couldn't stay upset when they heard it.

Penelope was a giggler, though, and her laugh came more from the throat. It was light, soft, and bubbly. That was the laugh she shared with her boy. He was terribly embarrassed of the fact that he 'laughed like a girl,' but he couldn't deny that he liked that he shared something with his mother, especially when he was the spitting image of Odysseus.

Athena couldn't help but grin at the light, boyish giggles that bubbled out of him. It was adorable. Especially since gods often viewed mortals as children. Not always, but often.

"Oh, you're blocking. But can you fight?" She teased, flitting her hand between his chin, neck, and ears, causing his cheeks to flush, his smile to get shy, and his giggles to get squeakier and more frantic. He turned his head from side to side and tried to grab her wrist.

"Athehehena!"

"Come on, fight little wolf, fight!" she chuckled, curling her fingers into a claw shape before she vibrated it into his belly, and out came Odysseus. Telemachus tossed his head back, nose scrunched, as his laughter came out much louder, from the chest.

He kicked his legs and tried to turn away, but she still had his right arm pinned, making it hard. "AHATHENA PLEHEASE!"

"Maybe if you can fight me off, you can get free." She teased, grinning wider as he seemed to whine through his laughter, clearly not thinking he was capable of fighting her off.

She slipped her hand under his arm and started to tickle at the back of his ribs, and was very quickly reminded that he wasn't just 'the son of Odysseus and Penelope,' but his own person. The way he seized and threw his head back, and the loud, high pitched laugh that came out was purely Telemachus.

It was almost raspy, it was loud and frantic.. It almost sounded like a dolphin? It made her giggle a little just to hear it.

Finally, he began to thrash and twist his body until he faced Athena and kicked off of her, pushing himself away and wrenching his hand from her grasp. He rolled over a little and landed face down, panting, still giggling.

The goddess didn't think all that loose dirt and dust was good for his lungs, so she went to roll him over, only for him to raise his hands defensively.

She laughed. "Relax, I'm done. I was just rolling you over." she explained as she sat next to him, pushing his hair from his eyes. She really did see him as her nephew.

Once again, she was reminded of how lovely of a day it was. The sun was shining just a little bit brighter, the wind felt just a little warmer, and the waves in the distance sounded a little calmer than before, as if they had enjoyed the playful game between Athena and her friend.

Telemachus sat up with a sigh. He looked better, too. No longer sad, and like his mind had had a good break. He got up and grabbed his spear. "Alright, let's try this again."

Athena grinned and grabbed her own spear, jumping up. "Right. Ready? Strike!"

He put up a good fight, and this time, managed to disarm her.

[thatcheesyler]

Wait guys I just had the most whimsical idea for EPIC tkls

What if Odysseus was summoned to God Games, and during each god's argument, they'd tkl him in areas that corresponded to their criticism? (Then maybe every time, Athena would dish out tkls to that god in her rebuttal)

Like, Apollo talking about the siren song, maybe giving him neck tkls because that's where the vocal cords are

Hephaestus going for palm tkls, because you'd shake people's hands to forge friendships and trust with them

Aphrodite is all about the heart, so I'd say chest area, like collarbones and maybe underarms

Ares, he goes off on a rant about Ody not being strong enough for his crew's sake, so bicep, thigh and abdomen tkls seem fair, since his physical strength is most evident in those muscles

Hera is defo a tough one, but it'd be cute if she went for his ears with a peacock feather. Ears because of how many similar tales she's heard before, about great 'heroes' like him.

And then Zeus gets nothing because he doesn't deserve to lay his hands on my sweet baby boy