The Blood We Shed
Telemachus x reader/you (first person pov)
Type: Slow burn, best friends to lovers, smut, blood as lube
Synopsis: Telemarket and Lyra/you are childhood best friends navigating life with the suitors.
Both of you discover your sick fantasies of killing the suitors and uhhh *reveling in it* while covered in blood are shared.
However, you hardly have time to process this fact before a unfathomable storm reaches the coast of Ithaca... wait is that man on fucking raft fighting the god of the sea? Hello??
Anyway they fuck on Antinous' corpse.
!!THERE WILL BE ODY X PENELOPE REUNION SMUT!!
(Originally on my ao3. I update on there faster and have more chapters out!)
CHAPTER 1
My eyes scan over the words on the parchment—pursuing a scroll on herbal identification I’d recently picked out at the library— until I hear a clumsy pair of sandals walk through the front door. I perk up, recognizing those heavy steps
“Tel–-Whaaaaaat the fuck happened?”
Before me stands my childhood best friend—who just so happens to also be the crown prince of Ithaca—covered in mud and muddy hand prints.
“What? Did you have to chase one of the local pigs around town or something?”
“HA!” Telemachus laughs with an overtly sarcastic tone, “More like the ‘pigs’ were chasing me.” He says gruffly, grimacing at today's run in with the suitors.
“Fucking hell, Lyra they were on one today,” He starts while sounding downright exhausted.
“We had an ale shipment come into the harbor, right? Those fucking bastards jacked the damned thing! Drank half of it before we could unload what was left for Zeus’ sake. Not just that, but one of the men got so drunk that he tr–”
I listen intently, that is up until I fully take him in: bruises here and there in addition to his scraped and swollen knuckles. I notice he has a slightly bloodied nose that he’s been rubbing off on his sleeve.
“—Is that fucking BLOOD????” I immediately get up to inspect him with concerned brows.
“Ok, maybe—”
“TELEMACHUS!”
“LYRA!”
“TELEMACHUS!!”
Ever since we met, Telemachus has always had a big heart— bigger than himself. And that’s where the problems arise.
He’s protective of the people he loves, always has been and always will. Even when we were small he’d try and tell off the asshole kids around town if they’d tried to bully me— usually it’d end with him garnering a black eye and a scraped knee, but he never cared. I’d always return the favor as his partner in crime. We’ve had each other's backs since day one.
I’ve found myself on more than one occasion smiling back at those times, when days were easier. His mother’s suitors were still somewhat behaved, the kingdom less restless, both of us having lesser responsibilities. We’d duel with wooden swords until we tired ourselves out, laying in the grass and daydreaming of days when we’d get into real fights and put our skills to the test. Recently though, I fear that could be any day now… The suitors have grown stronger, violent, and larger in numbers.
I put my face in my hands,
“You can’t take all those dogs at once and you know it. Why did you pick a fight you can’t win??”
“And who’s to say that?” He smirks, flexing like an idiot.
“You look like an idiot.” I say flatly.
“But like, a really strong and still very much ALIVE idiot!”
“Zeus and all the gods above— YOU HAVE MUD SEEPING INTO YOUR WOUNDS!”
He ducks his head behind his arms as I swat him,
“Go clean yourself up. I wanna see what damage I’m working with here.”
“FINE, FINE! Bloody hell woman!” Telemachus says with an exaggerated expression contrived of false frustration while he heads to the washroom.
I stand up from the bed and walk over to monitor him, my back turned to the doorway I stand to the side of. I hear him begin to wash in the basin.
“Do you need me to fetch you a new tunic? That one is a mess.”
He sighs, “I guess I should change—“
I go and retrieve one of his spares he keeps here—a testimate to just how often these occurrences happen.
I hear him chuckle from the other room,
“That’s fine. I’ll change in a second, I’ll settle for a towel for now.”
I hear a hiss of pain escape the washroom.
On instinct my body turns slightly to the sound, “Hey, are you ok?”
“Yeah, just scrubbed a bruise a little hard,”he says with reassurance in his voice, “I’m just about done.”
I pass him a large towel, my body still turned away from the door frame as he finishes up a moment later. I move to my bed and pat the spot next to me as he bundles himself.
“Here, sit. I’m going to get you some cloth for those scrapes.”
“Ok—“ he mutters somewhat embarrassed, realizing how often I’ve had to patch him up as of late. Even though he’s not as expressive as he’d like to be about it; he really appreciates the care I put into fixing him up.
I return with the cloth and some leaves. I’d found myself researching more pain relieving plants as of late— trying to be proactive for Ithaca's klutziest, overconfident fist-fighter. Though he could definitely hold his own with a sword, his form with hand-to-hand combat is still a work in progress. I will admit, he’s won a lot more fights lately, which I’m very proud of him for. But I do wish that fact didn’t give him the confidence to pick opponents that are out of his league.
I place down the items next to my grind stone and crush the leaves before I place them on the wounds of his knuckles.
Telemachus visibly relaxes as I spread the paste across his hands,
“That actually feels kinda nice…”
I smile softly, “I’m glad. I was hoping it wouldn’t hurt.” I wrap his hands in the cloth, careful to make sure that it’s secure from any movements and gestures.
“Tilt your head.” I tell him, getting up close while I’m trying to stop any bleeding.
“Yes mother.” he teases as he does what I ask of him. I shoot him a warning look.
“Ok sorry! Sorry!” He chuckles as he accepts the cloth and holds it to his nose and ensures it’s securely in place.
“Thanks Lyra. Seriously.”
I sigh, hardly putting any real frustration behind it.
“It’s okay, you just have to be more careful,” I say sitting down diagonal to his chair,
“I worry.”
“I know,” he says, “but I can’t help it! It’s fucked up that they get to walk around and get away with murder. Literal murder, Lyra! And NO ONE does anything about it.”
“I know….” I’m silent for a moment.
“I know you have Athena to aid you but remember YOU are still a mortal. You’re not invincible.”
He considers my words,
“Yeah. No you’re right… sometimes I forget that.” He admits sheepishly,
“But I’m not done yet, just wait and see. I’m going to kick all of their asses once and for all soon enough; that’s a promise.”
I smile at the idea. “I know you will.”
I sit back up and throw his fresh clothes at him, “but you can’t do that if you catch a cold, warm up a bit”