King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

They looked at him in disbelief and for a moment nobody knew what to say. Then Halitherses cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes at the prince.

‘Is this another of your tricks?’

Odysseus smiled. ‘I can understand your disbelief, old friend, but I’m telling you the truth. Ever since the Ajaxes arrived Tyndareus has been worried. He thinks a fight will break out between Helen’s suitors when he announces her husband.’

‘Oh, I see now,’ Mentor said. ‘He’ll announce you as her husband so the rest of the suitors can kill you first.’

‘I’m serious, you idiot. He came to me for advice; he’s at a loss about how to stop them killing each other, and in return for a solution he offered me anything it was in his power to give. The answer was an easy one, of course – I simply told him to make the suitors swear to protect Helen and her husband from anybody who would come between them.’

Halitherses nodded. ‘An oath? That’s clever. No man of honour will break his sworn promise, however deeply hurt his pride may be.’

‘And you chose Helen as your payment?’ Mentor asked. ‘I’ll wager a gold piece he wasn’t happy to hear you say that.’

‘That’s what’s so strange,’ Odysseus protested. ‘Even I wouldn’t be so bold as to ask for Helen’s hand in marriage. He offered her to me! And the most ridiculous thing about it is that she told him she wanted me.’

‘By the gods,’ Eperitus exclaimed. The blood turned cold in his veins as he realized Helen had acted on his suggestion and somehow convinced Tyndareus to choose Odysseus as her husband. The others looked at him expectantly. ‘What Odysseus says is true,’ he explained. ‘She told me she wanted to run away with him and live on Ithaca, so I said she should speak to her father about it.’

Odysseus, Mentor and Halitherses stared at him with incredulity. Behind them another round of sword practice had begun, but as Damastor no longer had a partner he had left the group and was sitting nearby. Eperitus thought of moving out of earshot, but Halitherses interrupted his thoughts.

‘And why would the most prized woman in Greece discuss her marriage with a soldier? Are you dreaming, Eperitus, or just drunk?’

‘I swear it by the gods,’ he answered sternly. He explained to them the circumstances of their meetings. ‘It’s nothing physical, don’t fear. She just wants a friend to talk to, someone from outside her normal life.’

‘So she does want to marry me,’ Odysseus mused. ‘But why?’

Eperitus shared with them the things Helen had said to him, how she hated palace life and longed for a less complicated existence. He felt like a traitor as he revealed the secrets of her heart to his friends, but was consoled by the knowledge that his words brought satisfaction to Odysseus, whose previous doubts were now washed away by understanding. However, he remained unusually solemn.

‘I’ve told Tyndareus I need a short time to think it over,’ he announced.

‘What are you waiting for?’ Mentor laughed. ‘Marry her! That’s why we came here.’

‘What’s to think about?’ Eperitus agreed, smiling along with Halitherses and Mentor. ‘Accept the offer and ask Tyndareus for a Spartan army to escort you back to Ithaca. Eupeithes and his Taphians will die of fright before we can put a foot on shore. And if anyone ever tries to take your rightful place again, you’ll have the word of every lord in Greece to come to your protection.’

Halitherses shook his grey head. ‘I never thought there’d be an end to all this feasting. And I never, ever thought the final feast would be in your honour, Odysseus. Do you realize this means we can actually go home? I was starting to believe we’d never see our own hearths again, but now we can do it. Zeus’s beard, I still can’t believe it.’

Odysseus sighed. ‘The problem is, I don’t love Helen.’

Mentor rolled his eyes heavenwards. ‘Since when were you a follower of Aphrodite? I remember you used to despise the Cyprian and all her arts. But if love is a condition of your marrying Helen, I’m certain one evening with her will satisfy you of that. That girl could overcome any man’s shyness.’

‘What I mean, Mentor, is that I don’t love Helen because I love another.’

The smiles fell from the faces of Mentor and Halitherses. Even Eperitus, who already knew of Odysseus’s other love, was surprised the prince seemed ready to abandon his mission for her sake.

‘Who?’ Mentor said, a hint of impatience in his voice. ‘No, don’t tell me. Just answer me this: can marrying this girl give us an army, or friends enough to win back Ithaca? Can it? Or are you prepared to sacrifice your home – our home – for the sake of a woman? Be reasonable, Odysseus. I don’t think Helen is a bad second best. Do you?’

‘It’s Penelope, isn’t it?’ Eperitus said.

Odysseus smiled wryly. ‘Yes, Eperitus, it’s Penelope.’

‘Penelope?’ Mentor echoed. ‘But she’s . . . She’s hardly Helen, is she? Odysseus, my friend, I implore you in the name of the people of Ithaca to accept the generous offer of Tyndareus. Penelope is a fine woman, but Helen is like a goddess.’