The Oracles of Troy (The Adventures of Odysseus)

‘You’re all correct, of course. Though we control the Kerosia, we remain but a council of advisers with limited authority – and certainly not enough to elect a new king. As Oenops implies, we can only do that if the king dies and leaves no successor. What power we do have will only last until the return of Odysseus. We therefore have to be realistic: if he comes back within the next few weeks or months, accompanied by a veteran army of loyal Ithacans, there is nothing we can do.’

Antinous threw his hands up to the heavens in a despairing gesture.

‘Then why go to such lengths to take control of the Kerosia? Why did we try to have Telemachus murdered? We’ve risked all we have for nothing.’

‘Maybe,’ his father replied, ‘but I don’t think so. I made my wealth as a merchant, not a gambler, by relying on shrewdness rather than luck. This is no different. But before I outline the solutions, let me first delineate the problems. There are three: Odysseus’s return; Telemachus, his heir; and the loyalty of the Ithacan people.’

‘I’d like to hear your solution to Odysseus,’ Oenops sniffed. ‘Didn’t you just say there’s nothing we can do if he comes back now?’

‘I was simply putting the case, my dear Oenops. The fact is he won’t be coming back. I’ve made certain of that.’

‘How?’ Antinous asked, sitting up.

‘I placed two men among the replacements that were sent to Troy in the spring, with instructions to murder Odysseus if the war ends and he survives. Both are more than capable of carrying out the task, and they know they’ll be generously rewarded if they succeed. What’s more, neither knows about the other. That way, they’ll act alone and if one fails the other won’t be implicated. I had to make doubly certain Odysseus doesn’t make it back to his beloved Ithaca. To our beloved Ithaca.’

There was a self-satisfied grin on Eupeithes’s face as he revealed his cleverness and forethought to the others, a grin that was justified by their stunned reactions.

‘However, that still leaves us with the people and Telemachus,’ he continued. ‘When Odysseus fails to return from Troy, his son will inherit the throne at the age of twenty-one. That still gives us eleven years to dispose of him, but first we must lure him back from Sparta.’

‘Penelope won’t allow him to come back home,’ Polyctor said. ‘She won’t risk it.’

‘Neither can she bear to be apart from him for that long,’ Eupeithes countered. ‘You’ve seen how much she loves him. No, she knows she is in an impossible position: she has to remain in Ithaca, guarding her husband’s kingdom, and yet she can’t live without Telemachus at her side. Believe me, she will look for any opportunity to bring him back, any arrangement that will ensure his safety. I intend to offer her such an arrangement, even if it is unpalatable. And if she takes it, perhaps we won’t need to kill the boy anyway.’

‘You’re talking in riddles, father, and avoiding the central question,’ Antinous said. ‘Who will become king?’

‘Maybe you will, Son,’ Eupeithes answered, rising to his feet. ‘But not until we’ve dealt with the third problem – the consent of the people. They’re fiercely loyal to Laertes’s line and have a deeply rooted aversion to illegitimate rulers.’

‘They’ll obey whoever’s put over them,’ Antinous insisted.

‘They will not,’ his father snapped, his control failing momentarily. ‘They will not, Son, as I have found out to my own expense in the past. No, one can’t merely foist a king upon the simple-minded; their masters must have authenticity – a royal connection.’

Polyctor’s brow knotted with confusion.

‘Then who? Odysseus’s cousin, Eurylochus, might have served our purpose, but he’s away with the army in Ilium. There’s no-one else we could set up as king.’

Eupeithes locked his hands behind his back and looked up at the stars, as if seeking guidance from the gods. Then he turned his gaze on the others.

‘If Odysseus does not return after a set time – which we know he will not – we will insist he is presumed dead and that a new king takes his place to restore stability and leadership to Ithaca. I intend for that new king to be you, Antinous – a projection of myself upon the throne – but not by appointment. You must be chosen, and you must have legitimacy in the eyes of the people.’

Oenops shook his head.

‘Impossible. The throne will be held for Telemachus until he’s of age. He has the right of succession.’

‘The ancient laws of Ithaca allow one exception,’ Eupeithes corrected him. ‘It’s an echo of the old days when kings were chosen through the female line, as they still are in some cities. If the king dies before his sons are old enough to assume the crown and the queen marries again, then her new husband will become king ahead of all other claimants.’

‘You want me to marry Penelope?’ Antinous exclaimed.

Oenops shook his beard dismissively. ‘She’s Odysseus’s through and through. She’ll never marry another, not even if you were to bring her Odysseus’s bones in a box.’