RE: Odyssey

"I'd appreciate it if you could take me to the King of Ithaca."

"Hah!" The request entertains the woman a little too much. "Of all the names you could have said, you pretend to be my brother?"

Wait. Hold on. Odysseus had a sister? It's the first I heard about that.

She wears a sheet like the one I tried to steal, so at least it was also clothing.

She folds it over her shoulder, letting it drape down, and clasps the halves with pins and a belt around her waist. The fabric is a flashy blue, eye-catching even in the night.

Her long and wavy hair has a slight orange tint, but it might be the dye of the torchlight from the little hut. It cascades down her almost bare shoulders, framing her olive complexion.

Her dark brown eyes reflect a fire different from the torchlight behind her.

If Athena's right, this woman is my sister. Woman? She's no more than eighteen, or even less.

A girl. My little sister? Could it be? I struggle to find words.

"Ktimene?" The man following her wears a similar tunic in red but less bright in color.

His face remains in the shadows, although he's closer to the torchlight.

His hand is on her bare shoulder, showing how close they are. I don't appreciate such advances on my sister now that there is one.

So her name is Ktimene? And who is the guy?

Wait, why am I so defensive now? I always wanted a little sister, — or parents, for a start.

But if the guy at her side is the real Odysseus, that would make things awkward.

I don't know what else to say, her revelation caught me off guard.

"I'm not pretending. I am Odysseus." Let's repeat it once more, fingers crossed. Wait, what if it's a trap? "And I didn't know of a little sister. To think you're the first to run into."

She scoffs, and it's easy to tell from how close her spear creeps to my throat, she's not convinced.

It's not a toy. The tip looks threatening in the torchlight, bronze sparks dancing on the blade.

"You have the guts to tell me such distasteful jokes." She takes one step closer, and the cold metal finally touches my skin.

It's a shame I had to throw my armor away, but it was in shambles. I'll be too, if little sis won't stop.

I grab the shaft of her spear and push it away before she slices me up.

The man steps between us next, another strange turn of events.

If anything, I expected him to attack, or support the girl, but he is de-escalating the situation.

"What are you doing, Eumaeus? Let me stab this bastard." Ktimene protests, but the name she used doesn't sound like mine. That's one less thing to worry about.

Eumaeus? It rings a bell, but that's all I remember. It's better to focus on this peculiar situation.

"How about nobody stabs anyone, and we let our father decide if I'm telling the truth? Would that work for you, Ktimene?" Acting familiar with her is only oil to the fire.

"I'm going to kill him." She tries to push the guy out of the way. And I thought Italians were temperamental. Greeks are the real thing. "He dares to lie about my long-lost brother?!"

"Now, now. He might tell the truth, look." Eumaeus steps to the side but with a firm grip on her spear. He points into the sky and I follow his gaze too. "It has to be Glauca."

They look at the owl circling above. So it does have a name?

Glauca means bright blue, but it's your everyday brown owl, so why?

And how did he recognize something like that?

"Impossible. Is that bird with you?" The girl asks, still suspicious, but at least no longer tries to wrestle the spear from Eumaeus. Who would have thought that this owl was such a big deal?

"It belongs to the goddess Athena," I claim, holding out my arm so the little traitor can land on it. If it stayed instead of giving me a heart attack, we could've avoided this whole incident.

But to think this is what finally convinces my fierce little sister?

"If the goddess sent Glauca with you, that must mean something." She sounds disappointed, but at least the weapon no longer points at me.

"We should take him to Laertes." The man says, but now that he has come closer, he looks younger than me too. They are both kids, and I begin to like him more after he takes my side.

"No, Father is asleep." Ktimene protests. "Besides, look at him. I'd rather take a beggar to the palace than this dirty bastard. What are these clothes anyway?!"

I don't know how to explain it. Sure, my uniform is out of place. Hence trying to steal some of their clothes, but saying that wouldn't help either. I have to wing it.

"I have come from far away and didn't have time to rest, bathe, or even eat." I dust myself off, but it doesn't help with the caked-in dirt and blood. It looks bad, even in the dark.

"Then I'll show you hospitality for the night." Eumaeus lets go of the spear. He leads me towards the little hut with his arm around my back.

"You can borrow a chiton and bathe until dinner." Let's hope chiton means clothing. I like him more with every second. "There is some pork side left."

He's much nicer than my sister, though it's not like I knew about her until now. With a bow and mumbling thanks, we enter his modest home.

Yeah. This is a swineherd's home. And it's late in the night. What did Ktimene do here? She's the king's daughter. I'll have to question her when she no longer wants to kill me.

The owl comes too, diving for the leftover food on the fireplace. That's not the surprising part, but these two were eating, alone together. A late-night dinner? A date? Do I even want to know?

Having a sister for five minutes, and I'm already an overprotective big brother.

She stares a hole into my back, still not letting go of the spear as she follows us.

The only time she stops is when Eumaeus shows me to a large tub outdoors, already filled with water. I can't thank him enough.

The lukewarm water almost makes me fall asleep. It takes a long time to soak off the dirt, blood, and the effects of time travel. I notice too late that my uniform disappears.

He replaced it with a yellow version of the same sheet — or chiton — they wear.

Putting it on for the first time without help is challenging. It's way more open than my previous garments but it feels familiar. It's almost like coming home.

If I grew a beard, I'd blend in all too well. Damn you, Athena, I almost believe you now. But you should have told me about the sister thing. The sources never mentioned her.

But then, Odysseus himself was a footnote in Greek mythology. Let's make sure I change that.