Chapter 5: The Mind Of A Warrior

Odysseus pushed through the trees and into the clearing where his men waited by the ships. Their heads snapped up at his arrival, their tired faces tense with expectation.

Eurylochus stepped forward first. "Well?"

Odysseus exhaled, glancing at the hungry, hollow-eyed men behind him. "There's a cave ahead. Full of sheep. No signs of life."

Murmurs rippled through the crew. Hope. Suspicion. Hunger above all.

Perimides wiped at his mouth. "Sheep?"

Odysseus nodded. "Enough to fill our bellies."

Antiphus, his ribs nearly visible through his tunic, scoffed. "And we're just supposed to believe this is luck? A cave full of food, just waiting for us?"

"No," Odysseus said flatly. "It's a risk. Like everything else we've done to survive." He let his gaze sweep over them. "But we didn't come this far to die on empty stomachs."

Silence. No one argued with that.

Odysseus took a step forward, his voice steady, cutting through the weight of their exhaustion. "We have bled together. Starved together. Lived through storms, monsters, war. And we're still standing." His jaw tightened. "We take what we need. But we do not grow careless. We do not grow greedy."

His eyes locked on Antiphus, then Laodamas, then Polities. "Eat. Rest. But keep your wits. The gods are always watching."

No one spoke for a moment. Then Perimedes gave a sharp nod. "Let's eat."

The fire roared high, illuminating the faces of battle-worn men who, for the first time in years, weren't thinking about war.

"Did you see their faces when the walls fell?" Laodamas laughed, gnawing on a bone. "The Trojans thought they had won! Thought we had sailed home like beaten dogs!"

"I'll never forget it." Perimedes wiped at his mouth, grinning. "One moment, they were dancing in the streets. The next, we were spilling in like a flood."

"Odysseus," Antiphus called, lifting his cup. "The horse was madness, but I'll be damned if it wasn't brilliant."

A chorus of agreement rang out.

Odysseus smirked but said nothing, taking a slow drink from his own cup.

Polities leaned back on his elbows, sighing. "I can't believe it's over."

Laodamas scoffed. "Over? We still have a whole journey ahead of us."

"No," Polities said, shaking his head. "I mean the fighting. The war. For ten years, we woke up with death on our heels. We fought, we killed, we burned cities. And now… we just go home."

A silence settled over them.

Eurylochus was the first to break it. "What else would you have us do?"

Polities took a breath. "I don't know. But what if war is all we know?"

Odysseus studied the flames, listening.

Polities turned to him. "Captain, when we return to Ithaca, when we walk through those gates, what kind of men will we be?"

Odysseus met his gaze. "Men who survived."

Polities shook his head. "That's not enough." He leaned forward. "We've seen so much, Odysseus. We've conquered lands, spoken with kings, fought alongside legends. The world is bigger than Ithaca." His voice softened. "So when we return, let's return as more than just warriors. Let's return as men who welcome the world with open arms."

Odysseus exhaled, rubbing his thumb against his cup. He didn't answer.

And before he could, the world stopped.

The fire froze mid-dance. The laughter died in men's throats. The wind ceased to move. Everything held still.

Everything except Odysseus.

He tensed, fingers curling around his sword. He knew this feeling.

A soft voice whispered behind him. "Still clinging to their words?"

Odysseus turned slowly.

Athena stood before him, untouched by the frozen world. Her silver eyes gleamed, her golden spear resting lightly in her hand. She was both gentle and terrifying, wisdom wrapped in steel.

Odysseus straightened. "Goddess."

She studied him for a moment before speaking. "Your heart softens."

Odysseus frowned. "Polities speaks only truth."

Athena stepped closer. "And what truth is that?"

"That we've lived as warriors for so long, we've forgotten how to be anything else." His jaw tightened. "We must be more than war."

Athena tilted her head. "And yet, war has kept you alive."

Odysseus looked away.

The goddess sighed. "Do not mistake peace for safety, Odysseus. The world does not reward open arms. It devours the weak." She placed a hand on his shoulder, her grip firm. "You are not just a soldier. You are my warrior of the mind."

Odysseus met her gaze. "And what does that mean?"

"It means you do what must be done," Athena said simply. "Not what feels right. What is right."

A beat of silence.

Then, suddenly…..

***

He was young when he had first met a god.

The temple had been quiet, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows against the marble walls. Odysseus had been alone, kneeling at the altar, when he felt it, a presence, watching.

"Show yourself," Odysseus called out, slowly standing up. "I know you're watching me."

A voice drifted through the air. "You see me."

His heart pounded. He saw nothing. Only the golden idol of Athena, her stone gaze staring forward, unseeing.

But he did not flinch.

"Yes," he lied, bowing his head. "I see you, goddess."

Silence stretched.

Then a soft laughter echoed through the temple.

The air shifted, and suddenly, she was there. Real. Alive. More than marble.

Athena studied him, her silver gaze sharp, amused. "You do not see me," she said simply.

Odysseus dared to meet her eyes. "And yet, here you are."

A flicker of a smile. "Clever."

She circled him, arms behind her back. "Men do not lie to gods without reason. Tell me, Odysseus, son of Laertes...why did you?"

He chose his words carefully. "A man who claims to see the gods is a fool. A man who claims not to see them is a coward." He held her gaze. "I am neither."

Athena stopped. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"You are clever," she murmured, eyes gleaming. "But wisdom is more than wit. You will learn."

Odysseus exhaled, steadying his breath. "You would teach me?"

Athena smiled.

"I would make you mine."

***

The wind rushed in. The fire snapped back to life. The men laughed, the world moving again as if nothing had happened.

But Odysseus felt it. The weight of the warning.

Polities nudged him. "Captain? You alright?"

Odysseus took a slow breath. "Fine."

But he was no fool. Athena had reminded him of his purpose.

And the road ahead would demand more than just an open heart.

It would demand the mind of a warrior.