Chapter 8: The Drunken Cyclops

Odysseus watched as Polyphemus raised the wineskin to his lips and drank deep.

The cave was silent except for the wet gulping of the Cyclops as he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of the strong wine. The men sat frozen, hands clenched around their weapons, eyes locked on the towering beast before them.

Odysseus kept his face calm, but inside, his mind raced.

It has to work.

Polyphemus let out a low exhale, his single eye flickering with surprise. "What is this?" he rumbled, licking his lips. "This is no ordinary drink."

Odysseus forced a smile. "A gift, great one. The best wine from our homeland. Fit for a son of Poseidon."

Polyphemus chuckled, the sound like rolling thunder. "You are wise, Nobody." He took another long swig, his massive fingers tightening around the wineskin. "This is good. Too good."

Odysseus nodded, carefully masking his satisfaction.

The Cyclops wasn't used to wine—that much was clear. The Greeks watered their wine, stretching it into long nights of feasting. But this? This was pure, strong, meant to bring even a seasoned warrior to his knees.

And it was already working.

Polyphemus swayed slightly as he sat down with a heavy thud, his eye unfocused.

"I like you, Nobody," he slurred. "Perhaps I will eat you last."

Odysseus kept smiling. But his body was taut, every muscle coiled.

Then, suddenly—

With no warning, Polyphemus reached down, grabbed a boulder, and hurled it toward them.

"MOVE!" Odysseus bellowed.

The men dove aside as the massive rock slammed into the cave floor, splitting the ground where they had just been standing. Dust and debris filled the air.

Eurylochus coughed, eyes wide. "So much for friendship!"

Odysseus gritted his teeth. "Attack! Now!"

The men rushed forward, their blades flashing in the firelight.

Perimedes slashed at the Cyclops' leg, cutting into thick, leathery flesh. The giant barely flinched.

Laodamas and Antiphus stabbed at his arms, drawing dark, oozing blood.

Polyphemus growled, stumbling slightly, his drunkenness making him slow.

Eurylochus swung his sword, slicing deep into the Cyclops' side. The monster let out a roar of pain, swaying dangerously.

They had him.

He was falling.

"We have him!" Perimedes grinned, wiping sweat from his brow.

Odysseus' gut twisted. No. It was too easy.

Then—

Polyphemus' hand shot out, grabbing his massive wooden club.

Before anyone could react, Polyphemus let out a deafening roar and swung.

The club moved like a storm.

With a sickening crack, Antiphus was ripped off his feet—his body crushed instantly as he slammed against the cave wall. Blood splattered across the stone.

The laughter, the confidence—all of it vanished.

"ANTIPHUS!" Laodamas screamed.

Another swing, Eurylochus barely dodged, but Perimedes wasn't fast enough. The club smashed into his chest, and his body collapsed in on itself like a broken doll.

Odysseus' ears rang with their screams.

"Laodamas, fall back!" he ordered, but the warrior was already charging, rage blinding him.

Polyphemus simply kicked him—one brutal, casual movement. Laodamas was flung across the cave, hitting the ground in a twisted heap.

Three men. Gone.

In seconds.

Odysseus' heart pounded. The Cyclops was faster now, the wine still dulling his senses but not enough.

"Regroup!" Odysseus roared.

The men scrambled backward, bloodied and terrified, their swords shaking in their hands.

Polyphemus grinned, his teeth still stained red from Antiphus.

Odysseus' fists clenched.

This wasn't just survival anymore.

The air was thick with blood.

Odysseus barely had time to react before Polyphemus swung again, his massive club carving through the air like a battering ram.

A sickening crunch filled the cave as Laodamas, who had tried to retreat, was smashed against the cavern wall. His skull split open like a cracked amphora, his body slumping lifelessly to the ground.

Men screamed, scrambling away.

Eurylochus tried to dodge, but the Cyclops' massive fist came down, crushing him into the dirt. He let out a strangled gasp before his ribs caved in, his blood soaking into the earth.

Perimedes lunged with his sword, slicing at the giant's ankle, but it was like trying to cut through stone.

Polyphemus roared and kicked out.

Perimedes soared across the cave, landing with a brutal snap. His head lolled to the side, his neck twisted unnaturally.

Odysseus gritted his teeth. Four men gone. Just like that.

The remaining warriors huddled together, panting, bleeding, terrified.

Polyphemus towered over them, his single eye gleaming with hunger.

He lifted his club once more—

Then stumbled.

His movements slowed. His breathing grew ragged.

His eye drooped.

Polyphemus lurched to the side, tried to steady himself—then his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the stone with a thunderous crash.

Dust and ash exploded into the air, and for a long moment, no one moved.

Odysseus' chest heaved.

Then, slowly, he lowered his sword.

"He's down," he breathed.

For now.

The men stared at the fallen Cyclops, their bodies shaking.

Eurylochus was the first to break the silence. His voice was hoarse. "Four men, Odysseus."

Odysseus turned to him, his face unreadable.

Eurylochus swallowed hard, his fists clenched. "Laodamas, Polities, Perimedes, Antiphus… they're gone."

The surviving men lowered their heads. Some trembled.

Odysseus exhaled slowly. "Yes. And we will remember them."

Silence.

Then, he straightened, his eyes sharp. "We will not waste their sacrifice. We are still alive. And I will get us out of here."

The men looked at him, searching for something to believe in.

Odysseus' voice hardened. "But we cannot fight him head-on. Not even with the gods on our side." He gestured to the fire, where the sharpened wooden stake lay, its tip still glowing red-hot.

"We take his eye."

The men stiffened.

Eurylochus frowned. "You mean to blind him?"

Odysseus nodded. "If he cannot see, he cannot hunt us." His jaw tightened. "And when he is helpless, we escape."

A heavy silence followed.

Then, one by one, the men nodded.

Odysseus stepped forward, his voice low but firm.

"We move now."