The Intro

My name was Chrysanthe. It means "Golden Flower", for I was so beautiful that the day I was born, Aphrodite blessed me with golden hair, something rare in mortals. Well, at least I had thought it was a blessing.

I had always been the most beautiful girl in Athens, which is why I had also been protected from the troublesome men who wander those streets. I never left my house, nor had I ever left my room. Yes, it was a roomy suite, that contained a private bathing room and sitting area, but it was very depressing being by yourself all day, except when you have chores to do. I was always told I was being protected, for the "prince".

One day, after being sick of hearing that every time I attempted to leave my quarters, I asked my mother who this "prince" was. She sighed, and brought me to my couch, and told me the story:

"There is a man waiting for you, dear Chrysanthe. He will bring our family good fortune and we will be approved by the Gods. His name is Paris. He is fifteen years older than you, and he is very handsome. We have protected you from the men out in the world so you will not be tempted to fall in love with another man. You shall meet Paris as soon Apollo brings the sun to us on your fifteenth birthday. By the time Artemis raises the moon, you will be married, and our family will be saved."

Of course, being six years of age at the time, I was enchanted by this prince. It was like all my knowledge had been taken, and my mind had been invaded with thoughts of being a princess: Paris and Chrysanthe, and soon, King Paris and Queen Chrysanthe of Troy. The thoughts filled my head for seven years, until I walked outside for the first time.

I was thirteen years of age when I met my first friend. Her name was Zosime. She was also a well-known figure in Athens, her family was extremely wealthy, and she was as beautiful as I was in her own ways. She had sleek brown hair that reached her waist, and the smoothest olive skin I've seen on a girl our age. Her eyes were the lightest blue, like the sky, and her sharp facial features made her look stunning.

I met her when my mother invited her and her mother over to prepare for my birthday ceremony that was to happen tomorrow.

When I first saw her, I noticed she was different. She had a mysterious, but gentle look on her face, and I knew that we would never be the best of friends, but, we did. By the time the moon rose, Zosime and I were having deep conversations on our lives and I even told her about my prince. Mother came up to my room, and told me that Zosime was to stay late tonight, because she and Zosime's mother were still preparing .When my mother's footsteps faded, she ran to the window, untying her scarf headband, and securing it to my window.

"Zosime!" I yelled under my breath, fearing my mother would hear me, "What are you doing?"

"Wouldn't it be great to see what goes on outside of this house? I've never left my house, other than in a silly old cart that has taken me here! I want to see the world, not just be played by the Gods, I want to live!" She cried, and she used her scarf to travel down the side of my home to the streets below. I followed her.

I slowly climbed down the scarf, afraid of what might happen when I touched the ground. Would the men the maids warned me about come to find me? Would I get lost? These thoughts flooded my brains as I inched down the scared.

A few minutes later, as my feet found the ground, I found that Zosime had immediately found a boy our age and was talking to him. From his attire, I assumed he was a beggar. Zosime introduced me to him, his name was Cyrus. He looked at me in the eyes, and instantly, it was though he had known each other forever. He was the first boy I had ever seen, and he looked as though he loved me. Yes, this was a random assumption, but I'd seen the way my father looked at my mother. He even told me I was beautiful.

We talked for half past an hour, and he said he needed to go. He asked if I could meet him again, and of course I accepted. I finally was being courted! All of my thoughts of the prince were gone, and my logic was foggy… was I in love? Zosime dragged my hand around the side of my house, to explore Athens.

The first thing I noticed as we rounded the corner of my home was the acropolis. It was something I had never seen before, for my room was on the opposite side, facing towards the mountains.

It was beautiful, and Zosime and I both looked up in awe of the beautiful world we had not yet discovered.

For two years after, I escaped my house every night to meet with Cyrus and he would show me the world. We even shared a kiss the night he showed me the forests right before the mountains began to rise. We were in love, but then, everything changed.

It was the night before my fifteenth birthday, the night before my childhood would be gripped from my soul. Zosime came over, for after my marriage, I would move from Athens to Troy with Paris, and I would never see her again. We explored the acropolis one last time when Aphrodite thought we'd had enough fun.

She had hair so golden it was hard to look at without your eyes watering. She wore plain clothing, and her face was of perfect proportions. She had a voice sweeter than honey cakes as she said to me "Somebody has been messing with love, now hasn't she?"

I looked at her confused, and replied, "Who are you? And what do you mean?"

"Well, that's no way to talk to the goddess who gave you such a beautiful gift," she gestured toward my hair.

Aphrodite. Why was she here? Before I could ask her, she sighed and lifted my chin with her smooth hand so my eyes connected with her pure gold ones. "Well, sweet Chrysanthe, you just betrayed your family, and me. You see, you were given golden hair as a symbol of being owned to Prince Paris of Troy. You were never to fall in love with another, or else gifts would be taken away from you. I am the only person who can say who falls in love with who, and I did NOT approve of Cyrus of Athens. You will have twenty years to prove yourself worthy of me and your family. For now, you will be a traitor, and known to everyone in Athens as "the one who started the war". Yes, you have not known this, but Paris has started a war between the Trojans and Greece. You were supposed to be the woman who ended the chaos between the two countries, but your opportunity has ceased. You will have to find a way to become worthy of the Gods, Paris, and your family, but for now," she grabbed a lock of my golden hair, and pulled it with all her might, ripping it from its roots, "You will not be beautiful. You will disappear from Athens. You will be sent to Troy, and live as a beggar. Yes, the war of blood and hate is fought there, and you will have to make do. Good luck, golden flower, and I will see you in twenty years."

I woke up in a dirt alleyway, my head pounding. I heard a bleat, and I looked up to find a goat chewing on my tunic. I jumped up, scaring the goat away. I stood up, and found a puddle to see my reflection, questioning if Aphrodite's curse really was true, it was. The person in the reflection was not the same person that I had known. She had black frizzy hair, and her face was covered in blemishes. This was not Chrysanthe. In fear of people recognizing me and calling me a traitor, I changed my name. I became Xena, meaning stranger, for I was no longer who I was.

I sat in the lonely alleyway for hours, crying for forgiveness to the goddess that would not listen. Someone must have taken pity on me, for along came a woman dressed in silks and had her hair was pinned the top of her head. She made a gesture with her hands, telling me to come to her. I stood up hesitantly, and walked over.

When I got to her, she reached out and put her cold hands on my cheeks. She smiled and whispered "Come with me, dear child. No harm shall cross your path in this cruel city. For I am Elpida, and I will guide you through this horrible war." In that moment, I knew someone would care for me.

Obviously, this was not in Aphrodite's plans. As I later learned, Elpida was told to roam through the alleyway in search of a young girl by Hera. Aphrodite did not learn about this for six months, but when she did, she became outraged.

When Aphrodite arrived I had been mending a shawl for Elpida while she swept the parlor. She still held the same sinister grin and beautiful golden hair as she looked at me with rage, and then turned to Elpida.

"Elpida of Troy, you must know who this despicable traitor is… right?"

Elpida looked scared as she replied, "Y-yes Aphrodite, for she is Xena, a beggar in which I put under my wing to help her through these horrid times."

"Elpida, why you have been deceived, this is no beggar. She is Chrysanthe of Greece!" In that moment I saw my reflection from the mirror in the corner of the room, and found that I had changed back to myself. Elpida gasped and yelled "You traitor! Leave! Be gone! You are the reason for this war! My son has been slayed because of you! Leave! Be gone, and may you never come back!"

I left Elpida's house, and by the time I turned the corner on the street, my familiar golden locks were gone. I then saw two men talking about Odysseus. He had brought his men here to fight the Trojans. In that moment, I decided that I was going to fight for my country, although Troy had helped me in so many ways. I needed to feel part of my beloved country, and I needed to prove myself to Aphrodite.

That night, I cut off my ugly hair, and became a soldier of Odysseus, Apollodoro.

 
2: The Land of the Cicone People
The Land of the Cicone People

This part is not my favorite… but it's important to the story. Just so you know, the story follows my character through the Odyssey! Please review! More will be posted ASAP.

The Land of Cicones

My life has been a blur since that night I was cursed. Today, it was ten and a half years ago. I have fought in a ten year war, and felt the blood of the dead men on my hands and my clothes. I traveled with Odysseus's men and now, there are fewer of us, for the war took many. We were supposed to be home years ago, but our journey grows and grows each day.

I have permanently become Apollodoro. Yes, I do wish to wear my clothing from years ago and live in luxury, but Aphrodite has obviously not allowed me to. She reaches out her hand for support and then pulls it back as I begin to regain the trust I once had with her.

What about my family? My poor parents, they must see me as a traitor and are disgusted. My innocent sister, only five years old when I left, must have grown up knowing me as a despicable creature. Of course, nobody knows about that night with Athena, not even Zosime. The Gods can only be heard by the ones they want to hear, and Zosime was left out of the conversation. She, as with the rest of Greece, believe I am a disgusting, hubris traitor, the girl who was "too good" for Prince Paris of Troy.

I still try to shake this from my mind, along with memories of war and blood, but the memories sometimes disappear as new horrific memories fill my brains, like today. Today, our journey once again drifted off course to the Island of the Cicone people. The rest of the men wanted to ransack the island, steal supplies, women, and even kill some people. I was not for this idea, but the men were on such of a rush from winning the war they had recently won, they needed more action.

So, of course, Odysseus had to agree with them. I feel as if this was a silly mistake. Was he aware of their plans to pillage the town and kill people? Well, I guess he was, because he led us off the boats and announced his plan. They were to steal any supplies, women, or livestock they could. I, knowing the chaos about to unfold, snuck away from the rest of the men, and hid behind a tree.

When the men started attacking, I began to see how cruel they were. They were ruthless animals, slaying anyone that lay in their path, including women and children. I pretended to cause chaos by running into it, but I was actually escorting women and children away from the slaying.

I saw a woman stabbed by one of my fellow men, and she fell to the ground, along with the baby she had held in her arms. I ran over and clutched the screaming baby to my chest. I ran through the village, looking for anybody who would care for this child. Soon, I saw a young woman, crying on a bench. When I approached her, she looked up at me with such grief it hurt to look at her. I asked her what was wrong, and she croaked through her tears, "My beloved Tenes, for he fought in this terrible battle, and now he is gone. He ran into the chaos to save me from harm. Oh how will I ever love another, for he was the only one Aphrodite had set me with! No children shall I have, no one to kiss my cheek at night… who will I ever be without my Tenes?" She looked at me, and then noticed the bundle of child I held in my hand.

She looked at me questioningly as I gave her the baby. When she opened her mouth as to question me, I looked at her with gentleness and said, "This strong little girl was left in her dead mother's arms. She is an orphan, and no one would love her. Without you, she would be a beggar, living on the cruel streets of Ismarus. Her true name? Well, it will never be known, but she will be Iva, meaning life, for she owes you hers." I watched the woman coddle the baby and I turned away, back to the burning village.

That night, the town was nearly abandoned, it seemed as though everyone was hidden. Of course the men drank liquor all night and became intoxicated. I did not dare touch the foul liquid they enjoyed so much, and I think it was best I didn't, for I was the one who saw the Cicones on horseback.

There were hundreds of them charging towards on horses. They were armed with spears and shields. Of course Odysseus' men were so intoxicated they were in a deep slumber. There was only one thing to do. I grabbed a flaming switch from the fire and scatter the embers on the men's bodies. They woke up, screeching like mad men, and brushed the embers off their burnt skin. Then, they looked up and saw the horsemen. We ran as fast as we could to our ships, but the Cicones caught up to us. They slayed more of our men, and held many hostage. Our ships were empty six benches after that night.

Gods please forgive me for saying this, but Odysseus is no hero! He is a cowardly man, who made his men raid towns and then allowed them to intoxicate themselves, leading them into their deaths. He is no man to ever be remembered, for he is as obstinate as a bull.

3: The Island of the Lotus Eaters
The Island of the Lotus Eaters

The Island of the Lotus Eaters

For another month, we lazily await our next stop. We crave our families and their loving arms. We awake from nightmares of the war, and we occasionally play a game to pass time. We arrived on an island a month later. I and another scouted the island for Odysseus to see what kind of man lay here. We ventured across the sandy coast until we found the human who lived here.

They were a white race, who looked similar to us Greeks. They had a peaceful feeling that surrounded them. They saw us and smiled. One man walked over, holding two Lotus flowers in his hands. "Hello friends," he started, "I am Erasmos, and welcome to our island. Please, enjoy some lotus; it is our specialty, and our gift to you." He gave us each a lotus flower and stepped back, watching us with steady eyes.

We each took a bite, they seemed like very trustworthy people, and all we had eaten in the past week was stale bread. Instantly, I became peaceful and forgetting of proving myself to Aphrodite, and the recent war, and I thoughts of simplicity.

There are people smiling.

I laugh.

They laugh in a reply.

I look at my other crewmate.

He is smiling.

We sit around a fire.

We sing songs of our country.

The people sing their songs.

We accept more lotus flowers.

We eat them.

They are delicious.

Are they putting me in a trance?

Probably not.

I hear people shouting.

I feel my arms being pulled.

They are dragging me across the sandy beach.

Back to the ship?

I don't want to!

Please don't bring me back!

There is peace here,

Please,

Please,

Let me stay!

I want to stay on the island

Into a boat

Let

Me Stay

What got me out of my trance was Aphrodite's face in mine, and she saying in a teasing voice, "Chrysanthe, you have just been entranced by the Lotus Eaters. Your memory will come back shortly but just remember, you have but only nine more years to impress me, and you have yet to."

I woke up from what I thought was a dream, but my heart raced when I found a small rose lying next to my hand. When I picked it up, it fell to ashes onto the ground. Aphrodite was right, I needed to prove myself.

After the incident, more thoughts were beaten into my head. Why in the world did Odysseus only two men into an unknown world? Why didn't he go himself? That selfish man, once again he puts himself first and not his men. I do give him one thank you, for he did send bring me back to the ship, no matter how much I fought him. I guess we will see what else this journey brings us.

4: The Cyclops
The Cyclops

This part was to be written in a poetic form

The Land of the Cyclops

We are brought onto land

After months at sea

Odysseus travels with twelve of us

At his disposal.

We find a cave

A large one.

It's full of cheeses and supplies

And lambs and other goods.

We plead to our captain,

Please, let's leave

Take these goods and flee

This is not a good place to be.

But Odysseus, cocky at most

Replied with a laugh and said

"But I must see this caveman

And we will not leave until I do."

We run into the beast's cave,

And the beast follows in.

He is a large man with only one eye

He did not seem like a nice man.

He sees us and demands answer,

Odysseus cunning and quick

Tells him that we are from a ship

That Poseidon took from our feet.

Then Odysseus adds in that he

Wants offerings, and gifts,

And help for our hopes

Of survival.

The beast laughs and suddenly

Picks up two men,

One being an acquaintance of mine,

He eats both.

I try not to scream,

For lady I am no more

I grimace at the scene

Pretend no tear leave my eye.

We live in this prison for a night

And I gain a plan

Take a skewer from the land,

And drive it into his eye.

Odysseus thought it was brilliant

And he took the plan as his own.

He took the skewer and some liquor.

We hid in the cave some more.

Four of our men later,

The Cyclops is silent

As he pours liquor down his throat

He falls into a deep sleep.

We all hold onto the skewer

And into his eye it goes

He screams and bellows,

He will not see no more.

We hide underneath sheep to escape

The prison of the cave, and

Make a run for our ships

As soon as we can.

But Odysseus, aboard the ship

Taunts and teases the beast.

And tells him his name

Only a stupid man would do such a thing.

The beast becomes mad, and throws at us rocks

They hit our ships,

They send us back,

Odysseus calls more taunts.

The beast sets a curse on the famous hero

He will never see Ithica ever again,

His son will stay fatherless

His wife widowed.

But if fate allowed him to arrive home,

All companions would be lost,

And many dark times would come before.

And his journey would be a horrible one.

And then, we sailed away

To another unknown world I saw,

May the Gods bless us,

For I do so want to return to Athens.

5: Aeolia
Aeolia

Aeolia

We got our first taste of home this morning, but it was snatched away from us as fast as Hermes can travel from Olympus to Greece's rocky soil. I should probably start my story explaining how this happened.

After traveling for many days, we landed on the island of Aeolia. Here lived the king of the winds, Aeolus. We were welcomed to his island, where we lived for a month so Odysseus could share his story of the War. We have come to just say the War, for the War of Blood and Hate, what most Greeks called it, was much too painful to say. So, as he told the story, we lived in luxury, like I had so many years ago. We were well fed and clean, but eventually, we had to leave.

One thing I did notice was that Odysseus followed men holding a large bag, and it was brought onto the ship. Of course, we were all curious what was inside, but we were never told what was in it.

So, we set sail, and it was smooth sailing for nine days. I was rowing with my fellow men when I heard someone yell, "Land! There lies Ithaca! We are home!" We all stood from our benches to see if he was right, and he was. We saw Ithaca's rocky shore, and our hearts swelled with joy.

Odysseus stood in front of us, and he yelled, "Men, for ten years we have fought in the War, and traveled into the unknown in order to get to where we are right now, for beyond those walls lay my son and beloved wife. I will rest, for I have sailed for nine days straight, and I am tired. I know peace is less than a day away, and I trust you men to make sure that we will arrive safely at home."

We continued to dip the oars into the foreign ocean, even after he left. Our hands were covered in puss filled blisters and calluses, but we continued to row. We needed to get home. We wanted to see our families and our friends, for we had missed them so much. We sailed more and more towards Ithaca. Yes, it may not have been my home, but I was close. I would sail another boat and walk thousands of miles, just to reach my family. But, from one idiotic man's curiosity, our dreams were gone.

This man's name was Adam. He had left a wife and child at home, and he had been desperately trying to find something to give to his wife and daughter when he returned. He had been unsuccessful. As we were rowing on the hot day, he said, "I bet that there is enough gold and silver in that bag over there to please the Gods. My wife, Daphne and my daughter, Ekho, she's almost thirteen years… my gods, does she remember me? Well, anyways, they would love gold and silver they could wear it in their ears or around their necks. They would be beautiful. I'm going to go see what's inside of that bag over there. Odysseus can't keep all of that gold to himself, he's a king, and riches are always in his favor." Some of the men agreed, and they followed him over to the bag. They ripped it open, and suddenly, winds so fast a god would get lost in them blew us around. I even saw a man be thrown off the ship by the wind's powerful grasp. We all jumped to the ground, where we hid under the benches.

When the winds died down, we all stood up to find Odysseus's face redder than Persephone's pomegranate, as he asked us, "Who opened the bag?"

We all said nothing, our heads bowed in disappointment to Adam, who started the rally. Finally, a man my age said, "It was I, Origen of Ithaca. I was the one who opened the bag and caused these winds to move us away from our beloved families and homes."

I was amazed by this man's bravery to stand up for Adam. I was also shocked by what was about to happen next. Odysseus walked up to Origen, and yelled into his ear "WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING, YOU HUBRIS MONGREL! I WAS SO CLOSE TO MY SON! MY FAMILY! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Then, Odysseus drew his dagger, and slit the neck of Origen. I turned to see Adam holding back tears.

Yes, we these troubled winds brought us back to Aeolia, where the king told us he could not help us, for we had been cursed by the gods. So, on we went, and the days continue to add up. I may just go insane.

6: The Land of the Laestrygonians
The Land of the Laestrygonians

The Land of the Laestrygonians

Today was the most terrifying day of my life. We continued to sail until we found another island. Odysseus sent all of the other ships into a cove he found, leaving ours on the outside. He sent three men to explore the island, a stupid mistake, for the people of this island were violent cannibals. Soon, we heard screams of mercy and pain, and when we steered the boat to the opening of the cove, we figured out why. The cannibals were killing the men on the other ships. I screamed when I saw a man sitting on top of the cove aiming spears at us, killing one of the men on our ship. Odysseus looked at me, shocked, for I had screamed the scream of a woman. He stormed over to me and looked at me right in the eyes, "Who in the Gods are you?"

Before I could answer, a spear nearly hit Odysseus' arm, and he jumped back. He ran to the front of the boat and yelled, "MEN! MAN THE OARS AND PULL TILL YOUR HEARTS BREAK IF YOU WOULD PUT THIS BUTCHERY BEHIND!"

We rowed and rowed until we escaped the retched island. We lost all of our ships except the one I sit on now.

Later on that night, Odysseus walked up to me again, and demanded answers. I simply replied, "My name is Chrysanthe, I am from Athens. I am known as the woman who started the war," When I said this, Odysseus' eyes turned red with rage, but I continued, "At birth, I was cursed by Aphrodite to be married to Prince Paris of Troy, but I met someone instead. His name was Cyrus, and he was a beautiful person. I was fourteen at the time. Aphrodite immediately caught on, and I was cursed. I was to become an ugly beggar in Troy. I would prove myself to Aphrodite in some way so I could be welcomed back to my homeland. I joined your army so I could fight for my country, and redeem myself in the eyes of my family, friends, and the Gods. I do hope that you will allow me to stay on this ship, and treat me like a soldier, for I have felt the blood on my hands and have seen the deaths of many, just like the rest of them."

He looked at me for a while, and said, "Well, we are all cursed by the Gods, now aren't we?" He walked away.

7: The Land of the Dead
The Land of the Dead

The Land of the Dead

We arrived in Hades today. Odysseus carefully made every sacrifice he had to so he could reach the prophet, and he saw two people that surprised him deeply. First, we came across the soul of Elpenor, my acquaintance. He looked at Odysseus, and asked him for a burial memorial, for he was unhappy that he was forgotten on Circe's island. Odysseus kindly promised his memorial, and we moved forward.

We moved on, and suddenly Odysseus stopped in his tracks, for in front of him stood an elderly woman. What I didn't realize until later was that that had been Anticlea, the mother of the Odysseus. I noticed that Odysseus' mind wandered after that, and his face turned red as if he were about to cry, but this didn't last long, for we were suddenly in the presence of Teresias. He told us the journey will be hard, and that there will be only one opportunity in which we will have to reach home, a narrow strait. He told us to thwart all temptations, and that all of Odysseus' crew mates would not accompany him home. He will slay all of the men who court his wife, and eventually, he will be back to living normally in Ithaca. But, in order for this all to happen, he must make large sacrifices to Poseidon, in hopes of him accepting Odysseus. I now know that death on this voyage is imminent, and I hope that I will die painlessly.

8: Sirens
Sirens

Sirens

We returned to Circe's island, where we stayed for a while. Before we left, we were warned of the Sirens. They were woman who lured the sailors to their deaths with their song. I didn't think that they would bother me, and I had heard that if you heard their song, they would make you omniscient. But, of course, Odysseus wanted the knowledge for himself, told us to tie him to the mast and don't listen to his pleas of letting him go as he gave us wax to put into our ears so we could not hear the deadly song.

We rowed past the Sirens, and looking at them made me peaceful and tempted to join them and sing with them. I imagine their song would have tempted me more, for as I looked back at Odysseus, I saw him struggling under the ropes, and shouting something. I also saw tears sliding down his cheeks. Eventually, we sailed by the Sirens, and we were able to pull the wax out of our ears. Odysseus was not his normal self for another day.

 
9: Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla and Charybdis

Scylla and Charybdis

After knowing Odysseus for almost fifteen years, I have been able to see his emotions by solely looking at his eyes. When he is mad, they turn red with rage. When he happy, which I only saw when he was with Circe, his eyes glistened. But the one I have become the most familiar with is when he is scared. It is a sad look, like a mutt you would find on the streets, but it also has that same hubris tint in them. This look scares me the most.

Today we lost six of our men by the six-headed monster, Scylla. Unfortunately, nobody was prepared, except Odysseus. He decided to cover himself in armor while we rowed, more vulnerable than children. We were not told about the monster until we saw it. I saw the look in Odysseus' eyes, and I immediately told Charis, who sat in front of me on the benches. He turned to look at Odysseus, who was pacing the aisle, and he nodded.

We started spreading the rumor like wildfire through the ship. We knew we were in danger. We didn't know what we were going towards, and it scared us. But maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it was a good thing that we didn't know a giant six-headed monster was about to attack our ship, I probably would have done the same thing. I wouldn't want them to not become depressed, and give up hope. I would want them to fight.

We didn't know what we were rowing into, so we became hesitant. Odysseus noticed, and started to yell at us, screaming in our ears, "We will get through this! We have gotten through worse! We have survived the war, Polythemus, the Lotus men, the cannibals and the Sirens. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS. NOW, ROW."

We rowed on, until we saw the beast. It was a monster with a semblance to a serpent, but with six heads and much bigger than our ship. On our other side but farther away, there was a whirlpool, so big it could swallow our ship whole. We sailed more towards the serpent, and its heads lunged down at our ship, and picked up six of our men, one for each head. I screeched as the man next to me, Zeno, was swallowed by the beast. I shuddered as the monster brushed my shoulder as he picked up Zeno, and ate him whole. We continued rowing, and finally, we were safe from the beast. I looked up at Odysseus to find a new expression on his face. It was guilt.

10: The Cattle of the Sun God and a Homecoming to Remember
The Cattle of the Sun God and a Homecoming to Remember

The Cattle of the Sun God and a Homecoming to Remember

We have done something stupid. That's the only word for it. We have eaten the Helio's cattle. I can't believe they did this. We were so hungry. We had been without food and drink for days. We were starving, and our mouths were dry. Surrounding us were fat cattle, frolicking around this island like they had not a care in the world. One day, Eurylochus decided to kill one. We begged him not to, but as soon as he started to cook the cow over the fire, our mouths watered with anticipation. Suddenly, we noticed that the meat was not cooking. It was moving, bubbling, and hissing. We knew we were in trouble. Odysseus walked up to us, we don't know where he went, but he came back and yelled at us. He demanded to know who had killed the cow. No one spoke, until I stepped in front of the men, and walked up to Odysseus.

"Odysseus, there is a man in your army who will not speak up, so I will speak up for him. Eurylochus has betrayed you. We begged him not to touch the cattle, but he pushed us aside and killed the cow. He has betrayed you, along with the rest of the crew, for we now will never get home." I looked at Euryochus, "You are a sick man, you have driven us from our families, and you have basically killed us, for we will never reach our homes unless we are wrapped in blankets with cold lifeless eyes." I spit at his feet, and walked away.

The next day, as we were about to set off from this island, Zeus created a thunderstorm that destroyed our last ship, and killed all of the men, including me. Yes, Zeus had killed me with his deadly bolts of electricity. But please, do not cry, for it was the new beginning to my life.

Death was peaceful. I must have been hit directly by the bolt, because I felt no pain, and I died within a blink of an eye. My soul became tranquil as I rose out of the body Aphrodite had cursed me with. I looked down, and saw that my body had been charred from the heat, and I realized my wish had come true: I had wanted to die painlessly.

I did not immediately go to Hades, I had refused to; my time here was not complete. I wanted to see the world not from the deck of a ship. I flew weightlessly above the world, and I came across Odysseus. He was hanging onto a tree by his hands. He looked tired, and I realized where he was. He was hanging directly above Charybdis, the whirlpool that had almost swallowed us whole. I realized he must be waiting for his raft that was sucked down so he would not be eaten by Schylla. I went to the branch he was hanging on, and precariously sat on it, and for the first time, I was not afraid of falling. Finally, his raft appeared, and he jumped on it and sailed away.

I followed Odysseus to Calypso's island, where he stayed much too long to hold my attention. So, I explored the world. I saw the Egyptian people. I saw mountains taller than the town I use to call home. I saw different colors of people, but they didn't see me. That was the one thing I was going to miss about life, being only a whisper in the wind of the land. I guess I will just have to accept this new way of life.

I decided to return to Ithaca ten years later, where I found Odysseus. I watched him take over his kingdom disguised as a beggar. It was amazing. I never had seen much determination and bravery as when I saw him take over his kingdom. He fought with anger and pride as he fought with his son by his side. These men took advantage of his kingdom and his beloved wife.

Then, Odysseus and Penelope met again. I could not hear what they were saying, but soon, they gave each other a loving, long embrace. Then, I knew it was my time to go to Hades.

I found my way there, eventually. I got lost, but I found my way. There, I became sad, and miserable. No longer did I feel weightless, I felt chained to the ground my boulders.

I waited there, in a line longer than the sea, until I felt a warm presence next to me. It was Aphrodite. She smiled as she said to me, "Young Chrysanthe, twenty years ago today we made a deal. You were to prove yourself worthy to me and your family. You fought in the war of blood, and you traveled with Odysseus in hopes of your return to Greece. You never did, but now, I am allowing you to become Chrysanthe once more. You will return to Athens, and be resurrected from this horrible place. Your story will be known across Athens, but will never be in history, for that is your pay for returning to Greece. You will be twenty five years of age; for that was the age you were when life escaped your lips. There is one final condition- you must return to Prince Paris, or I will send someone to kill you, slowly. Do you understand?"

I looked at her, and I smiled. My life was to have a new breath. I nodded

In that moment, I blacked out. I woke up to find myself in the familiar streets of my beloved Athens. I found myself wearing a blue silk tunic, and my beautiful face and hair had returned. I ran the familiar streets to my home until I found my home. I ran inside and ran to the parlor, where I found my mother. I ran into her arms, and held myself there for a while, for she did not process who I was. She pushed my forcefully away, and held my arms.

"Chrys- Chrysanthe? My child? Are you the brave woman who sailed with Odysseus? Are you the lady who has come back to me?" She had tears in her eyes, and I nodded. She grabbed me and held me to her and began to sob. I heard her whisper into my gold hair, "I love you, my flower."

I told my mother of my journey, and she told me what had happened in the twenty years I had been gone. My father had died in the Trojan War, and my little sister, Magdalene was married and has had two daughters. I cried when I heard she had moved to Delphi, much out of my way.

I told my mother I was ready to marry Paris, and her eyes lit up and she showed me to my room, and on my bed laid my wedding outfit. We went over the ceremonies, and we decided that I would be wed next week.

For twenty five years, I lived a life. It was not special, and it was not peaceful. It was full of hate and pain, but it was full of life. Then, I lived ten years in between life and my imminent trip to Hades. In that time, I saw what I chose to, and it was wonderful. I am ready for a new chapter in my life, and in one week, there will be a new one. For now, I am leaving this journal at my home in Athens, buried beneath my old home. I hope to return one day to finish my story, but if I don't, I hope someone may share it with the world, because just because my life was small, does not mean there was no importance.

11: Epilogue
Epilogue

Dear Readers:

I am sad to announce that this is the LAST chapter of Chrysanthe of Athens. This story has gotten waaay more attention then I expected, and I am so thankful to all of my readers and my reviewers. I hope you continue to read some of my stories and poems, although I think this is the last we shall hear of our beloved heroine, Chrysanthe. Please message me if you have any questions or comments on any of my stories!

Disclaimer: This chapter BRIEFLY mentions rape and depression.

Three Thousand Years Later

Vera was walking through the excavation site that has become her home that past year. Ever since she was ten, she's wanted to be an archaeologist and discover the world of Ancient Greece, and fifteen years later, she finally achieved her dream.

Her and her team had been trying to find relics from ancient Greece for years. After a plethora of research trips to the site, they were finally able to dig into the rocky soil almost a year ago. They had found that there had been a house here that belonged to a wealthy family in Athens. They found a few things, shards of pots and a scarf, but nothing that no one had ever found before, nothing original.

It was right before sunset, that moment when the sky turns that beautiful pink color, when Vera's life was about to change. She was walking through the trenches, running her hand on the dirt, when she tripped and fell onto her knees. She stood up and wiped her dirty palms on her pants and turned around to see what she tripped on. In the middle of the trench, there was a black book half buried in the soil. She dropped to her knees and furiously began to pull the book out of the soil, breaking one of her fingernails in the process. When she finally held the book in her hands, she dusted it off and turned the page. The pages were old and moldy, but she was able to read the Greek writing:

"My name was Chrysanthe."

Vera read the journal multiple times throughout the next day, and when she was done, she ran to her laptop to immediately start to look up everything she could about Chrysanthe. Not much was known about Paris after the Trojan War, and she was dying to put this puzzle together. After three weeks straight of research with no luck, she and a few other archaeologists traveled to Troy, where they began research there.

It turns out that when Paris married Chrysanthe, he was fifty and she was twenty five. They had ten children, and their oldest son, Kreon, became the next king of Troy.

Paris never allowed Chrysanthe to return to Athens, so she was never able to find and complete her journal. It is rumored through a small legend that Vera heard in Troy that Chrysanthe became very unhappy with her marriage with Paris, but because she had seen what Odysseus had done to Penelope, she stayed faithful.

Paris was not so faithful, and had another child with another woman. Chrysanthe was devastated, but decided to hide her anger, in fear of Paris beating or raping her (something that he supposedly did on a normal basis).

The legend says that the servants would often find her late at night sobbing in her garden and screaming up at the sky demanding to know why Aphrodite had given her life and then made her want to die. By the time her tenth child was born, a daughter named Hanna, she was so sad she would lock herself in her room for days without eating or drinking. Three years after Hanna was born, she died. Nobody knows why, for she was only thirty six.

Vera and her crew were allowed to excavate the area that she lived in for three weeks, and one of her archaeologists found a slip of paper inside of a pot. When they opened it, she found that the handwriting was the same as the journal. It read:

A blessing found me

But it gave me a curse

There is no joy in this second life

When I thought I could find it.

I scream up to the heavens

Why why why.

For I do not belong here

Good luck to the children who came from my womb

Good luck to the man who has made me miserable

For now, I will return to Hades

My lives are complete…. For good

Chrysanthe, Xena, and Apollodoro

I travel to Hades and except death

With the open hand and a scarfed neck.