The sun cast beautiful golden light over the Ithacan royal palace. Inside, Odysseus sat at a modest round wooden table with Penelope and Telemachus. For the first time in years, he wasn’t thinking about death, betrayal, or the sea, just bread, wine, and the laughter of his son.

  Telemachus: “Athena started teaching me how to properly use a bow. If you don’t look out, I might just surpass you in a couple of months.”

  Odysseus smirked and laughed at the notion. After all, he was the best archer in all of Ithaca—trained by the master of war herself. For years, he had refined his skills through endless battles and bloodshed.

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  Odysseus: “Don’t be ridiculous. You’d have to train for at least a million years before you could catch up to your old man.”

  Telemachus gave a thoughtful look.

  Telemachus: “It’s impossible for a man to live that long though.”

  Odysseus burst out laughing.

  Odysseus: “Exactly.”

  Penelope rolled her eyes, but her heart swelled with joy. This was all she had ever wanted. Her husband was home, her family was whole, and the nightmare of the suitors was finally over. For once, she could rest.Of course, not everything was perfect. Take the situation with Ctimine, for example—she was devastated when she found out what had happened to Eurylochus. She hadn’t spoken to any of them since that day. And then there were the other 598 families who had lost their sons, husbands, and fathers.

  But all that could wait. For now, Penelope was just going to enjoy the moment.

  Penelope: “All right, you two, eat your food before it gets c—”

  A blinding flash of light filled the room.

  Penelope: “—old.”

  They were no longer in the palace.