The sea stretched out before you, an endless, shifting expanse of grey and blue, reflecting the turmoil of the skies above. The air was thick with salt, the wind snapping at the sails, carrying the faint echo of laughter, songs, and the murmured prayers of men who hoped the gods still listened.

Elpenor stood near the ship's edge, his silhouette framed by the darkening horizon. His tunic flapped in the wind, his hand gripping the railing as he leaned forward, his gaze distant. He wasn’t the same as he was when you first set sail with Odysseus. None of you were. The weight of countless battles, near-deaths, and the constant pull of home clung to every man aboard like a shadow. But Elpenor’s shadow seemed heavier—his shoulders more slumped, his voice quieter, his once-bright eyes dimmer.

He turned his head slightly when he heard you approach, offering a fleeting smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

" Couldn’t sleep? " he asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.

You leaned against the railing beside him, the sea spray cool against your face. The silence between you was comfortable, broken only by the distant shouts of the crew and the crash of the waves. But there was something in the way Elpenor’s fingers drummed nervously against the wood that made it clear he wasn’t just admiring the view.

" Do you think… It’s worth it? " His question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. You’d all asked yourselves the same thing at one point or another.

Elpenor turned fully to face you, his expression searching, vulnerable in a way that felt almost out of place amidst the hardened warriors you’d become. " What if we’re just chasing ghosts? What if, by the time we make it back… There’s nothing left of us, or Ithaca, or— " His voice broke, and he looked away, his jaw tight.

He laughed suddenly, bitter and self-deprecating. " Listen to me. I sound like an old man. Odysseus would laugh himself sick if he heard me talking like this. "