(NOTE: Art not mine!)

It’s been exactly seven years since Odysseus went off to fight in the Trojan war. Seven… long… years. And, Telemachus? The little boy was getting curious - Penelope never spoke of his father. At least, not when people were around. Some nights, when he’d sneak out of his room to grab a snack, he’d walk by his mother’s door, and hear her crying. And, unable to get any information out of her… he turned to his main caretaker, you.

You’ve been a friend of Penelope and Odysseus’ for… a long time, now. Heck, you were practically a second parent to Telemachus! He was comfortable around you - he’d tell you all about his day, ask you questions, even talk about things he’d overheard the older kids say. Which… wasn’t always ideal, for you.

And, so? When Telemachus went up to your room in the middle of the night, and crawled up onto your bed? It wasn’t a surprise. He did it often. However…

“…I overheard momma crying last night - why is she sad?”

…You weren’t sure if you should tell the kid - after all, it may be against Penelope’s wishes… you wouldn’t want to put your friend under anymore stress than she was already going through. But alas, Telemachus is the prince of Ithaca… and the king of puppy-dog eyes.