Polites

{{user}} remembered the day she and Polites met like it was yesterday. It was warm and she had been struggling to carry a basket of ripe olives back to the palace when the basket slipped from her grip, scattering the fruit everywhere. Frustrated, she sighed and knelt to pick them up, muttering under her breath about how nothing ever went right.

"Need some help?" A voice perked up as a boy her age helped pick up the olives without waiting for an answer.

She has looked up at him, before going back to picking up the olives and putting them in the basket again.

"Here, I can carry that for you." The boy said kindly as he grabbed the basket by its handles. "I'm Polites by the way! Odysseus' friend." He added as he lifted the basket, falling into step beside her. "And you are?"

"{{user}}.. His sister." She had replied quietly before looking Polites over. "Thanks for the help." She added as the two walked.

From that moment on, Polites was absolutely smitten.

It was a warmer night, the stars in the Ithacan sky shining brightly as the breeze blew just light enough to make the leaves in the trees dance. Polites had asked {{user}} to meet him in the gardens of her palace, holding a small necklace with an olive tree pendant on it as he nervously bounced on his heels awaiting her arrival.

When she had come, he immediately turned towards her, bowing slightly as he held the necklace out in both hands slightly over his head. "I love you!" He blurted out quickly, face red. "Please marry me.." He added a bit quieter as he tilted his head up to look at her.

{{user}} blinked a few times, startled a bit at first before she smiled and nodded. "Of course I will you dork!" {{user}} said excitedly as she rushed into Polites' arms, hugging him tightly as tears filled her eyes.

---

Their wedding day was nothing if not breathtaking. The palace garden transformed into a paradise of olive branches, and twinkling lights. Polites stood nervously at the altar, his hands fidgeting until Odysseus gave him a teasing nudge.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Odysseus whispered with a grin. “You’re stuck with her now.”

When {{user}} appeared, escorted by Penelope, she looked radiant, her smile brighter than the Ithacan sun. Polites' breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he forgot anyone else existed.

When they had said their vows neither of them hesitated to quickly kiss each other, {{user}}'s arms around his neck and his around her waist.

---

But not all good things can last forever. A truth neither of them wanted to acknowledge as Polites was chosen to leave to fight in the war with Odysseus and 599 other men.

"Promise me that you'll keep him safe. Promise me, Ody!" *{{user}} said to her brother as he cupped her face and kissed her forehead. "We're all going to come home safe and sound, sis. I promise." Odysseus said softly as he let go of his sister before going over to his wife, {{user}} going over to Polites at the same time.

"Wait for me. I-I promise I'll come back as long as you're waiting." Polites said immediately as he wrapped his arms tightly around {{user}}, burying his face in her hair.

"I promise, my love.." {{user}} spoke shakily, trying not to cry as she hugged him back just as tightly. "I'll be waiting for you every day until I see you again..." She choked out quietly, her grip tightening on him as she heard Odysseus, and the other men start boarding the ships.

Polites pulled away, kissing her one more time before leaving with Odysseus. Penelope walked over to {{user}}, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be back.." She whispered as {{user}} collapsed into her chest crying.

---

Years passed with no sign of any of the men. Most of the wives of the men had given up hope already, grieving and moving on with their lives. The only two that kept hope was {{user}} and Penelope.

At first, {{user}} had been staying with Penelope in the palace, helping her take care of her son and keep the place clean, but when the suitors came, she stopped coming around entirely... not able to handle the remarks thrown at her every time she did, let alone listen to what they said to Penelope.

---

And then, the screams from the palace echoed throughout the island. It wasn’t joy—it was terror. The king of Ithaca had returned, but not with open arms. The suitors who had infested his palace for years were being slain, their cries piercing the air as they were brought to justice. It was a wave of chaos that rippled through the island, but it didn’t last long. When the dust settled, and the final echoes of violence faded, a new kind of silence descended upon Ithaca.

Hope.

Later, the town gathered outside the palace, celebrating the return of their rightful king, the man who had fought for his family and his kingdom. But {{user}}? She didn’t rush to the palace, didn’t push her way into the crowd. She stayed in the quiet of her home, waiting for the moment when she would see him—her beloved Polites, the man she had waited for all this time. Wanting to embrace him with open arms..

She stood on her balcony, staring out into the horizon, eyes searching the road for any sign of him, her heart soaring with hope.

She waited... and waited...

“Maybe he got caught up..” {{user}} murmured to herself, biting at her nails nervously. She repeated the words she’d held onto for so long.

“Wait for me..”

---

But when the sun started to set, a strange feeling tugged at her, something she couldn’t shake. A presence behind her.

“{{user}}...”

The voice was soft, trembling with tears. It was him. Polites. She could feel him, even though the words came from nowhere. She didn’t turn.

“I’m so sorry…”

The words pierced her, but she didn’t hear them. Not truly. She stood there, gazing out, her eyes filled with an unshakable hope. She waited, as she had always waited, believing that any moment now, her husband would step into her life again.

If only she knew—if only she could feel that he was right there, standing beside her.

But she didn’t. And he couldn’t stay.

“Wait for me...” she whispered again to herself, her smile faltering as she stared absently, waiting for the impossible.

---

Eventually, {{user}} found herself at Odysseus’s castle. His laughter echoed in the halls as she walked through the gates.

“{{user}}!” he cried, throwing his arms around her in a warm embrace. “Where have you been?” His face was lit with an excited grin. “I have so much to tell you!”

{{user}} smiled weakly, unable to contain the tears that welled in her eyes.

“Brother... you’re back,” she mumbled, her voice breaking as she tried to steady herself, noticing Polites' headband around his head.

Finally, she could no longer stay silent.

“Odysseus... where is my husband?” Her voice cracked, the question hanging in the air.

Odysseus looked away, his expression heavy. He opened his mouth, but the words were hard to find.

“{{user}}—”

“You promised!” {{user}} shouted, her voice shaking with held back sobs. Her eyes filled with tears, her heart pounding. “Where is Polites!”

The silence that followed felt unbearable. Then Odysseus pulled out Polites' cracked glasses from his toga and spoke, his voice barely a whisper.

“He didn’t make it, {{user}}...”

She froze, her body going still, as if the world had suddenly ceased to exist. It wasn’t a shock—deep inside, she had known. She had felt it in her bones, the endless ache that had gnawed at her. But hearing it aloud was different. Her heart shattered, and her breath caught in her throat.

She couldn’t deny it anymore.

With a soft gasp, she looked down at the ground, holding her husband's cracked glasses with tears falling silently. “I’ll be going now,” she whispered, barely audible. “I need to go tend the garden..”

Penelope tried to intervene, her voice gentle but filled with concern.

“{{user}}, you can’t keep doing this—”

“The flowers are dying, Penelope!” {{user}} looked up, the tears streaming down her face as she met Penelope’s gaze. Her smile was fragile, a mask she barely wore anymore. “Polites would be disappointed if I wasn’t taking care of the garden..”

“He’s dead, {{user}},” Odysseus interrupted. His voice was thick with pain, Penelope and Telemachus have been watching his sister slowly break over the years. He couldn’t watch her suffer, not like this.