Odysseus gazed vacantly at the ceiling while the servants watched him, posing simple questions. The patrols had found him outside of the castle walls, bloodied and injured and covered in dirt.
Concerns arose about potential brain damage and his capability to lead. However, it was not his mind that was harmed, but rather his pride.
His bow may even have been burnt after he had the chance to use it only once. He wanted to blame Athena but it was his own shortcomings that lead to his defeat.
At this thought he quickly rushed his servants out of his room.
"Do you know why you lost Odysseus?" a voice spoke beside his bed as he felt a weight settle beside him. Odysseus covered his face with his hands, reluctant to endure another lecture at that moment. At least his hearing had improved somewhat.
"..." Odysseus remained silent, only turning his head towards the tall figure.
"You lost through no fault of your own. You used every trick at your disposal. She had you outmatched in every aspect."
"Athena, I don't need your sympathy…" Odysseus groaned, fighting the impulse to hurl a pillow at the goddess.
"It was your own mouth that got you in that state. And yet that was another thing you did well. An emotional opponent is a reckless one, they are easier to take advantage of."
"You skilfully used their feelings to your advantage. You navigated your environment effectively. You held your own against an opponent with greater reach and a more defensive weapon. You provoked them into relinquishing their weapon, and then you lost…
And when you lost, You lost because your reach was shorter. You lost due to a lack of strength and experience. You lost because you thought you could block a weapon made of Celestial Bronze, a material you were unfamiliar with, and that was a mistake on my part. Most importantly, you lost because of your arrogance."
Odysseus listened closely as she went into further details, it was a hard truth to hear but a necessary one.
"What I want to convey is… You performed admirably, Odysseus. Truly. However, we will need to revisit your training with a spear. It was rather… Sloppy."
That annoyed Odysseus slightly since he practically has to beg her to even learn how to wield a spear in the first place.
"To be honest you don't really teach me much with the spear, yet it's your primary weapon, you are quite literally known for your skill with a spear." Odysseus threw his hands up in frustration.
"That is simply because I was waiting for you to grow, if you hadn't you may have developed bad habits. You also need to broaden your arsenal.
I did however, get some enjoyment from Zoe Nightshade complaining about her ruined hair afterwards. You cut it at a really poor angle. The poor girl had to take another portion of the braid off just to get it straight again." Athena allowed a small smile to encroach on her lips.
Odysseus let out a hearty laugh in response, one of the few hits he had actually managed to get on the hunter. He wondered if he had longer arms if he would have cut her neck instead.
'No, her instincts are insane. I probably only managed BECAUSE it was her hair.' Odysseus fluffed his pillow, feeling slightly more spirited as he turned towards Athena.
"...Did they burn the bow?" He asked hesitantly.
"No. It was one of a kind. Instead Nightshade offered it to her Goddess as a trophy. I'm sure they will make use of it in their Hunts in the future." Athena said simply, not really happy about losing out on such weapons.
Odysseus banged his head gently on his pillow at that. On the one hand he was glad it wasn't destroyed but he really hopes that Philoctetes doesn't learn about it.
'I'll just make a replica, one so strong that no one else could string it. No one shall know.'
"Then I'll win it back next time we battle." Odysseus grinned with a determined smile. Athena was silent for a few moments, not revealing how unlucky he was to actually meet the Hunters.
'The odds of it are quite outstanding. I would rather believe another God put them up to it.' Athena mused briefly. Not really discarding the idea either.
"In light of everything I do believe you deserve some form of reward for your reluctant involvement. I shall bestow you a favour.'
'A favour from a goddess?' Odysseus's eyes widened, countless possibilities rushing through his mind.
"Keep in mind, I cannot interfere with your wars directly and my purpose here is to help you grow into a worthy champion. I will not do anything that will impact your growth or interfere with the lessons you must learn." Athena said, already guessing a few of his thoughts.
That puzzled Odysseus for a moment since she did, in fact, interfere with his battle with Zoe, perhaps if she hadn't, he may have truly died back then.
'Another thing to be thankful for then I suppose.' Odysseus washed that depressing thought away fairly quickly.
"... Then if nothing that involves battle..."
*Sigh*
"This is probably a waste but when I went to Sparta, you followed me correct? If that's the case, were you there when I slept under the Olive Tree?" Odysseus asked bluntly, not knowing how else to do so.
"Yes, I was simply taking note of your negotiation skills." She said quickly as he thought he saw a slight flush on her cheeks.
'Probably a trick of the light.'
"Then could you bring that Olive tree here?" he asked, as a heavy silence enveloped them, making him question if he had misspoken.
"Is that truly what you desire? Any wish you could have? Within reason, of course."
"Yes." Odysseus replied with conviction, prompting a quiet sigh from Athena.
"Very well. It's a straightforward task. You are a better man than most." Athena rolled her eyes and drew her spear, striking the ground.
A few moments passed, and he sensed something was off…
And then the bed flipped over.
*THUD*
Athena swiftly dodged as he crashed to the floor, the bed landing on top of him. She couldn't help but smile quietly.
He crawled out from beneath the bed to find the exact olive tree filling his quarters, its roots burrowing into the ground as it continued to grow.
"I didn't mean right here!" Odysseus exclaimed as the tree took up more and more space.
"Perhaps you should have been clearer or chosen your wish more wisely. However, since I'm feeling generous, I'll grant you another." Athena secretly found the situation quite amusing.
Yes. Apparently there was a correct answer to her question. He briefly recalled the previous conversation as a realization came to mind.
"Then can I have a proper weapon?" Odysseus asked carefully, leaving the weapon of choice up to Athena.
"Better. I will prepare it for you, and I do hope you practice your techniques. Now I must go, you have visitors." Athena quickly shifted into an owl as she flew out the window.
The sound of quick footsteps reached his ears.
"Odysseus! I was told you had woken!" A soft voice called out hurriedly as if she was running. He recognised the voice as his mind devolved into a lovesick state.
'Penelope? Penelope!' He adopted a dopey grin as he got up to greet his Fiance...
He glanced around his room briefly.
...?
'OH GOD! PENELOPE!' Odysseus's love drunk mind came crashing down with a certain realisation.
"DON'T COME IN!" He screamed as he rushed to barricade the door.
"What?! What are you doing in there? Open up silly." Penelope laughed, that stopped rather quickly as she tried to pull open the door. She pulled again to no avail.
"Wait a moment! I'm not dressed! I need time to prepare!" Odysseus screamed as he scrambled. Half truths at best. He ran his hand through his hair trying to think.
He simply didn't know how to explain why he had a massive Olive tree in the middle of his room.
Specifically HER Olive tree...
From HER garden.
...
In a faraway land, a certain King of Sparta pondered why there was a hole in the middle of his garden and where his prized Olive Tree had gone.
'Perhaps the wine really has gone off.'