Page 50 of Elysium

SHE STOOD ON THE STEPS OF THEIR PALACE, trying not to wring her hands. Eurycleia by her side. “How are you feeling, my queen?” She asked, doting just a smidge. The nursemaid fluffed Penelope’s hair, straightened her dress.

“My friend,” she took the older woman’s hand gently, offering her a small smile. “You appear to be more off kilter than even I am.” The light of the setting sun covered the opening in an orange haze, making this moment feel close to magical.

The woman offered her a shy smile, eyes darting to the ground. “Sorry, ma’am. It’s just been so long-”

Penelope pulled the woman into an embrace. “I know, I’m excited too.” She had come outside at the first hint of hoofbeats on the horizon. Odysseus had been gone for just over a week with his hunting party.

Just long enough to confirm…

Her heart thudded in her chest as she scanned the horizon for her husband. She could hear his laughter, louder than any of the other men. They would crest the hillside any second.

She saw him before he saw her, and her breath caught in her throat. His hair was loose, wild in the ocean breeze. His skin tan from days out at the hunt. He was a god, barreling towards her on horseback.

Her hands twitched with a tension she hadn’t found a way to release. She wasn’t upset. She just could not wait to be with Odysseus again, to share with him.

Eurycleia spun on her in an instant, as if she could feel the unease that leaked out of her. “Alright, my queen?”

“Stop fussing.” Penelope scowled, playfully swatting her hand away. The woman beside her laughed before ducking back inside the palace.

The horses came to a halt several lengths from the castle door, Odysseus swinging off of his in one swoop. When his eyes met hers, Penelope felt a warm flush creep up her neck.

The look he was giving her was anything but appropriate. Especially in front of his hunting party. Her husband took the steps two at a time, landing in front of her within moments of dismounting his horse.

“Hi,” he took her face in his hands, pressing the lightest kiss to her lips. “I missed you.”

She exhaled, instantly caught up in him, but her voice was suddenly missing. She couldn’t speak.

He pressed his mouth to hers again, this kiss less reserved. She felt him succumb to the week apart, the hunger that she had felt for him, too.

But her brain was running at a breakneck pace, and as much as she had missed him, she couldn’t give herself over to him, even as he groaned softly against her mouth.

His fingers slid up into her hair, tangling at the base of her skull, gripping her to him like a lifeline. His other hand had already found her waist, drawing her flush against him.

She was malleable in his grip. But her breath was still shaky against his lips. She couldn’t focus on his homecoming.

He pulled back, only just. Hand returning to her cheek as he studied her. Lips brushing hers, “Penelope,” his breath was hot on her face. “Why aren’t you…”

He pulled back further, thumbs stroking over her cheeks as he searched her face, his brow creasing. “You’re quiet,” he murmured. “What’s wrong?” Penelope swallowed. She should have said something, anything, but her throat was tight.

Odysseus studied her, reading her like the tides. He inhaled sharply. “Wait… are you angry with me?”

She blinked. “Angry?”

“You are,” he groaned, stepping back slightly, raking a hand through his salt-stiffened hair. “Gods, Penelope, I knew I should have sent word. But the hunt was longer than expected, and I-”

“Odysseus.”

He stopped rambling. Her voice was too soft.

She caught his wrist and pressed his palm flat against her stomach, right where she would soon feel their child. “I’m not angry, Odysseus.” she whispered. “I’m pregnant.”

“… What?” The color leached from his face.

Someone behind them hollered, but Penelope’s eyes stayed trained on Odysseus, desperate for him to speak. Was it too soon? They had been married just over a year… Did he not want to be a father?

Her heart was lodged in her throat, feeling too small under his emotionless expression. Her hand twitched over his, searching his eyes for anything.

“Odysseus,” she whispered finally, unable to sit in the silence any longer. “Please, say something.”

Odysseus’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as he stared at her, his hand frozen over her belly, a trembling tension building in her limbs. The light of the fading day caught his face, highlighting the raw vulnerability in his eyes.

His thumb brushed over the skin of her cheek before he spoke, voice cracking slightly. “A child… we’re…”

Penelope’s heart swelled, but she didn’t dare interrupt. She needed him to say this. She needed to hear it from him.

“A son or a daughter,” he muttered, as though the question could resolve the thunderstorm raging behind his eyes.

She shook her head softly, pressing his hand to her belly once more. “Does it matter?” Her voice trembling just like his. “Do you want this?”

“Want this?” He asked, borderline incredulous. He released his grip on her, running a hand through his ragged hair. “Penelope, I…”

Her heart lurched. He hadn’t answered.

In a sudden burst of movement, his hands were on her hips, and she was pulled into him. His arms slipped around her waist, and she was spinning in the air.

She was breathless, but found purchase around her mad husband’s neck. She laughed, throwing her head back.

He stilled, but did not release her, her feet still off the ground. “My wife, carrying my child.” He whispered, for her ears alone. His eyes shone, sparking in the evening sun with tears ready to be shed. “I am the luckiest man in the world.”

He set her feet on the ground, but did not loosen his grip on her. Odysseus bent down, capturing her in another kiss. This time, she did not shy away from his affection, moving her lips against his, matching his rhythm.

“I love you,” she whispered against him, fingers clutching at the hair on his neck. She grinned. “You thought I was angry.” Penelope laughed, boneless in his grasp.

“I know my wife, and she has never once denied me a kiss.” He said, pressing his lips to her forehead. “What was I supposed to think?”

The grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth was radiant. She was blinded by the sheer force of him.

“Oh,” she gasped, untangling herself from his grasp. “I almost forgot. I have something for you.” She grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the door.