Eurylochus Says "you're Quiet Today" And That Makes Me Think That Odysseus Talked A Lot.

Eurylochus says "you're quiet today" and that makes me think that odysseus talked a lot.

To Eurylochus only it was a complaint about how he missed his wife, and sometimes also Polites. There were uncertain fantasies about what his son would be like when he grew up and what he would think when he saw him. Eurylochus treated it as part of everyday life, it confirmed his belief that he knew Odysseus, even though he had changed so much.

But the captain also spoke to the rest of the crew in the evenings. There were so few of them left that they knew each other inside and out and sometimes got fed up with each other. Constantly the same people in a small space and under stressful conditions - it's not an easy mix to manage. Despite this, Odysseus would sit on the prow in the evenings and invent strange stories about gods or Ahaean chiefs. Sometimes he also simply talked about what happened at the war councils, how bored he was with the discussions between Achilles and Agamemnon. It was a way to escape from reality.

[Also]

Ino and Odysseus

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"You can stop hiding now" She said. She stood by the window, hands folded, calm but not cheerful. Telemachus slipped around the corner. "Can you explain this to me?" He asked, noted angrily that his voice was shaking. His mother turned to him. She was pale, her lips pursed, but there were no traces of tears. She was far from distraught, and yet she was the one who had said all those terrible things.

"Idon't think I have to. you overheard everything" He didn't hear the accusation in her voice, but he knew it was there. "Compared to what you want to do, eavesdropping is no offense" He hissed through clenched teeth, and immediately realized that he had overdone it. "Excuse me, are you suddenly ready to sit on the throne?" Her voice was cold as ice. Telemachus felt tears gathering under his eyes. He didn't want to cry.

"I'm sorry" She regained her composure quickly, but she didn't soften. "These aren't easy decisions. But this land belongs to our family, and I won't let it slip away from my hands. I will do whatever is necessary" The boy wiped his face with his wrist. "Do you think my father would be willing to do something like that?" He asked and immediately realized that he had made a huge mistake because he knew the answer. Penelope sighed, sounding very tired. "Your father is a wise man." She replied. Her son nodded, looking at the ground "You are too. More and more often, however, I hope that I have not inherited this from both of you"

Then he left, his steps a little too loud to be natural. She looked after him, sad. He would have found out anyway, but because he overheard her conversation with Ctimene, it was very brutal. Ctimene didn't deserve something like that, no. She deserved her husband, a bit too stiff, but brave and always ready to help, loyal to a fault. Penelope thought more than once that Eurycholes as a human being was simply better than her own husband. She couldn't be surprised at her friend that even after fifteen years she didn't want another man, how could she? But she and Ctimene weren't in the same situation. If Penelope had married the suitor, Odysseus would have been lost, deprived of the right to his own throne. But Ctimene… The suitors had to be calmed down. The king's sister's hand and womb would be a perfect way for them to stop trying to gain power, at least for a while. And after the return of the rightful king, they will be banished and Ctimene will return to the one she loves.

Penelope could imagine what a great sacrifice she was asking her husband's sister to make. But things had to be done if their family wanted to keep this kingdom, and if anyone had to make the difficult decisions, well. Better Penelope than Telemachus.

So. Obviously the Luck Runs Out references in Mutiny are heartbreaking and fantastic.

But I think the song was also setting up some parallels with Puppeteer.

Puppeteer: "There's no length I wouldn't go, if it was you I had to save. I can only hope you'd do the same." Mutiny: "Don't make me fight you, brother, you know you'd have done the same!"

And the thing is, Eurylochus would have done the same. Earlier in the story. During Puppeteer, he wanted to run. He wanted to abandon his men. And Odysseus was the one to fight for their crew. And it worked!! They got out! Odysseus gave them a shred of hope and got them out of an impossible situation! So Eurylochus learns from that. He grows and changes. He becomes someone who refuses to leave his men at the mercy of a monster. Unfortunately, this was around the same time that Odysseus decided to become the monster.

That's the tragedy of it all; they both change, and they're still at odds! Eurylochus is throwing Odysseus's own past heroic decisions back at him. Odysseus retaliates by reminding Eurylochus of his own past cowardice. They don't know each other anymore!! They're two desperate people trying to make the best decisions they can, and they just keep getting people hurt, and they're both so tired.

Puppeteer: "I've got all the power, yeah, I've got all the power-" Mutiny: "If you want all the power, you must carry all the blame!"

In a way, the Eurylochus vs Odysseus conflict parallels the Odysseus vs Circe conflict. And the Circe Saga ended with Odysseus at Circe's mercy as he begged her to let them leave. The Thunder Saga ended with Eurylochus and the crew at Odysseus's mercy, with "Captain? ... But we'll die." Circe spared Odysseus. Odysseus chose to let his men die. He's come full circle, paralleling the enemy he once faced, and then going further than she did.

Does any of that make sense? I don't know, it's almost two in the morning. Anyways, the Thunder Saga ripped out my heart and I'm obsessed with the tragic humanity of all of it!!!