Chapter Text
On the way back to the beach, Diomedes walked behind Odysseus and worried. There was nothing outwardly wrong. Odysseus walked with his back straight and a spring in his step, full of joy as he always was when a mission had gone well. And the way he had played Philoctetes was subtle enough that even Diomedes hadn't realized what his partner was up to. He hadn't been able to figure out why Odysseus kept provoking Philoctetes instead of trying to charm him until the Ithacan had turned Philoctetes' distaste for his schemes against him. It was brilliant.
Still, something was off. It felt as though Odysseus had put that show on to prove that he was fine, but the circles under his eyes and the hunch in his shoulders when he had left the camp that morning told a different story. And the spring in his step. Diomedes kept coming back to that. It looked real enough, but Odysseus should have been brimming with excess energy, the air around him should have been vibrating with it, and he should have seemed as though he could barely contain himself enough to walk instead of skip.
He was faking it, Diomedes concluded, and there was only one person he could be trying to fool. This sudden return to his usual behavior had to be for Diomedes' benefit. But what was he trying to achieve? Was he trying to reassure Diomedes that he wasn't bothered by his reaction that morning? No, if he was trying to manipulate him, it had to be more complicated than that. So, what was his end game?
The thought reminded Diomedes of that awful day, just a few weeks ago, when Odysseus had stumbled back into camp with a spear wound and insisted that Diomedes was worth dying for. Odysseus had fought for ten years to return to his wife and son - he had to survive - but somehow, he had forgotten that. Somehow, he had lost sight of what really mattered and risked his life like... well, like Diomedes.
Philoctetes had it wrong, Diomedes realized. Odysseus wasn't poison, he was. And though being near Odysseus but not with him hurt, he knew he had done the right thing.