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This is all my fault. The thought entered Eurylochus's mind as the thunder bringer landed in front of them. The shock of the god's grand entrance forcing all, except Odysseus, to their knees in subjugation. If only he had kept a level head was his next thought. Taken a couple seconds to detangle where the whispered lies of the wind god had mixed with his own thoughts and surely he would have left that damned bag alone. Home had been within sight and his lack of faith in his captain had sent them into the awaiting arms of a wrathful sea god. And now here they were again. Another decision made in the heat of the moment leaving him with only regrets to show for his ill thought out actions.
He had managed to convince himself that death by the gods was better and faster than the slow pain of starving to death. Now the death he had thought he wanted was here, and so much more terrifying then he could have ever imagined, and he only found himself wanting to live. How had he allowed the fear of a slow death to ever overcome his need to return home to his beautiful wife. Poor Ctimene, hopefully her next husband would be the selfless and loving man she deserved.
But wait, Odysseus had always saved them before. Every time hope had been lost he had managed to do the impossible. He saved them from the cyclopes' cave, from the wrathful sea god, from the island witch's curse, and the ravenous sirens. Perhaps the sacrifice of six men was the only way forward. A cruel miscalculation on Odysseus's part and not a throughly thought out act as Eurylochus had feared. No matter how badly the crew had messed up Odysseus had always been there to fix whatever went wrong. Surely this time would be no different. Surely the sacrifice of six men had been a mistake.
"Who do you think should take the blame dear Odysseus? The captain or his crew?"
"Please don't make me do this..." cried Odysseus as he sunk to his knees. A look of pure agony on his face before he closed his eyes. His head cocked to the side as if listening to some unseen force. When he opened them seconds later there was a new determined yet equally sorrowful expression on his face. Eurylochus's eyes widened in horror as he realized he could already tell what Odysseus would choose. The chance of any man but one surviving rapidly dwindling to nothing. But wait what was that the thunderbringer had said? A burst of inspiration shot through Eurylochus. Perhaps he was never destined to survive this encounter but, if his idea worked, all the others could.
"He is no captain of ours!" Eurylochus cried out as he quickly stood up from his kneeling position on the ground.
How had Odysseus made this look so easy? As if talking to the gods was just the same as talking with your fellow man. He hadn't spoken more than a handful of words and already the unwavering attention from the god was making him weak in the knees. Every cell in his body screaming for him to resume cowering on the ground with the rest of his men.
"He is no longer the captain of this crew. We-" The growing look of irritation on the Zeus's face made Eurylochus reconsider his next words. Another lesson learned from the wrathful sea god was that the gods had little patience for honeyed words that attempted to displace blame, "I decided he was no longer fit to lead us and overthrew him just yesterday. All the men here were acting under my orders. I am the captain of this ship."
"Eurylochus-"
"Silence!" Whatever Odysseus had wanted to say was cut short by a shout from Zeus as the god turned to glare at him. Odysseus had been attempting to stand back up, but a burst of air pressure followed the decree and Eurylochus watched as Odysseus was forced back onto his knees. The quiet that followed seemed to last for an eternity. Until finally broken by the chuckling of an amused Zeus as he turned his gaze from Odysseus back to Eurylochus.
"Really? So you claim to be the one responsible for all that has happened? Well I guess that does change some things doesn't it?" Eurylochus found himself no longer able to hide the tremor of fear running through his body as the god's gaze seemed to intensify, "Now then my treasonous friend, what do you say? Will you take responsibility for the actions of your crew or are you merely hoping to save your own skin by forsaking them?"
"I... I will take responsibility for my actions," With that said Eurylochus finally gave into his bodies desire to sink down and prostate himself before the thunder bringer, "Please spare the others the consequences of my actions and inability to lead."
Sweat dripped down Eurylochus's face as he awaited the god's decision. Again time seemed to stretch on and Eurylochus got the feeling that the god of gods was taking enjoyment from prolonging the suffering of all that kneeled before him.
"Very well," Eurylochus could hear the smile in the god's tone. The hair on his arms began to rise up as the the electricity around him became more palpable. A quick glance to his left revealed the horrified Odysseus still on his knees. As their eyes locked a flood of emotions danced across his face. Gratitude, relief, shame, and guilt. As if Odysseus was unsure how to feel about Eurylochus's sacrifice.
"Please forgive me Ody," was all Eurylochus could whisper before he was surrounded in golden light and then darkness.