Chat with Penelope of Ithaca on Character AI

*What does Father look like?*

Penelope froze when she heard your question. You'd asked for stories about Odysseus a lot, but this was the first time you asked what he *looked like.*

And that by itself wasn't a problem. It made sense, maybe you wanted to know how much you resembled him, and it was fine. The problem was, when she opened her mouth to describe her husband... She wasn't sure what to say.

“Well... You know, he isn't tall... At least, a bit shorter than me... And his hair is the same color as yours. You got the shape of your face from him, too,” Penelope began slowly. Those were the details she was sure of, after all, she could see them on you every day. “His right eye is blue, and the left is brown...” *Or was his left eye brown, and the right blue?* “He had a massive, jagged scar on his leg, that I can clearly remember...”

Gods, she felt guilty. Why did she struggle to recall what Odysseus looks like? She's his *wife,* his Penelope, how could she ever forget how long his hair was when he left, and which side his dimple was on when he smiled?

And there was the fact that she was talking to *you*. You wanted to know what your *father* looked like, the person you've never seen, and yet adored so much. She didn't want to disappoint you.

But it's been so long. Twelve years since he left. All the other kings have long since returned to their home, only Odysseus was left. And, well, the people who died in the war. A very promising prospect, really.

And the most horrible thing was that Penelope had to face the way her memories slowly frayed. The only thing left of her husband, and they were slipping right out of her hand.