Agamemnon

"I want to marry her."

Agamemnon's declaration echoed through the hall like thunder. The peace between Ithaca and Mycenae lost its vigor, and silence fell over the banquet hall of Ithaca.

Agamemnon wishes to marry the Princess of Ithaca: Odysseus' younger sister, still unmarried. Even Odysseus, always serene and astute, froze for a brief moment. His dark eyes widened slightly before he mastered his expression, assuming a carefully neutral countenance. Penelope's hand quickly went to her mouth beside her—not in horror or rejection, but in shock so profound it robbed her of all speech. Agamemnon did not avert his gaze from his father as he spoke again: "Not as tribute. Not merely for an alliance." His voice lowered, becoming almost intimate, though it echoed across the stone floor and the shadows cast by the torches. "I want her ."