History Theatre / EpicTheMusical

* As of the Wisdom Saga, insulting Telemachus is this for Athena. The sheer outrage allows her to brute force her way out of Ares' version of quick-thought.

* As of the Wisdom Saga, insulting Telemachus is this for Athena. The sheer outrage allows her to brute force her way out of Aries' version of quick-thought.

** When [[HoneyTrap Circe attempts to seduce Odysseus to lower his guard]] he rejects her advances and explains that he has a wife whom he desperately misses and wishes to return to. This expression of genuine love and honest vulnerability manages to touch Circe's heart and alleviate her distrust, and she willingly helps him.

** When Athena takes on the challenge of convincing the other Olympians to pardon Odysseus Hera is utterly dismissive of why she ought to care, asking what makes him special amongst thousands of other heroes, Athena replies that he never once cheated on his wife which wins Hera over immediately.

* MirrorCharacter: Odysseus and Circe in ''Done For''. While they have many differences (one is a mortal warrior, the other is a goddess sorceress), their actions are driven by the same desire to protect those under them (for Odysseus his crew, for Circe her nymphs), especially with each already suffering from failing to protect those same people. Circe may even serve as an example of what might happen if Odysseus fully embraces [[HeWhoFightsMonsters pragmatism over morality, a path he's already starting to travel down]]. The two sing similar lines together in one chorus that emphasize this commonality:
--> '''Odysseus and Circe in unison''': \\
~''I've got people to protect, friends I can't neglect!''~\\
~''And now there's no turning back!''~

--->'''Circe''': There are many ways of persuasion, there are many modes of control. Maybe showing one act of kindness leads to kinder souls down the road.

* BaitTheDog: Poseidon tells Odysseus that he will spare him and his men if he apologizes for maiming Polyphemus. Immediately after Odysseus does so, the ocean god mocks him for being naive and murders all but a handful of his men. Played with, in that Odysseus didn't actually ''apologize'' as such, merely trying to justify his actions, which might have been the last straw for an already pissed off Poseidon.

* BackhandedApology: During ''Ruthlessness'', Poseidon suggests that he ''may'' be willing to spare Odysseus and his men if he sincerely apologizes for the suffering he inflicted upon his son. While the sincerity of Poseidon's offer can be debated, Odysseus never actually apologizes. He only justifies his actions:

Wake up, Odysseus, they're opening the bag\\
Wake up!

** Poseidon repeats a few of Odysseus' words against him, specifically those used against Polyphemus such as "I am your darkest moment." and "Remember me." [[spoiler:after killing all but 43 men of his fleet]].

* DreamTellsYouToWakeUp: Odysseus struggles to keep his crew away from the bag of winds in ''Keep Your Friends Close'', staying awake for 9 days straight. He slowly drifts off to sleep, hearing Penelope and Telemachus' voices telling him to keep his eyes open, lamenting how he can spend time with them soon. It isn't until Penelope yells at Odysseus to wake up that they succeed, yet it is too late as the bag has been opened, and he is once again away from Ithaca.
-->Wake up!\\
Wake up, Odysseus, they're opening the bag\\
Wake up!

* EmotionsVersusStoicism: What Odysseus and Athena argue over, and what ultimately drives them to go their separate ways: Athena wants her ideal ''Warrior of the Mind''" to be completely logical, and even ruthless when necessary. Odysseus, however, is ultimately driven by his emotions, be that his desire to see his family again, or his care for his men, and frequently acts on those emotions.

-->'''Polyphemus:''' '''[[PreAsskickingOneLiner Enough]]'''.\\

-->'''Poseidon:''' That's right - the cyclops you made blind is ''mine''.\\

* WellIntentionedExtremist: In this interpretation, Circe's primary goal is to protect the nymphs under her care (even saying that they are like daughters to her in ''Done For'') and her [[ForcedTransformation turning Odysseus' men into pigs]] can be viewed as pre-emptive self-defense, as a welcoming a previous group of visitors incurred a "great cost" to her family. While her goals are sympathetic, the fact she doesn't even bother to verify if Odyssess' crew had any malicious intents before transforming them is what makes her the antagonist of the Circe Saga.

* MirrorCharacter: Odysseus and Circe in ''Done For''. While they have many differences (one is a mortal warrior, the other is a demigod sorceress), their actions are driven by the same desire to protect those under them (for Odysseus his crew, for Circe her nymphs), especially with each already suffering from failing to protect those same people. Circe may even serve as an example of what might happen if Odysseus fully embraces [[HeWhoFightsMonsters pragmatism over morality]]. The two sing very similar lines together in one chorus that emphasize this commonality:

~''I've got people to protect, nymphs I can't neglect/friends I must protect!''~\\

* MirrorCharacter: Odysseus and Circe in ''Done For''. While they have many differences (one is a mortal warrior, the other is a demigod sorceress), their actions are driven by the same desire to protect those under them (for Odysseus his crew, for Circe her nymphs), with Circe even serving as an example of what might happen if Odysseus fully embraces [[HeWhoFightsMonsters pragmatism over morality]]. The two even sing the same lines together in one chorus that emphasize this commonality:
-> '''Odysseus and Circe in unison''':
-> ~''I've got people to protect, friends I can't neglect!''~
-> ~''And now there's no turning back!''~

* BaitTheDog: Poseidon tells Odysseus that he will spare him and his men if he apologizes for maiming Polyphemus. Immediately after Odysseus does so, the ocean god mocks him for being naive and murders all but a handful of his men.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Athena has one played on piano plays whenever she appears to Odysseus, notably in ''Warrior of the Mind'', ''Remember Them'', and ''My Goodbye''.

* BigBad: While there are plenty of enemies that stand in Odysseus' way, by far the greatest and most powerful is Poseidon, the merciless god of the sea.

-->'''Polyphemus:''' '''[[[PreAsskickingOneLiner Enough]]'''.\\

* The Circe Saga (February 14, 2023)

-->'''Odysseus:''' Poseidon, we meant no harm\\

We only wanted to escape.

-->"Poseidon, we meant no harm\\

We only wanted to escape"
--->Odysseus

* BackhandedApology: During ''Ruthlessness'', Poseidon suggests that he ''may'' be willing to spare Odysseus and his men if he sincerely apologizes for the suffering he inflicted upon his son. Odysseus offers one of these in response, claiming that they were only acting in self-defense and took no pleasure in the act.
** While the authenticity of Poseidon's offer can be debated. Odysseus never actually apologies. He only justifies his actions;

** Act 2 reverses these roles, with Odysseus being more ruthless and goal oriented at the cost of his crew, whereas Athena challenges her entire pantheon to save Odysseus because of her friendship with his son,Telemachus.

** Act 2 reverses these roles, with Odysseus being more ruthless and goal oriented at the cost of his crew, whereas Athena challenges her entire pantheon to save Odysseus because of her friendship with his son,Telemacchus.