Cate smiled softly at their subtly ribald jokes about the perils of being enthralled by an enchanting siren, but her sympathies were strangely torn. She admired Odysseus’ faithful wife, Penelope, who had waited an age for her husband’s return after the siege of Troy. Surely there must have been times she had given Odysseus up for dead? Times when those around her urged her to move on? Times when she was tempted to abandon that love for another? What joy must have consumed her, what love, what gratitude and vindication, when she saw her warrior husband safely returned to her.
But in Cate’s imagination, there also stood at the mouth of her magical cave the tragic Calypso, who watched, broken-hearted, the man she had enslaved, had loved for seven years, sail over the horizon on his journey home to his wife. Even being the daughter of the mighty titan Atlas, and incomparably beautiful, didn’t guarantee Calypso love and happiness. What chance did mortal women have?
Want to read more about Cate and the tragic Calypso who inspired her? You can find links to purchase Hearts on Hold here.
Gracie Macgregor 
6 Responses to “Hearts on Hold excerpt: Calypso’s Tragedy”