7 Ithaca at last

Chapter 7 Ithaca at last As soon as Odysseus had finished his tale, he fell fast asleep in the hall of King Alcinous. The king ordered his guards to take poor Odysseus home at once. Still fast asleep, Odysseus was carried on board a ship. When he awoke, he was on the shore of a land he thought he recognized. With tears in his eyes, he realized: "It's Ithaca!" He kissed the ground with joy.

At that moment, a tall, beautiful woman appeared. She was wearing a breastplate that glinted in the dawn light, and had a shining helmet upon her head. It was Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, who had been watching over Odysseus all this time. "Welcome home," she said. "But, before you can claim your kingdom, you have one last job to do. You must do it in disguise. With a wave of her hand, she transformed Odysseus into a ragged old beggar. Odysseus gazed at his newly- wrinkled hands in shock. But he still had his wits about him. "What's the job?" "While you've been away, your house has been full of scroungers who are eating your food and making your family's life a misery. You see, they hope that one of them can marry Penelope."

"But she is married!" said Odysseus. "You've been gone a long time -Penelope's suitors think you're dead," said Athena. "But I can help you get rid of them. Go and rest in the cottage on the hill. It belongs to Eumaeus the shepherd. He's always been loyal to you." Then, she disappeared.

Eumaeus welcomed the old stranger, offering him a place by the fire. Odysseus played the part of a feeble old beggar so well that the kindly shepherd insisted his guest should take the bed that night, while he slept outside. The next morning, Odysseus was awoken by Athena. "I have someone to see you. But first..." She waved her hand and he felt his old and wrinkled skin become firm and young once more. "That's better," she said Just then, a young man appeared over the crest of the hill. He looked familiar. Very familiar. "Telemachus! My son!" Odysseus rushed forward to hug him. But his son flinched in shock. Odysseus's skin was still glowing from the spell. He looked more like a god than a man. "Telemachus, I'm your father. Don't you recognize me?" Telemachus's shock turned to joy, and he flung his arms around his father.

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"It's time," said a voice from behind them. They turned to see Athena standing there. "Go and reclaim your kingdom." She disguised him as a ragged beggar once again. "It'll give you the advantage of surprise," she said. So, old-man Odysseus and young Telemachus walked back to town, picking up Eumaeus from his cottage on their way.