Telemachus comes to Eumeus. Odysseus and Telemachus.
Odysseus and Evmeyo woke up early. They prepared breakfast for themselves and began to reinforce their strength with food. Suddenly the dogs of Eumeus rushed with a cheerful bark towards the approaching Telemachus and began to caress him. Odysseus heard steps, immediately appeared at the entrance to the dwelling of Eumeus and Telemachus himself. The swineherd Eumeus jumped up to meet him. He embraced the incoming Telemachus and, shedding tears of joy, began to kiss him. So glad was Eumeus for the return of Telemachus, as a father is glad for the return of his only son after a long separation. Odysseus got up, he wanted to give up his place to his son who entered. Telemachus addressed him affectionately and said:
- Sit down, wanderer! Don't worry, Evmey will prepare a place for me to sit down.
Eumeus hastily prepared a seat for Telemachus and served him food and wine. During the meal, Telemachus asked Eumeus where this wanderer came from, who brought him to Ithaca. Eumeus told him that fictional story that he himself had heard from Odysseus, and asked him to accept the wanderer in his house. But Telemachus could not promise to do so. How could he, still so young, cope with a violent crowd of suitors? He could only promise to send the wanderer new clothes and a sword as a gift and help him return to his homeland. Odysseus took pity on Telemachus and began, as if not knowing anything, to question him about the riot of suitors and ask if the people of Ithaca and his relatives were hostile to him.
- It is better to be killed in your house, trying to expel violent suitors by force, than to endure insults and see your property plundered, - Odysseus ended his questions with these words.
But what could Telemachus answer to this, he could only say how difficult it was for him, his only son, to fight with a violent crowd of suitors who, moreover, were plotting to kill him. Telemachus was even afraid to inform Penelope of his return. He sent Eumeus to the city and ordered him to secretly tell his mother that he had returned so that the suitors would not recognize this. Penelope had to inform the elder Laertes, who was also terribly worried about the fate of his grandson, by sending one of his faithful slaves to him.
Eumeus hastily left to fulfill Telemachus' order. As soon as he left, the goddess Athena-Pallas appeared before Odysseus, invisible to Telemachus; she called Odysseus out of the hut and there, at the fence of the courtyard, she returned his former image to him, touching him with a rod, and commanded Telemachus to open up.
When Odysseus returned to the hut, Telemachus looked at him in surprise; he thought that one of the immortal gods appeared to him, Odysseus was so beautiful and majestic.
- Oh, wanderer! - Telemachus exclaimed, - you appear to me in a different form now! You are one of the immortal gods! Have mercy on us! We will make great sacrifices to you.
- No, I'm not God! - answered Odysseus, - I am your father Odysseus, for whose sake you suffered insults from violent suitors.
Odysseus embraced his son with love and kissed him with tears. But Telemachus could not immediately believe that his father had finally returned to his homeland. After all, he had just seen him in the form of an old, unfortunate wanderer. How could he have changed so, how can a mortal work such miracles? Doubt seized Telemachus. Odysseus dispelled this doubt, saying that the goddess Athena turned him into a wanderer, she also returned him to his real image. Then Telemachus believed that his father was standing before him. He hugged his father. Tears of joy flowed from their eyes. Finally, when the first joy of meeting had passed, Telemachus asked his father how he returned to his homeland, who brought him to Ithaca on a fast ship. Odysseus told his son how the Phaeacians brought him, how he hid the gifts of the Theacians in a deep cave, and how the goddess Athena met him and sent him to Eumeus. Odysseus began to ask Telemachus about suitors. He burned with indignation and wanted to take revenge on them for all the insults. Is it possible? After all, there are many suitors. They gathered from all sides. There are one hundred and sixteen of them. How can two - Odysseus and Telemachus - enter into an open battle with such a crowd? But Odysseus has powerful helpers that mortals cannot fight, no matter how many of them, these helpers are Zeus the Thunderer and his daughter Pallas Athena.
Hoping for their help, Odysseus decided to act in this way: Telemachus was supposed to go to the city to the suitors, and he himself would come after him, under the guise of a beggar-wanderer, with Eumeus, as if in order to collect alms. No matter how his suitors insult him, Odysseus will endure everything. Then, according to this sign, Telemachus must take out the weapon, leaving only the weapon for himself and for his father. The main thing is to keep the return of Odysseus in deep secrecy so that no one knows about it, even Penelope, since not all slaves and slaves remained faithful to Odysseus. Odysseus and Telemachus conferred for a long time.
At this time, Telemachus' ship also arrived in the city. His companions immediately sent hima messenger to inform Penelope of the return of her son. Eumeus met with this messenger at the very palace of Odysseus. Together they entered to Penelope. The messenger announced loudly to Penelope the return of her son. Eumeus, leaning towards her, quietly conveyed everything that Telemachus had entrusted to him. Penelope was delighted that her son was with her again.
The news of the return of Telemachus quickly reached the suitors. They got scared. All the suitors gathered in the square and began to deliberate what to do. Intinoy began to advise them to kill Telemachus, since he is their only obstacle. But Amphinom did not agree to this. He was afraid to anger Zeus and advised him to ask the gods first. If the gods give a favorable sign, then he was ready to kill Telemachus himself, but if not, then Amphinus did not advise others to raise their hands against Telemachus. The suitors agreed with Amfinom and went to the palace of Odysseus.
The herald Medont told Penelope what the suitors were up to. She went out to them and bitterly reproached them for their deceit. Penelope especially reproached Antinoy, whose father was once saved by Odysseus from the wrath of the people. Eurymachus began to calm Penelope. He said that suitors would never raise their hands against Telemachus. But although Eurymachus said this, he himself only thought about how to destroy Telemachus.
Meanwhile, Eumeus returned to his hut. The goddess Athena again turned Odysseus into a wanderer so that Eumeus would not recognize him. The swineherd told what he saw in the city, and began to prepare dinner for everyone. Having had their fill, everyone went to bed.