It was deep inside an asteroid our hero Odysseus sat, glum and quiet. "I've almost forgotten how long I've been here," he sighed. "But Ithaca is somewhere out there. And I swear I will return."
Quiet feet padded into the room. "Will you eat something, my love?" the goddess Calypso asked him, a tray in her hands.
Odysseus gratefully took a fruit. "Growing fruit as this in the depths in space...I have subjects at home in Ithaca who would marvel at such magic."
"Your people have conquered the mists of hyperspace, love," Calypso smiled. "You know the saying, Odysseus - 'any technology sufficiently advanced is indistiguishable from magic.' It was even one of your own philosophers."
Odysseus leaned back on the soft couch, and looked out the viewport. "The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?" he sighed.
"And you miss them still," Calypso said, touching his arm.
----------------------------
Aboard the vessel Olympus Mons
"Welcome, Hermes," the serving maiden said aboard the giant planet/ship. "Come, sit, and feast with your brothers and sisters."
Hermes nodded at her briefly, and went into the feast hall.
"Hail, Hermes," the elderly bearded man called from the head of the table. He flicked a few crumbs off his uniform. "How went your mission?"
"Hail, Father Zeus," Hermes replied, bowing. "Badly, I fear. Agistheus and Clymenestra are dead."
"Orestes?" Zeus asked.
"The same."
Zeus rolled his eyes. "I told that idiot Agistheus that killing Agamemnon and bonking his wife was a bad idea, but no, would he listen?"
"I was the messenger," Hermes replied. "They are but men. And women, of course."
"And now Agamemnon's son Orestes has committed matricide," Zeus commented.
"It serves Agistheus right," a middle-aged, precise woman stated. She sipped from a goblet. "He got what was coming to him. But he isn't why I called this meeting."
"True, Athena. But the law is the law." Zeus replied. "But tell us, what is this 'special agenda' you have for us today?"
"Odysseus," Athena replied. "The war with Troy has been over for years, and of all the men who's feet were not stilled by spear, sword, or arrow, he alone has not returned. And yet he misses his land - for though Ithaca is a small land, it is still his home. And yet I am informed that he is on Calypso's asteroid, alone without a ship or crew. Do we gods like him so little that he must never see Ithaca again? Has he pleased you, Zeus, so badly that he cannot go home?"
Zeus blinked. "My dear Athena, you of all goddesses should know that among men, none is more generous in sacrifice and deed than Odysseus. Heck, he's great! Smartest guy I know. But he killed Polyphemus One-Eye. And Poseidon's not happy about that. At all."
Hades snorted. "A disagreeable fellow," he commented in his deep voice. "I tell you, the trouble with some people is that if they're not alive, they're dead. King of the underworld is a Hellish job sometimes, and Polyphemus isn't making it any easier."
Zeus shrugged. "Be that as it may, once upon a time, Poseidon bonked a nymph, and she gave birth to that brat Polyphemus. Odysseus killed that son on his way home from Troy, and now Poseidon's pissed."
"Where is Poseidon, anyway?" Apollo asked, spinning a golden orb on his finger.
Athena snorted. "Off on some backworld, no doubt. He loves simple, pre-spacefaring civilizations. Treat him like a god."
Quiet chuckles echoed around the table at the old joke. "Well, we all have our secret vices," Zeus smiled.
Knowing eyes smiled back. Zeus was indeed well known for "visiting" beautiful women on many a planet or asteroid.
"Seriously, though," Zeus continued. "Let's put our heads together, see what we can think of. IF we make Neptune happy, maybe he'll let Odysseus go home. Fair?"
"Fair," Athena replied. "As a start, I suggest sending Hermes to Calypso's asteroid. The message: we have agreed that Odysseus goes home. Would you take that message, Hermes?" she asked.
"Gladly," Hermes said, sipping his drink.
"And I will go to Ithaca," Minerva said. "Odysseus has a son, and I wish to see what he's made of...and to tell him his father's coming home."
End of Part 1
The Odyssey was written (allegedly) by the same Homer who wrote the Illiad - a blind poet. Go figure. I can't read Greek, so I've relied on (url="http://"http://www.uoregon.edu/~joelja/odyssey.html")a translation(/url) from the University of Oregon. Granted, I've taken a few liberties, but that's artistic license for you.
(This message has been edited by ElGuapo7 (edited 08-08-2003).)
(This message has been edited by ElGuapo7 (edited 09-02-2003).)
