Odyssey Books 21-24
By: Bryce H.
What Happens?
Penelope takes Ody's bow and sets it down. She says that the first one to string the bow and shoot it cleanly through all twelve axe heads she will marry him. So Tele is the first one to try to string it. He tries like a few times and on the last one beggar Ody tells him not to and let the suitors try. So he stops and hands it to the first suitor. The first suitor can't even come close to stinging it. So Antinous orders the suitors to start a fire and get some lard so they could string the bow easier. This shows that Antinous is a cheater. Another suitor fails miserably and Antinous wants to wait to the next day till they try to do it. So beggar Ody speaks up and asks for a chance at the bow. All of the suitors say no. This is probably because if he does string the bow it will make all of the suitors look like idiots. Pene gets mad at the suitors and grants the beggar a shot. "Now he held the bow in his own hands examining it tip to tip." He takes his time stringing it. He strings it and successfully. "He let fly and never missing an axe handle, from the first to the last." Silence grows upon them and Zeus sends a thunder clap in sign of Ody's favor. Tele arms himself and moves right by his father. "Odysseus aimed and shot Antinous square in the throat." The suitors are like "You will pay for this beggar." Then Ody reveals himself. All of the weapons are gone and the suitors start begging. So Ody and Tele go on this killing spree. Tele goes to the storage shed to get more weapons. He leaves the door open and the suitors suddenly have weapons. Ody and Tele are cornered and Athena shows up and Ody begs for help. She does not give it to him right away. Ody kills some more suitors and the Athena gives him a shield. All of the suitors die. So they need to clean up. Ody calls in all the maids and makes them drag out the bodies. Then he tells Tele to kill the twelve unfaithful ones. Tele hacks them to pieces with his sword. So they "sanitize" hall. One of the maids tells Pene that Odys back and Pene is stubborn and does not believe her. She tells Pene that all the suitors are dead. Pene comes down but thinks her eyes are lying to her. Tele begs her to talk to Ody. Ody orders the household to keep quiet about the killing. They have a party that night to act like Pene got married. That night Ody sits by Pene on the bed and she still acts cold to him. She tells him to sleep on his bed outside. Then he gets mad that someone moved his bed because it was impossible to move it. That was kind of her test to make sure it was Ody. So the two make love and exchange stories. Athena makes the night longer so the two can be together. The next morning Ody goes to see his father. All of the suitors ghosts are going to the underworld. Ody and Tele get to Laertes. Tele and the herdsman go to prepare a meal. Ody sees Laertes plowing a field. Laertes does not believe that it is the real Ody because he thinks Ody is dead. Ody shows him his thigh scar. They have a meal and a reunion. Meanwhile in town people heard of the killing. They want Ody dead. Athena asks Zeus if blood will be shed. Zeus says that the people will have to accept Ody as King. The people arrive at Laertes house. Laertes asks for Athena's aid and he throws a spear at Antinous's dad's head and kills him. Athena tells them all to stop and they do. There is finally peace in Ithaca.