Book 9

After mych anticipation I decided to relieve Alkinoos of his ignorance and tell him my name. So I said to him I was Odysseus, but he did not get a chance to respond because with my name, comes the great tale follows it. I start with my leaving in victory at Troy, and us arriving and almost conquering the island of the Kikones. However when I advised the men to leave with our treasure, they got drunk on almost all our storage of wine. Our enslaved women escaped and assembled the main force of the Kikones. I could not beleive it! Now we had to fight a powerful army, which many lives were lost to as we attempted to ward them off. The emotion of losing many of our best fighters traveled with us as we retreated to sea. For three days we mourned the painful loses of our men. This was not the time to do the "I told you so" dance. Suddenly though, Zeus unleashed a powerful storm which caused us to go ashore for two whole days. We took off again only to Poseidon doings once more. He caused us to drift for nine days until we reached the lovely Lotus Eaters, whose hospitality was endless. Our journey continues as we find ourselves to land upon the shores of the dreadful Kyklops. My cousin's bestfriend's wife's father's grandchild's once removed was eaten by a Kyklops, so I was cautious. Then we see a desert island which we make land on with its perfect pastures, and plentiful hunting meat. Now from where we came, every stare was directed at the smoke coming fromt the Kyklope's Land. The next day, my ship alone embarks for the treachurous land. Me and twelve of my best men went ahead to the cave of the Kyklopes we saw on the way in. I brought a big goatskin full of the drink of the gods to show our graciousness. We arrive at the cave, and to our disappointment the brute we saw earlier was gone. All the men wanted to take his cheese and goats and leave him be, but I wished to see what the Kyklop would offer to us. When he arrived back, he shut the huge rock door and milked his goats for supper. Only when all this was finished did he notice us. Like the leader I am, I introduced us and kindly threatened the giant with Zeus's vengence if he was not hospitipal. Then he says he is greater than Zeus (which cannot be), and ask us where are ship could be. Being the sly fox I am, I tell him we are shipwrecked here. To that no response, but then all of the sudden he grabs two of my men and grinds the in his teeth for dinner. How furious I was. I almost killed him right then, but soon realized if the Kyklops were to die, then not even a thosand horses could remove the stone door. So we all sleep in the cave that night. However, I prayed to Athena to give me an olive tree to help avenge my devoured men. Althoguh two wrongs do not make a right, there are a few exceptions. And so she did, and while the Kyklops was away, my men made a stake from the tree. Then when we all return to the cave I intoxicate the cavman, casuing him to passout cold. Then my men and I go home with the stake in the Kyklpos third eye. It was a succsses! When the giant awoke due to the stab he called for his friends. Cleverly I told him that my name was Nohbdy, so when the giant said nobody attacked me, his friends went home as did we. We all set sail with a victory under our belts, and with a few minor boulder dodges and bragging rights, we sailed off onto the open sea, blissfully unaware of Zeus's terror ahead.