Book 16

Sorry I did not write in a while. I have been so occupied by this whole "returning home" thing. I didn't even recognize Ithika when I finally landed there.Oh yes, I made it back to Ithika. Hurray! Like I said though, I didn't recognize it. Now I am staying with a swineherd who, like most people, were told a lie when they asked who I was. Today, however, something amazing happened. I woke up at the swinherd's house like usual. We stated up the fire, and made some breakfast. Then, right in the middle of our wonderful meal, someone comes walking in on us. The watchdogs don't even bark at the stranger walking up our path. We just hear sniffing and footsteps approaching the door way. That gap is soon fillied with a man I thought I would never see. It was Telemakhos. The swineherd greets him with tears in his eyes like a good father should. Apparently they know eachother very well, and my son has been away from home for half the time I have. And I, the real father, just sit there. Of course my son does not recognize me, which is disappointing, but we have never met before. Eumaios, the swineherd, tries to place me in Telemakhos's care. Telemakhos, clearly not having the fatherly model in his life, complains that he is to weak and young. He does agree to help me through the winter, but will not allow me to stay with him due to the suitors that I have heard so much about. I ask Telenakhos why he does not fight them, and simply responds that he is too young to do anything about it. He then sends the swineherd to tell Penelope of his return. This leaves me and my son alone. Athena speaks to me, and cleans me up a bit. I must admit that I sure clean up good. At any rate, I approach Telemakhos, and reveal to him my identity. He first does not trust my new appearance, but then we both burst in to tears. It was a real father-son moment. We discuss the problem of the suitors. With the help of Zeus and Athena, I'm sure that we can slaughter them. However, when I was informed that suitors roamed my hall, I was thinking around a dozen or two. One hundred suitors though could be a problem. So, we hatch an elaborate plan to defeat the suitors. Although I am a warrior, brains before brawn still applies. When the swineherd returns panitng, he tells us of the other messenger we sent. With a smirk, we both ignore the comment. I think that we are actually starting to bond. And on that note, we all get a good nights sleep, which I would enjoy ot be appart of now.