The Trojan War was over! Troy was in ruins!

Odysseus (also called Ulysses) - the cleverest hero in Greece, the one who had the idea for the Trojan Horse - was ready to go home.

Home was Ithaca - a small island where his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus, whom he'd left as a baby, awaited him.

"Finally I'm going home!" thought Odysseus!

The journey should take weeks! At most a few months!

Odysseus didn't know it would take TEN Years! And that it would be the most dangerous adventure ever told!

Odysseus had twelve ships full of companions - warriors who had fought at Troy with him.

The first stop was in the land of the Cicones.

But instead of just getting supplies, Odysseus allowed his men to sack the city! They stole! They killed!

It was a terrible mistake.

The Cicones from neighboring cities gathered and counter-attacked! They killed many of Odysseus's companions!

Odysseus fled with the ships, but had already lost men! And earned the gods' wrath for unnecessary cruelty!

Then a storm hit the ships! Sent by Poseidon, god of the sea, who hated Odysseus!

(Note: soon you'll know WHY Poseidon hated him!)

The storm carried the ships far away, to unknown lands.

After nine days, they reached a beautiful island! Colorful flowers covered the beach! The air was sweet!

"Let's explore!" said Odysseus!

He sent some men to investigate.

But the men found the Lotus Eaters - a gentle people who lived eating lotus flowers.

"Try some!" offered the Lotus Eaters! "They're delicious!"

Odysseus's men ate the flowers.

And immediately... they forgot everything.

They forgot home! Family! The mission! All they wanted was to stay there eating flowers forever!

"We don't want to go back to the ship!" they said dreamily! "Let's stay here... it's so good... so peaceful..."

When Odysseus went looking for them and saw what happened, he was horrified.

"Take them back to the ship! By force if necessary!"

The men had to be Dragged! They cried! They wanted to stay!

Odysseus tied them to the ships until the effect wore off.

They sailed again! And reached another island! This one had tall mountains and caves!

"I see sheep!" said a sailor! "We can get meat and cheese!"

Odysseus took one ship with 12 men to explore! The other ships stayed safe on a nearby island!

They found a gigantic cave full of sheep and goats! There were enormous cheeses! Buckets of milk!

"Let's take everything and leave!" said the men!

But Odysseus, curious, said: "No! I want to meet whoever lives here! Maybe they'll give us gifts of hospitality!"

It was his second big mistake.

While they examined the cave, they heard heavy footsteps! Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!

And then a giant shadow blocked the cave entrance.

It was a Cyclops - a giant with ONE EYE in the middle of his forehead.

This Cyclops was named Polyphemus - son of Poseidon.

Polyphemus was Enormous! Three times a man's height! Muscles like mountains! And his single eye was the size of a plate!

He entered the cave with his flock of giant sheep! Then he picked up an Immense stone and blocked the cave entrance!

The stone was so heavy that not even twenty men could move it.

Then Polyphemus saw Odysseus and his men.

"WHO ARE YOU?" roared Polyphemus! "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY CAVE?"

Odysseus, trying to be diplomatic, replied: "We're Greeks returning from Troy! We ask for hospitality, as Zeus commands! The gods bless those who treat strangers well!"

Polyphemus laughed - a terrible sound! "ZEUS? I DON'T CARE ABOUT ZEUS! Cyclopes are stronger than gods! And as for hospitality..."

Polyphemus grabbed TWO of Odysseus's men! He smashed their heads against the wall! Crack!

Then... he ate them! Raw! Bones and all!

Odysseus's companions screamed in horror.

Polyphemus burped! Then lay down and slept, blocking the exit!

Odysseus thought about killing the Cyclops while he slept! But he realized the problem:

"If we kill Polyphemus, how will we move the stone? We'll be trapped until we die!"

So Odysseus did what he did best: he planned.

At dawn, Polyphemus woke! He ate TWO more men for breakfast! Then he removed the stone, went out with the sheep, and blocked the entrance again with the men inside!

Only 8 of Odysseus's 12 men remained.

While Polyphemus was out, Odysseus found a huge wooden stake in the cave! It was Polyphemus's walking staff!

"Let's sharpen the point!" ordered Odysseus! "And harden it in the fire!"

At night, Polyphemus returned! He ate TWO more men!

Only Odysseus and 5 companions remained.

Then Odysseus approached with a cup of wine - strong wine they had brought from the ship.

"Polyphemus! You ate my friends! But I'm civilized! Accept this wine! It's delicious!"

Polyphemus tasted it! He'd never drunk wine before! "MORE! MORE!"

Odysseus gave him more! And more! Polyphemus drank gallons!

"What's your name, little man?" asked drunk Polyphemus!

"My name," said clever Odysseus, "is NOBODY!"

"Nobody? Hahaha! What a funny name! You know, Nobody, you gave me wine! So I'll be kind! I'll eat YOU LAST! That's my hospitality gift!"

And Polyphemus fell into a heavy, drunken sleep.

"NOW!" whispered Odysseus!

They grabbed the sharpened stake! They heated the point in the fire until it was red!

Then, all together, they ran and drove the stake into Polyphemus's EYE.

Ssssssssss! The eye sizzled like meat on a grill!

"AAAAARGH!" Polyphemus woke screaming! "MY EYE! MY EYE!"

The scream was so loud that other Cyclopes living in the mountains came to the cave.

"Polyphemus! What happened?"

"NOBODY BLINDED ME!" screamed Polyphemus! "NOBODY HURT ME!"

"If nobody hurt you, why are you screaming?" said the other Cyclopes confused!

And they left.

Polyphemus, now blind and furious, groped around the cave trying to catch the men.

But he couldn't see them.

At dawn, the sheep began to bleat, wanting out.

Polyphemus removed the stone! But he sat at the entrance, feeling each sheep that went out!

"I won't let you escape!" he growled!

But Odysseus was cunning! He tied his men (and himself) to the Bellies of the giant sheep!

When the sheep went out, Polyphemus felt their backs! "Just sheep!" And let them pass!

He didn't think to feel the sheep's Bellies.

Odysseus and his men escaped.

They ran to the ship! They rowed quickly away from the island!

But then Odysseus made his third mistake - his Worst mistake.

Proud of the victory, he couldn't resist! He shouted back to the island:

"POLYPHEMUS! YOU WANTED TO KNOW WHO BLINDED YOU? IT WAS ME! ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! TELL EVERYONE THAT ODYSSEUS DEFEATED YOU!"

The men begged: "Captain, no! Keep quiet!"

Polyphemus heard! And shouted to the heavens:

"FATHER POSEIDON! God of the sea! Odysseus blinded me! AVENGE ME! May he never reach home! Or if he does, may he arrive alone, without companions, on a foreign ship, and find trouble waiting!"

It was a terrible curse.

And Poseidon heard.

Odysseus and his companions finally reached where the other ships waited.

They had started with 12 men on that ship! Now only 6 remained (including Odysseus)!

And now they had Poseidon, god of the sea, as a mortal enemy.

"Let's go home!" said Odysseus!

But Polyphemus's curse ensured it wouldn't be easy.

The Odyssey - the impossible journey - was just beginning.

Nine more years remained! More monsters! More angry gods! More dangers!

But Odysseus was clever! He was perseverant! And Nothing would stop him from returning to Ithaca, to Penelope and Telemachus!

Even if it took ten years.