After escaping Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus and his companions reached the island of Thrinacia.

There grazed the sacred cattle of Helios, the sun god! They were divine animals - immortal and perfect!

Circe had warned: "DON'T touch the cattle! Helios will be furious! Everyone will die!"

"Men!" said Odysseus! "We won't touch these cattle! We'll eat only our provisions!"

But then a storm trapped them on the island! One week! Two! A month!

The provisions ran out! The men were starving!

One day, while Odysseus slept (having prayed to the gods), his men did something terrible.

Eurylochus, desperate, said: "Companions! We're dying of hunger! These cattle are here! Let's sacrifice some to the gods and eat!"

"But Odysseus forbade it!" some said!

"I'd rather die quickly by a god's wrath than slowly from hunger!" said Eurylochus!

The men, too hungry to think clearly, agreed.

They killed and roasted the finest cattle.

When Odysseus woke and smelled roasting meat, he was horrified.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

But it was too late.

On Olympus, Helios saw everything and roared with rage!

"ZEUS! They killed my sacred cattle! If you don't avenge me, I'll stop shining! I'll take the sun to the World of the Dead!"

Zeus had no choice! "They will be punished, Helios!"

When the storm finally passed and the ships departed, Zeus sent a thunderbolt.

Krakakoom.

The thunderbolt struck Odysseus's ship! The mast broke! The ship shattered!

All the men were thrown into the sea! The waves engulfed them!

Odysseus saw his companions - those who had survived Troy, the Cyclops, the Laestrygonians, Scylla - all drowning.

"CAPTAIN!" they screamed before sinking!

Within minutes, all were dead.

Odysseus survived! He tied himself to ship wreckage!

Polyphemus's curse was fulfilled: "May he arrive alone, without companions, on a foreign ship!"

For nine days, Odysseus floated at sea! Alone! Desperate!

Finally, he reached an island called Ogygia.

There lived the nymph Calypso - beautiful as dawn, immortal.

Calypso fell in love with Odysseus immediately! "Stay with me! Live forever! I'll be your wife!"

Odysseus was shattered! Traumatized! Without strength to sail!

And so... seven years passed on Ogygia.

But Odysseus never stopped crying while looking at the sea, thinking of Ithaca.

Finally, Athena (who always loved Odysseus) went to Zeus:

"Father! Odysseus has suffered enough! Twenty years away from home! Let him return!"

Zeus agreed! He sent Hermes to Calypso: "Free Odysseus!"

Calypso, heartbroken, obeyed! "Go, Odysseus! But know: I offered immortality! Your Penelope is mortal! She'll age! She'll die!"

"I don't care," said Odysseus! "I'd rather have one day with Penelope than eternity without her!"

Calypso helped him build a raft! And finally, after seven years, Odysseus departed!

One more storm (sent by Poseidon, still furious!) almost killed him!

But the Phaeacians, a seafaring people from the island Scheria, rescued him.

They took him to King Alcinous.

Odysseus told his entire story - everything you just read! The Cyclops! Circe! The Sirens! Everything!

The Phaeacians cried! "You've suffered more than any man!"

They gave him a magical ship! "We'll take you home!"

The Phaeacian ship - faster than thought - sailed while Odysseus slept.

Finally - Finally - after twenty years (10 at war in Troy + 10 traveling), Odysseus arrived in Ithaca.

But Athena warned him: "Odysseus! Your palace is full of suitors!"

"Suitors?"

"Yes! More than a hundred men! They want to marry Penelope and take your kingdom! They eat your food! Drink your wine! Insult your son Telemachus! Penelope has delayed them for years, but she's running out of options!"

"And Penelope?" asked Odysseus anxiously!

"Faithful! Twenty years waiting! But the suitors demand she choose one!"

Odysseus was furious! "I'll kill them all!"

"Calm down!" said Athena! "There are over a hundred! You're alone! We need cunning!"

Athena transformed Odysseus into an old beggar! Wrinkles! Ragged clothes! No one would recognize him!

Odysseus went first to the hut of Eumaeus, his faithful swineherd.

Eumaeus, even without recognizing him, was kind! "Old man, come in! Eat! Rest!"

Then Telemachus - now a young man of 20 - arrived.

Athena temporarily revealed Odysseus to Telemachus.

"FATHER?!" Telemachus couldn't believe it! He hugged Odysseus crying! "Twenty years! We thought you were dead!"

"Son! You've grown so much! Now let's reclaim our home! But keep it secret! No one can know I've returned!"

In the palace, the suitors feasted! They ate! They drank! They laughed!

The beggar (disguised Odysseus) entered.

The suitors insulted him! They threw food at him!

But Penelope came down! Still beautiful even after twenty years! Hair with silver threads! But eyes sad from so much waiting!

She saw the beggar! "Welcome, stranger! Someone should be kind in this house!"

Odysseus almost revealed himself! But he controlled himself!

Penelope told the suitors: "Tomorrow I'll do what I promised! I'll choose one of you!"

That night, the old nurse Eurycleia washed the "beggar's" feet!

While washing, she saw a scar on his leg.

Eurycleia froze! It was Odysseus's scar from when he was a child!

"You... you are... ODY—"

Odysseus covered her mouth! "Silence! No one can know! Tomorrow will be the day of revenge!"

Eurycleia cried with joy but kept the secret!

The next day, Penelope announced:

"Suitors! Here's my test! Behold Odysseus's bow! It's so hard that no man besides him could pull the string! Whoever can pull the string AND shoot an arrow through twelve axes lined up, I'll marry him!"

The suitors laughed! "Easy!"

But one by one, they tried! None could even pull the bow's string!

The bow was too strong! Too rigid!

"Impossible!" said the suitors!

Then the "beggar" stood! "May I try?"

The suitors laughed! "An old beggar? Ridiculous!"

But Telemachus said: "Let him try!"

Odysseus picked up the bow! His bow! That he hadn't touched in twenty years!

He examined it lovingly.

Then, easily, he pulled the string.

Twang! The bow sang!

The suitors stopped laughing.

Odysseus picked up an arrow! He aimed!

Whoosh! The arrow passed through all Twelve axes perfectly!

Absolute silence.

Then Athena removed the disguise.

The wrinkles disappeared! The clothes transformed into armor!

There stood Odysseus - king of Ithaca.

"Suitors! You invaded my home! Courted my wife! Insulted my son! Ate my food! Now you'll pay!"

The suitors ran for weapons! But Telemachus had removed them all from the hall!

Odysseus began to shoot! Each arrow killed a suitor!

Telemachus, Eumaeus and other faithful servants fought beside Odysseus.

It was a massacre! The suitors who had invaded for years were killed in minutes!

When it was over, Penelope came down.

Servants told her: "Queen! It's Odysseus! He's returned! He killed the suitors!"

But Penelope was cautious! Twenty years! So much disappointment! How to trust?

She saw Odysseus! Even looking like him... how to be sure?

"Eurycleia," said Penelope calmly, "move Odysseus's bed from the wedding chamber! Prepare it for our guest!"

Odysseus was shocked! "MOVE THE BED?! Impossible! I built it myself! One leg is a LIVING olive tree that grows from the ground! The bed can't be moved!"

Penelope Smiled! Tears flowed!

No one knew this secret except Odysseus!

"IT'S YOU! IT'S REALLY YOU!"

Penelope ran into Odysseus's arms.

They embraced! They cried! Twenty years of separation ended!

"Forgive my caution," said Penelope! "So many pretended to be you!"

"Your caution shows your wisdom!" said Odysseus! "You're as clever as I am!"

That night, they talked! Odysseus told all his adventures! Penelope told how she resisted the suitors!

Athena made the night last longer - giving them time to recover twenty lost years.

And thus ended the Odyssey - the longest and most dangerous journey in mythology.

Twenty years! Ten fighting at Troy! Ten trying to return home!

Odysseus faced:

- The Cyclops

- The Laestrygonians

- Circe the sorceress

- The Sirens

- Scylla and Charybdis

- Poseidon's wrath

- And a hundred more suitors.

He lost all his companions! All his ships! Everything!

But he never gave up returning home! To Penelope! To Ithaca!

And in the end, cunning, perseverance, and love conquered all obstacles.

Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus lived happily! United! A family finally complete!