Book one of the Odyssey begins at the top of Mount Olympus, where Zeus, the god of gods, consults with his favorite child, Athena, about whether or not she and Hermes should get involved in Odysseus' life, meaning he's stranded, his family's in Ithaca, and terrible things have befallen them, and they're deciding whether or not they should intercede or get involved and help them out.
And it establishes a really important theme, that the gods are watching out for us.
After a long discussion, it's finally decided that Athena and Hermes will get involved in helping Odysseus come home and counseling his family.
What's going on in Ithaca?
Not so pretty.
Basically, Penelope, Odysseus' estranged wife, refuses to give up hope that her husband isn't going to come home.
Meanwhile, these suitors about 108 of them, including their servants, and the family's turncoat servants, have taken up residents in their palace, drinking all the wine, eating all the food, and generally causing mayhem.
They say, Hey, Penelope's royalty, she's available, and we're gonna wait around until she picks one of us.
That's hospitality, and that's the custom.
Now, Telemachus, who hasn't seen his father since he was a baby, is 20 years old now.
