I Really Am On My Way Home Guys

My dear family,

I'm doing everything I can to get back home to you, I promise. But it really hasn't been the easiest journey - we keep having all sorts of disasters.

It's a good thing that the lovely Lady Circe of Aeaea had uttered some divine decrees to me! We made it safely past all the obstacles that we were faced with... mostly.

A favouring breeze wafted us by the island of the Sirens! Luckily I plugged up my crew's ears with wax. We tied me to the mast, and I was lucky enough to hear the Siren song. My heart was eager to listen to them.

Then we came upon Scylla and Charybdis. One is a terrible monster (Penelope dear, you would have been terrified!) and the other a giant whirlpool that would have sucked my ship in with the sea-water. On the advice of Lady Circe we stayed closer to Scylla. She took six of my crew.

The last ordeal that we had to face on this long voyage was the wrath of the sun-god Hyperion. This wasn't just an unlucky encounter, as with the others, this was entirely the fault of my crew. I warned them not to slay the cattle!

I guess Hyperion prayed to Zeus about the whole thing - it really was just a misunderstanding I thought! - because we had another disaster while we were trying, again, to sail home. We got blown by the wind back towards Charybdis, and she swallowed up the ship!

I escaped... but the rest of the crew didn't. I'm a bit sad about that actually.

But never fear, Penelope my wife and Telemachus my darling son, after some swimming I arrived at an island!

I'm not entirely sure where I am, but I bet they'll give me safe passage home!

See you soon! xoxo

--Odysseus