I am Odysseus (book 9)

It was now time to reveal my identity to Alkinoos, he had gone long enough without knowing. I then began to recap my journey home from Troy...

The west wind carried us first to Ismaros, a point on the coast of the Kikones. We stormed the city and killed the men who fought. We took plunder and we divided it into equal shares. Although I then instructed my men to get quickly back to sea, they remained on the beach, slaughtering sheep after sheep. While we remained on the beach, fugitives ran inland to gather the main army of the Kikones. It was a strong army trained to fight on horseback. They came over us with dawn and we made a good fight of it. We held our land almost throughout the day, though we were greatly outnumbered. But, by the end of the day, we had lost many good many to such battle. The following day we sailed out but we did not get far off shore before Zeus' rath came upon us. We stayed offshore for two days sick at heart and tasting grief and on the third we put up sail and let the steersmen take over. We might have made it home that time, had the current not pulled us far out to sea and a fresh gale drove us on. We drifted for nine days and on the tenth we landed on the coastline of the Lotus Eaters. We landed to take on water and I sent two men inland to find what type of people infested this island. They did not aim to harm us, but offered my men the sweet lotus flower, on which these people lived. It appeared no harm would come to them, but those who ate the flower longed to stay on the island with the natives, forgetful of their homeland. We then headed back out to sea and we soon landed on the island of Kyklopes. As we came to the shore, I instructed all to stay on the ship aside from my twelve best fighters. Inland we came across a cave and we went inside to look around as the Kyklopes was out in the field tending to his flocks. We could have left, but I chose to stay and meet the caveman and what he had to offer. A bad choice it turned out to be for he was nothing but a savage beast who grabbed two men in one hand and made them his meal. Although, in the night, we had the opportunity to kill, I could not for we would then parish as no group of men could move the stone that he had placed in the doorway of the cave. We were forced to wait there during the day for his return. I now had a plan that was to be set in place and indeed it worked. That evening I offered the kyklopes some wine that I had with me. When he tasted it, the only thing on his mind was getting more. When he asked for my name I replied Nohbdy. After three bowls of the wine, he tumbled backwards, drunk and hiccuping. My men and I soon had a scalding hot stake and as we made our way over to the kyklopes, he did not stir. We then drove the stake into his eye and he was forever blinded. He hollered and screamed and his friends came running, but when they asked who had put him in such great pain he replied Nohbdy and the name fouled them for they soon left reassured that nothing was wrong. That night the final part of the plan was put into action. We tied ourselves to the undersides of the kyklopes' sheep so the next morning when he let them out into the field, he released us as well. We then loaded the sheep onto the ship and a few of my men returned to inform the kyklopes of our trick. He was infuriated but as hard as he tried he could not catch us or harm us once we were out at sea.