The God's Influence on Future

In the Odyssey, the Greek gods seem to have a huge impact on one's future; if they live at a point or die, succeed or fail. Odysseus is one of the main characters in the Odyssey, along with his son, Telemachus. At this point in book 5, Odysseus is trapped in Calypso's island as a love slave, being kept away from his wife, Penelope and his son, in Ithaca where he was king. At the beginning of the book, the gods are deciding of his fate. In a meeting of the gods, Athena starts by saying,

"Father Zues, you other happy gods who never die, never let any sceptered king be kind and gentle now, not with all his heart, or set his mind on justice. Think: not one of the people whom he ruled remembers Odysseus now, that godlike man, and kindly as a father to his children. Now he's left to pine on an island, racked with grief in the nymph Calypso's house, she holds him there by force. He has no way to voyage home to his won native land, no trim ships in reach, no crew to ply the oars and send him scudding over the sea's broad back. And now his dear son... they plot to kill the boy on his way back home" (pg. 152-153).

Athena has taken a liking towards Odysseus and Telemachus, since the beginning of the epic. In this meeting, Athena is trying to convince the gods in sending Odyssues home, to pay the traitors. In the same meeting, Zues agrees in sending Odyssues home, but on a raft with different hardships, eventually making a painful landing. Towards the end of the book, Athena convinces Calypso in letting Odyssues go. On Odyssues's journey home, Poseidon sees him. Because Odyssues beheaded his cyclopse in the beginning of the epic, he is angry. Poseidon then unleashes huge waves and earthquakes, trying to make sure that Odysseus will not find land and will be unsuccessful in his journey. Because of Poseidon's attempt, Odysseus is forced to swim towards land, almost drowning multiple times. Odyssues's journey proved that the gods have complete controll of fate, controlling if one ends up living or dying, etc... This also proves that some gods' imput can have more power and more say than another gods imput, proven in the argument between Athena and Zues.