The Voyage of Odysseus (The Adventures of Odysseus Book 5) Read online

  PRAISE FOR GLYN ILIFFE

  ‘The world of this novel appears as many scholars see that of Homer: a rich melange of different eras … It has suspense, treachery and bone-crunching action … It will leave fans of the genre eagerly awaiting the rest of the series’

  Harry Sidebottom,

  author of the best selling Warrior of Rome series

  ‘Iliffe is a talented storyteller’

  Times Literary Supplement

  ‘A ripping swords-and-sandals treatment of The Iliad’

  The Telegraph

  ‘A thrilling adventure full of bloody battles, vibrant characters and the heart-stopping romance that makes ancient Greece so universally appealing. Dazzling drama on a grand scale’

  Lancashire Evening Post

  ‘A must read for those who enjoy good old epic battles, chilling death scenes and the extravagance of ancient Greece’

  Lifestyle Magazine

  ‘The reader does not need to be a classicist by any means to enjoy this epic and stirring tale. It makes a great novel and would be an even better film’

  Historical Novels Review

  ‘Another gripping and thrilling tale from the new demi-god of the genre, one which fans will relish getting stuck into’

  The Catholic Herald

  THE VOYAGE OF ODYSSEUS

  Glyn Iliffe studied English and Classics at Reading University, where he developed a passion for Greek mythology. Well travelled, Glyn has visited nearly forty countries, trekked in the Himalayas, hitchhiked across North America and had his collarbone broken by a bull in Pamplona.

  He is married with two daughters and lives in Leicestershire. King of Ithaca was his first novel, followed by The Gates of Troy, The Armour of Achilles and The Oracles of Troy. He is currently working on the concluding book of the series.

  For more information visit www.glyniliffe.com

  1st ePub Edition

  Copyright © Glyn Iliffe 2015

  The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  This book is a work of fiction. It has been written for entertainment purposes only. All references to characters and countries should be seen in this light.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN: 978-1-910100-73-8

  ebook formatting by EBooks by Design

  www.ebooksbydesign.co

  Also by Glyn Iliffe

  King of Ithaca

  The Gates of Troy

  The Armour of Achilles

  The Oracles of Troy

  GLYN ILIFFE

  THE VOYAGE

  OF ODYSSEUS

  FOR KATIE

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I would like to thank Richard Sheehan for editing the original text and suggesting improvements.

  I am also indebted to Justine Elliott for designing the cover and her patience with my constant tinkering.

  Finally, for their proofreading skills, I would like to thank Saleh Abdulhadi, Kevin Beard, Maureen Corderoy, Jane Davies, Simon Jenson, Kenneth Kiffer Fong, Pierre L’Eplattenier, Sebastian Lockwood, Prashant Malikpuria, Kevin Marlow, Steven A. McKay, Nick Metcalfe, Nicholas Oxman, Dean Rodgers, Joseph Sofaer, Daniel Southall, Sam Stockdale, Rhys Thatcher, Sherwin Titus and Bruce Villas.

  GLOSSARY

  A

  Achilles

  –

  renowned Greek warrior

  Acheron

  –

  greatest of the rivers in the Underworld

  Aeaea

  –

  island home of Circe

  Aeolia

  –

  island of Aeolus

  Aeolus

  –

  ruler of the Winds

  Aethiopes

  –

  peoples from northern Africa

  Agamemnon

  –

  king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks

  Ajax (greater)

  –

  king of Salamis, killed himself after being sent mad by the gods

  Ajax (lesser)

  –

  king of Locris

  Alybas

  –

  home city of Eperitus, in northern Greece

  Androcles

  –

  eldest son of Aeolus

  Antenor

  –

  Trojan elder

  Anticleia

  –

  Odysseus’s mother

  Antinous

  –

  Ithacan noble, son of Eupeithes

  Antiphus

  –

  Ithacan guardsman

  Apheidas

  –

  Trojan commander, father of Eperitus

  Aphrodite

  –

  goddess of love

  Apollo

  –

  archer god, associated with music, song and healing

  Arceisius

  –

  Ithacan soldier, murdered by Apheidas

  Artemis

  –

  moon-goddess associated with childbirth, noted for her virginity and vengefulness

  Astynome

  –

  daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo

  Athena

  –

  goddess of wisdom and warfare

  Aulis

  –

  sheltered bay in the Euboean Straits

  Autonoe

  –

  Penelope’s body slave

  B

  Baius

  –

  Ithacan helmsman

  C

  Calchas

  –

  priest of Apollo, adviser to Agamemnon

  Calypso

  –

  island-dwelling demi-goddess

  Charybdis

  –

  a monstrous whirlpool

  Cicones

  –

  northern allies of the Trojans

  Circe

  –

  witch possessing the power to turn men into animals

  Clytaemnestra

  –

  queen of Mycenae and wife of Agamemnon

  Cocytus

  –

  the River of Lamentation found in the Underworld

  Cyclops

  –

  one-eyed giant

  Cythera

  –

  island off Cape Malea

  Chelonion

  –

  flower native to Ithaca

  D

  Dia

  –

  daughter of Aeolus

  Diomedes

  –

  king of Argos

  Dolius

  –

  Ithacan slave

  Drakios

  –

  Ithacan soldier

  Dulichium

  –

  one of the Ionian islands under Odysseus’s rule

  E

  Elpenor

  –

  Ithacan soldier

  Epistor

  –

  Ithacan soldier

  Eperitus

  –

  captain of Odysseus’s guard

  Eupeithes

  –

  member of the Kerosia

  Eurybates

  –

&
nbsp; Odysseus’s squire

  Eurylochus

  –

  Ithacan soldier, cousin of Odysseus

  Eurymachus

  –

  Ithacan noble, henchman to Antinous

  H

  Hades

  –

  god of the Underworld

  Halitherses

  –

  former captain of Ithacan royal guard, given joint charge of Ithaca in Odysseus’s absence

  Hecabe

  –

  Trojan queen, wife of King Priam

  Hector

  –

  Trojan prince, killed by Achilles

  Helen

  –

  queen of Sparta and wife of Menalaus

  Hippasos

  –

  Ithacan soldier

  Hyperion

  –

  god of the sun

  I

  Ilium

  –

  the region of which Troy was the capital

  Iphigenia

  –

  daughter of Eperitus and Clytaemnestra, sacrificed by Agamemnon

  Ismarus

  –

  land of the Cicones

  Ithaca

  –

  island in the Ionian Sea

  K

  Kerosia

  –

  Ithacan council meeting

  L

  Laertes

  –

  Odysseus’s father

  Laestrygonians

  –

  race of giant cannibals

  Lethe

  –

  the River of Forgetfulness found in the Underworld

  Lotus Eaters

  –

  a people addicted to the lotus fruit

  Lyrnessus

  –

  Trojan city sacked by the Greeks

  M

  Malea

  –

  cape on the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese

  Maron

  –

  Cicone priest of Apollo

  Melanthius

  –

  Ithacan goatherd and henchman of Antinous

  Melantho

  –

  Ithacan maidservant

  Menelaus

  –

  king of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon and cuckolded husband of Helen

  Mentor

  –

  close friend of Odysseus, given joint charge of Ithaca in Odysseus’s absence

  Moly

  –

  flower native to Aeaea

  Mycenae

  –

  most powerful city in Greece, situated in north-eastern Peloponnese

  Mydon

  –

  Ithacan soldier

  N

  Neoptolemus

  –

  son of Achilles and Deidameia

  Neriton (Mount)

  –

  highest point on Ithaca

  Nestor

  –

  king of Pylos

  O

  Odysseus

  –

  king of Ithaca

  Oenops

  –

  member of the Kerosia

  Oicles

  –

  Ithacan soldier

  Omeros

  –

  Ithacan soldier and bard

  Ophelestes

  –

  Ithacan soldier

  P

  Palladium

  –

  sacred image of Athena’s companion, Pallas

  Paris

  –

  Trojan prince, killed by Philoctetes

  Parnassus (Mount)

  –

  mountain in central Greece and home of the Pythian oracle

  Peiraeus

  –

  friend of Telemachus

  Peloponnese

  –

  southernmost landmass of Greek mainland, named after Pelops

  Pelops

  –

  grandfather of Agamemnon and Menelaus

  Penelope

  –

  queen of Ithaca and wife of Odysseus

  Pergamos

  –

  the citadel of Troy

  Perimedes

  –

  Taphian soldier

  Phaeacia

  –

  island on the cusp of the known world

  Philoctetes

  –

  Malian archer, deserted by the Greeks on Lemnos

  Phlegethon

  –

  the River of Flaming Fire found in the Underworld

  Polites

  –

  Ithacan warrior

  Polyctor

  –

  member of the Kerosia

  Polyphemus

  –

  a Cyclops, son of Poseidon

  Poseidon

  –

  god of the sea

  Priam

  –

  king of Troy

  Proreus

  –

  Phaeacian sailor

  Pylos

  –

  city in south-western Peloponnese

  Pythoness

  –

  high priestess of the Pythian oracle

  S

  Samos

  –

  westernmost of the Ionian islands under Odysseus’s rule

  Scamander

  –

  river on the Trojan plain

  Scylla

  –

  six-headed monster

  Selagos

  –

  Taphian warrior

  Sirens

  –

  monsters with the body of a bird and the head of a woman

  Sisyphus

  –

  condemned to the Underworld for boasting he could outwit Zeus

  Styx

  –

  the River of Hatred found in the Underworld

  T

  Talthybius

  –

  squire to Agamemnon

  Tantalus

  –

  great-grandfather of Agamemnon and Menelaus, condemned to the Underworld for serving his son to the gods in a stew

  Tartarus

  –

  the Underworld

  Taphians

  –

  pirate race from Taphos

  Teiresias

  –

  blind seer

  Telemachus

  –

  son of Odysseus and Penelope

  Telepora

  –

  wife of Aeolus

  Tenedos

  –

  island off the coast of Ilium

  Theano

  –

  priestess of Athena and wife of Antenor

  Thrinacie

  –

  island where Hyperion keeps his cattle

  Tityus

  –

  Giant condemned to the Underworld for attempting to rape the mother of Apollo and Artemis

  Troy

  –

  chief city of Ilium

  X

  xenia

  –

  the custom of friendship towards strangers

  Z

  Zacynthos

  –

  southernmost of the Ionian islands under Odysseus’s rule

  Zeus

  –

  the king of the gods

  BOOK

  ONE

  Chapter One

  DEDICATING THE ANCHOR STONES

  Eperitus, son of Apheidas, looked across the Scamander valley at the ruins of Troy. Countless fires pumped slanted pillars of smoke high into the sky, where they congregated and drifted west to befog the late afternoon sun. The walls of the great city, which had stood for so long in defiance against the besieging Greeks, were now broken and charred, the once impenetrable gates stretched out in the dust like slain giants. Fr
om his viewpoint on the ridge, Eperitus could see the destruction within: the hovels of the lower city still burning the best part of a day after the first torches had set them alight, the mansions and temples of the citadel – Pergamos – blackened and roofless as the fires gorged themselves on the delicate furniture and rich tapestries that had filled the halls of Troy’s elite. King Priam’s palace had borne the brunt of the Greeks’ vengeance. One whole wing had exploded when the flames had reached the giant pithoi of oil and wine, blowing out the walls and killing Greek and Trojan without discrimination. Not satisfied with that, King Agamemnon had ordered his soldiers to tear down the walls of his enemy’s home stone by stone, so all that remained now was a pile of scorched rubble. Before it, in the centre of the courtyard, a huge pyre fed on the corpses of the fallen. There were other such pyres throughout the ruined city, for despite their hatred of the Trojans, the Greeks would not abandon their bodies to be feasted on by dogs and vultures, leaving their spirits to remain on earth instead of being led down to the Halls of Hades. Ten years of war had made savages out of the Greeks, but they were not yet monsters.