Gods and Goddesses: Friend or Foe?

          My struggle to get back is tough not only because the challenges I face are tough, but some of the gods are really mean to me. Poseidon has always been a buzz kill and always sends a giant storm or some other kind of disaster to my ship right when I see any kind of land. When I saw the outline of the Phaecieans’ land, the sky turned really black, I heard and saw some thunderbolts in the area, and mini-whirlpools started forming around my ship. More and more clouds came until I thought I could reach out and touch them. The worst wasn’t over. A huge wave came crashing down on my ship, and the wind snapped my mast. My ship went undersea, and I thought this was the end for me. I swam, clung onto a few pieces of my ship, and came across a nymph who gave me a special rag that made me immortal for a few minutes, so I barely managed to swim and float to the shore. She said that as soon as I surface, though, I should throw it away and turn away from it. I’m kind of curious what happened with the rag. Other than that, Calypso has also caused me grief. She just did not get that I have a home, I have a wife, and that I want to see these two things before I die. I mean, I guess it be a little wrong for me to complain, especially when she gave me food, shared her bed and took pretty good care of me, but she can’t forget that I also had a life back home, where I belong. But, she finally agreed to let me go, for some strange reason. I thought I did see Hermes floating up in the sky for a few seconds, but I was both tired and crying, so I don’t really know if that was him. Another goddess who gave me a pretty big scare is Circe. She seemed really nice according to what my men said, but Eurylochus, one of my more lazier and less courageous men came running back, panting trying to explain to us what awful thing happened to my men. When he caught his breath, he said that none of the men ever came out, and he heard squealing noises inside Circe’s palace. I went to go investigate but, a god helped me. Hermes explained that Circe turned my men into pigs with a magic potion. Maybe it was Hermes that I saw while I was on Ogygia, Calypso’s island; he is definitely one of the more helpful gods. He gave me a plant to eat so that the potion would not get to me. Sure enough, when I went to Circe’s palace, I heard some squealing noise. I barged inside and negotiated with the goddess, and she let us stay in her palace for a year. I guess this is her apology to us. Anyway, I hope that the gods, especially Poseidon, forgives me someday. After all, his son is the one who wanted to eat me and rip my men and half.