Ithaka Adele Geras week 4 & 5

Title: Ithaka
Author: Adèle Geras
Genre: Historic Fiction, Romance
Number of Pages: 360


One day, Penelope brought a new servant girl. Her name was Melantho, who's father was kinsman (relative) of Odysseus. Melantho thinks Telemachus loves her, and Klymene was really jealous and she was disgusted. Three moons have passed after Melantho's arrival. Melantho tells Klymene that Telemachus and her kissed. After that, one day, Klymene finds Telemachus crying. Klymene thinks its because of Melantho.
One day, everyone was getting excited about Leodes coming to Ithaka. He is a lord of one of the islands to the south. He was childhood friend of Odysseus. Everyone was getting busy because of his arrival. Especially the queen. She haven't had visitors in years. And Klymene starts to think Melantho as a rival. 
Leodes arrived at Ithaka and the had a big feast. During the feast, Klymene spots a woman with a gown of palest pink, with silver threads woven through the fabric, and silver bells dangled from bracelets on both here wrists and from the hem of her robe. Klymene thought her beauty was dazzling, and looking at her was like trying to gaze at the sun. Klymene finds out that she is Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. She says that she came to help the queen and she said something into the queen's ear. After the feast, Telemachus started to think that her mother likes Leodes.
One fine day, Telemachus and Ikarios were bored. So Telemachus decided to got to Lysander's tavern. Lysander's tavern was a place where they drink till all hours and fights breaking out and finally prostitutes. Ikarios was afraid that Nana was going to find out, but they have decided to go anyway. When they arrived at the place, Telemachus heard some men singing. They were making fun of Penelope, the Queen, his mom, and also Odysseus's wife.They introduced themselves as Amphimedon, and Antinous. They said they were going to the palace, to visit Penelope to marry them. Telemachus thought they were drunk and got in a fight.
Those two men really visited the palace after that day.and they wanted to marry Penelope. When they got refused, Klymene, noticed Hades, god of death. Klymene was not very pleasant with two men and they also brought along huge group of men, and they were being rude and impolite.
But, Klymene meets a kind man name Mydon. He introduces himself as Antinous's man. Nana, Ikarios and Klymene's grandma and also Telemachus's nanny. She was concerned about the food shortage in the palace because now there was more mouth to feed.
A man named Ilos, (one of the visitors) wanted some olive oil from the food storage, and Nana had the key to the storage room, but Nana refused to get the oil because they were short on food. Ilos wanted them by using force, but Telemachus came in and saved Nana. Later, Ilos told Telemachus that Melantho had slept with him. Telemachus interrogates Melantho about that but she strongly denies. After he's gone, She tells Klymene that she sometimes visits his tent.
""Those men," said Laertres at last, "the ones wo call themselves friends of my son, they're nothing but animals."" The visitors are really rude. They camp in the courtyards, eating everything on sight, and drinking their wine to the dregs. Laertres really wants Penelope to marry one of those man because he is really tired of all those men. So he decided to take a break so he moved away to quiet countryside. Also, Nana complains about them too. She wants to get ride of them, but Laertres is too old to lead the troops, the queen has no power, and Telemachus is too young.