Seven years later, on Ithaca, Odysseus's son Telemachus is now twenty years old and longs to be a hero like his long-lost father, while also hoping to protect his mother from her increasingly violent suitors, who are vying for the island kingdom's throne. He stands up to the suitor Antinous to defend his mother's honor, but is badly beaten in a fight until Athena appears and aids him. She later reflects on her relationship with an "old friend" and expresses regret about how it ended. Telemachus, unaware that she is referring to his own father, encourages the goddess to rekindle that friendship.
Heeding this advice, Athena decides to look through Odysseus's memories to find him and discovers that he has been trapped on the island of Ogygia with the exiled goddess Calypso, who has repeatedly tried to seduce him to no avail. Over the years, Odysseus has become increasingly depressed and desperate to escape the island, finally calling out to Athena for help. On Mount Olympus, Athena appeals to Zeus, her father, to free Odysseus. Unwilling to do so freely, he decides to host a "game", agreeing to release Odysseus only if Athena successfully argues for his release to five other Olympians: Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Ares, Hera. Using her wit and knowledge of each of the Olympians' different personalities, Athena successfully convinces all of them. Zeus becomes enraged at being outwitted, and he strikes Athena with lightning, but she survives and makes a final plea for Odysseus's freedom before collapsing God Games.
