Odysseus, Alcinous and Arete meet

BOOK 7
Odysseus waits in the grove of trees as Nausicaa makes her way to her father’s house. Odysseus gets up to leave, Athene covers him in a thick mist as he walks though the town. Then Athene takes the form of a young girl whom Odysseus asks for directions to Alcinous’s house, the girl says she will gladly show him the way. Then Odysseus reaches the house for a time he stands in awe looking at the house and its surroundings.
Then he goes in to where all the people were sitting, because he was hidden in a mist that no one could see him. Image everyone’s surprise when he lays his hands on the knees of queen Arete, and he suddenly appears out of nowhere. At once he begins to plead his case, when he is done speaking he sits down on the hearth among the ashes. In my copy, (Samuel Butler ) there is a footnote that reads. “This is the humble place, where any Greek suppliant for mercy and help would sit.” When everyone got over their shock of seeing a man appearing out of nowhere Echeneus begins to speak. Basically he says to Alcinous, you need to make this man feel welcome. This Alcinous does, the others in the hall go home for the night, they will have a bouquet for Odysseus in the morning. After all the others leave Alcinous, Arete, and Odysseus continue talking. Odysseus begins to tell them about Calypso, how he came to leave the island of Ogygian, and ended up on their coast. Alcinous must have been impressed with his story, because he wished Odyssey would stay, marry his daughter, and become his son-in-law. Nevertheless tomorrow he would take up the matter of getting Odyssey back to his home. Then its time to go to bed, Arete has a bed prepared for Odyssey.