I made my bed in the entry way and fell asleep, but not after long, twenty young servant girls crept, giggling, out of the house to go among the suitors and sleep with them. This angered me so much, but I managed to control myself. While I slept, Penelope was awake crying and praying to Artemis that she can be killed now and spared the pain, and in the morning, this crying and praying woke me up. I packed up my make-shift bed and went outside to pray to Zeus for us to kill the suitors and live. While I was out there, I overheard the 1st maid out of the morning, and as she was grinding grain, she was praying to Zeus for the death of the suitors and return of Odysseus, and this loyalty brought me great happiness. All the other maids woke and came outside as Telemakhos woke. When he came out from his tower, he asked Eurykleia to make sure that I had been treated well. And she replied that I had been fed and bathed, and that I had requested not to have a bed, and satisfied, Telemakhos left the hall. The Eurykleia called to all the maids to clean the house as best as they could and cover all the furniture and beds in red. I met the swineherd in the great hall, and we talked a little about life, and then Melanthios came and insulted me more. Philoitios came and said hello, welcoming me and telling me how he wished for Odysseus to come home because the suitors were horrible and he would have to be forced to live somewhere else. I promised him that Odysseus was coming home. I sat down as all the suitors came in for breakfast and Telemakhos stood up and told them not to lay a hand on me. But Athena wanted them to insult us to annoy us, so she made Ktesippos taunt me and throw a cow foot at me, but io dodged it easily. Outraged, Telemakhos stood up and defended me, telling him that he shouldn't treat a guest like that and that he would kill him if he did that again. Then Theoklymenos, the prophet's son, told all the suitors that they would die soon (because he had just had the prophecy). And all the suitors fell about laughing, so Theoklymenos left to go stay at Peiraios' home. The suitors set to work provoking Telemakhos, but he just ignored them and watched me and we thought murderous thoughts together from across the room; and while all this went on, Penelope just sat there facing us, father and son, and watched on in amazement...
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