Hermes led the suitors' ghosts down to the underworld, where Agamemnon and Achilles were talking about death and glory at Troy. Agamemnon asked Amphimedon how so many fine young men had died. Amphimedon told the whole story, from Penelope's weaving trick through the beggar, the bow contest, and the slaughter in the hall. Agamemnon praised Penelope's faithfulness and said Odysseus was blessed to have such a wife, unlike Clytemnestra who killed her husband.
On earth, Odysseus went to his father's farm and tested Laertes in the vineyard, pretending to be a stranger who had once entertained Odysseus abroad. When Laertes wept at the memory, Odysseus revealed himself through the boar scar and the numbered trees Laertes had given him years ago. They embraced, and Athena made the old king look tall and strong again. Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Philoetius prepared a feast, and Dolius and his sons joined them in astonishment.
Rumor spread through Ithaca, and the families of the dead suitors gathered in assembly. Eupeithes, father of Antinous, wept and demanded revenge, then led armed men toward Laertes's farm. Halitherses warned the town that the suitors brought this on themselves by ignoring earlier warnings. Medon and the bard Phemius testified that the gods had helped Odysseus kill the suitors, but many men still wanted blood.
Odysseus, Telemachus, Laertes, Dolius, and the loyal household put on armor and met the revenge party at the gate. Laertes killed Eupeithes with a spear thrown by Athena's power. Odysseus and Telemachus charged the front line, and the fight nearly spread until Athena raised her voice and ordered both sides to stop. Zeus sent thunder as a sign, and Athena made a covenant of peace. The epic ends not with more killing, but with a covenant meant to break the cycle of revenge. Odysseus will continue to rule Ithaca, and the families of the dead must forgive and forget so peace and plenty can return to the island.
