"but still this worry haunts me, heart and soul –
how can I get these shameless suitors in my clutches?
Single-handed, braving an army always camped inside
There’s another worry, that haunts me even more
what if I kill them – thanks to you and Zeus –
how do I run from under their avengers?
Show me the way, I ask you."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 20, lines 40-46. Odysseus asks Athena how he single-handedly can defeat an army of suitors. And if he manages to kill them with Athena and Zeus’ help, he wonders how he can escape the wrath of their avenging supporters. Odysseus, who owes a great deal to the gods, is worried that he may not be strong enough.