prof. Victor Castellani (University of Denver): In the Cyclops´s Cave

In Odyssey 13 Odysseus complains that Athena abandoned him after the Trojan War. In fact, the 3rd-person narration of Books 1-8 show how repeatedly, almost continuously, not only she but three Olympian siblings (Hermes, Hephaestus, and Apollo) have been assisting him, by their father Zeus’ license, as they continue to do in the second half of the poem.
A close look at the hero’s 1st-person “Apologue” of Books 9-12 reveals how much these four gods supported him. However, they allow him to think that he is doing things by himself, so that he does not count on them to solve his gravest problems while he merely watches and waits
The Cyclops episode of Book 9 is the clearest evidence; but you will learn to recognize such divine collaborations later in the poem.