With Calypso’s steady wind blowing, I didn’t feel one bit seasick as Odysseus steered his ship straight for his own beloved island. That mortal had been in Troy for ten years. And it had taken him almost that long to get this close to his home. No way was I going anywhere until he stepped onto dry land in Ithaca.

As we approached the hilly island, I heard a shrill shrieking sound. I turned to see what it was, and I couldn’t believe my godly eyes. It was Po! His mutant seahorses were bouncing his sea chariot over the waves at a tremendous speed. Any minute, he’d catch up with Odysseus’s ship!

ZZZZZZZZZZZIP!

I landed in the speeding sea chariot with a whiplash-inducing jolt.

FOOP!

“Po, it’s been a while!” I shouted over the screeching seahorses. “How was Ethiopia?”

“Don’t try to distract me, Hades!” Po shouted back. “I know you’ve been helping Odysseus. I’m here to deal with him once and for all.” He shot me a dirty look. “And when I’m done with him, it’s your turn! Your kingdom is gonna be Floodsville!”

“Bro, I haven’t helped Odysseus!” I yelled as dark clouds began to gather overhead. “I’ve kept track of him, yes. But I haven’t helped him. No way. I swore to you I wouldn’t, and I’ve kept my word.”

Maybe in a court of law he could get me on technicalities, but I spoke the truth.

“Mold, Hades!” Po shouted. “Black mold seeping out from under your throne. Brown mold creeping over that recliner you lounge around in watching those wrestling matches. Persephone is going to pack her bags and move back up to earth for good!”

The winds picked up. They howled and swirled every which way, rocking the sea chariot like a bucking bronco. My stomach lurched.

“Enough vengeance, Po!” I shouted. I was going to be sick. I kept talking, hoping the feeling would pass. “Odysseus has been at sea for years, trying to get home. He’s lost all his ships, all his men. He’s got nothing!”

“And now?” cried Po. “He’s about to become fish food!”

The winds raged with hurricane force. Through the spray, I saw Odysseus’s ship tilt crazily to the side. A huge wave crashed onto the sail, pulling the ship down. The mast cracked as it hit the water, and Odysseus was blown overboard.

“That’s the end of him, Hades!” Po shouted. “Good riddance!” He pulled on his reins, turning his team away from the shipwreck, and sped off.

I jammed on my Helmet — POOF! — and went into Hover Mode. Was my bro right? After all Odysseus had been through, was he going to end up on the bottom of the ocean just off the coast of Ithaca?

Po’s storm wasn’t letting up. I searched the sea for Odysseus, but he was nowhere to be found. All the heavy, gold-trimmed clothing that Calypso had given him must have sunk him fast.

I sighed. Penelope would never know how close her husband had been to coming home. Telemachus would search forever and never find his father. Neither of them would ever see Odysseus again. I’d see him, of course, but only as a shade in the Underworld.

Suddenly, a head popped up among the waves.

Odysseus! I should never have given up on him! He spat out a mouthful of seawater and grabbed onto some wreckage from his ship.

But the storm winds were still whirling. How long could he last? If ever a mortal needed help, Odysseus needed it now.

I’d promised not to help him, but I’d never sworn not to call for help.

“INO!” I shouted into the winds. “A SAILOR IS DROWNING!”

Ino had once been a mortal woman. She and her husband had offended Hera, and in a fit of temper, Hera caused the husband to go mad. In his crazed state, the poor man tried to kill his wife. To escape him, Ino leaped into the sea. Some sea goddesses took pity on her, saved her from drowning, and changed her into one of them. Now her mission was to help sailors in distress.

“INO!” I called again. But the only answer I heard was the howling winds. Now the clouds opened and rain poured down in buckets.

“INO!” I called a third time, and almost before her name faded from the air, I caught sight of her head bobbing up between two huge waves. Her long blond hair floated around her face as her sky-blue eyes searched the sea.

I had on my Helmet. Ino couldn’t see me. But as I’d hoped, she caught sight of Odysseus hanging desperately onto a piece of wood. She swam toward him.

“Shed those heavy clothes, sailor!” she called. “Put this on!” She tossed him her scarf. It looked like an ordinary scarf made of sea grass, but in fact it was a magical life preserver.

Odysseus caught the scarf.

“When you are safely on shore, look toward the land and throw the scarf back into the surf,” said Ino. “It will find me.” Then she disappeared beneath the waves.

Hanging onto timbers from his ship, Odysseus struggled out of his weighty golden clothes. He knotted Ino’s scarf around his waist and started swimming. He couldn’t have known where he was headed, yet on he swam. Every now and then, he’d float on his back to catch his breath. And then the poor mortal flipped back over and started swimming again. And all I could do was hover over him, watching.

At last, an island came into view. Seeing land, Odysseus began swimming faster.

Go Odysseus! I silently cheered.

As he neared the island, he saw that the rocky shore was pounded by a strong surf. If he tried to swim to land, the waves would toss him onto the rocks over and over again.

But Odysseus wasn’t going to let that stop him. When he saw the danger ahead, he turned and swam parallel to the land. At last he came to the mouth of a river flowing into the sea. With what little strength he had left, he swam for the river. When he reached it, he pulled himself up to stand in the shallow water.

“Thank you, sea goddess,” he managed as he untied Ino’s scarf from his waist. Then he looked toward the land and tossed the scarf back into the waves.

Exhausted and shivering, the poor naked mortal staggered onto the shore. How I wished I could give him the extra robe I always carry in my wallet! But I could only watch helplessly as Odysseus trudged on beside the river. When he reached a pair of low-growing olive trees, he crawled between them, covered himself with their leafy boughs, and fell into a deep sleep.